Olivia (29 page)

“
Look at you,” Jon laughs as he
walks in my direction.

“
I wouldn’t laugh, he put makeup on
Dad earlier, and if you think this looks bad...”

Unafraid of the amount of lipstick smeared across my
mouth, Jon kisses me, getting his fair share of red on his own
lips.

“
No!” Trey yells, moving the camera
to his side. I’m sure he didn’t pause it, and start to wonder who’s
going to be editing his masterpiece. “You’re not supposed to kiss
her!”

“
Oh, I’m sorry, little guy,” Jon
laughs as he takes a step back.

“
Jackson,” Dad says, emerging from
his bedroom where he’s just washed his face and looks normal once
more. “That’s enough for the morning. I think you have a lot of
stuff to work with. Let your sister and Jon have some time
together, okay? We can pick back up this evening after Jon
leaves.”

“
That’ll probably be after his
bedtime, Dad,” I remind him. I don’t anticipate Jon leaving before
eight. My father raises his eyebrows, glaring at me.

“
We should have some family time,”
he says, turning away.

“
We had that all morning,” I
challenge him. “He’s staying until curfew–”

“
Olivia–” Jon starts, but my
brother interrupts our conversation.

“
Can we watch the movie, Daddy?” he
asks.

“
You know what? Go take that down
to Uncle Matty. He’d love to watch it with you.” My mom smiles a
little as my brother skips down the hallway toward the basement.
The red light of the camera is still on.

“
He’s going to expect you to watch
it, too, Jacks,” she says, directing him into the
kitchen.

“
I’m not into horror movies,” Dad
says, “and I saw what I looked like with that stage makeup on.
Hideous,” he laughs, pulling my mom into a hug. “Frightening,” he
adds before giving her a quick kiss.

“
He’s awfully moody,” I comment
under my breath.

“
Or he’s still upset with
me.”

“
Come with me downstairs? I need to
wash my face.”

“
Let’s not push it,” he answers. “I
can just hang out up here.”

“
Okay.” I wipe the lipstick off his
face with my thumb. When I finish, he pulls me back, and kisses me
again. “Well that was pointless,” I laugh. “You’re on your own.” He
smiles and watches me walk away, now smearing the makeup from his
lips on his own.

After I clean up, I come back upstairs and join Jon
and my parents by the Christmas tree. Mom hands Jon his first gift,
a present my brother helped to pick out.

“
No, way!” Jon laughs, pulling back
the paper. “I had no idea they made such a thing!” He studies the
image of the famous building by Frank Lloyd Wright, built entirely
of Legos. He looks up at my parents and smiles. “Do you think he’d
like to help me put it together?”

Dad looks uninterested, and doesn’t answer. “He
would love that,” Mom assures him.

“
I don’t know that it would be safe
in a college dorm room. Maybe I’ll keep it here, in your game
room,” he suggests tentatively. “Maybe I could come by on Fridays
and work on it with him?”

“
Fridays are typically
for–”

“
We’d love to have you,” Mom says,
cutting Dad off and giving him a stern look.

“
Thank you.” Jon pulls a package
from under the tree, one he had placed there two days ago when he
was here. “For you,” he says, handing it to me.

Shaking the rectangular box, I have no idea what it
is. It feels like clothes, but I can’t imagine him buying clothes
for me. For a few seconds, I wonder how I will feign excitement if
it’s something I don’t like.

“
Go on,” he says, “open
it.”

I unwrap the paper and lift the lid off the box.
Underneath a layer of tissue is a folded yellow shirt–only it’s not
a shirt. I lift out the garment and smile. It’s a long artist
smock, cinched at the waist to be more form-fitting. I’ve never
seen one quite like it.

“
I love that color on you,” he
says. I blush, realizing instantly it’s the same color as the silk
lingerie I’d worn in Mykonos.

“
It’s perfect,” I tell him,
noticing my name embroidered over the top left pocket in small
print, using sage green thread. Again, I’m reminded of the slip I’d
worn, and I know he did this on purpose.

“
What’s it say on the back?” Mom
asks.

I turn it over, and on the right shoulder is a small
quote, sewn in the same green thread. It’s the same place his
tattoo resides on his back.

“
Every child is an artist.
 

The problem is how to remain an artist

once we grow up.”

“
Picasso said that,” I say
confidently, running my fingers over the letters. I look into his
eyes, feeling a little sad.
Is this all it is? Am
I growing up, and that’s why I can’t paint
anymore?

“
Very good. Donna had that up on
the chalkboard during one of our classes. Remember?”

I hadn’t remembered where I’d seen the quote, but
tear up when I make the connection. That had to be at least five
years ago. “It truly is perfect, Jon.” I slip it on over my clothes
and lean into him for a kiss, wondering if I’ll ever be able to use
it.

“
I’m glad you like it,” he says.
“You’re not easy to shop for on a budget.”

“
Well, now you just need to give
her the space to wear it, and create,” my dad says, and although
he’s smiling as he says it, I realize immediately that he’s
accusing Jon of being the reason I’m not painting.

Jon looks at him, stunned, then turns his attention
to me. “Baby, if you feel like I’m distrac–”

“
You’re not,” I assure him, glaring
at Dad. “Please don’t ruin this Christmas, too, Daddy,” I tell him,
feigning sweetness.

“
Come on,” Mom interjects, “both of
you. Livvy’s right, let’s not ruin this day. We can talk about all
of that tomorrow.”

“
We don’t need to,” I mutter. Mom’s
eyes plead with me. “Fine,” I concede. I look back down at the
smock and its uplifting color.

“
Jon, it’s one of the best gifts
I’ve ever received,” I tell him. “I needed to replace the old
one... this one’s actually stylish... and it has sentimental
value–for many reasons actually.”

He nods, understanding that I get the reference to
Mykonos.

“
And I think it will help,” I tack
on, actually feeling a little inspired.

“
Your other gift is a
surprise.”

“
So was this one,” I remind
him.

“
Well, this one you’ll get in a few
days.”

“
You’ll love it, and I’m not
telling,” Mom says. “But I’ll make sure she’s ready,” she tells
Jon.

“
Thank you.”

Jon opens my two presents, and I think he is truly
more excited about seeing the architect than he is about the watch,
but I can tell he likes both of them.

After dinner, we watch a very roughly-cut version of
my brother’s movie. Matty had stayed downstairs most of the day
working on it. Trey was excited to see his name in the credits
flash across the screen. My favorite part was the messy kiss that
Jon and I exchanged. Even my dad, who’s found it difficult to smile
at all today, laughed at it.

A week later, after organizing my overnight bag, I
sit on my bed next to it and look across the room to the studio.
I’d worn the smock on three different occasions, but I still hadn’t
painted a drop. I started a sketch one day, but it was shortly
before Jon came over one evening, and I’d abandoned it in favor of
more time with him. I had to take advantage of our coinciding time
off from school... and he really is a good distraction when I don’t
want to think about other things. After hearing the doorbell, I go
upstairs.

“
So what are you guys doing
tonight?” I ask my uncle, Chris, and his wife, Anna, after letting
them in the house. My parents had already told me they weren’t
staying in this New Year’s Eve, which meant my own plans were up in
the air. I knew it was a surprise from Jon. I knew I had to pack to
stay elsewhere... but I also knew there was no way in hell I was
going to be allowed to be alone with him.

“
We
are
doing whatever
you and Jon
are doing.”
Anna says excitedly.

“
I thought you were going out with
Mom and Dad.”

“
Nope.” She scans my outfit.
“That’s perfect. Oh, but change your shoes. You’ll want something
more comfortable.”

“
These are fine,” I argue, not
wanting to take off my new heels. “Do you know where we’re
going?”

“
Of course I do,” Anna
says.

“
My parents aren’t coming,
though... right?”

“
Right. They have their own plans.
They wanted to do something alone for their anniversary. In fact,
you’re staying with us tonight.”

“
So that’s why I needed to pack,” I
tell her. As I start toward the basement to get my bag, I ask if my
brother’s coming with us, too.

“
Stevie and Kayd get Trey
tonight.”

“
Cool. Wait, is Jon staying with
you, too?” I ask her quietly, knowing the answer
already.

“
No,” Chris answers for her,
rolling his eyes. “Jon gets to go back to his dorm. I’ll take him.”
I knew the answer before I asked, but I had to ask. I head toward
my bedroom, stopping by the bathroom once more to check myself in
the mirror. I run my hand through my curls, trying to tame them a
bit.

Jon steps into the basement just as I’m finishing
packing.

“
You look so pretty,” he says,
getting my attention. Even though I’m wearing a new dress and
heels, his outfit tells me we’re not going anywhere very dressy.
He’s got on a pair of dark jeans and an untucked rust-colored
button-down shirt, paired with a dark blue undershirt. He looks
gorgeous, and my smile tells him so.

He walks into my room and puts his arms around me,
giving me a long kiss. “Are my parents gone yet?” I ask him with a
whisper.

“
No, your dad let me in. I see he’s
still angry,” he mumbles, then sighs. I know he’s frustrated by my
dad’s attitude lately. I think we all are. “Oh, hey, do you have
any sneakers?”

I glare at him, but return to my room and find a
pair of black flats that will be more comfortable. “What are we
doing tonight? And don’t say it’s a surprise. That answer has
worked until now, but we’re about to leave... and although everyone
else thinks I’m dressed appropriately–”

“
You are,” he assures
me.

“
I want to be the judge of that.”
Jon lets go of me and takes a few steps toward my dresser. He picks
up my iPod and flicks the screen a few times, then adjusts the
volume. A driving song from my favorite local band starts playing
through the tiny speaker as he puts the device back where he found
it. “You’re really not going to tell me?” I ask him.

“
I just did.”

“
What? The song?”

“
The band,” Jon says. “We’re going
to see them.”

“
How?”

“
I got tickets? This club in
Brooklyn is doing an all-ages concert.”

“
Wait, Chris and Anna are going to
listen to Indie rock with us?”

“
I don’t think I could have paid
your father to go,” he laughs, then grimaces a little. “But he
insisted that we have a chaperone. None of your cousins were
available, and Finn and Camille–”

“
I already know what Finn and
Camille are doing.”
It’s all they ever do.
“Chris and Anna. This should be fun.”

“
I think their reaction may provide
us with some alternative entertainment,” he suggests. “But they got
general admission seats. You and I will be up front, standing room
only... so we’ll be as alone as we can be–in the midst of the
pulsating crowd, anyway.”

“
Sweet, I can’t wait!!”

“
And after the concert, they
invited me over for a bit. I thought it would be nice to go
somewhere different.”

“
As if we have a choice,” I mutter
to him.

“
It won’t be so bad,” he says,
running his hands up and down my arms. “Merry Christmas,” he adds,
“and Happy New Year.”

He’s right. It
will
be fun,
and if I had to pick a relative other than Matty to be a chaperone,
I’d pick Anna. “Thank you!” I stand on my tiptoes and give him
another kiss, which of course is inconveniently interrupted by my
father, clearing his voice at my doorway.

“
Sorry,” Jon says, looking away
from Dad as I feel my face flush.

“
Liv, don’t give Chris and Anna a
hard time tonight,” he says, ignoring my boyfriend. “When they say
it’s time to take Jon home, don’t argue.”

“
I know, Dad. I’m not
twelve.”

“
No, if you were twelve, I wouldn’t
have to remind you of such things because you would know better.” A
smirk punctuates his sentence.

“
I know better now, Dad.” He looks
at me sideways for a few seconds before nodding.

“
Have a good time
tonight.”