I thought about it, but I couldn’t remember anything specific.

“Someone from our class?”

“No. A random girl.”

“How the hell am I supposed to remember that?”

“It was Olive.”

“What?” I turned my head to look at him so fast that I heard something snap. Then I chuckled. “I think I would know if Olive texted me. I had her number.”

Another annoying sigh. “I think she borrowed the phone from her friend or something. My point is, she was trying to talk to you. Even back then, she was taking risks just to be close to you. I have no idea what her plan was with texting you, but—”

“And you know this how, again?”

“I’m trying to tell you, you idiot. You told me you were texting with a girl, then when you were downstairs I went into Olive’s room to check on her and found a phone in her bed. Since it wasn’t her own phone, I poked around, and imagine my surprise when I found your texts.”

“What did you do, Dylan?”

“What do you think I did? I took your phone and texted her.”

Chapter Thirty-Three Olive

When I first realized that I’d fallen asleep, there was still daylight outside and I could hear Dylan’s raised voice coming from downstairs. Ignoring him, I pulled the covers over my head and resumed my sleeping. I didn’t want to do anything else anyway.

The second time, I woke up because I was suffocating under the covers and it was still daylight. Switching to a lighter cover, I lost some of my clothes, too.

The third and fourth times were because I was uncomfortable in my own skin.

Then I started tossing and turning too much. I simply hated everything. At least it was finally dark outside.

 The fifth time… The fifth time I woke up because someone was getting in bed with me.

I didn’t open my eyes, but I knew it was Jason; I’d know his scent anywhere. My body tensed, but I tried not to make it too obvious and tried even harder to keep my breathing under control.

Dylan was pissed off enough for the entire family; he wouldn’t have let him in the house, let alone climb up in bed with me, so what was he doing here? I didn’t have to wait too long for an answer.

“Your mom fixed me the couch, but I sneaked up to your room,” Jason whispered. “We have to be quiet so your idiot brother doesn’t bust in here trying to protect my wife from me.” He paused. “You have no idea how weird it is to be back here, Olive, but to be sneaking into your room like this…for some reason that doesn’t feel weird.”

I didn’t move, but he continued.

“Olive…” There was a long sigh. “When did I start missing you this much, sweetheart? When did I…” Another sigh. “I was so worried when Alvin said they didn’t know where you were.”

More silence.

Slowly, he pulled the covers down, and his fingertips touched my bare shoulder.

Damn it! Why had I thought it was smart to sleep in a tank top and my underwear? I should’ve let myself suffocate in peace. When his fingertips reached my hip and he realized that I wasn’t wearing much underneath the covers, he sucked in a breath and let the cover rest on my thighs.

My heart beating in my throat, I waited to see what his next move would be. Maybe he had come to say we had to get a divorce? If these were our last moments, I wanted to savor every second of it.

I know what you’re thinking, but did you hear the part where I already acknowledged the fact that I was pathetic?

“Is your heart still beating just for me, Olive?” he asked softly, his voice low and sweet.

I closed my eyes tighter.

“I wonder if you can feel my touch in your dreams…if that’s why your heart is beating so fast.”

His soft words a whisper on my skin, I let his fingertips trail every inch of my body, seducing my heart before my mind could put a stop to it.

“I missed you, baby. If I kiss you, Olive…” I felt the touch of his warm lips on my shoulder just before he moved closer. A shiver went down my spine and I was too late to hold in my small gasp. Jason continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “If I kiss you will you wake up and play with me? I want to feel your lips on mine so badly, Olive. Will you please stop pretending to be asleep, baby?”

He knew I was awake. Too tired for games, I opened my eyes to a dark room. “What are you doing here, Jason?” I whispered after some time.

“Will you look at me, sweetheart? Please.”

I turned to face him, but we were a little too close for my comfort, my childhood bed being too small to keep a respectable distance between us. Still, I backed away until I was lying on the very edge of the bed. I kept my eyes down on the sheets.

“Can I tell you what I remember from last night? Will you listen to me?”

“Do I have any other choice? You are in my bed and I have no other place to run to.”

I could barely see with the only light coming from outside, but he still lifted my chin so I could look at his eyes. I focused on the stubble on his cheeks.

Because I’m a rebel like that.

“I never want you to run away from me again, little one. If you do, I will always come after you. I want you to remember that. That being said, I will never give you a reason to run away from me either.”

Again, I stayed silent.

“The last thing I remember from last night is going up to the private rooms with you and trying to figure out what I could say to convince you to let me have you up there.”

His fingertips touched my lips and I flinched. He ignored it and gently stroked my lips.

“Then I kissed you, Olive, didn’t I? I always remember kissing you.”

I would never forget how it felt to have his lips on mine either. It would always stay with me.

Damn those tears rushing to my eyes!

“I also remember talking to Lucy and Lily, but after that I remember nothing, Olive.” He paused for a minute. “Do you know where I woke up this morning?”

I flinched again and braced myself, but instead of continuing with his story, he brushed my hair back.

“You’re shivering sweetheart. I wish you would come closer so I could warm you.”

I didn’t move. When he was satisfied with my hair placement, he sighed and picked up from where he had left off. “I woke up in Devlin’s hotel suite. Alvin was there, too. They think someone spiked my drink because I was acting weird, and when I woke up I couldn’t even remember where you were.”

I tensed.

“Will you come closer so I can hold you in my arms? You’re about to fall off, and I’m afraid Dylan will barge in to protect you from me.”

“He knows you’re in my room?”

“Not yet, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

He linked his hand with mine and gave it a gentle tug. Reluctantly, I scooted forward. When I was close enough, his hand sneaked around my waist and he pulled me flush against his chest, resting his head on top of mine as I discreetly breathed in his scent.

His long sigh sounded like he was relieved.

“I don’t know how I’m going to make you believe me, Olive, but I hope you will. While I was sleeping it off, Devlin questioned his entire staff, but other than that one drink, I didn’t have anything. No one could’ve slipped anything into my drink because the bartender prepared it in the room, you saw it yourself.”

Somewhere in the house, someone opened a door and we fell silent, our bodies tense with the interruption. A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened and closed.

When the coast was clear again, he continued, talking in hushed tones. “I took Alvin with me and went to your apartment to look for Lucy, but she wasn’t there. When I found Lily instead, I kinda lost it. I might have scared her a little, but it was worth it because she admitted to messing with my drink with Charlotte. According to Lily, it was Charlotte’s idea to take pictures of me to leak to the press. I don’t know how much of it is a lie, but that was what she was going with.”