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eight

Olive

For a Thursday evening in mid-November, it’s unseasonably warm. It’s always nice to not have to bundle up, though.

“You ready for class, Liv?” Michelle asks me.

Michelle Whitlock has been dating my brother for the past four years. She’s a total sweetheart—my entire family adores her.

None of us understand, though, why he hasn’t put a ring on her finger yet.

Get to it, Harvey.

“I am,” I reply, watching her long, red hair flow down her back as I try to catch up. “I’m ready to relax. I need this right now.”

“What do you need to relax from?” Harvey asks. He doesn’t need to be here right now, but my brother is nothing if not protective. He doesn’t like the idea of Michelle and I walking alone through Manhattan when it’s going to be dark after class is over.

“Everyone can use some relaxation, Harv,” I shrug.

“I’m just happy I finally have a yoga partner,” Michelle says, wrapping an arm around my back. “I can’t ever get your brother to go with me.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d break my back if I tried to bend the way you do, Chelle,” he laughs.

“He’s right,” I smirk. “Harv’s an old man now.”

He scoffs. “What the hell, Liv?”

I turn around to face him, stepping backward as we continue down the sidewalk. “You’re in your thirties. You’re an old man.”

“You wound me, Ballerina.”

I stumble at the unexpected deep timbre of the voice I can’t get out of my mind. I right myself as my brother takes note of the man standing in front of us now.

“Holy shit! You’re Lane Brooks!”

Lane chuckles with his signature smirk. “The one and only.”

“Hey, Sage!” I say, mussing up her hair and trying not to be awkward in front of her father.

“Owive!”

“Wait,” my brother interjects. “Your student is Lane Brooks’ daughter?!”

“Yeah,” I shrug. “I told you her dad was a baseball player.”

“But you didn’t remember who. Lane is one of the best players on the Stars.”

I look at Lane now, unable to hide my smirk. “Best in the league from what I heard.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “Rory just had to ruin that for me, didn’t she?”

“I get the feeling that’s her favorite pastime,” I smile.

“You’re not wrong,” he replies, eyes never leaving mine.

Just like every time before this, I’m captivated when our gazes lock, and I can’t pull away.

Why?

Lane’s hardly the first man to pay me any attention. Even through my depressing years, I’d still get hit on occasionally when I made it out of my house.

I just can’t figure out what it is about Lane Brooks that has me so enchanted.

I speak before we stare at each other awkwardly for too long. “Lane, this is my brother Harvey and his girlfriend Michelle. Harv’s apparently a big fan.”

“I’m honored,” he smiles. Lane looks back at me, slowly raking his eyes over my body. I don’t miss the way his throat bobs when he sees my black sports bra and tight leggings under an open gray hoodie. I bite my lip and feel a fluttering in my stomach.

Did Lane just give me… butterflies?

I think he did, and I’m not sure what to make of that right now.

Sage is the one to pull me out of my thoughts. “You go dance, Owive?”

“We’re going to yoga, actually. But I’ll see you for ballet on Tuesday!”

She claps excitedly as Lane just grins at his daughter. It’s sweet but also gives me a pang of jealousy.

Because that’s something I’ll never get to have.

“It’s good to see you tonight, Liv.”

“Yeah, you too,” I reply, body heating all over from the penetration of his gaze. “We, uh, need to get going, though. Chelle and I will be late for class if we don’t go.”

“Before you do,” he says assuredly, “let me get your number.”

I hear Michelle snicker as Harvey gasps. “You… want my phone number?”

“Of course,” Lane shrugs. “I should be able to get in touch with you if Sage can’t make it to a lesson, shouldn’t I?” He flashes me that cocky side grin, confidence just seeping from every pore.

I can’t help but give in. “Alright, Hotshot. Hand me your phone.” He hands the phone over, and I pull up his contacts app and put my information in before shooting myself a text from his phone and handing it back.

When I pull out my phone, I pull up the message and save his contact information. “There. I have yours now, too.”

“Perfect,” he smiles brightly. “It was nice to meet you, Harvey and Michelle. Sage and I will see you on Tuesday, Ballerina.”

Without another word, he carries on in the opposite direction to us, bouncing Sage on his hip as she giggles enthusiastically.

“I can’t believe you have Lane Brooks’ phone number,” Harvey says, shaking his head.

“Like he said,” I stammer, “he just needs to be able to reach me if they can’t make a lesson.”

Michelle tries to stifle a laugh. “Sure, that’s exactly the reason he wants your number, Ballerina.”

I bite down a smile because I know she’s right. He just found an excuse to ask for it.

And Lane proves me right as soon as a text comes through.

Lane

I have a confession

I lied

Olive

So, is there another reason you wanted my number, then?

Lane

Yeah

I just want to talk to you

Have fun at yoga, Ballerina

Olive

See you Tuesday, Hotshot

I slip my phone into my hoodie pocket and carry on down the sidewalk with an actual smile on my face.

I wake up in the morning with a pep in my step. Pep that I haven’t felt in quite a long time.

Does that have anything to do with my student’s dad, who insisted on texting me last night after yoga just so he could talk to me?

I can’t say for sure, but the evidence is there.

So, to treat myself on what appears to be a lovely morning, I stop by Urban Grind for my favorite caramel latte. And when I step inside, I find a familiar set of dark curls standing next to an unknown blonde.

“Rory?” I ask.

She turns around and immediately smiles. “Hey, Olive! Good to see you.”

The blonde lights up in excitement. “You’re Olive?!” she squeals. “No wonder Lane wouldn’t stop talking about you last night. You’re fucking gorgeous!”

“Oh,” I say, my cheeks burning scarlet. “Um, thank you.”

“Don’t scare her off, Lo,” Rory laughs. “Olive, this is Harlow, my sister-in-law. She’s also dating Knox, one of the pitchers on the Stars.”

“It’s so nice to meet you!”

“You as well.” I bite my lip as I mull over Corinne’s words from my appointment earlier this week and decide I should do what she said and compliment a stranger.

Maybe it will actually help me become more comfortable around people and open myself up.

“Your freckles are so pretty,” I say. “My brother’s girlfriend has freckles, and I’m secretly a bit jealous of that. ”

Harlow’s smile is wide. “Thank you. My boyfriend loves them, too.”

“Obsessed is more like it,” Rory snickers.

“Nothing wrong with a boy obsessed, huh, babe?” she smirks, pointing her gaze right at Rory. I get the feeling she’s implicating her brother here, too.

“You know,” Rory says, looking at me now. “Lo and I were just talking about having a girl’s night at my place tonight with our friends. Why don’t you join us, Olive?”

I stare at her, stunned. “You want me to come to your girl’s night?”

“Yes, you totally should!” Harlow says excitedly. “We always have room for another girl. We usually enjoy some wine before our guys come to get us.”

My panic is involuntary. I’ve had a group of friends before, and when everything came out, they left me alone to mend myself.

But I take a deep breath, reminding myself that these are not the friends I had when I was seventeen. This is a different time with different people.

Corinne would be encouraging me to go, and I know how happy my family would be to see me bonding with, well, anyone. So, without entirely overthinking it, I speak as confidently as possible.

“That sounds like fun,” I admit. “Yeah, I’d love to join.”

“Awesome!” Rory shouts. “I snagged your number from Lane last night in case I need it when I start bringing Sage to her lessons again, so I’ll send you my address. I live right here in SoHo.”

“Great,” I say, smiling softly. “Then I’ll see you both tonight.”

“I can’t wait,” Harlow says. “It’s going to be fun.”

Yeah, I have a feeling this is going to be fun, too.