The album was now fully finished, in a months time it would be released out in to the world and already, small venues started booking us to play gigs. Maybe it was paying off, all those years of getting booted out of pubs for sticking posters on the walls and stuff. Me and my dad are complete opposites, he's a big muscly man and I'm just a skinny little boy with a guitar and a notepad, he was proud of me though, dead proud.
"You spoke to Olivia yet?" Bob plonked himself down beside me on the tatty old couch in the studio. Course I haven't spoke to Olivia, there's no way she was going to wake up sober and expect a message from me although Bob seemed to think different.
"Nah mate not yet" I replied
"Yet? It's been a week lad what are you waiting for? You're her mate Van, stop thinking about it how you are and consider her point of view. You said all her friends were her exes friends so now she only has her sister and then you bring her to yours a few days after she took you in when you were passed out in the middle of a pavement, she makes friends with all of us, you get her number but then you don't speak to her for a week." He raised his brows when he spoke because he knew he was right, I knew he was right. I agreed to text her so I whipped my phone out and began typing a message but I couldn't decide what to say.
Olivia
Hi Olivia it's Van, been a busy few
days, sorry for not texting sooner, do
you want to meet for a tea or coffee? x
Delivered - 02:17 PM
Hey!! Yeah sure, I finish early
today, hows 4? X
Sent - 02:20 PM
4 sounds good, I'll meet you outside
the shop on the corner? x
Delivered - 02:22 PM
I can't believe I've not asked her some of the most basic questions, I don't know where she works or what she does. She probably did something cool though, she dressed like a badass but she had a heart of gold and was one of the most kind hearted people I knew, even though I've not known her long. Our manager says we're going to be all over the country when the albums out so we need to start making the most of our time at home and I wanted to spend all my time with Olivia, I'd have the next god knows how long with the boys but not with Olivia. Even if it's just as friends.
She was stood in front of me looking into the distance with a huge scarf round her neck and beanie on her head, still not noticing me. Our eyes finally met and her huge smile appeared on her face as she started walking towards me, strangely enough she held her arms out so I gave her a hug and we made our way in to the cafe. Once she took her scarf and jacket off she revealed a pale blue shirt and lanyard with a picture of her and her full name on. Olivia MacLaughlin, her last name probably belonged to her Scottish dad, I had no idea how to even attempt to pronounce that.
"What is it you do?" I asked, she sat back in her chair and held up her cup of coffe with both hands to warm them up.
"I'm a graphic designer, self employed one so the business attire is just when I'm meeting a client, I don't always look this presentable" A graphic designer. A self employed graphic designer. That's when it hit me, our managers friends a graphic designer and he's waiting to hear back from him about our album cover, if we got someone from round here to do it, time would be saved and there was new stupid time zones that messed up our communication.
"Olivia.. I'm not like saying anything official yet but we're waiting to hear back from the guy our manager wants to do our album cover but he's from Australia, we've got an idea we just need someone actually make it for us. You wouldn't be interested would you?" I asked, her eyes opened wide and she placed her coffee back down on the table.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, he's getting a bit pissed off that it's taking so long"
"Do you want me to email my portfolio or give you my business card?"
"Nah I'll give him my word" I flashed her a wink and wandered outside so I could hear Steve over the phone.
Steve was reluctant at first, how was he supposed to take my word for it when everything else he's taken my word for has gone to shit. Somehow I convinced him to believe me and agreed to let Olivia do our album cover, after all we had it drawn out she just needed to do it properly.
"I know tomorrow is Saturday but you wouldn't fancy popping round to see Steve with me? He said you can do it as long as he can meet you and I know people don't work at the weekend but I might have accidentally said I'd introduce you to him tomorrow" instead of the fed up look I was expecting from someone being told they'd have to work on the weekend, a massive smile took its place on her face.
"Course! That's fine yeah I'm buzzing!" Seeing her all excited made me feel so happy, I felt like a little kid not being able to contain my laughter.
We finished our tea and went for a walk along the beach with our arms linked. Imagine if she just ignored me when she walked past, maybe it would have been better because I wouldn't be so obsessed with her but then again I wouldn't have met such an internally beautiful person. I felt her head on my shoulder as we were walking and my heart began beating 10 times faster than it already was. Two weeks I've known her. Two fucking weeks and I was so heavily attracted to her.
