A Sensitive Arrangement

Chapter 19

Olivia took one look at me and told me to spill. I swear I can't get anything past that girl. Which is how we ended up in her bedroom, with a tub of already half devoured Phish Food between us.

"He's adorable." Olivia gushed, staring at the photo on my phone.  Apparently I was not the only one who thought that word was synonymous with Luke. "You two are so cute it makes me want to gag." In typical Olivia fashion, her compliments always had to come with an insult.

"Just make sure not to do it on the ice cream." I retorted, not taking offense.

"So are you going to ask him out?" She was never one for patience.

"I just met him less than seven hours ago." I pointed out, incredulously.

"Yeah, what's your point?" She was only pretending to be oblivious. She knew we moved at two very different speeds. I had to slow her down a little, while she made it her mission to speed me up as much as she could. That's why we were the perfect best friends.

"I feel like maybe I should at least learn his last name before you start planning our wedding." I grumbled.

"Says the girl who has been planning her wedding since she was nine." She mused, flashing me a cheeky grin.

"That wasn't entirely in my control." I defended, even though I knew she had a point.

"Just ask him to the movies or something. He's new in town, you'd be doing him a favor. And if nothing else, it might make my brother insanely jealous."

"That's what you said last time." I accused, not letting myself think too hard about that night.

"Yeah, but you have better taste than me. Obviously ." She was beaming. I couldn't stay mad at her. Hell, I couldn't even get mad at her. "Besides, if you don't ask him out, I will."

"You've never even met him."

"Please, I'm Olivia Callaway, bitch." There it was, that Callaway confidence that must have been a genetic trait, because I definitely didn't get any of it.

Before I had a chance to reply, my phone vibrated. Unfortunately, it was still on the bed between us, and Olivia somehow has cat-like reflexes. She snapped up the device before I even had a chance to register what was happening.

"Oh, one new message from Luke. Let's see what it says, shall we?" She taunted me. We both knew it was a rhetorical question. "Ooooh, there's a photo. Cat pee free for seven hours and counting. He's flirty. I like him." She started typing something before I could tell her not to get any ideas.

"What are you writing?" I interrogated, a sense of dread filling my stomach.

"I'm just helping you bring your A game." She shrugged and kept typing.

"Don't you mean your A game?" I groaned.

"You have much to learn young grasshopper. Let me teach you." She smirked. I'm pretty sure I was doing just fine on my own, but I let her have her fun, knowing I probably couldn't stop her if I wanted to.

She flipped the phone around to show me. At least she had enough sense to get my consent before sending whatever monstrosity she had concocted. The photo he sent made me melt. He was pointing at the plain blue v-neck shirt he was now wearing. And of course, his adorable trademark smile gave me heart palpitations. Then I noticed Olivia's proposed message.

Too bad you've also been Alice free for one hour and counting.

It was actually a lot more tasteful than I was expecting. And admittedly, probably better than whatever I would have come up with.