“Twenty seconds,” Jake called out.
Ollie brought his attention back to me. “Now this paper in my hand says I can’t touch you, and I’m not supposed to have you speak, but I have to hear it from you. And be frank with me, Mia, do you feel for me?”
My palms began to sweat and my mouth went dry as his green eyes searched mine. “I know you’re in there,” he whispered as the mint from the gum in his mouth brushed my trembling lips, and I wasn’t sure if it was a reaction to Ollie or the biting cold. All I was sure of was I needed his warmth.
I dropped my chin in a small nod and met his eyes again. A boyish smile reached his eyes and a single finger rested under my chin as he leaned in a little closer. “Say it, Mia.”
“Time’s up, Ollie,” Jake announced.
Ollie turned around. “Ah, fuck off, mate,” he called out, and while he was distracted, I stole the paper from his hand and read it to myself. “Give Jake ahand-jobOR finger Bria for one minute.”
He snatched the paper from my hand and stuffed it into the pocket of his joggers. “It’s between you and me.” He returned his palm to the brick and leaned back in. “Now, I’m dying right now. Answer me.”
“Yes,” I said, voice cracking. “I feel for you, I always have. And no matter how hard I try not to”—I shrugged—”it won’t go away. It’s always there.”
Ollie’s lips twitched. “You can stop fighting now, Mia.”
My heels lifted off the ground, and without an afterthought, my mouth found his. I felt his smile against my lips before they molded with mine, and I slipped my tongue inside, craving the taste of him. Ollie’s body relaxed against me as he held my head in his hand, and took my bottom lip between his teeth.
“Ollie, it’s over!” someone shouted, but Ollie reached one hand behind them and flicked them off without parting from me. A giggle escaped between us.
“You. Me. Tonight. Your room,” he whispered, and took my hand and lifted me off the wall. His words bounced around in my head the whole way back to the circle. He refused to keep his distance after and pulled me over to his spot between his legs. Everyone’s eyes darted around, but neither one of us could care as he kissed my neck and kept me warm inside his arms, where I should have been all along—my safety net.
“Think it’s your birthday, mate?” Jake teased, looking over at Ollie and me.
“Every day is a present,” Ollie replied with a lift in his tone.
Alicia leaned over and whispered in Ollie’s ear, “You’re walking a dangerous line … You need to be careful.”
Ollie nodded and brought his attention back to me and ran his palms up and down my arms.
“What was that all about?” I asked, looking up at him.
Ollie dipped his head down. “We’ll talk about it later, love.” And he kissed my temple.
Out of anyone who could have said something, Alicia was the last person I expected. It took a lot for me to admit to him my feelings for him openly. I had confessed it before to Zeke, but because Zeke didn’t talk, I never really treated him as a real human being—more like a part of my subconscious. I had been afraid until now to openly say it. But after seeing the look in his eyes, the one that said,trust me and I will never let you fall alone, without having to utter a word at all, my words came out effortlessly.
Perhaps he was right, and he would be the one to help me save me from myself.
“Mia?”
“Yeah?” I asked, snapping my head to the source.
“How about a score, yeah?” Alicia asked.
I dropped my head back to look at Ollie. “Eh, I’ll give him a one.”
Everyone laughed, including Ollie as Alicia tallied up the scores before she dug her hand into the beanie. “Okay, my turn.”
Alicia withdrew her action and read it, her eyes darting around the circle. “Mia and Isaac, you’re on here. Stand up,” she said.
Ollie’s fingers tensed against my arms as Isaac and I exchanged glances. We got to our feet and walked outside the circle in front of Alicia. “You’re my life-sized Barbies for the next minute, and you have to do whatever I say,” she whispered to us.
Pursing my lips together, I stood before Isaac, trying refrain from an awkward laugh.
“This one’s mine,” Jake bragged from the circle.
Ollie shook his head. “Yeah, thanks for that, man.”
