by Katy Kaylee
Sure, people changed over time, but they also adapt to the other person, and grow together. They didn't just leave their significant other behind. That was what I was most afraid of, being left behind again.
Luckily I knew Liv would never leave me behind, not for anything in this world.
“And what is that?”
“Did you really not have sex with any of your clients?” she asked.
“Like I told you before,” I said and tucked her dark brown hair behind her ear, “you were the first, and the only.”
“I’m really glad that it was you who walked into that cocktail bar that night,” she said to me, her eyes still sparkling. “Luck was finally on my side.”
“Oh, Liv, luck had nothing to do with it,” I whispered and kissed her sweet lips once again.
Epilogue: Olivia
The last eight months went by like a whirlwind, but it was filled with love and acceptance. Zac and I had spent every waking moment together, growing as people, as well as a couple, and it was nice to finally see Zac happy and free of the demons of the past. He had even worked on his relationship with his father, which came as an absolute surprise to all of us, especially to Alice.
I distinctly remember Alice staring at Zac for almost five minutes before bursting out into tears. I gave the two siblings their space to talk and visited my parents, who were thrilled, and not at all surprised that Zac and I were now together. They had always thought that we would made a good couple, despite Zac’s behavior when he was a teenager. They knew he was dealing with a lot of things, but he remained a ‘good kid’ in their eyes.
I smiled to myself as I glanced in the mirror of Zac’s apartment, studying myself for a moment. Even though I looked exactly the same, something else radiated from inside me. I wasn't sure what it was, but it had to be the wonderful life I was living right now. It’s wasn't perfect, as Zac and I had quite a few disagreements, but that was only normal. Both of us had our certain ways of living, and we respected that about each other. It was all about getting to know one another’s quirks, like when I am at his apartment, I have to throw my dirty clothes directly into the washer, instead of in the laundry basket. Apparently, the actual laundry basket was just for show, and he’d never used it the entire time. Also, he had the bad habit of unplugging the vacuum without switching it off on the actual machine, hence giving me an immense fright as soon as I plugged it into the wall socket. Of course he found it hilarious and fell of the couch in a fit of laughter every time, but I didn't mind it. Well, afterwards at least.
I was so carried away by the memories of the past months, that I didn't even notice Zac behind me wrapped in a towel. It was only when he approached me, that the fresh scent of him called out to me.
“Wow,” he said and I glanced at him in the mirror.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“Definitely. You look amazing.”
I glanced down at myself again, inspecting every angle more than once. I had bought a new dress for a New Year’s party we were attending tonight with Alice and her new boyfriend, although I personally didn't think they would be together for much longer. Alice was notorious for not dating a guy for longer than a month, and this poor guy was no exception. Sure, he was nice and sweet, but he was a little too – for lack of a better word – obsessed with Alice. He wanted to know where she was, and what she was ding all the time and Alice didn't like that very much. She was her own person and did what she wanted, when she wanted.
“How was your shower?” I asked.
“Lonely.”
“Ah, Honey, we both know that if I joined you in there, we’ll miss the whole party,” I said with a pout.
“Sounds like a good idea,” he muttered.
I whirled around and saw him standing by the chest of drawers, fishing out a pair of socks. “You’re really not in the mood to go to this thing, are you?” I asked.
“Not really. I mean, I get it, it’s New Year’s Eve, and all that, but what’s the big deal. Should we celebrate the start of every month, or week too?” he asked.
Zac did have a point, but I didn't spend a small fortune on a dress for nothing. I waked over to him, and placed my hands on his shoulders. “I promise we can go home straight after the countdown.”
“And then we can watch that new documentary I’ve been wanting to watch with you?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” I answered.
He sighed, pouting like a little kid and nodded. “Okay.”
While I applied the rest of my makeup, I watched him as he got dressed, and thought to myself how lucky I was to have him in my life.
When he was done, he went into the bathroom to hang up his towel. His phone rang and he rushed out to answer it. I didn't pay much attention, and only heard him vaguely in the background. A few moments later, he appeared behind me, his green eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Come on, babe. We have to get going.”
I turned around again, and cocked my head. “A few minutes ago you were wining about not wanting to go, but now you’re telling me to hurry up? What gives?”
“I just got the best news.”
“Hurry up and I will show you,” he grinned.
I had to admit, his excitement was contagious and pretty soon we stepped inside the elevator, going down into the lobby. He hurried me along, with a priceless expression on his face and opened the front door of his building.
It took me a few seconds to realize what exactly what going on, but I stopped abruptly and glanced straight ahead of me.
“Is that..” My voice trailed as I took a few steps forward and stared at the Camaro in absolute wonder.
The blue Camaro was parked in front of the building, in all its splendor. The blue color with black trim accentuated the sexy lines of the car even more, and I gasped.
“Oh my god,” I shrieked and turned to him. “It looks amazing.”
Together, we both walked down the steps and I examined the Camaro. It was still the same car, but different, better.
A smile formed on my lips as I realized that was exactly how I felt about myself. I was still me, but I was different, better. Zac had made me that way, and I turned to him. “It’s incredible.”
He kissed me on the lips and opened the passenger door for me. “Let’s go.”
I giggled excitedly and climbed inside.
The party was already in full swing when Zac and I arrived there, and within an hour, the drinks flowed down our throats like it was nobody’s business. I was never the kind of person who would get absolutely wasted at a party, but I was having fun, letting my hair down for a bit. Even Zac enjoyed himself, and he and Alice’s boyfriend, Damien, got along surprisingly well. It was just before eleven when Alice dragged me off to the restrooms to freshen up. She wanted to look good for the pictures she was planning to take on her phone, and dragged me with her.
Alice stood in front of the mirror and wiped her smudged eyeliner from under her eye, making her look like a bit of a crack-whore.
“This is terrible,” she sighed miserably.
“What is?” I asked, glancing at my drunker-than-usual best friend.
“Zac and Damien weren't supposed to get along so well,” Alice muttered. “He never likes the guy I date, but now all of a sudden he does. Why couldn't he have liked Eric, or Travis, or Trey?”
“Because those guys were all jerks,” I blurted out.
Alice cringed and stared at herself in the mirror. “Yeah, they were, weren't they?”
“Very much so.”
Alice sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “So, things with you and Zac. It looks like it’s getting kind of serious.”
“Yeah, it is,” I answered and bit my lip. “Alice, can I ask you something?”
“As long as it is not something sexual,” she cringed. “That would just be wrong, you know.”
“It’s nothing like that.” Besides, I would never ask her for sexual advice again. Zac knew exactly what he was doing, and every day w
e explored each other with a new-found appreciation. It was truly magical.
She breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Okay, then ask away.”
“When you were in the car accident and I stayed with you the second night, do you remember what you said to me?” I asked.
Alice’s hand lowered away from her face and she looked at me with wide eyes. “Oh my god. I was horrible to you, wasn't I?”
“No, you-”
“Did I say something I shouldn't have said?” she cringed.
“Well, you did say something, if only you’d let me tell you,” I muttered.
“Sorry,” she said and cleared her throat. “I’ll shut up now.”
“You told me that when your mom died, you promised her that you’d look after Zac, despite you being the younger sibling,” I answered.
“I did promise that. Even though he was such a pain in the ass, he was still my brother, Liv. He was broken and hurt just like I was, if not more. He loved my mom so much, and they were just inseparable at times. I knew that it would be extra tough on him because they were so close. He just responded and grieved in a different way than I did, or any of us did.”
“I didn't really know how to express himself to other people, but he’s better now.”
“Thanks to you,” Alice said and smiled through the emotions on her face.
“I’m not going to take all the credit, he did a lot of healing by himself, and continues to do so,” I said.
“Is he still seeing the therapist?” Alice asked.
“Only once every two weeks. Just to check if hes still on the right track, but he’s doing so well.”
“You’re so good to him, Liv, but it’s not surprising, because you’re an amazing person,” Alice said.
I bit my lip and took a deep breath. “It’s funny that you say that, because there was something else that you said that night.”
“Oh, god.”
“You also said that in your eyes, no woman is good enough for Zac.”
Alice glanced at me and her eyes filled with regret. “I said that?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Look, Liv. Like I said, he’s my brother and I will always look out for him, whether he needs it or not. I didn't know that you were in love with him at the time, and it was probably a stupid thing to say, although I was under the influence of some amazingly strong pain medication, but that is probably no excuse, right?”
“It’s okay, Alice.”
“No, it’s actually not.”
“Alice, you don't have to do this. We’ve talked about this and there is nothing more to say,” I said and turned away.
“Wait,” Alice said, and I turned back towards her. “I never told you why I thought that no-one was good enough for Zac.”
I stared at her and waited for her answer.
“Zac always chose the wrong girls. He chose the shallow, mean girls who were more damaged on the inside than he was. He wanted to feel needed, even if it was just to play the hero. But it never lasted. Those girls only transferred their pain and emptiness onto him, which was so unfair. I tried so hard to make him see that women like that weren't worth the trouble. He never saw it. I just tried to protect him by being a bitch, and clearly I managed that,” she said with a shrug. “I just didn't want you to get hurt, or Zac get hurt again for that matter. He may be an irritating asshole at the worst times, but he’s still my brother and I love him.”
“And I love him too,” I whispered to her. “And I love you, Alice.”
“Love you, too.”
“You know,” I said with a wink, as I watched her redoing her eyeliner, “I’ve been thinking. I’ve known you for such a long time and you’re practically my sister. The sister I never had.”
“I totally feel the same, Liv.”
“Well, seeing as you’re my unbiological sister, would you maybe be interested in being my maid of honor?” I asked nonchalantly.
“That goes without saying. If you were to get married, I’d obviously be...” Alice’s voice trailed and she glanced at me. “No...” She grabbed my hand but didn't find what she was looking for.
“No, Alice. He didn't propose.”
Alice pouted and her shoulders slumped. “Stupid Zac.”
I chuckled in amusement and turned to the mirror. “I guess it’s up to me to ask.”
Alice grabbed my shoulder and turned me towards her rather abruptly. “What?”
I raised my eyes expectantly and pouted.
“You’re going to ask Zac to marry you?” she shrieked, and as I nodded, Alice shrieked again in excitement.
“Oh my god! When?”
“I don’t know, when the moment presents itself.”
“This great. I mean, it’s a total shock, and a little unconventional, but great,” Alice exclaimed and hugged me. “Now you really are going to be my sister!”
I laughed as she hugged me again and smiled to myself. Now I just needed to the guts to actually do it.
Under normal circumstances, I would never dream of proposing to a guy, since I was raised in an old-fashioned household. My dad held the door for my mom, he was the one who made the most money, but my mom and my dad taught me that it was important to be courteous and well-mannered regardless of your gender. Their supported me to do the things I wanted to do, and never discouraged me to play with my older brother, simply because ‘girls can’t do what boys can do’. Even though it infuriated Jeremy to no end when he had to help me climb the apple tree in our backyard or help me down when I was stuck, or afraid, my brother always had my back, and I had his.
This was exactly why I understood where Alice was coming from. I would also be upset if Jeremy dated women who weren't good for him, but at the end of the day, I couldn't stop him. He was old enough to make up his own mind and he was also mature enough that he knew that he was the one who had to live with the repercussions of his actions. Whatever I had to say about the women he dated had no effect on Jeremy. Luckily he never dated a woman who was after his money, or had ulterior motives.
I glanced at Alice, who was excitedly applying her black eyeliner and shimmied around, which made me chuckle.
Epilogue: Zac
I took a sip of my drink and glanced around the club, wondering what the hell was keeping Alice and Liv. They had disappeared into the ladies’ restroom more than twenty minutes ago, and knew from experience that no-one peed that long. I also figured that they were talking about girl things, like they usually would, but it never took them this long. I turned to Damien, Alice’s flavor of the month and smiled nervously. He was a nice guy, who also had a love of cars, but there was only so much I could say to the guy before I would look weird.
“Do they always take this long in the restroom?” Damien asked.
“They do,” I answered with a cringe. “It’s what they do.”
Damien nodded.
“So, how are things going between you and Alice?” I asked, purely out of interest.
The look on Damien’s face however, made me look like an older brother who’d rip his head off if his answer wasn't to my liking. “Dude, don’t look so scared. It was just a question.”
“I know,” he said, his shoulders relaxing. “I don’t really know how it’s going. Your sister doesn't have any mental disorders, does she?”
“Like what?”
“Like a split personality or something.”
“Why would you ask that?” I asked.
“The one minute she’s hot and the other minute she is cold. She changes her mind a lot, and can’t decide on anything.”
“Oh, that’s just Alice being Alice,” I scoffed. “She can never make up her mind about anything. Don’t take it personally.”
Damien sighed and dug his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. I sensed a bit of discouragement from him and said, “Look, Damien. My sister is a great girl, but can be a pain in the butt sometimes.”
“I know, but that’s what I like about her. I really like her. I just do
n’t know what to do to make her decide what she wants.”
“You can’t do anything,” I said to him, but quickly added, “but I could talk to her, if-”
“Please. I would really appreciate that.”
I nodded at him, and he gave me a grateful look.
I noticed Liv and Alice approach me and Damien and Alice’s cheeks were flushed, and she smiled brightly.
I told Liv that I wanted to have a word with Alice, and before we stepped to the side, I swore I saw Liv giving Alice the ‘don’t tell’ expression I came to know so well.
What were these women up to?
“Is everything okay?” Alice asked me.
“Yeah, I was just talking to Damien, and he seems to really like you,” I said.
“Okay,” she shrugged.
“Look, Alice. I know you’re pushing him away on purpose-”
“I’m not pushing him away. He’s just too smothering. He wants to know where I am and ad what I’m doing and he just wants to be around me all the time,” she spluttered out.
“Have you ever considered the fact that he’s doing that because you keep pushing him away?” I asked.
Alice glanced up at me and I noticed something in her eyes, as if she needed to hear those words at that very instant. Her shoulders drooped and she ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. “I guess,” she said with annoyance.
“You shouldn't do that, you know. You push people away who care about you. You always have, but you have to stop it,” I said. “I did the same and look where I ended up a few years ago.”
“Yeah, but now you have Liv, and you’re happy and in love. So in love it makes me sick, but so jealous and envious. It might not seem that way to you, or anyone who knows me, but I want that too,” she said in a small voice.
“Then go get it. Stop being afraid of getting hurt, you might miss out on something great,” I said, and my gaze travelled to where Liv and Damien stood.
Liv glanced at me, a small and proud smile on her face and she winked at me. I reciprocated the gesture and turned me attention back to Alice. “You deserve to be happy, little sister.”