14 - Time To Choose

“So, what happened to that guy you were dating?”

I looked up at Mom’s question, feeling thrown. It was a few days later, and I was having lunch with my parents at their house.

It was just me and them this time. No parties, no guests, no special occasion. After asking to spend some quality time with them, they’d only been happy to oblige. After all, it was the first time I’d reached out to them ever since finding out that I’d been adopted.

Even though Mom and Dad were doing their best to play it cool, I could sense how happy they were to see me.

“What guy?” I blurted, unconsciously playing with the bracelet on my wrist.

“You know, the one who came with you the night of the party,” Mom said.

“There was a guy?” Dad asked, puzzled.

“Yes. Didn’t you meet him?”

“No. What’s his name? What does he do?”

“His name’s Levi,” Mom related before I could even say anything. “Not sure what he does. What does he do, Olivia?”

“Uh, he’s…freelance.”

Dad shook his head to that. He was frowning like it was a dirty word. “No, no, no! What about that other guy you’re always going on and on about? What was his name? Nick? Nate?”

"*Noah*," Mom corrected. Trust her to remember it. “He’s her boss.“

"Oh, right.”

“Well, not anymore,” I piped up, drawing stares from both of them. “That is to say...he quit not long ago.”

"Quit?"

“Oh, did he get a better offer somewhere else?” Mom asked.

“Uh, yeah,” I bluffed. “I believe so.”

“That guy sounded like a keeper,” Dad put forward. “But hey, how that he’s no longer your boss, that's a good thing, right?”

“I don’t know, Dad.” And yet, I couldn’t help remembering the last time Noah and I had been together, back at my apartment. The way he’d kissed me so sweetly. The way he’d explored my body with such care. He was everything Levi was not. He was someone who would take care of the woman he was with. He wouldn’t do stupid shit like try to rape her and even jeopardize her job.

Still, I had to admit that not having Levi in my life anymore felt weird. He hadn’t popped up ever since that day at the office, which made me wonder if he really was gone for good this time. I should have been glad but...sometimes, I wasn’t so sure.

I thought of Noah’s file, still tucked away at home under my pillow. I hadn’t opened it yet. I wasn’t sure why. It just felt like a goddamn Pandora Box to me right now. Either that or I was a freaking coward.

‘*In this world, you have to go after what you want*.’ Those had been Levi’s words to me the last time we’d met. I just needed to figure out what I wanted first. Easier said than done.

“Well, no matter what, we’re here for you, Olivia,” Mom said, reaching over and squeezing my hand. “I’m glad you realized that.”

“I always knew it, Mom. I guess I just needed a while to remember it.”

“It’s OK. I understand.” She looked down at my arm, noticing my bracelet. “Oh, you’re still wearing that? Good grief, I sure hope you wash it from time to time. You’ve had that all your life.”

“I have?”

“That's right. You came with it,” Dad recalled. “Even as a baby. We thought about taking it off, but apparently, it was from your mother.”

“She considered it a good-luck charm of sorts,” Mom added.

I smiled, running my fingers over it. “I guess that’s what it is.”

Sure, I'd never get to know my real mother, but at least I'd always have this connection with her. I liked to think she was watching over my life somehow. I wasn't exactly the religious type, but hey, if demons and witches existed, why not?

After lunch, I went home, sitting in my bedroom and listening to the quiet all around me. Reaching under my pillow, I pulled out the file Levi had gotten for me, holding it in my hands.

*I have a decision to make. Who do I want to be with? *