Summertime & Butterflies

Seven

"Oh, my God," Olivia breathed out, clutching her stomach as she examined herself in the full length mirror. "I am so freaking nervous! This will be okay, right? This isn't a bad idea?" She looked at her sister hopefully, searching for reassurance.

"Oh my God!" Stephanie moaned, throwing her head back with frustration and glaring at her sister. They'd been going through the same song and dance since the barbecue two days earlier. As soon as Harry and Louis had left Stephanie's house, Olivia became nervous and over the next couple of days, she changed her mind about going more times than she would care to admit. Not that she didn't want to go. She had no idea what would happen if she did go. What if she liked him too much and had to go home in a couple of days? Or worse, what if he realised he didn't like her at all and wanted her to go home? Neither were desirable outcomes.

"Do I look okay? I'm fat, aren't I?" Olivia groaned, covering her face with her hands and flopping onto the bed. "What if he thinks this is the stupidest idea ever? Do you think he'll change his mind and won't want to see me? This might be so bad," she sighed.

Stephanie pressed her fingers against her temples and closed her eyes, her look akin to one she would give her children when they were stressing her out. "So, let me get this straight," she began, and Olivia sighed. Any sentence that began with those words rarely bode well for the person on the receiving end.

"He asked you out... twice... because he didn't want to see you," Stephanie began, counting her points off on her fingers. "And... he came to my home... after being rejected by you... just to see you, because he didn't want to see you. He asked for your number and he called you - not a text - to make plans with you. And even though you had a total 90;s teen, coming-of-age movie, ridiculously adorable little kiss, you still think he doesn't want to see you? Come. On."

"Ugh...," Olivia sighed, though she smiled at the reminder of the kiss she shared with Harry. It had been exactly how Stephanie had described it - sweet and pure, reminding Olivia of the innocence of being young. She hadn't experienced a kiss that gentle and kind in a long time.

"You know I'm right," Stephanie informed her, tossing her a jacket from the pile of clothes strewn about. "Here, put this on."

Olivia stood up and pulled on the jacket, kicking aside discarded clothes and tripping towards the mirror. She let out a loud exhale as she examined her reflection. Truthfully, she liked the way she looked. Stephanie had treated her to an early morning shopping trip and a stop off at a salon. She agreed to a cut and style, but drew the line at extensions, disappointing both Stephanie and the stylist. She looked good, but she still wondered if she looked good enough for a date with Harry Styles.

"I like him," she confessed to Stephanie, meeting her sister's eyes through the mirror as she twisted and turned, surveying herself. "That's the scary part."

Stephanie sat on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs as she watched Olivia pick herself apart. "Do you remember my first date with Jeff?" she asked, smiling at the memory.

Olivia snickered. "Yeah," she answered, flicking a hair elastic at her sister. "He should have been helping to coach one of our games, but he ditched us to take you bowling. Dad was so mad," she added with a laugh, remembering her strict father's reaction to the eighteen-year-old WHL player taking his fifteen-year-old daughter on a date without asking his permission first.

"He got over it," Stephanie chuckled, flicking the elastic back at Olivia. "But, my point is... I was so nervous, I puked like three times. And now... I kinda dig that boy a bit," she said with a giggle. "I'd say it turned out pretty extraordinary..."

"Didn't you puke because you ate that weird fish at Aunt Bonnie's house?" Olivia cut in, bending at the waist and fluffing her hair.

"Ugh, do you have to remember everything?" Stephanie sighed. "I just mean that I was so, so nervous about that silly little bowling date! And look how things turned out for us. Like, you never know. Just have fun and see what happens. Stop over-thinking everything, just chill out and have fun. Fun!"