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“I want to feel your lips on my body. Sipping every inch of the madness you cause me out of me.”
We start panting with need, feeling the air around us charge with a tension too great for a restaurant bathroom. “Damien.”
No sooner does his name roll off of my tongue do we hear a noise coming from the restroom entrance. A second later, the door slams wide open, exposing Oliver with cold eyes and a face of stone. He glares at Damien. “What’s going on here?” He asks, already knowing the answer. Damien rolls his eyes before setting me free from his embrace.
He puts his hands in his pockets and turns to his cousin with a mocking gaze. “What does it look like?”
Oliver clenches his jaw, clearly annoyed, and if his gaze could kill, Damien would be dead right here and now.
The atmosphere goes from charged with an electric lust, ready to explode around us, to a frigid whirl of tension.
“Shouldn’t you return to Penelope?” Oliver snaps.
Damien tilts his head to the side, narrowing his eyes and smirking. I can tell this makes Oliver’s blood boil. Before Damien leaves the restroom, he shoots me a wink that causes that electric air to buzz again.
“Oliver…,” I start, embarrassed, but I’m not even sure what I want to say. Sorry?Hell, I’m not.I don’t regret what happened with Damien. What I regret is Oliver interrupting us. But then again, I came here with Oliver, so I guess I owe him at least an explanation. “I know what it looks like, but–” he stops me mid-sentence, gently squeezing my arm.
“It’s okay, Ava,” he looks at me with a warm smile.
“Oliver, let me clarify this.” For some reason, I feel the urge to put the record straight. “Nothing happened here.”
“I told you it’s okay, Ava. I believe you. And I know my cousin.” He looks at me piercingly before he adds, his tone cold, “He wouldn’t miss a chance to add you to his list.”
“Excuse me?” I step back, appalled. “I don’t think I follow.”
“Never mind. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” He says and turns to leave.
Oh, now he wants to flee?
“You’re right!” I stop him, grabbing him by his arm, and so he faces me again. “You shouldn’t have mentioned that if you didn’t mean to elaborate,” I say sternly.
Oliver sighs and his gaze drops to the tile ground. He runs his hand through his afro-textured, brunette hair and bites his lips as if anxiety is taking over. It seems like he’s on the fence, torn between staying loyal to his best friend or telling ‘whatever this is he wants to say’ to the girl they both like.
“Well, you should know Damien’s a player.”Bam!It seems like his ego has taken over. But was it a good choice? I don’t think so. To me, it looks like he feels threatened by his cousin, who, in this game, is undoubtedly winning.
“This is how much your friendship means to you?” I ask, somewhat sarcastically, and a wave of confusion flows over Oliver’s face. “You sell your friend out the first chance you get?”
“Ava, it’s not like that!” He objects, embarrassed. “I’m just trying to warn you because I like you.” He stops, taking a deep breath before looking into my eyes, frowning. “He would never take you seriously, Ava. He doesn’tdorelationships.”
I’d bel lying if I say his words don’t hurt. I know I might be a fool, but I choose to believe Damien is not like this. Even though the whole universe keeps proving me wrong, I choose to be blind to his wrongdoings. Despite Damien himself showing me he’s exactly like this, by bringing this chick here this evening with him, for example. Despite my father, who’s desperately trying to keep me away from that one particular man. And even though his cousin with whom I had a charming evening tonight tells me, warns me to be careful, I still choose to reject all the red flags. All those words mean nothing because Damien Alarie has something other men don’t. Something that lures me in and something I can’t help but surrender myself to.
“Ava, are you even listening to me?” Oliver’s irritated tone snaps me out of my thoughts. “Yes, you said girls are like trophies to him.” I recite his last sentence because even though I was immersed in the thoughts of his cousin, I still heard everything he said.
“And?” He asks expectantly. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Excuse me, it’s the ladies’ room.” Two girls by the door interrupt.
“Right. We were just leaving.” I smile at them and, sliding my hand around Oliver’s arm, lead him out of the restroom. Thankful, I don’t have to tell him I’d choose his cousin a thousand times, even if it means getting my heart broken.
“Do you want a drink?” Oliver asks me as we stand by the bar. I clear my throat, tucking hair behind my ear, pretending I didn’t watch Damien and Penelope on the dance floor.
“Yeah, whiskey.” I smile, and he waves the bartender over.
“Two whiskeys on the rocks, please.” The bartender nods, and I see Oliver’s face go pale as he checks his phone. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
“Um, I have to make a call. I’ll be right back, okay?”
