Sophie gasps, nearly choking on her drink. “Youturned downNathaniel Caldwell?”
I shake my head again. “No.”
Sophie’s brow furrows. “But you didn’t say yes?”
“That would be correct.”
Sophie looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Olivia, youdoknow that we’re talking aboutNathaniel Caldwell, right? He’s a god amongst men. I don’t know what else you could be looking for.”
I glance at Carolyn for support, and for once, I find something close to understanding in her expression.
“Cut her some slack,” Carolyn says, shooting Sophie a look. “Marriage is scary to think about at our age, especially since they’ve only been dating for a few months.”
Sophie scoffs, taking another swig of her beer. “Girl, I wouldn’t need to think twice if a man likeNathaniel Caldwellproposed to me. Hell, I might even propose to him.”
I let out a weak laugh.
Carolyn is still watching me, her expression softer now, more perceptive.
And then she asks the question—the one that makes my stomach dip, the one I don’t have an easy answer for.
“If it’s not a no,” she says gently, “then what’s stopping you from saying yes?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
Because I don’t know why the answer isn’t a resoundingyes.
All I know is that somewhere, deep in my gut, something is telling me—not yet.
Andthat’sthe scary part.
FIVE
nathaniel
The spacearound us is littered with open books and discarded notes, but the only thing that truly exists in my periphery isher.Olivia is wholly engrossed in the work before her, the soft glow of the afternoon light catching the curve of her cheek, the furrow of her brow as she considers something in our capstone project.
I should be focusing too, but I allow myself the indulgence of watching my brilliant girl in her element instead. Weareahead of schedule, after all. Anything less would be unacceptable.
Olivia sits across from me on the sofa, her laptop open, fingers moving deftly across the keys. We’ve been chipping away at our project for the past two hours, and despite the usual dullness of structured coursework, I find myself almost…enjoying it.
Working side by side, every thought in sync, is exactly how it should be.
We are the top of our class, the highest performers at Halford, the benchmark that everyone else measures themselves against. There is no other mind I respect more, no one else I admire more—no one else who belongs beside me.
There was never a question of who my partner would be. Not just because Olivia’s the only person at this university who has ever met me at my level, but because this final project feels like a line in the sand, and I want her on my side of it.
I glance at her as she frowns slightly, adjusting the projection model on her screen. Her brows knit in concentration, and I resist the urge to reach over and smooth the line between them.
My Olivia.
I’ve felt the shift in her since we returned from New York—her resistance has softened, her guard has finally dropped. She leans into me more now, doesn’t hesitate when I touch her in public. I don’t miss the way she melts into my side when I pull her close, how her fingers entwine with mine when I take her hand.
She loves me.She told me so. And yet, she hasn’t brought up my proposal again or given me an answer. She also hasn’t said whether she’ll move in with me full-time, though I can already see the pattern forming—she spends more nights here than she does in her dorm.
I’ve made it so that leaving feels redundant. I’ve stocked the bathroom with her products, cleared a drawer for her things, made sure her favorite snacks are always available. She doesn’t have to think when she’s here, everything she needs is already in place.
But still, she goes.
