Chapter 25 #2
Connor found Olivia alone, crying on the curb halfway down the block because she’d tried to chase after her mom’s car.
She had been six. He was barely eight. He called his mom and asked what to do, and while the adults worked to contact her MIA father, Connor poured her a bowl of name-brand Cocoa Puffs and led her up to the treehouse.
He pulled the No Girls Allowed sign off the door and said, “I think girls can like treehouses too.”
“I like treehouses,” she had said. Then they watched Phineas and Ferb until bedtime.
From that day forward, regardless of Jayden’s protests, the treehouse was Connor and Olivia’s safe place.
They did everything there. They’d created their vision boards there.
Planned their lives. Comforted each other.
Celebrated every win. When Olivia was fourteen, Connor had come out to her in the treehouse.
And when she was sixteen, he broke her heart there.
Emotion welled up in Olivia as she thought about the treehouse. That damn treehouse was everything to her. And Connor was right. His tree had major treehouse potential.
She stayed quiet, and Lover gave her another valid point for consideration. “I don’t think he’s hooked up with anyone since you moved in.”
She cleared her throat. “That’s probably just a logistics thing.”
Valentine raised his eyebrows and said, “Do you really think that?”
Connor was the biggest horndog Olivia knew, and he didn’t do serious.
If he wanted to get laid, he could have someone in his bed within twenty minutes any day of the week.
Valentine’s theory might be worth exploring.
She shoved her empty plate to the side and propped her elbow on the table.
Resting her chin in her hand, she sighed and asked, “What’s the plan then? ”
“We’re going to date. He needs to see the possibility of you being happy with someone else firsthand. He’ll get jealous.”
“He’s seen me date other people before and not gotten jealous.”
Valentine seemed unconvinced. “First of all, I don’t think that’s true. He was probably always jealous. And second of all, he hasn’t seen you date me. Let him see that you’re serious.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to get my hopes up. I’m supposed to be moving on.”
“Worst-case scenario, you fall in love with me instead and we live happily ever after,” Valentine said, waggling his eyebrows.
Olivia laughed, his silliness lifting the weight of the conversation from her shoulders. “A lot worse things than that could happen,” she said.
He shrugged. “With my plan, you have nothing to lose. Give me a month. If it doesn’t work, we return to business as usual. He’ll never know the difference.”
The butterflies in her stomach perked their heads up at the idea. “Fine. But if nothing happens, I never want to hear about it again. We find an amicable reason to break up, go back to being friends, and there will be no complaining when I date someone new.”
Valentine held out his pinky, and Olivia hooked hers around it.
“Deal,” he said.
They used the rest of their evening to brainstorm date ideas and little ways to push Connor’s buttons.
Before their date ended, they had an entire month of dates, hangouts, and public appearances planned.
It was the most planning any of Olivia’s partners had ever done for her, which Olivia recognized was depressing as fuck considering her and Valentine’s actual relationship status.
They stayed out late, all part of Valentine’s grand idea. When they got home, Olivia half expected Connor to have abandoned any hope of their returning and gone to bed. But he waited up for them, a trashy reality TV show blaring through the house.
Olivia and Valentine kicked off their shoes and joined him on the couch. Part of Valentine’s scheme included reducing the amount of physical contact Connor and Olivia had. Connor was a slut for snuggles. He’d take them from anyone, anywhere. Withholding them almost felt cruel.
When Valentine sat as far from Connor on the couch as he could get, and pulled Olivia into his lap, the frown Connor gave them was a dagger to Olivia’s heart.
“Hey,” Olivia said.
“Hey,” Connor answered.
The silence stretched between them, a weird vibe blanketing them in a way Olivia had never experienced with Connor or Valentine, and she doubted they had ever experienced with each other.
Connor chuckled. “Sheesh, this is awkward, isn’t it?”
Valentine shrugged, jostling Olivia. “Not really,” he said.
At the same time, Olivia said, “Yeah.”
“Who am I supposed to debrief with first?” Connor asked. “Because on the one hand, Lover has never taken a woman out, and I’m dying for every detail.”
“You’re not getting any details,” Valentine said.
Connor ignored him. “But on the other hand, Livy finally went out with someone good enough for her, and I need to know how it went.”
Olivia climbed out of Valentine’s lap and sauntered to the kitchen. “Well, I brought him home… so it obviously went okay.”
She poured two bowls of Fruity Pebbles and grabbed a Charleston Chew from the freezer. She tossed the candy to Valentine, who effortlessly snagged it out of midair. Then she handed Connor his cereal before snuggling into Valentine’s side.
“You can’t call it ‘bringing him home’ if all you plan to do is watch TV and have a midnight snack.”
“Who said that’s all we plan to do?” Valentine asked, giving Connor a cocky smirk.
Olivia elbowed him, and he laughed.
Connor glared at Valentine. “Not funny.”
Valentine rubbed the sore spot Olivia had left on his ribs. “It’s a little funny.”
They spent the next hour hanging out as usual. After Valentine left for the night, Connor asked, “Will there be a second date?”
He sounded grumpy.
Olivia bit her lip, smothering the optimism Valentine had instilled in her. “Yeah, there will be.”