OLIVIA FOX [Completed]

CHAPTER FOUR

Thanks for reading.
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It’s been a week and three days. I’m getting used to staying here. Mable still visits everyday. There is really nothing to do around here. Mable got me a laptop and I surf the Internet most of the time. I still feel like I am in the hospital. Caged. I pick a novel from the shelf in the bedroom. I am reading it when I hear a knock on the door. It can’t be Mable. She left a couple of minutes ago. Unless she forgot something. I hesitate. The knock comes again. Laura comes out of the kitchen and gets the door. I hear a man’s voice. Who could it be?
“Miss Fox? He is asking for you.”
He? He who?
I slowly get up from the couch and walk to the door.
“Who is it?” I ask.
“Er…I’m your neighbor. I heard someone moved in here and I just thought I’d say hi.” Why does the voice sound familiar. Should I open the door? I slowly open the wooden door, then the glass door. Oh my God. Shoot me. It just cannot be.
“Or… what… how.? I stammer.
“Olivia Fox. Would you look at that?”
“Orlando. I don’t know what to say.” He is wearing another t-shirt with a word inscribed on it.
Believe.
What is wrong with this guy?
“I tried visiting you at the hospital and I was told you left. I was disappointed. Not that you left but because I thought I would never see you again. But you are here. We are neighbors.”
“Er…”
“I like what you did with your hair. It’s pretty.”
Color floods my cheeks and I am searching my head to find what to say.
“You stay here?” Damn. That was stupid Olivia. Of course he stays here. He said you are neighbors remember?
I clear my throat. “I meant how long have you stayed here?”
“Five, six years. Are you going to invite me in or are we going to keep talking, standing?”
“Olivia? Is there a problem?” Carl comes out from the back of the house.
“Yes. I mean no Carl. Everything is fine. Orlando is a friend.”
Orlando’s eyes dart from me to Carl and back to me.
“Just leave us Carl.” And he walks away.
“My security.” I try to explain to Orlando.
“Bodyguard. Hmm. Fancy.”
I chuckle. “Come in.” Olivia you have lost it. Come in? You asked him to come in? You are so going to regret this.
“Please sit down.” I gesture at the couch.
“Want anything to drink? Water? Coffee?”
“No. I’m still recovering from the excitement of seeing you again. This is fate you know?”
“What is?”
“You. Me. This. It looks like fate to me.”
I laugh.
“What? you don’t think so?”
I look into his eyes for a few seconds.
“How is your brother doing?” Why do I always use his brother to avoid his questions? Still, I would rather not talk about fate because it has been cruel to me and we have some scores to settle.
“He is responding to treatment. His wife decided to take him home. Doctors advised it will help him recover his lost memories faster.”
“Oh. That’s good.”
“You?”
“Huh?”
“How are you? Are you okay now?”
“It depends. I’m better than I was before. I could be better.” I am biting my lower lip.
“Let’s play a game.”
Perfect. I need something to help make me relax. “Okay.”
“Tell me three things you thought about me when you first saw me and I’d do the same.”
“Okay. That’s easy. I go first?”
“Yeah. Ladies first.”
I playfully roll my eyes on him.
“Sexy. Calm. Weird.”
“Weird?” His eyes inquisitive.
“Yes weird. The inscriptions on your t-shirt. Weird. Is that like your thing? T-shirts with inscriptions.”
“Yes. I love inscriptions.”
“How do you chose which one to wear every morning?”
“I just go with whatever I’m feeling.”
“I see.”
“You think I’m sexy?” His brows are raised.
“Yeah. That shouldn’t be news to you. Your turn. What were your three first thoughts about me?”
“Damn. She is beautiful. I want to fuck her.”
“Oh my Goodness Orlando. You are completely out of your mind.”
“And something tells me you like me just like that.” He is cocky. His cockiness does not annoy me.
“No kidding. Those were the first three things I thought about you. I’m hurt you didn’t think of fucking me.” He was messing with me.
“Why the hell would I want to fuck you?” Orlando. I thought of it but I won’t tell you that.
“Well… because I’m fuckable?” he says. We look at each other and burst into loud laughter.
“Fuckable. Orlando where the hell did you get that from? You need help.” I was still recovering from the wave of laughter that overtook my body.
“I like you Olivia. There is something about you that makes me just wanna be me you know. Something so real about you.”
“Orlando. I… we…friends?” God. I am such an idiot. Olivia tell him you are not interested in whatever it is he is offering. Tell him you don’t like him. Walk him out of your life and tell him never to come back. I know it’s what I should do. But why do I feel like I need him? He has only been here for a couple of minutes and he has taken away the gloominess cloaking around me and the house. He has made me really laugh and I cannot remember the last time I really laughed.
“Friends.” He replies.
“What do you do?” I ask.
“I’m an architect. I own an architectural firm. Took after my dad. I’m doing pretty good. You?” He is an architect and he is hot. Women must be drooling over him and I am really surprised he does not know me. Who doesn’t know Olivia Fox in the whole of San Jose?
“I’m not sure.”
“Why?” There is concern in his eyes. His eyes so bright. And striking. And energetic. His electric blue eyes.
“I’m not sure. After the accident, I don’t really know what I want any longer.”
“Accident?”
“It was fire. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay. So that friendly real date I promised you. Dinner? At my house? Eight p.m.?”
“Okay.” It seems churlish to turn him down. I don’t understand myself. What is it about this man that makes me agree to everything. He gets up and plants a soft kiss on my cheek. My body shakes and goose bumps erupts from my skin. I hope he doesn’t notice what just one kiss from him does to my body.
“Bye Olivia. See you by eight.”
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