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“Yeah.” I hesitated. “I mean, yes. I’m doing good. Things are good. It’s just… I didn’t expect to see a face from back home. Besides Taylor’s, I mean, and I’d prepared for that.”
Andrew nodded and turned to look out over the neighborhood. “Seeing me isn’t a good thing, huh?”
I rushed to reassure him. I grabbed his hand and held it between mine. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry. I… I don’t know how to explain it without word vomiting. I was shocked to see you, but seeing anyone from that part of my life is hard.”
“Because of Taylor?”
“Because of the ridicule I went through, Andrew. I’m not that same girl anymore, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still hear the shit that was shouted at me back then. I feel ashamed.” I let go of his hand and squeezed both of mine between my thighs. “It’s notmyshame anymore, but when I see someone from that time, it’s easy to see myself the way I was seen then.”
“Olive, I-”
“Like this morning. I was already mortified. Chasing my son into a locker room full of naked men wasn’t my finest moment. Then I saw you and I just… It’s like I could hear all that old shit again. Of course, I’d run into a locker room. The town slut is back at it again. So trashy. So-”
Andrew leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. It shocked me silent and I was frozen as I felt someone’s mouth on mine for the first time in over two years. He pulled back just enough to speak. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. When I saw you this morning, I thought thank God you ran into the locker room while I was there. The hometown girl I crushed on for way too long is back. So fucking pretty. So-”
I kissed him then, shutting him up the same way he’d shut me up. Also in the same way, I pulled back right away to speak. “What are you doing, Andrew?”
“What I should’ve done a long time ago.”
8
***Olive***
Andrewcuppedthesideof my neck and stroked his thumb over my jaw. He kissed me once more before leaning back into his own space. His eyes never left mine, though. “Maybe it was wrong for me to kiss you, but I waited too long when we were in high school and that taught me a big lesson. Fucking kiss Olive before some other jackass swoops in.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The tension I’d felt was gone that quickly and I felt a lightness that I wanted to latch onto and never let it go. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
He nodded, a warm smile stretching his lips. “I really am happy to see you, Olive. You look good.”
“You always were so sweet. Delusional, too, I see.” I turned to face him completely and even scooted a bit closer. “After I left high school, I didn’t hear anything else about you. I was shipped away to a hideaway camp and when I got back, you’d graduated. Not that I went looking, either. I figured you hated me the same way all of your friends did.”
His brows furrowed and he shook his head. “I never hated you. I fucking hated Taylor. What he did to you… I told him to go fuck himself the day you showed up to school and everyone knew about the baby. I tried to talk to you a few times but you only saw Taylor when you looked at me. I didn’t blame you.”
“I don’t remember much from that time. I’m sorry I shut you out. You were always kind to me before everything happened. You always made me laugh.” I found myself smiling. “You really told Taylor to go fuck himself?”
“In those words and more. We were seniors so I figured I’d be able to escape him as soon as the school year ended. Imagine my surprise when I show up to campus early for football and I run into the asshole.” He grinned. “I’ve spent the last four and a half years making sure he knows I fucking hate him.”
“It could’ve been four years and done if you both hadn’t decided to go the super senior route.” I nodded towards his house. “Are Jack and Caleb super seniors, too?”
Nodding, Andrew reached over and tucked my hair behind my ear. “You’re safe here. I don’t know how things have been for you in Blackfoot since I graduated, but I don’t imagine things changed all that much. Here, though, you’re good. I’ve got your back. We all will.”
More of that tension seeped out of my bones. “You don’t have to do that. You did more than enough today by watching Jesse.”
“Bullshit, Olive. I should’ve done more back then and I didn’t. That’s something I won’t forgive myself for. You’ve got a second chance here. I won’t let Taylor poison the waters this time.”
I moved closer. “You really feel guilty over the past, don’t you?”
He met my gaze and nodded. “If I hadn’t been such a fucking idiot kid, I would’ve found a way to stick up for you. I wouldn’t have let Taylor near you to start with.”
I pulled his hand into my lap and squeezed it. “As much as I hate Taylor, I have Jesse now and I wouldn’t change that for anything. You couldn’t be my friend then, but you can be my friend now, if you want. That more than makes up for anything you feel you did wrong, Andrew. You have to know that the only person I hold responsible for what happened to me is Taylor. Well. Him and my parents.”
He turned his hand over and palmed the top of my thigh. “I’ll be honest, Olive. Until you tell me that you aren’t interested, I’m going for more than friends. Seeing you again just reminded me of how beautiful you are and why I was interested in the first place.”
My body burned hotter under his touch and I smiled even as I leaned closer. “I think you’re nuts.”
Sliding his hand into my hair, Andrew shrugged. “Maybe I am.”
I turned my face into his palm and kissed his roughened skin. I looked back up at him and had every intention of opening my mouth to say something playful, but when I saw the heat in his amber eyes, I lost every thought in my head. Everything centered in on him and his eyes and his mouth and his hand pulling my face closer to his.
