Chapter 3

When I arrived at the terminal, a crowd had already gathered for Matthew. They were his old crew, boys and girls alike, all standing near the baggage claim exit. Several of them were holding up signs and banners, making quite a scene.

[Welcome home, Matthew, our pretty boy!]

[All hail the future tycoon in Silverlake City, Mr. CEO of Everything! Welcome to inspect your empire!]

[Let the celebrations begin! Welcome home, Boss!]

I felt a sudden urge to back away slowly. It was absolutely mortifying. I wished the floor would just open up and swallow me whole so that I wouldn't be associated with this spectacle.

While we waited, the conversation inevitably turned to me.

"Olivia, look at you! Two years passed, and you've turned into a total bombshell."

"So, your man is about to walk through those doors. Are you nervous? Excited?"

I shot him a skeptical look. Why would I be nervous or excited?

Matthew video-called me every other day. Even if I hadn't seen him in two years, I wouldn't have felt any nervous anticipation.

"Not at all," I said coolly, shaking my head. "I'm calm. You guys seem to be the ones who are excited."

One of his friends, Nick Hill, whistled. "No way. Olivia, I thought you were crazy about him. What happened? Hit the books for two years and found a new crush?"

So they had seen right through me. All this time, they knew I had feelings for Matthew.

My "secret" crush hadn't been a secret at all. It had been painfully obvious.

I smiled, completely calm. "Please, Nick. The only thing I'm falling for these days is quantum physics. Now that is true love."

That got a laugh out of them. The atmosphere lightened, and their questions became even more blunt.

"Come on, Olivia, we're all friends here. Just tell us, do you still have feelings for Matthew? If you do, we'll help you out while he's in town. Create some opportunities. What do you say?"

I just thanked them politely, replying, "You guys are hilarious. But I swear, I'm not into Matthew anymore."

I said it with the conviction of a politician making a campaign promise, "Besides, he has a girlfriend. We wouldn't want to cause any trouble."

As the words left my mouth, I saw their faces freeze. I turned and realized Matthew had been standing right behind me the entire time.

For a split second, I thought I saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. But I dismissed it. That was impossible. He didn't like me, so why would he be disappointed? The guy was a notorious playboy with a rolodex of girlfriends.

He looked just like he did on video calls, effortlessly cool and devastatingly handsome. It was clear he had been working out because his frame was broader and more muscular than it had been in high school.

"Matthew, welcome back," I said, trying to sound casual.

This was, if I remembered correctly, his first time home in two years.

Last Christmas, Matthew didn't come home. Instead, he flew off to Spain to accompany his girlfriend. His parents were absolutely furious. On Christmas Eve, of all days, they hopped on a plane and flew straight to Spain to drag him back.

My mother had been on vacation in Malaysia, leaving me and Ethan alone in the giant villa.

Matthew gently tousled my hair. "What were you guys talking about?" he asked smoothly. "Whether Olivia likes me? Isn't that obvious? Go easy on her, guys. She's shy."

I let out a sigh and stared at him with quiet resentment.

Given that he had a rotation of girlfriends abroad, calling me shy seemed a bit rich coming from him.

Just as I was about to set the record straight, he clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Alright," he said, "let's go. I've got a party set up at my villa. I've had the whole thing planned for weeks."