There was a knock on Olivia's door and before she opened it, she heard Augustus call out her name.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Olivia, are you awake already?" Augustus was in front of her bedroom door holding her breakfast in a tray. Jane asked him to take it to Olivia as she can't afford to make her have her tantrums on that morning. She seem to have noticed that Olivia seem to have change when she met Augustus.
The tray that Augustua was holding contained sunny side up, a slice bread, and an apple with a glass of pineapple juice.
"Come in please," Olivia instructed him, "please put my breakfast in my study table and take a seat" Olivia slowly got up from her bed.
"Can you manage already?" Augustus was worried since yesterday's event of which Olivia fainted seem to concern him a little bit.
"Yes, I can. I think it wasn't that serious. I told you why it happened," Olivia lowered his face. She wanted to tel him once again that it was all because of him but she was shy and she doesn't want to be laughed at again.
"I guess so," replied Augustus. "Please take your breakfast now. I'll be heading out since I have a lot more to do at your mothers garden."
Augustus almost closed the door when Olivia's tiny hand caught his own while holding the door knob.
"Wait!" Olivia exclaimed, "may I help you later?"
"Sure, why not?" Augustus replied, "but be sure to wear comfortable clothes that suits for gardening, okay?"
Then, Olivia pushed him and closed the door. Ahe hurriedly ate hee breakfast and immediately went to the bathroom to take a bath. She was extremely happy even with just the thought that Augustus agreed that she will be helping him. She wore her new pair of pink jerseys she saw from one of the malls they have went to before they came to Bukidnon. Her mother bought it after she fitted it.
As soon as ahe finished fixing herself, she hurriedly went to her parents room to ask permission for helping their gardeners in her mothers garden.
She knock at her parents bedroom door and was called in.
"What is it this time Olivia?" her father asked in an irritated tone since he was used to her demanding manner in when she wants to have something.
"Hey, stop it this time Max. Olivia seem to be in a good mood this morning." Madam Odette told Don Maximus. "What is it this time honey?" She added as she faced Olivia and brushing the side of her curly hair.
"I just want to ask permission if I may help Mang Berto in the gardening. I want to know how to plant flowers Mom," Olivia pleaded to her mom so she might be permitted to do so.
"And what has gotten in to you young lady?" Olivia's father asked her trying to be suspicious. He could not imagine that after almost a month of staying in their rest house, Olivia came to this day to be so different and full of life like she never had any tantrums or indifference at all for the past few days.
"I just wanted to learn how to groom flowers dad. I want mom to be proud of me so I may also be able to nurture he passion when I grow up." She proudly answered Don Maximus while hiding her true motive for it. She was just extremely happy that when her father nodded in affirmation, she went to the door happily.
But before she opened the door, Madam Odette spoke, "Just be careful out there honey. Avoid staying in the sun for quite too long."
"Okay mom, I will I promise." Olivia replied.
"And if you need anything, just ask for Augustus help. He is Mang Berto's son. I guess you already know him, don't you?" Madam Odette asked Olivia.
"Ofcourse mom, I always saw him at my balcony." Her eyes were so alive and exposes happiness which her mom did not notice that much as she turn around and opened the door and left.
Olivia went back to her room to get he cap and shawl to protect herself from the sun. She was so excited and happy until she heard a loud laughter from outside. She went to the door to her balcony and peeped. She heard the laughter again and this time she heard Augusta laugh out loud.
She saw Kristina at a point when she laughed and run after Augustus who seem to be teasing her. They keep running around the fountain until Kristina caught Augustus shirt. She immediately grabbed him and hugged him tight.
Olivia saw everything.
She went hurriedly and eavesdropped on Kristina and Augustus. She could not hear clearly what they where talking about but she was hurt with the sight od them.
Tears came falling from her eyes and she couldn't understand her feelings.
Unable to define her feelings at the moment her feet carried her. She kept running without knowing where she was heading.
Kristina saw Olivia running from the corner of her eyes. So she tried herself not to look on her direction. She was making an effort to not be distracted by Olivia's action since ahe was having fun with Augustus at that moment.
Augustus heard the leaves scattering sound caused by a pair of running feet. She looked on the direction of their sound but before she could look, Kristina grabbed his hand and walk towards one of the benches near the fountain just upfront of the rest house. Kristina offered her a cool juice drink which he drunk at one shot.
When he gave back the glass to Kristina, he looked again to the figure running who was about fifty meters away from them. He saw Olivia and he just wondered why she waa running.
Augustus was worried but he cannot run forth to Olivia since he was afraid that she might be in her tantrums and he might add up to her state of mind foe that instance.
"August, what are you looking at?" Kristina asked.
"I think I saw little Lily running," he replied with a worried look.
"Don't mind her please. She might be having her tantrums again." She pleaded and trying not to show too much of her irritated feeling towards Olivia.
"I'm just a little worried. She asked me this morning if she may help me in gardening. I'm just wondering where she's heading right now."
"You don't have to worry about her. She has her parents to worry for her." Kristina was feeling more agitated when she found Augustus worried eyes.
"Well, she's still a kid and needs a lot of guidance. I'm just worried since she is not familiar of their whole ranch." He was still looking at the fading figure of Olivia while she was still on the run.
"But you don't have to be that much worried of her. She will come home later, I know that." The thought of Olivia was already getting in her nerves. "We are having fun, we son't have to be messed up by her attitude. She's just a spoiled brat, you know."
"Don't say that. You don't know her that much." Augustus was defending Olivia from Kristina's harsh description of her.
"Oh! So you mean to say you know her that much already?" Kristina's voice was already in a higher tone as if her angry self was ignited. "Come on August, have you talked to that spoiled child already? As if your a hero brother to him right now."
"It'a not like that Kristina...and please lower your voice. Don Maximus or Madam Odette might hear you."
"I don't care! What I'm saying is all true." Kristina was already mad at how Augustus was trying to defend Olivia.
"And that brat has even the nerve to tell you her affection towards you. Gosh! How vulgar at a young age. Do you get what I mean?"
"Kristina, why are you like this? She's just a kid for heavens sake!" Augustus almost heightened his voice. "Can we stop this nonsense?"
Kristina was silent for a moment. She was also asking herself why she felt something different over Olivia. She haven't felt this way before as if she was insecure towards Olivia.
After a couple of minutes of being silent, she told herself deep inside to stop her stupidity over a ten year old child, after all she's already seventeen years old and mature enough to fight over a childhood affection of someone to her best friend and at the same time her first love.