Shaking my head, I fumbled with the buttons to change the black screen to something different. The home button was gone. Ollie smirked but offered no assistance.
Finally, I figured it out tapped the green icon. “What’s your number?”
“It’s already in your contacts,” his hand jolted inside his pocket, “the only number in there, love.”
I backed out of the messages and went to contacts. “Ollie” was listed, something so simple, but seeing his name across a screen made my heart grow wings and fly. I smiled, texting him.
Ollie’s phone pinged in his other pocket. He took out his phone and dropped his head, his fingers working the screen to open the message, which simply read, “I love you.” His shoulders visibly relaxed, an exhale left him, and his gaze dragged from the screen until green eyes met mine. “I needed that.”
The late morning sun filtered through the lace curtains, heating the side of my face. All night, I’d tossed and turned, unable to get warm or comfortable. My throat burned, and my insides felt as if I’d been thrown into an inferno. An annoyed Diane pounded on the door, announcing Ollie’s arrival, but there was no way I could get out of bed.
For the first time, in a long time, I was sick.
Groaning, I blindly patted for the phone inside the covers to text him.
The phone was dead.
“Diane?” I desperately called out, hoping she’d understand me through the animalistic sound that came out. My voice was gone. “Diane!” I tried again, this time pushing through the lodge inside my throat.
Fully dressed in yoga pants,Nikes, andMichael Korsblack puffer jacket, hair and make-up perfectly in place, Diane entered the guest bedroom with her bag slung over her shoulder, pink yoga mat peeking out.
“I’m sick. I can’t get out of bed.”
“Well, what do you want me to do? I’m on my way to meet Lisa at Barre.”
“Can you tell Ollie I can’t come down? And I need medicine. Do we have medicine somewhere?”
“There’s Tylenol in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.”
“And Ollie?”
“I’ll tell him,” she adjusted the bag, “He’s not allowed in the house, Mia. I don’t feel comfortable with someone I don’t know here.”
“I know. He won’t come inside the house.”
She sighed and reached for the doorknob. “I’ll stop to grab soup on my way back.”
That single gesture was both a shocking revelation and the very thing we both needed to put us in the right direction. Since I’d arrived, I’d followed by her rules, kept to myself, and not once made this time difficult for her, or at least I’d tried. Was this her way of giving a little back in return? “Thank you,” I tried to say, but it came out as a hoarse whisper.
After Diane left, I’d fumbled with the new charger, trying to stick the end into the phone, and waited impatiently for the phone to drink enough energy to light up. The Apple logo appeared, and I sat up in the bed, both sweating and shivering as my head pounded.
I immediately texted Ollie.
Me:I’m sorry.
His response was instant.
Ollie:Don’t be. It’s not your fault. Let me take care of you.
Little did he know, it was my fault. I hadn’t dressed for the weather yesterday, walking around without a jacket, taking pictures.
Me:You’re not allowed inside the house.
Ollie: Then come out here, and I’ll take you back to the inn.
Even if I could get out of bed, Diane was bringing me back soup. As much as I wanted to be with Ollie, I needed to see where this would go with Diane and me. Perhaps this was part of me finding myself again, believing I could right my wrongs.
Me:I don’t want to.
