19. Olivia
Olivia
I'm not exaggerating when I say this past week has been the most stressful of my life. I've worked under Michelin-star chefs who screamed profanities at me for slicing a cucumber the wrong way, and that’s nothing compared to this week.
Kissing Drake makes all of that melt away. I've been avoiding him all week because I didn't know how to tell him the truth, or if I even wanted to.
His lips swish against mine, and I savor every movement of his tongue in my mouth.
His hands fall from my face to my hips to pull me closer as he presses himself hard against me.
I feel like I've been waiting months for this.
Every conversation we had about ending our relationship and the worry of other people finding out feels so pointless.
I don't know how I've stayed away from him for so long.
My fingers lace through his hair as he kisses me, and I don't want to let go. I need him, and I have him right here in front of me, but the little voice in the back of my mind is telling me to stop.
“I’ve missed this,” Drake says as he pulls away from me long enough to lead me to the couch. My heart melts a bit hearing him say that.
He sits on the couch, and I straddle him, draping my arms over his shoulders as I lean down and kiss him again. His hands are on my hips, pulling me down so I can rock my hips against him. A groan escapes his lips, and I swallow it as I feel him growing harder beneath me.
“I've been thinking about this a lot since we kissed in your office,” I whisper in his ears as I grind against him, feeling how turned on he gets.
I feel ridiculous for wanting to create space between the two of us. I feel out of control when I'm around him like this, and all logic disappears. I need to be sated, and the little voice in my head can be ignored for a while.
Drake's lips fall to my neck and goosebumps crawl over my body as I feel the heat of his mouth against me. I'm taken back to the night we slept together, and how incredible everything felt as I feel the arousal grow between my legs. I want him. I need to have him as soon as possible.
I pull away from him to take off my shirt, desperate to feel his hands on my skin. Before I can lift it halfway, Drake stops me and pulls my hands away from the fabric. I look at him with my head cocked, not fully understanding.
“As much as it pains me to do this, I think sleeping together right now might not be wise,” Drake slowly says as if the words are being forced from his mouth. “I would like nothing more than to make love to you all night long, but right now, I think we need to take it slow.”
My cheeks heat up, and I see the reluctant look on Drake's face. It's embarrassing to be rejected, but I understand what he's saying. We were pretty hasty sleeping together last time, and look where that got us.
“You're right,” I say, sitting on the couch next to him. I have to look away from him for a moment to collect myself.
“I just think that we need to really think about the best decision for our baby, and if we have to take things a little slower to do that, we should,” Drake continues, wrapping an arm around my shoulder to pull me closer.
He kisses the side of my head, and I giggle.
“Maybe we can go on a real date and get to know each other a little better?”
I'm surprised by the request, but that doesn't stop me from nodding and smiling. “I'd like that.”
“There's a fundraising gala at Griffith Observatory next weekend, and I don't have a date,” Drake says with a gentle laugh, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. “I would love it if you'd join me.”
“A gala?” I laugh at how fancy that sounds.
I've never been to anything like it, though when I did an apprenticeship in my final semester of culinary school, the restaurant I worked at catered one.
It feels far too out of my comfort zone.
But at the same time, I would like to see the other side of Drake.
I know he's incredibly wealthy, and that he has status in the city, and I've avoided the idea of that as much as possible.
This could be a good way to see more about his life.
“It's not as stuffy as it sounds,” Drake says, trying to sway my decision. “Okay, maybe that's a lie. These things can be pretty stuffy. But it would be a lot more fun if you were there with me.”
“Okay,” I say, grinning. I stand up, and he looks at me with surprise. I shrug and back toward the front door. “If we're going to take it slow, we both know it's dangerous for me to be here right now.”
He laughs and nods his agreement, standing to walk me to the door. “If you need anything, give me a call. You don't have to go through this alone, Olivia.”
“Thank you.” I linger in the doorway for a moment before he leans down and kisses me one last time. I laugh as he pulls away, and I walk to my car with him watching from the doorway.
I drive home feeling significantly better than I did on the way to his house.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the conversation would go the way it did.
I was planning to go there, tell him I was pregnant, and then leave, and possibly put in my two weeks’ notice.
Now, Drake and I have a public outing next week.
It's exciting. Part of it feels like a fairy tale.
Sure, things are happening a little backward.
I've never read a fairy tale where the princess gets knocked up before the ball, but this is the 21st century, and if Cinderella had met Prince Charming on Tinder, things might’ve gone a little differently.
Callie is sitting in the living room when I get home. She turns off the TV and turns to me cautiously, expecting me to be emotional about the conversation. When I smile and shrug, she's visibly confused.
“We’re going on a date next weekend,” I admit, not knowing how she'll take it.
“Not that I'm not happy for you, but do you think that's a good idea?” She's apprehensive about it, and I understand why. “He's not going to want to marry you just because you're pregnant with his kid, right? That's a pretty archaic way to view this situation.”
I shake my head. “We talked about everything, and he brought up a good point. It's a decision we need to make together. Before we do that, he just wants to spend a little more time with me.”
She nods but doesn't say anything. She’s protective of me, and I love that about her. The one person I've slept with is someone off-limits. She already didn’t trust him because of his reputation.
I tell her goodnight and go to my room, showering and slipping into a pair of pajamas before climbing into bed.
A part of me is happy that I'm going on a date with Drake.
I like him. A lot. He's not the man I thought he was, and there's more to him than most people know.
The fact that he's let me see his more vulnerable sides tells me that Callie is wrong about him.
I also can't stop myself from looking more at his social media. There are countless articles about him and the models and influencers he's dated. I see perfect women standing beside him on red carpets and wonder if I’ll ever measure up.
I'm not the prim and proper, glamorous woman he typically goes for. I don't know what's trendy fashion-wise, and I don't carry myself the way they do. They have an aura of confidence that can only come from a combination of generational wealth and growing up ridiculously attractive.
The women in these pictures look like they belong in fairy tales. They're supposed to be the ones who get Prince Charming at the end of the book, not the cook making the hors d'oeuvres at the ball.
As I close my eyes and go to sleep, my excitement vanishes, and all I can think about is how bad it'll hurt if Drake proves me wrong and ends up being the man everyone thinks he is.