Chapter 27 Olivia
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
OLIVIA
The kids are finally asleep. Matthew’s curled into a tight little ball with his blanket over half his face, and Jer is spread out like a king in a twin bed, one sock halfway off. I stand in the doorway for a beat, just watching and breathing them in.
I don’t think I’ve exhaled in days.
When I walk into the living room, Ethan’s still on the couch. He has his glasses on, flipping through the floor plans Josh sent over. The laptop’s on the ottoman. He’s in work mode, but his eyes soften when he looks up.
“Do I look like a nerd?” he asks, tapping a corner of the page.
I nod, laughing and dropping into the armchair.
“I like it. This version of you,” I say, signaling around the couch.
I’ve never seen him like this. We barely studied in high school, to be honest, and I missed his college years, so this is new to me. And I like it.
He glances up with a smile on his face. “So now that you’re actually here, you think you’re in?”
“Oh, I’m in. A 100%,” I say. “Still have a few contracts to wrap in the city, but I can manage most of it remotely.” He looks at me, and I got the message. He isn’t asking just about the project. But we both played it cool. He leans back on the couch. “Good. You’ll be a hell of an asset.”
I smile at him, but I’m secretly praying that he doesn’t ask anything else.
“Look at us. All professional and civil.” He grins, then checks the time and stands, shrugging into his jacket.
“I should head out. Got some updates to prep before tomorrow’s walkthrough.
And you should rest. You’ve been having long days lately. ”
I walk him to the door, and just as I’m about to open it, we hear footsteps on the porch. Julia barrels up, slightly out of breath, carrying a duffel and a giant tote bag like she’s been on a month-long pilgrimage. She stops short when she sees Ethan. “Oh. Ethan. You are here.”
“Hey,” he says, polite but casual. “Long trip?” I ask, eyeing the luggage. “Only if you count the six-block detour because your street is blocked for god-knows-what,” she mutters, brushing past both of us. He nods, then glances at me, something quiet hanging between us. “See you tomorrow.”
“Night,” I say. The door clicks behind him, and Julia immediately drops the bag in the entryway like she’s claiming territory. “You brought the big bag,” I say.
“Obviously. I’m moving in.” I blink. “I’m sorry, what now?” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “You think I’m going to let you juggle divorce, two kids, a full-time job, an ex, and a crumbling emotional core all by yourself? Not a chance.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’re seriously moving in?”
“For a bit. Until you stop staring out windows like some Victorian widow waiting for her ship captain to come back from sea.”
“I’m not—”
“You are. But it’s okay. I’ll keep the windows clean while you pine dramatically.” I laugh, even as tears start slipping out. I don’t want to cry again; this is not a breakdown, this is just a quick release. She wraps her arms around me, tight, no questions asked.
“You’re doing it, Liv,” she murmurs. “You’re actually doing it.”
“I’m scared,” I admit into her shoulder. “I know,” she says. “But you’re also stubborn as hell and a lowkey badass. You’ve got me. You’ve got coffee. And like... six boxes of expired Lucky Charms in your pantry.” I laugh again, because she’s right, and also because it finally feels okay to.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Always, that’s what sisters are for.” Later, we unpack.
She steals one of my hoodies and tosses her bag into the guest room like it’s hers now.
We drink peppermint tea on the couch while the kids sleep upstairs, and for the first time in weeks, being here doesn’t feel like I’m still grieving something.
I’m glad that Ethan showed up. I was hesitant at first, but I missed him. I know we’re trying to be friends, but right now that’s more than enough for me.
These past weeks have been tough. Settling in after so many years living far from here has been a challenge, to say the least. Between sending the boys to school, calls with the lawyers, visiting the project, and closing some things from the office, I barely have had time for myself.
So tonight, I sent the kids with Julia to my mom’s house, and I plan to take a bubble bath, drink a bottle of wine, and relax. I deserve this.
The water is hot, the bubbles are growing, the candles are lit.
Perfect. I put my hair up in a bun and get undressed.
This feels so freeing. But just as I put a foot in the water, I realize that I have free will and I can have a glass of wine in the tub instead of waiting to get out.
What’s the worst that can happen? That I get drunk and drown?
Life could be worse. At least my kids will be okay.
This dark humor won’t get me anywhere good; I need to talk to my therapist.
As I walk downstairs, I feel a cold breeze that I wasn’t expecting, and as I walk to the kitchen, I freeze.
“Eh, hey,” fuck, fuck fuck. What is he doing here?
“Hey, umm, what are you doing here? And why didn’t you knock?” I can’t believe this. He is staring at me, and I don’t blame him. We’ve been trying to keep things friendly, non-complicated, and now I’m standing in front of him naked.
“Well, I knocked, and nobody answered. I saw the light was on, tried the door, and it was open, so I came in. Should I go?”
“No, no, it’s fine. I was… Um, can you pass me that blanket, please?” I say signaling at the blanket on the armchair.
“Honestly, I would rather not,” he says, smirking at me, and that’s the moment I knew I had a choice to make: I could die of embarrassment, or I could play along.
“In that case, take your clothes off.” He looks at me; his smile is long gone, and now he seems confused.
“If I have to be naked, so do you.” He thinks about it for a moment.
I can see it in his eyes, and then he takes off his coat, and then his t-shirt.
And he tosses it my way. “Put that on, it would look good on you.” That wasn’t my plan, but he is being smart, so I’ll take it.
I put his shirt on and walk to the kitchen island. “So do you want a glass of wine, now that you interrupted my plans?”
“What exactly was your plan? Drink wine while waking naked around the house?” Ha ha, funny. “No, I planned to be naked and have a bubble bath while drinking the wine. But now that’s ruined, and the water must be getting cold, so, do you want a glass of wine?”
“Oh, I can come upstairs, if you want. Not to be in the bath with you, but we could talk while you have your bubble bath time.” He says, mocking me.
Hmm, I think about that offer for about half a second.
“Okay, let’s go,” I say, taking the t-shirt off and grabbing the bottle of wine.
He stares at me, too stunned to speak. “Are you coming?”
“I wish, but I shouldn’t,” he whispers, smirking at me, but I hear him, loud and clear.
I scoff, “Come on, nothing is going to happen. You can sit in the toilet.”
We go upstairs, and I get in the tub. I know this isn’t a good idea, but I don’t want him to ruin my night, and he already saw me naked, so if he stayed, and we drink wine, he’ll know I’m wearing nothing but his t-shirt.
This way, he also knows I’m naked, but I’m underwater and bubbles, so it's less tempting. I think.
“Fuck it,” he says, undoing his belt and taking off his jeans. “Make room for me,” I move and let him in. He sits right in front of me, legs open, so I’m between them, and he grabs the bottle out of my hands.
“So, what are you here for?”
“In your bathtub?” I roll my eyes at him. “In my house.” He laughs at me. “I came to talk about the project, the new floor plan Josh sent over, and some other things. But I have a confession to make,” he says between sips of wine, here we go.
“What? And be careful of what you’re going to say, Ethan. We’re naked in a bathtub, and we’re supposed to be colleagues and friends.” He looks at me dead in the eyes. “I’m trying to act normal, like a gentleman and a friend, but all I want to do is kiss you since I came here.”
“That was before or after you saw me naked?” I smirk. God, I really want him to kiss me and do whatever he wants with me. But I have to be strong. “Oh no, that changed the moment I saw you naked, and recently changed again.”
“Changed to what?” I know I shouldn’t be asking this—I know the answer—but I want to hear it. We can talk about it, but not act on it. We are strong. “When I saw you naked, I thought about every time I’ve had you naked in the last couple of months,” I sigh, “And now?”
“I’m not doing that,” He smirks, and something inside of me starts burning. “Why not? Are you scared?” I’m almost crossing the line, I know. I should stop right here. “Yes, I’m scared.”
“Tell me more.” I’m staring at his eyes, but his mind isn’t there.
I can see him trying to fight this. “Now, I’m thinking about pulling you closer, wrapping your legs around me, spilling the wine over your body, licking every part of you…
” I swallow hard. “And?” I say as I move closer, grabbing the bottle of wine from his hands.
“You know what can happen if you dare to spill a drop of that wine on your body, Olivia.” It’s like he is reading my mind. But I stop myself, because this is already way more than what we agreed on. I go back to where I was and just keep staring at him.