More than Anyone

Hell had officially frozen over. He had spent a Sunday afternoon with none other than Olivia Grange and he hadn’t contemplated killing himself the entire time. In fact, he had had what some would call fun. What the hell was happening to him? He wasn’t supposed to have fun with her. Her of all people. It went against every law of man and nature. He couldn’t understand it and thinking about it too much hurt his head.

After the movie, he had walked her home though that stubborn streak in her had almost made him forget the whole thing and just let her walk by herself. But then he realized that if he did such a thing, she would be winning yet another countless round in their eternal battle with one another and Ben could not have Olivia winning more rounds than him. He thought he had done pretty good that afternoon, seeing the same movie as her, buying her popcorn, and sitting next to her. He was pretty sure he even scored some extra points when some teenager in front of them started whispering to his girlfriend and Ben threw some Raisenets at him, whispering loudly to Olivia that he hated people who talked during the movie. She had to bite her lip down at that and he could tell she wanted to laugh. But God forbid she laugh in front of him. Sometimes, she frustrated the hell out of him, even if she wasn’t trying to. He wasn’t sure why but he wanted to make her laugh.

“Did you like the movie?” He asked as they walked out of the movie theater towards her home. He watched as she nodded her head, sweeping her thick chestnut brown hair into a ponytail. He wanted to tell her that he liked when she wore it up for it helped him notice the graceful arch of her neck but if he dared tell her such a thing, she would never wear her hair up again to spite him. He shook his head slightly. Since when in the hell did he notice the arch and the pale, delicate skin of her neck? The only time he had ever noticed her neck was when he wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around it and strangle her till she could speak no more. But now... Now he wished to touch that neck. Just once. He shook his head again. What the hell was the matter with him? This was Olivia and her name alone was supposed to cause bile to rise in his throat. But yet, no bile came. He sighed heavily, scratching his head. He missed Jamie. Yes. That was it. He missed the companionship that his best friend used to offer. But Jamie had always been more than a friend. They had practically been brothers and his absence was clearly driving Ben insane since he was now thinking about how perfectly lovely Olivia’s neck seemed to be.

“It was good,” Olivia said and he could sense a ‘but’ coming on. She didn’t fail him and he couldn’t help but smile. “But, some parts just dragged on.”

“I figured you were getting restless,” Ben commented with a nod of his head. “You kept getting up to go the bathroom.”

“That’s because you bought me a large cherry Coke!” She exclaimed. “My bladder’s the size of a thimble so of course I had to use the bathroom! And some of the parts just seemed to last forever so I didn’t really miss anything.”

He chuckled then grew sober. “But you enjoyed it?”

“Yes,” she said, now looking at him oddly. There was something more behind his words, another meaning she couldn’t decipher. “Why?”

He shrugged, trying to act casual. “I just didn’t mean to ruin the afternoon for you. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I know that,” she said softly. “It’d be impossible for you to have known.” She paused for a moment, wondering if she should say something else. “And believe me. I’ve had worse company than you.”

That made him laugh. “Wow. A compliment from Olivia Grange. Give me a second for my head to wrap around it.”

Olivia smiled and rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a compliment. It was simply a statement. When I compliment you, you’ll know it.”

“I’ll keep my ears open then,” Ben grinned and he almost pumped his fists into the air triumphantly when she laughed, so softly it almost was carried off in the wind but he heard her nonetheless. He now considered his day to be complete. He had heard Olivia laugh and seen her smile plenty of times before but those were results of something that either Toby or Harry had done. He now understood why they tried to get her to laugh or smile all of the time. The realization nearly floored him. She was beautiful when she was relaxed and happy. Of course, Ben had never seen that side of her, mainly because he was Ben Norfolk and in the world of battles and mortal foes, he and Olivia were pitted against one another and were never supposed to switch sides or drop their swords entirely.

Olivia glanced at him then began climbing the stairs to her apartment door. Ben however remained below on the sidewalk and he watched her. God, he clearly needed to be punched in the head severely. Maybe he could get into a bar fight that would knock some sense into him. There was no logical explanation for him to be staring up at Olivia or thinking of ways to get her smile and laugh again. He hated Olivia. He really did. She infuriated him, she aggravated him, she insulted him, and yet, he had spent the afternoon with her instead of calling one of the girls he had stored away in his phone. He was losing it and he wished that it would stop.

“Why do you hate me?” He asked suddenly, resting his foot on the bottom step as if he was about to climb up after her. He didn’t though and only continued staring up at her.

Olivia looked to be as if she was a deer in the headlights. The question clearly made her uncomfortable and everything about her horribly tense body showed that. “You don’t remember what you said to me the first time you met me?” She asked barely in a whisper.

Ben stared at her. “If I remembered, I wouldn’t be asking,” he said, his stomach already sinking to his feet. He honestly didn’t remember saying anything to her. The first thought he had had of her still haunted him though. When they had all met in the park for Jamie to meet Violet’s friends, and Ben had come along because Violet had invited him, he had arrived at the park early and had seen Olivia, also having arrived early. He couldn’t shake the image he had of her that afternoon. She was the most beautiful thing he’d seen in... No. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Of course, when he had tried to flirt with her, she hadn’t fallen for his usual lines and they had gotten into a fight right there. He still thought she was lovely. Just because they didn’t get along didn’t mean he couldn’t admit the truth.

She stared at him and he nearly choked upon seeing tears form in her eyes. She didn’t cry though. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry over his words. “You called me a dyke,” she whispered then without waiting for his reaction, she turned and rushed into her building, closing the door and through the glass, he saw her fly up the stairs to the safety of her apartment.

The words sank in and he remained motionless. He had said such a thing to her? Why had he? He hadn’t even known her that day in the park! And even now, he barely knew her but that hadn’t stopped him from calling her something that obviously hurt her more than he had ever intended. Never had an accusation or a woman’s tears wounded him more than Olivia’s had. He wished that he could follow her but for the life of him, he still found himself unable to move. He would never call her that. He wasn’t the type to just insult a woman because she didn’t fall for his lines. Hell. If he was a girl, he wouldn’t fall for his lines either. But he honestly couldn’t remember calling her such a thing. He thought for a moment that she had made it up but she was a hell of an actress to cry on cue like that. He quickly nixed the idea. Olivia hadn’t been lying. She was too upset to be able to lie so convincingly. She was telling the truth about her reason for loathing him and he swallowed the tightness in his throat. He only disliked her because she disliked him and now... Now, he discovered that it was his fault as to why they weren’t friends.

He sighed heavily. Why did he care? Honestly, he shouldn’t have. So what if he and Olivia didn’t get along? It didn’t matter. They probably wouldn’t have gotten along even if he hadn’t directed such an insult at her. Their personalities were too different. They got along like milk and water. It was an analogy his dad used to use when he was displeased with the way a business relationship was turning out for him. Ben had always nodded his head and agreed though as a small boy, he had had no idea what that was supposed to mean. It was when he became older did he understand that milk and water didn’t mix. His father had explained it to him. Milk and water did mix but not well. It may have blended in together but looks could be deceiving. It was skim milk, Madelyn used to correct her husband but Patrick Norfolk just shook his head and continued with the analogy. He did not prefer skim milk and therefore, watered down milk to him was completely unappealing. At that moment, staring up at Olivia’s building, it was the only thing he could think of. He was milk and she was water or vice versa.

“Damn it, dad,” Ben muttered. He wasn’t making any sense at the moment. Here he was thinking about milk and water and he couldn’t think of any form of an apology to say to Olivia. But did he really want to apology? So, he called her a dyke. They have said so much worse to one another since that first meeting in the park. But she seemed truly the most upset over his first insult and that was what was bothering him and keeping him from thinking straight. He sighed, rubbing his head roughly. “Fuckin’ milk and water,” he mumbled, finally turning away and trudging down the sidewalk back towards the bus stop. Honestly. If his dad was still alive, Ben would have called him and yelled at him for always using an analogy that made absolutely zero sense. He had a headache.

-~-~-~-

It was his mom’s birthday in a week and he had to make sure that the diamond bracelet he bought her would arrive in Scotland on time. Madelyn always spent spring and most of summer in the home that Patrick had bought for his wife in her homeland and she loved living in the highlands, only returning to Chicago in the fall and then flying down to her home in Palm Springs for the winter. She had seen more places than Ben but he didn’t mind. He knew that after his dad died, Madelyn traveled to keep herself from missing him as much as she would have if all she did was sit around and think about him. Patrick and Madelyn had raised Ben in Scotland, for his mother had been born in Edinburgh, up until the age of twelve and he still considered that the best place to live. He always knew that once he grew tired of living in the city and had found a nice girl to marry and have a family with, he would move back to Scotland. It would also put him closer to his mother, who was steadily growing older though she acted nothing like it.

Ben was one of those few people in the country with millions of dollars to his name that actually didn’t have to work a day in his life. His grandparents had started a textile company which his father had turned into something worth multi-millions, also buying a few hotels. When he died, all money was left to his only child, his heir, Ben. The hotels, North Star, were still one of the top chains in the country, run by people his father had hired and which brought in steady money for Ben. But he didn’t live as if he was a millionaire, besides not having a job. He lived in same apartment building that Jamie once had and dressed in nothing but blue jeans and tee shirts and sweatshirts. He owned nothing extravagant except maybe his entertainment system. He hadn’t admitted it to anyone except Jamie but he was saving a lot of his money for the family he wanted to have one day. He wanted to make sure his kids were taken care of. That, and when he met a girl, he didn’t want her to know about the loads of money he had to his name. Girls always acted so differently when they found out just how many zeros he actually had in his bank account.

Patrick Norfolk had bought the engagement ring at The Goldsmith Ltd. on the second floor in Water Tower Place on Michigan Ave. he had given to Madelyn and ever since, the Norfolk family had remained insanely loyal to the jewelry store. Ben had once made the mistake of buying a necklace for his mother at Tiffany and Co. just down the street and she had only smiled and told him that it was lovely. But when Patrick handed her a ring from The Goldsmith Ltd., her entire face had lit up and it was no secret which piece of jewelry she had preferred. Ben had not made the same mistake twice.

After buying the bracelet without batting an eye at the five digit price tag, and giving the jeweler his mom’s address, he left the store with the promise that his mom would receive the birthday gift well before the big day. Walking out into the mall, he stopped so suddenly, it was as if an invisible brick wall appeared in front of him. No fucking way! He almost shouted. What was it? Did she have an invisible honing device on him that let her know where he was at all times and then she would just happen to magically appear there as well? He remained staring in disbelief and shock though when a boy, no older than five years old, rushed up to her and Olivia, laughing, scooped him into her arms. The air rushed from his lungs. Wait a minute. She didn’t have a kid, did she? Surely, he would have noticed such a thing. He would ask her but first things were first. He had to know why she was in Water Tower Place that day of all days.

Olivia groaned as he stalked up to her and he would have smiled if he wouldn’t have been so determined to get answers from her. She bent down and deposited the boy back on his feet and his hand immediately clutched hers.

“What are you doing here?” Olivia asked Ben before he could.

He nearly swore but refrained from doing so in front of the strange boy. “I’m shopping. What are you doing here? And who is he?”

Her eyebrows quirked up and she seemed to be fighting a smile. “Jealous that I’m here with another boy and not you?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he snapped. Damn it! Why was she there? He was still thinking things through and he couldn’t very well apologize to her for insulting her when they first met if he didn’t even have the apology ready to give quite yet. He was still fine-tuning it. But seeing her was not going to help him come up with it faster. If anything, Olivia’s presence only distracted him.

“I’m here with my sister and my brother,” Olivia said and Ben’s eyes widened before looking down at the child, the boy currently grinning a toothy smile up at him. He certainly did look like Olivia.

“Brother?” Ben nearly sputtered. She was twenty-seven and honestly. This boy was exactly that. A boy.

Olivia did smile then, bending down again and picking him up. “This is Sammy,” she said and the boy grinned widely. “After my sister and I moved out of our parent’s house, they suffered from a little empty nest syndrome.” Ben laughed, nodding his head. He supposed it made sense though it was still odd to see such an age different. Olivia very well could have been his mother. As if reading his thoughts, she looked at him. “Don’t you think you would have noticed if I had a son?”

Ben shrugged, staring at her and growing sober. “Maybe you’re just a bad mom.” She rolled her eyes and he smiled. “Isn’t this weird?” He asked. “No matter where either of us are, the other isn’t very far behind.”

She shook her head. “Coincidences. Not exactly the best things to be happening but what can we do?” She asked and he noticed how much more relaxed she was around her brother. She wasn’t staring at him at the moment with such loathsome. “I’ll leave you to your shopping then.”

“Wait!” He exclaimed as she turned to leave. She looked wearily. “Can I buy Sammy a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s?”

“Yes!” Sammy answered immediately, excitedly then looked at Olivia, gleaming with hope. “Please, Livi?”

She smiled with a sigh then looked at Ben. “You don’t have to do this,” she told him.

He shrugged, grinning at Sammy’s enthusiasm. “I was just about to get one for myself anyway.” She still seemed hesitant and he sighed. “One pretzel, Olivia. And then I’ll leave you alone and pray for no more coincidences.”

She opened her mouth to reply, a sarcastic retort he did not doubt, but was interrupted.

“Olivia!” Someone shouted through the crowd.

“Oh,” Olivia said, remembering the missing member of their party. “That’s my sister.”

Ben shook his head slightly. “I’ll buy her a pretzel too.” He watched as the color drained from her face and he turned to see the sister who made Olivia react in such a way. For the second time that day, he left all air leave his body as Sophia Grange walked towards them. To say that she was beautiful was not doing her nearly enough justice. She was spell-binding, perfect, and unbelievably gorgeous. In all of his years, Ben had never seen anyone as nearly beautiful as Sophia. And he had thought Olivia to be beautiful. Oh! How he was wrong! He felt like an ass for thinking it but Olivia was no where near the looks Sophia possessed. He was certain that no girl in the city could hold a candle to her.

“You almost left me, Liv,” Sophia accused, coming up to the trio.

“I’m sorry,” Olivia immediately apologized and Ben almost did a double take. She was soft and quiet now, speaking with such regret in her voice, he almost didn’t recognize her voice. She certainly never spoke to him with such humility before. “This is Ben Norfolk and he offered to buy Sammy a pretzel,” she explained hastily.

Ben puffed his chest out now that she had mentioned him and Sophia stared at him with one eyebrow raised. She seemed unimpressed and he decided to try the oldest trick in his book. “If that’s alright with you, Ms. Grange,” he said with the Scottish accent. He ignored Olivia’s eye roll as she shifted Sammy’s weight in her arms.

“Well, it’s not usually my sister’s habit to pick up absolute strangers,” Sophia said. “Let alone let them near Sammy.”

“Your sister and I know each other. Violet married my best friend, Jamie.”

Sophia seemed surprised at the explanation but it quickly left her eyes and she smiled. “Oh. Of course,” she shook her head, laughing softly. “I knew it should have been something like that. Why would someone like you be speaking with Olivia?”

“What’s...” Olivia began to say but Sophia dismissed her with a wave of her hand. Ben looked at Olivia questionably, ready for her to unleash the fury she couldn’t contain with him but she did nothing. She only looked down at the floor miserably.

“If Olivia has offended you, you must forgive her,” Sophia was already talking again and slipping her arm through Ben’s. “She doesn’t know how to speak with men. I keep telling our parents that they shouldn’t expect grandchildren from her since she’s a dyke but...” she trailed off and Ben had to keep his mouth from hanging open in shock at Olivia’s sister’s words. Sophia didn’t seem to notice though. “I, on the other hand, am quite capable of speaking with men.”

Ben forced himself to nod his head but out of the corner of his eye, he watched Olivia. He had never seen her so sad but Sophia was still going on and on as if she did not notice. And he couldn’t believe that her own sister had called her a dyke. No wonder the insult he had spat at her had hurt her more than any other word exchanged between them. He wanted to apologize to her that very moment but instead, Sophia grabbed his hand and pulled him along. And he couldn’t stop himself from following, leaving Olivia behind.