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I seriously considered not answering the door. I did. But I knew that I was going to, that I had to. If it was Julian I was going to let him have it. If it was Pandora again, then my fists would do the talking.
I looked down at my hands which were soft and unscathed and sighed at myself. Of course I wouldn't hit her. Feeling pathetic but still determined I pushed the button and waited, hoping and praying for a technician to be the one to stand in front of me. I heard the inexorable elevator ping and the doors opened.
"Jared?" I blurted in shock.
"Hey!" He swept into my apartment, whirling around to face me so I was the closest to the elevator doors. "Olivia. Hug me."
I did. "What're you doing here?"
"I want to apologize for anything Pandora just said to you." He looked at me with what could only be described as pity. "I saw her come back in when everyone was out on the balcony and she just had this look in her eyes. I have no idea what came out of her mouth but I apologize for all of it."
I physically deflated, not caring to keep up appearances with Jared. He seemed to be the only one who genuinely cared about the fact that I was being thoroughly disrespected again and again.
"I want you to know as well that she will get over it. Whatever it is that is making her feel intimidated by you will go away. She and Julian have had this annoying thing going on for almost half a year now, and honestly? I'm so over it." He rolled his eyes and waved his hand in dismissal.
I laughed at his gesture but my mood remained dampened. "Yes but I don't see why she has a reason to be intimidated by me!"
"Pretty girls always intimidate each other." He said as if it was obvious.
"Not really. I like your sister. I liked meeting Gwen. I didn't even get a chance to like Pandora. She flat out rejected me and from what I've gathered, she wants the rest of you to reject me as well." I looked down and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Psh well home girl's in for a big 'ol bowl of disappointment because we're taking you out. You're coming with us tonight."
"But I-"
"Nope! I don't care, you aren't going to sit up in this apartment alone and waste all of your sexy youth."
I pondered this for a moment. "I won't be alone. I have Jay."
Just then he waltzed in from my bedroom and scampered right next to Jared's side. He tilted his head and decided he was a friend. Promptly he began to scale Jared's black jeans, reaching the height of his knee before Jared chuckled and detached him from his pants.
"Jay can come too." Jared nuzzled Jay, kissing his forehead. "Don practically owns the place. Well, his cousin does. So there won't be any objection from the management."
"But-"
"And there will be no more objections from you, missy!" He jabbed a finger at me and smiled. "You are coming and that's that."
"I already told Julian I wasn't going to go." I bit my lip.
"Great! All the more surprise for him." He skirted me and pressed the button for the elevator. He held Jay up to his face, cooing him softly. "Can I take the cat actually?"
"Uhm, no." I laughed and held out my hand. He looked at me grudgingly for a moment before dramatically handing him back. "Thank you."
"Yeah yeah." He fluttered his hand before pressing them both up against either side of the elevator doors. "I'll be up here at six thirty to come get you. Do you need help picking out something to wear?"
"Do I need to dress formal or something?" I tucked my hair behind my ears.
"Just... Yeah I'll be here at six." He stepped back and pressed the button to go down, scanning his card. "Ta ta!"
The doors slid shut. I smiled to myself, a bit bewildered. Did he just say Ta ta? I shook my head and shot out a thank you text to Daddy before flouncing off to my room to change. After throwing on a light blue boatneck shirt and jeans I tied my hair up and decided to do what I always did when I had a lot on my mind - cook.
I threw some ingredients on the counter, chopped up some veggies and had just finished buttering a frying pan when the technicians arrived.
"Hi, come on in." I slapped my hands on the front of my jeans to rid them of any leftover tomato juice.
A man and a woman with name tags that read Kate and Junior embroidered into their jumpsuits greeted me with a smile.
"Miss Stalls, is it?" Junior questioned, his Middle Eastern accent thick.
"Yes."
"Show us to the cable box please." He switched his metallic box to his left hand and kept smiling.
I gestured to a square panel in the wall, camouflaged by the light brown granite wallpaper. They wasted no time pulling the latch, opening the panel that hid multiple cables and began switching things around.
"You see these cords have been disabled. Because no one lived here before you for a while. So they unplug them to save energy." Junior explained as he pointed to a big blue wire. "Every apartment has one - they connect it so you can see on your T.V."
"Okay." I nodded. They screwed around for a bit more, checked the T.V. channels to make sure it was working and were finally finished.
"Channel 1 is elevator watch." Kate told me, handing over the remote as Junior packed up.
"Thank you very much." I smiled and ushered them out. I watched them as they stood in the elevator, uncomfortable with the way they stood ramrod straight, saying nothing to each other. They got out and I shuddered before returning to my lunch.
Hours passed and after eating, Jay and I ended up taking a nap on the couch. I was razzed out of my beautiful sleep by what I thought to be Jared incessantly pressing the doorbell. I switched the T.V. from the Mummy, which I had fallen asleep to, to channel 1 to be certain. Sure enough, Jared was waving his hand frantically at the camera, giving me his cheekiest smile. I giggled, rubbed my eyes and got up to let him in.
He did an adorable gesture of delight once the elevator started going up and cha-cha'd right up to my door. He paused and winked at me before continuing to dance forward into the apartment.
"You're excited." I noted, appreciating his dark pants, white dress shirt and matching ivory tie as he swished from side to side to a tune he must have been hearing in his head. "And looking handsome I might add."
"Thank you!" He kissed my cheek in gratitude. "Now lets get you handsome too."
He stopped dancing, tousled his healthy dark hair a bit and smiled at me with his hands clasped in front, waiting to be shown my closet.
"I'm not even supposed to let you in here." I teased. "No boys allowed."
"Nobody besides you even knows I'm here." He made a face. "Well except for Ray!"
He bent down and tapped the floor, calling Jay over. Jay skittered across the floor and took a pause before leaping into Jared's hands.
"Jay you mean."
"That's exactly what I said." He muttered, giving all of the attention to the kitten.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Come on then."
We raided the wardrobe, Jay rolling around in one of my fallen fleece sweaters while Jared made a multitude of faces at every article of clothing he touched. He picked through dress after dress and I silently tried to decide which shoes would make me at least eye to eye with Pandora even if she wore stilettos.
"Too flashy... too dull... why is there so much fabric here?... Nuns wear less than this... Please tell me you didn't actually pay money for this." He commented on several different dresses in the span of ten seconds.
"That was gift!" I snatched my short sleeved leopard Moschino dress from him. "If you're done insulting my clothes now-"
"This is it!" he gasped, holding up my aqua and white off the shoulder square-sailor-neck lined Italian Couture mini dress.
"You want me to wear that to dinner?" I could feel my face heating up.
"No, I want you to flawlessly execute just exactly how beautiful you are. While wearing this dress." He shoved it at me and turned toward my shoes.
"Wow no pressure." I held it up against my body and shook my head. "I can't wear this. It was a special gift from Donatella."
"Yes so you don't want to insult Miss Versace now do you? Besides it'd make no sense for you not to where something you were gifted. Here take these too." He placed the white and gold pumps I was considering before in my hands and pushed me back into the room. "Get dressed and stop worrying. You're going to look great."
I opened my mouth to protest but he had already walked through the bedroom door, leaving a sliver of it open behind him. I heard him walk to the fridge and open it.
"Are you some sort of tropical bird or something? Why do you have so much damn fruit in here?" He called out.
"Stop judging my food choices, Jared." I yelled back as I hopped into the dress, praying it would still fit even though I had been given the gift a year and a half ago.
"Are you done yet?" He shouted.
"Will you give me a second? This dress is like a second skin!" I nearly tripped and fell on my face but I steadied myself by stamping my foot down. I straightened up at the same moment Jared walked back in with a handful of strawberries.
"I could have been naked!" I covered my body even though I was fully dressed so there was no need.
"Olivia." He just stared at me with eyebrows so high they threatened to become one with his hairline.
"What?"
"Go look at yourself."
I tensed my eyebrows but listened. I slipped my feet into the shoes as I walked to my closet and shot my eyebrows up once I saw my reflection.
"Did we make a good choice?" He came up behind me and smiled.
"We did." I turned around to face him. "Thank you Jared."
"You're welcome." He answered, his voice low. "Let's get going. I left everyone downstairs waiting in the lobby. I told everyone I was having a tie crisis and needed to change immediately."
"And they've been waiting all this time for me?" I squeaked.
"Once they see how you look, no one will hold it against us." He assured me. I nodded uncertainly, quickly let my hair out of its bun and ran my fingers through my tresses to smooth out the waves a bit.
"Your hair looks fine. Now where's that cat of yours?"
"You were serious about bringing Jay?"
"Did I not seem serious?" He knit his brows together in genuine confusion.
I blanched at him. "Yes.. But I mean... Okay then."
We picked up Jay from his cozy spot on the couch and swept into the elevator as if we were royalty leaving for a ball.
"You're sure no one will mind?" I asked, fixing my hair again self-consciously.
"Liv, relax." He looked down at me seriously for the first time, holding Jay to his chest. Miew. "You relax too, young man."
I took a deep breath and did as he said, smoothing out my dress and standing tall. The doors opened onto the lobby and there was a collective gasp as Gabriella, Pandora, Gwen and Julian laid their eyes on me.