The Wallflower and The Star Athlete (closed for Poprockz)

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian smiled, “That dress wowed me, so I am sure it will have the effect on them. Well maybe not the exact same effect - it’ll be perfect”.

 

[Poprockz]

"Cool." She kissed his cheek and sighed. Things really seemed to be looking up, though the future likely held a lot of new and interesting things with Adrian in it.

...

After that, she attended the court case with his father and it went surprisingly well. His father presented her evidence along with her own testimony, and the judge was absolutely appalled by her parents' behavior. Not only did her past disgust the judge, but also her parents' actions in the courtroom. Her sister wasn't there thankfully, as Olivia assumed she considered courtrooms to be "too boring."

They denied everything and made excuses when her evidence was irrefutable. The two of them gave her nasty looks and often spoke of her in a very derogative manner, obviously pissed that she had finally stood up to them. In addition to the restraining order, her parents were charged with several crimes including opening her mail, theft, identity theft, harassment, and a few other charges. Olivia was honestly shocked that Adrian's dad was actually able to do much more than he had promised. Her dad earned some prison time while her mother was given a very large fine.

It was a very tiring day, but she had thanked Jonathan profusely for his help.

She let Adrian know about their success, and of course they had another passionate night. A couple days passed and it was finally time for her to go out to dinner with Adrian and his parents. She had dressed up in that same dress and shoes, hoping that things went well tonight.

Olivia stood next to the door of their apartment, waiting for Adrian to come out to leave.

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian had been quite nervous on the day of the court case, checking his phone obsessively, praying for good news. When Olivia finally called with the good news, his heart surged, He knew his dad was good at what he did, but the facts of the case spoke for themselves and it was great that the judge threw the book at her parents. It was a fitting punishment for all their horrendous action against Olivia over the years.

When they met back at their apartment that evening, he could see the joy in her eyes. She finally believed she was free, and their night of passion was their best yet.

Now a couple of days later, both were happily being affectionate with each other in public. The freedom they felt was liberating. Adrian was in the bathroom, lightly styling his hair and applying some cologne. He was attired in a nice dress shirt and slacks, which nicely complimented his lean but muscular physique. He grabbed his jacket from the closet, and he saw Olivia standing at the door waiting for him. He gave a low whistle, and his eyes drank in the sight of the love of his life.

"Wow, you look incredible. Just beautiful".

He smiled as he took her hand and lead her out the door. They were booked into the same Italian restaurant they went to as friends, but this time they would be in the main restaurant. They walked in, hand in hand, which drew some looks from people who knew Adrian to see. He knew this would be a side effect of taking their relationship public, but frankly he didn't care.

His parents were already there. They smiled as he and Olivia approached, standing to greet them.
"Mom, you look great. This is Olivia, my girlfriend".

His dad gave him a knowing smile, almost like he had figured them out when he met him in his car last week.

 

[Poprockz]

“Who’s this supermodel, and what have you done with Adrian?!” She had replied teasingly. She still wasn’t as used to compliments, but she enjoyed them all the same.

The stares would take some getting used to as well, but she figured they would die down after they had been public for a while.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Olivia greeted her, holding out her hand for a handshake. She had glanced at his dad somewhat sheepishly, hoping he didn’t feel like they had been lying by omission when they met with him previously.

 

[Mr_Positive]

They all sat down at a nice table by the window. Adrian's dad ordered an array of dishes for them all to share. Adrian loved going to dinner with his parents - he always ate well.

"So dad, we do want to apologise. We have been together for a while, but I didn't want you thinking I was asking for your helping just because Olivia was my girlfriend.

Jonathan smiled, "Son, I knew the minute you two got into my car. It was obvious you two cared about each other."
His mom, whose name is Maria, spoke up. "Your dad told me when he came home. And you know how happy this makes me. He told me all about Oliva. You picked a good one", giving Oliva a warm smile.

 

[Poprockz]

There was so much food- she didn’t want to think about what the bill might be like later. She was hesitant at first to eat from more than one appetizer, as she had been tricked into paying for things before in that way, but she figured she had enough saved up, and between the four of them she could afford it. Besides, she didn’t think his parents would treat her unfairly.

Their words brought pink to her cheeks and a pleased little to her face. They seemed to like her! There was something very exciting about the fact that Adrian’s parents approved and weren’t offended by them keeping things quiet at first. It was as though she had won a gold metal or something.

“Thank you…” she nodded at them, feeling a little less nervous. “You raised a really good guy- I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like him.”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian smiled as Olivia spoke, giving her hand a small squeeze. His mom and dad were the best parents to him, always supporting him. They had instilled a great set of morals, including helping those who needed support. This was why he had selflessly offered that Olivia live with him, even before they were together.

Maria piped up, "Wait until Jane hears about you - she has been wanting Adrian to get a girlfriend longer than I have. That's our daughter, graduating high school in a few weeks. She's always wanted a sister".

 

[Poprockz]

She blinked, not remembering whether he had mentioned a sister before. To be fair, she didn’t think she had asked either. The way his mom was speaking though- it was like they expected the two of them to be married within the year. Not that she had any problem with the thought…

Olivia smiled and took a drink. “Well, it’ll be nice to meet her when that time comes. I have a sister too, but we don’t really get along.”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian smiled as his mom went on. He knew she was excited, but he was a little concerned she might freak Olivia out.

“Mom, relax. This is still new for us, give us some time before you start with any more of your dreams. Besides, Olivia both have plans for the next few years. She’s gonna be a kickass computer programmer, and if going pro doesn’t work out for me, I plan on being the best sports psychologist on the East coast”.

 

[Poprockz]

Olivia gave him an interested look. “I think you’d be really good at that- you’ve got the smarts and the disposition for it.”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian smiled at Olivia, thrilled at how well the dinner was going. “Thanks Liv”, before helping himself to more food.

His mom couldn’t stay quiet for long, “Well you’ll have to at least come stay with us for some of the summer. Adrian comes home every summer for R&R after each track season. I’m not sure what your hometown was like, but ours is very peaceful and picturesque. Lots of nature to enjoy”.

 

[Poprockz]

Usually in the summer, she would simply work to earn more money. It was the time of year she earned the most due to all the overtime she could pull. Now though, she supposed she didn’t have a reason to work herself to the bone. Her student aid was going to carry her through even without her job.

“Oh, my hometown isn’t really a place I visit- there’s no one back there I keep in touch with, and I usually just work through the summer.” She glanced at Adrian, unsure what he thought of all this. “But um, I’m not going to need to work as much now, so I think a visit would be nice.”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian could see his mom’s well meaning invitation was stirring up some hurt from Olivia’s past. He squeezed her hand again, giving her a knowing smile.

“You’ll love it. It’s the greatest place to just unwind. Away from the bustle of the city, just mile after mile of nature trails and river walks. Plus everyone is so friendly - I love going home because they all treat me without the ‘celebrity’ tag. Such a refreshing change from campus”.

 

[Poprockz]

She couldn’t help but feel a bit excited about it now. A vacation wasn’t something she had ever experienced, and to have one with him sounded all the more fun. Hopefully she wouldn’t feel too listless or anything; it was already an adjustment to cut her hours currently (she had decided to drop to part-time, only working 4 hours, five days a week).

“Does it have any waterfalls? I’ve never actually seen one.” Her eyes looked hopeful as she asked.

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian smiled again, happy to hear the curiosity in Olivia’s voice. He knew this was all new to her, but she was taking in her stride.

“There is one, but it’s at the end of the hardest trail in the area. It’s like it knows you have to work hard in order to get to see it”.

Jonathan spoke this time, “We go up there as a family at least once every summer. We’d love to have you join us this year”.

 

[Poprockz]

As a family…She had to take a drink to give herself a moment before answering. Getting emotional at the first dinner wasn’t something she wanted to do, but she couldn’t help but feel her heart clench.

Olivia didn’t want to dive head-first into getting intwined with his relatives, mostly because she still had the instinct of trying to protect herself from disappointment. That being said, the idea of having a real family was like dangling a steak in front of a starving dog. She wanted so badly to be a part of a family who loved and accepted her, who didn’t think she was a mistake or a dirty reminder of past misdeeds.

“I’ll have to start getting out more then, I’m a decent short distance-sprinter, but I’ve never gone hiking.” She was referring to having to dash from one class to another, often running to catch the bus as well,

 

[Mr_Positive]

Again Adrian could see Olivia was struggling a bit with her emotions. Seeing how of a great family background he came from was likely causing her to want the same, having been denied it for so long.

He chuckled at her small joke, “We could practice on some of the trails around here”.

 

[Poprockz]

“Okay, you’re going to have to be patient with me though- computer nerds aren’t typically known for their athleticism.” She gave him a playful smile and took a bite of one of the appetizers. As always, the food there was amazing.

Her attention turned to his parents and she asked, “so… do you guys have a large extended family, or is it smaller and tight-knit?”

 

[Mr_Positive]

Jonathan and Maria shared a look and a smile, before Maria answered Olivia's question.

“We actually both have younger brothers. Both are married with two kids each. So Adrian and Jane have four cousins. Adrian is the oldest and they all look up to him”.

Adrian gave a sigh, “Mom, please stop. You’re embarrassing me”, he said through a smile.

His mom continued, “It’s true. Harry wants to follow you in your footsteps. He’s hoping to come here next year and become the next Stafford family star!”

 

[Poprockz]

Olivia wasn't surprised that his siblings and cousins looked up to him- he was a role-model of the highest degree. Kind, intelligent, athletic... Adrian was perfect in her eyes.

She looked at Adrian affectionately and shrugged, "I could see it. I don't think I've encountered anyone as talented." She then averted her eyes and took another bite of food to avoid seeming too sappy.

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian could see she wanted to say more, but was still a little shy. He loved this about her, and he was still determined to keep building her up. He put his hands on Olivia's before he spoke.

"Olivia is just as talented, in her own unique way. It's one of the things I love about her. She even volunteers at the local soup kitchen. That's where we met. I think I knew then this was someone special".

He looked over at his parents, who were also holding hands and sharing a look that seemed to say they understood the significance of this relationship to their son.

 

[Poprockz]

She felt a bit embarrassed by his compliment, but she couldn't deny it made her feel giddy at the same time. "Well, I mean... I was homeless for a while, so going to the soup kitchen was one of the things I looked forward to. Once I had a roof over my head, I figured that it would be nice to contribute to a place that makes a difference when people are down on their luck."

That was one of the reasons one of the patrons had mentioned her being around for longer than she really had been- it wasn't that she had been working there that long, it was that she had transitioned from recipient to volunteer.

 

[Mr_Positive]

Maria spoke up from the other side of the table.

“Oh honey, that must have been so difficult. But you persevered, despite your family trying to destroy you. You are on a good path now, and you can always count on us to help whenever you needed it. You are clearly important to Adrian, which means you are important to us”.

 

[Poprockz]

It was difficult. Olivia usually tried to brush it off or not think about it too hard, but it had been a really hard and scary time in her life as a woman without a home. Fortunately there had been a woman's shelter available to her, but there were still times she felt very unsafe.

A lot of people offered their help in the future as a formality, but when it came down to it a lot of people didn't want to make good on that offer. That being said, based on the sort of person Adrian was, she chose to at least muffle her skepticism within herself. These were people who raised a truly good human being, so they probably had good morals themselves. Still, just wanting to trust someone didn't make her heart trust so easily.

She smiled and nodded politely. "Thank you," she said simply, "I can see where Adrian gets his kindness from."

 

[Mr_Positive]

Adrian could tell trust was not easy for Olivia. She has clearly been taken advantage of before, most notably the guy who made her suck his dick to pay her rent. Not that he was telling his parents that story.

Jonathan could sense the mood shift and changed topics.
“So son, Nationals are soon. Are you ready?

Adrian nodded,”Getting there. Coach and I have been working really hard”.