Something old, something new (closed to Sharliery)

Jadey321

Junior Member
"My name is Olivia Hannah Ray, I'm 22 years old and just moved back here. I had lived out in Los Angeles but my mother died two days ago, so I decided I would just move back here where my father and grandmother live." Liv explained to the owner of Smell Goods Coffee house. She gripped her hands in her lap tightly as the woman nodded, writing things down on her notepad."Okay Olivia, so I take it you've been here before? Before your big move? I think I remember you." Pam observed her, looking her over. Olivia nodded, thinking back to when she used to go there."Yes, every Sunday actually. I used to go with.. With my best friend at the time, Gavin." Saying his name felt so foreign. "You probably don't recognize me because I had shorter hair and it was blonde.. I was chunkier back then too."She explained, shrugging her thin shoulders as she pushed some of her dark hair off of her shoulder. Pam nodded,"I see.. I always see Gavin.. He comes in all the time."She told her with a light smile. Olivia tried to pull off a nice smile, but knew it wasn't her best.


As Pam was going over everything, Olivia looked around. Everything looked the same as it had when she used to come. "Well, we are short on baristas so, I'm going to say.. You're hired. Training will start in two days at lets say, noon." Pam told her with a smile and then stood up. Olivia stood up as well with a smile,"Awesome, thank you so much. I'll be here at noon in two days." Then Olivia left the shop, walking to her car that was parked in the back. It was her grandmothers old car that she luckily could borrow. She got in and then started driving back to the house. She lived two houses down from her grandmother who lived with her father. Olivia parked in her fathers driveway and then walked to her house. She sifted through her keys and then going her key, opening her front door. Olivia walked inside, setting her keys down in her keys bowl. As she stared at all of the boxes on the floor. She needed to get everything unpacked and sorted.


Olivia ran her fingers through her hair and then started working on it. As nighttime came, she decided to go out for dinner. She walked out, after changing into a little black dress and pulling her hair up in a high pony tail. As she was walking to the little town full of restaurants and stores, she bumped into someone."Oh I'm sorry.."She mumbled, looking up at the person."Gavin..?"
 
Gavin sat in his office, his tie undone, jacket thrown over the back of his chair and a cigarette burning from his lips. He was shuffling through papers and recent case's for any information his worker's had over looked through out the day. He was mentally and physically exhausted and not mention jet lagged from just coming off A plane 10 that morning. His green eyes looked up from over the papers at the clock over his door, ignoring the Rolex on his wrist.


7:15pm... If he left now to grab dinner on the strip, he could be back by 8:30 to finish up a divorce case and possibly a DWI defense. . All to be home in time before 1245 and actually get some sleep... He sighed as he removed the cigarette from his lips and putt it out on the ashtray next to his papers.


Gavin stood from his seat and grabbed the jacket from his chair swiftly, swinging it over his shoulders he went to a mirror in the far corner of his office. Adjusting his tie, buttons and brushing his hair back, he took another look in the mirror. Image was everything as a lawyer and he took pride in making sure he was flawless.


as he walked out of his office and through his lawfirm that was virtually empty except for the two worker's from a cleaning service he hired to look after the nightly cleaning jobs, he patted down his pockets to make sure he had keys, phone and wallet.


"Check. " Gavin confirmed out loud as he exit the building. The breeze had just started to pick up as night fall was approaching, South Carolina always gave him a warming feeling. This was home. The strip was just a block away, bustling with restaurants , shopping centers and bars, at 7 it was already alive. He could hear the phone in his pocket ringing, as he reached in to grab it he turned the corner abruptly, smacking into someone.


"Oh..I'm so-"


"Gavin...?" He heard a voice that stopped him in his tracks before he could apologize.


Gavin looked down to the woman infront of him, her beauty and physic was the first thing he took in, his male instincts immedetly at attention as he raked her completely from head to toe.


"Yes. .." was all he could answer before he made his way back to her face. "Livvy?" He sounded amazed, his brown eyes going wide.
 
Olivia couldn't believe who she had bumped into. Last time she saw him, they were practically yelling at each other. When he called her by her old nickname, it broke her out of her thoughts. "Yeah, wow you look.. Like an adult."She said lamely, looking him over. She couldn't get the shrilly college boy out of her head as she looked him over. Then that night when they fought came back in her head and she stiffened a little bit.


They had just gone out to celebrate graduating college and they were at the bar. They had a little too much to drink and started talking about their feelings towards each other. Liv told him how annoying he got when he was sad and Gavin told her how much her breath drunk in the morning and it resulted in yelling and much worse words. After that night they never spoke again. Olivia tucked a stray hair behind her ear and licked her bottom lip, feeling awkward. "Soo, you're all cooperate, in your suit and everything. Very strict." She said with a nod.


"Well I'm going to go and let you be on your way. My mom just died two days ago and gram and dad can't cook so I'm off to go get myself dinner." Olivia said quickly and then walked passed him and towards the town square. She wanted to hit herself in the forehead, she completely babbled back there. With a sigh, she walked into Sammy's diner and sat down at the back table.
 
Gavin couldn't pull his eyes away from her. She had grown to be something more than amazing, and after not seeing her or speaking to her for a few years, he was at a lost for words. Rather, he had too many things to say that his mouth couldn't keep up, and well, so did she.


"Well, I'm a lawyer, we must always look the part..." He tried to give her a dashing smile but it came out more like an awkward grin, his phone was still ringing in his pocket, but he still ignored it.


"Well I'm going to go and let you be on your way. My mom just died two days ago and gram and dad can't cook so I'm off to go get myself dinner." He heard her quickly exclaim as she scurried past him. Gavin stood there for a minute, pondering what to say before he realized she was on her way toward time square. He quickly turned on his heels and sprinted towards her.


"Hey! Livvy! Wait." He called after her, she seem to not hear him or did she ignore him? His mind raced, they did have a falling out few years back but it was a long time, surely she wasn't still angry. Coming up to a small diner, he pulled open the door.


"Good evening sir." A young blonde greeted with a smile, her accent thick.


"Evening Miss..." Gavin gave her a smile and took a right, seeing Olivia at a seat, already skimming the menu. "Livvy, I'm sorry about your mother, I didn't say much I was still stunned that you're back in town. Would you like to have dinner with me? I'd like to catch up and have a little bit of laughs like old times.."
 
Olivia bit her bottom lip, pushing away her loose hairs that seemed to always fall in her face at the wrong times. She heard the front door of the diner swing open, hearing his voice. She had a feeling he would run after her, it was always what he did. Her eyes skimmed up the menu until they met with Gavin's. He called her by her nickname again, he called her that for the first half of her life, it was so foreign now. Her lips parted but then she closed them, looking back down at the menu. Having dinner couldn't hurt? But that's all that can happen. Her mother always told her that if she opened up to someone, you'd get hurt. She had opened up to Gavin a couple years ago, and she got hurt. She had opened up to her mother over the phone a month ago, now her mother's gone and she's now hurt. Olivia took what her mother had told her to the heart, now more than ever. "Sure, sit.. Since we're already at a place that serves food." She told him, her hand gesturing across the table at the empty booth. She made no comment on the 'laughs like old times' comment. It could never be the same as before.


The waitress came with a warm smile on her face,"Oh hey Gavin, love the whole business attire.. You usually don't come here after work." Jessica commented and then turned to Olivia. "Hi Jess" Liv wiggled her fingers at her, a little wave. Jessica's whole face lit up. "Olivia Hannah Ray is that you? You look so.. So.. Grown up!" Jessica started laughing and quickly hugged her. Olivia wasn't used to hugs anymore so she stiffened, lightly patting Jessica's back awkwardly. Jessica finally let her go and brought out her note pad and a pen. "Alright, what would you like Livvy?" Olivia stiffened more at the nickname again, washing it off with a small smile at Jessica. "Um can I please have a beer? That would be amazing." She said, smiling a little more as she sat back in the booth. Olivia felt like she needed a drink with bumping into Gavin and now Jessica, there was too much going on and she needed release. All she wanted when she moved back was to take care of her father and grandmother. Liv looked down at her hands, she was still just as distant with her father and grandma but not that distant. She still kissed their heads and took care of them, but never opening up to them. She stopped trusting people, stopped expressing her true feelings and her emotions after her mother died. Olivia focused back on the menu, breathing in deeply as she decided on what she would get. Her eyes traveled up, looking at Gavin. He really had grown up, his chest and shoulders were now broader and muscular, his hair, jaw line, everything about him had just.. Changed basically.


Olivia caught herself and looked back at the menu, listening to Jessica babble on about something.
 
Gavin took his seat quickly before Olivia had time to change her mind. He could feel her distance towards him but he played it off as just being nervous to see an old friend. Friend... his mind traveled to countless arguments as they entered adult hood, and the torrent of emotions it brought to both of them.


"Oh hey Gavin, love the whole business attire.. You usually don't come here after work." I don't come here at all anymore... He repeated in his head but just gave her a simple smile.


"I've been caught up at the office...I pick something up on the way home then sleep." He grabbed the menu from the table and peeled it open. Alright... not what he was expecting of dinner tonight... Gavin grabbed at his tie, loosening it a bit since he was in a diner, their was no need to be all stuffy. He reached into his coat pocked for his cigarettes.


"Um can I please have a beer? That would be amazing." His attention was caught by her voice, so familiar yet odd because it had been years since he heard it and her smile, Olivia had always been beautiful but now taking a better look at her in full bloom, he could feel his own heart pounding in his chest, or was he just nervous to see her again?


"Gavin darling for you?" Jess chimed in.


"Oh." He tore his eyes away from her and looked at his menu. "I'll take coffee. Black. Can we smoke in this area?" A smirk spread across his lips as he looked at Jess.


"Yes, this side of the diner is fine for smoking and coffee? Have you turned into an old man already honey?" Jess chuckled and she jotted down his coffee before walking away slowly.


"Old man? Don't torment me with such names, I just still have business to finish up before my night is over." Gavin yelled after her with a chuckle, in the distance he could hear Jess laugh too. Turning his attention back to Olivia he pulled the lighter from his same pocket, placing the cigarette between his lips. "So, how ar' ya? We haven't talk' in ov' 5 yea's...You don min' do ya?" His speech was choppy with the cigarette bobbing between his lips. He thought he would ask her before lighting it.
 
When he started speaking to her, her eyes stayed on the menu, listening to him though mostly. "I'm alright, just making it by day by day I guess. Just got a job at the coffee shop so I guess I'm not doing that bad." She shook her head to his question about the cigarette, she was used to it. She even smoked, only when she was really angry or stressed though. Her beer came and she was majorly grateful,"Thank you."She told Jess lightly before taking a sip from the cold bottle. After a couple more sips, she set the bottle down and it was time to order. "Oh um, I'll have the chicken garden salad please? With Italian dressing and extra avocado."She ordered with a slight nod, picking up her menu and handing it to Jessica before grabbing her beer again and sitting back in her seat.


Her eyes went back to Gavin, smoking wasn't really his thing when back in the day when she was around him constantly. He looked so foreign with the white stick between his lips, didn't look right. But she ignored that, looking at his eyes as he looked at the menu. They were still the same, that was the only thing about him that was the same. He had the best eyes she had ever seen. With a little mental nudge, she looked away from him and looked around the little diner, running her fingers through her hair lightly before pulling it up into a high messy bun on top of her head. "What about you?" Olivia asked randomly to him,"What have you been up to?"
 
"Thanks..." Gavin took the opportunity to light his cigarette, immediately taking in the smoke into his lungs, the nicotine eased his nerves, as much as he hated to admit it. As Jess came back to hand them their drinks, and take their order, he continued to look through his menu, exhaling his smoke slowly.. Nothing in particular that he wanted, but at this time anything would do. He was starving.


"Jess, I'll take the steak dinner. Medium rare..."


"Potatoes and vegetables with that?" Jess snapped her gum.


"Yes Ma'am... " Gavin smiled directly at her, he folded his menu and handed it to her, she took it back with a flirty laugh, before she turned on her heels and flowed into the kitchen.


"Me?" Gavin turned his attention back to Olivia, smoking his he let it hand on his lip as he poured 3 sugars. "Jus' work mostly. Charity events here and there. I just arrived from New York a few house ago." Gavin let his smoke exhale slowly again, focusing his eyes on hers and his right hand brought the coffee mug to his lips.


"You look great..."
 
Olivia nodded,"No, I was talking to that guy behind you." She joked sarcastically, smirking at but then looking away from him. When he spoke about charity, her eyebrows raised and she nodded. He wasn't into that kind of stuff before that was for sure. She took another couple sips from her beer as her eyes met him momentarily. He obviously traveled a ton, something she only just recently did. She nodded her head again, looking around the small diner again, meeting people's gazes but then looking away. Her eyes met his when he was lifting up his coffee cup to his lips, lifting the beer up to hers. When he spoke, she almost choked on her beer. "Yeah, sure.. I'm a mess." She scoffed, taking a swig from the bottle and then setting it on the table."Thank you though, you look great also.."She blurted and immediately lost it, she shouldn't have just blurted that compliment out.


Liv started to feel uncomfortable,"Sorry.. I.. I didn't mean to make this awkward by saying I'm a mess.." She told him, wincing. She rubbed the back of her neck and then luckily the food came.
 
Gavin chuckled as he put his mug back down on the table. The food was being lay out in front of them.


"Don't be so nervous Livvy...You look amazing, Los Angles did you well." Gavin put out his cigarette as Jess finished placing their orders in front of them.


"Cut into the for me sugar make sure its right..." She drawled as she placed his silver ware next to his plate. Gavin did as instructed, cutting a into his steak he pulled it over to see it slightly bloody but cooked on the outside. He shot her a smile.


"Looks perfect."


"Great. So y'all let me know if ya'll need anything else, I'll come check up on you two in a while." Jess took her leave, leaving the two to their selves. Gavin was practically drooling, he finished cutting off the piece of steak and shoving it into his mouth. His taste buds immediately came a live, it brought back memories of old times at this same diner, Olivia usually beside him, all of their friends filing in here for after party chow... Looking across from him, he saw something different. Olivia was sheltered. After a few more bites he cleared his throat.


"So... I'm real sorry about your mother again... We didn't stay in contact so, I wouldn't have known. Or I would have definitely found my way to her funeral... " His many years of law school gave him nerves of steel, he looked at her without wavering, no matter what issue it was going to be said. "And about before you left... I really did care about you...it was just school and women... I was a college student..." HE tried to make the conversation as vague as possible.
 
Olivia listened to him, but the awkwardness stayed. "Th-Thank you, yeah I love it there." She nodded, remembering the beautiful weather and the nice people. She looked down at her salad when it was set in front of her, picking up her fork and gladly taking a bite. She ate slowly, watching Gavin cut into his steak. "Thank you Jess."She told her as she walked away, eating some more of her salad. When her mother came up into the conversation again, she moved a bit in her seat."She died of a heart attack, it's fine." She blew it off, not wanting to talk about since it had just happened two days ago. She already felt the tears welling up in her. She stopped eating and set her fork down, looking away from him at at her lap.


"Her last words were, Women don't cry, stop crying." Olivia whispered, shaking her head and then picking her fork back up again. Her mother was the strictest woman she knew. She never liked to show that she loved you, and if she did then it was really low key. Olivia didn't mind though, her father and grandmother were the sweetest human beings she had ever known. Her mother just taught her that if she let people into her heart, she would end up hurting.
 
"Ah yes, your mother..." Gavin smiled as he took a bite of his steak again and remembered Olivia's mother always yelling at him to straighten up his shirt, cut his hair, stand up straight. 'Be a man!' He remembered her yelling at him when he was 5 and skid his knee. From that day on he remember always 'being a man' or what he supposed a man would be. "She was a strong one..." Gavin eyes Olivia, she obviously wanted to avoid talking about the passed...fine. It annoyed him a bit but should he flatter himself to make a stink about it? Probably not. "Missed me?" He gave her sexy grin.
 
Olivia nodded at what he said,"That she was."She raised her beer to that, taking a couple sips before setting the bottle down and eating more of her salad. Salad and beer usually wasn't the best combo, but she could care less at this point. Her eyes met his just in time to see the flash of frustration. She couldn't help but slightly smile, looking down at her salad before taking another bite from it. When she had swallowed the bite, she sat back, crossing her arms across her chest tightly as she watched him. When he spoke and then grinned at her, Olivia smiled and shook her head. She was going to speak again but then she shut her mouth, thinking before she spoke. Liv tipped her head to the side, looking at him. "From time to time." She finally answered honestly, she hated to admit that to him but she couldn't help it. "I started missing you right when I got to Los Angeles, I got lost and remembered when we had gotten lost out in the middle of no where." She spoke, looking down at her napkin on her lap.


"And then when I got my first job out there, I actually almost called you to ask if you wanted to go get dinner at Hanks." Olivia cracked a smile, peaking at him. "But then realized I was in a different state, and so was Hanks."She shrugged, lightly sighing before picking her beer up again, taking a couple more sips. She shouldn't be sharing such personal things to him.
 
"You could have still called..." Gavin grumbled as he took up his cup of coffee for a sip. They use to be such great friends but with school, social outings and the people that entered his life, he felt it was his fault they really lost connection. Gavin pushed back his brown hair and reached in his pocket for another cigarette. His nerves were on edge for some reason. He took a look at his Rolex. He was completely off schedule...but meeting with Olivia seemed more important at the moment. He would catch up in the morning, his staff would have to work a double shift for his trial next Friday but he would treat them all to lunch .


"Well when we're done here. My office is near, I just have to pick up some paper work but, what do you say we head to my house and have a drink. ."
 
Olivia ate more of her salad, chewing slowly and listening to him talk. She nodded, he had a pint on the calling thing. But then she winced,"I deleted your number that night." She said sheepishly, biting her lip. She finished the salad and then grabbed her beer, watching him get another cigarette. Bravely, she took another sip from her beer bottle and then reached over. She took a cigarette and then took his lighter, putting the cigarette between her lips and lighting it before inhaling. She handed the lighter back to him and then put the cigarette between her two fingers. Liv sat back, shrugging her shoulders, she could at least have a drink. But nothing else would happen. "Sure, why not."She shrugged, finishing off the beer and then smiling as Jessica came to clean up their table. She reached in her pocket,"Gav, I'm paying."She told him quickly and snuck the money and bill in Jessica's pocket.
 
Gavin looked at her shocked. She had swiped the cigarette from his fingers and lighter, lit it up and sat across from him blowing smoke.


"You smoke?" Gavin pulled another from his pocket and lit it swiftly. He let out the first drag of smoke as Olivia paid. That made him uncomfortable. He was uee to paying for everything. Having her pay made him feel uneasy like he owed a debt.


"You can pay this time...that means we'll be meeting again for dinner. I like to return the favor..." Gavin gave her a friendly smile.


"Should we get going then?" Gavin began to adjust his tie with one hand. "My office is right around the corner. if you'd like to wait here I will fetch my car and come for you?"
 
Olivia inhaled and then took the cigarette away from her mouth to exhale. "Sometimes, not everyday though." She told him, remembering her cigarette was after her mothers funeral. She shortly crushed the cigarette against the ashtray, the thought of the funeral made her lose her interest in the cigarette. When he talked about going out to dinner again, she froze up a little but then just nodded, letting it go. She stood up and stretched her arms up above her head. "I'll come with, if that's not a problem. Or I can actually drive to your place and meet you? Do you still live at the same house?" She asked, doubting that he lived with his parents but it was worth a try.
 
"No.." Gavin stood from the table, his tall frame almost casting a shadow. " I haven't lived with my parents in over 5 years. My condo is right by the far south side of the town. If you want me meet me there, I can send you my address in a text." Gavin took a drag of his cigarette before he reached into the back of his pocket for his cell phone. 5 missed calls, 3 reminders for appointments tomorrow and 7 texts messages. Hegrumbled. He knew most of them were from Josephine.


"You'll also hqve my number. Again5. Since you deleted it..."
 

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