hi. i made a mistake. i skipped a chapter. i apologize for the inhumanity of my actions.
xxx
It was the first night of restful sleep that he had gotten in years. He awoke with the sun and clumsily looked at his phone for the time. 6:57 am. The idea of texting her floated around his groggy mind though he knew it was a bit early. There had been times when they had texted without regard for the time of day, but he knew one night's confessions hadn't propelled them back to that point. Still there had been raw, undeniable feelings laid out for each other. Brian decided it was best to get up and get ready for the day. When he got out of the shower, he was surprised to see her name appear on his lock screen.
Hi.
Hi.
Coffee black, still?
With a side of you.
Pancakes in 30, Cassidy.
He felt strangely nervous as he knocked on her door. Olivia was hurried as she opened the door, glancing over her shoulder to see if Noah had followed her out of curiosity. When she confirmed the coast was clear, she reached for his hand to pull him inside. She quickly gave him a soft kiss, grinning widely as she nodded to the other room when she pulled back. He felt himself relax as she welcomed him back into her home.
"Noah, you remember Brian, right?"
As the words left her mouth Noah had already grabbed a toy in each hand and was running full speed to Brian to show him. Brian dropped down to his knees and carefully looked over the toys and asked which one he could play with. Olivia felt her heart swell in her chest at the look of excitement on her son's face. She let her fingers graze the back of Brian's head as she threw him a grateful smile.
By the time Olivia had made enough pancakes for breakfast, Brian was completely enthralled with the stories Noah was telling him about his toys. She had to gently interrupt their make believe to remind them that breakfast was ready. Noah ran to the table calling over his should for Brian to come sit next to him. Olivia smiled as she reached out a hand to help him up from the floor. He accepted her hand and held on longer than necessary, giving her hand a soft squeeze before he let go.
Olivia was relieved that Noah chattered on and gave her a moment to try and slow her thoughts. Her mind felt like a mess of emotions watching Noah and Brian together. She couldn't believe how quickly Noah had become enthralled with Brian. Noah was asking him rapid fire questions about his job, his apartment, his life and Brian just laughed and answered his questions.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Her son's question pulled her thoughts and back to reality with little time to recover.
"Noah –" she began.
"It's okay, Liv," he replied slowly turning his attention back to her son, "I don't have a girlfriend, buddy."
"My mom should be your girlfriend, she's really pretty," he replied matter of factly. Olivia's face drained of color and then quickly turned a vibrant shade of red as she struggled to find the words to redirect this conversation.
"Yea, she is really pretty," he agreed with a smirk, "Did you know that your mom used to be my girlfriend a long time ago?"
"You're bad, you know that?" she mumbled as she tried to hide a grin. He always seemed to have this way of being so simple and genuine that left her speechless.
"Really?" Noah's interest was piqued. "How come she's not your girlfriend anymore?"
"It's complicated, buddy," he replied with a sigh, "but maybe you can help me win her back."
"Okay, I can help you," the child replied innocently. Noah leaned over and whispered something in Brian's ear that made him smile broadly as he nodded in agreement at the secret sentiment.
"Maybe you can start with the dishes while I go take a shower," she smirked back at the boys sitting across from her.
"I think we can handle that," Brian replied.