Page 94 of Don't Bet On It
“Except you are in a relationship,” Olivia pointed out. “You guys spend all of your time together.”
“Notallof it,” I hedged.
“Almost all of it.”
“We just have a lot of the same interests.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Ruby asked.
I shrugged. I’d been thinking about exactly that a lot lately. “I’ve dated my fair share of artists over the years,” I said. “It never works out.”
“That’s because you always picked flakes before Ronan,” Olivia argued. “I love you, but I was convinced your picker was broken. That’s another reason why, when I realized something was going on with you and Ronan, I decided not to confront you.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s your rationale for that?”
“If I’d confronted you then, you would’ve ended things to prove me wrong.”
That was a load of crap and yet… Hmm.
“You know I’m right.” Olivia wasn’t gloating now. She was calm and collected. “It’s okay to admit you like him.”
I inhaled deeply, and when I exhaled, my breath was shaky. “I do like him. I like him way too much.”
“Why do you say that?” Ruby challenged.
“Because we agreed it was just going to be a sexual thing. We were going to OD on each other and then burn out.”
“Are you close to burning out?”
“No, but … we agreed.”
“Yes, and Rex and I agreed that we were going to be friends who have a baby. Olivia and Zach agreed it was a fake marriage that they would end in a year. Things change, Tallulah. Feelings grow. Maybe you should try embracing it instead of fighting it.”
What she said was reasonable. Still, I couldn’t let go of my misgivings. “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”
“He does,” Olivia said emphatically.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I’ve been spying on you.” Olivia was guileless despite the admission. “No, it’s true,” she said when I opened my mouth to protest. “I sit at a table just outside the lounge—I don’t want that bitch you work for coming at me—and I watch the two of you as if you’re my new favorite television show. You’re not fooling anybody.”
“It’s true,” Ruby said solemnly when I glanced at her. “I sit with her sometimes. You guys have become our favorite soap opera. We’re shipping Rolah hard.”
I was well and truly thrown. “But … I would’ve noticed.”
“Not if you spend all your time watching him.”
Did I do that? “I?—”
“Don’t.” Olivia raised her finger to stop me. “It’s time to put all your cards on the table.”
I pressed my lips together and didn’t respond. She wasn’t done, so I waited her out.
“Do you have feelings for Ronan?”
“Of course. I just don’t know that they’re forever feelings.”
“Do you think you’re going to stop feeling them anytime soon?”
