Chapter 177: They all treat me as their leader
Olivia felt something from the drawing that looked way better than her ordinary caricature.
It was way better and... She was in it. Standing tall.
She looked at the drawing and her face blushed.
"It’s so pretty." She thought out loud.
"Olivia," she heard her Papa say, and raised her head, her face still flushing a bit red. "What’s wrong with your face? Do you have a fever?"
"My face?" She wondered what was wrong but all she could feel was a subtle warmth. Yet, she was sure it wasn’t a fever.
"Hehe, I don’t have a fever." She said and raised her hands for him to lift her up.
He lifted her and started walking towards the car where Noah waited.
"Daddy." She called, excited and Noah took her from Michael.
"How are you, sweetheart?" He asked, kissing her cheek.
"I’m feeling very great."
"Are you sure? You look a little red." He said, and she touched her dough-like cheeks and then giggled.
"Olivia is strong. A fever has nothing on me." Said the four-year-old who had never caught a ’simple’ fever in her life.
"Alright, if you say so." He said and then looked at the cardboard in her hand.
She was holding it so tight. What could it be?
"Let’s hurry and get in Daddy. I have so much to say." She said and Michael folded his arms.
"Does any of that include the PTA meeting you didn’t inform me about?" He asked and Olivia paused, smiling nervously as she innocently shrugged.
"I guess so."
He shook his head and opened the door so Olivia could get into her booster.
Noah took the wheel and Michael sat in the passenger seat.
"Why didn’t you tell me about the PTA meeting?" Michael asked. "Was it because of last time?"
"Well, partially." She answered. "But I planned to let you know, I promise. It just somehow slipped my mind when Daddy came back."
Michael sighed. If she put it that way, how was he supposed to get mad?
Well, he was partially to blame for being an unreliable parent who was quick to lose his temper once his kid was being judged and talked badly about.
"Anyway, how was school today?" Noah asked. "Do your friends at school play with you?"
"More or less." She answered, looking away. "They all treat me as their leader, which is a given, and today was especially fun since I got to talk about Daddy a lot."
"You did, now."
"Yes. And they were all super excited when I told them Daddy was taking me to Disneyland tomorrow. They even asked if I could bring back stuff for them. Well, can you, Daddy?" She asked with eager eyes. "It would be nice if I could give my classmates something from Disneyland since they said they can’t go."
"Well, it’s not a problem. But will their parents be okay with that?" He asked.
"That’s why I told them to ask their parents about it and since on Monday is the PTA where their parents would be present, it wouldn’t be like we gave their children toys behind their back. What do you think?"
"That’s very smart, Liv," Noah said and then turned the wheel, going for a U-turn. "They must really look up to you for them to listen to your words so well."
"Yes, yes. They think I’m the smartest, which I am. I’m so great and they all know it." She boldly claimed.
"Tone down the narcissism, young lady."
"But I can’t help it, Papa." She pressed her hand on her head, looking absolutely charming. "I’m just that awesome. I can’t hide it."
The sparkles flying out of her act pricked Michael’s skin a bit too much and he wondered where his daughter got her narcissism from. It most certainly wasn’t from him.
Noah tittered.
"Yes, Olivia is the greatest and the most awesome as well." He said, causing Michael to smack his arm.
"Don’t encourage her, you." He said but Noah only laughed more.
"My daughter has so much confidence in herself. It’s only right that I clap my hands." He said, meaning he wanted to keep encouraging her no matter what.
Besides, she was a child. They say a child’s belief is like a building block that molds them into whatever they want to become.
"Still, don’t clap too much," Michael said.
Olivia tittered and then looked at the cardboard in her hand. She smiled at the drawing and Michael caught on to it.
"Whatchu got there?" He asked and she raised her head.
"It’s a drawing." She said.
"I saw that little boy hand it over to you," Noah said. "Did he write anything on it?"
Even if Steven said he would never tell his son to do anything and was leaving it all to fate, he couldn’t believe it.
He might’ve told his son to at least approach Olivia. Why else would they be found talking once school was over?
"He didn’t write anything." She said, shaking her head. "It’s weird, right? I can’t understand what he’s trying to tell me because he didn’t write on the cardboard."
She looked at it again. Though she didn’t understand what he was trying to convey, she saw herself as well as several others in the drawing.
"Daddy, what does it mean when a boy draws you?" She suddenly asked and his eyebrows tilted up.
"What?"
"On the cardboard, that boy named Josh drew me. I can’t stop looking at it because he draws so nicely. Even better than me." She said and they observed her from the rearview mirror. The way her cheeks began to flush again like they did earlier. "It’s not a bad thing, right, Papa? Daddy? He was so quiet and everyone says he’s very cute. He doesn’t like to talk and shies away from everyone but he suddenly walked up to me and gave me this. He must’ve been drawing me during art period. But why would he draw me? Why, daddy?"
The series of questions this little girl had, stemmed from the level of curiosity she held, causing both guys at the front to hold their breaths.
That was far too many questions to ask just from sheer curiosity and look at that blush on her cheek.
She was just four years old and yet... She was already having a crush.
It was so evident but neither of them wanted to admit it. Not their little girl. And certainly not towards the sun of that Alpha that was trying to steal her away.
This couldn’t be happening.
The silence went on for a while with both toggling at their thoughts when Michael decided to break the silence, his voice low and a bit mad.
"No," he said, and Olivia blinked.
"No... what, papa?"
"No to all of that," he said firmly. "No wondering why this is that, no blushing, and definitely no talking about how cute he is." he seemed to shudder at how cringe that sounded.
"But—"
"No buts, Liv." Noah suddenly cut in, though his tone was softer. "It’s just a drawing. That’s all." He was gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly for that to sound convincing, but she couldn’t see it and couldn’t tell exactly what these adults were thinking, but she could feel how weird the atmosphere had shifted.
How unyielding they felt.
Olivia pouted, folding her arms as she said,
"You guys are acting weird. I was just asking. My teachers say it’s good to be curious."
Michael turned his head to face her instead of just looking through the rearview mirror, lowering his voice as if about to impart some great, sacred truth.
"Curiosity is fine, honey... about animals, space, dinosaurs, toys..."
"And art," Olivia quickly added, forcing Michael to nod.
"...and art," he said, "But not about boys who draw you and make you blush."
"I wasn’t blushing, though," she protested, naively, but her cheeks somehow ended up getting even pinker.
If that wasn’t a blush then what was that?
Or did she just not realize it yet?
Noah exhaled slowly, a faint growl rumbling in his throat.
"Sweetheart, some boys... they draw for all sorts of reasons. Maybe he was just practicing." He said.
Olivia tilted her head.
"Then why didn’t he draw anyone else?"
Both men froze.
Michael’s eyes quickly narrowed as he smelled a rat.
"He didn’t?" He asked.
"Nope. Just me." she said matter-of-factly, "He was by himself the whole time and only approached me after school was over, so it had to be only me. Now that I think of it, doesn’t that mean I’m kind of special?" She grinned proudly.
Michael turned to Noah, his expression speaking louder than the words he couldn’t say out loud. ’Do you hear this?’
Noah’s jaw ticked and he ground his teeth in dismay, saying the most unbelievable thing next.
"We’re burning it."
"We’re not burning it!" Olivia gasped, immediately clutching the cardboard to her chest.
"Fine," Michael said, "Then why don’t we just put it away?"
"No, it’s mine to keep." Olivia declared, as if waging war against both of them and Michael, realizing how absurd this was, sank back in his seat, muttering under his breath,
"She’s only four. Four," he exclaimed loudly. "And that boy..."
"Is probably five already." Noah finished flatly.
"That’s not the point!" Michael groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"Can’t you just think of it that he saw my brilliance and that’s why he decided to draw only me?" Olivia suddenly asked and they both turned to her. "I’m that great, Papa."
Ha, right. They could just think of it like that but that did not answer every other response from her. That blush and that warm light around her as she looked at the drawing... It was definitely a declaration of war.
Neither of them said it aloud, but they were sure nothing good would come from their baby girl having a crush on the enemy’s son so early in life.
It all felt so unreal. Ah, how did they get to this point already?
