26. OLIVIA

CHAPTER 26

OLIVIA

B ack at the apartment, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Mina and I watch as Dee primps herself up for a date with a mystery guy. She's in the bathroom, applying mascara to her eyelashes while we oversee her efforts, Mina from the hallway, and I perched on the edge of the bathtub.

"Make sure to apply a second layer," Mina says in a grouchy tone.

"Yes, ma'am." Dee happily applies another layer, but I don't think it matters. Dee's a knockout even wearing her baggy, sweaty hockey uniform.

"Ugh, how come you have a date lined up after Thanksgiving but not me?" After asking, Mina jams her hand in a bag of trail mix and all but stuffs the whole mouthful into her mouth, crunching in such an aggressive way that I fear for her enamel.

At least I'm trying to be productive by painting my nails with glittery black polish. But don't get me wrong, I am jealous as can be, too .

"Maybe it helps that I found this guy at an empty O'Malley's during Thanksgiving, and we had a few drinks together?"

"Okay, I detect the sarcasm and I respect it." Mina laughs, her mouth open and showing a lovely view of mashed trail mix.

After applying the last coat of top polish to my toes, I lower my foot and really look at Dee. She's the one who taught me the art of applying my makeup before putting on my clothes, after the one time I got eye shadow all over a nice blouse. But damn, if that guy gets an eyeful of Dee's undies he'll get a heart attack.

My eyebrows shoot up. "So, I take it this is not the kind of date we need to wait up for you?"

"Who knows." Dee smacks her lips as she applies gloss. "I might or not get lucky, we'll see."

"We are so not lucky." Mina's face scrunches up like a kid about to throw a tantrum. "We are so not getting lucky tonight, just to clarify."

Dee pauses from her ministrations. "Or… you could, like, hit up a bar or something."

Mina's eyes brighten immediately and set on me. "Can we?"

"I'm not interested in looking for guys." I shrug. There's literally only one I'd love to be getting ready for a date for.

"But think of your poor, cold and lonely friend." Mina directs her pout at the screen of her cellphone instead of at me. "Instagram, here we go. Let's see where the hockey players are."

"No, please. No more Bolts." I put the palm of my hand on my face. The last thing I want is to send a weird signal to Brooke, which is exactly what would happen if I start hanging out around his guys while I'm trying to figure out how to seduce him .

"Oh!" She exclaims. "Dane Bloom and Brooklyn Tatum are at O'Malley's. Let's go."

Okay, if Brooke is there that's a different story.

My spine straightens as the two of them turn to me. I bite my lip but there's no holding back the heat taking over my face. "Um, okay."

"Oh, shit. Is this finally happening?" Dee drops the tub of gloss on the sink from the shock. Meanwhile, Mina's eyes widen dramatically.

"Well." I clear my throat and rock a little on my seat. "I may have had an epiphany or two over the holiday."

"And?"

"I might or not have decided that I want to get out of the friendzone?" I finish the comment with a weak little cringe. "I just don't know how." Luz, Maddie, and Mom weren't exactly helpful. They were all of the consensus that I should tell Brooke I've had a crush on him for the longest time, and ask if he'd consider dating me. But that's the very last thing I want to do.

The thing I learned from my ex is that if men don't want something—me, I'm talking about me—there is no way you can make them. I tried to mold myself into the version of Trent's ideal woman according to his little comments here and there, and he still cheated on me. Because he never wanted me. And that was solely on him, but it's just the damning case that proves this hypothesis.

Brooklyn has to want me first, and no amount of me telling him that I want him is going to convince him of that.

After explaining all of this to them, I add, "We held hands basically the whole day and he did nothing. Nada. Not even give me a spicy little look. Forget about eating my mouth."

Mina gives me a glacial stare. "Ever stopped to think that maybe it's because you're not coming onto him?"

"But like I just said?— "

She raises her palm. "Hold. Coming onto him isn't necessarily about spilling your feelings. Just like, dress sexy around him and see how he reacts."

"Oh yeah, that's an easy one." Dee leans her hip on the sink and motions to herself. "That's what tonight is all about."

I frown. For Thanksgiving, I wore a normal black sweater tucked into boyfriend jeans. Comfortable. Me. But not exactly screaming throw-me-against-the-wall-and-devour-my-mouth.

"Okay, good point."

Mina points at her phone. "How about tonight? We have the perfect occasion."

"Let's do it."

The way the two of them squeal makes me cover my ears with my hands. Then I freeze. "Crap, wait. My nails are drying."

"That's fine, baby girl. It buys us plenty of time to pick an outfit."

Dee gives Mina a look. "We won't find anything useful in her closet, though."

"Actually…" The two of them turn to me, expectant. "There might be something."

"Oh?"

"I originally intended to wear it for Trent?—"

"Girl, no."

"Ew."

I'm healed enough from that episode that I can chuckle. "I know. Big mistake to wear something for a guy, and yet here I am."

"It's different. This is to make you confident enough to finally bag the love of your life." Mina folds her arms. "Don't you two give me that look. It's true. I'm pretty sure Brooklyn and Olivia are soulmates."

"We are so not passing the Bechdel test," Dee mutters.

"I want to wear it for myself, though." I lift my chin. "And that's actually why I bought it. Because I wanted to feel sexy in it."

"What is this it you speak of?" Mina asks.

After a brief expedition to my room and with her help to dig into my closet so I don't damage my nails, she plucks out the it from the bottom of a drawer. The two of them ooh and aah at it.

Dee tilts her head and says, "Wait, but he won't see this unless things have already progressed quite far, you know?"

"Not unless Liv wears it as a statement piece."

To Mina's surprise, I nod. "Yep, that's what I was thinking about."

"Wow, Thanksgiving has changed you," she says, her expression sparkling with admiration.

I grin. "I'm very thankful I have another chance."

"Let's do this!"

My heart kicks hard, almost to the point of giving me vertigo. "Wait." They pause in the middle of walking out of my bedroom. "I, uh, could use with a little booster."

A moment later, we bust out the wine coolers that Dee is officially old enough to buy on her own. She's reasonable and only has a glass, and since she had a big head start, she finishes getting dressed and hiding all her va va boom-ness under a massive down coat before she's out the door for her date.

Mina and I stay behind to get properly ready. This implies more drinking, which makes the makeup application more challenging, but the whole process less barf-inducing than it'd be if I was in my senses.

"Am I doing the right thing?" I ask her while she's doing my makeup.

"Totally. You're going after what you want."

"And what if he doesn't want me? What if this really destroys our friendship?"

Mina snorts. "I'm pretty sure he already wants you. "

"I want to believe you. I'm just so used to getting deflated at the end."

"Once you get married, you have to make me the maid of honor and not Dee, though."

I give a noncommittal hum from my throat, not just because I know Dee would dispute that. But also because I'm not trying to get Brooke to propose to me here. I just want him to notice me first. To really see that I'm not just his friend he can talk about anything with—including his girlfriends. But in fact, his next girlfriend.

I'll focus on being his last girlfriend after that.

After we're dressed up sans coat layers, we look at each other on the full-body mirror in Mina's room. Unfortunately, the sweet wine swooshing in my belly doesn't imbue me with confidence anymore.

"What was I thinking? This sucks."

Mina smacks my butt. Hard. "Stop that shit. You look really freaking hot. In fact, you're making me look frumpy."

"Shut up, you look amazing."

"So do you, silly goose."

I run my eyes down my reflection. The most comfortable part of the outfit is my black combat boots. But I must've forgotten to throw out this pair of black skinny jeans, and I deeply regret it now. "Can I at least change into a different pair of jeans?"

"Why?"

I shrink into a little raisin. "You know I'm self conscious about my hips and my butt."

I've always hated that my bottom is one, sometimes two sizes larger than my top. My ex was an ass-guy—in more ways than one, I suppose—and he's the reason I took to wearing skinny jeans. But at least I used to balance it out with looser tops that disguised how disproportionate my body is. And wearing a tight corset top made of black lace and wires might be a bit too much highlighting the problem. I close the blue jean jacket tighter.

"Listen to me, you fool." Mina grabs me by the shoulders and either she sways, or I do. Maybe both. "There is no guy at O'Malley's who will be able to keep his eyes off you. So you better focus on Brooklyn because Dane is mine, okay?"

"I thought you were going to give me a pep talk, not that."

"That was the pep talk." Her eyes pop. "You're so hot, you could snag any guy you wanted tonight and whenever. Remember that. Now, do I look like I want someone to keep me warm?" She's in a blue bodycon dress that doesn't hide any of her curves, and see-through tights that will literally make her freeze.

"Yes, I think you're in real danger of hypothermia."

"Excellent. Then we're ready."