Dear Olive Ch 08

Kate had always been a bit of a morning bird. She slept deeply, a full 9 hours each night. And the moment the clock hit 7:00 she would open her eyes, fully awake and ready for anything.

It was already Thursday, the last week of the semester, and the feeling of relief at being done with schoolwork was beginning to mingle with sadness and reminiscence. Kate knew she just had to push through and find something fun to do for the day. Hopefully that would let her enjoy the last couple days.

After showering, Kate stood in the middle of her room, hands on her hips. She had a towel around her torso and another wrapped around her head. She stared at the sun-dappled trees outside her window as they gently swayed. She watched a few small birds fighting and chattering for a moment. A deep sigh left her chest, hands falling to her sides.

The clock read 7:45. She had taken a "full" shower this morning, shaving her legs and underarms, standing under the water for a few minutes longer than normal. She wondered about Goldmund -- she hadn't seen him at all yesterday, and Jesse had mentioned that he disappeared before the dance concert started.

Kate's bare feet padded softly across her carpeted floor toward her dresser. She chose a thin, soft green sports bra made of elastic material, wide-legged black linen pants with a high waist that was tied with a cotton cord, and a slim blue button down that had a pointed collar. She liked to roll up the sleeves. Slipping on her favorite pair of flats, Kate placed a few artist pencils in her bag, pulled her hair into a messy bun and left her dorm.

Walking through the halls of the main building on campus, Kate passed the tall arched windows that ran on either side from waist-height to the high ceiling. To her right they looked out to the garden on front campus. To the left, the track and soccer field at the bottom of the hill. She noticed the early morning light coming in from the right at an angle, thrown up to the ceiling, highlighting the detailed crown molding that bordered it. Over almost a century, layer after layer of blue-gray paint had coated and almost blotted out the original molding. Catching it early in the morning or just after sunset was the only way to see it clearly.

As Kate walked, her flats made a muffled tapping sound on the broad cold tiles covering the floor. The tiles ran diagonally down the length of the hall that was bisected by the Main Lobby -- where parents of new students and seasoned graduates met and mingled on special occasions. Through a hall that led behind the reception area was the Student Center, complete with a small kitchen where food could be ordered, several pool tables, and a gaming center hidden behind one of the partitions to the left of the entrance.

As she walked, hands on the straps of her backpack, Kate made an asymmetrical pattern with her steps across the diagonals of the tiles, taking two, then three steps for each diamond, avoiding the gaps between them. She became so absorbed in her thoughts as she played this game that she almost ran into Jesse, who had bounded across the hall in her dirt-smudged trainers to meet her.

Kate looked up, startled. "Jesse! What are you doing up so early?"

Jesse huffed between words, hands on her hips. "Just got back from a run. Found a new trail I've never seen before!" Wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead, Jesse asked "You headed to breakfast?"

Kate looked at the streaks of dirt smeared on Jesse's shins and calves. She sighed, trying to pull herself out of her thoughts. "Yeah... you wanna join?"

Jesse grinned, her face flushed after her run. "Of course!" she said, turning to walk beside Kate.

"Hey, did you see Goldmund at all yesterday?" asked Kate.

"No. Shit, now that you mention it I haven't seen him since that concert on Tuesday."

Kate furrowed her brows, deep in thought, and quietly said, "Do you think something could be wrong?"

Jesse looked over at Kate as they walked. "Nah, you know how he can be -- probably just found a couple people to hang with for the day. Or maybe he just hid away in the library and forgot to get food at the dining hall. I'm sure it's nothing."

But Kate's face was frozen in concern. She lowered her head and seemed to sink deeper into her own private world.

"...a penny for your thoughts?" Jesse asked, only half joking.

"Nothing... no, nothing. Sorry, just didn't get the best sleep last night," Kate said, trying to give Jesse a smile.

"Whatever you say," Jesse said gently. "Hey, for all we know he might be at the Dining Hall right now!"

Kate and Jesse walked into the dining hall after crossing the length of Main Hall. Kate scanned the tables quickly for Goldmund, but he wasn't there. At one of the tables Kate recognized Mina, a dancer she used to sit next to in one of her Philosophy classes. She was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, and her thick hair was pulled back in a purple scrunchie. She headed to the table, Jesse trailing uncertainly behind her, and set her backpack next to one of the chairs.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked Mina, who was slowly eating a bowl of cereal.

"No, go ahead! Hey Jesse," Mina said, smiling.

Jesse nodded absently and headed to the pile of pancakes stacked in a metal tray at the hot bar along the back wall of the cafeteria.

Kate quickly grabbed a bowl of fruit at the salad bar and sat back down.

"So, are you ready for summer?" Mina asked.

Kate paused to chew a chunk of pineapple, raising a finger to her lips. "Yeah! I have a couple art projects I want to get started on, could help with my portfolio for schools later on. What about you?"

Mina smiled. "Wow, that's great! I wish I had things more planned out, but I'm honestly going to try to take a break after all this work."

Kate sighed, "Yeah, I should probably try to do that too. I can never get myself to sit still."

Mina and Kate sat chewing in silence. Kate looked over to Jesse, who was busy putting an obscene amount of peanut butter on a huge stack of pancakes.

"Hey, Mina? Could I ask you something?" Kate said hesitantly.

"Of course! Is everything alright?" Mina asked, a slight frown forming on her face.

"Oh no, totally! Everything is fine... it's just, you know Goldmund right?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I saw him at the dance concert the other night. I think he's in my Com class. Why?" asked Mina.

"Well, Jesse and I haven't seen him the past couple days, and I was just wondering if you know where he is? Not that I'm trying to keep tabs or anything! I'm just overthinking I guess." Kate said, becoming more unsure as she spoke.

Mina's face took on a tinge of guilt as she looked around the empty dining hall. Hardly anyone had shown up for breakfast yet. "Kate, can I trust you to keep what I say in confidence?"

"Keep what in confidence? ...Of course, I just want to figure out what's going on and make sure he's okay." Kate said breathlessly.

Mina lowered her voice. "I only know because I'm with the Dance department. I think he's been with Olive and a couple of the other dancers. I saw him in the barre room right after the concert. Look, I'm really sorry. I know you two are pretty close."

Kate held her breath, then gave a sharp huff, as if she had been cut. "Well, thanks for letting me know... is there anything else you can tell me? Like, do you know where he is now?"

Mina hesitated. "I'm not sure exactly. That's all I can really tell you. I'm sorry, I hope you all can find him!"

At that moment, Jesse's plate of pancakes, along with a plate of eggs and a plate of tater tots banged down on the table. Without acknowledging Kate or Mina, she started to eat furiously, elbows bracing her against the table.

Kate finished her bowl of fruit quickly. She said goodbye to Jesse and Mina, grabbed her backpack, and walked out of the dining hall.

She decided to take the long way to Olive's apartment. She was determined to see Goldmund, even if it meant personal embarrassment. In the meantime she just enjoyed the day. Kate walked crosswise through the quad outside the dining hall, enjoying the swish of her flats as they swung through the grass. There was a slow and balmy breeze that flowed through the trees, causing the blades of grass to slowly swim amongst themselves.

She would miss the birds singing early in the morning, the study sessions in the library, even the brash school chants. She would miss Jesse, her bottomless determination, her goofiness and humble brilliance, their conversations and playful debates.

And she would miss Goldmund. His disappearance just before the summer, their last days on campus, their last late night study sessions, hurt her. Over the past four years they had gotten so close. At least, she thought they had. The last couple days made her wonder how much he valued her, how much he cared for anyone but himself. Frankly, Goldmund could be, and had been, an asshole in the past. Usually he came around and sheepishly apologized. How could he abandon them when this might be their last week together?

Kate stood on the sidewalk outside of Olive's apartment, looking up at the building. It looked just like the other houses to either side, running along the street a block or two from campus. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

She heard something just behind the door, as if someone was standing there, waiting silently. Then, the door creaked open.

"Oh, hey!" said Janell, standing with all her weight on one hip, angled out, and her opposite leg kicked back behind her calf. She wore a form-fitting black tank top with spaghetti straps and white athletic shorts with a deep yellow stripe along the sides. She was barefoot.

"Hey! I'm Kate. I was at a party here a few nights ago...?" Kate said uncertainly, gripping the straps of her backpack with her fists.

"I know you, I think we may have had English together once. Come on in!" Janell turned and strode into the apartment, her hair swaying in its long, neat ponytail. Kate recognized the living room, leading into the dining room and kitchen. She sat down on the couch at Janell's suggestion. "So what brings you?" Janell asked, unassuming.

"I'm actually looking for Goldmund," Kate admitted after a pause. "I don't know... it's stupid, but I thought Olive might know where he is for some reason." Kate blushed lightly, feeling silly for coming in the first place.

Janell hesitated -- something she didn't do often. She seemed to be thinking about what, or how much, to say. "Yeah, Olive should know. They've been hanging out the past couple days," she finally said. "She's still asleep. Let me see if he's here," she said, pointing her thumb behind her. Before Kate had time to object, Janell had half-skipped her way to the hallway where Olive's bedroom was. Kate looked around.

The dancing pole was still up in the dining room -- Kate could see it from the couch. She could also see the door in the corner, the one that looked so much like a closet which Goldmund and Olive had disappeared behind just a few days ago. She stared at the door. It was as if a dark energy was concentrated behind it, seeping into the wood grain and threatening to burst out. She suddenly felt a slow, creeping fear. Where was Goldmund? And was *she* safe here? She should have let Jesse know where she was headed.

But Kate didn't have time for second thoughts. Before she knew it, Olive walked through the doorway and stood in the living room. Kate stood up, startled.

Olive wore a faded silk nightgown. It wasn't colorful -- it had shades of brown, deep moss green and faded gold. The way the colors snaked intricately around each other and seemed to shift and shimmer delicately with the fabric made it seem gorgeous to Kate. Textiles weren't her art of choice... and yet she watched the confounding symbols shift and transform as the mid-morning light hit them at different angles. It was like the silk contained a series of ciphers, strange yet familiar. The meaning teased her, as if it were on the tip of her tongue, just out of reach.

Where the fabric clung to Olive's slight curves, draping down in dynamic folds, the patterns seemed to meld to her skin, the sheer fabric revealing Olive's amber skin tone just underneath. Kate's eye caught at her spry curves but couldn't lock onto her figure, hard as she looked.

Olive stared at Kate for a moment, two strands of her hair framing her face, still rosy with sleep. "Good morning," she said, waiting patiently for an explanation.

Kate looked up at Olive's eyes, realizing how long she must've been staring. She blushed deeply, and searched for her words. "I -- I'm sorry, I just... I wanted to check up on Goldmund. We haven't seen him..." Kate trailed off, ashamed.

Olive let out an indulgent laugh. "Oh! So you must be his keeper?" she said, putting her hands on her hips. Kate looked to her waist involuntarily, feeling a little jolt between her legs at seeing Olive's hips outlined more clearly in her gown.

Kate tried again, just barely pulling herself out of the trance Olive's figure had put her in. "I guess I'm just confused," Kate said. "I just thought..." She hesitated, feeling like her words were unraveling, slowly moving out of her control.

She sat back on the couch. Olive took two light steps forward, moving directly in front of Kate, her feet planted shoulder-width apart, her gown swaying, revealing the curve of her hips one moment, the verge of her inner thigh the next.

Kate felt something that she had buried deep in her heart begin to bubble up, moving towards her throat. She felt a growing heat between her legs and a deeper relief that her secret was so close to release.

Olive leaned over the squat coffee table, gently cupping Kate's chin in her left hand, and commanding in a deep and stony yet seductive voice: "

Tell me.

"

Kate felt the pressure of her secret spill out despite herself: "I love him." The relief washed over her face, dousing any shame she may have felt. "I'm in love with him. Please, can you take me to him?" Kate asked in a strange, pleading voice she didn't recognize as her own.

Olive brushed her hand under Kate's chin as she removed it, taking a step back and cocking her head slightly to think. Kate didn't look away from Olive's eyes -- she felt drawn in, excited and anxious, wondering if Olive shared the feeling.

Olive looked over her shoulder at Janell, who smiled and cocked one slim eyebrow up questioningly. Olive gave a light nod, and turned back to Kate who was still transfixed.

Janell strode excitedly to each window in the room, lowering the blinds. Then she half-skipped to the apartment door and engaged the deadlock with an audible

click

. The living room seemed much darker with the blinds down -- hardly any morning light coming in.

Olive moved even closer to Kate, her legs straddling Kate's knees, her silk-draped legs pressing into the edge of the couch cushions. Kate felt the soft silk spread taut between Olive's legs, pressing into her knees through her light linen pants. Olive looked down at Kate, whose head was upturned, a sharp, pleading gleam in her eye.

Kate felt her peripheral vision get dimmer in the darkened room, felt her mind focus solely on Olive, her lithe body, her deep, hypnotic brown eyes.

Janell stepped up behind Olive, handing her something. Olive leaned down until her face was inches away from Kate's, until Kate could feel Olive's breath brushing against her face. She felt her face flush.

Olive held something up next to their faces. Kate turned her head slightly to see. A bright red collar attached to a thin chain hung from two of Olive's outstretched fingers. Kate noticed a small silver bell attached to the front.

"I need your permission to put this on of course. If I have it, I can lead you to pleasures you never dared to imagine. And, eventually, I can lead you to Goldmund," Olive said.

Kate looked back at Olive in nervous excitement. "Um... you won't tell anyone, will you? I'm not saying I -- I want to..." Kate trailed off breathlessly, Olive's face-framing strands of hair swaying with Kate's breath.

"It will never leave this apartment, you have our word." Olive said.

Kate hesitated for half a moment. Then, with pursed lips, she nodded quickly and said, "Yes. Could you please put it on me?"

Olive unclasped the red collar and gently fit it around Kate's slender neck, being careful not to snag her hair. She tightened it just until it was snug, checking by slipping her index finger up under the collar. Kate heard the bell jingle slightly as Olive fit it onto her. Kate felt a shiver travel up her spine, and her toes curled slightly in her flats.

"Comfortable?" Olive asked, hands on her hips. Kate gulped, still getting used to the feel of the collar. She felt like her world had been turned upside down within just a few minutes. It was dawning on her that she had lived with a knot in her chest for as long as she could remember -- one that she felt loosening slowly in the presence of Olive and Janell.

Kate nodded shyly, the bell on the collar jingling. She looked down at the thin chain, one end connected to her collar and the other held in Olive's hand. The chain sagged down between them in a smooth arc, swaying slightly with the pulse of Kate's heart in her throat.

Behind and to the side of Olive and Kate, who were staring intensely at each other, Janell stood with the ball of one bare foot resting on top of the other foot. She rested one hand on her belly, just above the elastic of her white and yellow gym shorts, feeling that familiar tingling sensation she got before playing.

Olive took two steps away from Kate, leash in her hand, and tugged. Kate leaned down off the couch, getting on her hands and knees in the gap between the couch and coffee table. Olive guided her to crawl to the other side of the table, sitting down on the edge of it, crossing her legs and holding Kate's leash taut. Kate felt the living room's carpeted floor pressing into her hands and knees, and felt the tug of the collar. She could see that Olive's gown had parted at her chest, and her breasts showed slightly. She could feel the command of Olive's eyes, and didn't dare to look away.

Olive motioned to Janell, who walked behind Kate and sat down. She put her hands on the cotton tie at the front of Kate's linen pants, just below her belly button. Without looking away from Olive, Kate nodded her head.

Janell undid Kate's pants, sliding them down past her waist. When she got them to the floor, Kate raised first one knee, then the other, allowing Janell to pull them off. Janell saw Kate from behind, her messy bun still intact, her back slightly arched towards the floor, her small, shapely bottom bare and on display just for her, the dirty bottoms of her flats turned toward the ceiling.

Kate felt her mouth begin to water, her heart pounding in her ears. Olive uncrossed her legs and bunched her intricate silk gown in her hands, showing her tan, shapely feet partly hidden by the carpet, slowly raising the shimmering fabric higher, higher, past her shins and knees. With Kate's face right at the level of the coffee table, only a few inches from Olive's knees, Olive parted her legs just enough for Kate to see her shaved vagina, already glistening slightly with her wetness. Janell gently tugged at Kate's legs until she moved her knees a few inches apart. Janell laid down between Kate's upturned, slender calves, feeling her flats brush against her sides. Janell grabbed Kate's hips, slowly sliding herself under Kate's ass, until she was looking up at a small, soft bush between her legs, just below her belly.

Just as Olive tugged Kate's leash and pulled her head under the silk canopy of Olive's nightgown, into the warmth and darkness between her thighs, Janell pulled her head up by Kate's hips, and closed her mouth around Kate's wetness. Janell felt the hot juice of Kate's pussy coat her nose and chin as she slowly pushed her tongue up between Kate's labia and into her vagina. Kate's collar jingled as she trembled, the thrill of Janell's tongue overwhelming her. Janell felt Kate's flats press harder against her sides. She felt her upturned big toes through the thin material of the shoes as Kate's toes curled.