Page 11 of The Heartbreakers
Oliverprobablyhatesyounow.The incident in the elevator kept flickering through my head, replaying the moment when Oliver’s smile fell. I was a jerk and he would never want to see me again. A bitter tang overwhelmed my mouth, and for a brief moment, I felt ill.
Whattheheckiswrongwithyou, Stella?I shouted at myself.Getagrip.Grabbing the bar of soap, I scrubbed myself with enough vigor to remove a layer of skin. There was no reason for me to be upset that Oliver Perry didn’t like me. Sure, he was cute, but I didn’t know him at all. From what I’d seen of Cara’s magazine article, Oliver was a total player, not someone I’d want to get involved with.
Drew knocked on the door, interrupting my thoughts. “Stella, I ordered room service,” he called over the noise of the shower. “Is pizza okay?”
“Sure,” I answered and turned off the water. I didn’t feel completely better—I was still embarrassed that I had blamed the band for my bad luck—but I refused to be upset over a boy I’d never see again.
After drying off, I pulled on a pair of shorts and a camisole before heading out to the main room. As we waited for our food, I turned onCSIand braided my hair. During a particularly bloody scene, there was a knock on the door and I jumped up, happy for an excuse to avoid the gore.
“Thanks so much,” I said, pulling the door open. “We’re starve…” I trailed off. In the hall stood Oliver Perry.
“Stella,” he said. His tone was curt.
I was staring like an idiot again, but I couldn’t help it. What was he doing here?
Then I noticed his pursed lips. He looked pissed, and I realized that he probably wanted an apology. The thought made my cheeks turn pink, but I knew he deserved it. I had been pretty harsh.
I opened my mouth to apologize but choked on the words. Something entirely different came out. “How’d you get my room number?”
“Um, I gave the front desk your name,” he said. My question obviously caught him off guard, but Oliver quickly recovered and narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you bipolar or something?”
“Sorry, what?”
“Well, this morning I met a girl at Starbucks,” he explained. “She was completely sweet and adorable, but she seems to be MIA at the moment.”
Oh, right. He wanted an explanation for my mood swing. “You should have told me the truth,” I responded, trying to defend myself.
“About what exactly?” he asked, his chin jutting forward as he spoke. He sounded irritated, but there was something about his eyes that made me think he was more hurt than anything. My throat was thickening, and I couldn’t bring myself to apologize. That would be too humiliating.
“Hmm, I don’t know,” I said, splaying my hand across my chest, trying to hide my guilt with sarcasm. It wouldn’t help fix anything, but words were flying out of my mouth again, just like they had in the elevator. “You could have mentioned who you are.”
“Are you saying that you really didn’t recognize me?” he asked, crossing his arms.
“Yes, I am,” I said. Oliver shot me a disbelieving look, so I added, “Look, I’ve heard my sister talk about Oliver Perry a million times, but I didn’t realize that was you when we met.”
He stared at me, brows raised, as if I had just offered the answer to my own question. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
His response made me blink. “Okay, well, I guess I understand,” I said, even though I didn’t. Why wouldn’t he want me to know who he was? “Now I know who you are. Thanks for stopping by.” I started to shut the door.
“Hey, wait!” Oliver stuck his foot out to stop me.
“Is that the food?” Drew called out. The bed squeaked as he got up to see what was going on.
“Hey,” Oliver said, poking his head into the room to greet my brother.
“Ah, hi.” Drew scratched the back of his head. “Don’t I know you?” After staring at Oliver for a second longer, I watched the realization wash over his face. “You’re that guy from the band. Stella, what are you doing? Let him in!”
Closing my eyes, I let a sigh hiss out of my mouth. When I released my grasp on the doorknob, Oliver stepped in beside me. His arm brushed against mine just like this morning, and the contact made me suck in a sharp breath. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as everyone stared at each other.
Finally my brother spoke up. “So no offense or anything, but what exactly are you doing here? Wrong room number or something?”
“No,” Oliver said. He glanced at me before continuing. “I came to talk to your…girlfriend?”
“Sister,” Drew corrected and shot me a curious look.
I watched for Oliver’s reaction, but his face stayed composed. “Right, sister. Anyway, she mentioned in the elevator that you guys wanted an autograph so I thought—”
Before Oliver could finish his sentence, Drew cut him off. “Wait, you two met in the elevator?”
