Chapter 23
“Okay, so how big was it?” Danielle chimes as she jumps onto the couch like an overly excited toddler.
“Oh my God, Danielle! Why are you so obsessed with dick size?”
She looks at me like I just kicked her dog. “Um, Hello! Because size matters, bitch!”
I roll my eyes dramatically, making sure she sees them roll to the back of my head.
She huffs at me intently. “I’m already pissed that you waited this long to come clean about all of your scandalous pleasures. So spit it out, Olive Sage.”
I cut my eyes at her before responding, “Okay, I won’t lie; his size was intimidating. I definitely felt like a virgin again, but I took it like a champ,” I finally confess. I stick my tongue on the inside of my cheek, trying to suppress the smile tempting to form.
Danielle scoffs at me. “You little slut bag!”
I playfully swat at her arm. A guilty grin covers my face. “He definitely made Noah’s look equivalent to a pinky toe.”
Her eyes bulge before she lifts her chin, nodding profusely. “Well, we lucked up with two friends carrying full arms between their legs. GO US!”
My mouth almost falls to the floor. I, on instinct, shove Danielle’s arm, causing her to fumble off the couch onto the living room floor.
“You mother fuck, you!” she yells. I don’t even attempt to hide my face.
Laughter fills my lungs and pours out from deep in the pit of my stomach.
Before I can stop her, she reaches up, yanking my arm and causing me to roll onto the floor beside her.
Actually, knocking the breath out of me.
We both join in together; loud belly laughter echoes through our apartment.
Lottie runs over, taking turns licking our faces.
How did I get so lucky to have this annoying bitch as my best friend?
Another week has passed, and yes, I hesitated to tell Danielle. Why? Because I knew she would have a trillion questions to drill me with. And I just wanted to soak in it for a little. I may have also enjoyed Theo and I having our own little secrets.
I figured it was best to tell her everything in one sitting. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do, considering she’s my best friend, but she actually handled it better than I expected. And for that, I am fucking thankful.
Last weekend has been heavy on my mind. Theo exceeded my expectations in the bedroom; the experience still blows me away.
I hate to bring up Noah because, well, fuck him, but seriously the comparison is the polar opposite.
Something changed inside of me that night with Theo.
I felt it deep in the vessels of my fragile heart.
He showed me what I think to be passion, as bat shit as that may sound.
It wasn’t just a hookup for us. And when it was over, we held each other in silence. And I swear to you, places that were empty inside me bit by bit filled with pieces of him. I could have laid on his chest all night.
Theo called me earlier this week, saying his mom was dying to meet me.
As wonderful as that sounded, my stomach dropped to my ass.
I became a stuttering mess, and it took him calming me down over the phone and reminding me it wasn’t a big deal.
He let me know they had invited us for dinner this weekend, which only increased my anxiety.
But I didn’t have it in me to say no. So here I am now, sitting in front of my full-body mirror, letting my mind self-sabotage.
So many racing thoughts storm through my mind. What if they don’t like me? Will that end things between Theo and me? What if his mom senses my brokenness and refuses to have me around Emma? That would cut me deep. Okay, deep breaths, Olive.
Everything is going to be fine. I breathe in and out, slowly focusing back on my task.
My outfit is simple but classy. I didn’t want to overdress, but I also didn’t want to look like I just crawled out of bed.
I want them to see that I can be presentable but also come as me, nothing more.
I’m wearing a mauve button blouse with a pair of my favorite faded high-waisted jeans that slightly flare at the bottom.
Lastly, I pair it with my white sneakers.
My hair is down, but its natural wave didn’t want to cooperate with me, so I added some loose beach curls to give it more volume.
My makeup is subtle; I applied a small amount of mascara and a dab of brown eyeshadow to enhance my eyes.
My cheekbones are lightly dusted with a neutral pink blush, and my lips have a slight gloss.
Just as I’m walking out of my room, I hear my phone pinging on the bed.
It’s an incoming call from my mom. I haven’t talked to her in a while; the last I heard from her, she sounded belligerent on the phone.
It took all of me not to curse at her, but I held back and let her finish her slurred sentence.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever she’s calling for because rarely does she just check in on her youngest daughter.
“Hey, Mom,” I say dully.
“Hey baby, how are you?”
“I’m doing alright, how about you?”
“Oh, well, I’m okay. I tried to call Nora a couple of times, but she’s not answering my calls.”
“What were you calling her for?”
“Well, I-I wanted to check in on her, but also uh… my power is off.”
“How long has your power been off?”
“Just for a few days. Is there anyway you could get it back on for me? I just didn’t have the funds this month.”
“Okay, Mom, yeah, I’ll do that now.”
“Oh honey, thank you so much. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Sounds good, Mom.”
“I love you, baby. Come see me soon, okay?”
“I will. I love you, too.”
I hang up quickly, letting out a dramatic huff. I swear I can feel steam shooting from the top of my head like a burning teakettle on the stove. I aggressively toss my phone back onto the bed and head for the kitchen.
Danielle is already waiting there with two shots of tequila in her hand. Her lips are pressed into a firm line. She definitely heard the conversation with Mom. She quickly extends her hand out, offering me a shot. Don’t need to ask me twice.
I grab the shot glass and throw it back like it’s 1990 again. The warm liquid travels down my throat, giving a delicious burn as it seeps into my pulsing bloodstream.
I can sense the tension in my shoulders slowly dwindling.
“Nothing an ole shot can’t fix, right, bestie?” Danielle blurts out.
I purse my lips. “I don’t know if anything can fix the headache that woman gives me.”
Danielle looks at me with understanding written on her face. “I know, just don’t let it ruin your dinner with Theo’s family.”
I give her an agreeable nod.
Danielle’s lips curl up. “And maybe a good twiddle of the bean later will ease some tension, too.”
I scoff loudly at her comment. Danielle tries to hurry, pouring her shot into her mouth. Her mistake is immediately looking back at me. I burn a hole between her eyes with my fiery glare.
Danielle’s cheeks blow out with the liquid still in her mouth. She seals her lips tight but gags from the taste of the tequila. Within seconds, tequila shoots out of her mouth onto the kitchen island. I laugh under my breath, “Serves you right.”
Danielle says nothing but doesn’t hesitate to throw up her middle finger.
I admire the property as we pull into Theo’s parents’ driveway.
Every tree, bush, and plant has been meticulously cared for.
Various flowers bloom around the foundation, while green vines elegantly twist around the beams that support the porch and roof.
Woven hand baskets hang from the porch, each overflowing with colorful flowers.
I spot a cherrywood swing on the left side of the porch. It’s clear that they have a strong sense of landscaping; their yard is immaculate. And I can only imagine how beautiful the inside is.
We park the car near the garage entrance. And now my nerves are kicking in again, and I can’t stop myself from rubbing my hands together profusely. My heart is sucker punching against my heavy chest. If Theo listened closely enough, he could probably hear how aggressively my heart is pounding.
He adjusts in his seat and faces me, reaching over to clench my moving hands. Within seconds, I can already feel my nervous system ease off.
I swivel my head in his direction, catching him staring at me with an admirable glare. Gosh, this man is beautiful to look at. Just a glance at him calms my rapid heart. It almost makes me eager to get in this house and meet the two who created this masterpiece they call their son.
He actually changed up his attire today.
To be honest, I love his plain T’s, but today, his dirty blond locks sit neatly under a tan ball cap, swooping across his forehead and reaching above his brow.
He’s wearing a thin, short-sleeved tan flannel with white pinstripes.
He has it completely unbuttoned, showing off a white tank underneath.
I can see his tasty muscles flexing beneath it, which causes me to squeeze my legs together multiple times on the ride here.
I’m tempted to reach over and unbutton his pants to show him what he’s doing to my insides. But that would be extremely rude to do in his parent’s driveway, and it definitely would not be the first impression I’m hoping for.
Theo grabs my chin, stealing my attention back from my intrusive thoughts. He smirks at me. “You can’t stay out of that pretty little head of yours, can you?”
I look into his stunning eyes, pondering on my response. “No,” I admit.
He chuckles. “You’re going to be fine, babe; you’re easy to love,” he croons.
Butterflies flap their wings viciously in my stomach. Damn, this man and his effective words.
He guides me through the garage area and up the stairs to the door. Before we enter, Theo turns to me and kisses my flushed cheek. “Just be yourself, babe,” he says calmly.
I give him a forced smile, realizing that just maybe I’m panicking for no reason. What could go wrong?