Liam:
I can be there whenever…
Jesus, of course he can.
“You all right?” Pacey asks. “You look like you’re about to pop a neck vein.”
“I’m fine. I just don’t have time to deal with this shit. I have too much to do and six days to do it. Fuck.” I sigh, tugging at my hair. “The timing of this couldn’t be worse.”
“It’ll be okay.”
“Uh, hi.”
Pacey and I both turn. Olivia is standing in the living room, shifting awkwardly on her feet. Her face grows red as she steps closer, suddenly looking like the shy girl I met months ago.
“I’m so sorry about last night,” Olivia says.
I don’t have to wonder who she’s talking to because she’s staring at my sister.
Pacey waves her off. “If I had a dollar for every time a girl showed up looking for my brother in the middle of the night…”
Olivia’s eyes widen and I’m about to ask my sister what the fuck, but she laughs.
“I’m kidding! I’d only have a dollar. That was a first, so thank you, Olivia.”
Olivia visibly relaxes, and I roll my eyes. My phone buzzes again. I’m tempted to chuck it out the window.
“I’ll be in my room,” Pacey says, taking her coffee and leaving us alone.
“I’m sorry about last night,” Olivia says again.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I shouldn’t have shown up here. That wasn’t okay, but I appreciate you letting me stay and…” She trails off.
I swear to fuck if she thanks me for the orgasms again, I’m going to bend her over my couch and give her another one.
I open my mouth, ready to hurl all my questions at her before I leave, but she cuts me off.
“Ellie’s here to pick me up,” she says, staring down at her phone and refusing to look at me.
It feels like she punched me in the gut. I huff out a laugh. She’s leaving? Just like that? Did she just come for a quick fuck?
She glances down at my clothes on her body—hers are in her hand, probably still damp. “I’ll wash these and bring them back to you.”
I grind my teeth together. “Okay.” I don’t care about the clothes, but maybe I could use them as a reason to see her again before I leave.
She doesn’t say anything else, and I watch as she puts her shoes on, my heart raging in my chest as she slips out the door. Not sparing me another glance.
47
OLIVIA
I grabthe packages lying on the table by our mailboxes before hopping on the elevator. They’re soft, and when I see the address, I know they’re the graduation gowns we ordered. I was starting to wonder if they were ever going to show. They were supposed to be here weeks ago.
I’m feeling better about it now, excited even. It’ll be nice to be done with classes, the stress of homework, and exams, but then what? I’ve been a student my whole life. I’m not sure I’ll be good at anything else.
I was so embarrassed when the cold light of day sank in and I woke up in Penn’s bed. Showing up at his house uninvited and drunk like some crazy ex-girlfriend might be a new low for me.
