The Element of Surprise

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Claude's P.O.V.

Clanking forks and hummed chewing echo through the silent apartment. Every so often I would peek up at Olivia but she quickly looks away, never making eye contact with me. Bobby and Benny try to hold conversation but Olivia only gave one word answers. Her hair encases her face like a closed curtain as she stares down at her plate with intensity.

"So, Olivia...how long have you lived here?" Bobby asked randomly, running out of topics to talk about.

"All my life." Olivia mumbles without looking up from her dinner. The rest of the meal went in with minimal conversation and Olivia refuse to look away from her food. After everyone finished we all went to the kitchen to clean up. Benny and Booby promptly left but not before Bobby looks at me with a hopeless expression, silently asking me what happened between me and Olivia, then exits quietly.

After Olivia revealed to me that her mother worked for NWO, the same organization that had my parents disappear when I was a child, I was shocked. Her parents worked with my parents. They took a picture together. And her mother is still here, alive and well. She could know where my parents are, what happened to them. I looked down at Olivia, hopeful to finally get the answers I have wanted all my life, but she quickly maneuvered around me, rushed out of the room and has not looked at me since. We are all just awkwardly gathered around the table with no conversation and without food as a distraction it was becoming unbearable.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Benny exclaimed, disrupting the silence, making everyone at the table jump. "Your idiot brother said you had to be home by nine, right?" he asked casually. I look across the table in time to catch a small smile touch her lips at the comment about her brother before it disappeared.

"Yeah...?" she replies cautiously.

"Well, it's only six thirty. Do you want to stay and watch a movie with us?" he asks. Olivia's head snaps up, eyes wide, staring at my older cousin. Benny's eyes shine mischievously and a charming smile graces his face.

"Well...I...I mean..." Olivia stutters trying to find a reasonable escape, but the twins ganged up on her.

"Yeah, come on Little Bit, it'll be fun." Bobby chimes in grinning like a maniac. Olivia flicks her eyes back and forth between the two with narrowed eyes, knowing what they are trying to do. After a few moments of suffering silence Olivia sighs.

"I guess I could stay." she says.

"YES!" the twins exclaim in unison both pumping their fists in the air.

A few minutes later we are all sitting in the living room, Olivia and I on opposite sides of the couch and the twins are on the floor bickering over what movie we are going to watch.

"We should watch a scary movie!" exclaims Benny with a sinister smile as his eyes flicker to Olivia's wide eyes. Bobby punches his brother in the arm, scolding him under his breath for trying to scare the guest.

Once Bobby finally convinced Benny that it would be inappropriate to terrify Olivia the first night she has met them, they agreed on the movie Everything Must Go. It is a fairly good movie, not really my style. Olivia seemed to enjoy it, although, the twins teased her when her face turned as red as a tomato during a sexual part in the film. They also tried to mess with her when she fell asleep three quarters of the way through. I had to slap their hands away numerous times to keep her peacefully sleeping, curled up in a ball, her light breathing and the dialogue of the film are the only sounds in the room.

Once the movie ended, the twins begged me to let them wake her up, but of course I refused.

"Come on, Claude! We won't do anything too bad. We promise." Benny pleads, nudging his brother.

"Yeah, we promise. Please!" Bobby begs, giving me his best puppy dog eyes. I shake my head at their words.

"No you guys. I want her to like me not run away screaming!" I say in a hushed tone since Olivia was asleep not a foot away from me.

"Fine! Be a big boring butt head and wake her up yourself." pouted Benny. I chuckle silently as I lean over to Olivia, gently place my hand on her arm, and whisper in her ear.

"Olivia? Olivia, it's time to wake up.

Olivia's P.O.V.

A cool, satin-soft touch traveled up and down my arm as I slowly awaken from my slumber. "Olivia? Olivia, it's time to wake up." an angelic voice calls me from my sleep. I groan and slowly open my eyes. Claude's adorably handsome face is only inches from mine.

Shocked, I gasp and quickly sit up. Pain exploded in my forehead because I ended up slamming my head against Claude's as we both toppled to the ground, and of course with my luck I end up on top of him. He lands hard onto the carpeted floor, groaning, but when I look up at him there is a large smile on his lips.

We just stare at each other for a while. I feel that weird pull toward him again. A feeling like I was supposed to be here, supposed to be with him. Someone clears their throat and our head snap up to the twins. They are nearly shaking, no doubt holding in laughter. My face quickly heats up. I am positive that it is now bright red as I stand and dust off the invisible dirt on my shirt and pants.

"So I should get you home, huh." Claude says. I completely forgot I had to be home by nine! I check my phone.

"Oh my gosh, it's 8:50! Jake is going to kill me! We are leaving. Now!" I say and bolt towards the door, but before I could get to my destination, large hands embrace me from behind and squeeze me.

"You weren't even going to say good-bye, Little Bit! I'm hurt." Benny says. I try to squirm out of his grasp, but it was no use.

"Come on Benny! She has to get home. Leave her be." Claude says. Benny suddenly drops me down. I turn around sharply and glare at him. He just smiles brightly to me. Shaking my head I turn to Claude.

"We have to go now." I say.

I wave good-bye to the twins and after lots of begging on my part, we got into Bobby's car. The ride was silent. Neither of us said a word, fearing the aftermath. When we finally made it to my house I couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" I blurt out to Claude. His left eyebrow lifts as a puzzled expression consumes his face.

"No. Why?" he asks slowly.

"Don't ask why. Just meet me here tomorrow at noon. Okay?" I say as I walk up my porch steps. He nods slowly, "Okay." he says before he gets back into the car and speeds away.