Silent Lies - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

3 hours into the drive down to my dad's house and I finally make a stop at a gas station, desperately needing a bathroom or I'll be pissing myself soon. It's nearly 11pm, everyone being passed out in the back, me and Olivia are still awake though.
She's waiting in one of the isles for me. "You wanna snack?" She shakes her head. "Get one for later then." She hesitates for a moment, searching for one finally as I go and grab a bag of chips.
"Do you need ibuprofen or anything else?" I ask as we walk to the cash register, worrying about her injuries. Her black eyes and jaw have healed a lot, not completely but still a lot, but I know her ribs are still gonna take a lot more time along with her hand. She shakes her head. "You sure?" She nods.
Heading back on the road, the three in the back still asleep, it's awkward and quiet. We turned the music off so they wouldn't wake up, so it doesn't help. I know why it's awkward between me and Olivia.
Because Danny and Ashton have big ass mouths.
"Your dad hasn't texted you or anything, right?" She shakes her head, showing her phone that now has no service or anything. He fucking disconnected her from their phone plan, now she's unable to get texts at all. It must've happened today, because I've been texting her all week. I can't say I'm surprised, though. Now I see why she has Divine's phone, texting Admira everytime she checks in.
Admira checks in a lot.
"How's staying with Divine and Admira?" I try to make conversation between us, but it remains awkward. I want-need-to talk to her about what was said, but not with the chances of them waking up. She nods with a thumbs up, saying it's been good.
It stays quiet, then Olivia falls asleep for the rest of the drive, which was only another hour and a half. I park the car in my dad's driveway, not wanting to wake them all up.
I just barely tap Olivia's shoulder and she jolts awake, looking around confused. I laugh, telling her where we are and she finally understands. I barely tap Danny's knee too and he jolts awake then, accidentally hitting Divine with his flailing limbs making her groan and Ashton wake up. That went well.
"Dad!" Just as we're grabbing our bags from the truck, dads walking out with his face lit up seeing us, me running and giving him a hug.
"God I've missed you." He hugs me tight. "Now, which one of the girls is the one you like?"
Damn you Ashton and Danny.
I can't even greet my dad first thanks to them.
"Dad," I sigh, walking to help with the rest of the bags, not answering his question. "This is Divine, and Olivia." I gesture to them both and they smile.
"Nice to meet you two." He shakes their hands, Olivia surprisingly accepting it. "You guys hungry?"
All of us shake our heads as I answer for us, or me more specifically as I'm exhausted from driving for hours while everyone else slept. "No, I think we all just wanna go to sleep for the night." It now being 1am.
I know dad probably expected us to stay up more, hang out and all that, but not when we've been in a car for hours. Dad helps us with our bags, not getting a lot of catching up with Ashton and Danny as we show Divine and Olivia the guest room they're staying in.
Dad's house is right on the beach exactly, all of us having the perfect view of the ocean. If only it wasn't November, we could swim. There's a hot tub at least, but I still don't know about that. Dad's house is like the usual vacation homes you see on Tv, he just lives in it full time.
We check to make sure a million times the girls are okay with sharing a bed, Ashton and Danny both offering up their beds in their usual room. They're completely fine with it, though.
"Sorry dad, we're all just tired." I talk to dad downstairs, letting everyone get ready for bed.
"It's okay, it is late," he tells me. "What happened to Olivia?"
"Oh, uh..." I should've known he was going to ask. "Just something's... don't push her, okay? Don't ask about it. Also, she doesn't talk. Selective mutism. So don't be offended when she doesn't reply to you, just shakes or nods her head or makes a hand gesture," I explain to him.
"Okay, okay." He nods, taking that all in. "She's the one you like, isn't she?"
"Dad," I groan, just wanting some sleep and not to talk about this right now.
"Okay... Go sleep, bud. We'll all talk and catch up, and I'll properly meet the girls, in the morning."
"Love you, dad."
"Love you too, Adrian."
I walk back upstairs to my room. I've always had my own room when visiting, then Ashton and Danny were getting one to themselves when they came over but with the girls they have to share one. We'll see how that goes. I won't be surprised if I end up moving into that room so one of the idiots won't be in there with how they can't go five minutes without bickering.
I can't sleep.
It's 5am, and I've done nothing but stare up at the ceiling. It's probably the fact that I know Olivia is here too. And that I'm still embarrassed over the fact that Ashton and Danny just flat out told Olivia about me liking her.
She probably thinks I'm a creep now thanks to them.
I get up to use the bathroom, and once I'm done I stop by Ashton and Danny's room where the doors wide open, seeing Divine in Ashton's bed and Danny sprawled out in his usual weird sleeping position snoring away. Olivia's alone then, I wonder if she's awake.
She is.
I lightly knock on the open door, getting Olivia's attention while she's on her phone. She sits up, smiling at me, making me smile.
God her smile is beautiful. Especially when it's not one of her masked ones-this is a true smile from her.
"Why are you still up?" I ask, sitting next to her.
She shrugs and types on her phone-I can't sleep. Then shows me the book pulled up on her library app thing. Of course she's reading.
We sit in silence for a moment too long and I finally decide to take my chance to talk to her, knowing this might be our only time together completely alone over the next few days.
"Can we talk?" She nods and I'm sure she already knows what it's about. "Wanna sit on the beach maybe?" She nods again, smiling, liking that idea.
We put on our shoes and walk through the completely silent house, careful to not make any noise and wake someone up. I grab a towel for us, then open the back door, holding out my hand for Olivia that she takes right away.
There goes my heart racing as usual.
We walk for a few minutes, ending up just some feet away from shore. She watches the waves, taking in the salty air and looking genuinely happy, how she deserves to feel all the time. I lay the towel down, sitting as Olivia follows.
I don't know how to start talking, since it's about me liking her. I can't deny it, it feels wrong too, since it's true. But I also need her to know I wasn't fucking stalking her or something like Ashton and Danny made it sound.
"Adrian?" I look around, wondering who's said my name until I look at Olivia, realizing she said it.
Oh my god she just talked.
Again.
"Olivia?" I smile to the point it hurts, so happy to hear her voice even if it's a little raspy and cracked-that's expected with her never saying a word over the years.
Besides the other day when she said those things to her dad. I was so happy and proud of her. I had already known what selective mutism is but I looked it up some more, learning things about it. I know how hard it must've been. So I haven't really confronted her about it, knowing she probably doesn't want to talk about it.
"Hi," she whispers with a smile and my heart is beating so fucking fast.
"Hi," I whisper back, resisting pulling her into my arms and hugging her so tight. "Y-You're talking."
"Yeah." She clears her throat. "It's weird." I laugh as she does a little, knowing it probably is."I-I'm surprised I'm even forming words correctly."
I can't find what words to say, too stunned to even speak. So we stay like this for a moment-sitting in silence, smiling at each other, both so happy. I blink away my happy tears, as I find something to say, meaning it. "I'm proud of you."
"T-Thank you." She looks back towards the ocean, watching the waves. Her smile fades away making me worry if I did something, until she asks, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Liv. I'm great actually. Why?" I should still be asking her this question, glancing at her hand in a cast.
"Because of me." I go to say something, but she gets there first to explain. "Y-You told me about your... ex step dad." Oh god. "And you know about my dad... have seen what he's done to me." She gestures to her broken hand and still healing black eyes and all. "I-I didn't know if it has brought back any of those... memories and-"
I cut her off. "I'm fine, Liv. Really."
"Are you sure?" I still am not past the fact that she's talking to me, I'm so happy.
"Positive." I really am fine. I'm not just lying to her so she doesn't worry, I mean it.
"Okay." She nods, smiling brightly up at me.
"Are you okay?" I ask and she nods, smiling, genuinely meaning it and I'm so happy she does.
She deserves to be the happiest all the time.
"W-What did you want to talk about?" She asks and I can tell she knows anyways.
"Oh, right." How the hell do I get started? "What Danny and Ashton said..." She stays quiet, watching the waves again. "Well I mean... it's true. I do like you-"
"Really?" She asks before I can go on about everything else that was said.
"Yes really," I tell her.
"Like... more than a friend?" Her voice shakes as she asks that and I worry, watching her as she refuses to look at me.
"Yes, Liv."
"Why?"
"Why?" I'm thrown off by the question, suddenly having nothing special to say like I did earlier when it got to this point. "Because... you're you, Liv. That in itself is enough. Because god, you're perfect."
She smiles, blush covering her cheeks as she watches the waves still. Until she runs her fingers over her inner arm, where I know all her scars and still healing cuts are. I frown. She doesn't need to tell me what she means when she asks, "Even this side of me?"
"Even that side of you, Liv. Every side of you. All of you." It goes quiet and I see a tear roll down her cheek, me being quick to wipe it away, careful of her still healing black eyes.
"W-What else were you going to say?" She asks, quickly changing the subject.
"Oh, right yeah. I-I didn't stalk you, like they said I did." She laughs, and I smile, thankful for that. "I just noticed you a lot and was nervous to talk to you. I was always curious about you, since it was like... known that you didn't talk. I really wish I had talked to you way sooner."
The sooner I would've talked to her, the sooner I could've found out this stuff about her dad and helped her get away somehow.
"Why were you nervous?" She asks.
"I don't know... I had a crush," I admit with a nervous laugh. "I didn't know a thing about you other than knowing you didn't talk, but I sure did. And I still do," I remind her, hating how bad I am with this conversation. "I was scared you didn't wanna talk to me. And I mean, at first you didn't but here we are."
She laughs, remembering the first days I talked to her. "I was scared Lexi had made you try and fuck with me or something. But now I know you don't like her one bit, and know you're nothing like her."
"I'm glad you know that now, because I hate her." Truly I do.
"Me too." I smile, thankful for having another person on my side of hating her. "People have done things like that to me before. Talk to me for weeks, try and become my friend, only to try and force me to talk, humiliate me when I don't. It did hurt at first because I thought I was making true friends, but then it just got annoying." She shrugs like it's nothing.
"That's shitty. No one will ever do that again, I'll make sure of it." I've said it before and will continue to-I'm not a violent person at all, but when it comes to people who hurt Olivia, I will be.
"Thanks," she giggles, smiling up at me.
"What's funny about that?" I ask seriously.
"You sound like you're threatening them?"
"I am?"
"Okay." She continues laughing, watching the waves.
"What is so funny? I'm feeling left out here."
"You." She looks back up at me. "I can't imagine you fighting anyone."
"Oh, wow, I'm hurt." She rolls her eyes.
"Not because you're weak, but because you're too nice. I've never seen a mean side to you or anything."
"You'll see it if anyone tries anything."
"Okay, Mr. Bad Ass," she mocks and I finally laugh, watching the waves myself, seeing the sun starting to rise.
My laughing is cut short when she lays her head on my shoulder, my heart about to explode out of my chest. I take my chance and wrap my arm around her shoulders, thankful when she doesn't tense. She hasn't been tensing or flinching lately and I'm so happy about that.
"I thought you were an asshole at first, when I'd see you around school," she admits and I laugh. "But you're the complete opposite." It goes quiet then for a while.
"This is nice, being able to talk," she starts, cuddling into my side as my heart rate just increases by each passing second. "Well, I can talk whenever it's just scary. Or it was at least."
"Why was it scary?" I hope to god I'm not pushing her with this question.
"I stopped talking to hide everything dad does, scared I would spill it to someone." My heart just breaks then. "I talked for a couple of years. But when Hadley..." Her sister, I assume. "When she uh... committed," her voice shakes as she lays her head on my chest and my heart continues to break. "It just got harder to hide it. I would never blame someone for someone who committed suicide because that's such a harsh accusation, one that could hurt someone so badly, but dad did drive her over the edge, pushed her too far. I so badly wanted to tell someone after that and my only solution was to just stop talking."
She pauses as she wipes her tears, before I can say anything she goes on. "I did tell a resource officer at school once, but he called dad. I said he was abusing me, so he calls him? Fucking idiot." Her tone is harsh, something I hadn't expected, I can't help but agree. "I wrote it all on paper for him, but clearly it didn't go as I expected. So then I really had to stop talking, it was bad that night. But even now as you all know what's been happening it's hard to talk. It's like I have to trust the person I'm talking to now. It's more than just not talking so I don't spill the truth now. But I trust you, a lot."
"You do?" She nods, moving to look up at me.
"Of course. You know everything, have seen me at my worst." I wince remembering the day in the restroom. "It's hard not to trust you. And not just because of all that. But because you're seriously one of the best people I've ever met. I regret acting the way I did when you first talked to me." She laughs and I pull her closer, seeing her shiver as I only now realize how cold it is when neither of us wore a hoodie or anything.
"You had every reason to act that way," I assure her, my heart pounding as she's said I'm the best person she's ever met. "I-"
"I like you too," she confesses quickly and this time my heart stops.
"W-Wait what?" Am i hearing things?
"I. Like. You. Too." She confirms for me. "I've never had these feelings for someone. And I've never gotten these fucking butterflies I was sure everyone made up and were dramatic about." I laugh as she does too. "So yes. I do like you too, Adrian."
I go quiet, my whole body on fire as I process that she actually likes me too. I bite my bottom lip, containing the huge fucking smile threatening to show.
"Adrian?" She looks up at me, concerned and I hum in response. "Are you okay?"
"What? Yeah. We've already went over that?" I rush out.
"I know... you just went quiet so... I don't know." She looks away, watching the sun starting to fully show, giving the sky colors of purple and pink.
"Oh, no I'm amazing I'm sorry." I'm more than amazing. I'm fucking ecstatic. "Just very happy."
She laughs, facing me again. "Me too."
I grin, my eyes going from hers to her lips several times, wanting to kiss her but worrying it's too early for that. She sits all the way up, turning her body towards me.
"Now what?" She asks, smiling so brightly, not even caring about hiding her blush.
"Now what? What?" I ask, seriously confused.
"What do we do now... with us, I mean. We like each other. I don't... I don't know how any of this works." She doesn't hide as she seems embarrassed like she'd usually do.
"I don't know how this stuff works either," I admit while laughing.
"Haven't you dated others? How did you... start." I grin again.
"I've never dated anyone, Liv." She gapes at me and I bust out laughing. "I don't know whether to be offended or take that as a compliment."
"No, it's just... like half the fucking grade likes you. I thought you would have... dated someone. I don't know." She shrugs and looks away, even more embarrassed.
"We should go on a date," I say before I can even think and she's smiling while looking at me again so I'm thankful. "Unless you don't want to..."
"No. No, I do," she says so happily.
"Should we wait until we go home? Or should we here?" I ask, hoping she says while we're here because alone time with her is all I want as soon as possible.
Sorry dad. We only get weekends together...
"It doesn't matter to me," she says.
"Doesn't matter to me either."
"Here then?"
"Definitely," I reply quickly. "Where should we go?"
"Anywhere is fine with me." She looks down at her lap and I already know her next words. "I don't have any money though so if we eat or-"
"Don't worry about it, Liv."
"But-"
"Don't. Worry. About. It." I reply like she had earlier. Before she can say her buts again I continue. "There's a boardwalk me, Danny, and Ashton usually go to while we're here. So maybe we can go there?"
She nods right away. "That sounds like a lot of fun."
"I just know they'll drag themselves along too though." I roll my eyes, hoping they don't.
"Maybe make it a double date," she giggles and I'm confused who would be the other couple, only remembering when she says, "Divine and Ashton like each other too. It's so obvious."
"Very. But what about Danny?" I think, not wanting to hear him complain about being a 5th wheel.
"Um..." She thinks for a moment too.
"Or we can just go by ourselves," I remind her.
"We could." She smiles, jumping up and hugging me, making my heart pound once again.