Page 19 of The Young & the Sinner

We shook our heads and she took her leave. I looked down at my food, my stomach growling just from the scent alone. I was hungry, but that wasn’t why I was thankful for it. I was just glad I had something to focus on instead of looking at Max’s and Mason’s inquisitive stares. Especially Max’s.

“Olivia?”

“Yeah?” I asked, not looking up.

Max grasped my chin until I was looking at him. “I know we haven’t talk about dating—”

“Am I not allow to date?” I asked. It was true, we never talked about these kinds of things, mostly because there wasn’t a need. Not until now. I thought being seventeen would allow me certain freedoms, but if Max didn’t want me to date, who was I to stop him? I wasn’t even excited about my date with Lorenzo, anyway. Not anymore.

“Of course, you are. I don’t mind that you date. Or that you want to hang out with kids your own age. In fact, I encourage it. I just… you never really mentioned this Lorenzo before. And I get the feeling that you like him?”

I wished we could stop talking about this. Especially in front of Mason. “Yeah, I like him.”

“So why don’t you seem excited about this? Is this kid good to you?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. We never really talked at school.”

“No?” This came from Mason, who sounded surprised. The brothers shared another look with each other. One I couldn’t decipher.

“Not really. But Lizzie thinks he likes me, so it must be true.”

“Why does Lizzie think he likes you?”

“Oh. She just said he’s been looking at me. That’s all. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Hmmm,” was all the response I got.

“Can we eat? I’m starving.”

Max looked like he wanted to say something more but changed his mind at the last minute. “Yes, of course. Let’s eat.”

Dinner passed by quickly after that. We talked and laughed so much that I almost spit my water out at one point. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I was glad Max enjoyed his birthday dinner. I didn’t see Lorenzo again until we were on our way out. He was standing by a door in the back that seemed to lead into an office of some sort, and he was talking to an older man who I assumed was his father.

They were about the same height, and had the same green eyes, but on the older Vitelli man, those eyes were sharpened with intelligence and ambition. He caught me staring at him and smiled. Though I smiled back to be polite, I didn’t very much like how he looked at me. I moved a little closer to Max, who, unaware of where my attention was at, wrapped his arms around me.

“You okay, kiddo?”

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

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