chapter twenty-four Basically a Sister
chapter twenty-four
Basically a Sister
I stand when Olsen walks through the door of Tacofino’s trendy downtown patio, looking smart and handsome and kind, as always.
He draws me in for a tight hug, as if he’s missed me dearly and has been worried about my well-being. He smells good—a mix
of masculine shower gel and the same laundry detergent Lex uses. My heart twists suddenly, aching for Lex to be here instead
of Olsen. Then the sharp stabbing sensation in my chest twists the other direction with guilt that I’ve tricked him into thinking
I have feelings for him.
I pry myself away and we sit in the cozy patio chairs facing one another. Olsen doesn’t seem to pick up on my uneasiness at
all. After we order our drinks and food, he reaches across the table, taking my hands in his. His hands are soft and big,
but I feel trapped by them instead of comforted. I want to pull away, but it seems he needs to touch me to feel grounded,
and it’s the least I can do after accidentally stringing him along.
The best way out is through, and I owe him the decency of making this quick. “So, Olsen, I—”
“May I go first?” he asks, his voice low and hopeful. He smiles a little, cheeks turning pink. “I’ve practised what I want to say and I’m afraid I’ll lose my nerve if I wait.”
I blush, too, melted by the idea of this tall, gorgeous man nervously fumbling through a speech in front of the mirror before
working up the courage to talk to me. I manage to nod.
Olsen steels his resolve with a slow inhale. “I’m not sure what went wrong between us. One moment we were on the couch, everything
was great, and then it wasn’t. When you said, uh . . .” He clears his throat.
I nod as my cheeks burn. “Yup.”
“Which was weird.”
I continue nodding. He’s figuring it out all on his own. I don’t even need to explain it.
“That was confusing. But then you just ran off and wouldn’t answer the phone. I was so scared something happened to you. Then,
when I called Lex and you answered for her, I felt so . . .”
I bite my lip. He’s so close to the answer.
“Relieved.”
Wait, what?
“Relieved you were okay, that is,” he says, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smile. “Sometimes weird stuff happens during
sex. I’m sure you said her name by accident because you spend all your spare time together and we’d just been talking about
her. I figured you were just embarrassed and needed some space, but I was really worried about you.”
He couldn’t be more off-base. I open my mouth to try to explain the hard truth, but Olsen isn’t finished. “Honestly, it’s
kind of funny. I’m sure we’ll be laughing about it someday. I just wish you hadn’t felt like you couldn’t have talked to me
about it. It’s my fault you didn’t feel like you could call me back. I want you to be able to trust me.”
He offers me an apologetic smile, and my mind blanks on what to say next.
“I hope we can move forward, because I want you in my life. I want to take you on more dates, and continue getting to know
you, and maybe . . .” He takes a slow breath, his thumb stroking the back of my hand. “Maybe we can take things a step further.
Make our relationship official.”
Wait a second, official? Next steps?! This did not go to plan. I release Olsen’s hands to take a long sip of water, trying to cool myself off.
“It already feels like you’re part of the family. My nephew likes you, and Lex is basically a sister to you—”
I choke on my drink and spray Olsen in the face. Olsen sits back quickly, wiping at the spittle. Coughing and sputtering through
an apology, I reach for a napkin, but he grabs it at the same time. Together we knock over his margarita, which soaks our
table as it rolls off and clatters to the ground. Just as this happens a server approaches, heavily laden with trays of food.
Her foot comes down on the glass and she trips, sending tacos flying as she flails and falls with a loud crash.
Olsen and I spring into action, reaching for the woman at the same time, knocking our heads together.
“Ah, fuck,” he says, hand flying to his forehead.
“Sorry!” I cry, rubbing my temple.
“It’s fine, can you help me get her off the floor?” He gestures to the poor woman splayed out and covered in taco detritus.
Olsen and I lift her together and steer her into a chair before he launches into full doctor mode.
He’s charming and capable, with impeccable bedside manner, and even has the woman smiling and laughing after a few moments.
After a complete check-up and several napkins to help clean guacamole and salsa off her black shirt and trousers, the mess is behind us and we return to our seats.
We sit across the table, regarding one another with what the fuck just happened? expressions.
Finally, Olsen laughs and says, “Well, that was awkward.”
I jolt as realization smacks me in the face. It’s like I’ve been playing that Perfection game from my childhood—rushing to fit all the shapes into their slots, only to have the board launch all the pieces back
out and scare the shit out of me in the process.
He’s right . . . it was awkward. There have been so many other awkward moments I’ve tried to brush off, but I can’t ignore it now. The goodbye with
Lex after our first time together. Ebele barging in on us in my office when Lex was going down on me. This whole entire fiasco
of both Olsen and Lex wanting to be with me at the same time . . .
The curse isn’t gone. It’s still here, fucking up my life worse than ever. And I have no idea what it means.
I cover my face with my hands and rest my elbows on the table, every profanity I know echoing through my mind like crashing
cymbals.
“Hey now,” Olsen says, his voice quiet and soothing. He gets up and moves to my side of the table, wrapping an arm around
me and giving me a side-hug. “It’s okay! The woman isn’t hurt, her clothes will get cleaned. Though next time if you want
a different drink, just ask. You don’t need to come up with such elaborate plans.”
I bark out a hoarse laugh, which makes Olsen chuckle, which only makes me laugh harder.
The absurdity and stress of this whole situation has finally caught up with me, and all I can do is laugh.
I laugh until my belly aches and tears stream down my face, until I can’t breathe and all I can do is shake.
Olsen holds me, laughing along, but I’m sure for a far different reason.
Finally, the laughter subsides and I wipe my face with my hands before turning in my seat to look at Olsen’s kind, handsome face as he searches for a way to get our dinner back on track and tell me .
. . tell me what? That he doesn’t want things between us to be over?
That he wants to continue our relationship?
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his thumb pausing on my damp cheek with a caress. “I could listen to you laugh forever,”
he says, his voice low and husky.
Goddamn it, why is he smiling at me like I’m some magical fucking treasure or some shit? If anything, I’m the opposite. Here
I am, supposed to be telling him I’m in love with his sister, but I can’t even do that properly. My plan is backfiring completely.
I’m only making things worse. But I should be used to that by now. It’s my thing.
“Aubrey,” Olsen says, snapping me out of my spiralling thoughts. “Gabe told me he invited you to his play on Friday. Since
you’re coming, and my parents will be there, I was hoping I could introduce you to them as my girlfriend.”
I search for words. Something. Anything. But come up blank.
“You don’t need to answer me right away,” he says, ever so patient, ever so kind. “I know you have a lot going on. Lex filled
me in on your work project—which sounds amazing, by the way. You’re so full of wonderful surprises.”
If either of them knew the truth about my past, about what happened at work, they’d never speak to me again. After a long
pause I manage to say, “I’ll think about it.”
This seems to placate Olsen enough for him to let me leave. He insists on getting the food packed up and sending me home with
a big bag of it, tipping the server generously, and walking me outside and into an Uber.
I disassociate as the driver takes me home. All my sensations are distant and fuzzy. My whole body is numb. Lex wants me to
go to Gabe’s play as her girlfriend, Olsen wants me to come as his girlfriend, and Friday is the same day the work project I stole from Jasleen is due, and, worst of all, the curse is NOT
broken.
I have no idea what to do.
No matter what, I’m going to let everyone down. I’m going to hurt everyone I care about. And I’m going to end up all alone.
Exactly what I deserve.
The conversation I need to have with Lex can’t be done over the phone. I promised her clear, open communication, and that’s
exactly what she’s going to get—no matter how hard it is. Lex has a way of making everything make sense. She and I can figure
it all out together. I’m sure once I tell her that the curse is still happening, she’ll have ideas about why it isn’t broken
yet and what to do.
As soon as I’m home I text Lex to meet me there. She replies immediately with an ETA, which gives me just enough time to pick
Winston up from Pat’s and take him for a quick walk. By the time I hear the door open at the top of the stairs, I’m still
not entirely sure what I’m going to say, or how I’m going to say it. I hope that when I see her face, when she holds me in
her arms, everything will make sense.
Winston sounds the alarm and rushes up to greet her, but there are two voices. Two sets of footfalls make their way down the
stairs, and at the bottom Gabe’s tentative smile is the first to greet me.
Yet more proof that the curse is here to make everything as awkward as possible. I’d totally forgotten it was Lex’s week with
her son. I’m a terrible partner.
“Oh, hi, Gabe! What a nice surprise.” My heart is thumping so loudly in my ears I can barely hear myself talk.