Ouch.
“Hey, you had the chance to open your mouth and speak up down there. But you didn’t,” I call out after him, but Oliver doesn’t respond, instead disappearing down the hallway.
“I guess you had a run-in with Amelia?” Grey asks, turning to me with a raised eyebrow.
I let out a long breath, rubbing my temples as I try to process the quick escalation. “She was at the gym. I asked for a meeting tomorrow.”
Grey nods slowly, his expression unreadable. “And? Did she agree?”
“Yep, our office before lunch.”
“Okay, that gives us time for a game plan. Come on, go get a shower. You stink.” Grey crinkles his nose, making me chuckle.
Cocky asshole.
“When you’re done, I’ll make us some pasta for dinner, and we can talk this shit out, get on the same page.”
Looking down the hallway, I sigh. “I doubt Oliver will ever be on the same page with us when it comes to her.”
“He will,” Grey mutters, walking back to the office.
I head to my room, grabbing a shower in the en suite. As I return to the kitchen, refreshed but still rattled, the scent of garlic and basil fills the air. Grey is already at the stove, stirring what looks like a pot of marinara sauce. Oliver is sitting at the kitchen island, arms crossed, staring into his coffee like it mightreveal the secrets of the universe. I lean against the counter, watching Grey work.
“That smells good,” I comment, trying to cut through the tension still lingering in the air.
Grey just grunts, a half-smirk flicking across his face. “It’s good because you’re not the one making it.”
I scowl at him, making him grin.
Soon after, the food is ready, and we sit down to eat. The first bites are taken in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
Finally, Grey breaks the stillness. “Okay, let’s talk strategy for tomorrow’s meeting.”
Oliver stirs his pasta around his plate, still visibly upset. “I don’t feel good about this. We were literally spying on her.”
I fork a mouthful of spaghetti, chewing thoughtfully before responding. “Well, we’ve got what we needed. We have enough data, and frankly, it was so insightful it might even push up the release date. I know we wanted to have at least a week of beta testing, but we can stop now, I guess.”
Grey nods in agreement. “He’s right. We’ve seen how the AI interacts in a real-world scenario with all of her gadgets. Continuing at this point isn’t really necessary. We have a lot to work on. And I bet she’ll give us even more insights when we discuss her experience tomorrow.”
Oliver’s frown deepens. “And what about Amelia? Do we just pretend none of this ever happened?”
I sigh. “Look, bro, you’ve been into her for ages. If you’re that torn up about it, use this as an incentive. Get to know her for real. If you get close enough, maybe she’ll share these things with you herself, and you can feel better knowing that she wants you to know what you know now.”
Grey chuckles, scraping his plate. “Yeah, and who knows? Maybe she’ll find your stalkerish level of attention charming.”
Oliver doesn’t smile, but the tension in his shoulders eases. “I just… I want to be upfront with her.”
“You’re never upfront, except with us.” Grey chuckles the same moment I start.
“Then be upfront.” I lean back in my chair and look at him squarely. “But be upfront with what you want from her. The way you just went off on us? Take that and transform it into courage to ask her out.” Oliver bites his cheek, and I know this is way easier said than done for him. Sighing and so over this conversation, I say, “Right now, let’s focus on wrapping up this beta cleanly.”
“We’ll handle tomorrow professionally,” Grey concludes, stacking the empty plates. “After that, it’s on you, Oliver.”
As we clean up, I can’t help but feel hopeful. Maybe all this tension will lead to something good—for Oliver.
For Amelia.
Wiping down the counter, I catch Oliver’s reflective gaze in the window. He’s deep in thought, probably rehearsing what he might say to Amelia. I shake my head slightly, amused and a bit envious of his dilemma.
