Page 93 of What I Like About You

Ollie looks up at me. “Wait. Is he mad?”

“No kissing ensued—and I didn’t tell him.”

“But … you were out all night. What happened?”

“There’s someone else,” I say. “Kels.”

Ollieuggggghhhhsinto his pillow—the only appropriate response, honestly. I tell him what happened, every detail. The music, the chai, the stories. Falling asleep in the car and waking up to the sunrise. The moment I wanted to tell him—and all the reasons why I didn’t.

“I … don’t understand. Asunrise?”

“Ollie.”

“He’ssointo you!”

I shake my head no. “He’s into Kels.”

“Exactly.Youare Kels—or did you forget that?” Ollie says. “I’m sorry, but you officially make zero sense.”

“I’m not Kels.”

“Whatever, Hal. You’re literally both sides of this love triangle.You win.But you’re determined to sabotage yourself.”

He un-pauses Netflix and now I want to scream into a pillow. Ollie doesn’t get it because a) he’s a hopeless romantic; and b) he’s totally jaded. He’s barely even on social media—his universe revolves around baseball stats and his multiple, simultaneous crushes. He doesn’t understand the nuances of building a brand. He doesn’t understand I’m Kelsonline, for One True Pastry—to build a reputation in the industry separate from Grams. ButI’m not Kels.

Not really. She’s a version of me, a narrative, not truth.

Nash lovesa narrative.

I pick up the remote and re-pause in the middle of a Dwight monologue.

“So,” I say.

“So,” Ollie says.

“Don’t pretend there’s not more to the Talia story and you’re not dying to tell me. I’m sorry I’ve been distracted. Spill.”

Ollie crosses his arms and we have a stare-off.

The tension is killing him, I know it. Even if he’s annoyed with me, he wants to spill.

Ollie breaks. “Fine. Okay, don’t freak out.”

“I won’t.”

“Talia kissed me,” Ollie says.

My brain is all exclamation points at this information.

“I kind of kissed her back,” he adds.

“Oliver! What!”

“And … I liked it? I think. I don’t know, we were dancing and then out of nowhere her mouth was on my mouth. And then her tongue was in my mouth. And I didn’t hate it. At all.”

“Wait, your first lady kiss was PDA?” I ask.

Ollie snorts. “A truly hetero moment.”

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