I don’t know why I offered to do this. I’ve known Olivia for a long-ass time and I can see right through the facade that she puts on. She might think that she can fool everyone else with her sunshine and happy-go-lucky attitude, but not me. I never cared much before to look beyond what she shows the world.
But behind her grin, I could see the disappointment and how uncomfortable she felt.
The least I could do was take my sister’s best friend out to get some food.
Judging by how thin she is, I’m afraid if she doesn’t eat, she may wither away anyway. Olivia has always been slender, it’s the way that I remember her growing up. She kept my sister on track because she was the good one out of the two. While Stella wanted to get drunk and hook up with guys, Olivia was the sound voice. The angel on her shoulder.
But she was always my little sister’s best friend. I could never look at her as anything more… even if she did look like a fucking angel.
“I’m going to be honest,” Olivia speaks, her voice light as we begin to walk together down the sidewalk. “I haven’t really ventured out much, so I’m not familiar with the restaurants around here.”
Fighting the urge to look at her, I continue to walk. “What are you hungry for?”
“How about you surprise me? I’d eat just about anything right now.”
“Okay,” I respond quietly, not offering any more. Without thinking, I continue to walk, knowing that there’s a diner only two blocks away. From the corner of my eye, I see Olivia as she wraps her arms tighter around her body. She’s still carrying her backpack and the temperature continues to drop, given it’s January.
I’m an asshole.
“Come with me,” I tell her, reaching out to grab her arm instinctively. Olivia glances down at my hand on her and I quickly pull away from her. What the fuck is wrong with me? Clearing my throat, I motion for her bag. “Let me carry that for you.”
We’re standing in the middle of the sidewalk, Olivia’s eyes widening as she stares back at me with different hues of brown and green swirling in her irises. “Okay,” she replies tentatively as she shrugs the straps off her shoulders and hands it to me. “Where are we going?”
“You’re cold,” I say matter-of-factly as I begin to walk into the parking lot. “I’ll drive.”
I hear Olivia’s footsteps behind me as she attempts to keep up with my longer strides. A sigh slips from my lips as I slow down my pace, allowing her to catch up to me. We walk in silence to my car and it’s uncomfortable.
Olivia is the same girl that I remember from when we were younger, except she’s older now. She thinks that I didn’t notice her as she entered high school and began to mature, but she’s wrong. I saw her. I’ve always seen Olivia fucking Davis.
And that’s what bothers me the most.
I’m not allowed to see her. She’s entirely off-limits, so it’s best if I keep her at arm’s length. The less she knows about me, the better. There’s no room for Olivia in my life, because if I let her in, I know that she would consume me.
Olivia walks around the front of the car as I unlock the doors and slip in behind the steering wheel. I could have been a gentleman and opened her door for her, but that’s not me. At least, not in this situation. The last thing I need is for her to think that this is something more than it is.
It’s not a goddamn date. This is just a favor to my sister. Keep an eye on Olivia and make sure that she’s good. And I suppose that making sure she’s fed falls under that.
As I turn the key, starting the engine, I reach down and crank up the heat. Olivia notices the button by her seat and turns on the seat warmer. She nestles deeper against the leather cushion as she puts on her seat belt like the good girl she is.
There isn’t a wild bone in this girl’s body. She’s as safe as they come.
“So, you didn’t tell me where we were going,” she reminds me, her voice soft as I pull the car out of the parking lot.
With one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the gearshift, I keep my eyes on the road instead of looking at her. “Jenny’s.”
I feel her curious eyes on the side of my face. “Wait, you’re taking me to someone’s house to eat? Who is Jenny? Your girlfriend?”
She’s gained my attention now. Half turning my head to look at her, I raise an eyebrow. “Do you always have to ask so many questions?”
“If I want to know anything, then yes.” She pauses for a moment, a frustrated breath slipping from her plump lips. “I like to know what I’m getting myself into or what to expect.”
Choosing to not respond, I direct my gaze back to the road as an awkward silence settles between us once again. I know how Olivia is and what to expect with her. At least there’s one thing about her that hasn’t changed.
We’re both quiet as I head away from campus and into town. I glance at her from the corner of my eye, noticing her as she thoughtfully stares out the window. I like the silence, when she’s not asking a million different questions, but I want to know what is going on in that pretty little head of hers in this moment. She really thinks that I’m taking her to another girl’s house for dinner.
It’s a relatively short drive into town to the small diner. I don’t come here that often, but it’s a place where you can get amazing comfort food. And right now, that’s what it looks like Olivia needs. Some kind of comfort, something to make her feel safe here, like she made the right choice moving here from Florida.
She didn’t.
But I can’t tell her that.
As we pull into the parking lot, I park directly in front of the small restaurant. There’s a massive neon sign above that says the name… Jenny’s. Putting the car in park, I kill the engine as I look over at Olivia whose hand is frozen on her seat belt.
Her bright eyes meet mine. “Oh,” she says quietly, the relief heavy in her tone. “Jenny’s is a diner… not your girlfriend.”
I stare back at her for a moment, a million different responses racing through my brain, but instead I choose to remain silent. My lips are pressed together as I tear my gaze away from hers and climb out of the car. Olivia isn’t far behind me and I hear her door slamming shut behind her as she shuffles after me.
We reach the door and I hold it open for her, our gazes colliding once more before we step inside. Her throat bobs as she swallows hard before choosing to step inside the busy restaurant.
“You might have everyone fooled with your mask of optimism, Liv,” I murmur as she walks past me, catching a whiff of her light floral scent. “But not me.”
