Chapter 28 - Olivia
W ith much reluctance, they eventually got up from the couch and rejoined the outside world to meet up with Aiden’s friends for dinner and drinks.
Olivia kept it casual, wearing a sundress and strappy sandals. Aiden had said the restaurant was a lowkey barbeque spot, and she was relieved to see it was as laid back as he'd promised. The interior had dark wood paneling, and the tables were mismatched—as if they’d been reclaimed from several grandparents’ basements.
His friend, Ryan, had already gotten them a table for six—the three of them plus Aiden’s best friend Isaac and his wife June, as well as another friend named Amber. All except June had gone through the University of Minnesota’s pre-med program together, and they’d all landed jobs in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro.
Isaac and June arrived shortly after Aiden and Olivia. The atmosphere was relaxed as they drank and snacked on chips, hushpuppies, and chicken wings .
No one seemed fazed when a half hour passed, and they were still waiting for Amber, so Olivia assumed it was to be expected and rolled with it. When Amber finally arrived, she did so with a bang.
Instead of matching the restaurant's laid-back vibe, she looked like she was ready to party, wearing a mini skirt and a sparkly crop top that emphasized all of her ample curves. More than Amber’s confidence rocking the skirt and top, Olivia was most impressed by Amber’s five-inch heels—shoes Olivia would never attempt, and not just because she was five foot nine.
The table paused to say hello and tease Amber for being late. (Again! ) But no one batted an eye at the outfit. Clearly, that path had been well trod. Olivia smiled along, mostly curious to observe the group dynamics. She was surprised when Amber sat next to her in their booth and gave her a big hug.
“Oh, hello.” Olivia laughed to cover up her discomfort, which was rising as her Spidey-senses tingled a warning that all might not be right with the world now that Amber was here.
“It is so nice to meet you! Aiden cannot shut up about how great you are,” Amber said a little too enthusiastically.
At that moment, Olivia’s intuition grew from a tickle to an all-out warning siren that a tornado was coming and she should seek shelter immediately.
Her mother's words ran through her mind, “When you’re not sure about someone’s intentions, play happy and dumb, sweet pea.”
Well, let the games begin .
“Awww, that's so sweet,” Olivia replied enthusiastically, leaning over and giving Aiden a kiss on the cheek. He turned his head to catch her lips with his.
“Get a room,” Isaac and Ryan said simultaneously, and they all laughed.
Out of the corner of her eye, Amber’s face took on a sour look, further increasing Olivia’s suspicions that Amber was less than enthused about her presence. But Olivia kept her dumb, happy smile glued to her face.
“So, what are some embarrassing stories about Aiden from your college days?” Olivia asked to deflect some of the attention away from her.
Isaac and Ryan grinned at the invitation to give their buddy a hard time. Aiden smiled and shook his head, and Olivia swore she could hear him thinking, “Here we go.” It was what Olivia would have been thinking if the tables were turned.
“So,” Isaac began, “did Aiden ever tell you about the time he went streaking on Halloween during our junior year?”
“Ummm, no . You must have been freezing.”
Ryan picked up the story, saying, “Oh yes, yes, he was quite cold. And when he ran into one of the hottest girls in our program…” Ryan abruptly paused his train of thought as Amber opened her mouth to object. “I know, I know, obviously excluding you, Amber. So anyway, he was really into her, but let’s just say she took a very good look and gave him the cold shoulder after that. She never responded to another text from him.”
“It was cold!” Aiden protested. “There was shrinkage!”
The entire table was laughing, including Aiden .
“That is hilarious,” Olivia said. After a moment, she added, “But I thought you started dating Rebecca when you were a freshman?”
In unison, all four of Aiden’s friends said, “They were on a break!” obviously quoting Ross from Friends.
Olivia liked them all very much…well, except maybe Amber. She was still wary, but she was starting to see a pattern of personality characteristics that seemed broader than anything to do with Olivia. Maybe Amber was the attention-needing type, in which case, no harm, no foul.
The dinner continued in much the same way. Despite the Amber discomfort, it was nice to be out to dinner with people her own age.
It might be time to start making more of an effort to find like-minded folks in Gresham. Especially if this move home is more of a long-term commitment than I was originally willing to admit.
Olivia had hit a point in her life where she had great friends, even if they were in different cities. Her desire to put in the effort required to make new ones wasn’t as strong as it had been in her early twenties. However, even though Olivia was very content to putter around by herself at home, her projects weren’t a replacement for comradery.
After dinner, they headed to the bar side of the restaurant to play a few rounds of pool. They’d all had at least a couple of beers each, and Olivia was feeling more and more delighted to have this time to get to know Aiden through his friends. They were shocked to find out he had been a total hotshot in high school. When she told them he had been their class’s prom king, they laughed so hard that people at nearby tables stopped their conversations to look over.
Olivia was pleased to know her own unique piece of Aiden’s history and that their roots were inherently intertwined. She was also pleasantly surprised Aiden had chosen to humbly withhold all of that history when he’d started college, opting instead for a fresh start.
At the pool table, they played teams of three versus three. As the weakest link, Olivia was paired on a team with Ryan, the group’s pool shark, and June, who was average. The game was relatively close when it came time for Olivia to embarrass herself. She fumbled her way through her turn, grateful to have steered clear of the eight ball.
When Olivia turned back around, her mouth fell open. Amber was glued to Aiden’s right side, her hands hanging onto his shoulder. Olivia froze, and her heart raced as she tried to understand what was unfolding in front of her. Aiden seemed to be ignoring Amber as he spoke with Isaac, but Olivia couldn’t fathom why he was letting her hang on him.
Then Amber reached over, took Aiden’s beer out of his hand, and turned to look Olivia in the eye as she took a deep drink from Aiden’s glass. In a flash, the beer was back in Aiden’s hand, and Amber stepped up to the pool table. Amber winked as she took the pool stick from Olivia.
Olivia’s stomach went sour, and she fought to steady her hands, which were beginning to tremble. She excused herself to use the restroom, a smile plastered painfully to her face, her nose prickling with the threat of tears. In the bathroom, she locked herself in a stall and took several deep breaths.
She replayed the whole thing in her mind and tried to add some logic to the picture .
What had she actually seen?
The whole thing, while super weird, had been instigated by Amber. But why did Amber feel comfortable doing that? Did they have a history? Were they friends with benefits?
Aiden and Olivia hadn’t technically made their relationship exclusive, so maybe it was on her for not telling Aiden once she slept with someone, exclusivity was implied. Hell, given her track record, it meant they were about to become very serious for a long time.
Ugh, don't think like that . She didn’t need to compound her worries. God, this sucks.
Olivia pulled her phone out of her purse and texted Grace.
Olivia: How would you feel if another woman drank out of Abesh’s beer?
Thankfully, Grace responds within seconds.
Grace : What? Why are you asking that? That’s not a thing.
Right? Olivia silently yelled at her phone. Who does that?
Olivia: Having a debate with Jessa.
She wanted to linger, but it was time to leave her hideout. She flushed the toilet for appearance’s sake and left her bathroom stall. On the other side of the door, June was waiting for her.
“Hey.” June tentatively searched Olivia’s eyes.
At least she’d held it together and didn’t have to worry about a blotchy red cry-face. She wasn't that upset, but she was astounded at Amber’s audacity.
“Hi,” Olivia said. It came out coolly, which wasn’t fair to June, who had been nothing but lovely.
“Just so you know,” June said, “we all saw what happened back there. You’re not crazy. It was weird. ”
“Wow! Thank you for saying that!” Olivia said emphatically as her body deflated, releasing tension she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“Of course. I remember how cold Amber was to me when I first started dating Isaac. And she wasn’t even interested in Isaac. She’s very possessive of these guys. And…” June hesitated. “Well, frankly, she’s always had her sights set on Aiden. Isaac told me she and Aiden hooked up once in college during one of his and Rebecca’s breaks, but nothing else has ever happened between them. I think it’s safe to say Aiden is strictly not interested. So yeah, maybe it’s weird for me to tell you all of this, but I know Aiden is crazy about you, and as his best friend’s wife, let’s just say I’ve been kept in the loop. He hasn’t been serious about anyone since Rebecca, and he’s totally smitten with you.”
After a beat, June added, “Also, he would kill me if he knew we were having this conversation, but I don’t want Amber to scare you off because it’s nice to see Aiden so happy.”
“Wow, that’s a lot. But thank you. I did need to hear that.”
“Of course. She’s just…Amber.” June sighed and flipped her hand dismissively.
Olivia laughed, grateful she could still trust her ability to read people. Amber? Yikes!
June? Lovely.
“It’s all good,” Olivia said. “I appreciate you looking out for me, and for what it’s worth, I really like Aiden, too. Feel free to pass that back to him via Isaac.”
June laughed. “Funny how the dating strategies we learned in grade school come in handy all these years later. ”
“You never know what's going to stick with you in life,” Olivia replied.
June put an arm around Olivia’s shoulder and gave her a side hug.
Fortified by June’s generosity and the hand of friendship she had extended, Olivia walked back into the bar.
The evening wrapped up quickly once the pool game was over. June and Isaac had to get home to relieve their babysitter, and Ryan had an early shift. But Amber lingered awkwardly. Olivia let out several fake, exaggerated yawns, and Aiden took the hint.
On the drive home, he asked Olivia if something was wrong. Olivia knew she shouldn’t ask questions to which she knew the answer, but the naughty angel won.
“Amber seems kind of into you. Do you all have a history?”
His gaze darted to Olivia's face, seeming to assess her thoughts, before training his eyes back on the road.
“No history,” he said. “She…” He paused. “She has made it clear she is interested, and I have made it clear I’m not. Please, don’t worry about her, Olivia. I know we haven’t talked about what this is between us, but I’m very into you, and I don’t plan to be with anyone else.”
On the one hand, Olivia was annoyed his story didn’t match June’s, but on the other, perhaps she hadn’t yet earned the right to expect him to tell her everyone he’d slept with.
To be fair, it was a long time ago. So, Olivia let it go.
“Okay.” She placed her hand on his thigh.
“Okay?” he asked expectantly, placing his hand atop hers.
“Yeah, okay.” She smiled, letting herself feel all of the goodness between them again. “And me too,” she added. “This has all been such a pleasant surprise, and I don’t plan to be with anyone else either.”
He stopped at the next red light, leaned over, and pressed his soft, full lips to hers.
Butterflies.
In her stomach, in her feet, and a little bit in her heart.
Damn .