Chapter 1
2165 Words
Linda
Good luck with your audition.
I think for the first time after a very long time, and I meant a very long time, I could hear the sincerity in James’ mouth. I knew he cared but every time he wished me luck; I couldn’t sense the honesty in his tone. Ever since his family was ripped away from him…no, all because his precious dream was stolen from him.
Everything changed after he found himself a woman. The woman who was so precious to him. Irreplaceable. She was like a jewel he found in his dark world. An angel.
Evangeline Ramsey. When I met her for the first time, I thought, wow, really James? A girl so pure like her? So pure I thought only her could handle my cousin. His nasty attitude and I suppose…his s****l desire. Maybe I was too blunt about my cousin’s s****l activities but I could tell he was really active. Not with Eva. Maybe his buddy became overreactive with Eva.
Right after my short meet-up with James, I went straight to the airport. I had a very important audition tomorrow. I took Dad’s jet and flew back to Netherlands. If I got the role, I might be not be able to make it to Cathy’s wedding. I felt bad because I couldn’t be on my best friend’s big day. I wanted to be her bridesmaid and I was so looking forward to it. I told her everything and all the consequences and I was thinking to ask the Director to let me attend her wedding.
But Cathy was so Cathy.
Don’t worry about me, Linda. Knowing that you got the role and you are one step closer to your dream will make me so happy.
I was shocked. Like, literally. I knew Cathy would never push anyone to follow what she wanted. Specifically, about my dream. She was always like that. So concerned about other people and even though she was disappointed, she wouldn’t force me to throw away the chance I had to make my dream come true just so I could be at her wedding. She wouldn’t let me. If I wasted this chance, she would get mad at me. I wanted to attend her wedding. I really do. I was on a dilemma before I talked to her. One part of me was hoping that I would get the role, but some part of me which I could say the comfort zone of mine told me to abandon the chance because I could get another one. Really, Lin?
After a long ride, I finally reached Amsterdam. I got out of the jet and saw Oliver; Dad’s driver was already waiting for me, wearing his grey suit. His hands clapped in front of him. Honestly, he looked like a bodyguard more than just a driver. I approached him. His dirty blond washed by the wind. s**t, he looked yummy. He tilted a smile. “Welcome home, Linda.”
“I’m home.” He opened the X7’s door and I jumped in. He entered his door and drove us home. It was almost night so I had to prepare really quickly for tomorrow’s audition. I’d practiced before when I was in New York. I was thinking that I should be fine but hey? A little practice wouldn’t hurt, right? I didn’t know what would happen tomorrow and if I was not lucky, maybe there was someone better than me.
Oliver stopped the car and he helped me grab all my luggage. “Thanks, Liv,” I said.
“My pleasure, Lin.” And he took off to the door. Cold, as usual. Oliver had worked with our family for seven years. He was eight years older than me and we became best buddies ever since we moved to Netherlands. He was quite handsome for a driver’s standard. He didn’t bother to go to university because he thought he didn’t need it. His father was my dad’s senior back in their university days and when he heard Oliver’s dad got fired from the company he used to work for because it went into bankruptcy, Dad couldn’t hold himself to help him and his family. Thinking Oliver’s family was in Dad’s debt, he stepped up and told him that he would work for Dad to pay off what he had given to his family. I remembered he came to our house at night when we were having dinner. He even freaking bowed to Dad, something that not even Dad was accustomed to no matter how high his position was. Oliver begged him to hire him as…anything in our house. Anything Dad desired. He was so damn lucky to have Dad as his boss. I meant, if he had no idea, he could be a slave ready to be sold anywhere.
One thing that I understood from Oliver that night was how naïve he was. He couldn’t always think everyone who helped him was truly there to help him. Maybe they helped because they wanted something. Oh, well. But thanks to Dad, I had someone I could talk to. When I moved here for the first time, I didn’t really have any friends and I couldn’t speak their language very well. They could speak English and they helped me learn their mother tongue too. Oliver was there to help me. He was such a genius and he learned Dutch before so he taught me. Although my accent was still terrible as s**t.
“Jake was screaming first thing in the morning when he remembered you’re coming home today,” Oliver informed. I rolled my eyes. Seriously, Dad?
“He’s always exaggerating on everything. I’m twenty-three. I can take care of myself,” I countered.
He chuckled. “I guess with his state, he won’t leave you alone until you reach your fifties.”
“Ew, f**k no.”
“Language, Lin,” he scolded.
“Oh, shut up. I can do whatever I want with my freaking mouth. It’s mine and you don’t have any right to shut me up.”
“Well, I’m just saying to be careful with your freaking mouth because maybe one day, that freaking mouth of yours could be your downfall and you have no one to blame except yourself. And you will come crying to me,” he advised. I knew that. This was one of my habits that sometimes I was trying to change. It was just hard. Holding back my damn mouth was quite difficult. I liked to be straightforward. This was who I was. I was not embarrassed by who I truly was. I didn’t mind having a lot of haters because I was being authentic. Haters could go f**k themselves. I might hurt them but I wouldn’t tell lies. Let them be hurt with the truth than lies. And if I liked certain people, I would stick around. If I didn’t, I could kiss my ass goodbye.
Oliver patted my head as I glanced at him. He warmly smiled at me and I could feel my cheeks warm up. “Come on. Your parents are waiting for you,” he said and I nodded. I was aware of how handsome Oliver was. His dirty blond hair. A pair of light brown eyes. He was such a beautiful creature I’d ever seen besides James and Ricardo. I remembered every time he took me to the university and picked me up, people would easily mistake him as my boyfriend. I didn’t really mind though. Because in that way, guys wouldn’t chase me. I didn’t want them anyway.
I wanted…him.
Always him and it would always be him.
I followed Oliver to the house. As he said, my parents were standing near the stairs and their eyes were on me instantly. They smiled and Dad immediately approached me. Mentally counted down in my head but before he could touch me, I walked past him and went to Mom. “Hi, Mom!”
“Hello, sweetheart! Welcome home.” She hugged me tightly and lovingly. Smelling her favorite Chanel perfume.
“Hey! What is wrong with you? Why you walked away like that from your own father?” Dad whined. Like a baby, like he always be.
I let my mother go and turned to him. “Maybe if you start to change your behavior toward me, I wouldn’t walk away from you. Stop treating me like a baby.”
“What are you saying? You will always be my baby daughter,” he reasoned and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes on me, little lady.”
“Whatever,” I scoffed. Mom giggled at our silly conversation.
“Come on, honey. Linda is tired after a long flight. Give her a break,” she said. “Thank you for taking her home safely, Oliver. You should get some rest too.”
“I’m fine, ma’am. As long Linda is safe, nothing else matters,” he replied robotically. Honestly, it gave me a creep when he did that. He was so normal when he was with me. Only with Mom and Dad, he was being like…that.
“Oh, stop being so stuffy and relax a little bit. I’m not my husband.” And Mom was aware of that too.
“What does that mean?” Dad whined again.
Mom was right. In front of them, Oliver was so rigid like he had just worked here for the first time. Maybe because he saw them as his boss while I was just his boss’ daughter. He respected me too but he treated me differently from my parents. Not that I wanted him to bow his head to me. I might puke if he did.
Leaving my parents and driver alone, I walked ahead to my room. As I entered, I quickly ran to my bed and slumped my body. I was freaking tired but I couldn’t rest now. I needed to practice again. It only took five minutes before I pushed myself from the comfortable bed again. I took the script from my bag and read the words again. I intended to start my role when I heard knocks on the door. “Yes?”
Oliver stepped in with my luggage. Right, I forgot about them. “You’re going to practice again?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to screw up tomorrow,” I replied as he put my bags beside my bed. He looked at me for a moment and then he sat on the bed next to me.
“You know, I can help if you ask me.”
What? “Sorry?”
He gently took the script from me and read it. I examined him as he carefully read the script. “Um, Oli—”
“So, basically… It’s about a girl who falls in love with a guy but he’s in love with another girl, correct?” he summed up the story quickly.
“Yeah.”
He smirked and stared at me. “The role suits you perfectly, isn’t it? Were you thinking about Jason while practicing?” Oh, f**k. Yes, Oliver was one of few people who knew about my feelings for Jason. I told him before because I didn’t have anyone to talk to about Jason.
“I can’t lie about that because it helps me a lot to understand the role’s feeling and to tune with her.”
“I understand. Well, your mom told me to get rest and you, unfortunately, don’t have any partner, I can help you.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all. Come on. Don’t waste any more time. And don’t look down on me. I might be just a driver but I love movies and I’m very strict reviewing those movies. I know how to act too,” he said so proudly.
I smiled “All right then.” But before we could start, my phone rang. I took it out of my purse and saw a message from Cathy.
Hey, babe! How’s your trip home? I miss you already.
Tomorrow is your big day. I know you can do it but do your best too, okay? You have my support. Ricardo also wishes you the best.
Love you
I smiled at her message. It might be short but it meant a lot to me. Knowing that I had a friend who cheered and supported me. I wouldn’t let her down. I had to pass this audition.
“Jason?” Oliver asked.
“Nope, Cathy.”
“Ah, I see.”
I quickly texted her back.
Hey, babe! It was exhausting but I’m okay!
I’m practicing with Oliver now, said he’s going to help me.
I’ll do my best tomorrow and I will let you know the result.
Stay tuned for good news, hon. Love you too!
I put the phone on the nightstand and turned to Oliver.
“Let’s begin.”
- Writer
