She raises an eyebrow. I wait a moment, but she doesn’t say anything.
“What?”
She shrugs.
“What was that look for?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says, shrugging again. “There was no look.”
“Yeah, there was. Tell me.”
Tina sighs. “Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but…”
I roll my eyes. I wait for her to continue because I know that she will, even though it’s clear that she wants me to beg.
She leans a little closer and lowers her voice so that she’s almost whispering. “You know you can tell me if you still like him, right?”
I’m caught off guard by her question. I frown, parting my lips, but I stammer for a moment, trying to think of why she might think I still like him. The only reason I liked him a year ago was because I didn’t know him well enough.
“I don’t.” I hope that my voice is stern enough that she takes me seriously. “And even if I did, I’m not sure Icouldtell you. You tell Ryan everything.”
“Not everything,” she says with a wiggle of her ring finger. “I think I’m pretty good at keeping this little secret. I could keep yours, too.”
“There is no secret to tell.” The thought that she doesn’t believe me makes my body feel hot. My face turns red.
“Fine. Whatever. Pretend all you want.” She reaches for a wine bottle and pours us each a glass. She hands one to me and then heads into the living room.
“I’m not pretending,” I say, following her.
Just as I’m sitting down in one of the two white leather armchairs that match the couch, Oliver and Ryan come back through the door and join us in the living room. Ryan sits next to Tina on the couch, and Oliver sits in the armchair opposite me.
“What were you guys doing in the garage?” Tina asks.
The guys exchange a glance before Ryan answers. “I was just showing Oliver my new rims.”
“Pretty sweet,” Oliver says.
Tina smirks. “You boys and your toys.”
I look at each of them, just now realizing it was a little weird how they both walked out of the room without a word as soon as I agreed to go to the game on Sunday. That, and the way they looked at each other before Ryan answered Tina.
My gaze lingers on Oliver for a minute. He’s not looking at me, but he glances at me once before quickly averting his gaze. Only then does it occur to me that this isn’t a setup for me and Oliver at all. This should be a relief, except it’s not. If Ryan isn’t trying to set us up, the only other reason I can think of for him wanting me there is that he plans to propose to Tina at the game. The way Oliver avoids my eyes all but confirms it.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I look away from Oliver to see who texted me.
Tina
You’re staring an awful lot for someone who is TOTALLY over him ;)
ChapterSix
Hidden Gems
Ipull up in front of Oliver’s house early Sunday morning. Tina and Ryan are supposed to pick each of us up, but since I suspect that Ryan might be popping the question today, I have an ulterior motive for coming here. I know that my last conversation with Oliver didn’t end well, but there was a time when he was willing to cooperate with me. I have to try to talk him into getting Ryan to delay the proposal.
He’s rubbing his eyes when he answers the door. When he sees that it’s me, he frowns. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to pick you up.” I hold up the two cups of coffee I brought as an offering to get me in the door.
