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“Don’t you have… someone back there?”
It’s my turn to stiffen. Still facing the ceiling, I ask, “Do you honestly think I’d sleep with you if I had a girlfriend, Liv?”
She hesitates. “I don’t know, Derek. I can’t say I know you anymore.”
That kills me.
“Bull shit.” I look down and use my finger to tilt her chin back so she meets my gaze. “You know me better than anyone.”
“Iknewyou, but we haven’t talked in months. And it was years of silence before that.”
“The phone goes both ways, Liv.”
“Sure, but I’m not the one who slinked away after St. Kitts.” She bites her bottom lip as if she didn’t intend to let the comment slip past her lips.
Her words give me pause.
I think back to Avery’s wedding and the last night on the island. A fresh wave of shame crashes over me when I remember the used condom sitting on the bedside table with no memory of how it got there. I’d dragged myself out of bed to meet Heather for our breakfast plans, but I can still remember how my head throbbed after the night of overindulgence.
“I had breakfast with Heather that morning,” I tell her. “By the time we were done, you had left the island with your parents.” A fact I was thankful for. I had no idea how I’d acted the night before, and I wasn’t in the right mindset to face the consequences of my unknown actions by speaking with Liv.
What can I say? I was a coward.
Doubt clouds Olivia’s features, along with a hint of confusion. She presses her lips in a flat line, then says, “You still could have said goodbye.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” I stroke her cheek with my thumb. “Nothing I say will change the past, but can we move forward?”
“How do you want to move forward?”
“I want us to date, Liv.”
Her eyes widen. “Date?”
“Yes. As boyfriend and girlfriend. It’s long overdue, don’t you think?”
She stares at me, and my confidence wavers when she asks, “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“But…” Her forehead furrows. “You live in L.A.”
“I do.”
“And I live here.”
I nod. “That’s true.”
She sits up and turns away from me. She doesn’t know what to think about my request. I’m ready to spend the entire day convincing her to give us a chance—that I’m serious about us. I don’t care how long it takes or what I have to do. I’m not letting her leave my sight until she agrees to be my girlfriend.
Moments later, she whirls back around. Her brown eyes shine with resolve as she states, “Long distance is hard, Derek.”
“It is,” I agree even though I don’t have any experience. I wonder if she does…
“Most relationships don’t make it through that.”
Again, I wonder if Olivia has experience dating someone long distance. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask, but I resist. I asked Olivia to forget the past and focus on the future. I should do the same.
“I’m here for a couple more weeks. That’s plenty of time to figure out what we’re going to do when I leave.” I gently tug her arm so she lays next to me and brush the hair out of her eyes. “I want to take advantage of this time together, Liv. I want to spend time with you and just be happy. What do you say?”
