Summertime & Butterflies

Ten

Olivia was so exhilarated from her date with Harry, she was certain sleep would be impossible to find. Her mind was racing, her heart was fluttering, and all she wanted to do was wake up her sister to discuss every single detail of the night. But, despite Stephanie's worrisome texts from earlier in the night, she'd fallen asleep, evident by the light snores coming from the master bedroom. Girl talk would have to wait.

With a dreamy sigh, Olivia flopped into her bed, wide awake. Thoughts of Harry consumed her mind. She could still taste his soft lips against hers, feel his hands on her, hear his adorable laugh. They'd only just said goodbye, but she found she missed him terribly already. She wondered if he missed her too. She wondered if she was crazy for missing him. Then, she realised she didn't care.

Olivia rolled over, wrapping her arms around the pillow. She wondered if she should stay awake. There was no way she'd fall asleep...

*~*~*~

"Hey. Auntie Livvy. Hey. He-ee-ey!"

Olivia let out a groan and opened one eye. Mia was kneeling on the bed, bouncing as she stared at her aunt. Mia grinned triumphantly as Olivia's eyes opened.

"Oh, good!" she exclaimed. "You're awake!" She paused, looking at Olivia with scrutiny. "Why do you have mascara on your cheek?" she asked. "It's for your eyes," she added, proud of her knowledge.

Olivia sighed, rolling onto her back and stretching her legs. "I forgot to wash my face last night before bed," she told Mia, wiping her hands across her cheeks and wondering how haggard the rest of her looked.

Mia made a face, but nodded sympathetically. "Is that why your face sometimes looks like this?" she asked, waving her hands in front of her face, looking disgusted. Olivia wasn't sure what the motion meant, but she was certain it wasn't a compliment.

"Totally," Olivia answered, stifling a yawn. "Why are you in my room, anyway?" she asked, watching as Mia reached into her ever-present Paw Patrol backpack and pulled out a doll comb.

"Mommy said I could come wake you up," Mia answered, taking a lock of Olivia's hair and carefully dragging the comb through it. "Because we already had lunch, and you haven't even had breakfast yet!" she added incredulously.

"Really?" Olivia answered, stretching again. She reached for her phone and peered at the time. Almost one in the afternoon. It surprised her that she'd slept so long when she wasn't sure she'd be able to at all, but she was more surprised her sister let her sleep as late as she did.

"Yeah," Mia answered, still working the plastic comb through her aunt's hair. "We had carrot sticks, and Violet didn't eat all of hers, but I did," she boasted, vegetable eating being a massive deal in the Gilbert household.

"Good job, kid," Olivia replied, pushing the blankets off her and gently removing Mia's hand from her hair. "Go tell Mom I'm having a shower and then I'll come downstairs and eat all of my carrot sticks too."

"Deal!" Mia chirped, bouncing off the bed and bolting from the guest room, awkwardly struggling to pull her backpack back on as she ran. Olivia sat up, rubbing her eyes again and smiling softly at the memories of the night before. She touched her lips gently. They were tender from the action they experienced, but deliciously so. The skin around her mouth was tender and raw from Harry's stubble, but Stephanie had an arsenal of skin care products. Even if she didn't, Olivia wouldn't have cared. It was worth it.

~*~*~*

"Ah, there you are, my little Sleeping Beauty," Stephanie cooed as Olivia entered the kitchen, still bleary-eyed. "Sit down. Guzzle coffee. Tell me everything!"