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With a smile, I reply.
Lilly: Your revenge dress is just you living your best life. Emma will regret letting you go no matter what you wear.
The three dots appear and disappear several times before Oliver finally responds.
Oliver: Thanks, Lilly. That means a lot.
Oliver: Let me know if you need any help with your revenge dress shopping. Maybe I can help. Offer a male perspective?
Lilly: That would be amazing. You’d do that for me?
Oliver: Of course. What’s a fake boyfriend for? :)
Oliver: How about I pick you up after work on Friday and we can go from there? Maybe have dinner afterwards? Discuss a game plan for the wedding?
My heart races at this.
Lilly: That sounds perfect.
Oliver: Great. It’s a date.
A date! Calm down, Lilly, it’s not a real date.
*****
When Friday finally arrives, I am filled with impatience, waiting for the five o’clock bell to sound, metaphorically, of course. This place would never be cool enough to have an end-of-day bell. I dressed with extra care this morning, wearing a black pencil skirt and a fitted silk shirt with heels, knowing I will be seeing Oliver this evening, and have been receiving extra-special attention from the male species in the office as a result of this. When the slow hands of time finally click over to home time—I swear that minute hand has gone backwards more than a few times today—I glance up to see Oliver strolling into the office, looking like a snack in his business suit.
“Hey, Lil.” His face lights up when he sees me. “I came straight from the office, so sorry for the business wear.” He motions to the suit that looks like it is tailor made to fit his body.
“Don’t be sorry,” I say almost breathlessly. Have I ever seen Oliver in a suit like this before? Business casual, sure. Running clothes, swimwear, even pyjamas, yes, but never a charcoal suit paired with a black shirt that fits his body like a glove.
“You look nice,” I add. I am so lame!
Oliver smiles his special smile at me and comes over to give me a hug. At last—it has been too long since our last hug. Over Oliver’s shoulder, I see Max, one of the senior real estate agents at the office, frowning at me.
“Lilly, who is this?” he asks as he walks over to where we are standing.
Oliver looks at Max, giving him a long overall glance, then turns back to me with a raised eyebrow.
“Max, this is Oliver,” I tell him.
“Lilly’s boyfriend,” Oliver announces in a loud voice. My head snaps to Oliver. What is happening here?
“I didn’t know Lilly had a boyfriend,” Max responds, his gaze bouncing between the two of us. “Funny, she never mentioned you.”
I stare at the face of this man who has made me uncomfortable for the entire time I have worked here, always asking me out and making me feel bad when I turn him down, and decide to pounce on this gift Oliver has given me, playing along.
I wrap my arm around Oliver’s waist and lean my head against him. “Yes, Oliver and I have been together for years, Max. He is the reason I have been turning down your advances for the last twelve months,” I add with glee.
Max’s face turns a bright shade of red, while Oliver grunts in what he must think is a menacing tone, “You been bothering my girl?” To my ears, he sounds like someone attempting to mimic a Mafia boss. Poorly, I may add.
Nevertheless, Oliver’s little manly display seems to have worked as I watch Max shift with discomfort.
“No, it’s all in good fun. I just thought Lilly was lonely, that’s all. No offence caused, I hope.”
Oliver stands up taller, his six-feet-plus stature towering over the hobbit Max. “Hopefully you know now that Lilly is off limits. I don’t want to hear any more about anyone bothering her. You got it?”
I tuck further into Oliver’s arms, hiding my face in his chest to conceal my laughter, and once I have myself somewhat under control, I turn to see Max nodding, scurrying off back to his office.
