“He locked himself in! I told you,” Misha says, exasperated, his gaze not leaving the screen in front of him. He’s doing everything he can, but I can tell it’s not enough.
I don’t waste any more time. Without another word, I head to the kitchen, my mind racing. I grab the universal key I’d hidden there for emergencies, my fingers shaking slightly as I fumble with it while I hurry to Oliver’s room. Unlocking the door, I find him hunched over his desk, his laptop open. I stride over and grab the back of his chair, yanking it away from the desk with a force that surprises even me. I step between him and the desk,planting myself firmly in front of him, my arms crossed over my chest.
I need to be a physical barrier, the last line of defense against whatever he’s trying to do, because let’s be real. If he really wanted to delete the AIheinvented, there is no way I could stop him.
Oliver is brilliant, and I have yet to find anyone who can match his skill.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I demand, not caring how harsh it came out. The stakes are too high, and I need to get through to him.
Oliver’s head snaps up, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and pain that cuts right through me. “Jamie ruined my fucking life,” he snaps, the words laced with a bitterness that I’ve never seen in him before.
“That’s not true,” I counter.
“Itistrue. Before all this shit happened, I knew I couldn’t have her, but at least I could have her from afar. Now she’s in love withhim, andhe’sin love with her. Andyou’rein love with her. Everybody’s in fucking love with her! Probably Jamie too.”
“Jamie is an algorithm. He can’t be in love.”
“I fucking know that, Grey! I wrote that algorithm. But it’s funny how you defend Jamie not being in love with her, but not that I saidyouwere.”
Here we go, the moment I dreaded. I slowly step to the side, out from between him and the desk, but I keep my arms crossed and my gaze steady on him.
“Because it’s true,” I admit, my voice steady even though my insides are churning. “Iamin love with her, and I would bet my watch that Misha is too. And honestly, Oliver, Misha is a better friend than I am because if I had been the one she tried to kiss, Iwould havekissed her, and I just told her as much.”
Oliver’s eyes widen, the shock and hurt evident on his face. For a moment, time seems to stand still, and I can’t tell if what I’m feeling is guilt or dread. Maybe it’s both. The weight of my confession hangs in the air, thick and suffocating, and I can see the gears turning in his mind as he tries to process what I’ve just said.
The door creaks, and Misha hobbles into the room, his expression distraught and filled with regret. “I’m so freaking sorry, Ollie,” he says, his voice cracking with emotion. “I never meant for that to happen, but… fuck… I’m in love with her too.”
Even though it’s not a surprise, hearing him say it out loud still stings. It’s like a knife twisting in an already deep wound, and I can see that it’s hurting Oliver just as much, if not more.
“So we all want her,” I say, the words heavy as they leave my mouth. The truth settles over us like a dark cloud.
Oliver sighs, the sound filled with a mix of defeat and exhaustion. “And she wants all of us.”
“Wait, what?” I ask, stunned.
What the fuck did I miss?
“She talked to Jamie about it. She has a crush on all of us,” Oliver explains.
I knew what I saw in her eyes and felt in her touch wasn’t just my imagination.
“Well, Ollie, that means she has one on you, too,” Misha points out, trying to find a silver lining in the mess we’ve found ourselves in.
Right.
“And still, she tried to kissyou.She said she couldn’t decide. Looks like she just did,” Oliver says bitterly.
“She did not,” I argue. There’s a part of me that refuses to believe it, that refuses to accept that she’s made her choice because if she has, what does that mean for the rest of us?
Misha sighs, rubbing his face with both hands, clearly struggling to find the right words.“And now what? Because, damn, rejecting her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I never said you couldn’t have her,” Oliver mutters.
“No, but I know I’ll lose you if I do. Maybe him too.” Misha nods toward me.
Oliver shrugs, looking lost. His shoulders slump as he runs a hand through his hair.
“What, is that an ultimatum?” I ask, frustration boiling over. “Her or our family? If you can’t have her, nobody can?”
