Tragedy befalls Olivia
Shayne:
Honestly, my first reaction was to freak the fuck out. What else could I do when the fireman calls telling me there was a fire in her building? I left my apartment and went to pick up Olivia. I don't know how but I make it to her place in record time for a winter day in Los Angeles. As soon as my eyes meet her, taking in the image of my pint-size coworker wrapped in a cheap blanket, I feel terrible for her but also grateful she's unharmed. I take Olivia in my arms, squeezing her tight to my chest. She lets herself be engulfed by my embrace and shivers.
"Are you hurt? What happened?" I ask with my hands on her shoulders.
I noticed that she doesn't have an ounce of makeup on her lovely face, and her dark hair is in a messy ponytail, wisps of hair carried by the wind.
"Miss Roberts, the lady from 4B was boiling water for tea, apparently, she forgot about it and fell asleep, no one was seriously hurt, but there's water everywhere and they need to check the building" Olivia said shivering again.
"Since I live on the third floor, I can't even go inside and I need to spend the night somewhere else" She said tightening the blanket around herself.
"I'm freezing, Shayne" She says.
Not only is her face bare, but also her legs. She's wearing an oversized white sweatshirt, that looks warm but it's not nearly enough for the weather. The problem is with her shorts and the canvas sneakers, clearly not something she'd use to go outside.
"Come on, I'll drive you to my place" I said.
I know she would've ended up in Courtney or Boze's apartment hadn't someone been able to go to her, but I'd like to offer her some comfort. It might sound selfish but I'm kinda glad the fireman called me first. She might be one of the strongest people I know, but she's also sensitive, and anyone would feel vulnerable under such circumstances. It's a forty-minute ride to my place and Olivia has now wrapped the blanket around her legs while my jacket dwarfs her. She looks miserable and I don't know what to do to make it better. I promised to order take-out so she can have a warm meal, but the thing is that my place is pretty tiny and I have Damien already taking up space as my roommate.
"Hey, Olivia" Damien says as soon as we enter the apartment.
I texted him earlier to let Damien know what had happened.
"I ordered Chinese, hope it's okay?" He says.
Olivia smiles shyly at Damien.
"It's fine, thank you" She says.
She turns to look at me.
"May I take a shower? I smell like smoke and feel dirty" Olivia says.
Shoving my hands in the pockets of my jeans, I try not to smile, trying not to worry about what she'll think about the shared bathroom, the cheap shampoo and the woodsy smell of my shower gel.
"Sure" I said.
She smiles weakly as she sheds off her sneakers and rushes to my room.
"Shayne–" Damien says.
"You don't have a problem with her staying over, right?" I ask.
