Destined for the Star (Starstruck) (8 page)

”You didn’t ask?! You didn’t fuck him and you didn’t find out the most basic things about him? Really Olivia, you can be so odd sometimes. What did the two of you do all night then?”

”Shut up, like you promised you would, and I’ll tell you.”

”Fine. ’I don’t know how old he is’,” Sasha mocked her.

Olivia stuck out her tongue at her.

”He took me to Roslunda’s castle. And you’ll never believe this, but he had rented the whole restaurant, just for the two of us. It was so beautiful, I can’t even describe it, and so romantic. There was even a man playing for us on the grand piano.”

”You’re bullshitting me now, aren’t you?” Sasha said, eyes like narrow slits.

”No, it’s true. I know it sounds really cheesy, doesn’t it? But it wasn’t, not to me at least. It felt sincere, I think he really wanted to make me happy.”

”And still you held out on the poor guy. How cruel of you, Liv, after all that effort.”

”Shut up. It wasn’t like that at all. If he’d asked me to stay the night with him or whatever, I probably would have,” she confessed. ”I’ve never felt like this about anyone, ever, Sasha. I want him so much it hurts.”
 

”Huh.” Sasha seemed momentarily at a loss for words. From experience, Olivia knew it wouldn’t last long and quickly finished.
 

”Dinner was amazing and after that we went for a walk in the park.”

”In the dark?” Sasha asked, skepticism thick in her voice.

”Actually, no.” Olivia squirmed a little under Sasha’s scrutiny. ”He had arranged for lanterns to be hung from the trees.”

”Get out of here! This dude is either too good to be true, or else he’s a serial killer.”

”No!” Olivia protested. ”Don’t be gross. He’s not a psycho. He might be too good to be true, but he’s a good guy, I can feel it.”

”Aha?” Sasha cocked a doubtful eyebrow in her direction. ”So, dish, did you two kiss or what?”

Suddenly Olivia felt reluctant to tell her anything more. She realized she didn’t want to share the magical details of last night, with anyone. The memories were hers - they felt sacred somehow.
 

”We’re going to Skype each other while he’s gone,” she said instead.

”But you suck at everything computer related,” Sasha pointed out. ”Do you even know how to Skype?”

”No, I know that, but the twins will help me. I think they liked Nate.”

”Did they meet him?!” Sasha sounded more than a little envious. She was a curious person, and would no doubt have loved to check Nate out for herself.

”Yes, he came in a cab to pick me up for dinner. That’s when he met them. I wasn’t ready when he came - I was late as usual, you know.”

”So, what did they think of him?”

”I haven’t really had the chance to ask them, yet. But they seemed pleased this morning, when I told them he’s coming back in a few weeks. So I guess that must mean they liked him, right?”

”Guess so,” Sasha conceded, still a little stunned it seemed. ”This guy really is something else. He actually took a cab all the way out to your place to pick you up? I thought stuff like that only happened in the movies.” Her voice trailed off in wonder. ”What did you say his name was?”

”Nate.”

”Yeah, I know, but his last name?”

”Montgomery.”

”Nate Montgomery. You know, that sounds familiar somehow, but I can’t place it.”

”You’re probably thinking of my mom’s favorite actor, Montgomery Clift. You remember? She made us watch ’From here to eternity’ with her once.”

”Yeah, I remember. That’s the movie where they roll around on the beach kissing, right?”

”Yes, although that’s not Montgomery Clift, that’s Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.”

”Okay, whatever. It’s in black and white so I don’t really care. I need color to get my juices flowing, you know.” Sasha winked at Olivia, who laughed. ”But I don’t think that’s why it sounds familiar to me. I just can’t think of where I’ve heard his name before.” She was interrupted by a knock on the still locked front door and went to open. It was a flower delivery guy with a huge bouquet of gorgeous red roses in a crystal vase.

”Is there an Olivia Berg here?”
 

”Yes, right over there,” Sasha answered with a flirtatious smile for the young delivery guy who looked momentarily flustered and then smiled back at her.
 

Olivia just stood there, trying to understand who would send her such an enormous arrangement on an ordinary Wednesday. The delivery guy put the vase down on the table beside her and said his goodbyes after unsuccessfully having tried to get Sasha’s phone number. She liked to flirt but seldom took it further than that.
 

”Let me see the card,” Sasha ordered and snatched it from the bouquet. Olivia was still too taken aback to stop her.

”I knew it!” Sasha exclaimed. ”It’s from the gorgeous piece of ass! Wow! He must really be into you, Liv.”

That made Olivia snap out of her stupor.
 

”Give it to me, you nosy witch!”

Sasha laughed and handed her the card.

Olivia’s hands trembled as she read the card.
 

Sweet Olivia,
 

Thank you for last night. Please don’t let some handsome Viking sweep you off your feet until I have the chance to return…
 

Nate

Her eyes clouded with tears as she looked up at Sasha.
 

”Oh, sweetie, you have it bad, don’t you?” Sasha pulled Olivia into her arms. ”At least the poor guy seems to be as pathetically taken with you as you are with him.”

”Pathetic, huh?” Olivia giggled through her tears.
 

”Yep. Pathetic is what it is. Come on, let’s open shop!”
 

* * *

When Olivia came home from work that day, she felt dead on her feet. She put the roses on the desk in her room, smiling to herself as she did so and then she collapsed on the couch next to Lukas. He was channel surfing mindlessly. Markus was at a friend’s house and wouldn’t be home for dinner.

”Tired, Sis?” Lukas asked with a grin.

”Not you too, Lukas!” she groaned. ”I know I was out all night, but I did not sleep with him! God, I’m surrounded by people with dirty minds.”

”Whoa, too much information, Sis!” Lukas pretended to cover his ears in disgust. ”I do not want to know what you’re doing, or, for that matter, when you’re doing it, thank you very much. But did you have a good time?”

She looked over at him and smiled.

”It was… amazing. He’s amazing, Lukas, he really is.”

”Yeah, he seemed all right. A bit too American for my tastes, perhaps, but what can you do?”

She play-slapped him over the head.

”Don’t you go hating on them Americans. They’re not all bad. Some of them are apparently quite nice, or so I’ve heard.”

”Sure, sure,” he grinned. ”Especially those that are tall and handsome, and go by the name of Nate, right?”
 

She threw a pillow at him. He ducked.

”But seriously though, he’s American. How is that going to work out? There’s an entire ocean between the two of you.”

”I know, Lukas, I know.” She sighed. ”I don’t see how this could work out, not the way I would like it to, at least. He can’t move here, he has his business over there. And I can’t move there.”

”Why not?”

She looked at him, as if the answer were obvious.

”You and Markus are here. I will never leave you.”

”Oh, come on, Liv, we’ll turn eighteen in February.
We
might leave
you
then! You can’t stick around here forever just for us. That’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to us either. Surely you can see that?”

”I’m not leaving you until you’re really ready to be on your own,” she insisted. He opened his mouth as if to protest but she cut him off. ”Besides, it’s not just because of you I live here. I have my whole life here, too. My job, my friends…” she trailed off.

”Your job? You can get that kind of work anywhere. You’re a good waitress - you could get a job in any restaurant you want, if that is how you want to spend your life.”

”You know what I want to do with my life, Lukas. But it’s not really up to me, is it? I may never be good enough at it to succeed,” she said quietly.

”You will be a writer one day, I know it,” he said with conviction. ”Any day now they’ll call and tell you they want to publish your novel. I know they will, Liv. It’s just a matter of time.”

”Thanks, sweetie.” She kissed the top of his head and couldn’t resist ruffling his gleaming dark locks.

”But writing is something you could do anywhere in the world. If this guy turns out to be the one for you, then you should go for it, Sis. You really should. Or else you might regret it for the rest of your life, you know.”

”Sure, sure.” She borrowed his favorite expression.

”I’m serious, Liv.” He gave her a stern look. ”You and I and Markus have been through enough to know that true love and happiness is hard to find, and if you’re lucky enough to find that, you don’t let go. You fight for it.”

”Don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of things now?” she asked. ”I only just met the guy yesterday, you know. I’ve been to dinner with him once. It’s not love.” Not yet anyway, she amended to herself.

”Sure, sure,” Lukas condescended, ”whatever you say, Sis. But I saw the way that dude looked at you. He’s a goner. For sure.”

She blushed at that, secretly thrilled to hear it, but she tried to dampen her own expectations. If he felt anything at all for her, it was too good to be true. Demigods like Nate simply did not fall for regular girls like her. It just didn’t happen.

Suddenly her phone buzzed. She had gotten a text message. She took out her phone with trembling fingers, trying to tell herself it was probably just Sasha. But it wasn’t. It was from Nate.

Just touched down in Chicago. Waiting for my connecting flight. Miss you painfully much. Can I call you as soon as I land, even if it’s early in the morning your time? N.

She replied right away.

Yes, please do, doesn’t matter what time it is. I miss you too, so very much. Thank you for the beautiful flowers. They made my day much more bearable. Olivia.

Glad to hear it, sweetheart. Wish I could have sent myself instead of just flowers though. Sleep tight, and dream beautiful dreams, preferably about me… N.

She didn’t know how to reply to that, so she didn’t.

”It’s from him, isn’t it?” Lukas asked with a grin.

”Yeah,” she said, unable to stop smiling.

”I can tell, you’re glowing. Sparkling, even. You really like the guy, don’t you?”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
 

”Yes, I’m afraid I really, really like him,” she whispered.

Chapter 6

She fell asleep that night, after having read his texts what seemed like a thousand times, with a smile still on her face. She was awakened by her phone ringing. Immediately she leapt for it and answered, almost in her sleep.
 

”Hello,” she said in English, not even a thought that it was anyone but Nate calling.

The voice on the other end sent shivers down her whole body - it was so gorgeously masculine and sexy. She would never tire of hearing it.
 

”Olivia,” he said her name like a caress, ”I’m so sorry to wake you. I just couldn’t contain myself. I’m in the car home from the airport. Is this really okay, or do you want to go back to sleep?”

”No!” she croaked. ”No, I don’t want to sleep, I want to talk to you.” She hesitated for a second but she couldn’t keep it in, ”I miss you so much, Nate,” she whispered, feeling so shy and vulnerable at once.

”Oh baby,” came his tender voice from across the Atlantic. ”I miss you too, more than I know how to express. This is torture, being so far away from you.”

”I know,” she said, wishing more than anything that she could reach out and touch him. She tried to shake the intense longing she felt for him, and bring the conversation to safer ground.
 

”So, how was your flight?” she finally asked.

”Long and torturous,” he said. ”You have bewitched me, Olivia. I couldn’t think of anything but you, the whole way across the Atlantic. Right now, I can’t even remember what I’m doing back here. Why am I not in Stockholm, with you?”

”You have important business to attend to,” she smiled, so happy she felt like exploding that he seemed to miss her as much as she missed him.
 

”Business-schmissness,” he snorted dismissively.

She laughed.

”Have I told you I adore your laughter?” he asked then.

”No,” she smiled.

”Well, I guess it’s really self-evident since I adore absolutely everything about you.”

She blushed and didn’t know how to reply to that.

”Olivia?” he finally prompted. ”Did you go back to sleep?” he teased.
 

”No,” she said, ”I was just thinking how you’re too good to be true.”

”Hardly,” he snorted.
 

”You know, Sasha thinks you’re either that or a serial killer,” she teased.

”Really? How perceptive of her,” he teased back. ”But I only care what you think, Olivia.”

”I think you are too good to be true, but I’m pretending not to notice, lest some higher power realizes her mistake and takes you back.”

”Hm, clever girl,” he said, laughter in his voice. ”Well, I
know
you’re way too good to be true and that I’m completely undeserving of you, but I’m so selfish I’m claiming you for mine, anyway.”

She giggled.

”Nate, it’s impossible to be too good for you, and especially for me to be too good for you. Surely you’ve noticed how ordinary I am and how extraordinary you are? Or don’t they have mirrors in Oklahoma?”

”Ha!” he exclaimed. ”You really have no idea who you are, do you?” He sounded incredulous.

”On the contrary, I think I have a very realistic self-image,” she retorted.

”Do you really see yourself as ordinary, or are you just playing with me?” he asked then, suddenly serious.

She grew quiet.