"You're sure you have everything?"
"I'm sure, ma," Olivia assured her.
"Okay. Now you just text me when you land, alright? And when they pick you up?" her mother asked.
"Of course. I'll keep you updated," Olivia nodded.
"Alright. Come here," she said, holding out her arms for her.
Olivia happily wrapped her arms around her mother, giving her the biggest hug she could. She wouldn't see her for a long time. Longer than she'd ever been away from her.
"I love you," Marie said.
"I love you too, mom," Olivia said, as Marie kissed her cheek.
Marie had a proud smile on her face when she pulled back from the hug. And she sniffled a bit. "My baby girl, all grown up. Off to the big city. I'm so proud of you, Livvie."
"Thanks, mom!" Olivia replied. "I'll call you tonight, too. Tell you all about my first day."
"I would love that. You better go now. Don't let your poor old mother keep you. Go on," Marie nodded, patting her arm.
Olivia smiled encouragingly. "Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
She kept turning back as she got into the line of people in the security line. Her mother never stopped waving, with that sad, but at the same time, happy smile on her face.
And that was the face that Olivia last saw, before she passed through the body scanner. Her mother could go no further, as she didn't have a boarding pass.
Olivia clutched her boarding pass in her hand, heading to the conveyor belt where her carry-on suitcase and backpack were.
Between the extra-large travel duffel bag and the separate large suitcase that she and her mother had checked just prior to this, as well as her carry-ons, it was clear she was going somewhere for an extended amount of time.
And where she was going, had always been a dream of hers.
New York City.
Her dream city. Her dream home, really.
She had known about her school's "CITYterm" opportunity since she was in middle school. The opportunity that was presented to "intellectually advanced and adventuresome" 18-year-olds in their last year before college.
Which, in more colloquial terms, meant you weren't a normal student. You were advanced in many more ways than one, and probably had stopped being a "child" many years ago. This program was not for the standard 18-year-old just trying to senior slide their way to graduation.
Which was good, because Olivia was not standard. She fit the ideal CITYterm student perfectly—her school obviously thought so too. And she was so ready for the opportunity.
The opportunity to spend at least one semester in New York City, at the United Nations International School—a private, college preparatory school that was ranked highly in almost every area, both statewide and nationwide.
Going to a private school wasn't new to her. But going to this prestigious of one, was. The tuition was expensive. Much more expensive than her private school back home in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Which is why it was good that she had a while to save up for it.
She had never been sure if she would be able to go, to begin with. She'd had a job since she was a freshman in high school, working at the restaurant her mother owned back home—Marie's Kitchen.
It wasn't anything fancy, but having a consistent base wage plus tip money, and many side babysitting and tutoring jobs, had proved to be a pretty effective way to save up money.
It wasn't that they didn't have money. But they certainly weren't in any situation where they could spend it without thinking. Olivia was an only child, and it was just her and her mother. But after her spendy school tuition back home, and all the things that came with being successful in a preparatory school these days, there certainly wasn't any money to just throw away on things that weren't necessities. She still had four years of college in her future to think about as well, and the thought of how much that was going to add up made Olivia wince.
She was so thankful for everything her mother had done for her. So she'd been saving up for years, herself, too. It was her dream, after all, and she was more than willing to help pay for it.
And the dream was only beginning now, going to spend her semester, maybe year, in New York. She then hoped to attend New York University afterward, and major in English.
There were many reasons why, aside from the love of reading and writing that she'd had since she was about four years old. The fact that NYU was ranked number eight in top ten best schools for English majors. Its wide variety of courses. Its small class sizes. Its honors program. And another big part for Olivia, its location, of course.
And one of the steps to help get her there, was this prestigious, private school in Manhattan. Through this CITYterm program, she would be even more likely to be accepted into a school as great as NYU.
Universities loved students enrolled in IB, or International Baccalaureate, courses. And UNIS offered over 200 of them, throughout their two locations in Manhattan and Queens. She couldn't wait.
Although the time away was not the cheapest route, she was still saving money through room and board. She could have decided to stay in New York City. It would have been extremely similar to college, with a dormitory and a meal plan. Very convenient and very close, but also a lot more expensive.
She, however, was choosing the host family option. She hadn't necessarily wanted to. She had wanted to try it out, living in the city. That's what she wanted to do in the future, after all.
But her mother hadn't been a big fan of that. She'd been the one to encourage her to choose the host family option in the suburbs. More affordable, especially if the host family was also in the CITYterm program. Which, this family was, as they had a daughter that may be interested in it in the future.
Her mother had said this would give her plenty of city experience anyway, going to school there every day. And that she also felt better, if Olivia still had a "family dynamic" as she called it, for her last year before college. It was hard enough for her mother, sending her only child away to New York, when she knew she was likely going to lose her to the big city for four more years afterward anyway.
So, the whole thing left Olivia a little conflicted. There were pros and cons to both sides of the living situations, and she had mixed opinions on it. But she figured it was her mother, and she did have a point. Plus, if she liked her semester away and opted to stay for her final semester as well, she could switch to the Manhattan campus living option for the second semester if the host family wasn't her thing.
She certainly wasn't dreading the host family by any means. Both parties had to fill out an information form in order to best match students and host families. She'd gotten her match, so she had decided all she could do was trust it at this point.
The host family she'd meet later that day, was a family of three. Well, four, including their dog.
The two parents, Fitzgerald and Melody. Their daughter, Karen, who was 10. And their dog, Hank.
The Grants.
They lived in Rye, New York. A very wealthy area of Westchester County.
She knew much more about the woman, Melody, or Mellie, as she'd introduced herself over the phone. Mellie had been much more involved in the process than her husband seemed to be. Olivia and her mother had a nice conversation over the phone with Mellie about scheduling her pick-up time from LaGuardia Airport.
Mellie was a nurse there at the Rye Ambulatory Surgery Center, which Olivia thought was quite impressive. The husband, on the other hand, had some fancy company job in the city. This actually benefitted Olivia, because Mellie had suggested it would be nice for them to take the train into the city together every day.
That was fine with her. She was ready to become familiar with Grand Central Terminal, and how the train system worked. She had next to zero experience with that, living in North Dakota. They just drove everywhere. So that at least, excited her a bit.
Karen seemed to be a nice young girl, and definitely smart. Mellie had explained that she hoped Karen would do what Olivia was doing someday, and venture off to another city, potentially international, before furthering her education even more. That was why they were in the CITYterm system already, preparing for their daughter's potential opportunities one day. Olivia thought ten years old was a bit young to be considering a program like this, but she didn't think the Grants would care much for her opinion on that matter. To each their own. Plus, if she would have known about the program's existence at ten years old, she probably would have already been interested, too.
Karen was already enrolled in Rye's private school, participating in god knows how many activities and clubs, and sports, already. She supposed this family's determination and mindset was what helped match them all together.
And while they may have had that in common, there were some differences too. She'd looked up where they lived—Rye, New York. And this place was not like anything she was used to back home.
This place was lined with eight miles of beach, full of country clubs, beach clubs, fancy boardwalks, and views of the Manhattan skyline from the marina full of million-dollar boats.
It was safe to say this semester away, would be extremely interesting in many ways.
And she was already in the midst of step one, at the airport. She had a short flight to MSP, Minneapolis—Saint Paul International Airport, and from there, she'd fly less than three hours to LaGuardia Airport in Queens.
Before she knew it, she'd be starting her semester away in New York.
"I just don't really understand why we are doing this now, is all."
"You know exactly why."
Fitz shrugged. "Have you even asked her? She's ten, Mell."
"Of course I have," Mellie replied, fixing up the comforter on their bed. "Age is just a number. Besides, she's already far more advanced than the students in her class."
Fitz rolled his eyes at his wife, but didn't let her see him do it. "And what has she said about this?" Fitz asked.
"Well, she doesn't know yet. But we'll keep on her, she'll figure it out. It certainly doesn't hurt to get involved early. This way, she can see what it's like for a young woman to go away and go to school. Stay with a family, if she wants. Meet new people. I don't know why you think that's so wrong."
"Honey, I don't think that's what's wrong. I just don't want her to feel pressured, and feel like...she has to go to school somewhere else at some point. She doesn't. She goes to an amazing school right here at home, and she's ten. And I think she was still a bit blindsided by the whole thing. As was I."
Mellie scoffed. "We had the discussion."
Fitz shook his head. "No, we did not. We did not have the discussion. You told me this was happening, and you told me two weeks ago, Mellie."
"But what's so wrong with it? Olivia's an amazing young woman, you should see what she's accomplished. And coming from a forgettable state, in a one-parent household. She's really quite astounding."
Fitz put his hand up to his face and shook his head, starting to get frustrated. "It's not about her, Mell. I just wish we had had the conversation together. It's going to affect our everyday lives, and I'd think you'd want to discuss that with me. Especially when I'm the one taking her in every day with me—"
"All you have to do is show her the ropes. She's not some child that you have to entertain. She's an adult, she's 18 years old, and just like Karen, she's probably far more advanced than any other students her age. She just deserves some company, don't you think? Her mother certainly appreciated the offer. UNIS is ten minutes from J.P. Morgan, I just don't understand what the big deal is, Fitz. It couldn't work out more perfectly than this."
He was frustrated and annoyed. But he didn't see any use in extending this conversation anymore, when she clearly was not going to listen.
"Alright, Mell. I don't want to argue with you about this anymore. I'm done. It's fine, it's over with, nothing can be done now. All I'm asking is that we talk about things more. Especially when they pertain to our child."
Mellie sighed and turned toward him with a nod. "Well, we certainly can't act this way going forward. Olivia's going to be going through a big transition as it is. It would be nice if we could at least be gracious in front of her."
He threw his arms up and shook his head at her. All he ever was, was gracious. All he ever did, was try and avoid the endless fights. All he ever did was try to forget about the way things were, and attempt to make them how he knew they were supposed to be. But he wisely chose not to respond to her comment, something he had to force himself to do very often.
"We have to leave in five minutes. Are you going to come with Karen and me, or not?" Mellie asked, heading toward their bedroom door.
Fitz sighed and sat down on the bed. "I'll be down in a minute."
Mellie nodded satisfied, and left him to himself.
Thank god.
He ran his hands through his hair, enjoying his moment of peace and silence before he went downstairs.
He really hadn't given much thought into the new young woman who would be joining them for the foreseeable future, mostly because he hadn't known about it for very long, and he didn't know much about her. He didn't even know what she looked like, only that she was clearly very intelligent and that she was from somewhere in the Midwest. Mellie had taken care of everything herself.
Her staying with them really didn't matter to him. They had a house that was much too big for them anyway, with plenty of room. Mellie had practically set up their entire basement for her.
He just would have liked to feel prepared for this, considering it would be a bit of a lifestyle change. He didn't feel like that was too much to ask of his wife, but apparently, it was.
He got up and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He saw Mellie talking with Karen in the kitchen. "Ready girls?" he asked, as happily as he could make himself appear. For Karen's sake.
They both nodded, following him to the hallway.
"Am I driving?" Fitz asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Sure, if you want to," Mellie nodded.
He grabbed the keys to her SUV off the hook by the door, and they all headed to LaGuardia Airport to go pick up their new guest.
"Are you excited for Olivia to come, Karen?" Mellie asked, looking into the back seat while they drove.
"Yes," Karen replied. "She's going to stay in the basement, right?"
"Yes. In the room downstairs. That way she can have her own space if she wants. Dad will maybe just have to start using his office upstairs instead of downstairs, and stop watching that vulgar show down there so much!" Mellie teased.
Fitz nodded, giving her a fake laugh as if he thought it was funny.
"But we should be very welcoming to her. We want her to love it here, just like we'd want you to love it elsewhere in the future, if you were to do this. Right, Karen?" Mellie asked.
"Mhm," Karen agreed lightly.
"Good."
Fitz heard the uncertainty in his daughter's voice. His sweet, wonderful daughter, who took so much after him. Doing things to please as many people as possible. Trying to avoid conflict if at all possible. Whether this was a good or bad thing, he didn't know. So far in his life, it had been both.
They finally reached the airport, and decided to park in one of the paid lots so that they could all go in and help carry things, as they knew she had a lot of stuff with her.
Fitz followed Mellie to the Baggage claim, as that's where they were supposed to meet, apparently. Not like he had any real idea, considering he'd known nothing about the plans Mellie made.
When they got there, they all looked around for her. Mellie was the only one who knew what she looked like, but Fitz knew instantly anyway, when he saw her.
He knew it was her from the number of bags she had with her, and because she was also looking around and waiting for someone.
"Oh, that's her. Olivia!" Mellie said, starting to head over to her.
Fitz and Karen followed after her.
"Wow. She's so pretty," Karen said.
Fitz looked at this young woman from afar as they approached her. If she didn't have all the bags with her, he would have never guessed that was her. She seemed far older than 18.
She was quite petite, but looked mature, even at first glance. She wore a blouse and skinny jeans, with Birkenstock sandals, and her hair was half pulled back. He smiled at the Starbucks cup in her hand. That was him at her age, too. Well, and at his age now.
She smiled as soon as she saw them, and gave them all a wave. Well, as best as she could with all her bags.
"Hi! Nice to meet you in person!" Olivia said, attempting to put her cup down so she could shake Mellie's hand.
"Nice to meet you as well," Mellie nodded excitedly, shaking her hand back.
"And…Karen," Olivia smiled, pointing to the girl who had just come up by her mom.
"Yes! Hi," Karen said with a smile.
"Hi. And...Fitzgerald?" she questioned, looking at him.
He smiled and nodded, reaching out his hand. "Uh, yeah, you can call me Fitz. Nice to meet you."
"Fitz, okay. Sorry. It just says everyone's full names on all the forms," she replied, shaking his hand.
"No worries, it's okay," he nodded politely.
"Here, let us help you with your bags," Mellie suggested, grabbing her carry-on that was on the ground.
"Oh, thank you," Olivia nodded, reaching to grab the handle of her biggest suitcase.
"Here, I'll take this one," Fitz said, taking the huge duffel bag that was resting by her feet.
"Thanks so much. Sorry, that one's really heavy," Olivia said.
He lifted it up and slung it over his shoulder effortlessly. "That's okay."
"Do you want me to take your backpack?" Karen offered.
"Oh, that's alright," Olivia said, adjusting the strap on her shoulder as they began to walk. "I've got it. Thanks though!"
Karen nodded and smiled at her, already seeming to like her a lot.
"So how was the flight? Where did you have to stop again?" Mellie asked curiously.
"It went by really fast, it was an easy flight! I had to fly about an hour from Grand Forks to Minneapolis, and then less than three more to get here," Olivia explained.
Ahh, Grand Forks was in North Dakota. That's where she was from.
"Well I'm glad to hear it wasn't so bad. We're just so happy to have you here. We can't wait to show you around!" Mellie exclaimed.
Fitz nodded in agreement, giving her a smile.
"Well thank you so much," Olivia replied. "I'm so happy to be here too!"
Olivia looked around at this new family that she'd be living with. Karen, who was very happy and a little shy. She was a cutie. Dark brown hair like both of her parents and piercing blue eyes.
Mellie, who seemed very generous and talkative. Tall, with dark, wavy hair. She seemed very polished already, with all her jewelry and perfect nails. Olivia couldn't deny that she was very beautiful.
And Fitz, who seemed to be much more shy than his wife. He didn't talk as much. Very nice, she thought so far. But quieter.
He was a good looking guy. Also very tall, and pretty fit from the looks of it. His hair was also wavy, but he kept it decently short. She assumed it would be pretty curly if he let it grow, based on their daughter's curly hair that she didn't appear to get from Mellie. His eyes were a very bright blue, which she now understood had been passed right on to his daughter, too.
They all seemed pretty normal so far. That was a plus!
And then they walked up to the car they pulled up in. A bright red Alfa Romeo Stelvio.
She'd even kind of known what to expect with this family, and still, she was blown away.
Okay, maybe not the kind of "normal" she was used to, but...still normal.
"This car is beautiful," Olivia noted.
"Oh well thank you!" Mellie exclaimed. "This is mine. Fitz doesn't like driving it, but he made an exception today, to come get you. It has more room than his."
"Well thank you," Olivia laughed.
"You're welcome," he said. "It's a nice car. It's just really touchy."
"Oh as if your jag isn't!" Mellie exclaimed.
Olivia's eyes widened at the mention of yet another luxury car, but she hid her reaction from everyone. So this family's cars were definitely a little different than her and her mom's shared car back home.
She saw Fitz shrug before he opened the trunk to the car.
He situated her duffel bag back there first as it was the biggest. Mellie put her carry-on next to it and she and Karen got in the car.
Olivia started to lift up her big suitcase by herself and he stopped her. "Oh, I've got it, don't worry about it."
She stopped, looking up at him. "Oh...okay, thanks!"
"Yeah, no problem," he nodded, giving her a smile. "Do you want to put your backpack back here too? I can try and get it to fit."
"Oh, that's okay. I'll just hold it with me," she said.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Mhm. Thanks," she said.
He nodded, turning back to the trunk.
All alone, loading up her things.
She felt bad.
She got into the backseat with Karen, who was sitting behind her dad. Olivia sat behind Mellie, and then they started pulling out of their parking spot.
She felt the butterflies in her stomach while they headed back to her new home for the next little while. She texted her mom that she had been safely picked up and was on her way to the house.
They all talked a little bit about Olivia's aspirations at the new school she'd be attending, and why she was so excited. She was never hesitant to explain in detail her desire to live in the city. From what she'd seen so far from the place, and their drive from LaGuardia, it wouldn't disappoint. She was already star struck.
She looked out the window in awe, and they weren't even in Manhattan. She had barely even scraped the surface yet and it was so cool to her.
Mellie assured her that next week after Labor Day when she started school, she'd love it in the city. Along with the fact that Fitz would show her the ropes.
Karen interjected every once in a while, to tell her about their town or their neighbors that were close to her in age. She liked Karen already. She definitely seemed older than she was.
Fitz sat quietly, listening to everyone else talk. Just driving peacefully, one hand on the wheel, aviator sunglasses on, and an arm on the center console.
Mellie leaned her arm by his, and she expected to see them hold hands. They didn't.
Once they got off the highway and closer to their house in a more suburban setting, he opened the sunroof a little bit.
Their hair all blew in the wind as they pulled into a town that Olivia immediately recognized as Rye, from the pictures online. Oh yeah, this was it, alright.
"Wow," she whispered, looking out the window at the beach that she could already see.
"You like it, Olivia?" Mellie asked.
"Very much so," she nodded, looking up through the front windshield. She could see the clubhouse on the beach, and people everywhere. Boats in the marina and a beautiful boardwalk like she remembered. It all brought excitement and a smile to her face. She'd been so excited about the city. But this suburb would be pretty fun too, she had to admit.
Fitz looked back at her slightly, seeing the smile on her face. She met his eyes briefly, and he smiled too, immediately looking ahead again.
"That's Rye Town Park and Beach," Karen explained, pointing out the window. "We're members there. You can go whenever you want, Olivia!"
Olivia smiled, looking over at Karen. "That's awesome. Maybe we can go together soon. You can show me around."
Karen smiled and nodded, and so did Mellie.
"That's a fantastic idea. Mind if we tag along, too? We usually all go on Labor Day to celebrate the last day of Karen's summer. And now, yours too!" Mellie exclaimed.
"Yeah, sure, that sounds fantastic," Olivia nodded. "We don't have beaches like that at home. Only...little lake beaches."
"Oh no, not here. That's the Long Island Sound! Do you know what that is?" Mellie asked. "I only ask because people who aren't familiar with the area usually have no idea."
"I do!" Karen exclaimed.
"Well you live here, silly," Fitz said, smiling in the mirror at her. Karen laughed and nodded, knowing she had been caught.
Olivia smiled, too, at their cute interaction.
"I do," Olivia said, acknowledging Mellie. "A tidal estuary. Saltwater from the ocean and fresh water from the rivers that mixes together."
"Wow, impressive!" Mellie said. "You're exactly right. Not as salty as the Atlantic. But just as beautiful, I think."
Fitz nodded in agreement before he spoke up. "And...on the clearest days, if you stand on the boardwalk at the furthest point, you can just about see—"
"The Manhattan skyline?" Olivia guessed with a smile. She was happy he had jumped into the conversation.
"The Manhattan skyline," Fitz nodded. "How did you know that?"
"I read about it," she said. "I read a lot."
He nodded, looking at her in the mirror.
"Well, that doesn't surprise me, considering your major. You and Fitz should get along great. He loves to read," Mellie said. "Don't you?"
"I do," he agreed, nodding.
"You should see the library he has in his office at work. It's really big," Karen noted.
"Oh yeah?" Olivia asked. "That's so cool. What genres are you into?"
"All of them."
She smiled. Well jeez. Maybe the shy, quiet dad was the one she'd get along best with.
"How about you?" he asked, turning onto a road called Bolton Avenue.
"All of them."
He smiled, nodding as he pulled into a gated, brick driveway. The gates opened for him.
She tried to keep her eyes from widening again, as they pulled up to their house.
It was massive. An actual mansion, that was for sure. There was a roundabout in the middle of their driveway, with a garden in the center. Everything about the place was breathtaking.
"You have a beautiful home," Olivia said, as they pulled up and around the side to the garage.
"Thank you!" Mellie said.
"Thank you," Fitz echoed.
"It's yours now, too, Olivia," Karen said.
Olivia smiled, looking over at her.
"She's right!" Mellie agreed.
"You wanna show her around, K?" Fitz asked.
"Yes!" Karen nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt as they parked.
Olivia grabbed her backpack and slung it around her back as she got out.
"You can go with Karen. I'll grab your things for you," Fitz said, as they met by the trunk.
"Oh, are you sure?" Olivia asked.
"Mhm. She'd love to show you," he said, smiling slightly. "It will make her day."
She nodded and thanked him, before following Karen and Mellie inside.
Seriously. Nobody was going to help this poor man?
She already wanted to go back out and help him. But she followed Karen as he'd said.
Karen showed her around the whole house, which was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. Mellie eventually met them by the stairs that led to the basement after she had seen the first and second level, and they all headed down together, as that was where she'd be staying. She even met their little dog, Hank, who was adorable, before they headed down.
The basement just about took her breath away at first sight.
It was huge, and extremely beautiful. There was a living room area. A small kitchen. An office near the back, as well as a storage room. A home gym. Two bedrooms. And two bathrooms.
Man, it was beautiful.
Fitz was already down there with all her belongings. They walked into one of the bedrooms where he was, as he was situating her bags on her bed.
He stopped as soon as they entered. "This room is bigger, so I figured you'd want this one. But...you can definitely have the other one too, if you want. I could move your things."
"No need, this will do perfectly," Olivia nodded, setting her backpack down on her bed next to the rest of her bags. "Thank you so much!"
"Yeah, no problem," he nodded.
"Do you like it, Olivia?" Karen asked.
"I love it. Thank you!" she nodded.
Karen smiled.
"Well, why don't we leave you to unpack some of your things and get situated. We don't want to be too overwhelming on your first day. We'll make some dinner and you can come up whenever you'd like. I remember you're not allergic to anything, but is there anything you don't like?" Mellie asked.
"Oh, nope. I'm not picky at all, I'll eat anything," Olivia replied.
"Wonderful. We'll leave you to it then," Mellie said.
"Thanks so much," Olivia replied.
Karen followed her mom and Fitz walked around her bed past her, turning back as he reached the door.
"There are, um...towels in the bathroom already, and extra sheets in your closet," he said.
"Perfect. Thanks so much again."
He nodded, and then hesitated a bit before he left. She gave him a little smile which he returned. And then he left her be.
She sighed, looking at all her belongings on her big bed. Much bigger than her twin at home, which was extremely nice.
But she had a lot to unpack. She'd rather get it done sooner than later, so that she could at least see her bed, and also so that she had a room that felt like her own here.
The faster she got settled, the faster it would feel like a home to her, she hoped.
She started unpacking, and hanging up clothes in the walk-in closet she now had. A walk-in closet!
And she put on some music while she did it, her large playlist she'd been listening to on the flight here. All her favorites—some rap, some R&B, some pop. Unpacking would be a long process.
The excitement only continued to build in her, as she unpacked her room—her life—in this new place.
She was slightly terrified, she had to admit. But all the things she didn't know yet, all the things she had to learn, excited her. She was adventurous, and this was by far the most adventurous thing she'd ever done.
She'd call her mom later, probably when she went to bed, but now she wanted to call her best friend back home. She hadn't kept her updated as much, and felt like she needed to tell her all the details.
She put the phone on speaker and walked around as she heard it ringing.
"Liv?!"
"Hey!" Olivia exclaimed.
"Hey! Oh my god, are you finally there?!" Shawn asked.
"Yes! Shawn—this place is amazing. I mean, I haven't seen much of the city yet. Just from the plane. They live in more of a suburb, like at home. Except...you know, on a much grander scale," Olivia laughed.
"Right, right, I remember you saying it was really nice. Girl, tell me about the house you're staying at though!"
Olivia just smiled. "It's...amazing. They practically gave me the whole basement to myself. And let me tell you, the basement is like half of my house."
"Damn. Liv, you need to send ya girl some pics so I can live vicariously through you," Shawn said.
Olivia laughed. "I will, I will."
"How's the family? Are they really weird? Are they really white?" Shawn asked, which made Olivia laugh again.
"They seem really nice so far. The woman's really talkative and she seems like she's excited about having me here, and same with their daughter. They have a super cute dog. And...the guy is kind of shy, I think. He's quiet. But he's super nice."
"Okay, what are their names so I can start memorizing," Shawn asked.
"Uh, Mellie is the woman. Karen is their daughter, who's 10, by the way. She's adorable. The guy is Fitz, and the dog is Hank."
"Hank?!" Shawn asked, laughing.
"Yep, Hank," Olivia giggled. "He's adorable, seriously. He's a cute little beagle."
"Aww. So are the parents decently young or are they, like, the two old ass parents with a spoiled young child typa family?" Shawn asked.
"No, actually...I wouldn't look at them and think they'd have a 10-year-old at all. I don't know how old they are. Let me see if that's on the forms, because I'm actually curious, I should have checked before now."
"Well, they gotta be at least like...38, 39, or something, then right? That seems like a logical age if they have a ten-year-old," Shawn said.
"No, there's no way they're that old," Olivia said, looking through the papers she had in her backpack. "Seriously, when I first saw Mellie on FaceTime, and then when I saw them both in person, I was honestly shocked."
"Damn," Shawn noted. "I like this. You're not stuck with some grandparents or something."
Olivia laughed, and finally spotted their basic information on the top of the form, which included their birthdays. Mellie was born in '88 and Fitz in '89. She quickly did the math.
"Yeah, Shawn, they're, like, 30," Olivia said.
"What?!"
"Yeah. Mellie will be 31 soon; in October. And Fitz just turned 30 in May."
"What? Ain't no way," Shawn said, shaking her head.
"I'm telling you, I have the info right in front of me!" Olivia laughed. "Mellie was born in '88 and Fitz was born in '89."
"See, now that don't even seem like a host 'family', that just seems like...host 'friends'!" Shawn exclaimed.
"Yeah," Olivia laughed. "That's cool. I'd prefer it that way."
"Okay, but wait a minute, they got a whole ten-year-old already? That's crazy. Maybe they adopted her when she was older?" Shawn questioned.
Olivia shook her head. "No way. She's like...a mini, female version of the guy and has features identical to Mellie, too. Definitely...definitely their kid," Olivia laughed.
"Wow...they had her when they were, like, 20 then!" Shawn exclaimed. "I guess my grandma had my mama at 22, so that's fair. I don't care about their backstory. I just care that they treat my girl right."
"They will, Shawn," Olivia said with a laugh. "I think they want their daughter to do the same thing I'm doing eventually, when she's old enough. Or at least Mellie seems enthusiastic about that. That seems a bit far off yet, but...I suppose, being hosts does look good in this kind of program, so I understand."
"Well good. Then I'm satisfied," Shawn said. "Except that I fucking miss you! How am I supposed to survive this semester without you? Or even worse—if you stay a whole goddamn year?"
"Well, Shawn, you're going to stop going out and hitting your dab pen with the neighbors every night, and FaceTime me!" Olivia exclaimed.
Shawn laughed. "Here, I have a compromise for you. How about I hit my dab pen and FaceTime you at the same time."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Well—your mama catches you with that again, there's gonna be no more Shawn for me to FaceTime."
Shawn burst into laughter again. "You're right. I'd be a goner. You'd think with a smart nerd best friend, I'd learn to fall in line by now. But still, here I am. Breaking rules. Living life."
"I'm no nerd," Olivia protested.
"Mmmhm," Shawn replied, unconvinced. "How long are we gonna argue about this?"
"Well, we've been arguing about it since we were enemies on the playground in kindergarten, and it's been 13 years now, so I doubt it will stop any time soon," Olivia said with a laugh.
"You probably right," Shawn agreed. "I'm glad we've outgrown the enemies stage."
"Me too," Olivia nodded. "And...I'm really gonna miss you, you know. All jokes aside. This semester, this year...however long I'm here. It's not gonna be the same without you."
Shawn sighed. "You're gonna go and make me cry, now, huh? Is that it? Is that what you're gonna do?!"
"No!" Olivia exclaimed. "Don't cry because then I'll cry. We're not doing that today. These people will think I'm nuts if they see me come up the stairs crying on day one. They'll already want to return me."
Shawn burst into laughter. "You make me laugh."
"Thanks. I try."
"I'm gonna miss you too, Liv. But, hey, no matter how long you stay, it's okay. I'm coming to the city the day I can afford to get out of here. And I wouldn't want to share a tiny, gross, New York City apartment with anyone else," Shawn said.
Olivia laughed. "Alright, well, I'm holding you to that."
"Please do. And if you start fooling around with cute New York City boys...they better know if they hurt you, they have to deal with me," Shawn warned.
"I'll make sure to let all the cute New York City boys know, Shawn," Olivia laughed.
"Good. And...then send pics of them to me. We don't have any eye candy in this godforsaken state."
"True that," Olivia agreed. "Well...except for Marcus Walker. Rightttt, Shawn?"
"Oh you shut your mouth," Shawn replied.
"Hey. Just saying," Olivia shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm on it. It's just...a slow process."
"Well I'm rooting for you!" Olivia said.
"Thank you! I'm rooting for you too. City boys for the win," Shawn replied.
"City boys for the win," Olivia nodded. "Hey, I think I'm going to head upstairs and see if they want me to eat dinner. I'm supposed to go up whenever...I don't want to keep them waiting."
"Oh yeah, you better do that. Snap me, okay. I'm tryna see that cute dog."
"Will do," Olivia laughed. "Bye, Shawn. Love you."
"Bye, Liv, love you too."
She hung up the phone and slid it in her back pocket before she headed upstairs.
The smell of Italian food started to hit her as she climbed the stairs to this beautiful home that she still couldn't quite wrap her head around.
The beautiful, sculpted railings that lined the wall as she walked up. The softest carpet she thought she'd ever felt beneath her feet. The top of the landing, where rich, dark, wooden floors began on the middle level. Wow.
She pushed the door open fully and tried to remember which way to go to get to the kitchen.
She went the wrong way.
"Oh. Shoot," she whispered under her breath, when she realized she'd reached the music room.
She started walking back down the hallway she'd come from and turned left. But as soon as she turned, she immediately ran into an extremely firm chest.
"Oh!"
"Oh—I'm sorry," he said, looking down at her.
"No, I'm sorry. I got lost trying to get to the kitchen," she admitted with a laugh.
His face softened and he gave her a slight smile. "Oh, you're on the right track—that way, all the way down," he said, pointing left, where she'd been heading.
Well, at least she had been on the right track.
"Okay, thank you," she laughed.
He nodded and slipped past her, heading toward the front entryway and toward the front door.
She looked back at him and watched him walk away curiously.
He opened the front door and looked briefly over his shoulder at her, before quickly looking away after realizing she'd been looking at him first. And then he shut the front door gently.
Something about him was interesting to her. She had no idea what. So far he'd barely spoken a word to her aside from general customary phrases, there wasn't all that much to go off of yet.
She knew she liked Karen a lot, but she was a kid, and she loved kids, so that was no surprise.
Mellie was also talkative and sweet to her, yet she wasn't at all curious about Mellie.
It was odd that she couldn't figure it out. That she didn't know herself well enough to know why she was so curious about this unfamiliar man.
But, she brushed it off and headed to the kitchen for dinner.
"Oh, Olivia! Fitz and I whipped up some spaghetti and garlic bread. There are also green beans, as well. I hope this is okay?" Mellie asked.
"Sounds wonderful to me, thank you," Olivia nodded with a smile.
"Oh good, you're welcome! I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook, really, but this, I can handle," she chuckled. "My sweet husband does most of the cooking around here."
As she said it, Fitz walked into the kitchen from the back hallway, holding the mail in his hands that he'd clearly just went outside to get.
"Hmm?" Fitz asked, hearing her reference him.
"I was just telling Olivia that you're the big cook in the family," Mellie said cheerfully.
"Oh," Fitz nodded, seeming to force a smile. "Yes, I like to."
"Me too," Olivia nodded, looking at Fitz.
He flashed her a smile, a real smile.
"Do you? What's your favorite thing to cook?" Mellie asked.
"Anything, really," Olivia replied. "My mom runs a restaurant back home, so I know how to make a lot of our dishes there. But...I love to learn new dishes too, and follow recipes. I also love to bake."
"Oh, well that's wonderful. You and Karen have that in common, she's learning to be quite the baker herself. Also—courtesy of Fitz," Mellie said.
He nodded. "She's a natural."
"You're probably right. Now speaking of, Karen!" Mellie yelled out cheerfully. "Time for dinner, honey."
Karen came down, smiling brightly at Olivia the second she reached the kitchen.
And they sat down and had dinner together.
Karen sat by Olivia, and Fitz and Mellie sat at the heads of the table.
The dinner conversation helped them all get to know each other a little better. Olivia told them all about her decision to enroll in this program, and having wanted to do it for practically her whole high school career. She told them about her dream of becoming a book editor after college, too.
She told them about her mom, the lovely, amazing woman that had raised her, and more about what she did for a living. Which, eventually led to a conversation about her father, who had passed away when she was very young. But she was okay to talk about it. While it always made her sad to think about the fact that she never really got to know her dad, talking about him also brought a smile to her face. Her mother would tell her stories about how kind and gentle he was. About how romantic he was, and the things he would do for her. About how careful he was when he was driving them all home from the hospital after Olivia had been born, and how Marie was still unsure of how they hadn't gotten pulled over for going too slow.
But luckily, her uncle Frankie, her mom's brother, had been a very important father figure in her life. He, obviously, could never replace the father she had lost and never known. But he lived close, and had been there for every basketball tournament. Every spelling bee. Every choir concert. And she already knew that one day, he would walk her down the aisle at her wedding, too. So she made sure to mention her angel uncle Frankie as well. He was an English teacher at the local public high school back home, and one of the main reasons she was actually majoring in English. She wasn't shy in disclosing information about her mom and her uncle, and all they did for her.
They were very kind, wanting to hear every bit. And Olivia got to know them a little better, too.
A little more about their jobs, which clearly, they were very successful in. More about how she and Fitz would be going in together every morning, if that's what she wanted. Karen and all her activities, which was a lot.
After dinner, she helped them clean up the kitchen, which they thanked her for. But she already wanted to make sure they knew how grateful she was to be able to stay with them. And cleaning up after dinner was certainly no bother.
Karen turned in earlier than everyone else, and then everyone else followed suit in time.
Olivia was grabbing a glass of water before bed, when Fitz came down with that very same idea. The house was dark, and everyone else had retired to their rooms for the evening.
So Olivia was in pajamas and so was Fitz. Olivia's entailed a pair of shorts and a tank top, and Fitz's entailed a T-shirt and gym shorts.
She found her eyes wandering without even realizing, but she quickly pushed the thought aside as he spoke up.
"Oh. Hi," he greeted, coming to meet her by the kitchen island. "I wasn't sure if...you were still up."
"Hi," she greeted back. "Yeah, I just came to grab some water. Is it alright if I take this glass with me downstairs? Some of my things are still packed away in different bags. I don't know where I put everything so I haven't been able to find my water bottle!"
"Oh, yeah, no worries at all, go ahead," he nodded. "Is there anything else you need?"
"Oh, no. I'm good, thank you so much," she answered.
"Mhm," he nodded, going to fill up his glass.
He moved to touch the button on the fridge's water dispenser, and she watched his upper back and his arms intently.
But she had to sip her water in order to feel less awkward about it when he turned around.
"Well, I think I'm going to head down to bed. I'm going to give my mom a call," she said. "Thanks so much to you and Mellie and Karen for the great first day! I had so much fun."
"Yes, of course. We're glad to have you here with us," he said, shooting her a smile.
There were times she could have sworn he'd faked a smile throughout the day. The kind of smile where she could just tell, it was forced, and not quite genuine.
And every fake one she noticed seemed to be directed at Mellie.
But the smiles he gave to his daughter always felt real.
And so did the ones he gave to her.
The voice inside her head was telling her she was nuts. She was convinced she was getting ahead of herself because she didn't know this family yet, and she didn't know their dynamic. So, like she'd done multiple times so far that day, she brushed yet another thing aside.
She did, however, flash him a very real smile back. She didn't even have to think about it. She was smiling as soon as he was.
"I'm very glad to be here, too," she said warmly. "Goodnight," she added, giving him a little wave.
"Goodnight," he nodded back. "Sleep well."
"You too."
She had almost turned the corner to the hallway that held the basement door, where she would retreat to her room. But a soft, deep voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Olivia."
She turned around immediately, looking at him.
"Yeah?"
He flashed her another small, crooked smile.
"Welcome to New York."
Well, there's your first chapter!
You'll find out more about them in the next few chapters.
Just a disclaimer, I know there will be people who don't like this storyline. And that's okay! I just ask that if so, you kindly stop reading. This definitely won't be for some people, I'm sure, but that doesn't mean there needs to be rude reviews.
Thanks for tuning in for the first chapter, regardless!
Read on!
~T
