Page 36 of Come As You Are
“I did.” I nodded then put my plate on the coffee table and rested my elbows on my knees. There wasn’t any reason to sugar coat it or try to offer some kind of explanation since I didn’t have one. “I saw Andrew there,” I said. “He was sitting with Orsino and Stormy watching the auditions, which is why I didn’t stick around. I didn’t want him to recognize me.”
“You’re positive it was him?” Olivia asked.
Pulling my phone out, I opened the camera and showed her the photo I’d taken of Andrew. “Sure looks like it to me.”
Olivia pursed her lips and shook her head. “I can’t believe he’d do this, but even if he’s working with them, and brought them the idea of the pageant, would he be able to get into Illyria’s books? Or steal the alcohol?”
“He could be working with someone,” I said, and leaned forward to take her hands in mine. “When I was leaving, I thought I saw Festus heading to the back with one of the Grotto employees.” At Olivia’s look of distress, I tightened my grip on her. “It was real fast, and I’m not sure that’s who I saw. Itcould be that I was so shocked by Andrew that I saw someone who looked a little like Festus and only think that’s who it was.” I scooted forward to the edge of my seat and brought Olivia’s hands to my lips. “Liv, I’m so sorry. I wish I was bringing you different news.”
Olivia shook her head again, but she didn’t let go of my hands. “It’s not your fault,” she said, but she looked so dejected my heart ached for her.
Before I’d thought it through, I’d risen from my seat and pulled her into my arms to offer whatever comfort I could. Olivia came willingly, tucking herself into the shelter of my arms and resting her head on my shoulder while I gently rubbed her back. When her body started to relax and she sighed, I felt like I’d won the lottery. Then Vee got to his feet and wrapped his arms around both of us. We steadied him, while he steadied us, and for the first time in my life I understood what it meant to truly be there for another person.
Olivia sighed again. “I’ve been working so hard to keep Illyria just like Antonio left it, to handle everything like he would, and it feels like it’s falling apart. I can’t lose the club.”
“I know,” I said. “And you won’t. We won’t let it happen.”
“I’m so tired,” she said.
“Then let us take care of you,” Vee said. “Let us help.”
The shuddering breath Olivia drew hit me in my core, and I pulled her closer. “You are the strongest person I’ve ever known,” I said. “But sometimes, you’ve got to let people help.”
Vee wrapped his arms tighter around the both of us. “You know,” he said as his fingers traced slow circles on my back, something I assumed he was doing for Olivia as well, “a tripod is the steadiest and most resilient shape. Even on uneven ground, it adjusts and steadies rather than tipping over or wobbling.” His arms contracted in a hug, and I followed his lead, which madeOlivia huff out a laugh. “Just think of us as the other legs of your tripod.”
We remained standing in our tripod embrace until Vee confessed to being a slightly weak leg at the moment, and asked if we could continue to cuddle on the couch. I held my breath as I waited for Olivia to respond. A part of me could not believe I held both her and Vee in my arms and feared doing anything that would upset this delicate balance we’d established, but another part hoped this was a beginning for us.
I felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude to Vee for coming into our lives and pushing us forward, and leaned over to place a kiss on his temple, which seemed to be the thing Olivia was waiting for. She reached out and touched my face, traced her fingers along the line of my jaw, then teased at where my lips made contact with Vee, and trailed across Vee’s cheek until she found his mouth. I held my breath as she leaned forward and kissed Vee, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life.
We spent the restof the afternoon on the couch, sometimes kissing, sometimes caressing, sometimes just talking or lying close to each other. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t in a rush to get into bed. While I definitely wanted to have sex with both Vee and Olivia, I also wanted to take my time and explore them both physically and emotionally because I knew, as much as it was in my power to do so, I wanted both of them in my life for a long time to come.
I’d wanted Olivia since the day I walked into Illyria, and now, somehow, I had her in my arms. I wasn’t going to rush this. Nor was I going to rush Vee into the physical side of things. For one thing, with his injury, it wasn’t going to be possible to do anything rigorous for a couple of weeks. For another, while he might not have been a virgin, he hadn’t been with a lot of guys, and I wanted to show him I wasn’t going to be one more jerk who fucked and ran. He was worth so much more than that, and I intended to cherish both of them as if they were the most precious things on earth because they were.
At one point in the late afternoon, Olivia let out a huge sigh. I’d been dozing off with her against my side and Vee’s feet on my lap, but was instantly alert to her sudden change in mood.
“What is it, Liv?” I asked.
She shook her head, then sat up and looked at both of us. “Do you really think it’s Andrew? I mean, I know it looks like him, and I’m not doubting what you saw, but why would he do this? It doesn’t make sense to me. I thought he was happy at Illyria.”
I was about to offer words of reassurance, but Vee spoke up first. “I don’t know,” he said. “Sometimes it seems like he’s not really interested.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Vee shrugged. “I haven’t known him for that long, but sometimes he seems really intense and focused on us dancers, and other times he seems so checked out, I get the feeling he doesn’t know my name. Is that normal for him?”
“I haven’t noticed anything,” Olivia said. “But then I don’t see him as often as you do.” She looked at me. “Have you noticed anything?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I hadn’t, but when I thought about it, I realized thereweretimes when he seemed preoccupied or as if his mind was elsewhere. There were also times when he seemed to go out of his way to avoid me. So, I hadto admit that, yeah, what Vee said was accurate. “But it’s only been in the past…maybe six months or so.”
“And Festus?” Vee asked. “Do you think they’re working together?”
“I’m still not convinced thatwasFestus,” I said. “I only saw him for a split second, and he was mostly turned away from me.”
“But it could have been,” Olivia said. “He had today off.” She shook her head. “But that makes even less sense than Andrew. Festus was one of Antonio’s best friends. Toby, Festus, and Antonio were thick as thieves when they were younger.”
“Maybe he expected Antonio to leave him something, and he got pissed off,” I said. “But, I agree, it doesn’t make sense for either of them.”
“And I don’t want to accuse either of them without proof,” Olivia said.
