Page 1 of Ravenous

Prologue

OLLIE

Olliewantedtoleave.

When he’d gotten the invitation to August and Josh’s wedding, Ollie had been excited. The event was expected to be a mini high school reunion and the angel on Ollie’s shoulder had wanted to see everyone again while the devil had wanted to show off. For Ollie was no longer the invisible gay kid who didn’t know how to dress; over the last three years he’d grown a couple of inches, gotten fitter, studied makeup, and tamed his frizzy curls, becoming Olleelicious - the sassy fashionista with tons of online followers who adored him. He was proud of the changes he’d made and this was a chance for him to display his hard work on a different stage than social media.

And the event had started off just as he’d predicted. His former classmates had fawned over him, shocked at his transformation, and Ollie had basked in the attention, laughing and enjoying their company, truly glad to reconnect with them. However, as the hours spun by and joy filled the air, a familiar dread began to loom over him, making him feel stuck, moored to the chair he was in.

“Ollie!” Nick, a former tennis teammate, strode over to the table, a tall blonde trailing behind him. Most of the other guests were up dancing so Ollie had been sitting alone, scrolling through his various accounts while trying to ignore the binding anxiety that held him down. “You remember Claire, right?” They took a seat on either side of him.

“I do. We took Spanish together.” Ollie held out his hand and they shook. She had flushed cheeks and a perpetual smile that showed she’d taken advantage of the open bar.

“Sí!” she giggled. “You look amazing, Ollie, I didn’t recognize you. I thought Nick was lying. How much weight did you lose?”

Ollie tried not to cringe. Theamazingwas fine but he was surprised at how many people asked intrusive questions about his body. “Oh, you know, a few pounds.”

“Are you doing Keto?”

“It’s my own plan.”

“By the way, is it true? Did you really see Liam Gray?” Thankfully she changed the subject but Ollie didn’t like the new topic either. He nodded stiffly.

“He works here, at The Pointe. I think he’s a server but I haven’t seen him again.” Ollie had been taking selfies in the bathroom during the cocktail hour, trying to find the best lighting, when Liam had stumbled in, the same Liam who’d disappeared three years ago after his parents died in a car accident. Ollie had wondered and worried about him, so he’d been beyond pleased to run into Liam again, hugging him and snapping a few photos before noticing that Liam had changed too, but not for the better. He had looked harried and pale like he’d been through hell and back, and he’d scampered off before Ollie could talk to him any further.

“I guess he’s hiding from us.” Nick shrugged. “Show her the pic.”

“I deleted it.” Too many of his old classmates had gawked at the post, making Ollie uneasy, like he’d invaded Liam’s privacy, so he removed it.

“Aww,” Nick pouted.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the grooms are about to cut the cake.”The MC’s booming voice echoed across the room.

“I have to see this!” Claire stood, smoothing down her long green dress. “It was good catching up, Ollie. Don’t be a stranger.”

“Same.” Ollie brought up his Instagram profile and showed it to her. “Follow me on Insta. I’m Olleelicious.”

“Oh my god, that’s a lot of followers! Wow!” She whipped her phone out of her purse and added one more to that number.

Ollie immediately followed her back. “They’re only after my makeup and hair tutorials.”

“I’m going to have to watch those and pick up some tips because you look fabulous.”

“Thank you, hun. Right back ‘atcha.”

The crowd on the dance floor started singing“The groom cuts the cake,”and with a wave, Claire and Nick wandered off, leaving Ollie alone again. Watching from afar, he studied the happy couple. August and Josh were practically glowing, their wide smiles soaked in delight, and as they simultaneously fed each other a forkful of cake, following it up with a kiss, the dread inside Ollie started to build, thickening the chains that anchored him down.

Happiness, love, and contentment are beautiful but also temporary; eventually, all good things come to an end. It happened to Liam, it will happen to August, and at some point, tragedy will come for Ollie; it’s only a matter of when and where. Ollie didn’t know how everyone made it day to day without noticing the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, for he spent most of his time bracing for impact, waiting for his turn at misfortune.

Going in for another sip of champagne, Ollie found his glass empty. Shit. How many calories was that? And how much had he eaten already? He’d had a few crackers at the cocktail hour, a plain salad with no croutons or dressing, and he’d picked at the main course. That was already far too much and this was hissecondglass of champagne.

He needed to stop.

Taking a deep breath, he gritted his teeth and broke through the shackles of his dread, using everything he could to stand. A little dizzy from the change in position, he braced himself on the shifting tablecloth but, once he was steady, he headed for the door. He’d gone to the ceremony at the park and stayed for two-thirds of the reception; he was allowed to slip out. Tomorrow he’d text the grooms and send them his love.

Making his way to the foyer, Ollie stopped and looked around. The walls were a soft after-snowfall white, complimenting the marble floor, which had large veins of gray running through it. A curved staircase took up most of the left side of the room, winding around a low-hanging empire chandelier that belonged in The Phantom of the Opera. Ollie peered beyond it, studying all the servers as he tried to find Liam again, but he came up empty. Maybe Nick was right, maybe he was hiding from everyone. But Ollie would return to find Liam again and be his friend because it looked like he needed one. Although Ollie had been invisible in high school, a few people had taken the time to acknowledge him and Liam was one of those people; Ollie wanted to pay that back.

Opening his rideshare app, Ollie requested a driver, heading outside. He had five minutes to walk the grounds and burn off a little of his indulgence before his car showed up.

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