Destiny (18 page)

“Slow
down. What have I done that’s so wrong?”

“First
of all, you’re doing something that’s illegal with William and Emmitt.
Secondly, have you talked to these people?”

“There’s
nothing real here except cash. I get that, but I’m using my share for something
good.”

“And
what is that?”

“I
want to save up enough money to buy that place on the lake and build you your
dream home. Is that so bad?”

“I
don’t want it that way. Besides that, you’ve got
some
friend in Emmitt.”

“What
do you mean?”

“He
asked me to talk privately with him about you, and when I got below deck, all
he did was flirt with me. Then he tried to kiss me. When I rejected him, he got
really angry. It was as if he just assumed I would want to be with him. He’s
arrogant, and he hit on me when I’m sure you’ve told him our history. What kind
of friend does that?”

“You’re
right, but it’s only temporary. In a few years, he’ll turn pro, and I can
negotiate his rookie contract. After that, I can distance myself from him.”

“I’m
sure your parents said it was only temporary when they broke the law, too.”

“I’m
not my mom or dad, Olivia.”

“You’re
making choices like them.”

“Stay
here. I’ve got to do something to make part of this right. After that, I’ll ask
William to take us back to shore. We need to get out of here.”

“Do
you think?” Olivia asked sarcastically.

I
walked below deck to find Emmitt. He still looked a little angry. I had seen
this happen before. He was used to getting whatever he wanted, and when someone
didn’t treat him like he was God’s gift to women, he didn’t know how to deal
with it. This was Olivia that he hit on, though, and it was time to bring him
down a notch.

“We
need to talk,” I said.

“I
assume this is about that bitch you invited.”

“First
off, she’s not a bitch. She’s my best friend. Don’t talk about her like that.
Secondly, don’t ever hit on her again. I know we made a bet, and this is my
fault for agreeing to it, but don’t do it anymore. I’m not serious about much,
but I’m always serious about her. Finally, get over yourself. You’ve got no
reason to be angry. There are plenty of brainless girls out there who will be
glad to treat you like you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. Have at
it,” I said and walked out.

I
went straight to William and asked if he would take us to shore. He agreed to,
and within a few minutes, we were back at the car. Before I cranked it, I
noticed that Olivia was looking at me in a whole new way. She didn’t see me as
the same boy she met. She saw me as a man who had thrown away everything he
used to be. I was determined to show her that the person she used to love was
still in there. I started driving to a place outside of town that I had found a
few weeks before.

“Where
are we going?” Olivia asked.

“I
want to show you something.”

“I
just want to go back to your apartment and get some rest. This whole day has
been a disaster. I’m beginning to wonder if I should even be here.”

“Why
would you say something like that?”

“Look
at the facts. You’re not my best friend. You’re someone else now. Talking to
your friends on that boat showed me that. Half of the women there were as
brainless as they come.”

“Is
that what this is really about? Are you actually jealous that I’ve got a life
here, and yes, some beautiful women are a part of it? It’s Miami. There are
going to be at least a few beautiful people around.”

“Jealous?
You’ve
got
to be joking! I just
thought you were better than this.”

“Apparently,
I’m not. I’m sorry. Can I be honest with you about something, though?”

“What
is it?”

“No
matter what you think of me or who we’re changing into, I’m glad you’re here. I’ve
missed you more than you could imagine. I hope you know that I’ve never stopped
thinking about you. That’s why I’m not with anyone right now. Anyone I meet is
nothing compared to you. You’re the smartest and most beautiful woman I’ve ever
known. It doesn’t hurt that I think of you as my best friend either. I know you
don’t approve of what I’m doing, and honestly, I don’t approve of you dating
Richard. I know he had a bad break in life when he got hurt, but that’s no
reason to be with someone. You love me, and I love you. I wish we were together
at college, and the last thing I want is for us to argue the whole time you’re
here. Can I just show you a spot I found outside of town that I think is really
pretty?”

“Yeah,
I would love to see it,” Olivia said and looked over at me in a familiar way.

She
wanted things to go back to normal for us, too. I could tell that much. Things
were complicated, though. I didn’t know how to fix my actions. Should I just leave
Miami and follow her? If I did, would she even leave Richard? When I pulled up
to the secluded beach that I had found before, all of my thoughts were swept
away. It was a gorgeous place where I had been able to find peace over the last
few weeks.

“This
is great. Do other people know about this place?” she asked as we got out.

“Not
that I know of. I think a lot about how I messed up with you and what I’m doing
now. When it gets to be too much, I come out here and listen to the waves. It’s
my quiet place where nothing matters. I wanted to show it to you because you
need to know that I’m not an uncaring person who’s that different from the man
you once knew. I feel bad about the things I’ve done. I’m just doing them to
get to the places I want to be. Sometimes we have to do the wrong thing to get
the right result.”

“I
don’t know if that’s true. Wrong is always wrong.”

“I’ll
show you what I mean,” I said and moved closer to her.

I
wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips against hers. She pulled away
for a moment, but I moved in for another kiss. She didn’t fight it anymore. As
I held her close once again, old feelings came flowing back. It felt like
nothing had changed.
This
was what I
had been missing.

“See?
The wrong thing can be so right if it’s for the right person,” I said as I
pulled away.

“It’s
not right. I’m willing to be wrong for you, though,” she said and kissed me
once again.

That
was a night I would never forget. With the sounds of waves crashing behind us,
I made love to her in the only place where I had felt like myself that year. Was
it right? No, not in a single way, but would I change it? Am I sorry it
happened? The answer to that isn’t complicated. No. If there’s one thing I
would never change about my story, it’s every moment I got to feel her close to
me.

Chapter 18

The
Last Time?

After
our time at the beach, we went back to the apartment and got some sleep. I awoke
the next morning to feel her in my arms. I had woken up so many mornings
craving this. So many dreams involved her lying beside me, and here she was.
Life was perfect. As Olivia stirred, I kissed the back of her neck.

“Good
morning,” I said and pulled her close.

“You
know that what happened last night can’t happen again, right?” she asked.

“Why
not? This is the way it should have been all along.”

“That
might be so, but it’s not that way. I’m going back to Wisconsin in a little
less than two weeks, and you’ll be staying here. All this is going to do is
make me miss you more when I do have to leave.”

“Then
stay.”

“I’m
in school, and so are you. We can’t leave our lives right now.”

“Okay,
I see what you’re saying. You once told me not to overthink things. You didn’t
want labels on what we were doing, so take your own advice. Enjoy the time we
have together, and don’t think about what comes after. Just let us be whatever
it is that we are right now. Can you do that?”

“I
taught you well . . . maybe a little too well.”

“What
do you mean?”

“Well,
you were just this innocent guy when I first met you. I was your first kiss. Now
that I think about it, I guess I was your first everything. I never thought I
would live to see the day that you were this person. You’re into a lot of bad
things, and somehow you’re convincing me to go with the flow, no matter how
wrong it might be. I don’t like it, but then again, I do. I wish we were still
innocent. Fourteen was the best age. I didn’t know it then, but things were
going to get so complicated after that. I think I can live with complicated, though,
if it’s for you.”

“I’m
glad, and I’m still that same fourteen-year-old inside. Things are just more
complicated now. It’ll be simple again one day. I promise.”

“Okay.
We can do whatever this is, but promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“Richard
can never find out about this. The last time he did, it caused a lot of
problems, and he’s got enough of them right now.”

“He
won’t find out. Why do you care, though? When this is all over, I’m coming back
home, and we’re going to be together.”

“That’s
a long way off, Eric. Anything could happen between now and then. Besides, I
thought we weren’t overthinking what we’re doing here.”

“You’re
right. Our time here should just be about fun. In the spirit of good fun, I say
we have a little right now,” I said with one eyebrow raised.

“I
don’t think so. I keep hearing your roommate banging around in the kitchen.
We’re
not
going to do that when
someone’s a few feet away.”

“Oh,
you’re overreacting. Emmitt’s a big boy. He’ll be okay. It’s not like he’s
never had a girl in his room while I was trying to go about my daily life.”

“Well,
I’m not just
some
girl. I don’t think
I would be okay with it.”

“Fine,
but I’ve got to tell you, I don’t think it’s very fair to have to wake up next
to such a beautiful woman only to part ways without any passion. It almost
seems like a crime not to be able to love such a beautiful creature.”

“Oh,
so he has a few tricks up his sleeve now. Lines like that might work on some of
the girls here, but I know you. If you really wanted to show me you loved me,
what would you do right now?”

“You’re
actually going to make me go out and get it, aren’t you?” I asked.

“It
might get you a little closer to that passion you keep talking about.”

“All
right, I’m going. The same as always?”

“Of
course.”

I
knew everything about Olivia. I learned very quickly that she loved caramel
coffee and donuts in the mornings. It wasn’t something that she ate all the
time because she worried about her figure, but when she was a little girl, her
dad used to bring donuts home for them on Saturday mornings. The caramel coffee
was something that her mom always drank, and she had developed a taste for it
after we met. As I was walking out the door, Emmitt stopped me.

“Hey,
I just wanted to say I’m sorry about yesterday. You were right,” he said.

“Wait
a minute. Did I hear that right? Did the great Emmitt Brown just admit to being
wrong about something?” I joked.

“Every
dog has his day, and you were right about Olivia. I shouldn’t have gone after
her when I knew your history. I still say you need to open up to the idea of
being with other women, though. She’s not going to be here for much longer.”

“Well,
I’m glad to hear that there’s still some humility left in there. I’m going out
for donuts. Do you want anything?”

“No,
I’m good. Thanks, though.”

As
I walked out the door, I was oblivious to what was about to happen. Olivia had
some things to say to Emmitt, and they weren’t going to be nice. I wouldn’t
know about this conversation for a few months, and honestly, that was probably
a good thing. Back
then,
I would have thought that it
was going to start some serious trouble between Emmitt and me. In actuality, it
was the best thing for us.

After
Olivia had gotten dressed, she walked out into the living area and asked Emmitt
to sit down.

“Before
you say anything, I just want you to know that I’m really sorry about
yesterday. I was way out of line. I hope you can forgive me,” Emmitt said.

“I’m
not mad about that. Thanks for apologizing, though. What I really want to talk
about is what you and Eric are doing.”

“What
are you talking about?”

“The
money you’re taking, and the world you’ve pulled him into.”

“How
do you know about that?”

“I
know everything about Eric. He makes his own choices, and he willingly got
involved in this with you, so I’m not blaming you completely. What I’m asking
is that you don’t get him hurt. He’s a good guy. In fact, he’s the best man
I’ve ever known. If you let him represent you in the future, don’t make him do
anything worse than he’s already done.”

“You’re
not going to tell anyone about this, are you?”

“No.
That would get him into trouble, and that’s the last thing I want. I love him. Things
have been complicated between us for a while now, though. I’m not sure if it’s
in the cards for us to be together, but I’ll never love anyone else like him.
If you get him hurt in any way, you’ll have me to answer to.”

“I
know it doesn’t seem like it, but I care about Eric’s well-being, too. We’re
just doing this until we can do things the legal way. Soon I’ll be playing in the
pros, and we can make money from contracts and endorsements. I would give you
the same warning, though.”

“Warning
about what?”

“Don’t
hurt him.”

“How
could I hurt Eric?”

“He
can’t get over you. He’s never going to love anyone like he loves you. I can’t
even get the guy to sleep with someone without him feeling guilty about it
later on. He’s in college, and we’re supposed to be having the time of our
lives. Either be what he needs, or step back. He deserves to find his
happiness, and if you’re not going to be it, then stop popping back up.”

“What
are you saying?”

“I’m
telling you to have fun with Eric this week, and then decide what you really
want. Stay here, and live your life with him, or go home, and don’t
periodically pop back up. It’s not fair to him.”

“I
don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Maybe
not, but if you want what’s best for him, then you won’t ruin his life by
stringing him along forever.”

About
that time, I walked back in with the donuts and coffee. I noticed that Olivia
and Emmitt looked like they were having an intense conversation, but I didn’t
make much of it. I figured he was just apologizing to her.

“Well,
I’ve got to jet. I’ve got practice,” Emmitt said and walked out.

“Are
you all right?” I asked Olivia as I gave her the donuts and coffee.

“Yeah,
your roommate isn’t as bad as I thought.”

“I
told you. He’s rough around the edges, but I can live with it until we get that
first contract.”

“Let
me ask you something, Eric.”

“What
is it?”

“If
this were the last time we were going to see each other, what would you want to
happen?”

“It’s
not going to be the last time, so it doesn’t matter.”

“I’m
speaking hypothetically. What kind of time would you want us to have?”

“I
would want it to be completely romantic. I would take you to the best
restaurants, we would go to the best parties, and I would spend at least one
full day with you just in bed. We would have fun as friends, but at the same
time, I would love you in the way you’ve always deserved. Even if we were
apart, we would always remember our time together here.”

“Let’s
do all of that then.”

“That
sounds great, but what’s the catch? You aren’t planning on not seeing me again,
are you?”

“Of
course not. Haven’t you ever wanted to live like it could be your last moment,
though?”

“I
guess I have. All right, I think I like your idea. I say we start by doing the
all day in bed thing,” I joked.

“Slow
down there. I think we should save that for the last day. I want to hear some
more about that romantic stuff right now.”

I
planned out the perfect romantic day for us. It involved a nice restaurant, a
stroll on the beach, and a candle lit dinner at the end of the night. I had no
idea Emmitt had told her she needed to choose me or let me go. If I had, I
would have refused her idea of one last romantic time together. I never wanted
Olivia out of my life, but it seemed like our time together was quickly coming
to a close. It was going to be one great ride, though.

We
got ready and went out to the nicest place in town. Most people needed a
reservation to get in, but I called William, and he was able to pull some
strings for me. As much as Olivia didn’t like me using him to get us in, it
certainly led to a good time. As we sipped on wine and ate the best meal of our
lives, Olivia said something that I didn’t expect. I think she was trying to
decide if leaving was truly the right thing to do.

“If
I stayed, what would we do here?” Olivia asked.

“Are
you actually considering it?”

“I
don’t know. If you make a good case for it, I might. Do you realize how many
times I’ve thought about dropping everything back at college to be with you?
I’m not saying it’s something I would do, but I am admitting that it’s an
option.”

“The
answer is whatever you want. If you would stay with me until I finished
college, then I would do anything to make you happy.”

“What
if I asked you to stop helping Emmitt and give up on the idea of managing him
in the future?”

“I
would do it for you. It seems like a waste when I’ve already put in this much
time, but I want you with me. That sounds selfish, though. What about you? You
would be giving up going to medical school at a place where you’ve already been
accepted. I can’t really ask you to give up on your dreams, no matter how much
I want you here.”

“I
know you don’t want me to give up on being a doctor. It’s an option, though.”

“Let
me ask you something. Where is this coming from? We just went from talking
about treating this like the last time we were going to see each other to
spending our lives together.”

“Well,
excuse me. I thought you would be happy about the prospect of me being here.”

“I
am. Believe it when I say no one would be more pleased than me to see you come
here. I just want to know where all of this is coming from. I can tell that
you’re thinking about something really hard. What is it?”

“I’m
just thinking about the future. I’m with Richard right now, and he needs me. At
the same time, the only person
I’ve
ever needed was you. I feel lost. The logical
thing to do is
go back to Wisconsin and get
my degree. Being with a guy like Richard
even sounds like a good plan on paper. He’s a little down right now, but he’s a
hard worker and very kind. I know he loves me for some reason. All I’ve ever
done is betray him. Even now, I’m here with you. It’s wrong on every level. I
don’t deserve someone like him. At the same time,
there’s
you. I don’t know what your future is going to look like. This thing you have
going with Emmitt could implode at any moment, or it could make you a
millionaire. Either way, it’s wrong. Your actions haven’t been that great
lately. You’re involved in a lot of things that I don’t approve of. Then
there’s the fact that Richard is close to my family while you’re here.
Everything says I should be with someone like him, but you always draw me back
in. It all seems so wrong, but at the same time, I want it. I want you, even
though I shouldn’t. Richard is good for me, but you make everything about me
different. You’ve driven me to cheat, lie, and even made me think about giving
up on my dreams. Even so, I need you like I need air. You’re the only person
I’m willing to be something I’m not for.”