“Not a problem at all,” he says. “I was just telling your father about some of your cases, but I’d love to hear about the reunion. Did you two have fun?”
I glance at Sasha, and she gives me a tiny shake of her head. She didn’t tell him that we didn’t go together. She clears her throat. “I wasn’t there very long. I wasn’t feeling well so I just said a few hellos before leaving. Adam stayed a little longer.”
I manage a smile even though anger that this is still going on is churning in my gut. “Some of the guys from the basketball team got the hotel to set up a hoop. Pretty wild stuff.”
Both my dad and Dr. Pratt laugh. “Well, I’m glad you both had fun.”
“Actually,” I say, “There’s something that we need to tell you.”
Sasha quickly puts her hand on my shoulder. “Dear, I wanted to talk to you for a moment before we told them, but you were late.” She looks at our fathers. “Will you excuse us for a moment?” She tosses her napkin on the table and heads towards the bar.
I nod to the dads and follow her. “Time for your daily mimosa?” I ask.
She smiles in that sickly sweet way that I’ve grown used to, and that I hate. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“This?” I gesture between us, “is done. I’m sick of the game and the lies. I never should have agreed to it in the first place.”
“We’re not done until I say we’re done,” she says. “I saw you last night with that slut Olivia Mitchell. This is because of her, isn’t it? You were practically fucking her on the dance floor.” I go cold, and Sasha pounces. “I knew it. You’d rather have the crazy suicidal freak than me?”
Anger is burning in my chest now. “Sasha, we’re not even together. The whole relationship is fake. You really want this to go on that badly? Give me a reason why.”
“Because whether you know it or not, Adam, you want me. You wouldn’t have stayed this long otherwise. I know you’ll come around eventually.”
I shake my head because I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “What?”
“I’m better than that nerd who can’t even handle a little teasing. And you know it. I don’t care that you’re not on board yet. You will be. Besides,” she says, her words cold as ice, “no one gets to reject me.”
“Sasha,” I sigh, “you could be happy with someone, I’m sure. But it will never be me. And there’s nothing you can do to make me change my mind.”
I turn and walk back to the table, and she follows me. I’m amazed that she’s so calm. I’m used to Sasha screaming and raging when she’s pissed about something. The fact that she’s not has me worried that there’s something that I’ve missed. We sit back down at the table and I say, “As I was saying, there’s something that we have to tell you.”
“We’re going to have a baby!” Sasha exclaims way too loudly, and the entire restaurant turns to look. There’s stunned silence at the table and Sasha turns, throwing her arms around me in a hug. “Go along with this,” she whispers, “or you’ll suddenly find that you cheated on every residency exam you’ve ever had. And yes, there will be proof.”
I can feel the blood draining from my face. Fuck.
She twists back to the table and smiles. They both look shocked, but one after another they smile. “Well,” Dr. Pratt says. “This is certainly unexpected. But I can’t say I’m unhappy. Congratulations, son.” He holds out a hand to me and I shake it.
“Your mother is going to be thrilled,” my dad says. I can tell he’s not exactly happy with me for springing this on him, but he’s not going to say anything now. Not in front of Dr. Pratt. “She’d be even more thrilled if there’s a wedding to help plan,” he says pointedly.
“We’ve talked about that,” Sasha says, putting a hand on my arm. “We’re going to wait until after Adam’s residency, so he can focus on his studies first. We’ll work out the details of the wedding later.”
No we fucking will not. I don’t know what her plan is here. How does she plan to produce a baby? Is she hoping that we’re suddenly going to start having sex and I’m going to get her pregnant? That’s not going to happen. I can’t do this. Can she do this?
My mind is racing, trying to figure out if she can do what she says she can do. She probably can. Sasha has charisma for days and seems to know everyone. It wouldn’t surprise me at all, given who her father is, that she has friends on the exam boards.
The wait staff of the restaurant is bringing the table champagne, and a glass of grapefruit juice for Sasha. After all, she is pregnant.
Somehow I manage to raise my glass and toast. But I can’t speak. If I do the truth is going to come spilling out and I’m going to risk everything that I’ve ever worked for. My dad gives me a look, but I shake my head. I don’t know what he’ll do if I tell him the truth. He’s so enamored by Dr. Pratt that he’ll probably tell me to go along with it.
The fact that Dr. Pratt—Andrew—is one of the most influential doctors in the country has gotten way too far under his skin. I never should have gone along with this. What did I know? Dating the boss’s daughter seemed like an okay way to make him like me. Now I feel like such a fucking idiot. Not only do I lose my career if I say anything now, but I lose his respect because I’ve been lying the whole time.
Shit.
What am I going to do?
The only place I want to be is with Olivia. What am I going to tell her? How do I tell her? How do I get out of this mess?
Because I have to get out of this. I'm not going to be stuck with Sasha for the rest of my life because she's blackmailing me. I'll think of something. I have to.
I feel like I'm in a fog as Sasha loops her arm in mine and Dr. Pratt comes around the table to clap me on the back. My father is looking at me like I'm crazy, because he's noticed that I haven't said anything. I plaster a smile on my face because it's the only way I'll get out of here. I haven't heard a word that anyone's said either. Sasha could have said that we were moving to Hawaii and I wouldn't know.
I stammer out some words thanking Dr. Pratt for the lunch and his congratulations and make up something about having to get ready to go to the hospital. He's my boss, but he doesn't manage the residents. He won't know that I don't have to be there until midnight.
Sasha grabs me and forces a kiss onto my cheek, and I try not to shudder. I leave the restaurant, trying to keep my breathing under control. I want to scream and shout and punch something, but under all those thoughts is the one that keeps pulsing along with my heartbeat. Ollie. Ollie. Ollie.
If I can just get to Ollie, somehow this will all be okay. It has to be.
Please.
14
Ollie
I’m curled on the couch with a blanket and a book and the cutest lounge clothes I own when the doorbell rings. I know that it's Adam. He texted and said that he was on his way. Just his text gave me butterflies in my stomach, and I went out of way to make sure that I look good again. I mean, normal lounge clothes for me are ratty sweats that are so worn that they have comfort holes in them. Not tonight. Tonight I look cute and I'm practically holding my breath waiting for him to appear around the corner of the stairs. And then he does, and my breath is knocked out of me all over again.
He's not in his tux anymore, just simple jeans and t-shirt, which doesn't make him any less devastating. "Hi," I say.
Adam doesn't hesitate, pulling me into a kiss right there on the doorstep. I'm startled and god, I could live for surprises like these. The kiss reaches down into my gut and pulls, tugging pleasure and arousal through my whole body. The kiss seems almost desperate, like he’s trying to convince himself that I’m real.
"Hi," he says, when he pulls away, leaving me dazed. "I missed you."
"Me too."
I pull him into the apartment and shut the door, noticing now that he has a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. "Are you planning on staying over again?" I really wouldn't mind that. In fact, I'd love it.
"I wish I could," he says, "but I have to be at
the hospital at midnight."
"Oh." I try not to show my disappointment.
"But," he says, "I'm going to stay as long as I can." Adam slides his bag off his shoulder. "I kept my promise and brought you a present, but I want you to close your eyes."
"Ooookay," I say. I don't usually love surprises, due largely in part to the prom night incident, but I'll trust him this time. I go into the living room and sit on the couch again. If I'm going to have a surprise then I'm at least going to be comfortable while I do it.
I feel his weight on the couch next to me, and he slips something into my hands. It's a book. All right, a book is a good surprise. But what book? "Can I open?"
"Yes."
I do, and...oh my god. I'm holding what must be the most beautiful edition of World's Waterfall that I've ever seen. The dust cover is embossed and has gold details and wow. "This is beautiful," I say. Flipping the cover open, my stomach does a little flip-flop. It's signed. I've always wanted a signed copy of these books, but I've never had a chance. The author is notoriously reclusive and almost never does signings. "How did you get this?"
His smile is tiny and infuriating. "I have my ways."
"This is amazing, I mean, what made you think of this?"
Adam points to the bookshelf. "I saw those last night," he says. "And I remembered that you liked them in high school."