Page 141 of When The Night Falls

‘Olivia.’

Her smile faded. I hardly ever called her that. ‘What?’

‘I have so much to tell you. Remember I went out with my colleagues last night?’

‘Oh my goodness, yes! Spill the tea, what happened?’

I sat down on the bed. ‘Are you alone?’

‘Yes!’

‘Right, good. Well, there’s really no way to say this, so I’ll just put it plainly.’

My heart started pounding. For some reason, telling Olivia about this made the whole thing seem even more real. William was becoming a larger part of my life by the second, but bringing it to the awareness of the people I cherished seemed to grant him even more space, while simultaneously increasing the pace of things. Telling people about us was a manifestation of my choice, and with it came graver consequences. If things didn’t work out, interrogations would ensue. People would inevitably care about the outcome. While I enjoyed the thrill of it, I also found the risk involved rather intimidating.

‘I’m growing old here,’ Olivia complained.

‘Will asked me to give him a chance and I said yes,’ I blurted out.

‘What?’ Her wide eyes told me she couldn’t believe what she had heard. ‘You mean you’ve agreed to go on a date with him?’

‘Yes. We haven’t decided when, though – just that we’re going to give things a chance.’

She gawked for a good while and then finally gathered her wits. ‘To be clear, you mean William Night, right? Jason’s brother? Your boss?’

‘That’s the one.’

Her jaw dropped. Speechless, she only stared at me.

It felt like my face was about to burst. ‘I know.’

‘Oh my God! I knew it, I bloody knew it!’ she exclaimed. ‘You’d have to be a robot to resist that sort of chemistry. Cara, fucking yes!” she cheered. ‘I am so happy for you! And for William. He must be over the moon. I’m sure he’s been pining for you ever since you met!’

‘I’m really happy,’ I cooed.

‘Tell me everything! What happened? What changed your mind?’

‘It’s a long story.’

‘I’ve got time!’

Her excitement made me laugh. ‘All right,’ I said and began sharing the whole story, and her engaged responses charmed me to my toes. For the first time in my life, I felt like a proper teenager.

‘I honestly can’t believe this,’ she said. ‘You’re really going on an actual date with somebody? Despite your reservations?’

I chuckled. ‘Yes.’

‘But you’ve always avoided romance as though it were a plague. William must be wielding some serious magic, especially when considering he’s both your boss and Jason’s brother. You’ve been crystal clear about how much those circumstances have bothered you.’

‘I know. He really does.’

Looking sideways, she pondered for some time, and I spent it observing her with some curiosity. What was on her mind? Eventually she faced me again, and from her sober expression, I could tell something serious was headed my way.

‘Cara, does this mean you’re in love with him?’

Her question took me aback. I stared at her as blood warmed my cheeks, trying to think of what to say.

‘Gosh, look at you. You’re a tomato,’ she remarked amusedly.

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