AllFreeNovel
Share Us
This should relieve me, and it does. But I’m still plagued by the injury itself and how it happened. I’m haunted by the things that I never said to him. I swallow down the lump in my throat.
“Listen …” I tug his hand to stop him at the edge of the tent. I want him to hear the sincerity in my voice and focus on my words before we’re swallowed by the crowd. “I’m sorry about that night. I never meant for that to happen.”
His forefinger sweeps across my cheek in a move that’s so affectionate that it takes me off guard. “It was an accident. It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was my fault,” I stress, taking full responsibility. “I was playing silly games, trying to be sexy and spontaneous …” I shake my head.
“You don’t have to try to be sexy or spontaneous. You’re effortlessly both of those things.” He squeezes my hand subtly. “And you can’t make me do anything, Mads. I wanted to be in that pool with you.” His gaze drops to the neckline of my dress and lingers, like he’s picturing me without it. “In fact, I can’t think of anything I wanted more. It was just a stupid accident.”
The tent is surrounded by candles, settled inside those large glass holders, like they have at Pottery Barn. The ones I can never afford to buy, but always secretly covet. The glow of the candlelight flickers across Ollie’s face, painting it in soft shadows.
“You are stubborn,” I readily agree.
He chuckles. “Pot, meet kettle.”
“Touché.”
Our smiles hold for a few seconds as the band starts playing a cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Are in Love.” I glance over Ollie’s shoulder to catch my mother’s attention already on me as she dances in the arms of her new groom. There’s a twinkle in her eyes as she winks at me. This isn’t one of Taylor’s most popular songs, but my mom knows I love it. I played it repeatedly one summer. It’s ironic that I was drawn to this music because I’ve always resisted love. But maybe that was why I liked the lyrics so much. It was something I didn’t quite understand, something just out of reach, but an enigma that I secretly wondered if I would experience someday. I know my mom requested this for me.
Ollie dips further until his nose is buried in the side of my head. He inhales deeply. “I missed the vanilla scent of your hair. It’s like an aphrodisiac.”
I grin even though he can’t see me. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” he practically groans. He slides his face along my cheek, scratching my skin with his scruff. His lips capture the edge of my jaw right next to my ear.
“Your smell has disappeared from all the pillows and sheets. I finally had to wash them,” I admit, realizing I’m showing all the cards I tried to hold close to my chest for so long, but unable to hold back now.
Something is shifting between us, and I don’t think it’s just the romantic atmosphere that we are immersed in at this moment. Ollie showed up for me. He’s here when I didn’t think he would come. He made the effort … for me.
All the doubts and fears that had clouded my mind for weeks dissolved into thin air the moment I saw him standing next to Oakley and Chase. He makes all the madness inside of me fade away until everything makes perfect sense.
Ollie’s strong arms collapse around my waist, and mine slide around his neck. The lead singer’s voice engulfs us in a rich and breathy tone. We start swaying to one of my favorite songs on the outskirts of the reception, in our own little world. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
This is one of those memories that will live forever in my head. And just like the lyrics say, I can hear everything I need to know in the silence, in this candlelit tent, by the way Ollie is holding me and by the way he’s looking at me through the dim lighting. I don’t know exactly when it happened, and I don’t know how. But I can finally admit it to myself …
I’m in love with my best friend’s brother.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
OLLIE
I tilt my glass, and the ice cubes shift as the bourbon hits my tongue. I take a sip, enjoying the slight burn as it warms my chest on its way to my stomach.
“She’s happy you came,” Chase observes from beside me.
He’s talking about Madison. My stare has stayed locked on her this entire time. She’s with my sister on the dance floor. They’re laughing and singing. Her dress sways around her thighs as her hips move, and she has her arms overhead. Her long hair cascades down her back in soft waves, and I find myself wanting to wind it around my fist. The blonde bombshell is not trying to be sexy with her movements; she just naturally is. And I can’t take my eyes off her.
“You think so, huh?” I answer absentmindedly.
“I know so,” he says, tipping his beer bottle for another drink. “She only looks over here every other second. And she ain’t looking at me, brother.”
She’d better not be.
“I’m just surprised Oak kept it a secret,” he continues with a chuckle. “Those two tell each other everything.”
Chase stayed in Chicago for a few days when he surprised me with a visit. We hung out. We explored the city and discovered a few great eateries. We demolished a deep-dish Chicago-style pizza one night and then went back for seconds the next day.
He came to rehab with me more than once, mostly as an excuse to meet the staff and check out the facilities. The ice smells the same no matter where you play, but there’s something special about it at the next level with the emblems and the logos and the fanfare. The pictures of former and current players. Legends. Everything is on a different scale now. Bigger and better. There’s something more to the arenas and even the practice sites. Chase gets it without me having to explain it.
