Crushing on my Billionaire Best Friend - Jolie Day Page 0,86

I’d always wanted really was within reach—if I’d just let go and tell him how much I loved him?

Flashbacks of high school and all the years after when I watched him parade around with woman after woman—it all swirled around in my head, paralyzing me. If there was any potential for something real between us, it would have happened a long time ago. Even if he didn’t know that that damn three-page letter was from me. And all the trouble around our recent hookups just proved what a terrible, impossible match we were.

I pulled myself up off the floor and caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. I looked better than ever, aside from my smudged makeup.

Some match.

A rich, gorgeous, ballsy risk-taker who wasn’t afraid of anything… And a scared, mousy, little science nerd who was afraid of everything.

I held my head high and reminded myself I was not that same girl in high school anymore.

I unzipped the dress, letting it fall to the floor, and admired my curves wrapped in the black lace lingerie I was wearing underneath. No more begging and chasing after him or waiting around for him to really see me.

He’d helped unleash a new woman, and I was not about to let her shrivel up under the weight of this ancient high school crush.

28

Oliver

My feet shifted in place as I fought the urge to go pounding on her bedroom door. For a moment, I was strong enough to resist. But my stubbornness won out and sent me barreling forward. I didn’t believe in going to bed angry.

I approached her door with my hand in the air, ready to knock. But before I could bang my fist, I heard a soft sniffling sound coming from the other side. I glanced to the crack at the bottom and noticed the shadow—Laney sitting with her back to the door, crying.

Every ounce of anger faded and was replaced with regret.

I wanted to burst in and comfort her, but I was upset and knew I needed to cool off. I couldn’t risk saying something that would make things between us even worse. I didn’t want her to hate me.

See, Laney. I don’t always take the risk, I thought to myself, wondering if she was in there thinking about what a jerk I was. Good luck explaining that one. The notion enraged me all over again and sent me retreating into my own room.

A cold shower helped take the edge off a bit. When I climbed into bed—I was wide awake, running everything we’d said to each other through my mind over and over again. We’d never fought like that before. Maybe she was right. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake, and we really had ruined everything.

I rolled over, desperate to escape my racing thoughts with sleep.

I let a couple of days slip by, making a point to avoid Laney as much as I could. I needed time to clear my head, and she probably needed time to stop hating me. After a long day of work, I met up with Damon at a bar near our office. I was desperate for drinks. I wanted to think about anything other than her. But it wasn’t easy.

Before, it was simple: I had work and my social life. But everything had changed significantly since Laney had moved in. I’d become a one-woman man, consumed by thoughts of her and only her. Suddenly, the life I’d been living seemed gray without her, now that she’d been the one who’d brought color in with all her adorable quirks. Sure, she wasn’t one of those extroverted girls, but she gave me more.

She had something about her that always made me feel appreciated—no, it was more than that. Laney had this special spark about her, and a way of making me feel like the king of the world. The way she looked at me. The way she touched me. How she spoke to me. How she never put herself first (that’s why her profession made so much more sense now—to help even more people feel good). How she made sure I woke up with a smile, making me coffee every morning, and even my favorite muffins at times. Laney had thought about other people and bought gifts for them when she’d had the worst day of her life, even after losing everything she owned in a fire. She always put so much thought into giving gifts, writing short or long notes, getting the best cards—anything