Chapter 22 Of Friends and Flashbacks
Olivia: POV
He just grinned, one hand casually draped over the steering wheel of his Range Rover. "I'm perfectly capable of riding a horse, Olivia. The injury's not as bad as it looks."
"Don't mess around with your future happiness, man. You know if you screw up your back, it's gonna totally ruin things in the bedroom for whoever you end up with," I joked, but couldn't help grinning.
"Don't worry about me. My future girlfriend is gonna be very... satisfied. My physical therapist actually recommended light exercise," he said, flashing me that cocky grin of his. "Besides, I've been riding since I was six. I could probably do it in my sleep."
"Your funeral," I shrugged, looking out at the rolling hills as we left the city behind. The landscape was beautiful, painted in shades of gold and green under the California sun. The air conditioning hummed softly between us, and I found myself stealing glances at Blake's hands on the wheel—strong, confident, with a small scar on his knuckle that I'd never noticed before.
"So," Blake said after a comfortable silence, "how exactly did you meet those two friends of yours? Victoria and Rachel, right? I don't remember them from school."
I turned to look at him, surprised by the question. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Blake Westwood. You're not a mind reader."
"Touché," he said with a slight chuckle, adjusting the rearview mirror.
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, feeling my cheeks warm slightly. "My point is, I don't know everything about your social circle either. I bet you have friends I've never heard of."
"Fair enough," he conceded, slowing down as we approached a winding section of road. "But I'm still curious. Victoria seems... interesting."
"She is," I smiled, thinking about my fiery friend. "I met her after a particularly rough day at Radiance about two years ago. Sometimes when work gets too stressful, I go to Moonlight Lounge for a drink. Victoria owns the place."
"I'm aware," Blake nodded. "It's where we... reconnected."
The memory hung between us for a moment before I continued. "Anyway, one night, some drunk asshole was harassing her while she was mixing drinks. Getting handsy, saying disgusting things. The bouncers were dealing with a fight outside, so I stepped in."
Blake raised an eyebrow, his grip tightening slightly on the steering wheel. "You stepped in? Against a drunk guy?"
"Don't look so shocked," I said, feeling slightly offended. "I didn't spend all those years taking judo lessons for nothing. Dropping a drunk guy isn't exactly challenging."
"You took judo?" Blake looked genuinely surprised, glancing at me before focusing back on the road. "I never knew that."
I grinned. "My dad—George—signed me up when I was eight. Said every woman should know how to defend herself. I kept it up through high school, even got my black belt junior year."
"And what exactly did you do to this guy?" Blake asked, looking both concerned and impressed.
"Let's just say he ended up face-down on the bar with his arm twisted behind his back," I smiled at the memory. "Victoria was so impressed she comped my drinks for the night. We've been friends ever since. She even taught me how to make her signature cocktails."
"You're something else, Parker," Blake shook his head, but I could see admiration in his eyes. "Always rushing headfirst into danger."
"It wasn't danger," I protested. "It was the right thing to do. And Victoria's been there for me through a lot, especially during the whole Jason fiasco. She was the one who convinced me to finally dump his sorry ass."
"And Rachel? The lawyer friend?"
I laughed. "That's an even weirder story. We met playing Overwatch online. We kept getting matched on the same team, and she was an incredible D.Va main. After weeks of playing together, we realized we both lived in San Francisco and decided to meet up. Turns out she was Rachel Harper, of Harper & Associates."
"You play Overwatch?" Blake looked incredulous, nearly missing our turn. "You never cease to surprise me, Olivia."
"I'm full of surprises," I said, enjoying his reaction. "I'm actually pretty decent at it. Rachel and I still have our weekly gaming sessions every Thursday night."
"What about you? Did you make any lifelong friends during your high school years in England?"
Blake shrugged, his expression becoming more guarded. "A few. Nobody I keep in close contact with. I was too focused on getting through school and coming back home. The whole boarding school thing wasn't really my scene."
A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Did you ever think about me during those years away?" I immediately regretted asking. It sounded too personal, too vulnerable.
Blake was quiet for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer. "Did you think about me?" he countered.
"Oh, absolutely not," I said with exaggerated cheerfulness. "Finally got rid of one annoying boy who kept pulling my pigtails. I was thrilled."
He shot me a wounded look, and I felt a twinge of guilt at the genuine hurt that flashed across his features.
"I'm kidding," I said more softly. "Of course I thought about you. We grew up together. It was weird not having you around to argue with anymore. The house felt too quiet without you coming over to cause trouble."
Something in his expression softened. "Yeah, same here. England was... lonely."
We fell into silence as Blake turned onto a gravel road leading to the stables. I studied his profile, wondering what he wasn't saying. There was always something guarded about Blake, layers I couldn't quite penetrate.
"Wait a minute," I said as a thought struck me. "Are you interested in one of my friends? Is that why you're asking about them?"
"What? No!" Blake looked genuinely startled, the car jerking slightly as his attention wavered. "That's not—"
"Because if you want me to set you up with Victoria or Rachel, just say so," I continued, ignoring the weird knot forming in my stomach at the thought. "Though I should warn you, I think Rachel and Victoria might not be into your type."
"I'm not interested in your friends, Olivia," Blake said firmly, pulling into the parking area of the stables. His voice carried an edge I couldn't quite identify. "Trust me on that."
"If you say so," I shrugged, unconvinced. Men always got defensive when called out.
We got out of the car, and I spotted Victoria waving enthusiastically from near the stables. Her presence surprised me—I hadn't realized she'd be here too. She was wearing riding boots and had her hair pulled back in a practical ponytail.
"Olivia!" she called out, jogging over to meet us. Her eyes widened as she noticed Blake beside me, and a mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Olivia," Victoria said loudly enough for nearby riders to hear, "isn't this the hot male escort you slept with?"
My jaw dropped. 'Oh, fuck.' Blake looked like he'd been hit by lightning.