Summertime & Butterflies

Thirty-Six

"Well... welcome home?"

Olivia scowled at her sister as she struggled with her seatbelt, tugging it forcefully. "What the fuck is wrong with this stupid thing?" she grumbled, shoving the seatbelt back into the retractor before trying to buckle it again. She let out an exasperated sigh, shoving Stephanie's purse, which was covering the buckle, onto the floor.

"Your car is really fucking dumb," Olivia informed Stephanie as she got the seat belt fastened. She grunted out another sigh, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So you're cheerful..." Stephanie commented dryly as she drove through the airport parking lot.

"I just may or may not have broken up with my boyfriend, and just flew for a hundred years, through four billion airports, to get home," Olivia snapped. "So yeah. I'm fucking happier than a pig in shit."

Stephanie grinned, Olivia's curt comments not fazing her. "Does this call for wine?" she asked. "I'm always down for a bottle or two!"

"I just want to sleep," Olivia muttered, leaning her head against the window as she watched the familiar sights of her home town whiz past her. She thought the next time she drove down this highway, she would be with Harry. Now, she didn't know if she ever would be.

Stephanie's face softened. "You guys will figure it out," she promised, reaching over to pat Olivia's hand. "It's just a hiccup you have to get past. You'll be fine..."

Olivia shrugged. It had been nearly eighteen hours since she left Harry's house, and she hadn't heard a word from him. He couldn't be missing her at all. "I don't know..." she answered. "He hasn't texted me. I told him it was all up to him. So..." She trailed off, shrugging again.

"Well... I mean, you said you didn't give him an ultimatum, but..."

"I didn't," Olivia interrupted, though she was wondering if she did. "I told him I needed him to be part of my life and show me he has time for me. And if he can't..."

Stephanie laughed, shaking her head at Olivia. "Do what I want, or else I will do what you don't want... Textbook ultimatum, Liv! He's probably at home, missing you and thinking, fuck, I want to text her and save this, but what's the point, because I can't do what she's demanding of me!"

"I'm not demanding anything," Olivia argued. "I just want the same kind of respect and time that I give him."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "How many times have I had to miss things I want to do because of Jeff's career?" she asked. "How many family events has he missed? I mean, he missed his son's birth, for crying out loud! He didn't want to... Just like Harry doesn't want to miss things with you. But they both have these shitty, demanding careers and it sucks hard that we have to take the backseat sometimes, but we do. You knew, going into it, that it would not be easy with Harry," Stephanie reminded Olivia.

"Why do you always, always take his side?" Olivia grumbled, hating that there was an ounce of a chance that Stephanie may be right.

"You make it pretty easy to take his side," Stephanie pointed out. "I mean, shit, Liv! He has his first solo world tour coming up in a matter of weeks, and you want him to drop everything to come to Kamloops? To a barbecue? Come on..."

Olivia chewed on her lower lip, absorbing Stephanie's words. "I just want him to be a part of my life," she repeated. "It's not just a barbecue. It's... everything. I want him to know everyone, and meet everyone, and see everything! His house was like home and he's never even seen mine."

"Well, he will," Stephanie reminded Olivia. "Just... not when he's days away from embarking on a fucking world tour! Stop being stupid about this whole thing! Don't make him choose between his career and you. Because you know what?"