Page 81 of Time To Live Again

“You’re killing me. I’m not sure we can continue this relationship.”

She grabs a pillow and swats the side of my head. I grab the other one and do it to her. An all-out pillow war breaks out, and I learn she’s vicious. “How dare you threaten our relationship,” she yells between swings and our bouts of laughter.

“Come on, it’s a rite of passage. You know who the Avengers are, right?” I duck before she can bop me again.

“What is it with you men?” she snarls, panting. “Of course I know the Avengers. Andy’s a big Marvel fan. I may have been a hermit, but I have TV.”

“I like him even more. I foresee a bromance in the future,” I tease, then bop her one more time on the back. Her eyes dance with mischief, then she pushes me backward. I fall onto the couch, and she straddles my thighs. With our arms around each other, we relax and catch our breaths.

She gives me a sweet kiss. “You make me feel like a kid again. I hope we always have this much fun together. Now that I feel this way, I won’t be able to live without it. Without you.”

“Well, that’s good, because you’re stuck with me.”

I kiss her with sheer intensity to prove how in love I am with her.

Because that’s exactly what this is. Love.

35

OLIVE

As you can probably imagine, we never watched that movie last night. Physical activities throughout the apartment proved more enticing. We’re both insatiable. So much so, I insisted we leave the apartment for a late breakfast to give us a breather.

We leave my favorite bookstore with a small bag of books. Leo lifts it up. “I haven’t bought a paperback in forever. I use my iPad for everything.”

“Same here. I hate technology, but it’s a modern world.”

“I’m dying of hunger. Where are we eating brunch?” He drapes his arm over my shoulders.

I point to the large café next door. “They serve the best breakfast. I wish the bookstore and this place would knock down the connecting wall and make it one big venue. I’d bring my laptop here and work all day long.”

Leo opens the door, then follows me inside. It’s a busy Saturday, but fortunately we snag a table by the windows overlooking the street. A waitress hands us menus and takes our drink orders. When we’re alone again, Leo and I hold hands above the table. He caresses my skin with his thumbs.

“Have you decided whether you’ll quit your job?” he asks.

“I didn’t tell you?” He shakes his head. “Yes. I already spoke to Uncle Bruce. He understood that I need time to work on myself and figure out what I really want to do.”

“I hope you’re considering the medical field again. Without you realizing it, you do subtle things that reflect your caring ways and enthusiasm.”

I lean back and cross my arms. “What do you mean? Like what?”

“For example, the massive container you have of first-aid products under your sink. There’s enough for the entire apartment building.” The corner of her mouth lifts up. “You were eager to take care of the scratches on my back. Or how about when Ma got mustard in her eye. You were the first to offer to help and quickly told her what to do. And the other night when I opened up about Corey’s cancer treatment, you talked about it like a medical professional, not some random person having a conversation. You were truly interested. These are little examples, but they add up. You deeply care about people and their wellbeing.”

I’m quiet for a minute, digesting what he’s said. “You’re right, Leo. That is the way I am. And I do it without hesitation. But it’s different from working in a hospital.”

“I know, Olive. But promise you’ll think about it.”

I nod and break eye contact.

The waitress comes back with two cappuccinos and two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. I’m glad to let the topic drop as we order pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and bagels to share to hold us over until dinner tonight.

“Hey, I didn’t show you the video of the day yet.” Leo pulls his phone out of his pocket. He loads something, then hands it to me. I hit play.

“Oh, my gosh. Where was this? A jungle?” The volume is on low, but I hear someone talking. It’s not Leo. “Is that Corey?”

“This is from Corey’s headset camera. We were in Costa Rica. It’s probably my favorite place I’ve traveled. What you see in the video is Corcovado National Park. We were ziplining over the rainforest. It was incredible.”

My heart sings as Leo describes the experience with animated gestures. Corey’s riding above the trees. Then he looks down, and my stomach bottoms out.

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