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With all the might I possess, I tear myself away from her and roll off the bed. She groans in protest, patting the bed where my body had just been.
Heaven help me.
I grab onto her ankles and swing her so her feet are hanging off the bed. Then I pull her up by the arms to a standing position. She’s in my arms, all floppy and sleepy, and I’m doing everything I can to keep her upright. Her body is pressed against mine as I hold on to her and I’m just chanting unsexy things in my head.
Filing taxes.
Traffic on the 405.
The Kardashians.
“Sweet dreams are made of cheese,” Olive softly sings, and I notice she’s holding up her own weight now. “Huuuungreeee.”
I slowly let go and step back a few inches.
“There’s pan dulce and hot chocolate,” I say. “How fast can you get ready?”
She blinks up at me, awareness catching up to her. “What time is it?”
“Five.”
“Five?! Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”
She scurries around the room frantically.
“Bernadette woke you up, and you talked to her. And you had three alarms set.”
She stops her flittering and freezes with knees bent and arms out. She looks like a surfer who’s thinking really hard.
“I don’t remember any of that.”
She jumps back into action, this time with a purpose. Opening drawers, she flings clothes over her shoulders, letting it rain shirts and bottoms and… unmentionables.
“If I wait for you outside, do you promise not to go back to sleep?”
She turns to look at me. “I’ll try.”
“Okay, I’ll be right outside this door.” I go to open the door. “Two words. Hot chocolate.”
“Got it. Give me thirty seconds.”
Clicking the door shut behind me, I check my phone. It’s after five now, and my family won’t wait forever. I consider texting Sebastian to give them the heads up, but true to her word, Olive is dressed and ready in thirty seconds flat.
“Wow. I should motivate you with hot chocolate all the time,” I say, taking in her slapdash appearance. Even with her messy hair in a hoodie, she sets my heart racing.
“I can be quick when I want to. I didn’t brush my teeth, though.”
I wrap my arms around her and lead her down the hallway. “I don’t think anybody did.”
When we reach the rest of the party, they’re already walking around the corner of the house and we have to jog to catch up.
Mateo snorts when he sees us. “Finally. We almost forgot you existed.”
“That’s funny, because I forget you exist all the time,” I say.
“Shhhh.” Francesca smacks me in the arm.
“Ouch!”
