Chapter seven
Olivia
Five Years Ago
Ihadneverbeforehopedthe way I started hoping after prom. Could Gage really have feelings for me? I’d silently pined, masking my true feelings for so long that it felt reckless to act on them now.
But I saw the way he looked at me when I came down the stairs at his house before the dance. I felt how he held me while we swayed to the music. I heard us both tiptoe and hint around what we really wanted to say.
I wanted to say “I like you.” I more thanlikedGage. I felt like I’d loved him for years, but I didn’t want to come on too strong and scare him away.
“I was waiting for the right girl.”
Was that me? Did he want to tell me he liked me, too? Then why didn’t he?
Now, a week after prom, Gage acted the same as ever toward me in front of Annie. But when we were in class together or Annie stepped out of the room, Gage found ways to touch me and be close to me. Innocent things like putting his hand on my lower back to guide me through the hall or brushing a strand of hair out of my face.
And he watched me with those soulful, gorgeous blue eyes of his, like he was begging me to understand what he wanted to say without him actually saying it. IthoughtI was interpreting his signals correctly, but how could I be sure?
He had me so frustrated. I didn’t know whether I wanted to kiss him or punch him.
On Saturday, two weeks before graduation, I was sitting in bed scrolling social media and watching stupid videos—mostly of monkeys reacting to humans showing them magic tricks—when my sister Nicole knocked on my open door.
Our family celebrated Nicole’s college graduation the previous week. She lived at home while going to college locally and planned to start a master’s degree program in the fall at the same university. Her hair, which I was pretty sure had been every color of the rainbow by this point, was dyed a navy-blue color.
“Hey,” I greeted her.
“Hey, Gage is downstairs looking for you.”
I sat up. “Gage is here? Right now?”
She chuckled. “Yeah. He’s in the living room talking to Steven.”
Ugh. Steven was Nicole’s loser boyfriend. I really didn’t understand what she saw in him.
But … why was Gage here? He didn’t text to say he was coming over.
I looked down at my outfit. I was in running shorts and an oversized T-shirt. My hair, which I needed to wash, was pulled up and wrapped in an athletic headband. I washed my face that morning but wasn’t wearing any makeup.
True, Gage had seen me like this plenty of times before, but it felt different now. If he was going to look at me as a potential girlfriend—which I hoped he was—I felt like I needed to make sure my appearance wasn’t a strike against me.
“Uh, tell him I’ll be down in a minute.”
Nicole, correctly interpreting my hesitation, smiled softly. “You look great, Liv. You always do. If he doesn’t think so, he’s an idiot.”
I appreciated my sister’s words, even agreed with them, but still …
“I’ll just be a second.”
I kept the running shorts but switched out the oversized T-shirt for something more fitted. I took out my headband and ponytail and sprayed my hair with dry shampoo, brushing until it shined.
I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard, so for my face, I applied a layer of tinted moisturizer.
I stopped to wash my hands in the bathroom, then scurried down the stairs to the living room.
Gage stood up from the couch when he saw me. “Hey!” he said, smiling nervously. I was relieved to see him dressed casually in athletic shorts and a T-shirt.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Hey.”
