Page 10 of Olivia's Only Pretending
“This is so you.” Victor chuckled, picking up a framed photo of me and my sisters in matching sweatpants from my desk, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“The last stop on the campus tour: my office.” I waved around my cramped office. The walls were lined with stuffed bookshelves, there was a dark walnut desk with notebooks and framed photos littered across it, one of me and my late nana arm in arm at our lake house front and center, and an old desktop computer.
He pointed toward the large poster maps on my walls. “What are these?” He squinted, peering closer. “Paris. Greece. London. Ireland.”
“Maps of places I want to visit.” I walked behind my desk for a closer look. “I got them years ago as sort of inspiration. I’ve been saving for a while, but I’ve yet to get the gumption to buy a ticket.”
He nodded.
“Plus, distractions arise. Like beautiful old houses that need renovating,” I said, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from one of my fellow history professors and closest friends, Gabby.
Gabby
Office rumor is that you have a new BF you’re prancing around campus right now
Do you have a man with you? I know you don’t have a BF (right??)
I gasped and quickly shot back a message.
Me
It’s just Victor! My car broke down, so he gave me a ride and was Victoring and demanded a tour. Don’t know why anyone thinks he’s my bf??
I put my phone down and tried to put my focus back on Victor, who was rummaging through all my stuff and asking questions about everything he picked up.
A few seconds later, Gabby poked her head into my office, with her black, braided hair falling over her shoulders. “Hey.”
“Gabby is here!” Victor called from his spot by the shelves, flipping through my books.
“Vic,” Gabby said, giving him a quick side hug. “You’ve got the office talking.”
“Do I?” There was no missing the pleased grin that spread across Victor’s face at this news. “How so?”
I leaned back against my desk. “Yes, how so? I just gave the guy a brief walk around the campus.”
“The guy?” Victor slapped a hand against his chest. “That’s all I am to you?”
Gabby bit her lip. “I think Ryan started the rumor. He’s told a few different people in the last, like, half hour that he met your new boyfriend. People were like ‘oh, that explains why she gave him a tour and why they were all giggly.’”
Victor snorted. “All giggly.”
I shook my head. “Did you set them straight?”
“No, I mean, I was wondering if I’d missed something. Someone said they’d heard him call youbaby girl, and he’d bought you a coffee. It just?—”
“Baby girl is true, but it’s a joke,” I said, shooting an accusatory glance toward Victor. “I told you that nickname was too messy.”
Gabby raised a brow to Victor. “You trying to manifest?”
His cheeks blazed red.
“Well, go back to your office and set people straight, please?” I clasped my hands together.
“Don’t worry about it, Liv. It’ll blow over, anyway. No reason to stress,” she said on her way out.
Victor set the book back on the shelf and turned to me. “Sorry I started rumors,” he said, raising his shoulders in a sheepish shrug that made my insides melt a little.
Of course people were talking. Bringing my alarmingly handsome and far-too-flirty friend was bound to start rumors. If they weren’t whispering about him, people would probably be asking me if he was single and trying to snag his Instagram handle.
