Chapter 4
Someone is at the door. Miles is out with friends and I’m alone in the apartment. I didn’t order pizza, so I’m not sure who could be here. As I reach for the handle I stop, wondering momentarily if it could be Chelsea or my father. The visitor knocks again, more urgently, so I peer through the eye hole. What I see causes me to fling the door open in excitement!
“Liv! What are you doing here?” My best friend crushes me in a tight hug.
“I wanted to surprise you. I made Miles go out with Landon so we could have a girl’s night. He won’t be home until tomorrow.”
I am on cloud nine. Olivia and I sit on the couch together and start catching up. She talks wedding plans; I’m the maid of honor but I refuse to get into all that girly stuff. She and Isaac are excited to move forward with their lives.
“So what about you? Any man candy I should know about?”
The first face that pops into my mind is Miles. How can I talk to Olivia about the mixed feelings I have about her brother? Then again, if I can’t talk to my best friend about it, who else is there?
“Well, there’s this guy, but it’s complicated. Like, really complicated.”
“Ooo intrigue, tell me more.”
“He’s a great guy, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know if having a relationship with him would be in either of our best interest.”
“We both know I’ve been there. Where did you meet him?”
I hesitate for a few moments. “I met him through a friend.”
There. That seemed safe enough.
“You’re not usually the type to hold back, CeCe. I see through your bullshit.”
“What would you do if I told you I was confused about my feelings for Miles?” I wait for her to lose her shit.
“I would tell you that it wouldn’t surprise me. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s been confused about his feelings for you for a long time.”
Wait, what? That was not what I expected to hear from her at all. I figured she’d be grossed out, tell me I was certifiably insane; anything other than telling me she thinks he feels the same.
“When were you going to tell me that tidbit of information?”
“I didn’t think it was important. You didn’t have any interest in him, so why should I make things awkward between the two of you by telling you that I think my brother has a crush on you? So, tell me what’s been going on?”
I tell her about Chelsea and how Miles defended me. I tell her about my father showing up and how Miles insisted that I move in with him until we knew if it was safe for me to go back to the brownstone Liv and I once shared. I tell her about cooking together and late-night television binges.
“It sounds like you’re smitten. I seem to remember you telling me to go for it with Isaac. What’s holding you back?”
“Seriously? He’s like my brother. Isn’t that weird. What if we did give it a try and things didn’t work out? I’d lose your family because things would be too weird.”
“That’s just asinine. You will never lose our family. My parents would be just as protective of you in that relationship as they would be of Miles. Plus, if you were going to choose between any of the weirdos and sleezeballs you’ve been into in the past and Miles, I would suggest you choose my brother hands down.”
“Hmm. You’ve made some valid points. But, there’s more.”
“Is this when you tell me you can either have Miles or a brand new car?”
I snort. “No. There’s something I haven’t told anyone yet because I don’t know if it really matters.”
“You have my undivided attention, so spill it.”
“I’ve been accepted to Harvard.”
Olivia screams at the top of her lungs then covers her mouth. She jumps up and does a ridiculous happy dance before tripping over a couch pillow and sprawling across the floor. There she is. My uncoordinated best friend.
“O-M-G. CeCe, that’s amazing! I am so happy for you. This is incredible. You’re going to do so well!”
“I haven’t decided if I’m going to go yet.”
“What? Why the hell not? Harvard is a fantastic school. One of the best law schools out there.”
“The second best according to my research.”
Olivia takes her seat next to me on the couch again. She’s giving me “but” face; she knows there’s something that’s keeping me from jumping up and down to celebrate with her.
“I just don’t think I want to be so far away. You guys are getting married and Ava is going to graduate next summer. Then there’s this. . .thing with Miles.”
“There it is. See, everything else you can just hop on a plane for. But that is a little trickier. I’m going to tell you something that I know you would tell me if our roles were reversed. . .and Miles wasn’t my brother,” Olivia shudders slightly at the thought. “If thinking about missing out on a relationship with him makes you pause in your decision to go to Harvard, you owe it to yourself to find out just how serious those feelings are.”
I sigh. I hate it when Olivia is right. If I can’t get over the idea that he’s like my brother, then I’ll know it was just a weird infatuation. But, if he returns my feelings and things feel right, I’ll have to figure out a whole new level of crazy in my life.
“I think you need to talk to Miles.”
“Fine. Can we change the subject?”
“Okay, tell me about your dad coming back. Have you heard from him again?”
I don’t really want to talk about that either, but at least we’re done talking about Miles.
“No, I haven’t heard from him again. But, I did leave my apartment and forward all my mail to the office. I can’t see him showing up at the law firm owned by the man I told him has replaced him as my father.”
Olivia can tell I don’t want to discuss it further, so she switches on the television and we watch a Sandra Bullock movie. We drink some wine and Olivia bakes some chocolate chip cookies. It feels like such a normal and natural night that I forget all the things that have been troubling me. Hours later, we both fall asleep on the couch, and I don’t even wake when she leaves early in the morning to head home to Isaac.