Page 67 of Semi Sweet
Once again, I couldn’t help but agree. I’d been giving into the feeling little by little. I’d hold his hand, we would kiss. Maybe it was time to stop holding back and let the walls crumble down completely. I’d never loved anyone besides Evan, maybe it was finally time.
“Thanks. You’ve actually helped me a lot.”
“Let’s see how you are doing in a few weeks. If you are still struggling with things, I can recommend a few of my colleagues.” Sean’s mother rose from her chair with her now empty teacup, guiding me out of the office and towards the kitchen. “Sean and Akira are making dinner.”
The smell of something delicious wafted down the hallway and I could hear Sean and his father’s voices speaking animatedly in the distance.
“Having you back in Aspen would be nice,” his father said. “Your mother will sleep better at night.”
“I wasn’t living under a highway overpass in Denver,” Sean countered.
“Bear will be happy, too.”
“I think you guys love my dog more than you love me.”
“Not true,” Mr. Mizuno said, almost sounding offended.
Both men looked up as Mrs. Mizuno and I entered the room. Sean raised his eyebrows at me as if to gauge how my meeting with his mother had gone. I smirked at him. I’d most likely share everything with him later. We had a lot to talk about.
“We’ve got steak marinating,” Sean explained. “I was thinking asparagus and some kind of potato for dinner?”
“You’re the chef,” I replied.
“This isn’t exactly my wheelhouse.”
Sean’s mother was setting the table and Mr. Mizuno had begun to prep the side dishes. I felt idle as I watched them all work in unison. Had they always been this organized or was it just for my benefit? Something in my gut told me that instead of just standing there, it was time to take care of one of those outstanding things I’d discussed with Mrs. Mizuno.
I cleared my throat and announced, “I’ll be joining you at dinner, but I think I have something to take care of first.”
Sean’s mother looked hopeful while her son quickly closed the space between us. “If you need me, my parents are perfectly capable of finishing this up.”
I put a hand on his arm. “You visit with your parents.” I attempted to sound confident, but I could already feel my stomach filling with butterflies. “Sounds like you have things to sort out yourself.”
Sean nodded and I let him go, excusing myself from the kitchen and making my way into the guest room. I shut the door behind me and sat on the bed with my phone, staring at the number for several seconds before I finally had the nerve to dial it. Each ring made my heart palpitate. Each time I thought it connected, I felt my palms get sweaty. After the fourth time, it clicked to voicemail and I was determined to not chicken out.
“You have reached the Hale family. No one is available to take your call, but if you leave your name, number, and a short message we will return your call as soon as possible.”
The beep came far too quickly. I panicked as I tried to figure out what to say. Finally, I decided to just go with whatever I could get out.
“Hi, it’s Olivia. I know, it’s been awhile….” I’d barely said anything and I could already feel my throat getting tight and my eyes welling up with tears. “I left on really bad terms five years ago. I was wrong. I understand if you are all still upset with me, but I needed to reach out and let you know that things are different now. I wanted to let you know that I miss you and I want to see you again if you want to see me. I have a new number now, if you want to call me back, but you probably have caller ID, so you can see that yourself.”
I was rambling. I shook my head to get back on track. “I guess if you don’t call back, I’ll take it you are still upset with me, and that's okay, too. Just wanted to reach out. Bye.”
I ended the call and flopped back on the bed. I supposed it was progress. I’d actually left a message instead of just hanging up. I’d been hoping for more of a resolution, but I tried to tell myself this was still uncharted territory.
My heart leapt to my throat when my phone began to ring. I shot up to see my family’s number calling me back. Had they listened to my voicemail? Were they about to cuss me out for trying to communicate? I knew it was foolish to let the opportunity slide, so I fumbled with the phone, pressed accept, and held it to my ear.
“Hello?”
There was a beat of silence before a voice trembled on the other end of the line. “Livy?”
The voice was one I’d thought of often but hadn’t heard in years. I bit my lip before replying, “Mom?”
“Oh my God, Livy!” she wailed and I found myself weeping along with her. “Are you alright? What’s going on? Where’s Evan?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” I said as confidently as I could. Tears streamed down my face. “It’s a long story, but he’s gone, and I’m so sorry for not trusting you and Dad.”
“Oh, honey, we’re sorry, too. This went on for too long. You know your father, he wanted to teach you to be resourceful and independent. Are you safe?”
