His dark violet eyes connect with mine, and he shrugs. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
I cross my arms. “Because you seem off with me.”
“Just thought you were over the stereotypes.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your man, Harris, whipping out his AMEX to buy you a drink—little cliché, don’t you think?”
What is his problem?“Olly, he’s an old friend from school.”
He laughs. “From the way he was peering down at your cleavage, I think he wants to be more than just friends.”
Did he just say that?
“Very mature, Oliver,” I reply, dumbfounded by his hostility. “And just an FYI—whoI choose to be friends with isnone of your business.” I step past him and hurry back to my table just as he’s called back to the bar.
“You okay?” asks Sophie.
“Of course,” I reply and hold my glass up in salute before downing the contents.
Chapter Twenty
RACHEL
I tried not to allow Olly’s outburst at the bar get to me. I managed to ignore him for the rest of the night and found myself enjoying being out with the girls, but after I returned home to my empty flat, I couldn’t help but feel melancholy.
Harris messaged me on Sunday, and we’ve texted back and forth, but it feels…wrong, somehow. It wasn’t until he asked me to go out with him that I finally told him I wasn’t dating. It’s not technically a lie—since the last fiasco, I haven’t found myself wanting to. And besides, if I’m honest with myself, Harris doesn’t evoke the same feelings in me as Olly does. Before he was a jackass on Saturday, anyway.
“You all right?” asks Sophie from somewhere behind me.
“Yeah, fine,” I reply, wiping down the last table.
“Really? Because I saw a little hostility between you and Olly on Saturday. I didn’t want to bring it up at the time, but it’s been a few days, and you haven’t mentioned anything…”
I shrug. “Nothing to say. He was a bit of a jerk.”
She laughs, ducking out from behind the counter. “I think you know he wasjealous.” I shake my head. “Deny it all you want, but Charlie said he’s been in a mood since then, and he never gets like that.”
“Isn’t Charlie going against boy-code gossiping about his friend to his girlfriend?”
She waves her hand around, dismissing my comment. “Hardly. Besides, I was asking questions, and Charlie answered. It’s not the same thing.”
“If you say so.”
“Anyway, as I said, he was jealous.”
My body is heavy with fatigue from the past couple of days; the weight of whatever transpired between us has been at the forefront of my mind. I shrug. “It doesn’t matter, Soph. I don’t have the time or energy for any more drama.”
She eyes me, contemplating her next words, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Don’t take this the wrong way—and believe me when I say this is coming from someone who knows all too well about self-sabotage—Olly is a good guy, and if he was jealous, it’s because he likes you.” I go to interrupt, but she holds up her hand. “All I’m saying is, talk to him. Find out what that was all about. Don’t you have a class with him this week?”
I let out a frustrated groan. “It was this morning, but I didn’t go.”
She frowns. “Why not?”
“Because I’m pissed about his attitude on Saturday, and I don’t know…maybe I’m just scared.”
Sophie walks right up to me and takes my hands in hers. “Rach, fear and I are old acquaintances, and I assure you, taking a risk is sometimes the only way to kick fear up the arse.”
