Page 104 of Light My Fire Three Times
My heart’s still racing, and I can feel the heat from the moment dissipate with Ivy’s interruption. I clear mythroat, trying to play it cool, but I’m pretty sure I’m failing spectacularly.
I don’t know how much Ivy knows. I’m not sure how much Olivia wants her to know.
Olivia rolls her eyes and laughs, the moment of vulnerability slipping away as quickly as it came. “You’re impossible.”
But her smile is genuine, the kind of smile that makes me realize how much I’ve come to care for her. How much I want to be the one who makes her smile.
“You coming or what?” Olivia calls, already skating away with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Or are you just going to stand there staring at me like a knucklehead?”
I roll my eyes, shaking myself from the thoughts that are quickly becoming too much.
“You wish,” I say, pushing off after her, the wind rushing by as I race to catch up.
We wander over to a stand that smells of heaven—fresh-baked gingerbread cookies and warm pretzels, the kind that come with a little cup of melted cheese.
Olivia goes for the cookies, of course, and I follow suit, biting into one of the warm, soft gingerbread pieces with satisfaction.
“I swear, this is the only place on earth where calories don’t count,” Ivy says, holding up her pretzel as a trophy.
“That’s the spirit,” Olivia agrees, taking a bite of her cookie. She grins through a mouthful. “You really do know how to pick the best distractions, Leo.”
“Hey, I’ve been told I’m an expert in the art of the Christmas market,” I reply.
I chuckle as Ivy snorts, shaking her head. “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure you just live for an excuse to eat your weight in sugar and pretend it’s part of the experience.”
“Oh, totally,” I reply, stealing another gingerbread cookie from Olivia’s stack. “It’s all about immersing myself in the culture of the holiday season.”
Ivy rolls her eyes, but before she can respond, her phone rings, the sound cutting through the festive buzz of the market. She pulls it from her pocket, her expression shifting almost instantly from playful to serious.
I catch Olivia’s eye, both of us sensing that something’s up.
Ivy steps a few feet away to answer the call. I can’t hear the conversation, but the way she’s fidgeting with the edge of her scarf and glancing back at us tells me this is important.
“What’s going on?” Olivia asks quietly, her smile slipping as she looks over at me.
I shrug, unsure, but I don’t enjoy the way Ivy’s face has gone from lighthearted to tight and concerned in the blink of an eye.
Ivy finishes her call quickly, slipping the phone back into her pocket with a distracted movement. She walks back over to us, her brow furrowed.
“Everything okay?” I ask, my tone cautious.
“Yeah, uh… No. Actually, no,” Ivy says tightly. She looks between us, and there’s a flicker of something indecipherable in her eyes. “I’ve got to go. Lily won’t go to sleep now until I’m the one beside her. As if her fathers don’t count.” She rolls her eyes. “So, I guess I will see you guys later?”
I nod. “Hope everything is okay.”
“Yeah, it will be.”
Ivy offers us a quick smile before hurrying off toward the exit of the market, leaving just me and Olivia watching her go.
For a moment, there’s nothing but the buzz of the market and the sound of our breaths mingling in the cold air.
Olivia lets out a slow exhale, her gaze trained on the spot where Ivy just left. Her fingers still tighten around her drink, and I can see the way her shoulders are pulled tight. She’s holding herself together just a little too rigidly.
“You okay?” I ask quietly, stepping a little closer.
She doesn’t answer immediately, her eyes focused on the glowing lights in the distance. After a beat, she looks at me, and there’s a soft, worn look in her eyes that makes my heart ache.
“I don’t know,” she says softly, and I can hear the exhaustion in her words. “I’m trying to be.”
