23 November 2023🥀
“Question 23?”
That's the first thing I say to Olivia as I push past the Willow tree’s curtain leaves, finding her seated on the pillow flipping through a novel.
The little haven of grass is brightened with the sun's warm glow.
Olivia's still in her uniform, just like me, her navy blue blazer discarded on the grass so she's just in her white shirt and tie with her grey skirt.
She places her book beside her, acknowledging me with a smile. I'm glad that the guarded look that was in her eyes these past few days is gone.
I sit beside her, and for a moment we both quietly take in the view together. The sun's rays break through the little crevices of the Willow tree making for a very beautiful sight.The birds chirp every which way making me yearn for more times like this.
“I saw a few people walking around.” I tell her, catching her warm gaze.
“You're right. They all look at peace and like this place is their getaway.”
“It's our getaway now.” Olivia says.
My fingers itch to hold hers and after a second to long I reach for her hands and entwine our fingers together, easier.
“Thank you for bringing me here. It means a lot,” I pull our entwined hands closer to me and place kisses on her fingers and her knuckles.
She blushes under my touch but stays silent. “I'd go anywhere in the world with you Olivia.”
She holds my gaze, searching for the sincerity of my words like she always does.
It's like she's waiting for me to one day not mean my words. If so, she's gonna be waiting forever.
After spending about a year without having the confidence to say anything to Olivia it's like now that I can finally speak with her ; I don't want to hold anything back.
“Question 23.” Olivia reminds me.
“How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most people?”
Olivia’s quiet after I've asked the question,her gaze fixed in front of her. I gently squeeze her hand entwined with mine and she breathes, squeezing back.
“Currently it's like a warzone at home we're always fighting and there's always some bad blood between my siblings and I. It's the opposite of warm, it's cold. It's distant. It feels like everybody's trying their best to not step on anyone's toes until we all get out of the house. That's our relief,getting out of the house.”
“How many siblings do you have?”
“I have three.It's my eldest sister Pearl, older brother Musa and my younger brother, Lloyd. So it's the four of us, five with my mom.” She answers and I nod.
“My childhood on the other hand was great. We might not have had a lot but I wasn't aware of it. I had the best friends because friendship wasn't so complicated back then not to brag but I was really smart too.”
I chuckle.
“I'm serious! Top of the class and everything but then highschool came along and I became a depressed idiot.”
More laughter.
“I ate tons of sweets and played cool games with my brother along with my toys.Even though there were dull moments there was always light. Always true joy.”
YOU ARE READING
36 Questions to Fall in Love...in 36 days!
Romance" Olivia, I liked you from the moment you hiccuped your way into my life. It's funny really but it's the truth. I also wasted a lot of time and this is me trying to fix things. I'm asking you to give me 36 days to show my love for you and for you to...
