Somewhere Only We Know

Jeremy had expected to find himself in front of a three-story brownstone in the ghetto. He wasn't sure why, but when Olivia told him Riley was a 20-year-old living in Chicago, this is what he pictured. Not the high-rise condominium before him on Lakeshore Drive. Not a view. Not a rich kid.
"Wow," Olivia muttered as the cab dropped them off. "This is pretty impressive."
Jeremy was impressed as well, although he'd never admit it to her.
"I should call him and let him know we're here." She reached for her phone and dialed. "Hey, babe, guess where I am? Go on, guess! No... No... No... You give up? I'm outside! Outside of your apartment! Yes, for real!"
Jeremy rolled his eyes at such childish talk. And these kids thought they were getting married?
She led Jeremy excitedly by the arm until they reached the door. When the doorman saw Jeremy, he let them in, no questions asked, and directed them to the lobby. There, standing by the elevator in a black tee shirt and jeans was Riley, all smiles and, much to Jeremy's chagrin, every bit as good-looking as he'd been described.
Olivia ran up to him and jumped into his arms, curling her legs around his waist and hugging him so close, she practically went through him. His hands caressed her back and his fingers played through her hair as he kissed her passionately for several minutes.
Jeremy stood awkwardly by, avoiding some residents who seemed to have recognized him before finally giving in and graciously signing some autographs and posing for pictures. As he turned back toward Olivia and Riley, he saw that they were now just looking into each other's eyes, melting in the glow the other displayed.
"I'm Jeremy, by the way," he interrupted, extending a hand.
"Holy shit, you are!" he answered, then quickly covered his mouth. "I'm so sorry, sir, it's just I'm a huge fan. Olivia was telling me about you just yesterday, and a part of me just thought she couldn't be telling the truth, but she is!"
"And why would you think she'd lie about something like that?" He asked sternly.
Olivia quickly cleared her throat, hoping to evade the quick-building tension between the two. "Um, Riley Travers, this is my father, Jeremy Renner. Jeremy, this is Riley."
They shook hands, Jeremy deliberately squeezing harder than necessary, though Riley held his own.
"Well," Riley spoke up, "I guess I should get the guest bedroom fixed up for you, sir. I can take care of it in no time at all. Come on up."
They rode the elevator fourteen floors up, and stepped out onto a plush white carpeted hall with designer paintings leading their way to Riley's door. Inside, the entry was tiled in marble, custom furnishings welcomed, and the view of Lake Michigan was unparalleled to any Jeremy had seen on any of his previous trips to this city. The apartment was modern, yet comfortable. Obviously it had had a lot of money put into it, but it wasn't a snobby environment. Riley didn't even ask them to take their shoes off before stepping onto the fabulous lambskin rug that led to the main living area.
"Can I get you guys something to drink?" He asked nervously as he noticed Jeremy scrutinizing every detail of his home.
"A water please," Olivia asked as Jeremy stood silently.
He left to retrieve it, and Olivia laid into Jeremy. "How can you be so rude to him?" she hissed in a whispered yell. "He's being so nice to you! Stop treating him like crap!"
"Well, I wouldn't treat him like crap if I thought he was worth treating better!" He snapped back in a hushed tone.
"What is it, Jeremy? What did he do that makes you decide to hate him so much?"
Before Jeremy could answer, Riley returned, bringing a water bottle for Olivia as well as one for Jeremy. "Here you go, sir, I thought I'd bring you one just in case you get thirsty."
"Thank you," he said briefly.
Jeremy was attempting to cause an awkward situation for Riley, but Riley was so busy reveling in Olivia's presence, he couldn't be bothered with it.
"Mind if I take a look around?" Jeremy asked, though he was well on his way to doing just that. Riley said he didn't mind, and Jeremy walked to the back of the apartment.
He peeked into Riley's room. Where most young men would have calendar girls and posters, Riley hung inspirational sayings on landscapes. In fact, the room was filled with pictures of nature, and Jeremy could see quickly that they were mostly, if not entirely, taken by Riley himself. He sure had an eye for detail and spotting things of beauty, which is why, Jeremy guessed, he had fallen for Olivia.
The entire apartment was meticulous. All of the furniture had apparently been placed by designers, and the color scheme was masculine, yet soft. Jeremy admired the beauty of this place, but he quickly remembered he didn't want to admire anything about Riley. He was supposed to hate him.
As he returned back to the main room, the couple was as entranced by each other as ever, sitting with their legs intertwined and resting their heads on the back of the couch as they talked. Jeremy had to say something, and fast. He couldn't just stand there anymore and watch Olivia throw her life away for a spoiled rich kid who, he figured, must come from a crooked political family or mafia or something along those lines. Yes, he was assuming the worst. But he was her father, and that's what fathers tend to do with their daughters' boyfriends.
"So, Riley," he spoke, jolting them unexpectedly from their position, "What do your parents do for a living?"
"Well," he stammered a bit, still quite intimidated, "My father works in the steels mills over in Indiana, and my mom is a hair stylist."
"Isn't that cool, Jeremy?" Olivia beamed, "His family and I have so much in common!"
Jeremy was confused. How was he living in this apartment on what his parents made?
"Um, you're probably wondering why I live in this place, right?" He asked, noting Jeremy's countenance. "If you want to know, I'll tell you."
Jeremy nodded.
"I sold an app last year. I made a lot of money, and I invested it well, put a good amount in savings, and that's why I have nice things."
Jeremy nodded again, instinctively suspicious of Riley's story.
"I know it would be easy to look at how I live and think I'm just some rich kid, but I'm not. I had very humble beginnings, sir, and I intent to keep that spirit."
Jeremy nodded for a third time, this time sitting down as he did so.
"And I am in love with your daughter, sir. I really am."
Jeremy couldn't listen anymore. "She's a little young to be running off, getting married, isn't she?" he snarled.
"Of course, sir, I completely agree. I actually just enrolled in college because I think I should have a degree, you know, just in case I ever need it. Olivia and I are planning to finish college before we get married, sir. I wouldn't jump into this so fast."
Jeremy looked at Olivia, who was looking at Riley and overflowing with pride.
"Besides, sir, we have the rest of our lives together. Marriage can wait until we're both ready, you know, emotionally and spiritually."
"You don't need to keep calling me sir," Jeremy mumbled. "Call me Mr. Renner."
"Call him Jeremy," Olivia corrected. "I happen to know he hates being called Mr. Renner."
"I guess I have to hand this one to you, Riley," he smiled begrudgingly. "I thought you were going to be the exact opposite of everything she thought you were, but turns out you're all that and more. I guess I misjudged you, and I'm sorry."
"No apologies necessary, Mr. Renner," he smiled.
'Yeah, she's right. Call me Jeremy."

That evening after dinner, the trio headed back to Riley's place for their goodnights.
"Well, the spare bedroom is all ready for you, Jeremy," Riley said. "Make yourself at home."
"Oh, that's alright," he told him. "Olivia can have the spare room, I can sleep on the couch."
There was a moment of silence before Olivia stood forward. "Jeremy, I'll be in Riley's room."
Jeremy looked at her, then at Riley, then back at her. "No."
"Jeremy, we're all adults here, so can we just act like it for two seconds?"
"No."
"Jeremy, he's my boyfriend, and if I want to stay in his room, I'll stay in his room!"
"No! Not with me here, you won't!"
"Then leave!" she shouted to him. He looked to Riley, hoping he would be on Jeremy's side, but he wasn't. And who could really blame him?
Jeremy grabbed his bags and headed out. "I'll be at the Hilton on Wabash," he told them. Olivia, the flight is tomorrow night at six. If I don't see you there, you're on your own. Mr. Moneybags here can send you back."
As he walked out, Riley suggested that Olivia talk to him, but she refused. She felt he didn't need comforting right now. And who was he to suddenly be telling her what to do?
"He's your dad," Riley told her. "And I want him to like me. So let me ask for a selfish favor here and insist you go get him and bring him back."
"No," she insisted. And when she had her mind set on something, it would not be changed come hell or high water.
Jeremy settled in, flipping through channels of mindless chatter, wondering what to do about Alexa. She was so strong-willed, so insistent in anything she chose to do, that Jeremy didn't know how to make her understand when something was a bad idea. He laid there and wondered if there was something more he could have said that might have made her listen to him. Sure, young adults are sexually active, and he certainly didn't deny that. But it was practically their first date that night, and she was sleeping over. One minute, he felt he was not being unreasonable. The next he worried his opinion on the matter would cause an even bigger rift between him and Olivia. Losing her again was his biggest fear, and he knew he had a find a way to get time alone to talk to her and tell her how he was feeling about everything.
He scribbled down a note to remind himself to look into renting a boat and taking her fishing the next day. That way, he figured, she could spend more time with Riley than they had planned, but the entire trip wouldn't be centered around him. He drearily looked through pamphlets for the better part of an hour before laying back and slowly falling asleep...
...Until the knock on the door.
When he answered, a sheepish Olivia stood before him, bags in hand and her hair slightly dampened from an evening rain. "You were right," she told him as she entered and threw her stuff onto the floor of the suite. "I couldn't stay there tonight. I tried, but I couldn't. I kept thinking about you and how disappointed you were, and I had to come here. Also, Riley said he wanted me too. You should know I never change my mind," she said. "This is a big deal, so you better appreciate it."
He smiled as she sprawled out on the bed, throwing a pillow to the couch to indicate that that's where he would spend the night. "And if we're getting married, we have all the time in the world to do that stuff."