And as I was pulling up to my tailor’s place of work, I saw Olivia sitting in the back of a taxi.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I said as I knocked on her window.
She jumped and squealed, causing me to chuckle as she rolled down her window.
“You scared the hell out of me, Brett. Don’t do that again,” she said.
“I mean, it is Halloween,” I said.
I opened her car door for her and offered her my hand. She took it effortlessly, stepping out of the car and onto the sidewalk. Even in plain old jeans and a T-shirt, she looked great. The jeans clung to her legs, and her flats still managed to click along the pavement. I offered her my arm, and we went from store to store, trying on masks and standing there as she tried on dresses. Ball gowns and slim-fitting attire. Dresses with slits up the legs or that barely came past her luscious ass. It killed me, watching her little fashion show. She’d come out and give me a twirl with the most beautiful smile on her face.
Soon, I wasn’t even focused on the dresses. Just her. And her smile.
And those fucking legs of hers.
“I think I know what I’m going to do now,” Olivia said.
“Well, get the dress and I’ll help you get it into my car,” I said.
“That would ruin the surprise, though.”
“Surprise?”
“Mhm. You know, where I show up in a great dress and a mask and you can’t take your eyes off me?”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, really now.”
“Yep. Very much so. I’ll come back later and get my mask and my dress. You know, when you’re not around.”
“Then how am I supposed to match your costume?” I asked.
“Stick with either white, black, red, or silver and you’ll be fine,” she said.
“What about accent colors?”
She raised her eyebrows. “You care about accent colors?”
“If we’re going together, we should at least match. Don’t you think?”
“Well, any of those four colors will do.”
“You aren’t going to give me any leeway here, are you?”
She shook her head. “Like you said, some things change, but some things don’t.”
I wondered what else about her hadn’t changed.
“Well, then at least let me give you a ride back to your place,” I said.
“I don’t think that would be such a bad thing. Thank you,” Olivia said.
“I’ll even escort you up to your door. You know, so no one mugs you between the journey from my car to your room.”
“Oh, you think you’re coming inside, do you?” she asked as we walked outside.
I shrugged. “A guy can dream.”
“Uh-huh. Well, let’s not try your luck too much tonight. I’d love a ride home. But you’re not coming inside.”
I grinned as I escorted her out to my car and opened her door. I offered my hand and helped her in, then closed it and jogged around to mine. Usually, I had my driver take me places. But tonight, I wanted to drive of my own volition. I had hoped Olivia would let me give her a ride home since I was almost certain she’d take a taxi. Olivia had always been a terrible driver. She let someone else drive whenever she could afford it. I slipped into my seat and looked over at her, watching as her eyes stared out the window.
“Something on your mind?” I asked.
She jumped, as if I had ripped her from some sort of trance.
“Nothing important. Sorry,” she said.
“No need to be sorry. Want to talk about it?”
She shook her head. “Just sorting through some things.”
I cranked up the car and left it at that. She gave me mindless directions back to her place, and before I knew it I was pulling into a small apartment complex. I tried not to grimace too much at it. But Olivia was much better than this place. I got out of my car and wrapped around, grabbing her car door as she opened it. I offered her my arm and walked her into the small lobby, and then the two of us got onto the elevator.
We rode up to the third floor in silence before she slipped her arm from mine and walked down the hallway.
I followed her all the way to her apartment door, taking in how gritty it looked. I mean, I knew not all of the apartment complexes in Seattle were that great, but could she really not afford a better place than this? I was paying her a decent sum of money. Maybe she planned on moving.
Her front door opening ripped me from my own trance, and I found her looking up into my eyes.
“Thanks for taking me shopping. I really appreciate it,” Olivia said.
“Anytime, Olive. You know this,” I said.
I watched something flash behind her eyes as the door slowly swung open. Her cheeks flushed and she dropped the keys from her hand. I bent down to pick them up, and our fingertips touched, shooting electricity up my arm. She pulled back quickly, gathering her keys in her hands. I slowly stood up with her, watching as panic and hesitation wafted behind her eyes.