Chapter 15

Two days and I haven’t heard a single peep from Oliver.

Not one text, call, or even smug walk past our adjoining picket fence.

I can play just as stubbornly.

His callous words, plus mood swings, are all a bit much, and I refuse to throw myself at him like this is my fault.

The solitude gives me time to think. But thinking ends up leading to restless nights and lack of sleep. I dream but more vividly than usual. The one jogging my memory is me being caught in a maze. Every which way I turn, I face a dead end. The panic consumes me, and when the walls began to close in, I wake up drenched in sweat.

Lana has come to my rescue. She suggested we head over to Melrose for some lunch and shopping. It’s nice to spend time with her without the distraction of Ace. He’s cute, but toddlers are hard work.

“It’s weird eating and not being interrupted,” she says halfway through her pesto chicken salad. “If Sebastian were here, my chicken would be gone, and Ace would have already gotten bored, plus spilled this fancy champagne all over the table.”

I laugh, then take another sip from the wine I ordered.

“You miss them. It’s cute.”

“Am I that obvious?” She cringes.

“It’s okay to miss them. They’re your family.”

“But it’s breaking girl code,” Lana complains, finishing off her champagne. “Okay, change of subject. Explain to me why Olly’s in such a foul mood?”

Where do I even begin?

But if anyone will understand, it’s got to be Lana.

“Before you and Sebastian officially hooked up, did you fight a lot? I mean, fighting’s not good, right?”

Lana shakes her head, letting out a loud sigh.

“All we did was fight. Hot, cold, yes, no. But I couldn’t ignore the fact I was falling in love with him. It’s just one of those things. We didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but what mattered, we did.”

“Oliver is so?—”

“Stubborn, arrogant, irrevocably in love with you?”

I’m blown away by her comment.

In love with me?

Oliver is many things, but not once has he shown me any signs of being in love with me. Maybe he wants to strip me naked and have his way with me, but not in love with me. No chance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lana raises her eyebrow, followed by a crisp nod. “So, we’re still in denial phase. Gotcha.”

The heat begins to rise behind my eyelids, my mouth becoming incredibly dry. I lift my glass, drinking the remainder of my wine, accidentally letting out an unladylike hiccup.

“I need more wine,” I beg quietly.

Lana breaks out into laughter. “Okay, tomorrow night. You, me, and a bar with old school music. How about it?”

“You got yourself a date.”

This bar is exactly what I need—a little retro, not overly crowded, and the vibe is chilled.

The music playing is all eighties from Madonna to Lionel Ritchie and even some David Bowie. Although I wasn’t born in that era, I have a good appreciation for music allowing you to unwind and let loose.

The bartenders are extremely good-looking. A bit young for me, but still worth admiring from the other side of the countertop. They shake the cocktails by hand, chatting up the other women with their sexy grins. Dressed in black buttoned shirts with pink flamingos scattered across the fabric, they complement the plain, dark walls and neon pink sign that reads Flamingo Bar.

After my third glass of chardonnay, I’m sure the air is getting thicker until things get blurry, and we both fall into a fit of hysterics watching an older man do the robot by himself on the dance floor.

My breath comes in quick gasps between my unstoppable giggles. Tears gather in the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill over as Lana clutches onto her stomach, barely able to speak as she gestures for me to look at his moonwalk.

“Stop!” I latch onto Lana’s arm, barely able to breathe. “I can’t watch this anymore.”

We are both bending over the bar, consumed by the hilarity of the poor old man who doesn’t care at all who watches him until Sebastian appears beside us.

“There you are,” Sebastian greets, leaning in to kiss Lana..

Mid laugh, I stop to see Oliver standing beside Sebastian.

Great! What the hell are they doing here?

It’s like I cannot escape him no matter what I do.

“Oh my God. Did you leave the baby with Bubbles?” Lana panics, stumbling off the bar stool.

“Relax. Lizzie is feeling better and popped by. What are we drinking?”

There’s an awkward silence between us. Oliver ignores my presence, so I chose to do the same. From the corner of my eye, he’s wearing a denim shirt with a white tee beneath it. His jeans appear dark, and I have to give it to him, the man knows how to dress.

Why does he have to be so handsome?

“Shots,” Sebastian demands over our silence while eyeing us both.

Moments later, a tray of drinks comes our way. Sebastian and Oliver don’t hold back, three in a row until Lana complains that drunk Sebastian is no fun in the bedroom. He’s all talk until he passes out only to snore like a freight train.

The wine, combined with the tequila, begins to make my head spin. I don’t need a repeat of the first night I met Oliver. My ego can only humiliate itself so much in the space of a few weeks.

“So, my boy, Olly, is heading to Colorado,” Sebastian says, patting him on the back. “Isn’t that where you’re from, Gabbie?”

“Yes,” I state with a slight slur. “A small county.”

Oliver exhales. “Known for snooping?—”

“Excuse me?” I thunder. “For the final time, I wasn’t snooping. You know what? You’re so fucking arrogant. It’s like the whole world revolves around you.”

“Maybe it should?” he responds hastily, “Oh, I’m sorry, it revolves around you and Prince Charming.”

Lana is quick to diffuse the situation. “You know what? Let’s dance.”

She pulls me onto the dance floor just in time for Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Halfway through the first chorus, a guy beside me towers over me, nudging my shoulder.

“Sorry,” he apologizes with a smile.

“It’s fine,” I yell through the music. I motion for him to come in closer. “It’s great you’re dancing with your girlfriend to this music. Most guys hate it.”

He leans in, his warm breath against my ear. “Not my girlfriend. Sister. And I lost a bet, so it wasn’t my choice.”

I pull away, trying to hide my intrigued smile. He places his hand on my arm, a flirty gesture I welcome, then leans back in. “Are you here with that guy at the bar who’s ready to maul me?”

Turning around, Oliver is leaning against the bar with his arms crossed firmly against his chest.

Yes, he certainly looks capable of murder.

His expression is pinched—eyes destructive as he stares at me with an unwarranted rage.

“No, I’m not. It’s complicated.”

“Well, I’m here if the complication doesn’t kill me first,” he teases.

I touch his arm, thanking him before Lana pulls me off the dance floor for a bathroom break.

“Oh, honey, you’re playing with fire,” she voices as soon as we’re in the bathroom.

“How can I be playing with fire? Oliver and I are nothing. Therefore, any fire is his doing and his problem.”

“Piece of advice?” Lana asks behind the cubicle door. “Don’t wait until it’s too late. Until you’ve both hurt each other, and there’s no turning back.”

She flushes and exits, washing her hands and quickly checking her makeup.

Back in the bar area, Lana walks straight back to where Sebastian and Oliver are seated. Sebastian leans into her, whispering something that makes her giggle. Sebastian adores Lana, and I wonder if I will ever have what they do—this unconditional love which appears so effortless to them.

I call for the bartender to serve me another drink, something extra hard.

“So I was thinking,” Lana says, a knowing grin plastered on her face as she positions herself between Oliver and me, pulling us closer in. “Olly has to go to Colorado. Who knows Colorado better than you? Why don’t you make it a road trip? The two of you. It’s a great way to cement a friendship. Iron out all the kinks… if you know what I mean? And besides, did Sebastian ever tell you that’s how we met?”

“He didn’t,” I mumble, thrown off by the suggestion.

“Over a flat tire.”

They laugh. Meanwhile, my eyes carelessly drift toward Oliver.

His expression shifts, the tilt of his head giving me a full view of the half smile currently gracing his lips. I slide him a shot and count to three until we both down it in one go.

“So, what do you think?” I tell him, ignoring the burn running through my throat. “Road trip… just you and me? Cement the so-called friendship and iron out the kinks.”

“You’d be willing to go back home?”

I haven’t given it a thought, jumping at the chance to ‘cement our friendship.’ The thought of going home comes with mixed feelings. My father will wave his I-told-you-you-wouldn’t-make-it finger. Yet, suddenly, surrounded by good and loyal friends, I have this burst of confidence.

This is my life.

Everyone around me lives life on their terms, so why am I any different?

I can do this.

Stand up to my family once and for all.

“Yes,” I announce proudly.

Oliver would have a face of an angel if his lips broke further apart and weren’t illuminated with a mischievous grin. Lifting another shot glass to his lips, he downs it in one go, sliding his tongue along the rim, tasting the salt while his gaze remains fixated on me. He has no idea what he’s doing to me—breaking down every wall inside me with the sheer movement of his tongue.

“Fine, but I’m driving,” he demands, sliding another shot toward me. “Ain’t no girl behind my wheel.”

Asshole.

“Whatever! I don’t want to drive your penis mobile, anyway.”

It goads a reaction from him—a smirk as he gestures for me to drink my shot.

“Get ready, Gabs. You’re either going to love or hate me once we’ve reached Colorado.”

The scary part is I know this will go only one way.

I can’t hate him.

Nothing could make me hate him.

It will only be a matter of time when it sways the other way.

And the worst part is, we’re halfway there already.