We linger by the little table for a second longer, talking while the bakery noise hums around us. I thank her again for the necklace, and she shrugs like it's nothing, though the faint pink in her cheeks says otherwise.
Eventually, she glances at the clock behind the counter and gives me a small, apologetic smile. "I should probably head out."
"Right." The word comes out a little too quickly. I tighten my grip around the birthday bag. "Yeah. Of course."
We stand up together, but instead of leaving side by side, we head out separately like we'd planned from the start. Olivia gives me one last smile before turning toward her car.
I watch her go for a second longer than I should.
Then I look down at the cake box in my hands and head for Aunt Val's, trying not to think about how empty the ride feels without her in it.
CHAPTER 17
RAUL
…20 years old
Ever since my birthday, I've been dodging Olivia.
Is it intentional? Maybe. There haven't been many jobs offered, and with peak tourism season winding down, Dad and I have been busy running instead. Still, tonight I've got security at her bar as the main bouncer. I'll be posted up at the front door, so hopefully I won't even see her.
She's sent me a few texts. I haven't had the mental capacity to answer any of them.
Nothing happened after my birthday, but I still felt my wall crack. I can't bring myself to let her in after that. She got too close, too fast, and I wasn't ready for it.
If she saw the real me, would she leave too?
The only ones who have ever stayed are blood.
What reason would she have?
She'd have a million reasons to leave.
She doesn't know about the drugs. She doesn't know about the trailer I call home. She doesn't know about my mother, orthe way my family is small but completely bound together by things I don't know how to explain. And she can't know.
I promised myself I'd keep the bubble around Olivia intact. That way, when I'm with her, I can pretend for a little while that my life isn't a complete shit show.
But fuck, does she keep pushing against those boundaries.
I pull into the lot outside the bar later that night and cut the engine. The music from inside is already bleeding through the walls, a dull thump under the buzz of streetlights. I sit there for a second longer than I should, staring at the front doors, bracing myself for a night of pretending I don't know her.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
Olivia.
I stare at her name for a beat, then shove the phone back without answering.
By the time I step out of the car and head toward the entrance, my face is set in the blank look I've been wearing for days.
If I keep the distance, maybe I can keep the damage from showing.
After checking in and getting into position, I accidentally glance inside the club.
Her eyes find me almost immediately, and for one stupid second it feels like she burns straight through me from across the room.
Fuck.
Olivia is breathtaking.
