Page 41 of Light My Fire Three Times
I haven’t been able to, even for a second.
But now? Now I’m back to square one. Nothing’s changed. She’s not mine. She never will be.
And that fucking hurts.
I pull out my phone, scroll through it, looking for someone I can call. But there’s nothing. No one.
I sigh and throw the phone down on the couch, running a hand over my face.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Olivia
NOVEMBER 21ST
I don’t knowwhat time it is, but I’m dreaming. I can tell because everything feels way too real, tooperfect, but also completely ridiculous.
It starts in a coffee shop. A cozy one, the kind with too many mismatched chairs and the smell of cinnamon and old books in the air.
I’m sitting at a table by the window, sipping a caramel latte, trying to pretend that my life isn’t a complete mess, which it absolutely is. And then, out of nowhere, Jesse walks in.
But not just any Jesse.
No, this Jesse is wearing a tight-fitting leather jacket, looking like he just stepped out of one of those action movies I pretend to hate but secretly love.
He’s got that intense stare, like he’s been thinking about me for hours—maybe days.
I feel my heart start to race, even though I’m trying to stay cool. But before I can even say anything, Karl appears, sliding into the seat across from me with that familiar, devil-may-caregrin. The one that makes me want to roll my eyes and smack him at the same time.
“Olivia,” Karl cries out, “You lookadorablewhen you try to act all innocent.”
I open my mouth to retort, but Jesse's already leaning over the table, his eyes locking onto mine.
“You know,” he informs me, “I’ve been waiting for this.”
Waiting for what? My head’s spinning. They both look at me like I’m the center of everything, like I’m theonlything in the world that matters right now.
My pulse quickens. I don’t even know what to say, but before I can think too much about it, Karl’s hand is on mine, his thumb tracing small circles on my wrist, making my skin tingle.
Jesse, never one to back down, moves even closer, and his hand brushes against my shoulder, his fingers lingering just a little too long. My breath catches in my throat. I don’t know if I should melt into it or run away screaming.
And then they both lean in, Jesse from the left, Karl from the right, and for a split second, everything’s a blur. Their faces, their lips, the way they both smell like fire and coffee and something I can’t even name.
But here’s the kicker. Just when I think this is it—the perfect romantic moment—everything goes wrong.
Jesse’s lips press against my cheek, and Karl’s lips find my other cheek, and I’m sitting there, frozen, caught between two of them, unable to move.
And then… and then it gets weird.
I realize they’re bothwaitingfor me to kiss one of them. But instead, I sit there, my heart pounding, confused as hell, not knowing which one to kiss. Or should I kiss either of them?
“Olivia,” Jesse whispers in my ear huskily, “Pick me.”
But Karl isn’t about to let that happen. He leans in and whispers, “Why pick one when you can have both?”
I swear, in that moment, I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or throw my latte at them both. My heart is in my throat. How the hell did I get here? And more importantly, why do I want to be here?
