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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.
