Page 38 of Ice Contact

Olivia

Just your giant TV. You didn’t need that, right?

Hayes

Lol. Did you take the TV to brunch with you?

Olivia

Yeah, I paid a creepy old guy in the parking lot to watch it for a couple hours. He told me I had nice legs.

Hayes

Good move. And he’s not wrong. But tell him to stay away from what’s mine.

Olivia, I wanted to tell you something…

“What’s he saying now?” Maggie asks, interrupting my happy Hayes bubble.

“I don’t know!” I scream back at her, the blood draining from my face. “It’s the little typing dots; they keep starting and stopping!!” We both wait with bated breath, Maggie’s nails clicking along the table as she drums her fingers. I slap my hand over my mouth as the text comes through. Tears blur my vision and my pulse races as I read the text over and over.Does this mean what I think it does?

“What did he say, Liv?! I’m dying over here!”

Hayes

I wanted to tell you I loved the time I got to spend with you yesterday too.

Olivia

Hayes

We’re on the bus to the hotel now. I’ll call you later once I get settled in my room for the night.

Olivia

Okay. Loved getting these texts from you.

Hayes

Love getting texts from you too, sweet girl

“Ohhhhhhhh, this man has itbadfor you, Liv! He totally loves you too!” she reaches across the table to give my hand a squeeze. I squeeze it back, so grateful she’s here to share this moment.

He heard me almost say it.And he’s not running away.He’s not scared. He’s not afraid to commit. I know we both got out of complicated relationships, but what if all that bad stuff led to where we are right now? What if we needed to get our hearts broken to truly find the person who would cherish it? If that’s truly the case, then it’s not too fast at all. I cradle my phone to my chest, blinking away the moisture in my eyes as I look at Maggie. I think I am seriously falling in love with this man. Thursday cannot get here soon enough.

29

olivia

Binge-watching TV in bed is my go-to for winding down after a long day, but I have no clue what’s happening in this crime documentary.Wait…did he just kill her or kidnap her?I can’t seem to peel my eyes away from my phone. Stalking it. Waiting for it to ring. Hayes said he’d call when he was settled in for the night.What time is settled?

Sighing loudly, I drop my phone on my chest, tapping out a fast rhythm on the case with my nails. I should just text him.That’s not clingy, right?My fingers still.Nope. Olivia Marie, we are not going down that road again.Shaking my head back and forth, I remind myself he’s not a runner. He’s a skater…they glide, right? This is simply me being impatient to hear the voice of the man who took amazingcare of me in every way possible last night.

I unlock my phone, staring blankly at the empty text field.How do I ask him when he’s going to call me without sounding like a weirdo?Maybe I am a weirdo, but there’s no time to get a new personality.Maybe I just text hello?

“Why is this so difficult?” I grumble, letting out a frustrated groan.

I can do this.I type a quick text and hit send before I chicken out.

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