Never Crossed My Mind

In the week after Julie left, Olivia put her focus mostly on work. With the investors concerned about backing the project, she wanted as much of her time as possible to go into preparing at least one finished segment to send them. She and Jeff screened the segment before she sent it off, and he agreed that it looked good.

“Just good?” Olivia asked.

Jeff sighed. “Look, Liv, I think it’s great work, really. You’re worrying yourself too much.”

“I know,” she groaned. “I just want this to be right. I don’t want my first project to be an epic failure.”

“It’s not going to be. This, just like everything else, takes practice. You have amazing potential. What you put out here is ten times better than everything else I’ve seen any beginner do, and it’s because you put everything you have into your work. You’re going to break yourself if you don’t step back every once in awhile though. I think everyone is reaching the point where they need a little downtime, and this is probably just as good as time as any. Next week, no filming or stunts or thinking of stunts or anything. For any of you.”

Olivia stood and hugged him. “Thanks, Jeff.”

“You’re welcome. Go home, Liv. Check in with your family. Take your boyfriend with you.”
She smiled, thinking that perhaps Jeff had a pretty good idea. She headed for Johnny’s office, happy to see that there was no one else there. From the look on his face she could tell he wasn’t too busy.

“Well, hey there, pretty girl.”

“Hey,” she greeted before kissing him. “I just got out of a meeting with Jeff. He likes the segment and is going to send it off for me in the next couple of days.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Yes. And, he is making us all take next week off. So, I’m going to North Carolina. Do you want to come with me?”

“You know I do,” he answered. Immediately Johnny turned back to the computer and found a travel site so they could book flights. “When do you want to leave?”

“Sunday morning, I guess?” Olivia shrugged. “We can stay at my place, and we don’t have to stay for the whole week. There isn’t too much to see there, like there was here for Jules.”

“Few days here by ourselves might be nice,” Johnny agreed. “Let’s fly out Sunday morning and we’ll come back … Thursday morning?”

“Sure, sounds good.” Olivia pushed herself up on his desk. “Are you ready for this? To meet people and all, I mean.”

Johnny smiled and pushed his chair closer to her. “Livvy, I’m not going anywhere, I promise. You have to know that by now.”

“No, I know,” she nodded. “I just -- my family gets a little crazy sometimes and I just want to make sure you’re ready.”

“How bad can it be?”

Johnny pushed away to answer his desk phone. Olivia slid off the desk, kissed him on the cheek, and walked back to her own office.

“Yeah, we’ll see if you say that after the trip,” Olivia muttered to herself.

***

Olivia was in ‘her’ room at Johnny’s Saturday night, packing for their trip. Bam was leaned back against the pillows, trying to convince her not to go.

“Come on, Liv. Send Johnny by himself. Julie can introduce him to everyone and you can stay here and keep me company,” Bam pleaded.

Olivia rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you don’t just go home, too, Bam. Ape and Phil haven’t seen you in a couple months, I’m sure they miss you.”

“I just don’t feel like going to West Chester.”

“So bring them out here.”

“You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you? Can you just ignore me while I whine and get to packing the good stuff?”

“‘The good stuff?’” Olivia repeated, raising her brow.

Bam nodded. “You know, the lacy, barely-there stuff. Don’t tell me you don’t have something good planned for Knoxville.”

Olivia threw a shirt at him. “You’re so wrong.”

“Hey, you’re laughing. It’s got to be a little funny,” Bam chuckled. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll be all right here. Is Ehren going out there, too?”

“Nope. He’s going to see his family, I think.”

“Well, why isn’t he going to see Julie? I figured they would jump at the chance to see each other again, especially so soon.”

Olivia gave him a pointed look. “I would have thought you’d be happy they’re not seeing each other.”

Bam leaned forward and shrugged, fiddling with the hem of the shirt Olivia had just thrown at him. “I can’t get her out of my mind, and it sucks fat donk--”

“I get it,” Olivia interrupted him. “Description not necessary.”

Bam smiled. “Anyway. I hate it. No girl gets me like this -- I get girls like this, Liv.”

“Shit, Bam. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were in love with my cousin.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was,” Bam replied. “It’s like you and Knoxville. I don’t love her, but she’s under my skin.”

“Maybe you should come to Carolina with us.”

Bam shook his head. “That would be like stalking. I can’t just show up.”

“Why not?” Olivia pushed, plopping onto the bed next to him. “If I learned anything from what’s gone on between me and Johnny, it’s that I should have just showed up, or called or … anything. When someone gets under your skin like that, the only mistake you can make is to not do anything about it.”

“How do I know she even wants me there?”

“I think that if she didn’t want you there, you’d know it and you wouldn’t feel like you do.”
Bam groaned. “Fuck, Liv. You’re making me into such a fucking girl.”

Olivia laughed. “No, men have feelings too. Y’all just don’t like to admit it. Are you coming with us or not?”

He pursed his lips and thought on it for a few moments. “All right, I’ll go. Hand me your laptop so I can book a ticket. And this better be worth the last minute ticket, Liv, or you’re paying me back.”

***

Olivia announced to Johnny as they settled in for bed that Bam would be joining them the next day. He frowned, confused as to why Bam was coming along.

“He wants to see Julie.”

“Livvy, you shouldn’t interfere with these things. If Ehren gets his heart broken, it’s completely on you. I want nothing to do with this.”

“Come on, Johnny. Bam’s just feeling like you and I did for the last year when we pretended like the other person didn’t exist and didn’t do anything about it. We wasted that time. Julie won’t be open with me about how she’s feeling exactly, but if she’s feeling for Bam anything remotely close to what I felt towards you, I can’t tell let them miss out on this.”

Johnny nodded. “I guess if I could go back, I would have done it more this way than letting that year go by. I just hate to see my friends getting into situations like this. Bam is the other guy now for Ehren, you realize that, right?”

“I know. But why wouldn’t Ehren want to spend at least a few days in Carolina to see Julie? Or bring her to meet his family?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he just isn’t sure how serious it is. Maybe they agreed to take things slow.” He kissed her softly. “If I could go back, I’d rather have someone kicking me in the ass telling me to just show up or to at least keep calling you until you answered or it broached on stalking. That’s how we would have done it though, and we can’t expect anyone else to handle it the same.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Olivia huffed. “Are you upset that I meddled?”

Johnny chuckled and pulled her on top of them, pushing her hair out of her face. “Of course not, pretty girl. I will, however, allow you to make it up to me, if you feel like that’s necessary.”
Olivia leaned forward and kissed him. “I don’t know that I feel like I need to make up for meddling, but there’s certainly some wasted time I’d like to catch up on.”

Johnny smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her. Everything was so perfect now, and in truth, if he had to go back and wait a year for her all over again, he would do it in an instant to be this happy with Olivia.

***

The three of them were nearly late for their flight the next morning. Bam had been up most of the night worried about whether or not Julie would even want to see him, and Olivia and Johnny fell asleep without setting an alarm. In the end, they made it just in time to check in and hurry through security.

“Good God, I never want to do that again. From here on out, we’re setting the alarm as soon as we buy the damn tickets,” Johnny yawned as he settled into his seat.

“It isn’t my fault,” Olivia grumbled. “The clock is on your side.”

Bam put a hand on her shoulder. “Liv, do me a favor and go to sleep. I love you, you know I do, but so help me God, if I have to listen to your cranky ass all the way across the country, I will send you off that skateboarding ramp again.”

Olivia glared first at Bam, then again at Johnny as he tried not to laugh. “You two are the worst traveling partners ever.”

“She doesn’t mean it, Bam. Just let her sleep and she’ll be fine.”

“I should fight to stay awake, just to spite you two assholes.”

Bam covered her with a blanket and pushed gently so she was leaning against Johnny. “There, there now, Liv. Just close your eyes and rest.”

She glared once more before making herself more comfortable and trying to fall asleep. The men did the same and before long, the plane was taking off.

***

Julie was waiting for them in the parking lot when they arrived in Jacksonville. She hugged Olivia, happy to see her cousin again so soon. She hugged Johnny as well, and then shared an awkward embrace with Bam.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” she mentioned, giving a pointed glance in Olivia’s direction.

“Oh, well, yeah it was kind of a last minute thing,” Bam told her.

“Surprise!” Olivia smiled, taking Julie’s hand. “Let’s get going, shall we? I can’t wait to be back in my own bed. Bam’s going to crash on the couch, okay?”

She didn’t give Julie much of a chance to answer, as she simply shut the trunk and sat herself in the passenger seat, yelling for the rest of them to get in the car. Julie got in the car and started it, leaving Bam and Johnny to give each other a doubtful glance.

“Don’t you back out on me here, Knoxville,” Bam said. “Olivia think’s it’s all butterflies and rainbows, but you know how bad this can turn out.”

Johnny nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

It took a good thirty minutes to get to Julie and Olivia’s apartment. Olivia gave them the tour while Julie pulled out extra linens for Bam. Once they were settled, they were tried to decide what to do first.

“You mean you don’t have this whole week planned out minute by minute?” Bam teased.
“You know her well,” Julie laughed. “I kind of figured she would, too.”

“You all love my organization. Half the shit that goes down would be a much bigger mess if it weren’t for me,” Olivia retorted. “We’re supposed to have dinner with the family tonight. Beach until then?”

The other three agreed and went about changing. Julie and Bam seemed to be pretty awkward around each other, causing Olivia to worry.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have made him come,” she mentioned to Johnny in the privacy of her bedroom.

“You and I were … okay, no there really wasn’t much awkwardness for us. Maybe that’s just how they’re handling their tension. Why don’t we try to get them alone at some point and talk to them? I’ll talk to Bam, you talk to Julie.”

Olivia nodded. “Good idea. You ready?”

“I need a towel.”

“No problem, we’ve got that covered.”

“All right,” Johnny replied, trying again not to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Olivia asked.

“The wicked tan line you’re going to have from that cast.”

Olivia wrinkled her nose and swatted for him, but he jumped out of her way. “You’re lucky I like you.”

***

The beach started out to be a good idea for them. The sun was shining, the waves were calm, and there was just enough of a breeze to make the sun’s heat tolerable. Olivia’s cast prevented her from getting in the water much, although she was allowed a few minutes of reprieve to wade in after the other three promised no to splash her.

She laid on her towel, watching the boys as they wrestled each other in the water. Julie laid out next to her, taking in a deep breath of the ocean air.

“I forgot how amazing the beach can be when you’re not here by yourself,” Julie mentioned. “I mean, it’s a great relaxer when you’re here by yourself, but something about being here with people … it’s just different.”

“Yeah,” Olivia agreed. Seeing it as the only chance she might have over the next few days, she decided to just jump in. “Jules, what’s up with you and Bam?”

“What are you talking about,” Julie replied, as though the line had been rehearsed. The fact that it sounded like a statement and not at all a question certainly tipped off Olivia.

“I mean, when I said something to you about him asking about you back in LA, you nearly choked on your food. Now I bring him out here and you two are super awkward around each other. What the hell is going on, Julie? And don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about and don’t tell me nothing.”

“Then it’s none of your business.”

“Also disallowed,” Olivia replied. “We tell each other everything. Why can’t you just explain this to me?”

Julie propped herself up on her elbows and sighed. “I just can’t, all right. It isn’t you, Liv, it’s just … complicated.”

Olivia frowned. “So complicated that you can’t tell your favorite cousin and best friend?”
“It just isn’t as simple as telling you or not telling you,” Julie argued. “I tell you stuff and that makes it real. If I don’t say anything, then it isn’t real and I don’t have to deal with it yet.”

“Is it about Ehren?”

“Seriously, Olivia! I just told you I don’t want to talk about it, that I can’t talk about it, and you’re still pushing. Let. It. Go.”

Julie laid back on her towel, closing her eyes and throwing an arm over her face. Olivia just stared at her; there was never anything that Julie couldn’t tell her or that Julie didn’t want to talk to her about. What could have possibly gone on between Julie and Bam that was so serious Julie didn’t want to talk about it? And what was Bam not telling her?

“Listen, I need you to make up some excuse to go to the store and take Bam with you so that you can figure out from his side what’s going on,” Olivia pleaded with Johnny as soon as they were back in her room.

“Why now?” Johnny asked.

“Because I’m your girlfriend and you want to see me and happy.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.”

Olivia sighed and dropped to the bed. “I asked Julie about it on the beach and she got mad at me. She always talks to me, Johnny, about everything, and she doesn’t want to talk about this. She won’t talk to me about it. That worries me.”

“All right,” Johnny agreed, hugging her to him. “I’ll take him out as soon as he’s showered and dressed.”

“Good. Wouldn’t want you to take him out stinky and naked,” Olivia smiled.

Johnny kissed her. “I like it when you think you’re being funny.”

Olivia wrinkled her nose at him but kissed him again just the same. “Come on, go hurry Bam. Being alone with Julie when she’s mad at me is going to be super awkward.”

“So why don’t you take him out?”

“Because Julie will know what I’m talking to him about.”

“All right, here I go. If this doesn’t work out though, you have to promise me you’ll just let it go.”

“I promise.”

Johnny held out his pinky finger and Olivia hooked it with hers. Johnny kissed her again just to seal the deal, then changed clothes so that he could hold up his end of the bargain.