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Olivia
Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today. Abraham Lincoln
“Olivia, please let us know if there’s anything we can do,” the Carlisle’s said as each of them hugged me. They left the house single file with their heads hanging low. My throat and my eyes were raw from the tears I’d shed. My feet ached and my head was pounding. It had been three days since my life had changed forever. My best friend and my rock, my mom, had passed away. The worst three days of my life so far, and I was sure many more like it would follow. I stood on the front lawn as the last of the guests pulled away. Elliot, my best friend in the world, held his hand out and led me back inside. I eyed the suitcase, just inside the laundry room off the living area, that was packed with most of my things.
“Elliot,” I said as I stopped and turned to look at him, “do you think I’m making a mistake taking this job?”
With over five years of experience as a fashion model, I was on my way to becoming one of the most successful of my time. The news followed me everywhere. I had zero privacy and was constantly in the headlines. Victoria’s Secret had hired me a few weeks prior, with speculation as to whether I would show up after the sudden death of my mother. What they didn’t know was that her death had not been sudden. She had fought breast cancer twice before it won and took her life.
“I don’t think you’re making a mistake, lovey,” Elliot said as he leaned over and kissed my cheek. We had been friends since elementary school, letting nothing and no one come between us.
I rolled my eyes, not so much at him, but I didn’t want to leave. There was such a hole in my heart, I couldn’t imagine leaving home too. How would I survive another day without hearing her voice, seeing her smile, smelling her unique scent of salty air, lavender vanilla body wash, andWhisper, an essential oil she couldn’t do without?
Tears formed as Elliot guided me to my room, where he tucked me in and rubbed my head. My tears flowed with the memories ashe ran his hands through my long blonde hair. My breath felt like it wouldn’t release, stuck somewhere deep within my soul. I finally drifted off to sleep.
The clock on my nightstand read three a.m. in bright orange numbers. I rubbed my eyes, swollen from all the tears I’d shed. Looking around, I noticed Elliot wasn’t in the room. Removing my tropical quilt that was worn and comforting from years of use, I got up. After washing my face and using the bathroom, I entered the living room. The only light was the one that I always left on. A small lamp with a wicker shade and a soft bulb gave the glow of a night light.
Not seeing Elliot, I knew he must have gone home. My oversized T-shirt felt cool against my skin as I started making coffee. With a fresh cup of coffee, I returned to my room. Once I showered, I did my hair and makeup. It was time to leave.
With a loaded car and an empty heart, I pulled out of the driveway, watching our home grow smaller as I drove away.
A few months later…
“Beautiful ladies, that’s it, give it, yes, loosen up, love it! It’s a wrap! I think I’ve got what we need. Thank you, ladies,” Jasmine said as she pulled her camera case out from behind the table in the corner she’d just walked over to. She was having a heated conversation with the director as she showed him some photos and told him to trust her. We had been on the set for six hours, and I was exhausted. I’d had no breaks lately, with the parties and modeling. Miami was the party town of the USA as far as I was concerned.
“I’ll be out in ten minutes. Let me change and remove at least four layers of makeup,” I said to Chelsey with a smile. Her brown eyes danced as she answered me.
“Of course. No rush, I’ll be right here, babe.”
On Chelsey’s day off, she would often come to a shoot if I had one. Ten minutes later, we were walking to her car and hopping in. “Want to go over to the Strip, or do you want to do something witha little less limelight?” I asked as I buckled my seatbelt, and Chelsey pulled out.
“I picked up some different carts for you to try out. You really should give them up, though I’m glad you’re not smoking.” She sighed. “How about we pick up some sushi, go to the beach, and picnic?”
I loved that about her: she always had the best ideas, though I wasn’t hungry after having a line or two of coke with a few other girls in the dressing room. The beach and joint sounded great. I leaned over and kissed her. “I love you. Did you bring bathing suits?” I knew she had, but I couldn’t help but ask.
“You know it,” she said with a smile that should have been on magazine covers. She had smooth, dark brown skin and today she wore a deep pink lip gloss, her teeth perfectly straight and white. Her smile was beautiful.
Of the two of us, she was the planner, organizer, and neat freak. I was the go-with-the-flow, organized neat freak. I smiled as I thought of our differences: two out of three weren’t bad. She was my chocolate, I was her vanilla, we teased. But one thing we never teased about was our love. We loved each other fearlessly, with passion, and without boundaries.
“I’ll grab the bag. Can you get the beach cart?” I asked.
“Sure.” Chelsey got out and closed the door as she went around to the trunk of her car. I grabbed the bag, put a vial inside the pocket, and zipped it up. Then I joined her in loading the cart.
Once on the beach, we set everything up and settled down for a relaxing afternoon. The weather was gorgeous. There wasn’t a single cloud; the breeze was enough to keep the sun from being too much and to keep the sand cool enough to walk on. I listened to the waves while Chelsey chatted about her day. She was a divorce attorney and loved it. I never thought about how she could like it until now. The adrenaline rush of discovering dirt or the nervous fear of something being uncovered certainly had its impact.
“Olivia, are you listening to me?”
“Yes, I am. You were telling me about Mr. Smith.”
She always used Smith or Jones as an alias whendiscussing her cases.
She reached over and put her hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at her. “I asked if you wanted some sushi.”
I fidgeted with my earrings while her brown eyes locked with my green ones. “Okay, I missed that. I’m good, thanks.” I turned away, grabbing my cover-up and the vial from the beach bag. “I’m going to take a walk. Sorry, I’m distracted from work. Can you give me a few minutes to decompress?” I asked with a smile, hoping she’d get it.
“Yes, no problem. I understand.” She laughed. “I was there, remember?”
“Yeah. So, you know it was grueling.”
