“Or…” I say cautiously. “We acknowledge that there is an attraction here that has absolutely nothing to do with faking it for our friends and we should explore it. Neither of us is going to get hurt because we’re being completely honest with each other. And just to put your mind at ease, I’m not going to pounce on you later tonight when we come back up here, so please don’t worry.”
“Um, yeah…that’s not what I was worried about.”
“Okay, then…what? Just tell me and I swear we’ll work it out.”
Her head lolls back as she huffs with frustration.
“Liv?”
Snapping her head forward again, she looks right at me and drops a bombshell. “Maybe I’m worried about me pouncing on you! What do you think of that?”
I think I’m the luckiest freaking guy in the world!
But I don’t say that.
Although I’m not really sure what I should say because I’d completely welcome the pouncing; hell, I want to encourage it.
But again, I don’t say that.
“I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to say here,” I admit after a minute. “I can promise to be respectful and let you set the pace. I can tell you that I won’t touch you at all in front of our friends if that makes you more comfortable.” I sit up straighter. “This is all new for me too, and I’m sorry if kissing you downstairs made you uncomfortable.”
I almost want to pat myself on the back for being so kind and understanding, but the look of borderline horror on Olivia’s face tells a completely different story.
“What is your deal, Sebastian?” she demands, scrambling off the bed. “I mean…I don’t get you. You’re a nice guy—that’s a given—but no guy is this understanding and agreeable. So if you’re trying to lull me into a false sense of security, just…just…”
Now I’m offended.
Hopping off the bed on the opposite side, I stare at her. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that this is who I am?”
“Because you were friends with Matt! He never would have hung out with someone this nice!”
Ah. Now we’re getting somewhere.
“Do you think Mike and Zayne are awful? Do you think they’re lying to Vanessa and Loren?”
She rolls her eyes so hard I’m pretty sure she saw her own brain.
“They were all friends long before Matt turned into a sociopath. So no, I don’t think they’re awful. But you became friends with him when he was in his ultimate sociopath era. So if you were good with hanging out with him, then there’s something wrong with you too. I just can’t figure out what it is!”
There is literally nothing I can say to that.
I thought my friendship with Matt might be an issue, but not to this extent.
“You know what? I can’t convince you that I’m a good guy when you’ve already made up your mind on some level that I’m not. I can only be who I am. I get that you’ve been hurt and you have trust issues. I get it and I’m sorry. But I’m also not going to stand here and defend myself all day, every day. Either you believe that I’m a good guy or you don’t. That’s on you.”
She doesn’t say a word.
“I guess the ball’s in your court, Liv. In the meantime, I’m heading back downstairs to see what the guys are up to. I’ll see you at dinner.”
I walk out of the room as calmly as I can and let out a long breath before heading down the stairs. Everyone’s out on the back deck, so that’s where I go. Mike takes one look at me, nudges Zayne, and they’re both instantly on their feet.
“Good! You’re finally here!” Mike says a bit too cheerfully. “We were going to test some of the fishing rods Vanessa’s dad has in the garage. Want to come down to the beach with us?”
“Yeah. Sure. Why not?”
I stand and simply breathe in the salty air for a minute and try to calm my nerves. I don’t have to defend myself to freaking anyone, and I’m certainly not okay with being compared to someone who I wouldn’t have been friends with under normal circumstances. And on top of that, who is she to do the whole guilt by association thing? I’m not judging her based on her friends or the fact that she dated the sociopath.
“Dude? You ready?” Zayne asks like it’s not the first time he’s had to say it.
