Page 37 of Lotus

The shower turns off from down the hall, and I hear the door creak open. Footsteps are soon plodding towards us, Oliver’s voice following.

“Do you know where I can locate a fresh tube of deodorant?”

Gabe and I both turn around, and my mouth goes dry.

Oliver startles when he sees me, his eyes widening, his grip tightening on the towel around his waist.

The towel being the only thing he’s wearing.

I can’t help my traitorous eyes from scanning him head to foot like Thirsty McThirstin’. His skin is renewed with a healthy glow, glistening from beads of shower water, his hair damp and tousled, his muscles clenching in reaction to my brazen perusal.

His muscles.

Damn.

“I’m sorry for my indecency,” Oliver forces out, a crack in his tone. “I wasn’t aware there was a lady present.”

Sorry that my whore eyes just drank you up like a tall glass of water.

Meanwhile, Gabe snorts at the term“lady”, and I quickly elbow him in the ribs.

“You’re fine,” I squeak out, my voice sounding borderline pathetic. “I mean, you’re fine, not…fine.”

Oliver’s eye twitches, his mouth quirking into a perplexed smile.

“Under the sink,” Gabe finally responds, answering Oliver’s question and graciously putting me out of my misery. He turns to me when Oliver nods his appreciation and retreats back down the hallway. “Shameless.”

My cheeks burn as I grab the bag of blueberries and start frantically tossing them onto the cupcakes in a panic. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You were checking out my brother. Fucking weird.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You’re literally drooling on the nipple cakes.”

I throw a handful of blueberries at him.

The music is loud, the chattering of voices louder.

Glass against glass, high-pitched squeals and laughter, the deep, rumbling bass of the most popular party songs nearly rattling the walls.

I’m shocked Oliver even came out of his room.

I watch as he ventures into the kitchen, hands stiff inside his pockets, keeping his gaze lowered to the floor as he fetches a bottle of water. Earlier in the evening, I attempted to keep him company in his bedroom, but my knocks went unanswered. I figured he must’ve gone to bed, or maybe he had earbuds in.

Now, he’s here and he’s lingering, his feet unsure as he fidgets with the plastic bottle in his hand. His eyes scan the crowd, drifting from face to face.

I think he’s looking for me.

Before I can approach, I’m stopped in my tracks by one of Gabe’s friends—some guy I hardly know.

“Syd, you look great. What have you been up to?”

Clearly, not remembering you, I want to say, but I force a smile, trying to keep an eye on Oliver as I figure out a way to end this conversation quickly.

Our gazes finally connect across the room, and I lift my hand in a wave. The relief on Oliver’s face is evident when a smile blooms to life, tickling me from head to toe.

“Excuse me,” I mutter, interrupting the guy in front of me and making a hasty retreat. Taking a swig of my beer, I sprint over to Oliver, grinning wide when he also starts moving towards me.

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