I have a feeling Olivia’s going to be doing enough of that for both of us.
9
OLIVIA
The restaurant is loud, the atmosphere is festive, the food is freaking amazing, and Ash’s hand is on my thigh.
All in all, I can’t complain.
I can, however, kick myself for being such a bitch earlier.
I mean, I’m not stupid. I know Ash is nothing like Matt and I don’t even know why I threw that out there. It was possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever said to another human being.
Or…
It’s a defense mechanism and I’m trying to protect myself from making another mistake.
Oh God! Have I been sabotaging myself for years? All because of Matt?
I still remember the day I’d caught him cheating on me.
The first time.
I was shocked, outraged, and devastated. Looking back, I want to smack my younger self because there was zero reason for me to feel any of those emotions. After all, Matt had cheated on his previous girlfriend with me.
Now, some would say—and they did—that it was karma and I got what I deserved, and they were right. I was no better than Matt when I fooled around with him while he was dating someone else.
I just never expected such a long game in the payback department.
“Liv? Do you want another margarita?”
Ash nudges me and I realize I’ve zoned out and everyone’s looking at me, waiting for a response.
“Um…sure! Thanks!”
“I thought you were in a guacamole coma!” Roxie teases, and we all laugh.
As the meal goes on, I relax more—and cut myself off after my third margarita—and by the time we’re ready to leave, I tell myself that I’m going to apologize to Ash when we’re alone later.
In his bed.
Yeah, I still can’t believe I’m doing this, but I didn’t order the earplugs or the sleep aid, so there’s no way I can sleep in the same room as Roxie and the dogs tonight. So, for at least another night, I’m crashing in his room.
“Okay, I just ordered the car,” Mike announces, holding up his phone. “They’ll be here in seven minutes.”
We all knew we were going to be drinking and decided not to drive. Using a rideshare app just made way more sense than making one of us be the designated driver.
Although, I probably should have volunteered after all the extra drinking I’ve done in the last few days.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll shock everyone with that offer.
In the meantime, we pay the bill and finish our drinks before slowly making our way toward the door. Ash’s hand softly rests on my lower back as we walk, and I’m really loving it.
Just like I’ve been loving it every time he touches me.
And he does it a lot.
Sometimes it’s just something small, like gently touching my arm to get my attention, or resting his hand on my thigh at dinner, and now the whole back thing. When our car arrives, it’s actually an oversized SUV to fit all of us. We climb all the way to the third row of seats and it’s a tight fit, but Ash’s arm goes around me to hold me close. My face is practically buried against his throat, and I’m surrounded by his fresh, citrusy cologne.
