the door jolted us
from our sleep before the sun had even risen. We both lay still in
bed, confused.
“ Livvy? Jon? It’s Matty. Open
up.”
“ Oh, my god,” I said, my heart
racing as I sat up in bed. My body ached at the movement; at any movement, really.
“ It’s okay,” Jon whispered, running
his hand up and down my arm.
“ You get
it. I don’t want him to know what we did.”
“ Olivia, come on. He already
knows.”
“ He only thinks he knows what we
were going to do...”
“ Liv,” he said, his voice
pleading.
“ It’s your room,” I argued. Matty
knocked again.
“ It’s our room,” he countered. “He’s your uncle. You get it.” He leaned over to get a robe from a chair and handed it to
me. I took a deep breath before going to the door, wrapping the
robe tightly around my sore body. I opened up the door just a
crack, purposefully leaving the lights off.
“ Little Liv,” Matty said, looking
awful. He must have had a good time the night before. “Sorry to
wake you,” he apologized.
“ Are you okay?” I laughed at him.
He looked oddly reminiscent of how he looked the previous
morning.
“ No, sweetie,” he said, his tone
serious. “Your dad’s on his way here. His jet just landed and he’ll
be here in about forty-five minutes.” The lights flipped on behind
me and I looked back at Jon, who was hurriedly putting his boxers
back on. When he got to the door, he opened it up wider to talk to
my uncle.
“ Why?” he’d asked, completely
mortified.
“ It’s not what you think. He
doesn’t know about this arrangement, don’t worry.”
“ Well, why is he coming?” I
asked.
Matty pressed his lips together in obvious
hesitation. “Your dad wanted to tell you himself, in person. I told
him you were sound asleep when he called early this morning.”
“ Is Mom okay?”
“ Your mom’s fine. Your brother’s
fine.”
“ Dad?”
“ He’s fine, too. It’s Donna, Little
Liv.”
“ What about her?” My breathing
quickened and Jon put his hands on my shoulders, gripping tightly.
He moved me out of the doorway and pushed the door open with his
foot, allowing my uncle inside our room. I couldn’t move on my own,
my knees locked as I waited for him to answer.
“ She collapsed at home last night,”
he said. “An aneurism or something.”
“ She’ll be okay, though, right?” I
saw Matty’s expression change, and I could tell Jon saw it, too,
when he wrapped his arms around my body. He caught me as I started
to fall to the ground and helped me over to the bed. “Please,” I
whispered, “tell me she’ll be okay.”
I only saw his head shake once before I buried my
own in Jon’s chest. He held me tight while I sobbed against him.
They continued talking, but I couldn’t comprehend a thing they
said. I heard the door close as Jon laid me back down on the bed. I
missed his warmth, and curled into a ball. He tucked the blankets
back over me, and I numbly watched him hurriedly pack our things
into the suitcases while the tears continued to stream. I heard him
turn on the faucet in the bathroom. He came over to the bed and
told me I needed to take a shower. I told him I didn’t want to, but
one step in front of the mirror convinced me otherwise. He showered
with me again, but this time, he was the only one applying the
shower gel and wiping away the soap. I stood with my back to him,
arms crossed; just how he had first found me the night before.
He kissed my shoulder once after he turned the water
off. He toweled me off and handed me some underwear and a robe.
“You better go next door to finish getting ready. If your dad’s
early, we’re dead.” As soon as he said the word, he cringed. “I’m
sorry,” he said as more sobs erupted. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated,
pulling me into his arms and holding me tightly against his wet,
naked body. My tears mixed with the rest of the water droplets on
his skin.
Someone knocked on the door, and we both
from our sleep before the sun had even risen. We both lay still in
bed, confused.
“ Livvy? Jon? It’s Matty. Open
up.”
“ Oh, my god,” I said, my heart
racing as I sat up in bed. My body ached at the movement; at any movement, really.
“ It’s okay,” Jon whispered, running
his hand up and down my arm.
“ You get
it. I don’t want him to know what we did.”
“ Olivia, come on. He already
knows.”
“ He only thinks he knows what we
were going to do...”
“ Liv,” he said, his voice
pleading.
“ It’s your room,” I argued. Matty
knocked again.
“ It’s our room,” he countered. “He’s your uncle. You get it.” He leaned over to get a robe from a chair and handed it to
me. I took a deep breath before going to the door, wrapping the
robe tightly around my sore body. I opened up the door just a
crack, purposefully leaving the lights off.
“ Little Liv,” Matty said, looking
awful. He must have had a good time the night before. “Sorry to
wake you,” he apologized.
“ Are you okay?” I laughed at him.
He looked oddly reminiscent of how he looked the previous
morning.
“ No, sweetie,” he said, his tone
serious. “Your dad’s on his way here. His jet just landed and he’ll
be here in about forty-five minutes.” The lights flipped on behind
me and I looked back at Jon, who was hurriedly putting his boxers
back on. When he got to the door, he opened it up wider to talk to
my uncle.
“ Why?” he’d asked, completely
mortified.
“ It’s not what you think. He
doesn’t know about this arrangement, don’t worry.”
“ Well, why is he coming?” I
asked.
Matty pressed his lips together in obvious
hesitation. “Your dad wanted to tell you himself, in person. I told
him you were sound asleep when he called early this morning.”
“ Is Mom okay?”
“ Your mom’s fine. Your brother’s
fine.”
“ Dad?”
“ He’s fine, too. It’s Donna, Little
Liv.”
“ What about her?” My breathing
quickened and Jon put his hands on my shoulders, gripping tightly.
He moved me out of the doorway and pushed the door open with his
foot, allowing my uncle inside our room. I couldn’t move on my own,
my knees locked as I waited for him to answer.
“ She collapsed at home last night,”
he said. “An aneurism or something.”
“ She’ll be okay, though, right?” I
saw Matty’s expression change, and I could tell Jon saw it, too,
when he wrapped his arms around my body. He caught me as I started
to fall to the ground and helped me over to the bed. “Please,” I
whispered, “tell me she’ll be okay.”
I only saw his head shake once before I buried my
own in Jon’s chest. He held me tight while I sobbed against him.
They continued talking, but I couldn’t comprehend a thing they
said. I heard the door close as Jon laid me back down on the bed. I
missed his warmth, and curled into a ball. He tucked the blankets
back over me, and I numbly watched him hurriedly pack our things
into the suitcases while the tears continued to stream. I heard him
turn on the faucet in the bathroom. He came over to the bed and
told me I needed to take a shower. I told him I didn’t want to, but
one step in front of the mirror convinced me otherwise. He showered
with me again, but this time, he was the only one applying the
shower gel and wiping away the soap. I stood with my back to him,
arms crossed; just how he had first found me the night before.
He kissed my shoulder once after he turned the water
off. He toweled me off and handed me some underwear and a robe.
“You better go next door to finish getting ready. If your dad’s
early, we’re dead.” As soon as he said the word, he cringed. “I’m
sorry,” he said as more sobs erupted. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated,
pulling me into his arms and holding me tightly against his wet,
naked body. My tears mixed with the rest of the water droplets on
his skin.
Someone knocked on the door, and we both
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