Leaning Into the Breeze

Olivia Kerensa Bliss lay on her back. She stared up at her new bedroom ceiling from her new bed on top of her new sheets. They still had that new feel - not yet soft, and the smell of plastic. Olivia turned her head and stared at the phone she had put on the bedside table.

Swinging her legs round in front of her, Olivia sat up from her lying position on her bed. Her gaze never leaving the phone.

“We like to party, we like, we like to party!” Jack came bursting into the room, singing a Vengaboys song. He was jumping up and down, index fingers pointed towards the ceiling as he bopped his arms up and down. Jack did a little circle around the room and then left. Olivia still stared at her phone, not even noticing Jack’s attention seeking outburst.

She squinched her eyes together and rubbed her face before reaching a shaky hand to the phone. Olivia’s quivering fingers pressed the Talk button and proceeded to dial: 480-893-3763.

Ring..ring..ring went the phone, all the while Olivia was hoping that no one would answer.

It rung a couple more times. Just as Olivia was about to hang up, a person picked up on the other line.

“Hello?” said a matured female voice.

“Hi, uma, Mrs. Callaghan?” Olivia asked, a little unsure.

“This is she, may I ask who is calling?”

“Yes, um, it’s Olivia.”

“Olivia, hunny!” Mrs. Callaghan interrupted, “how are you? Are you alright? John mentioned that you were having some troubles.”

“Ah, well, yea, I suppose I was. But I’m feeling much better.”

“That’s wonderful to hear, sweetie. Now, I suppose you would like to speak with John?”

“Yea,” Olivia laughed. In all her years of knowing John and his family, his mother never ceased to put her in a good mood.

“Ya?” a male voice spoke, Olivia instantly recognizing as John’s.

“Johnny!” Olivia said, trying her best to sound happy and enthusiastic.

“Oh, hey, ‘Livia. ‘Sup?”

“Um,” Olivia started to sniffle a bit. Come on, Olivia told herself, be strong. Don’t cry when John is listening. “Well,” tears were starting to pour out of her eyes.

“Olivia?” John’s previous nonchalant tone changed into a concerned one. “Are you alright? Where the fuck are you?”

“I’m in New York.”

“What? Why the hell are you back there?”

“I moved back. John, I can’t take living in Arizona. I loved it. The weather, the food, living with you, everything. But I can’t do it anymore. It was killing me.”

“Alright,” Olivia could hear John let out a deep breath whilst he took in what Olivia had his spilled on him. “So, details, hun. What’s up?”

“Okay, well, you know when you told me to go and figure myself out? Take some alone time?”

“Yea..”

“Well, that didn’t really happen. At all. I went to the airport. Honest to God, John, I was going to go to New York and live with my mother for a while.”

“Keep talking.”

“Well, I ran into someone at the airport.”

“Oh fuck.”

“Ya. I know,” Olivia replied quietly, understanding that John knew what she was getting at.

“Ok. Well. Like, how serious is it? Have you, um, you know..” John stuttered.

“John!” Olivia smiled at John’s childish antics, “Ya, the first night actually. And, it’s serious. Um, not too sure how to tell you this,” Olivia bit her bottom lip as she was about to tell John her intention for calling him, “we’ve moved in together.”

Olivia listened to the buzz and occasional crackle on the other end. “John? John Ohh? Are you there?”

“Ugh,” muttered John, sounding disgruntled, “Ya, babe, I’m here. Just sort of processing it, you know? It’s a lot to take in,” John paused and let out a little chuckle, “I’ll have no more ‘Livia to come home to!”

Olivia closed her eyes and smiled brightly at John’s comment. She couldn’t help it. “John,” Olivia sighed, “I love you, you know that?”

“Yea. I know. Love you, too.”

After saying goodbye to John, promising to come and visit soon, she fell onto her bed and let out a scream, covering her mouth so Jack wouldn’t hear.

“Fuck!” Olivia shouted as loud as she could, into her pillow. She vigorously wrung her hands together. Quickly putting her fingers down her throat, she ran into her on suite bathroom, and hurled the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Olivia crumpled against the wall and fell to the floor, sobbing.

“I don’t fucking want to call him,” Olivia whispered to herself, even though she knew it was pointless. It was inevitable.

Eventually Olivia regained some strength and pulled her feeble body to her phone and proceeded to dial.

“Hey,” a voice answered.

“Hi.” Olivia said, not really sure what needed to be told.

“Oh, hi! I haven’t heard from you for ages, hun. How are you doing?”

“Well, I’m swell. Listen, Nick, we need to talk.”