Olivia
“Holy shit…” Sadie says before covering her gaping, smiling mouth.
“Luca…” I say, utterly bewildered. “I…I didn’t know you were listening…”
“I am,” he says. “Thanks to your relentless friends, I’ve been listening to the whole thing. Last episode of the previous podcast included.”
“Oh,” I say. Because I don’t know what else to say. I mean, yes, I was hoping he would be listening, but I didn’t expect him to call the station. I didn’t expect this conversation to have an audience. Though I suppose it is only fair. “You…you heard it all…” I half say, half ask.
“I heard it all.”
“So…”
“Olivia. I’ve never done anything like this before.
I’ve never told people my story. Why I struggle to believe in love happening on its own.
It’s hard to believe in romance when you are surrounded by people trusting their hearts only to get burned.
It’s why I built a dating app designed to prevent that.
And it’s why when I met you, when I found out what you and Sadie were up to, it only solidified my beliefs,”
“I understand,” I say.
“I’m not finished,” he cuts me off. “It’s also why when I spent more time with you, asking you out again and again, on dates that ended under streetlights instead of under the covers, I got even more guarded.
Not because I didn’t believe in love, but because I do.
Because I was falling for you, Olivia. It’s why your betrayal hurt so much.
But it’s also why I am so angry with myself. ”
“You’re angry with yourself?” I ask. “But I’m the one who continued to lie.”
“But if I was in love with you, I should have fought for it. I should have let you tell me your alibi and not just assumed that you were a terrible person. Because you’re not.”
My voice is shakier than I’d like it to be when I respond. “So, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’m sorry I didn’t hear you out. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to the last episode of the podcast before telling you to leave. I’m sorry I made you believe that what we had was real and then didn’t fight for it when the road got rough.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Part of me can’t believe he is admitting all of this, publicly or otherwise. But the other part of me is also afraid to trust it, no matter how badly I want it. And trust me. I want it.
“Olivia?” Kiersten says to bring me back into the room, and I swallow hard.
“I’m sorry, I just…”
“Don’t have feelings for me anymore,” Luca says.
“No. I mean yes. I mean…I guess…even though this episode was written to tell our story and hopefully help you see how I feel about you…I’m afraid.”
“What are you afraid of?” Kiersten asks.
“I don’t know,” I continue to stutter. “I guess…this whole thing has made me question if I was wrong all along about how love works and you were right. Because how do we know? How do we know if our hearts are to be trusted or if hormones clothed as chemistry blind us to common sense? How do we know that two people are truly compatible and that it’s not going to end in heartache? ”
“Because if we don’t believe in it,” Luca says. “Then we forfeit the possibility of happily ever after.”
I actually snort at that, though I’m on the verge of tears. “You’re Luca Laurent. You don’t believe in happily ever after,” I say, and the moment the words leave my mouth, the door to the studio flies open.
“Is that right?” he asks, and it takes me a second to comprehend that Luca is standing right in front of me.
“Holy shit,” Henry laughs.
“Oh, my god…” Sadie says.
“For those of you that haven’t figured it out,” Kiersten says. “Luca is here. In the studio.”
“Luca,” I gasp, but he just closes the space between us, turning my chair around and crouching in front of me, his deep blue eyes locked on mine.
“Listen to me,” he says and I stop. “My entire career, people have thought they knew me. Falsely labeled me as a player, a heartless fuckboy. Can I say that?” he asks, and Kiersten nods and shrugs at the same time, all while Henry gives him a thumbs up.
“So for you to sit here and tell me what I do and don’t believe…
well. Let me make something clear to all your listeners, which just hit a million by the way. ”
“Holy shit,” Henry chuckles.
But I am focused on Luca as he goes on.
“Because of you, I believe I can fall in love. I believe that not every successful love story is the product of a carefully tweaked algorithm,” he says gruffly, and I can feel my chin quivering.
“What are you saying…?” I dare to ask because the question alone is literally chipping away at my carefully constructed walls.
“I’m saying what it sounds like,” he tells me. “That because of you, I do believe in fate. And romance. And if you’re still willing, I’d even like to give the soulmate thing a chance.”
“Rea–really?” I ask. I’m on the verge of falling apart. But Luca is just smiling warmly.
“Really,” he says. He takes me by the hand and pulls me to my feet. “Who knows? Maybe if you give it a shot, I’ll even believe in happily ever after.”
“Jesus,” Sadie lets out.
“I love you, Olivia Ramone,” Luca says.
“You do?” I ask.
“I do,” he says. “Thrift store shoes and all.”
With that, his mouth covers mine, and I melt into the kiss.
“Hell yeah,” Henry says, and Kiersten carries on with the closing of the podcast episode. But I don’t hear much of it. I’m too busy falling headfirst into the kiss and heart first into Luca to hear how the episode ends. Though based on this moment, I have a feeling I know the answer.