Page 46 of Count Your Lucky Stars

Margot’s breathing slowed, and she lifted her head, her eyes opening a fraction. “Hi.”

Olivia smiled, heart floating up like a helium balloon, rising into her throat. “Hey.”

Margot rose up onto her hands and flipped over, staring up at the ceiling. A ghost of a smile graced her lips. “That was...” Her brows rose. “Wow.”

“Wow,” Olivia echoed in agreement, laughing softly. Sweat began to cool on her skin and she sat forward, looking for a blanket, a sheet, something to cover up with.

On the other side of the bed, Margot stood and stretched, arms rising over her head, back popping. She bent down and swiped her sweater off the floor, slipping it over her head, flipping the ends of her hair free from the collar.

Olivia frowned. Margot didn’t so much as look her way once as she gathered the rest of her clothing off the floor. She slipped her underwear up her legs and tossed her jeans into the laundry basket beside her closet before crossing her arms, wobbling as she scratched the back of her calf with her opposite foot, still avoiding Olivia’s eyes.

“So.” Margot cleared her throat. “This was fun.”

Olivia nodded. “Yeah.”

“We should, um, do it again sometime.” Margot gave a sharp, decisive nod, her eyes flickering over to Olivia’s before she looked away. “If you want.”

Olivia held her breath, waiting for her to say something else. Something...more. Anything, really. Proof that this meant as much to Margot as it did to her. That it wasn’t just scratchingan itch, sating the absurd sexual tension that had simmered between them since she’d moved in.

Silence stretched between them and the back of her throat ached.

God, Olivia was sostupid. Getting her hopes up... over what? Sex? She should’ve learned her lesson the first time. That sex didn’t mean everything, didn’t necessarily meananything. Eleven years later and she was none the wiser, repeating history.

Margot didn’twanther, not all of her. And Olivia couldn’t even be angry. Margot hadn’t promised her anything. Olivia had just assumed. And she couldn’t say anything. Margot was her roommate, they lived together, and Olivia was planning her best friend’s wedding. All complications that should’ve kept her out of Margot’s bed, but Olivia had wanted her so desperately she’d thrown herself at Margot, thinking—

Wrong.She’d thought wrong, and now she had to suck it up.

Sheneededthis wedding to pan out. Sheneededthis apartment. She—God... she wanted Margot.

She knew what it was like, not having Margot in her life. She’d lived that and—she didn’t want to go back, didn’t want to go through that again. Olivia refused to erase the progress they’d made, sacrifice their friendship all because what? Because she couldn’t have everything she wanted?

Everything she wanted.Olivia swallowed hard. Nowthatwas a fairy tale. No one ever got everything they wanted, certainly not her, at least not in her experience.

She couldn’t have everything, but maybe she could still havethis. Margot as a friend, maybe something more, and maybeone day—

No, Olivia wouldn’t indulge that desire. If she let it blossom, bloom, she’d get her hopes up and... this wasgood. This could be enough. She could be happy.

Something with Margot would always be better than nothing.

Chapter Eleven

Elle (9:57 p.m.):MARGOT

Elle (9:58 p.m.):!!!!

Elle (9:58 p.m.):??????

Margot (9:59 p.m.):Are you okay?!

Elle (10:00 p.m.):

Oh.

Oh,wow.

Margot’s breath caught as stared at a slightly blurry selfie of Elle and Darcy beaming at the camera. In it, Elle had her hand held up in front of her, displaying a dazzling round-cut diamond that gleamed brightly from her ring finger.

Margot’s phone rang, and she took a deep breath, smiling when she answered because she’d read somewhere that people could pick up on that sort of thing in your voice. “Hey—”