9 #2
“Good! Because I really like you, too,” she interrupted.
She ran her finger along the line of his jaw, pleased to see a rise of color in his cheeks.
He was dumbfounded; she could see it in his eyes.
“We can do it tonight!” she said, barely keeping the laughter out of her voice. “All my friends are here. Why wait?”
“Uh—”
“Perfect! I’ll see you out there! I’ve got to fix my mascara first,” she declared.
Then she let her smile spread into a megawatt grin.
“I’m so glad you didn’t give up!” she added, and then she turned and left the kitchen before she could start laughing.
She could practically see Noah’s best-laid plans flashing before his eyes.
He’d be gone before dessert.
“Okay, so... what was that?” Jake asked the question as he reversed from the parking lot, and Noah slumped against the cushioned seats of his friend’s truck and tried to form a reply.
The short answer? He had no idea .
The longer answer? Olivia had lost her mind. Or been body snatched. Or maybe both.
She’d spent the entire party plastered to his side, introducing him to people as her boyfriend and basically acting like her brain had been scrambled somewhere between the kitchen and the living room.
She’d even called him “honey bug.”
Twice.
Noah stared through Jake’s windshield with blank eyes, barely noticing as the town’s landmarks flashed past the windows. Olivia had been more enthusiastic than expected on New Year’s Eve. Not that it had slowed him down, but it had surprised him—especially after she’d been so clear about her rules.
Both of which she’d broken, by the way.
And then she’d slipped under his arm and fled. She’d left her coat, left her shoes, and left him—still bracing himself against the wall and not totally sure he could move without falling down.
Was it possible it had all meant more to her than he’d realized? He was always up front about his intentions, but occasionally a girl got the wrong impression anyway—though never to quite this extent.
He went over it all again.
Was it possible ?
No. His common sense spoke up now. It was not possible. There was no universe where Olivia Cohen would fawn over him the way she had at dinner—not even if she were having their wedding invitations engraved. In fact, she’d probably bust his chops even harder if she liked him than she did now.
But she doesn’t not like you , a little voice pointed out.
That was true, too. She couldn’t be totally turned off by him and still kiss him the way she had; he didn’t think that was possible, either. So, what was he missing? Why was she asking him to come to a family event, calling him cutesy names and using the B-word? Why was she—
His thoughts ground to a halt so fast he almost heard them screech.
She was trying to get rid of him!
Noah smiled as the realization dawned with startling clarity. Oliva Cohen was trying to get rid of him... by latching on like a leech. If he weren’t on the receiving end of this tactic, he’d have applauded her efforts; for anyone else, it would probably work.
But Noah wouldn’t be giving up so easily.
He sat up straight as a sudden sense of excitement filled his chest. “That,” he said, turning to Jake, “was desperation. It’s like.
..” He searched his memory for what the whole night had reminded him of and finally hit on the right file.
“Have you ever seen that Kate Hudson movie where she’s trying to scare off Matthew McConaughey by acting like a psychopath? ”
“Umm, yeah. But I’m surprised you have.”
“My mom likes it,” Noah replied, waving Jake’s words away. “Anyway, that’s what Olivia is doing!”
Jake slowed for a red light and flicked his eyes toward his friend. “You know they end up together in that movie, right? Is that the goal here?”
“No,” Noah answered quickly. Happily ever after was for fairy tales, and even those could be rewritten. “But she doesn’t get to just toss me aside,” he went on. “If Olivia wants to pretend we’re a happy little couple, then I’m going to call her bluff.”
“So, the plan is... what, exactly?” Jake asked.
“The plan,” Noah said, still putting the pieces together in his mind, “is to go all-in. Put the chips on the table and force her to show her hand.”
“So, you’re just going to play chicken and hope she ducks first?”
“Sort of, yeah.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” Jake asked, his voice skeptical.
Noah huffed, barely even considering the possibility. “Then I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it.”
“So, have you heard from Noah since the debacle yesterday?” Robin asked from her place on the love seat. She and Kate had spent the night after the party to make the most of their last weekend before homework once again took over all of their lives.
Olivia chuckled and reveled in the sense of victory that surged through her veins. “Nope,” she said, letting the word pop from her lips. “And I don’t expect to, either. Did you see the way his eyes bugged out every time I said the word ‘boyfriend’? There is no way he’s coming back after that.”
“You are way too happy about this,” Robin said dryly. “Are you sure you really want to scare him off? He seems like a catch.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Olivia retorted. “Besides, it’s not like we won’t wave if we pass each other in the quad or something.
He’ll just refocus his energy on chasing someone else’s tail, and I won’t have to worry about it anymore.
” She settled back against the pile of pillows she’d constructed in front of the couch.
Lexie and Kate came back into the room, both carrying two bowls of early-morning ice cream. “If you’re not interested in Noah, why don’t you just tell him that outright?” Lexie asked .
Olivia scrunched herself farther into her nest before responding. “I did, and it didn’t work,” she admitted.
Robin and Kate both burst into laughter.
“But you think this will?” Robin asked.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures!” Olivia declared. “You saw the way he peeled me off him the second Jake suggested they should leave. He couldn’t make it to the door fast enough!”
The three other girls shared a skeptical sort of look before Robin crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” she said, quoting Shakespeare.
Olivia only rolled her eyes and picked up the remote.
“Methinks we should just watch the movie,” she grumbled, pressing play.
There was no reason to dissect the way dinner had gone.
Had she been a little over-the-top? Yes.
Was it the greatest idea she’d ever had?
Probably not. But it had worked, and that was the point.
Noah Campbell would find somebody else to annoy and let her finish her semester in peace.
Everybody won. End of story.
About twenty minutes later, Olivia’s phone vibrated against the top of the coffee table, the screen glowing brightly in the curtained gloom of the living room.
She glanced at it, expecting to see one of her parents’ or brothers’ names highlighted at the top, but her breath caught in her throat when she saw Noah’s name instead.
Noah: Hey pretty girl! You don’t work nights, do you?
She froze, the movie forgotten, as she stared at his question.
Another bubble took the first one’s place.
Noah: Some friends of mine are going to play laser tag after class on Tuesday. You want to come? Let me show off my girl? ;)
Olivia had barely finished reading when the device disappeared from the table, and she looked up to find Robin holding it in her hand.
“He wants to show off his girl ?” she asked, and the glee that crossed her face made Olivia’s ribcage tighten.
“He what ?!” Kate blurted, and Olivia pushed herself off the floor.
“Give that back!” she grunted, swiping at the device.
Robin jumped onto the couch and held it out of arm’s reach as she read the message aloud. “Looks like your boyfriend got over his shock, Liv,” she crowed.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Olivia insisted, each word forcing itself out between gritted teeth.
“Well, you stood right here and told him that he is,” Kate pointed out. “So now you either have to date him or eat your words.”
“I’m not going to date him! He doesn’t even do relationships!” Olivia cried in dismay, and her own words caused her to pause.
Noah didn’t do relationships; he’d told her that himself. So why was he suddenly so chill about being committed? Why was he asking her to meet his friends when he should have been changing his number?
The answer occurred to her all at once, as obvious as the joy on Robin’s face.
Noah knew ! He knew her little performance was a scam, and now he was calling her on it! It was the only thing that made sense !
She clenched her jaw and shook her head as aggravation filled her body. So, he wanted to make this a contest? Fine.
But he hadn’t won yet. And he wasn’t going to.
“You know what?” she said, stubborn determination taking hold. “I’ve changed my mind. Looks like I’ve got a date on Tuesday,” she told the group, and Lexie’s eyes widened in what looked like dismay.
“You’re actually going to do this?” she asked, and Olivia straightened her spine.
“Why not? He doesn’t want a relationship any more than I do, so he’ll only let it go so far.”
Lexie shook her head slowly, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “The poor guy,” she murmured. “He won’t even know what hit him.”