Page 25

OLIVIA

“ Y ou guys, you don’t need to be walking on eggshells around me. I’m fine. Last night was just…it was a onetime thing, I swear.”

Roxie’s been feeling guilty all day, but we’re not caving.

To be honest, this is the vacation I had been looking for—just the four of us—and it’s been incredibly relaxing.

On the other hand, I’ve been thinking about Sebastian ever since he left this morning.

And I’ve been feeling guilty about that.

“Rox, you had every right to be upset last night,” Vanessa tells her.

We’re all sitting by the pool, and it’s another beautiful, sunny day out.

Some would say it was the perfect summer day, and they’d be right.

Adele’s “Rolling in Deep” is currently playing in the background.

We’ve got an incredible nostalgic playlist going.

Plus…good friends, snacks, sunshine…what more could we need?

“You’re all allowed to be happy,” Roxie says, interrupting my thoughts.

“The whole you and Zayne thing was a surprise, but we all hang out together all the time, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.

And Mike and Loren have been together forever.

That’s not new information. I love you guys, and I’m happy for you.

Just…every once in a while, I’m sad for me. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Okay, but…you were also upset about Liv and Ash,” Loren reminds her, and I want to reach over and smack her. Why? Why did she feel the need to bring that part up?

“I was, but I also know that sleeping in a room with three dogs isn’t for everyone, and I feel really guilty that I essentially forced Oliva out of the room.

I mean…we were all so excited for her to be here and I was really looking forward to rooming with her, but we totally ambushed her with the guys.

And the room with me and the dogs. I think we can all agree that this isn’t exactly going the way we hoped it would. ”

I want to outwardly agree, but now isn’t my moment. This is about Roxie.

“I guess it’s not,” Vanessa reluctantly agrees. “It seemed like a good idea. I know Zayne and I were really looking forward to it.”

“So were me and Mike,” Loren adds.

I feel the weight of all their stares, and I guess I’m going to have to speak.

“You all know my feelings. I was looking forward to this being just the four of us. It’s nothing against the guys; I just selfishly wanted it to be like old times and have it just be a girls’ trip.”

“I have a confession to make,” Roxie immediately says.

When we’re all looking at her, she sighs dramatically.

“I never wanted the guys to come. Like…ever. But I thought if they did, it would mean that Olivia and I would hang out. I figured I’d have at least one person there for me all the time.

Ash was a last-minute addition, and I didn’t expect him to really change the dynamic at all.

Then Liv mentioned meeting him on the plane ride here and… ”

“What?!” Both Loren and Vanessa cry out.

“Oops. I wasn’t supposed to mention that, was I?” Roxie whispers to me, but it’s too late. It’s out there.

“Wait,” Loren snaps. “You met Ash before the funeral?”

Crap on a cracker.

There’s no way I can deny it, so I nod and then tell everyone about where and how I met Sebastian.

“Oh my God! He was the hot guy on the plane you talked about!” Vanessa cries, whipping off her sunglasses. “That is freaking wild! No wonder the two of you hit it off so fast! Wow!”

“It was definitely freaky,” I mutter. “But I wasn’t going to act on it—especially after finding out he was a friend of Matt’s. There was a…an…”

“There was an ick,” Roxie finishes for me, and I want to beg her to just stop talking.

“I guess I can see that,” Loren reasons.

“But if you already thought he was hot, and you kind of already knew him, it must have made it easier for you to go up to his room that night. Otherwise, I’m guessing you would have crashed on the couch or just bought earplugs and toughed it out with Roxie and the dogs. ”

“I will gladly buy you earplugs if you need to come back to our room,” Roxie promises, and I’m getting dizzy from the turning back and forth to answer everyone.

“Okay, it was definitely awkward that first night, but nothing happened between us. We had a plan if anyone found out I’d stayed with him and another plan if no one caught us.”

They all freeze and stare at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“So…that next morning…?” Vanessa asks.

“I thought no one knew. Roxie and I talked, and it sounded like everything was cool. Then I came downstairs, and Ash kissed me and told me that Mike saw us going upstairs together the night before, so he told him we’d hooked up.”

More stares.

“I’m confused,” Loren says after a minute. “So…are you or aren’t you and Ash together? Because I’ve got to tell you, you both look pretty damn cozy.”

Ugh. I don’t want to go into the details, but I have to say something.

“All I’m going to say is that things are good and we’re…exploring some possibilities. He’s a pretty private guy and I’m overly cautious, so I would really appreciate it if we just didn’t keep drawing attention to us. Please.”

“Again, I can order earplugs if you need them,” Roxie offers, and I simply turn and smile at her.

“Why didn’t you say anything about the guys?” Vanessa asks her.

And I have to hand it to Roxie, she does not mince words.

“Would it really have made a difference? You had an entire plan for doing this big reveal about you and Zayne and wanted to use this trip to test the waters.” Then she points to Loren.

“And you and Mike can’t stand to be apart for more than a handful of hours.

If I said I didn’t want him to come, I knew you would have found a way to make it happen anyway.

Even when he’s not with us, he’s on the phone!

There was no point in my speaking up, because the two of you would have plowed right over every objection I had. ”

“Okay, wow,” Vanessa says quietly.

But my girl Roxie isn’t done yet.

“And I think you knew this was a bad idea. That’s why you told us not to tell Liv about it,” she goes on. “Real friends don’t do that. They don’t ambush each other or manipulate them just so they can get what they want.”

“Hey, I am not going to be the villain here,” Van snaps. “We all know that Olivia hasn’t come home for the last four or five big events! Why was I supposed to work and plan a vacation around her when there was a huge chance of her not even showing?”

I’m about to put in my two cents now because I’m getting tired of this narrative being out there about me, but again, Roxie’s on a roll.

“Because it still would have been a great time for just the three of us! Jeez! I get that I’ve been a little difficult these last six months, but maybe I could have used some time to hang out with just my girls!

You and Zayne could have announced your big romance at any time, Van!

We hang out together a lot as it is. It didn’t have to be here.

” She shakes her head, and I swear she reaches under her sunglasses to wipe away a few tears as well.

“If you wanted a vacation or getaway with Zayne, then you should have just done that instead of turning this trip into what it is. Which really kind of sucks.”

Damn…

“For what it’s worth, Mike and I can go for more than a few hours without seeing or talking to each other,” Loren blurts out. “And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to talk to your significant other, okay? Don’t make me sound like a weirdo.”

“And don’t make me sound selfish!” Van counters, although I’m not really sure who everyone’s specifically yelling at right now.

“I thought I was doing a good thing by organizing this trip for us! And yes, maybe inviting the guys wasn’t exactly the great addition I thought it could be, but they’re only going to be here for another week!

After that, it is going to be just us. It’s going to be the trip you all so desperately want. ”

“Van,” I begin, but she’s on a roll now too.

“And I just want to say that if you’re all looking at me as being selfish, then you better look at yourselves because that’s all you’re thinking about!

This isn’t the trip that you two wanted.

What about me? What about the trip I wanted?

Don’t I get to have an opinion? Why is it okay for the two of you to be selfish and not me? ”

“I would have been fine if Mike didn’t stay here,” Loren mumbles. “There’s a hotel in town that we had as a backup plan.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Roxie huffs. “You’re just proving my point! You weren’t going to come here alone, Lolo! You were going to tuck that man of yours away in some hotel room so you could sneak off and see him! Do you not see how weird that is?”

Clearly, Loren doesn’t because her lips are moving, but nothing’s coming out.

“What do you think is going to happen if he’s not right here, huh?” Roxie asks. “The two of you have been together for so damn long! You can’t possibly be that insecure that you’re afraid he’s going to walk away if you’re not right there in his face all the freaking time!”

Loren practically trips as she jumps up from her lounge. “Screw you, Rox! How dare you make a statement like that! Maybe if you had spent a little more time with Theo and made him more of a priority, you wouldn’t be divorced right now!”

The line of curses that come flowing out of Roxie’s mouth are far too colorful and vulgar for me to even begin to comprehend. But when she storms off screaming, “Fuck you!”, I get the gist. She runs into the house with the dogs chasing after her and I just know this isn’t going to end well.

“That was a low blow,” I say, because I can’t just sit here and pretend all that didn’t just happen. “I get that you were offended, but you didn’t have to hit her below the belt like that.”