I turn my phone screen toward him, allowing him to read the texts, and a grin takes over his face before he says, “She’s amazing.”
“Me, you, and Zane always seem to teach her how to get in trouble,” I admit, and he shakes his head at me, pushing himself into a seated position. “But you’re the one who teaches her how to avoid the consequences with those ‘get out of jail free’ cards you give her all the time.”
Luke lets out a husky laugh, the sound slowly mending the pieces of my broken heart. It flows like hot chocolate through my chest.
“Ryland doesn’t let me give those to her anymore.” He stands up and walks over to the television. “I brought my Nintendo Switch. Want to play a few rounds of Mario Kart?”
I smile at the idea because it’s something that feels like old times—like before I had this secret attraction growing inside of me. Our relationship was much simpler when it wasn’t there. When I didn’t want to know how his skin would feel under my palms or how his lips might feel pressed against mine.
Don’t let your mind go there, Olivia!
“Sure. But don’t think I’m going to take it easy on you just because this is a stressful weekend for you.”
He looks over his shoulder at me, grinning, one side higher than the other, and my breath hitches. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Luke
Sleeping next to someone you care about is probably one of the best feelings in the world. I kept a respectful amount of space between us, but I could still feel her warmth underneath our shared blanket as I drifted to sleep.
The sound of “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan plays for the second time, and with my eyes still closed, I stir awake, twisting around until I’m facing her, and reach over to nudge her awake. “Liv, turn off your alarm.”
I feel nothing but chilled silk sheets. My eyes snap open, and the slightest hint of blue shines through the window, revealing how early it is. I look toward the bathroom to see the door is left wide open with no Olivia inside. She left her phone, sitting on the nightstand, still plugged into the charger.Where is she?
I reach over to turn her alarm off, exhaling a frustrated breath at what time it is, and turn to lie on my back. Now with the alarm off, I can hear the beat of another song playing somewhere in the house. I recognize the song instantly and jump up, throwing the covers off my body, and rush throughthe house.
I follow the music until it leads me into the kitchen to witness a sight I regret seeing. I stand in the doorway, my mouth falling open, as I watch my grandmother, Aunt Andy, Jerrica, and Olivia all dancing together to“Back That Thang Up” by Juvenile.
Aunt Andy is shimmying her shoulders side to side as she flips sizzling bacon in a pan, singing the words unapologetically loud. Jerrica is twerking toward my sweet grandmother, who isn’t so sweet after all with the way she’s moving her hips. I will forever be traumatized. I might even go blind for the rest of the day from this sight.
My gaze lands on Olivia, whose messy bun is bobbing on top of her head, as she sways her hips along to the music while stirring a bowl of what looks to be pancake mix in her arms. I smile at the sight and how she becomes lost in her own little world of baking. I lean against the doorframe, arms crossing in front of my chest, and watch her. Only her.
I don’t think there’s anything else that can consume me quite like witnessing Olivia in the kitchen. It’s been the only time in the past that I’ve allowed my eyes to linger, since she never seems to notice. It’s a beautiful sight to see her so clearly in her element.
Her back is to me now, and she starts scooting herself backward, humming along to the music, mixing the bowl in her hands. I wait to see if she’s going to stop, but she keeps moving. I reach out, placing my hands onto her shoulders, and she shrieks. Olivia turns around quickly, her hands losing their grip on the bowl of pancake mix, which goes flying into the air, the batter landing on top of my head, shoulders, and chest.
The bowl clatters onto the floor as everyone in the room turns toward our commotion. I blink my eyes as a bit of the batter dangles from my eyelashes, and I have to use my fingers to scoop it off my face. Olivia’s hands shoot up to her mouth in shock, Aunt Andy’s eyes are wide in surprise, and Jerrica starts laughing hysterically.
“Luke! Are you okay?” Nonni asks, moving toward me before bending over to pick the plastic bowl up off the floor that had luckily missed me.
My tongue darts out, tasting the flour and cinnamon flavor. “Yeah, I think I’m in one piece.”
“Did we wake you?” she asks, placing the bowl into the sink before turning to look at me.
“I’m pretty sure you woke up the whole house,” I snicker, a soured feeling swirling inside my stomach at the thought of my dad being awake and having to face him at some point today.
Olivia is pressing her lips together to hide from laughing, and I use it as a much-needed distraction. Her plan for fake dating me was to help me get through this weekend, to find a way to take away the stress, and I’m going to hold her to it.
“I got it,” Olivia says when my grandmother goes to wipe up the mess, taking the rag from her hand and patting my chest. “I’m sorry,” she says frantically, concern showing in the dip between her brows.
I place a hand onto hers, stopping her movement, and she looks up at me with wide green eyes, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.
“It’s fine, Liv.”
“But I feel bad. I woke up super early and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I figured I could help out with breakfast, and since your Nonni shared her family’s secret recipes with me last night, I shared one of my baking secrets with her.” She takes a roll of paper towels into her hand before wiping my shoulders and neck.
“Your kitchen dance moves are a secret?” I ask, brow arching, loving the way she scrunches her nose at me.
