It's Just Me

Stupid idea

It was a stupid idea to bring Olivia with me. I did it for my own selfish reasons anyway. I wanted to know what kind of reaction it would trigger from Stevie, once she saw I wasn't alone. The second the two stood in front of each other, I regretted my decision immensely. Stevie was hurt. I wanted her to get jealous, but I didn't want to hurt her.

Being totally honest, Olivia and I aren't a couple, but we both played along, knowing it appeared that we are. Every smallest interaction between us, would cause Stevie to look away. She spent the better part of dinner staring at her plate, clearly trying her best to ignore us. I couldn't ask Olivia to leave, we couldn't leave yet either, nor could I come out with it, telling everyone she and I barely know each other, though we slept a couple of times together...

At least Mick is here. Thanks to him, there's never an awkward silence. He might just ramble on and on, but it would always ease the tension even if a little. It was mostly him and I, who were talking out of the five people sitting around the table. Olivia obviously felt out of place and I need to apologize to her as soon as we leave. Lori keeps staring at me, coming up with ways to murder me, I'm sure. Stevie... well, she's sitting silently and avoiding any interaction. 

Then I hear the door open. Stevie leaps out of her seat and I hear her excitedly tell Christian, just how happy she is that he's arrived. God... I had hoped he wouldn't be here. By the sound of Stevie's voice, I already know exactly where tonight's going, so not wanting to play the same game, I let go of Olivia's hand, reaching for a glass of wine with it, as I then cross my arms and sit back. 

Soon enough, Stevie drags Christian into the room by the hand and shows him to sit down, saying she'll be right back. He and I are now sitting side by side. How wonderful. Stevie returns shortly, serving him dinner as she then takes her seat. It's as if she's a completely different person from twenty minutes ago. But then again, she's not alone anymore. She doesn't have to keep her head down, so she wouldn't have to look at me and Olivia. Now she has her precious Christian to drool over.

Some time later, we here an uproar coming downstairs, as Alex comes in a moment later. "I just wanted to thank you for coming over tonight. The presents are awesome! But we have a gig to play and if we don't want to be late, we gotta go! Is that alright?" He looks at Stevie, also briefly glancing at me. He's a fine young man. I'd love to say that we did a great job raising him, but truly, Stevie's been around him a lot more than I have...

"Of course it is, son. It's not like you're going to join us." She smiles at him lovingly. "Go, have fun and good luck!"

"Thanks!" He beams and presses a kiss to her cheek, before doing the same to Lori, as he then waves at the rest of us. 

"I'm honestly shocked." Mick says, once it's just the adults left. "Alex is eighteen and he's still asking your permission, while a bunch of his friends are behind him."

"I've taught him well." Stevie shrugs, with a smile on her face. 

"What about Lindsey? He's got nothing to do with it?" 

Oh dear God, I sigh, shaking my head slightly, placing my hand over Olivia's under the table. While Stevie doesn't reply straight away, she doesn't seem to be taken aback by the question either.

"I've never said Lindsey was a bad father. Don't twist my words. Alex has been with me since he was born and Lindsey wasn't thinking about teaching him good manners or disciplining him too much, because when seeing his son every other week, it was more important for the both of them to spend some quality time together. May it be playing cars at four years old or kicking a ball at seven, racing each other in the pool at ten or just sitting down an have a heart to heart about suddenly developing feelings for a girl at seventeen."

Everybody seems to be a little stunned, as am I to be honest, but inside, I find myself cheering for Stevie. 

"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." Olivia lowers her eyes and pulls her hand away from underneath mine.

Did I say this was a stupid idea already?

"Does anybody want coffee and cake, which Alex obviously didn't?" Stevie attempts a joke, as she gets up, receiving several nods. 

I get up from my chair to go after her and I guess, I must look pissed off, because Olivia tries to stop me. "Don't make it worse."

"I'm not." I say and then go to Stevie.

Our eyes instantly meet, but she doesn't say anything, her arms folded over her chest. Lingering for a moment, I take a few steps forward, leaving a gap between us. Sighing, I speak up. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought Olivia with me. Or I should have checked with you first."

"It's fine." She shrugs. "She's your girlfriend."

She's no-... No, I'm not going to say anything to that. "We're not exactly at the point yet, where I would be bringing her to my son's birthday. I apologize for what she just said, too."

"I suppose, it's not her fault. You had to have created some sort of image for her, where I'm the horrible person, who doesn't let you be around Alex."

"That's not what this is. She took it the wrong way, what you answered to Mick. Please, don't make a big deal out of it."

"I'm not doing anything. You're the one, coming after me, wanting to talk about it."

I don't say anything for a minute, before asking. "Is this how it's always going to be between us now? Stevie, I know we've both done and said things we shouldn't have, but I don't want you to hate me, because I certainly don't feel that towards you. One way or the other, we'll still be around each other."

"I don't hate you. However, I don't appreciate you putting on a show, trying to prove something to me, when it's far from the right time and place."

"Putting on a show?" I echo her words, my voice growing louder. "And you're not doing the same thing, repeating again and again just how glad you are he came? All that kissing and touching? It's pathetic."

"Well, I guess, we both are then." Shrugging her shoulders, she fills the coffee cups with boiling water, before going back to the others.

Taking a few deep breaths, I return to the dining room. "It's time for us to go." I tell Olivia, not even trying to make this subtle. No one speaks up and asks us to stay.

Several short minutes later, Olivia and I are in my car, as I pull out of Stevie's driveway. Olivia is very quiet, looking out the window at the passing city. I feel like an asshole. She's innocent in all of this. I reach for her hand, but she pulls it away again.

"I knew I shouldn't have agreed to coming along. I realized we would never be friends, but I didn't want her to hate me. I've made a complete fool out of myself."

"You didn't. Stevie doesn't hate you either. I'm the one to blame. I just thought we could all be adults about it."

Approaching an intersection, I stop at the red light. Left turn would take us to my house and the right, would bring us to Olivia's. As if she had read my mind, Olivia says. "Take me home."