Page 73 of The Stalker Snafu

“Oliver?” I jumped from my chair, barely managing to stop my jaw from hitting the floor. I blinked twice to be sure, but it was definitely him. Silky blond hair peeking out of a grey beanie. Aviator sunglasses. Heart-shaped pale face. Leather jacket straight out of a high-end catalog.

He froze midstep, sliding his sunglasses off. His startled grey eyes met mine, then scanned the room as if to make sure he had the right place before landing back on me. “Emma?”

From the couch, Rafe made a sound between a scoff and a laugh. “I don’t believe this. No way she knows Bishop, too.”

“Maybe she is a spy,” Adrian muttered in agreement.

“I’m not a spy!”

“If she is, she’s a pretty crappy one.” Rafe slouched deeper into the couch until his shirt rode up, revealing a sliver of bare olive skin.

I dragged my gaze away, focusing on how the Oliver Bishop was somehow in the same room as me again.

“Hold on,” I forced out, shaking my head to clear the onslaught of fangirl thoughts. “Oliver, you’re friends with these guys?”

My tone might’ve been a little more reproving than usual. His brow rose as the other guys protested, but Oliver was still looking at me like I was an alien life-form taking over the planet. He opened and closed his mouth twice before any words came out. “What are you doing here, Emma?”

“I’m here because Julian said it’d be safer.” I frowned as another thought hit me. Holy macaroni. I’d been so distracted by Noah’s lies last night, I hadn’t questioned why he’d be at Oliver Bishop’s party. “Wait. Are you friends with Noah?”

Surprise flashed in Oliver’s eyes. “You know Kincaid? Wait—that actually makes sense. Westcroft’s piano program.”

Today was hurting my brain.

“How do you two know each other?” Rafe squinted at Oliver. “Did you stalk her, too?”

Oliver had the decency to look offended. “Too? Who stalked Emma?”

Adrian shifted uncomfortably. “It’s a long story, and I wish you guys would stop calling it that.”

Oliver frowned, stepping further into the room. “She goes to Westcroft. We met on campus when I was meeting with Kincaid.”

My jaw was getting sore from all the times it’d hit the ground today. “You were meeting Noah that day? That’s why you were in the practice room?”

He glanced around at the others, and they must’ve given him some sort of silent okay because he nodded. “Yes.”

I lowered myself back into the armchair, a little lightheaded.

Julian appeared in front of me with a glass of water and sympathetic eyes. “Drink up. I know this has got to be overwhelming.”

I snorted, accepting the glass, and took a sip while trying to sneak a peek at Oliver without him knowing—but he was already looking straight at me. I quickly averted my gaze. “That’s not even the half of it. How many more of you are there?”

“There’s only one more,” he assured me. “Speaking of—Rafe, Adrian, have either of you heard from the space cadet?”

“Not yet. I texted him again,” Rafe answered. “But he sucks at checking his phone.”

Oliver cleared his throat, and I could still feel his eyes on me. “Guys, can you give me and Emma a minute?”

I sucked in a breath as my heart took off at full speed. Oliver wanted to talk to me alone? The others didn’t hide their surprise, but Julian was the first to move. “Sure. We’ll be in the kitchen.”

I pushed down the butterflies fighting to take flight. Noah’s friends were slower to rise, and Rafe grumbled the loudest as they followed Julian. I tried to ignore the way my hands shook—but ended up stuffing them under my lap to hide my nerves.

Oliver came to stand in front of me, and I urged myself not to stare at him. I could still picture him up on a concert stage, wearing a tuxedo and playing effortlessly in front of a crowd of thousands. He was so many leagues ahead of me in life, it felt almost sacrilegious to be this close to him.

“So… it was Kincaid?” Oliver asked, breaking the silence. I finally looked at him, confused, and his dimple peeked out as he smiled. “The guy you were talking to?”

With that mortifying reminder, I racked my brain for any embarrassing things I might’ve said to Oliver about me and Noah. There were too many possibilities. “Yeah, it was him. Quite a catch, right?”

I could’ve sworn his dimple winked at me. “You sure he wasn’t the one chasing after you?”