“Don’t do that,” he said. “We’re too old for games.”
Olli picked up the pen she’d been using earlier. Her notes looked more like chicken scratch than human writing, but she could read what she’d scrawled down.
“Olli,” he said, taking the pen from her. He used a couple of fingers to gently lift her chin until she was looking at him. “I said I liked you. That’s not pretend.”
Olli didn’t know what to say.
“You said you liked me,” he said. “What did you mean by that?”
She swallowed as he dropped his hand, but she kept her face turned up to his. “What did you mean?”
“I meant that I liked you,” he said. “I meant that I don’t want this to be pretend.”
“What’s this?” she asked.
“You and me,” he said boldly, actually squaring his shoulders and clenching his jaw. “You and me, Olli. I want you and me to be a real couple.”
“Not fake,” she said, trying to put what he’d said into her own words. “Not pretend, for an investor?”
“No,” he said. “I want to hold your hand, and bring you flowers, and take you to dinner. I want to go dancing, and listen to you laugh, and learn everything about you.” He took a deep breath. “I want to kiss you, and I want to find out if I can fall in love again.”
Olli sucked in a breath, and her eyes widened at his last few words. “Spur.”
“Sorry, I said too much,” he said, stepping back. “Don’t freak out. I just…I like you, Olli.”
It had been a while since someone had liked Olli. She studied him for a moment, and then swept into his personal space and hugged him tightly. He sighed and relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her too.
“I like you too, Spur,” she whispered, equal parts fear and excitement racing through her veins. She wasn’t sure she could perpetuate a real relationship for long. What if Spur learned something about her he didn’t like?
Please just let us last until the investor is gone, she thought as she stood in his embrace. After that, if she had to, she could deal with the broken pieces of her heart.