Page 101 of Olivia's Only Pretending
“Then what’s the holdup?” Lucy’s wild red curls fell in her eyes as she tilted her head in question.
“Old habits die hard. I can’t quit being Careful and Cautious Olivia overnight,” I said. It was hot and humid at Chauncey’s as people filled the space. “I want to throw caution to the wind for him, though. He deserves it.”
“You’re going to have to make the words come out—get all Dr. Rhodes on it. Command the room!” Lucy said, all bubbly and happy.
Dr. Rhodes did command the room and felt confident and assured because she was always speaking in her area of expertise. When it came to my new boyfriend? I did not consider love to be my area of expertise.
Glimpses of the creases around Victor’s eyes, his warm laughter, and the way his whole body relaxed when I wrapped my arms around him filled my mind. Maybe love wasn’t my area of expertise, but Victor sure was.
I could teach an advanced course on How to Cheer Victor Up or Intro to Hernandez Sibling Dynamics.
Lucy patted the table, waking me from my thoughts. “We’re up next!”
“Up next for what?” I blinked.
She shimmied her shoulders. “Karaoke, of course.”
After Lucy and I had sung our hearts out to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and then an encore performance to Sabrina Carpenter,I jogged off stage sweaty and giggly and in desperate need of another drink. I made my way through the crowd when my eyes landed on Victor Hernandez.
It felt like I’d taken a shot of espresso, a warm giddiness straight into my veins. “Victor!” I called out.
His gaze cut straight to me. His face broke into a smile as he waved his arms for me to hurry over to him.
I ran right to his side, like a puzzle finding its piece, and laced my arms around his waist. His leather jacket was stiff under me.
He squeezed me close, tucking my head against his chest. “Hey, you.”
“I missed you—” I started to say, but then felt the eyes of his brothers, Gabriel and Luis, on me. And I swear I saw Katie’s ears perk up like a German shepherd’s as I spoke. “Buddy,” I added awkwardly at the end of the sentence.
His brows wrinkled in amusement as he looked down at me. “I missed you, too,pal.”
I wanted to pull him somewhere alone and ask if we should just tell everyone right now. Or grab his face and kiss him, so there was no other choice. But I also knew we shouldn’t make it about us tonight with everyone there to celebrate Emma and Gabriel. “How’d the bachelor party get over here?” I asked.
He exchanged a glance with his brothers. “We heard it was karaoke night?”
“We enjoyed your and Lucy’s song,” Luis added. “You guys are actually pretty good.”
“Oh, thanks!” I said.
“I’m actually about to take to the stage,” Gabriel said. He kicked back a long gulp of his drink before striding off toward the stage.
Fall Out Boy’s “Alone Together” thumped through the speakers as Victor and Luis told us about the bachelor party in between laughing at Gabriel’s karaoke performance. We all cheered when he pulled Emma on stage with him.
Victor kept his arm around me the entire time, his thumb finding the belt loop of my light-wash jeans. I was basically floating, and his rough fingertips brushing against me were the only thing keeping me on the ground.
Emma and Gabriel joined us later. While we all talked, I noticed everyone’s eyes darting to Victor’s hand on my waist, my arms around him. How they’d exchanged glances when he said something sweet about me.
There was a note of concern in their eyes.Do they think I’m leading him on?
“Victor Hernandez!” a young woman shouted behind me.
Victor and I broke apart to turn around.
A tall woman with long, shiny brunette hair wrapped him up in an embrace. She had on a little black dress. “Where’ve you been?” she demanded as he pulled away, his eyes blinking in shock.
“I’ve been around.” He laughed awkwardly. “Guys, this is my friend Georgie. Georgie, this is … everyone,” he said, because our group was probably too long to name.
Though I would’ve loved to hear him introduce his girlfriend, Olivia, right about then.
