who thrived on challenge.
When we got into the bathroom, Olivia let out a sigh of relief. “That guy thinks much too highly of himself,” she said as she looked in the mirror.
“He does give off kind of an egotistical vibe,” I agreed.
“Kind of?” she scoffed. “I don’t think there’s much there beyond an ego and a penis.”
Why was I so attracted to Aaron when he was obviously an asshole? Why couldn’t I be attracted to a nice guy like Lucas?
“So, what do you think of Marney?” Olivia asked.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t want to say that she scared me, which was the truth. “You two seem to have a lot in common,” I said instead.
Olivia smiled at herself in the mirror. “Yeah, we do.”
I wondered if there was more to their relationship than Olivia was telling me but I didn’t want to pry.
Olivia turned to me. “Don’t let anyone ever make you feel bad about being a virgin. I think it’s cool.”
“Just so you know, I’m not opposed to pre-marital sex or anything like that. I just haven’t had any opportunities in that area yet, if you know what I mean.”
“Why not?” Olivia seemed puzzled. “You’re a little hottie.”
I didn’t know how much I wanted to get into my personal life in the women’s bathroom but I ventured on. “My mom had cancer. I had to take care of her while I was in high school, so I didn’t have time to date.”
Olivia nodded. “I’m sorry. I kinda wondered when it was just your dad dropping you off.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “We’d better get back out there in case the food’s arrived.”
Olivia grabbed my elbow and walked me back out into the main room. Thankfully, when we walked by the dance floor there was no sign of either Evan or Aaron. I breathed a sigh of relief as we headed back to the table.
Lucas had a pensive expression on his face when we returned. “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously as soon as I sat down.
I nodded but he still seemed tense. “Do you still want to dance?” he said. “After we eat, I mean.”
I wasn’t sure I still wanted to dance but I didn’t want to disappoint him. He had so much kindness in his eyes. “Sure,” I said.
That’s when Lucas finally breathed a sigh of relief and I was glad I told him I would dance with him.
The dinner was everything Olivia promised it would be. I noticed at some time during the meal, Marney had placed a hand on Olivia’s thigh. It was discrete but visible from my angle at the table. Lucas, however, would not be able to see the PDA from where he was sitting.
When the waiter took what little remained of the food we had devoured, Marney stood up and declared it “Dance time, Bitches!” Olivia got up with her and the two were on the dance floor within a few seconds. It was a fast song and the two could hold their own. I was impressed.
“Ready to dance?” Lucas asked. There still seemed to be some hesitancy in his voice. Was he really that unsure of himself?
“Let’s go.” I grabbed his hand and noticed his face immediately lit up.
Lucas wasn’t too coordinated but his attempts to keep up were cute and appreciated. He looked like he was having fun, which is what counted.
When the song ended and a slow song began, I saw Marney and Olivia exit the dance floor and head toward the bar.
Lucas pulled me closer to him and we started to dance arm in arm. I felt comfortable with Lucas but I
noticed there wasn’t much chemistry there. At least I didn’t feel any. He certainly didn’t make me feel like Aaron did just by looking at me.
My eyes wandered to the other side of the room and I saw Aaron had returned to his spot by the pillar.
His eyes were on me again and I trembled a bit.
“Are you cold?” Lucas asked.
“No. Why?” I asked even though I knew the reason for my shivering and it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room.
Lucas didn’t respond. I could see that he was now aware of Aaron staring at me. Aaron didn’t even have the decency to look away when Lucas spotted him. Instead, Aaron winked at me.
Lucas gulped then pulled me very close to him, as if he was trying to protect me or shield me from Aaron. When I glanced over at Aaron again,