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“Sort of.” I shrugged.
“How about I go first, then?”
I nodded. “What do you hope for when we’re off the island?”
Oliver closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his bare chest expanding and drawing my eye.Dammit, Sophie! Focus!
“I think I’m going to love my university job. And the projects the school is doing are truly fascinating. But I know I need to find balance. Being here has shown me it’s okay to take time off occasionally and enjoy life and the surrounding company.” I’d begun painting a brilliant sunrise on the canvas, which looked more like an orange falling into the sea than anything else, but the intention was there. A painter, I was not.
Give me a pen and paper, or material, a needle, and thread, and I can sketch and make you the dress of your dreams, but any other medium? Not so much.
Oliver was starting a new beginning, and I wanted to convey that on the stark white material in front of me. I paused when he opened his eyes and stared into mine. “It’s okay to divide my focus, especially if it’s for someone I love.”
My breath caught, and he smiled at me like I’d hung the moon.
Before I could truly process the words, he continued, “I see weekends in Los Angeles with you. Exploring the city and getting to know your habits outside the villa. I want to know your routine and be someone you lean on. I’ve learned that sharing my heart and home with the right person who not only puts up with me spouting random facts, but listens and encourages me to be exactly who I am is everything I’ve ever wanted.”
I dipped my paintbrush into the darker blue, painting the top edges of the canvas, signifying the dawning sun chasing away the insecurities he had felt in the past.
“I see chaos and scheduling snafus between our little group, but what I don’t see is a life unfulfilled. We’ve bonded here, and while we may not all agree on everything all the time, I believe, with all my being, that we were all meant to be together with you at our center. Our strong, brave Sophie, uniting and loving us for exactly who we are.”
Tears blurred my vision, and I wiped them away. Zainab had been wandering around the group earlier, but had stopped by ours during Oliver’s speech. She nodded tearfully and continued on, her hands clasped in front of her chest.
“Thank you,” I whispered, giving Oliver a watery smile and trying to convey how much his words meant to me. He had never tried to change who I was at my core. He took his time learning who I was and embraced me—mind, body, and soul.
I dragged my brush through the yellow paint and extended noodle-looking rays of sunlight across the canvas, pushing deeper into the blue and blurring the edges. Yes, the rays turned green along the way, but I didn’t care.
“Ask me again,” I said.
“What do you see in your future, Sophie?” Oliver obliged.
“You. And Diego. And Aaron. I don’t know how that looks in the long run, but I know not seeing you three every day will be horrible. Work has been my life since I was old enough to apply for a cashier’s job at the grocery store in high school. I built my business from nothing, and while I thought I needed to be at the helm of it all every second of every day, Esmeralda has proven that’s not true. So, I guess, while I love my work and plan to continue, I know I can share the load more than I have in the past. And I want to fill that time with love and laughter with you three.”
Oliver was busy painting on his canvas, but his attention never wavered from my words. He turned his head toward me when I paused and said, “We would love nothing more than to be the ones you enjoy life with.”
“I also want the hard times, as odd as that sounds. Being here has been so far out of my comfort zone, and with nowhere to run and hide, I was forced to talk things through. There was no option for fight or flight, so instead of burying how I was feeling and walking away, I had to see you every day.”
“You did do the flight thing a little when things got intense,” Oliver reminded me. Rightfully so, too.
“I know,” I sighed. “But I’m learning, and I promise to talk to you if that instinct rears up again.”
He nodded and rocked from his seated position onto his knees, kissing me before leaning away again.
“It was intense with both of you, and the pressure to choose was too much. I should have said as much.”
“Maybe, but then again, perhaps it was too soon for the notion of sharing. When you broke it off with both of us, we realized how foolish we’d both been, pushing for something you weren’t ready for. We wouldn’t have ended up here if you hadn’t asked for space.”
Instead of pushing off the compliment or reasoning—because I didn’t fully believe it but was thankful we had worked it out anyway—I added a bit of red to the heart of the sun for Oliver’s warmth and acceptance. “Whatever the reason was, I’m glad for it.”
I looked over at Diego, who was concentrating on his painting, his tongue poking through his lips and his eyes tracking the brush as he swept it across the canvas. Cheryl spoke too quietly for me to hear, but I hoped she had gotten as much out of this experience as I had.
Whatever her reasons for following in Kayla’s mean-girl footsteps, I wished Cheryl well after this. So long as she kept her mitts off my guys.
Aaron was chattering on with Nicoletta, his arms gesticulating wildly as he spoke. I caught snippets of “kitchen” and “restaurant,” but not enough to put together a complete thought. Then he gripped an imaginary face in front of him and pretending to make out with it. Nicoletta rolled her eyes, but I laughed.
Yeah, we were all going to be just fine.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
