Page 13 of First Impressions of You

If he is as famous as she’s saying, then what brought him to Movieland? The theater department here is known for being a pipeline for new talent, not for famous actors with established careers.

Wardrobe is unusually quiet today, so when Olivia speaks up again, her voice bounces off the lockers.

“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.” She waves her hand in front of her like a teacher in front of the classroom. “Somehow, Winter Davis is working here, and somehow, you’ve already met him before. I’m going to need you to introduce us so we can fall madly in love, have cute babies, and live happily ever after.”

A loud, rumbling laugh rolls out me. I can’t help it.

“Olivia, first of all, no.” I say, pulling my long wavy hair into a ponytail. My face contorts into a frown at the thought of Winter becoming part of my family. “Second, he’s a snob. You really don’t want to be married to someone who can’t open his mouth to say more than two words at a time. That’s when he does say something and not just ignore your presence and acts like he can’t get away from you fast enough.”

“That’s… oddly specific.” Olivia quirks an eyebrow at me.

“He’s an asshole. Believe me.”

“Maybe he’s just an introvert.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to be rude.”

“Maybe he’s just shy.”

“Stop finding excuses for his poor behavior.”

“You know…” Olivia rolls her lips inward, considering whether she should say the next words or not.

“Out with it.”

“You can come off as pretty closed off yourself before people get to know you. What if he thinks the same of you?”

I close the door to our locker with a little more strength than I should’ve. The metallic sound is too loud in the otherwise quiet space. “Excuse me?”

“I’m not saying you’re rude.”

“Good,” I huff. “Because I’m not. I’m extremely polite, Olivia. There’s a difference, though, between being polite and flirting with any human being that crosses my path, but you wouldn’t know now, would you?”

I watch her face fall at the unexpected dig. There’s a part of me that regrets saying it. That knows how petty I’m being. The same part that tries to be a nice sister to her. But there’s also a part of me that resents her for getting away with so much. For not having to deal with the consequences of her choices the way I always have to.

“Do you always have to be such a bitch? I don’t know what I did to you, Luiza, but God…” She lets her voice falls, not finishing her thought. Clicking the lock into place, she turns to walk away, but I can still hear when she mutters, “That was uncalled for.”

Olivia goes to clock in, and I let her go before me, knowing that I owe it to her to give her some space. I know I shouldn’t have said that. I wanted to take it back the moment the words came out, but… Olivia has a way of getting under my skin.

Before she moved here last month, it’d been over four years since we’d last lived together. Four years since I hadn’t needed to face the fact that my youngest sister can do no wrong in our parents’ eyes. Four years since I hadn’t had to pretend that the way they protect her and provide her with anything she wants, no questions asked, doesn’t hurt me.

Because that was never how they treated me.

And I know that’s not on her, but I can’t seem not to blame her for it.

Chapter 04

It’s been two days since I gave Cam Julia’s number, and he has yet to contact her. I’m glad I didn’t tell her about it so she doesn’t have to be disappointed if he never does. I’m also glad Olivia had the good sense not to say anything either.

Neither Olivia nor I have brought up our discussion in the locker room, and if there’s any weird vibe between us, it’s no different from the usual. Julia hasn’t picked up on anything yet, so she hasn’t tried to meddle.

Today is a rare day when we’re all home at the same time, so for the first time in a while, we’re all having breakfast together. When I got the round table that sits only two from an online post I saw in one of these marketplace groups, I thought I’d only be sharing it with Julia. With Olivia moving in with us, we took to having our meals on the floor, around the coffee table I got from a neighbor who was moving out.

Our apartment in Burbank isn’t small. We have the luxury of two bedrooms and in-unit washer and dryer. I’d go as far as saying that I snatched a much better deal than I ever expected moving out to the LA area. For the single month I had it all to myself, it even felt too big.

The plan had been to share it with Julia while she did her specialization here to care for patients with neuro-motor disorders. Like Maria, our oldest sister back home in Brazil, Julia followed our parents’ footsteps into the medical field, choosing physical therapy. Upon her graduation, Mom and Dad proudly opened a new wing at their clinic especially for her. Now she oversees a team of physical therapists, and with the specialization, she’ll become the only PT in our hometown able to provide this method of treatment.

The plan had never included Olivia living with us. Yet, somehow, I find myself again sharing a roof with my youngest sister.

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