Ollie laughs. ‘I’ll savour it later. No, Alec likes to make things happen, and he’s influential enough to do that. But it has meant we’ve got lots to do in a short amount of time.’ He turns his wide eyes to me, as warm as ever. His eyelashes flutter in my direction. All sorts of thoughts rush through my head, some more appropriate than others. I bite my lip as he says, ‘And as my friend, I’d value your help with it all.’
Shit.
Hope crushed, leaving only dread.
‘Oh, um, isn’t there anyone else who can help?’
‘Nobody is coming till much closer to the date.’
Maybe I should have done that after all. ‘Oh, right.’
‘Think about it,’ Ollie says, swaying to the side and nudging my shoulder with his. It’s enough to almost send me into anaphylactic shock. ‘Who is Sam?’ Ollie peers at me, his lips thin.
Sam.
I almost blew this fledgling charade.
But something in Ollie’s tone makes me think, brings me back to my senses.
‘My boyfriend.’ The lie grows, but what of it? It’s only temporary.
‘Are you guys serious?’
‘Not as serious as you and Alec.’
This feels like a safe option. Ambiguous enough that I don’t have to go into detail.
Shamefully elusive enough to tell Ollie there’s hope, but he doesn’t pick up on it.
‘I’ve never seen you post anything about Sam online.’
‘Social media isn’t real. We prefer to keep it private.’
‘Social media is the only link I have to you these days.’
Screaming would not be appropriate. But shouting that he needs to let me know where I stand, so I can play this game right, feels like a necessity.
With just a few words, he could lead me in the right direction. He could spare me the pain by simply speaking his mind.
But what’s on his mind? I was never as good as he was at understanding what he was feeling. I could read him, yes. But knowing what he felt was another thing altogether. We were always on different pages, different chapters. He was a sequel, and I a prequel. He could be regretting seeing me tonight, lost in thought about wedding details, or maybe even thinking about his day tomorrow. There are a million things he could be thinking right now, but for me, there’s only one thing.
He missed me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
WILL
Day Three
‘Let’s go on a cruise.’ Sam places the latte on the table. He’s somehow shaped a Pikachu out of foam. It’s early morning, the sun only now rising. The coffee shop is yet to open, Sam busily prepping all morning.
‘A cruise?’ I ask, distracted by the cute little electric mouse.
‘They run daily. All-day cruise. Three separate islands.’
‘What about the shop?’ What about my new-found career as a wedding planner?
He shakes his head, as if it doesn’t matter.
