you belong with me - Olivia Rodrigo

mac n cheese

I sit next to Olivia at the dining table, my mom sitting across Olivia, and David's seat is across from me. He carries the pots of food to the table and sets it down in front of us. He made roast chicken with mac and cheese. I was impressed. It looked and smelled really good.

David sits down and we start to dig in. I take my first bite of the mac n cheese and my eyes widen. Still doesn't beat Jennifer's lasagna but honestly David should just move in. This man can cook. I watch my mom take her first bite and her reaction is almost the same as mine. Olivia gives her nod of approval.

"David! This is amazing. Where did you learn how to cook?" Mom asks

"Yeah can you cook for us everyday?" I joke, Olivia laughs but my mom gives me a warning look

David chuckles, "My mom taught me. She loved to cook and I would just watch her as a kid"

The list of green flags just keeps growing: tall, handsome, my moms age, can cook, good relationship with his mom

The rest of the dinner goes well, with all of us conversing and sharing laughs. I ate so much of the Mac n cheese that I felt so bloated. As part of tradition, Olivia and I volunteer to do the dishes while David and my mom continue their conversations in the living room.

After the last dish, Olivia and I head back to my room. I lay flat on the bed holding my stomach, "I think I ate way too much, I feel like I'm gonna explode" I groan

Olivia settles down next to me, smiling, "Yeah that Mac n cheese was so good"

"I swear, my mom better marry him"

Olivia lays down on her back next to me. She turns her head to face me and I do the same, "So what do we do now?"

"Wanna go to the park?"

--

I take her hand, leading her to my bike parked on the side of my front yard. "Let's go on my bike," I say with a cheeky smile.

"Pfft, you just want me to wrap my arms around you," she rolls her eyes playfully.

"Don't act like you don't love it" I reply jokingly. She laughs in response.

She's not wrong, though.

We hop on the bike, with Olivia wrapping her arms around me. The streets are relatively quiet, and the sun was blasting on us, but it was balanced with the wind blowing on us.

Despite eating so much for dinner, Olivia and I decide to get some ice cream. Always room for dessert. Olivia seems excited about the choice, and we make our way there on my bike, laughter filling the air as we chat along the way. It was the perfect day for ice cream.

Once at the ice cream parlour, we stand in front of the display, the server ready for us to order. I recall the list of basic things about Olivia that she wrote for me in English class a while ago. Her favourite ice cream flavour is strawberry.

I turn towards the young worker, "Can I get a cookies and cream cup?" I gesture to Olivia, "And a strawberry cup for her, please."

I hand the server the money, and he starts making our orders. Olivia turns to me with an impressed face, "Wow, you remember my favourite flavour?"

I give her a playful wink. "Aren't I the best girlfriend ever?".

Little does she know, I have that list next to my bed, and I've gone through it more times than I can count.

When our orders are ready, we grab our ice cream cups and head outside. We find a cozy spot in a nearby park to enjoy our treats. We settle on a bench, overlooking the park, trying each other's ice cream and arguing about whose is better.

"Cookies and cream is clearly superior" I argue

"Yeah, if you're a child, maybe," she counters with a playful smirk.

I gasp, exaggerating my offended expression, "Strawberry is so pretentious. Strawberry lovers just think they're better than everyone else."

"Because they are!" she laughs, and I join in.

"Chocolate is overrated," we both say simultaneously, bursting into laughter and giving each other a high five.

I glance around the park, and my heart skips a beat when I spot my dad sitting on the grass. He's chatting and laughing along with another woman, and two kids. One of the kids was a baby. My face drops and I go quiet.

"Are you okay?" Olivia notices the change in my expression.

"That's my dad," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly.

It's the first time I've seen my dad with his new family since my parents divorced, and it feels strange. I suddenly understand how my mom must've felt that night she saw him at the diner. It hurt a lot more than I expected it to.

Olivia places a comforting hand on my arm, "Do you want to leave?"

I nod, grateful for her understanding. We toss our ice cream cups and start walking away from the park, the scene I just witnessed lingering in my mind.

--

We arrive home. As we step inside, I catch a glimpse of my mom chatting and laughing with David in the living room. They seem genuinely happy, and a part of me feels relieved seeing my mom content after all these years.

"I think Mom's doing okay," I mutter to Olivia, trying to reassure myself.

"Yeah, she looks happy," Olivia affirms with a gentle smile.

But the encounter with my dad lingers in my mind, casting a shadow over the rest of the evening. I contemplate telling my mom about it, but seeing her joyful with David makes me hesitant. It's complicated.

Olivia notices my subdued demeanour and takes the lead. "Come on, I don't like seeing my baby sad."

She doesn't wait for a response, pulling me gently toward my room. She grabs my laptop and sits on the bed, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Movie night?"

Before I can answer, she's already scrolling through the endless movie options. She starts playing Mean girls. For the rest of the night, we watch the movie with Olivia cuddling me. She doesn't ask any questions or force me to talk.

When the movie ends, I look at her and she's sleeping peacefully in my arms.  I carefully shift her so I could pull the blanket over us. I move closer to her, and close my eyes, feeling grateful to have Olivia.