"I just don't understand it, that's all," Marie shrugged.
Olivia sighed. "Yes, ma. I know. You've told me."
"Yes. And somehow, it doesn't seem to be getting through to you," Marie nodded. "You keep trying to defend him, and tell me why I should understand. But none of what you've told me has made me understand, Olivia."
"That's because you haven't met him yet," Olivia replied. "You're pissed at me, so you don't believe anything I say about him. You have this preconceived notion about him that he's this…disgusting, terrible, selfish man, when in reality that couldn't be further from the truth. So, once you meet him, and stop being pissed at me — you will see and believe what I've tried to tell you for a month now."
"I don't think I ever will," Marie said.
"What? Meet him, or understand?" Olivia asked.
"Both."
"Why wouldn't you meet him?" Olivia asked confusedly.
"Honestly, Olivia," her mother began. "Because I don't know that I see this lasting."
"Oh good. Here we go," Olivia sighed.
"You can honestly say…you think this will last for the rest of your life?" her mother asked.
"As I've told you before, mom, yes. I do. I don't understand why you think I'm incapable of feeling that way?" Olivia questioned.
"Honey, I just," Marie sighed, cutting herself off. She paused for a moment, looking a little hesitant to continue.
But she did. Unfortunately.
"I just wonder what kind of future you think he sees with you," she said.
Now that one hurt.
Olivia actually had to stop and think for a second about if her mother had really just said that. She looked up at Marie, completely confused, and hurt.
"Okay. So now…not only am I disappointing, and not smart enough because of the decisions I've made. But I'm also…not the kind of person someone could see a future with. Got it. Understood, mom."
Her mother shook her head. "Now you know I did not mean that, Olivia."
"No, mom. I don't know that, actually. How would I know? What was that question supposed to mean?" Olivia asked.
"It means why would someone of his age go after someone of your age? You're 19. You were 18 when you met. You're very mature, Olivia. You always have been, and I know he knows that. But why on earth would he think…this seems like a good idea given where he's at in his life? Given where you're at in yours?"
"Well, mom. Probably because he's in love with me," Olivia said quietly.
Marie sighed, shaking her head.
"Right. But you don't understand why," Olivia nodded. "Yeah. I know. The problem is, I'm just not sure how else to explain these things anymore. I don't know what else I'm supposed to say. Because I don't know the answer. I don't know why we just…fit. I don't know why we complement each other so well, or why…everything just feels right when I'm with him. I don't have those answers. All I know is you don't approve, and there seems to be nothing I can do to change that."
Marie sighed yet again.
"I don't know, Olivia," she said disappointedly. "I don't know. I love you very much. And I just want…the best for you. And I know I can't tell you who you can and cannot see. But I don't like this. I don't like him, at all."
That also hurt. Actually, hearing those words hurt more than anything else. It hurt even more than her mother's disappointment in her, actually.
"Yeah," Olivia sighed, feeling the sadness radiate through her. "And that's your loss, mom."
"I just wish you'd focus on school. It costs a lot of money for you to be out there in New York, getting that education, Olivia. A lot of money. And I certainly don't want you to be wasting your time and money to…fool around with this man," Marie said cautiously.
Now Olivia had to laugh. Truly, it was more of a laugh-scoff.
"What?" Olivia asked. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. Why in God's name wouldn't I be?" Marie asked sternly.
"Because when have I ever had anything other than a 4.0? When have I ever given you a reason to think I…don't value school? Or that it isn't one of the most important things in my life? My entire high school career revolved around going to UNIS and getting into NYU, and I've done both those things. So don't just throw out bullshit reasons for me to not continue seeing him," Olivia said. "And you should probably think a little harder about the man you're talking about before you insinuate that he somehow…distracts me, or isn't a good influence. He's an executive at one of the most prominent banks in the world. I don't know anyone with a better work ethic than him."
That one had definitely stunned her mother. She could tell.
But she couldn't keep talking about this. She needed a damn break.
Without another word, she left the living room where they were sitting, and grabbed the car keys.
"Where are you going?" Marie asked.
"For a drive," Olivia answered bluntly, before shutting the front door behind her. Her mother didn't even have a chance to utter another word.
She was able to make it all the way to her car — and out of her neighborhood — before the tears came. They actually hadn't come in a long time. Not since the first night she'd told her mom and uncle about Fitz. And even then — they'd barely come out.
She'd held off, because she hated it. But sometimes, letting out the tears was just necessary.
So she let them out as she drove. She bawled, actually.
And she did the only thing she wanted to do. She called Fitz — using the voice controls on her phone. Somehow, thankfully, her phone understood her crying voice.
"Hi you," Fitz answered.
"Hi," Olivia said, trying not to let the tears blur her vision.
He could instantly tell something was up.
"Baby? Are you okay?" he asked.
"No," she cried, switching lanes. "I'm not, baby. I'm not."
"Oh no, Livvie. What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.
She had to gather herself, because the tears were coming harder now.
Meanwhile, all he heard was her crying on the other end — which had turned to what sounded like sobbing.
"Olivia? Baby, please talk to me? What's going on? Is it your mom?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah. It's my fucking mom," Olivia cried. "We were arguing. Again. And it just…the things she says, they just get to me. I've tried to pretend they don't, and…I haven't let her see it. But they get to me and I'm done having to take them. I'm…I left the house and now I'm driving — I don't even know…where," she cried, wiping her eyes so she could see.
"Okay. Okay, hey, will you pull over somewhere for me?" he asked. "Please."
Olivia sighed, looking at her surroundings. There wasn't anywhere she really wanted to go.
"I just wanted to drive, Fitz," she sniffled.
"I know. I understand that, baby, but I'd rather you just pulled over if you can, so you don't have to concentrate on the road. Will you do that?" he asked.
"Yeah. I…" she sighed, putting on her blinker. "Yes. I'll just…go to the community center."
"Okay. That sounds good," he nodded. "Is that close?"
"Yeah. I'm on that road right now. I'll be there in…like, a minute," Olivia sniffled.
"Okay. Okay," he nodded in relief. "Good."
She pulled into the parking lot shortly thereafter, parking in the back of the lot so she could have some privacy from those coming and going from the community center.
She let out a big sigh, and the tears started rolling down her cheeks again.
"Are you parked?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded with a sniffle.
"Okay. Tell me what happened, baby," he said gently.
"It's nothing new," she sniffled. "We just were…having another discussion. She doesn't understand, doesn't like it, all of that. But…she did make a point this time to tell me she doesn't think we will last, and that she's not sure what you see in me or why you'd involve yourself with me because I'm not your age. So. That felt fucking great. She really outdid herself with those additions today."
She heard a sad sigh on the other end. A very saddened one.
"Oh, Livvie. Please tell me you're not…hung up on those thoughts. Or wondering them, for yourself. Please tell me that you're not."
"No, I'm not," she sniffled.
"Good," he said, in relief. "Please…please don't ever."
"Are you kidding? Of course we're going to last. Because I'm…never letting you get away, you're stuck with me. No exceptions. Those are just the rules — and yes, I did make them."
He chuckled on the other end, and hearing his laugh brought a brief smile to her face.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said. "Please don't ever change those rules."
"Never," she whispered, wiping her face.
"And as for…what I see in you…" he began.
"Baby. You don't have to —"
"It's more like…what don't I see," he interrupted. "I understand her anger at me. I really do, and…I don't want to overstep any boundaries here, because she's your mother and I'm sure she's wonderful. But…she shouldn't have said that to you. You're her daughter. She knows better than anyone else what people see in you. Why they like you, and…are drawn to you. That wasn't an okay thing for her to ask. I completely understand why she asks you what you see in me. But the reverse…is not fair."
"Neither is fair, in my opinion," Olivia said, sniffling slightly. "I've about had it with all of it. I'm ready to come home, Fitz. I'm just so ready to leave here, and have some time away from her now. I love her so much. But…we just need a break now, I think."
"I get that. Trust me, I…know exactly what it's like to continue having these difficult conversations with someone over and over — feeling like you're not getting anywhere. I think…I would have really benefitted from some breaks here and there in my situation, but I obviously couldn't exactly do that. So I think you're right. Getting away for a while…will be good. She'll have time to think on her own, as will you."
"Yeah," Olivia nodded. "I shouldn't be complaining. And…crying, for God's sake. I know you went through a similar process with Mellie."
"You absolutely should complain and cry. I complained all the time. I probably wanted to cry too," he shrugged.
That had her giggling again.
"Would have felt good to let it out, I'm sure," he said. "You know you can…complain, or cry, or scream, or…whatever you want to do. I wish you didn't have to be in the position you're in right now and I'm just…so sorry about it, Olivia."
"Don't apologize, Fitz. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault," Olivia sighed, sniffling. "It just is what it is. And I wish I could…remember that. I knew what this would be like. I knew all of this would happen and I thought I prepared myself for it. I thought I gave myself plenty of time before I took the leap. But now…over a month has passed since I told her and I'm just so sick of it. I'm so hurt from it. I guess…I still just didn't know what to prepare for. I didn't know…it would be as hard as it's proving to be."
"It is hard, Liv. It's…really hard on your mind. I think you give me too much credit, because…you remember how I was when I was going through that; explaining things to Mellie. I was…a fucking mess."
"Uh, well, if you saw my makeup right now you'd agree that I am also a fucking mess," she nodded, looking in the mirror. "A very big one."
He chuckled. "I know that's not true, Liv."
"Oh, it is. It's very true," she laughed.
"Well, if it has to be true — then you are my fucking mess. My beautiful fucking mess."
She stopped looking in the mirror, smiling to herself.
"Oh, honey. That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day," she giggled.
He chuckled back but then shook his head. "If that's the nicest thing anyone's said to you all day — you're right. You really do need to come back. Come…home."
"Home," she whispered, smiling to herself.
"I fucking miss you," he said quietly.
"I fucking miss you," she replied.
"Saturday can't come soon enough," he added. "I won't be able to sleep tomorrow night, I know that for sure. I've barely…slept all week."
"Wait. What? Even with your medication helping more now?" she asked.
He chuckled.
"Liv. My meds don't fix the fact that I'm excited to see you."
"You're so cute," she sighed. "Why are you so cute? Would it kill you to keep your cuteness in check sometimes?"
"You sound frustrated about my...cuteness," he inquired.
"Yes. I'm frustrated. Because you're so cute and my mom doesn't see that. And because I want to be in the presence of your cuteness as soon as possible but my plane ticket says otherwise," she nodded.
"Screw the plane ticket for Saturday. I'll…I'll buy you a new one that says today," he replied.
She smiled, sighing contently.
"You totally would," she whispered.
"I totally would," he nodded. "Do you want me to? I'm…I mean, if you're feeling like you really need to leave, I will, Olivia. I'm…I'm not kidding."
"I know. I know you aren't," she laughed. "Thank you. But it's okay. I've got to…leave here on better terms than I would if I left today. Not sure…how I'm going to do that, but I need to try."
"Yeah. I get that, Liv," he replied.
"Plus…this may very well be the last time I live here. I mean…I know I'll come back, obviously. But…I don't know that I ever see myself living in North Dakota again, so. As much as I'd love to see you today rather than Saturday — I'll have plenty of time to be there in New York. Here…my time is running low."
"I know. I know," he agreed. "You do whatever you need to do, baby. I'm here if you want or need to call later, okay?"
"I know you are," she replied. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. You're my girlfriend. I just…" he sighed. "I'm just sorry. And I want you to be okay. I wish this wasn't something you had to deal with. I wish…I was worthy of approval from the get-go — but I completely understand why I'm not. I'm just so sorry that this is your life right now."
"Baby. You have nothing to be sorry about," she replied. "You are worthy of approval. You are. You are exactly the type of man she would love to see me with. She just doesn't know that yet because she's blinded by things that don't fucking matter," Olivia said. "That's what I appreciated about your mom's reaction. She knew there were difficulties — like our age gap. She knew those things but didn't fucking suspect the worst. Didn't criticize. Didn't do anything but accept. Because she knew you were happy and that's all that mattered to her."
He sighed, nodding. "Right. I appreciated her reaction too. But, it's just like you've said before — she did also see us together. She met you. She was able to…judge things with her own eyes. Your mother knows nothing of me aside from…the things she deems bad."
"Yeah, I know. I get that. She can't have an opinion, much less a good one, probably, if she doesn't know enough about you. But…the way she's jumped to conclusions and assumed the worst of you? That isn't right either. That's not fair. She doesn't know, so she shouldn't do that."
"I know, baby. I know. But we all do it. Even if we don't want to admit it, we all do make assumptions and…jump to conclusions. I don't fault her for it. I understand her point of view and I understand why she doesn't like me," he said. "I just…really don't like that she's hurting you."
"You're too nice," Olivia smiled, laughing a little.
He chuckled. "Says the nicest person I've ever met."
"Noooo…me?" Olivia giggled.
"Uh-huh," he nodded. "The sweetest."
"That would be you, honey," she replied.
"See, I could go on and on and not back down on this," he shrugged.
"So could I," she challenged.
"Oh no. Not another compliment argument."
They both laughed and she smiled, realizing her tears had stopped as a result of talking to him.
"There's no one I'd rather get into compliment arguments with," she whispered.
"Me neither," he whispered back.
"I love you."
"I love you," he said. "Are you feeling a little better?"
"Yes. I'm okay. I think I'm gonna…go shoot around for a bit, since I'm here. Clear my head," she nodded.
"Okay. You sure you're okay?" he asked.
"I'm okay. I'll text you later, okay? Or I'll call you before bed," she said.
"Please do. K isn't here, so…I'll just be here, doing nothing. Waiting for you to call," he said.
She smiled. "I'll make sure to call then. I love you. Thank you for picking up, Fitz. For always picking up and…making me feel better no matter what."
"Of course. You're so welcome. I will always pick up," he replied. "I love you. I'll talk to you later?"
"Yep. Bye, baby."
"Bye."
"No. Don't you be sayin' bye to me right now. Retract that statement."
"You're right, you're right. It's more like a…'see you later'," Olivia said, giving her best friend a smile.
Shawn sighed and smiled back, leaning in for a hug.
"Damn right it is. I ain't ever saying bye to you. It's too hard," Shawn said.
"I know. I'm sorry. I had so much fun with you this summer. And I can't wait for you to get out of this —"
"Godforsaken state — yeah, me neither," Shawn laughed.
"Say bye to Marcus for me," Olivia said, pulling away.
"Yeah, yeah, I will. We had some good times this summer, all of us," Shawn nodded.
"Some of the best," Olivia agreed. "Late night swimming. Shooting around. Dairy Queen. Backroad drives. The usual."
"The only good thing about Dakota. Summer nights," Shawn nodded.
"Hell yes."
"You gonna be alright, Liv? With…your mom and everything?" Shawn asked.
Olivia shrugged. "Not yet. But that's okay. I think…we will be, at some point. Hopefully…we'll get there."
"I know you will. I know it. She can't be petty forever — that's just too much damn work. And that's comin' from me — a petty queen," Shawn said importantly.
Olivia was laughing hard. She was going to miss her hilarious best friend. Good thing she could call and FaceTime her as much as she wanted. It's what she'd become used to anyway, with friends all over the world now.
"I hope so," Olivia laughed.
"Nah, but I'm serious, girl. You ever need to talk — you call me. I'm not playin'."
"I know. I know that, and I appreciate it so much," Olivia said, leaning back in for another hug.
Shawn giggled and squeezed Olivia tight.
"I love you, Shawn," Olivia said.
"I love you too, girl. Till next time."
And even though they didn't want to say goodbye — it still was one. And it sucked.
Shawn had been pretty much the best part of Olivia's summer. She was probably the only reason the summer seemed to go by decently fast in her eyes. Because otherwise, it was just work, the pain of missing Fitz, and more work.
Oh yeah, and her mom and uncle being pissy the last month. Couldn't forget that part.
Thank God it was almost time to hop a plane and get the hell out of dodge.
"LaGuardia or JFK?" Fitz asked curiously, watching her pack over FaceTime.
"Umm what if I was flying into Newark?" she asked.
He chuckled. "You're not flying into Newark."
"No I'm not flying into Newark," she agreed with a laugh. "JFK."
"My personal favorite," he nodded.
"Mine too. LaGuardia is okay. It's just…"
"A shitshow?"
"…Yes," she laughed. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
"So what time do you fly in?" he asked.
"I think I'm supposed to land around 11:00 in the morning," she said.
"Mm, you'll be up early that day then," he winced.
"Yeah. Hopefully, I can sleep some on the second flight since the first flight will be so damn short."
"Minneapolis like usual?" he asked.
"Yep!"
"Well — I'm sorry you have to get up at an obnoxiously early time. But…I am excited to see you. I'll be there at 11:00 waiting for you," he smiled.
"Thank you again for picking me up. I know it's a hike," she said.
"No problem at all. It's the only place I'd want to be. I don't get Karen back until Sunday, so it'll just be us two the first night," he informed her.
"Okay," she nodded. "I'm so excited to see you both. And the house, and my apartment when Greta gets back from Japan. I'm just so excited."
"Me too!" he nodded. "Oh, and…I'm excited to see whatever those were that you just put in your bag."
She'd just placed a couple of new pairs of underwear into her bag — some lacy ones she'd just got in the mail yesterday and were fresh out of the laundry.
And she smiled down at the phone.
"Oh yeah? I just got a few new pairs yesterday. Bras too. You want to —"
"Yes."
"You didn't even let me finish," she giggled.
"You were going to ask if I wanted to see — the answer is yes, please."
She nodded. "Man knows what he wants. I like it."
A sneaky smile began to form on his cute face as she pulled out the new pairs — holding them for her phone camera to see.
"Alright, we've got red…black…white. Oh, more black. More white. And then…here is one of the bras," she said, showing him the black lacy brassiere. "The other one I just put on earlier…"
She began pulling her shirt over her head — revealing the white bra she currently had on. It was very comfy, she'd learned, which was nice. And pretty sexy — she had to admit. Lacy, with a bit of push-up to it too. Not too much. Just a little.
He sighed, looking longingly through the screen. Which made her laugh.
She picked her phone up and brought it eye-level, before lowering it so he could see that one a little closer. "Well? Does my baby approve?"
"He…yeah. Um…" he nodded, getting lost in the beautiful view. "Wow. He very much approves."
"Aww, well thank you," she laughed. "I like it too. It fits perfectly."
"It sure…does," he nodded, tilting his head to examine her breasts.
He didn't know a lot about how a bra was supposed to fit — but based on the way it perfectly hugged, yet accentuated her breasts — he had to assume it couldn't fit any better than that.
"Clip is in the front too, just so you know. Your favorite kind," Olivia informed him, unclipping it with one hand to show him.
"Ahhh. Uh-huh. That's…yes. I appreciate you…taking me into account," he nodded, looking at her bare breasts now over the phone.
"Oh of course, baby," she nodded, slipping her bra off entirely now.
A smile covered his face, admiring her on his screen. She'd propped up her phone now, as she went about her business.
"You done packing?" he asked, watching her walk to the other end of her room.
"I think so," she nodded, shimmying out of her denim shorts and underwear. "I have a few more things I'll have to pack in the morning but I think I'm done for the night. I've been packing bit by bit for a week now so I think I'm in a good spot."
He nodded in agreement, watching her search for what he assumed was something to wear to bed. She was completely naked right now — he kind of wished she'd just go with that.
She made her way back over to her bed where her phone was propped up, with a tank top and a pair of pajama shorts in hand.
And he watched her, relaxed, with an arm resting underneath his head and a smile on his face.
She had nothing on but the necklace he'd bought for her. The New York necklace.
"Enjoying the view over there?"
He nodded. "Of you? Always."
She smiled sweetly back at him. "You're so cute."
"Says the cute, naked woman on my screen."
"Oh that's right I am still naked aren't I," she teased, looking down at herself.
"Just a bit, yeah," he agreed.
"Just a bit," she giggled, starting to slip on her pajamas. "Well, hopefully you're not too sad to see these pajamas come on then."
"A little. But it's okay. I'll see plenty of your naked body in the days to come. Which I look forward to," he nodded.
"You absolutely will," she smirked, slipping her shirt over her head. "God, I can't wait to climb you."
"Oh," he replied, eyes wide. "That's…extremely intriguing."
She giggled, grabbing her phone and crawling into bed.
"Prepare yourself."
"Oh, I've…I've been prepared since the day you left, so…I'm all good on that front."
"Oh, good," she laughed, giving him a smile.
He tilted his head, smiling back at her. "You gonna go to sleep?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "I probably should, since I have to be up so early."
"Okay, baby. I'll let you sleep. I'm so, so excited to see you tomorrow," he whispered.
"Me too. I can't wait," she said. "I love you so much and I'll see you tomorrow at 11:00!"
"Sounds perfect. I love you too. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," she said, clicking her phone off.
She reached for her lamp and shut it off — surrounding herself in both darkness and silence.
The house was empty, as her mom was out closing up the restaurant right now. She'd probably be even more tired than Olivia would be, going to bed later than her and waking up at the same time tomorrow.
She was driving her to the airport tomorrow — as was uncle Frankie. And Olivia was still very thankful for that, despite how odd things were between them all.
They hadn't exactly been the happiest with her lately, particularly her mother, but they'd continued to spend much of the summer together. Time spent was just either quieter, or filled with much more constructive conversation. But Olivia knew it could be much worse than that. She still had her little family, and they still loved her more than anything. That was at least a comforting thought. One that slowly eased her into sleep.
The last night of sleep during her summer back in North Dakota.
Olivia awoke on Saturday morning early — about 4:00. She had her flight that morning at 7:00.
Given how early it was, that alarm sounded extra annoying. It always seemed to — the earlier you set it.
But the annoyance quickly faded when her brain remembered why she was up so damn early.
She was going home.
Getting ready that early in the morning for a flight always seemed to be easy. Especially when the flight was headed somewhere you were excited to go. So she was ready in no time. What took the longest for her was checking her room multiple times to make sure she had everything. She had truly no idea how soon she'd be back next, so she wanted to make sure she had everything she could possibly need going into this next semester. Her first semester of college.
When she was confident she had everything, she started hauling her things down to the car. She had a very large traveling duffle bag, a suitcase, and a couple carry-on bags. It would all be much more manageable after she checked her two big ones.
Her stomach hadn't woken up yet, so she planned to get breakfast and coffee at the airport, which saved some time there at home. And her mother was ready not too long after her, as well as her uncle, who pulled into the driveway just before they were going to leave, so he could tag along too. He hadn't been available to see her off the first year she flew to New York, so he'd made sure he wouldn't miss it this year. And for that, Olivia was grateful.
"Got everything, kid?" Frankie asked, climbing into the backseat of the car. Which, was pretty stuffed with Olivia's things.
"Think so," Olivia nodded, getting into the passenger seat. "It feels like all I've done in my free time is pack this past week."
"Yes. I bet," he chuckled.
"Alright. We ready?" Marie asked, fastening her seat belt.
"Yep," Olivia and Frankie said.
They backed out of the driveway and were on their way.
The drive started off silently at first, but Marie initiated a conversation a couple minutes in.
"So. I assume you're very excited to go back?" she asked.
Olivia nodded, not able to help the small smile that formed on her face.
"Yes. I am," Olivia agreed. "But I'm very glad to have spent the summer here."
"As are we," Marie nodded.
"Yes, I'm not sure how I'm going to get used to it again after having you back the whole summer," Frankie wondered aloud.
"It will be another adjustment for me, too," Olivia admitted.
"Yes. New apartment, that's right," Marie nodded.
"Yeah, I'm super excited about that," Olivia smiled.
"Well. You'll have to send us pictures, Liv. I'm sure it will be wonderful," Frankie said.
"I will!" Olivia agreed.
The silence resumed again for a few minutes, but their light discussion returned again. It was pretty consistent all the way to the airport. And there was virtually no talk of Fitz the entire ride.
That is, not until they got there. The airport wasn't super busy yet at that point, so they sat in the car without the worry of taking up a spot in the drop-off line.
"I know you're grown. And you make your own decisions," Marie began. "But you just be careful, okay? Be safe. Think things through, like I…like I know you do."
"I will. I do, mom," Olivia replied.
Her mother nodded in response.
Frankie cleared his throat and unbuckled his seat belt. "I'm gonna…go get Olivia's things out of the trunk."
Olivia knew what he was doing. Giving the two of them some more time. A mother-daughter chat. Lord knows how many of those she'd had lately.
But this one wasn't so bad. This one was a little different, since it was also a goodbye.
"I know it hasn't been the best between us this past month. And I'm sorry about that. I hope I didn't ruin the last month of your summer," Marie said.
"You didn't. I was kind of thinking I'd ruined yours," Olivia said.
"No," Marie replied. "You could never. You're my baby. And I love you. No matter what…crazy ass things you do."
It was silent, before they both started to laugh quietly.
"I never do crazy ass things. Ever," Olivia said.
"Yeah. I know," Marie nodded. "I think that's why this…this, uh, situation…is extra confusing for me. I think I'm still surprised about it all. So I do apologize for the things I've said. About him, about you, about everything. I'm sorry. You just have to understand, that I still don't understand."
"I get it," Olivia replied. "And I appreciate your apology. I'm sorry too. I've said some things I shouldn't say to my mother."
"Ain't that the truth," Marie replied. "You talk like a New Yorker."
Olivia had to laugh at that one.
"Oh, trust me, ma. I'm not there yet," she assured her.
Marie smiled and sighed. "You're not never going to come home now...are you?"
Olivia sat quietly for a moment before responding.
"Mom. You know I would never not come back to see you. And Frank," Olivia said.
"Well. I'd like to think that," Marie nodded. "But I can see how crazy you are about New York. About…school. About…"
She cut herself off, stopping before Olivia knew what she was going to say. She was going to say "him" but paused. As if she just couldn't bring herself to say it.
"About all of it there," Marie continued. "And I just hope we still have a chance over here in the Midwest. Because we love you. A lot. And just because we've had some disagreements this summer don't mean we don't want to see you as often as we can."
"I know that, mom. I know," Olivia nodded. "I feel the same way."
"Alright then," Marie replied. "Good."
"I'll be back before you know it," Olivia assured her. "And maybe…you can come and visit sometime soon. See my place. Meet…my friends."
"Ahh. Uh-huh. Your…friends," Marie nodded skeptically.
"Yes, my friends. All of them," Olivia replied.
"I assume that means him?" Marie asked.
Olivia sighed. "He's my best friend, mom."
Marie took that in, nodding slightly. "Well. I will have to come see the city at one point. I would love to see how your life is there. Such a big city girl."
"Good. Sounds like a plan then," Olivia smiled.
"Alright. Well, we better get going then. I don't want you to miss your flight," Marie said, unbuckling your seat belt.
"Yeah. Thanks for dropping me. I know waking up this early is painful," Olivia said.
"Of course. You've got someone picking you up when you land, right?" Marie asked.
"I do."
Her mother looked like she was curious as to who it was, but like she also didn't want to confirm it. So she just nodded silently as they got out.
"There we are. Everything alright?" Frankie asked, standing by the stack of Olivia's bags on the sidewalk.
"Absolutely," Olivia nodded. "Thanks for grabbing all my bags!"
"Oh of course. I'll help you carry them inside," Frankie said.
Olivia nodded, turning to her mom. This was where they said goodbye.
The two hugged immediately, standing in a wordless embrace for a long time.
When they both started to pull away, Marie gave Olivia a smile. "I love you. Let me know when you land in Minneapolis. And in New York."
Olivia was feeling a little déjà vu from the first time she'd been headed off to New York last year.
"I'll keep you updated, mom. I love you."
"Bye now."
Olivia gave her mom one last reassuring smile before heading off with Frankie to drop her bags off at the bag check.
It was sad, saying goodbye. Just a couple days ago when Olivia had been crying and ranting to Fitz, she couldn't have imagined she'd be sad to say goodbye, but she was.
It was still her mother, of course. After everything, it was still her mom.
"Hopefully that didn't go too badly," Frankie said, as they made their way through the front of the airport.
"No. It went…surprisingly well, actually," Olivia admitted.
"Good," Frankie nodded. "She's gonna miss you like hell."
"Yeah. I know."
"So will I," Frankie added with a smile.
"I'll miss you too, Frank," Olivia laughed.
"I know."
They both chuckled, stopping just before they got to the bag check, each setting down their multiple bags.
"You got it from here?"
"I do. Thanks for your help!" Olivia exclaimed, pulling him in for a hug. "Thanks for…everything this summer."
"You're welcome," Frankie said, kissing her cheek as he pulled back. "Now you behave yourself."
"I'll try," Olivia laughed.
"And tell your boyfriend to behave himself too. I don't need to fly down to New York and pretend I'm someone to fear. It will be embarrassing and brutal for all parties. Though, I will kick his ass if he's deserving. I will…really attempt it."
Olivia was cracking up. "I'll let him know."
"Good. Alright, kid. I love you. Be smart."
"I will. Love you too, Frankie."
He smiled and gave her a wave, before heading back toward the door.
She breathed a sigh of relief that all of that had gone well. As well as she could have hoped.
It still hadn't been normal. They hadn't all been as cheery as they would have been otherwise. But, it had been only good things today. Olivia left knowing fully well how much she was loved by them, despite the fact that they clearly were not fans of her recent decisions.
And that was okay. It happened. This would be a process, and that was that.
Olivia knew in her heart that eventually, it would be alright. It may be tough, but they'd get through it.
So with optimism flowing through her, she left North Dakota, and all the negative things that had happened that summer behind.
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