time. She just struggles to want to move past him because that means another thing is changing. Last week, he posted this picture.” She grabs her phone and scrolls before holding it out so I can see the screen. It’s a couple kissing, the guy’s arm wrapped around the girl’s back as he extends a football. “That’s Matt, and that’s obviously not Olivia,” she says.
Anger hits me like a two by four to the gut. “Did she see this?”
Rose’s eyebrows go up, and she nods. “Of course, she saw it. This isn’t the first one, either.”
“Did she call him on it?”
“Olivia’s not a doormat, but she and Matt have been together for so long now, I don’t think she knows what to do.”
“That’s fucked up.”
Rose nods. “But I do know she hasn’t been pining over him like she used to, thank God. I think she finally gets that she deserves more. And I’m sure she’s extra confused because she likes you and doesn’t know how to process these feelings.”
“That’s stupid. We haven’t done anything.”
“You’ve done a lot. You haven’t had sex, but emotionally, you guys are invested in each other. She knows you, and she’s letting you in, which is way bigger than you realize.”
I run a hand over my hair, my thoughts muddled and conflicted.
“I like you, Arlo, but you need to be sure of what you’re doing. Olivia’s not the kind of person who you just fuck around with. And you have to be careful because as much as I love her, I know how hard it can be to get her to open up to you. You have to be okay with her going slow.” Rose pats my shoulder. “She’s the best, but she makes you work for it. Don’t go into this lightheartedly. If you cross this bridge with her, you have to realize it means something to her. She’s not like us. You form a bond with Olivia, and she’s in it for the long haul.”
“It’s going to rain on us,” Liv says as she stares up at the sky again.
“It won’t,” I tell her, but I’m likely full of shit. We went back to the Space Needle this morning because it had been a clear morning, and the winds had picked up, pushing the cloud cover away for a short while. We were able to see Mt. Rainier and the Sound, and I shared with her about Rae Rae having taken us out there this fall and about the dolphins and whales. She laughed as we took selfies, leaning back on the benches of the observation deck, where it’s easy to feel like you’ve levitated six-hundred-feet off the ground since it’s nearly all glass. Now we’re in line for a boat tour—another new experience for both of us.
“Why’d they stick all that gum to the wall?” Liv asks, looking at the pictures she’s taken over the past couple of weeks. She’s staring at one of us smiling in front of the Market Theater Gum Wall.
I shake my head. “I have no idea.”
“It’s kind of gross,” she says before putting her phone away. She’s distracted, and I don’t know if it’s because of Ellen or the text she received from Matt while we were eating breakfast or if she’s done with playing tourist.
“We don’t have to stay,” I tell her. “If you need to pack and get ready or whatever, we can go.”
Liv twists, her brow furrowing as she crosses her arms over her chest. “No. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to…” She pulls in a breath, her gaze scanning the dock. “I want to be here.”
“Do you? Because you seem distracted.”
She brings her feet together, standing straighter. “Yes, of course.”
A crew member calls out an announcement to gain our attention, welcoming us to the cruise and explaining the few rules as we move to board the boat. My knee is tender from yesterday, but I’m willing to accept that pain as long as it allows me to keep progressing.
Liv looks at me as we face a sea of chairs on the top deck. “Where do you want to sit?”
“Your choice.”
There are families with children, a small group of seniors, and a family with two teenage boys whose bickering reminds me of my own family as their mom tries to hush them, likely embarrassed like my mother always was. Liv leads us near the back, saving the outside aisle seat for me. “Are you putting me in the line of fire in case the water