Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

OLLIE

This is bad.

That's the only thought I can decipher of the millions going through my mind at lightning speed.

Just a few minutes ago, Derek and Hawk came back from their lunch meeting with Hawk's business manager. Bruce, I think his name is. They informed me we're having dinner with Hugh at some fancy seafood place that's close by.

Hawk loves it and he was telling me about it this morning.

I woke up early and didn't know what to do with myself. If I went down to get something to eat I might wake Hugh up, and I wasn't ready for another interaction with him.

The amazing kiss in the middle of the night is something that I still can't believe happened in real life. And that it happened to me.

It was something out of a movie, out of this world. There's no way I wanted to spoil that by having an interaction with him in the light of day. Hugh would probably realize that I'm nothing special then, and I wanted to live in the fantasy a bit longer.

But Hawk knocked on my door and told me he was taking me shopping.

I had the best time, even managed to only think about Hugh every few minutes, but Hawk did a great job distracting me. With clothes, toiletries, with plans for the future.

It looks like I'm going to be both his and Derek's assistant for now, and I'm so happy that they agreed it was a good idea.

Derek is so overprotective already, I can tell, and I know damn well they both could use the help right now. Hawk told me all about what's been happening in their lives the last few months, and about the interview he's doing tomorrow night so the press won't say anything about Wolf being in rehab.

I think he's so fucking brave to do it. To put himself in the metaphorical line of fire for his brother. I would never want to relieve the worst night of my life, and the worst night of my life is nothing compared to the worst night of their lives.

"Okay," Hawk says, way too excitedly when he comes back into the room with his arms full of clothes. "This is exciting!" He smiles a bit manically at me. "And the best distraction ever." He giggles a little and it makes my blood boil a little.

"This isn't a distraction!" I snap at him. "It's my life."

"Yeah well, tomorrow I'm giving an interview about my dead parents so forgive me for needing a distraction, Ollie. Now focus. Start again, from the top. What happened with Hugh last night?"

"Ugh," I say with a sneer. "The guilt trip is seriously mean, Hawk!" I whisper-shout at him. "I'm going to get you back for this." I glare the promise at him.

"Yeah, yeah." He waves a hand dismissively. "Now spill."

"Okay." I take a deep breath and start again. "I wanted to get a glass of water and was trying not to make any noise so I wouldn't disturb you guys." This is as far as I got the three times I've tried to get through telling him what happened, but something—mostly Hawk's wandering thoughts—has always interrupted me. This time though, he stays silent as he sits on the bed. He looks at me, fully engaged in the story, so I know he won't interrupt.

"I just opened the door, took one step, and bumped into someone. I screamed so loud, I really wonder how you two didn't wake up. But he got spooked too. He apologized then said he was going to turn on the lights, which was good 'cause it gave me time to close my eyes so I wouldn't be blinded."

"And then what?" Hawk asks, looking completely enthralled. I just roll my eyes at him but of course, I keep going.

"Well, I saw him."

"Uh-huh," he encourages me.

"His eyes..." I trail off. I don't want to sound stupid.

"What about them?"

"They're pretty," I whisper and look away.

"Pretty?" he asks, frowning in confusion and looking at the wall like he's trying to recall what Hugh's eyes look like.

"Yeah, they're kind."

"Well, yeah. He's a cool dude."

"So then he told me his name is Hugh, and I told him my name was Ollie." I know I'm skipping a lot of details here—like how I felt like someone was seeing me for the first time as he stared at me, and how my heartbeat accelerated as if I were about to find a treasure—but it's better that I do, or Hawk will think I'm as ridiculous as I fear I am. "Then he kissed me." I just have to blurt it out. Like ripping off a band-aid.

My actions, throwing myself wholeheartedly into the kiss, and Hugh's, kissing me after exchanging two words, are absolutely insane. Just as insane as how that one kiss made me feel. I'm scared that I'm losing my mind, that I imagined the awe I saw in his eyes. That he didn't feel the same things I did even though I swear I could feel the attraction pulsing off of him in waves.

I know how impossible that is.

People can't feel other people's feelings. Especially strangers.

"You kissed ?!" Hawk snaps and stands, looking so fucking excited and surprised at the same time.

"Uh-huh," I mumble and now I'm the one looking away. I start to look through the clothes Hawk brought to distract myself, and hopefully him again. I have a second of relief when Hawk starts looking through them with me, but then he speaks.

"This is like fate, then. You two are going to end up together, I just know it."

"What? How?" I demand.

"I've known Hugh for a while and I've known you basically all my life. I trust both of you. You're good guys, smart, funny. Though Hugh can be a lot more serious than you. I think you two will fit well together. So let's make sure you don't fuck up the universe's plan for you, okay? We have to make sure you look like a million bucks tonight."

"There's no way Hugh wants me," I snap at him. I have to be prepared for this, because the amount of hope I'm feeling can only ever lead me to one thing—heartbreak and rejection.

We arrive at the restaurant and I can tell Hawk and Derek are regulars here by the way everyone greets them, not only by name—because that can happen to famous people anywhere in this city—but with fondness and genuine care in their eyes.

It makes me long for a time in the future where I might have the same thing.

Maybe someday I'll find my favorite restaurant and I'll go there every week, and I'll have a regular table and a regular waiter. Sounds like a beautiful part of my dream life, honestly.

Hugh's waiting at the table for us, and I see he's in a well-pressed suit, not wrinkled like last night. I stand back as he greets Derek with a warm hug, then Hawk the same way.

How will he greet me? What am I supposed to say?

"Can you kiss me again?" sound like a good idea? No, it fucking doesn't.

I lose all the time I could've used to prepare, debating with the stupid, na?ve part of my brain, and Hugh's already standing in front of me. He leans in and I think he's going to kiss me again. My belly goes crazy with butterflies, but they all die a horrible death when he just gives me a hug.

It's warm, though. And does it last just a little bit longer than the ones he gave to Hawk and Derek, or is it my imagination?

Over Hugh's shoulder I see Hawk looking at me with a crazy-looking smile and then he holds two thumbs up to me. I'm gonna kill him. He's distracting me from the only opportunity I'll probably have to hug?—

Aaaand he's stepping back already.

Fucking hell.

I make myself smile at Hugh, and manage to make it a genuine one when I see his kind honey-brown eyes peering down at me.

"Nice to see you again, Ollie," he whispers only for me.

"Hi, Hugh," is all I can say while he holds me captive with his gaze. I don't mind it. At all.

We sit down, and no matter how I try to keep my cool, I fail. I barely speak, and I can't keep my eyes away from Hugh for more than a minute before I have to look at him again.

He looks so... sophisticated, in his plain button-down shirt. He looks comfortable in it, like that's what he usually wears. It fits him well too, hugging his defined biceps and pecs. Just a little bit of chest hair peeks through his collar where he has only one button opened. He smiles easily at Derek and Hawk, and he doesn't have an issue listening.

I don't care if the shirt Hawk lent me is designer, I still feel like a bit of a bum sitting in front of him.

I feel the mortification set in when our waiter asks us if we want dessert and Hawk orchestrates the least covert operation in the history of the world.

"Ollie, you should definitely get dessert, I love it here. Derek and I need to go though, right?" Derek looks confused but Hawk doesn't give him a chance to respond. "I've got a lot to get ready for tomorrow and need a good night's sleep, you know? You two stay here and enjoy dessert. We'll pay on our way out." He's standing and dragging a protesting Derek up from his seat before he's even finished talking.

"I'm gonna kill you," I mumble at him, but he only smiles and keeps dragging Derek away—which he wouldn't be able to do unless Derek was letting him, so Derek's now on my shit-list too.

I'm alone with Hugh then, staring at the backs of my new bosses. At this rate, I know my employment won't last long. Nope, I'm definitely going to jail because I will hurt them. My face is burning with embarrassment, I know it. Just like I know there's no way to hide it from Hugh. But I can't look at him.

"Subtle," he quips, and he doesn't sound angry but also not happy. It's... neutral? Dammit, I have to look.

My breath stalls when I see the look on his face.

It's the same one as last night. Again, I can't speak. How do people function while feeling this? I know other people have to have felt this way, I can't be the first one.

"Hawk is right, the dessert here is to die for, but why don't we take it to go?" he asks me softly. I see hope in his eyes. Determination, confusion, eagerness, desire. All the things I'm feeling too.

So what else is there to say?

"I'd like that."

I feel like my heart explodes and reconstructs itself when he gifts me a blinding, relieved smile.