Is that a lot of pressure to put on a complete stranger?
Absolutely.
But I’m doing it anyway.
I have no choice.
Chapter eighteen
Olive
"OhmyGod,telluseverything," a wife of one of Avery’s teammates asks.
I think she’s married. Her hands have been moving around far too much for me to be able to look for any sign of a wedding band on her finger, but the man beside her is sporting a ring on his left hand. I guess it’s safe to assume.
It’s been hard to ignore his looming presence while he stares daggers at the man next to me. I don’t think Avery has paid him much attention, though. His fingertip has been tracing circles along my lower back since the moment we sat down.
Listening, but not a part of the conversation.
"Uh, what do you want to know?" I shift awkwardly in my seat, my shoulder brushing against Avery’s as I inch closer to him at our round table. I’ve never been in a room with so many athletes before, and they all just ooze arrogance.
Not that musicians are any better. They might actually be worse, but this type of cockiness isn’t what I’m used to.
"How did you guys meet?" she asks. I think her name is Tori.
Avery’s calloused palm pulls away from behind me, taking up residence on my thigh before he squeezes it, and I know it’s his way of telling me to tell the story of how we ‘met’ my own way. He’ll follow if I choose to lead.
Since the little incident earlier, he hasn’t left my side all night. His big, rough hands have been touching me in some way or another. And if they’re not, I cling to him like he’s my life raft.
Though, by the way all the men but one at this table are staring at him, I think he might need me more than I need him.
I hear Avery’s voice before I look in his direction, my eyes too focused on his long fingers wrapping around my thigh easily.
First, it was a gentle touch on the back of my neck, then tracing soft circles on my lower back.
Now it’s rough, gripping my leg.
And it still isn’t enough. I need him to touch me more.
But when he moves his hand away, I flinch at the loss of contact. And then I feel him draping it over my shoulder, and I sigh a breath of relief.
"Do you want me to take this one?" he asks, no doubt sensing my discomfort about being put on the spot. He’s the one who didn’t want to come up with a backstory in the first place, so it's his fault I'm not prepared. He places a gentle kiss on my temple, and I nod once as I look up at him. That’s all he needs to take over.
I exhale calmly and turn away from Tori, with my attention solely on Avery.
"You’d think, given Olive is a storyteller with her lyrics, she’d know exactly how to put into words the day that we met. But she’s never really been able to figure out how." He smiles at Tori, winks at me, and I feel something funny in my stomach, but I move on from it quickly, eager to hear what he’s going to say. "I heard about her music a little while ago. I did someresearch and found out she was a small-town girl, and drop dead fucking gorgeous. When I was in the hospital having surgery on my wrist, they gave me something for the pain, and it turned my brain to mush. Orlando asked what he could do to make my hospital stay more comfortable, and apparently, my subconscious remembered her. I asked Orlando if he could fly her down to New York." His smile lines appear, and they look…genuine. Yet, he’s pulling this story completely out of his ass, and I’m so incredibly invested in where this might go, but feel the need to chime in.
"Right. And unfortunately, I was busy in the studio back in my hometown, so I couldn’t get away." I nudge his ribs gently before he pulls me closer.
His fingertips draw patterns on my bare shoulders, and I feel his laughter vibrate from his chest through my back when he notices how I squirm myself free.
Goosebumps be damned.
"So, I had to deal with getting to know her on video call for a while. Eventually, we met up and started dating in private. I flew to her hometown, met her family, and she’s been here to meet mine. It’s been…" He trails off, probably thinking he’s said too much, but Tori doesn’t notice. She’s staring at us in awe.
"That’s so beautiful," she gushes, her eyes welling with tears as they float between Avery and I.
That story sounded like a total lie, but dammit, she is gullible.
