Page 45 of Let the Games Begin
“I like me too,” Olivia said.
This time it was Zeke rolling his eyes.
He walked over to her until they were just centimeters apart. She breathed in the faint scent of his cologne. He smelled like summer. It was intoxicating. He moved closer, their cheeks brushing, and she felt the gentle sensation of his breath against her lips. Their friends were just a couple of meters away, but she wanted to lean in, to taste his smile.
Before she knew it, they were pressed up against the kitchen counter kissing like there was no one around. He slid his hands about her waist, and a tingle shot down her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. He kissed her sweetly. She parted her lips. He slid his tongue in and tightened his grip on her hips. Then he slowly,torturouslydrew his fingers up the front of her legs, circling up to the back of her thighs where he lingered on the soft skin just below the hem of her dress.Their friends were in the other room.But still, she found herself reaching down, laying her hand over his, and guiding him up past the hemline of her dress until she almost had him where she wanted him.
Then she heard someone get up and move toward the kitchen. Olivia ripped herself away from him and practically leaped back over to the kitchen sink.
“Hey!” said Valentina as she walked in, casual as anything. “Aditi said you have some olives in the fridge, could I grab some?” If Valentina had seen the end of their kiss, she didn’t say anything. If Valentina noticed the lipstick stain on the side of Zeke’s mouth or the startled expression on Olivia’s face, she didn’t call attention to it. And if the unmistakable tension between Olivia and Zeke bothered Valentina, she was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.
“Yeah, of course.” Olivia opened the fridge, hoping the cold air would stop her from looking as flustered as she felt. “Olives… and we have hummus and chopped-up vegetables too.” She could hear the pitch of her voice go up.
But was kissing Zeke in the kitchen with his ex-girlfriend in the next room something she shouldn’t be doing? If Zeke and Valentina really were just friends, there wasn’t any harm. And if Valentina seemed completely unbothered by the fact that they’d clearly just been kissing against the kitchen counter, Olivia wasn’t breaking some unwritten girl code, right?
Or was she walking into something dangerous with her hands over her eyes? Willingly letting herself be caught up in the chaos of other people’s lives? Olivia wasn’t that kind of girl. So, she picked up the plates and tried to dissect whether the knowing smile Valentina was giving her was a sign of approval or a subtle threat from America’s Sweetheart.
37Zeke
EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING, DAY SIX OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
Valentina gave him an amused look and whispered, “Sorry for walking in on your make-out session,” before leaving the kitchen. She definitely knew there was something going on between him and Olivia. And from the look she exchanged with Aditi as the three of them walked back into the living room, Olivia’s flatmate was in on it too. But, if Haruki suspected anything, he didn’t say a word. Still, Zeke felt guilty about going into the kitchen to kiss a girl his best friend fancied. If he’d known Haruki had been talking about Olivia all along, he wouldn’t have gone as far with things without talking to his best friend first. But now that they were all sitting together in one room, Zeke knew it was only a matter of time before the whole situation imploded.
“You have so many games, it’s unreal,” said Haruki, who was sitting on the sofa going through the board game collection Olivia and Aditi’s Airbnb hosts had left in the living room. A game! That was exactly the kind of distraction Zeke needed to prevent the night from dissolving into chaos.
“Did you say game?” said Zeke, sounding way too eager.
“Immediately, no,” said Valentina. “I’m never playing a board game with you again.”
“Zeke is crazy competitive,” said Haruki, looking over at Olivia and Aditi. Zeke couldn’t tell if Haruki sounded more pointed than normal. But he did notice the way that Haruki held Aditi’s eyes for a moment longer than he needed to. Interesting.
“He will play until everyone wants to go home and then win by his sheer ability to still care about winning after five hours of competition,” said Valentina, teasing him.
“One time he convinced people to play Monopoly at a house party, and it lasted four whole hours,” said Haruki.
“Everyone enjoyed it,” protested Zeke, remembering the party he’d thrown for his twenty-second.
“Everyoneplayed alongbecause it was your birthday,” said Valentina.
“Andlet you winbecause it was your birthday,” said Haruki, looking him in the eye. Either Zeke’s paranoia was distorting Haruki’s words or that was definitely a dig.
“I would’ve won anyway,” said Zeke, and Haruki laughed. Zeke felt a moment of relief. Haruki wasn’t mad at him, he was just making a joke—everything was going to be okay. He took a swig of the iced coffee Olivia had given him. But he was so alert to everything going on around him that he didn’t need the caffeine to stay awake anymore.
Then Valentina made a terrible suggestion.
“Shall we play Truth or Dare?” she said, with the smile of a troublemaker. Zeke opened his mouth to object, but he was immediately outnumbered.
Playing a game of Truth or Dare with his ex-girlfriend, his best friend, the girl they both liked, and her best friend. What could possibly go wrong?
38Olivia
EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING, DAY SIX OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
The five of them were sitting in a circle on the floor around the living room coffee table. Olivia was between Haruki and Aditi, Zeke was opposite her, and Valentina was seated between Aditi and Zeke. The table was covered with gyros,dolmadakia, souvlaki, andmezzeplates. Olivia was fascinated by the dynamics unfolding before her. She’d interacted with everyone in the room except for Valentina, but seeing them together showed all four of them in a different light. As they ate, she realized that if they’d met in more normal circumstances, they could have easily become a group of friends. Valentina and Aditi matched each other’s playful and slightly chaotic energy. And Zeke and Haruki bickered like siblings, with Haruki throwing small barbs at his friend and Zeke either playing along or shrugging it off.
Despite the low but constant worry about her being Zeke’s ex, Olivia really liked Valentina, and the two of them kept finding themselves in on the same joke. Aditi was playfully but precisely grilling Zeke for Olivia’s sake, and she and Haruki had a sparkyenergy between them that everyone in the room seemed to notice except for them. There were only five of them, but the room had the buzz of a really good party.
“Okay, Valentina—truth or dare?” said Haruki.
