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“Oh, almost a year,” I say, pretending to do the relationship maths. “Probably as long as you two have been together,” I add, pointing between Sarah and Sebastian.
“You obviously weren’t very heartbroken then, when we broke up. To move on so quickly,” Sebastian has the nerve to say while Sarah watches on, swaying and twirling her hair around a finger, oblivious to any tension.
I look up at Oliver as he pulls me closer, nuzzling my neck, causing goosebumps to break out all over my body.
“I’ve known Lilly almost her whole life, and as soon as you let her go, I could not let the opportunity pass to snap her up and make her mine.”
After this declaration, both Sarah and I stare at Oliver with identical looks of adoration, while Sebastian gives a dismissive sniff.
“Whatever, man. I’m just glad you both could make it this weekend.” He turns to the group gathered nearby and yells, “Let’s get this party started!” With this said, he throws his arm around Sarah, who is still shooting adoring looks at Oliver, and drags her off towards the “fun,” leaving us to trail behind.
“What did I ever see in him?” I ask myself out loud.
“I do not know,” answers Oliver, watching me, still holding me close. “That guy never deserved you.”
At his response, my face heats with a happy flush, and I take a moment to bask in the glow of being Oliver’s “girlfriend” before turning back to the task at hand. I have to get through the day (and the weekend) with my dignity and my heart intact.
CHAPTER 26
Lilly
We make our way out to the hotel lawn to where a delicious brunch spread had been laid out for all of us, and Oliver continues to hold my hand as we find a place to sit, by unspoken agreement as far away from the bridal couple as possible. As we introduce ourselves to the people around us, we find that Sarah’s friends are an amiable group of people, and before too long, I have learned the backstory of everyone sitting with us, making fast friends.
As I chat with the lovely girl sitting next to me named Melanie, telling her all about Love, Lilly and the upcoming launch of my pop-up café, Oliver sits next to me, running his hand up and down my back, causing me to have delighted full-body shivers.
“You two are so cute,” Melanie says, smiling as she notices me staring at Oliver. “How long have you been together?”
“Almost a year,” I tell her, as practised.
“But we have been friends forever,” Oliver chimes in. We are both following the script to perfection.
“And how did you move from friends to more?” Melanie asks with blatant curiosity, leaning her head on her hand and giving us her undivided attention.
“Well, I always wanted to be more than friends with Lilly, since we were teenagers, but unfortunately Lilly here was quick to put me firmly in the friend zone, and after that, it took me a while to convince her to let me out.”
I stare at Oliver with wide eyes, forgetting that we are pretending, and say, “What?”
Oliver pokes me gently and gestures his head towards our audience.
“Oh, right? Yes, that’s how it went,” I fumble. “But can you blame me for keeping him at arm’s length for so long? I mean, look at him!” I wave my hand in the general direction of his chest, arms, and abs. “The guy is a hottie. And back then, I thought there was no way any guy like that would want to be with me. My idea was that it was better to keep him in my life as a friend rather than risk losing him altogether.” At this true-to-life confession, Oliver gives me a searching look, his eyes locking with mine.
“So what changed your mind?” Melanie asks, breaking the moment.
“He badgered me for months on end until I finally took pity on him and agreed to go on a date with him.” I flash Oliver a cheeky grin.
Oliver pinches my side and throws in, “And I wooed her with so much charm that she could not resist me.”
“That is so romantic,” Melanie sighs. “I love a friends-to-lovers story.” As I feel myself blush at this description, both with embarrassment and shame for lying to my new friends, I change the subject away from myself.
“So is anyone excited about a day of fun beach activities?” I ask with fake enthusiasm.
Melanie and a few of the girls nearby groan, with one saying, “What’s so wrong with a day at the spa, anyway?”
I feel triumphant at this display of sister solidarity, and as I look at Oliver, I see that he is watching me with amusement and, from the corner of my eye, notice that Sebastian is getting up to address the group.
“Friends and family!” he yells, getting everyone’s attention. “It is now time for us to get active!” In response to both cheers and boos, Sebastian puts his hands up and says, “It will be fun. Sarah and I are so looking forward to a day of games and competition. Aren’t we, honey?” Sarah looks on, seeming a bit confused about what is taking place, and says nothing. To cover for the awkward silence left by his fiancée, Sebastian tells us about how they have set up teams for beach volleyball, which will then be followed by a game of tug of war, and the day will then finish with “friendly” touch football. It all sounds terrible to me, and from the faces around me, most of the guests seem to agree.
“Let’s hope we are on the same team,” Oliver says from beside me. “That way I can do the work for both of us, and you can just pretend to be taking part.” I smile at him, thinking it is great that he can just read my mind, and then, dragging my feet, I get up to join in the festivities.
