Page 16 of Olivia's Only Pretending
I wasn’t sure Ryan would be that much of a nuisance for me on campus, but one of the upsides to his fleeing to Minnesota was no awkward ex run-ins. Now, I was guaranteed run-insat work.
Lucy reached her arms across the table, covering my freckled hand with her own. “Do you want me to go give him a talkin’ to?”
I snorted.
“Or I could go key his rental car or something. And, I mean, I don’t think we should resort to violence, but I would kick his butt for you. If that’s what you really need.”
“I appreciate the offer.” The idea of Lucy kicking Ryan’s butt did bring a smile to my face. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”
“You always do.” Lucy gave me a small smile.
I felt my phone vibrate in my purse and slipped it out to find a message from Victor.
Victor
Mind if your new BF is working in your backyard when you get home?
That night, the sun was already starting to set by the time Lucy dropped me off in my driveway—the time of year when autumn ushers in dusk.
I immediately noticed Victor’s truck was still here. My shoulders immediately dropped. That instant comfort Victor’s presence brought me seemed to work even via his vehicle. Knowing he was near always settled my nerves.
I didn’t see him at first. I crossed my deck and squinted toward the backyard until I spotted him beneath one of the big elm trees, surrounded by yellow and red leaves.
“What are you working on over there?” I asked, dropping my bags with a thud.
He popped his head out from behind the leaves. “Giving the birds somewhere to hang out other than your open window.”
My mind flashed back to our conversation in my kitchen this morning. “Victor, I didn’t mean for you to actually …” My chest was feeling that familiar Victor tug, that sweet kind of ache.
“I know, I know, but … you had a bad day. You looked so sad when you saw Ryan this morning.” He shrugged. “I was thinking about you all day and thought this might …”
“Be way too much?” I said, walking across the yard to him.
“Make you feel better,”he said, with those caramel eyes crinkling. “Come on over and check it out.”
It was a small birdhouse in blonde wood nestled in my tallest elm tree. He’d put it together this evening while I ate burgers with Lucy. I could imagine him out here picking just the right tree and hanging it up carefully.
He’d even painted a message on it in thick black strokes:bird families welcome here. My own words this morning,I don’t want them to think they’re not welcome here,rang in my ears.
I rested my head on his shoulder. He smelled like sawdust and his spicy cologne, the scent he always wore. I had to resist the urge to wrap my arms all the way around him.
Over the last few months, he’d become one of my favorite people.
Not many people got to see this side of him—the birdhouse builder, the guy who knew what to fix before you even realized it was broken, a man who always showed up for everyone around him … but I did. And I appreciated it more than he realized.
“This does make my day better,” I said softly. I smiled, thinking of the little bird family out here in my trees this fall.
“Mission accomplished,” he said, pulling me in for a small hug.
I hated, and loved, what that did to my heart.
We sat outside on my deck for the rest of the evening under a blanket of twinkling stars, talking about everything but the kiss and the campus charade. We talked about reality TV, his brother Gabe’s upcoming wedding to Emma, and my mom joining the dating apps. It could’ve been any other night from the past summer, and maybe my heart needed just a normal night like that.
I wrapped my arms around my knees and let out a big yawn.
“Okay, sleepyhead, time for bed. You’ve had a long day,” Victor said, standing up and stretching his arms behind his head. His biceps flexed under the sleeves of his shirt. “We can finish debating who really deserved the First Impression rose later this week.”
I stood up with the words forming in my mouth— about the kiss, our friendship, pretending, how unsettled I felt about everything—but before I could say anything, he pulled me in for a tight hug.
