Chapter 3

The night breeze on the terrace was cool. I gripped the railing, exhaling slowly, when suddenly, I felt someone's warmth press up behind me.

When I turned, Oliver wrapped his arms around me, holding me so tight I tried to shove him off, but he didn't move an inch.

"Oliver," I called out.

His chest vibrated under my palm as he let out a soft laugh. "So you're not calling me 'Oli' anymore?"

Before I could say anything, he tipped my chin up and leaned in, kissing me. His tongue carried the bitter taste of alcohol.

He was a natural at reading people, while I'd laid all my cards on the table from the very start.

"Evelyn, let's have a baby," he said.

My heart skipped a beat, and before I knew it, I blurted out, "Do you mean you want to go public with us?"

Oliver's smile widened, a little too easily. "Of course. Just not today. Ruby's got some family drama going on. Once things calm down, we can talk about us..."

"I don't want to wait anymore, Oliver," I cut him off.

Even after all this, my baby and I still had to step aside for Ruby.

The bitterness on my tongue seeped into my heart. If I couldn't compete, maybe it was time to stop fighting.

I pushed him away and headed back.

"Evelyn," Oliver called out, his voice tinged with anger as he reached for me, but I dodged his hand.

This time, I didn't look back.

Back at the table, someone joked that I'd been dodging drinks and said I owed a penalty shot.

After a few drinks, my smile finally loosened up. Across the table, Ruby lifted her glass and gave me a knowing cheers from afar, her smile saying more than words ever could.

By the end of the night, everyone was a little tipsy.

I was still pretty clear-headed, but I could barely stand straight.

Ruby wasn't much better off than me.

I sat in the car, watching Oliver help Ruby, who was practically stumbling all over the place, up the stairs.

Under the streetlight, Ruby suddenly stopped. Oliver looked down at her, and she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

The whole scene was so dreamy, like something straight out of a romance movie.

That hit me in the chest so hard, my eyes started to sting and everything went blurry.

It felt like I was back in high school, sneaking out during evening study hall.

I snuck out to the garden for a breather, only to stumble upon Oliver and Ruby locked in a kiss under a wall of roses.

The way Oliver kissed her was so intense and possessive. It was the first time it hit me that he wasn't just the boy I'd grown up with, but a man.

All those feelings: pride, dependence, and possessiveness, came pouring down on me like a sudden rainstorm, drenching my heart.

It took me a while to realize that was a crush.

I kept dreaming the same thing: me kissing a guy under a rose trellis, and each time, his face got clearer until I saw it was Oliver.

I was way too embarrassed to tell anyone about that dream, not even my best friend.

But Oliver and Ruby's relationship was the hottest topic at school.

They were both straight-A students and ridiculously good-looking, so everyone was always gossiping about them, and even the teachers just pretended not to notice.

His profile was packed with photos of her, his status updates were all about the things she liked, and they'd even show up wearing matching couple outfits.

I started dodging Oliver whenever I could, feeling like a thief who'd stumbled into a trap, stuck in a dream that never belonged to me.

Ruby went abroad, and that was the end for them.

At a party, Oliver got drunk and held onto my hand, refusing to let go.

"Evelyn, do you like me?" Oliver asked.

The feelings I'd kept hidden for years was brought to light by the drunken Oliver.

For once, I finally nodded.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Oliver slurred.

Finally getting what I wanted was just too irresistible, I barely hesitated before nodding.

Oliver leaned in and kissed me, drunk and reckless.

It turned out that my first kiss was bitter.

The car door swung open, and a blast of cold air hit me, snapping me back to reality.

Oliver's kiss brushed the corner of my lips, and out of nowhere, a wave of nausea hit me. I pushed the door open and ended up puking all over the pavement.

Oliver patted my back, his voice flat. "You saw that, huh? Ruby was drunk, so don't let it get to you. Honestly, I..."

Those were the words I heard over and over again in this relationship. Whenever someone brought up his history with Ruby, I just had to swallow it and pretend it didn't bother me.

We had to keep our hands off each other in public, no holding hands, no hugs, no kisses.

At parties, people would try to set him up with other girls, and he'd go through the motions out of politeness. Every now and then, he'd give me a quick, reassuring glance.

Tears kept streaming down my face as I shook off his hand.

"Just stop, I don't want to hear any more. We've already broken up, Oliver. Please, just let me go," I said.

Oliver's face blurred in the shifting light, and soon, everything went dark.

I thought I heard Oliver say "Alright," his voice icy and distant.

As I was finishing up my work here, I was still wondering how to tell my parents about everything.

My mom was all smiles, saying Penny Brooks, Oliver's mother, had called to invite us over for dinner. Oliver was bringing his girlfriend home.

"Evelyn, you already knew, didn't you? I heard it's the girl he used to date. You young people..." Mom said.

I lost my grip on the cup, and it crashed to the floor with a sharp, brittle sound.