Page 63 of Not Safe For Work

He climbs out of bed and grabs the Warriors hat he wore yesterday on the plane. “Here, use mine,” he murmurs, placing it on my head. He pulls down the brim since it’s a little big on me before flipping it around to wear backwards. His eyes roam over my face and I think he might kiss me. Instead, he just pinches my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You look great, Sparkles. Have fun.”

I may bethe last person to make it to the boat, but everyone else looks tired and hungover. I can smell the alcohol wafting off of them.

Not me. I had the best sleep of my life.

“Why are you so cheery? It’s ten in the morning,” Andie whines, laying her head on my shoulder.

“I don’t think I drank nearly as much as you did. What’d you get into last night?”

“I’m not sure,” she mumbles. “I think we went downtown? I do remember a lot of tequila shots though.”

Our group is run through a safety training before we board the boat and within a few minutes we’re moving. I wish I could have convinced Gavin to come, but after seeing two guys throw up over the side of the boat, I know he made the right call.

Andie tugs me all the way to the bow because she wants to have a private conversation, and because it looks like the best place to sunbathe. Unsurprisingly, everyone else is hanging out by the bar, starting their day with mimosas and bloody marys.

“Okay, so I heard some stuff last night,” Andie whispers.

Shit. “About me?”

“Did you really make Stacey cry?”

“What? No, of course not. I mean, I don’t think I did?”

“Well, she’s not calling you a slut anymore, so that’s a plus. But she did throw around the words ‘stuck up bitch,’ just FYI.”

“Honestly, I’ll take it. She was being rude and I…I stood up for myself. After we heard them talking about me yesterday, I was sick of being a doormat. I’ll be more than happy to be a bitch instead.”

Andie’s eyes widen. “I like this take-no-shit Olivia. If you do it again though, can I be there to see? She’s the worst.”

I think back to Gavin saying Stacy is into him. It’s not like I’m jealous, but I am curious why Andie doesn’t like her. We’ve never really talked about her before.

“Has she done anything to you?”

“Not me, but I think she’s kind of homophobic, or just an asshole. She complained to me a few months ago that Gabby was hitting on her in the bathroom and said it made her uncomfortable, that I needed to talk to her about it. She made a formal complaint.”

“What?” This time I shout because I am outraged.

“Yeah, Gabby said she had offered her a piece of gum because her breath was rank, and that was all that happened. I completely believed her.”

“You should. Gabby loves her girlfriend. She wouldn’t do that.” I pause, letting my anger simmer. “But also, that’s such a double standard. Like, Stacey thinks it’s okay for her to hit on Gavin, but Gabby can’t do the same thing because she’s gay? How is she our people manager?”

“So true. Also, since when is she hitting on Gavin?” Andie asks with a bit too much enthusiasm.

“Oh, I don’t know. He just said she has a few times.”

Andie sits up and squints at me, her eyes roaming my face for a clue. “I knew it. You do like him.”

“Andie,” I argue, but I know it’s pointless, because I still cannot stop smiling. There has been a constant loop in my head this morning of Gavin kissing my neck, of his hands slowly sliding down my bare back. I start to shiver at the thought. “Okay, fine. I might like him. A little.”

She squeals. “I love this for you, for us really. Think about all the double dates!” I eye her with a confused look. I have never even met her mystery boyfriend.

“You know what I mean. Like maybe one day,” she says flipping her hand around like it’s all a hypothetical. “So…did something happen?”

I’m dying to tell her—anyone, really—about the kiss. In a moment of insanity, I almost texted Lucy Gold on the way to the marina. If anyone could understand the magic I felt last night, it’d be her.

But before I can get a word out, Stacey and Marissa join us on the bunny pad.

Once I see them, I shake my head. “I’ll tell you later.”

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