*Olivia*

I was right. This date was a disaster.

I thought it would be but not like this. Lorenzo and his friend, Adrian, took us to Regina Bistecca, a very popular restaurant that was packed to the brim on this particular Saturday night. Luckily, Lorenzo only had to drop his name before we were seated.

Adrian sat next to me while Dahlia and Lorenzo took the other side of the table. The two hadn't stopped giggling or making goo-goo eyes at each other since the night started. I already knew this was going to be a long night. Adrian leaned back in his chair, throwing an arm around the back of mine like we were already close.

"It's so nice to meet you, Olivia," Adrian breathed into my ear. "You're beautiful tonight. Thanks for dressing up for me."

My eye twitched. Though Adrian was certainly attractive, with a strong jawline and muscles in the right places, he was definitely not my type.

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Barbieri," I said with a strained smile, trying to draw a line. I shifted further away from him, trying not to be noticeable.

"Call me Adrian, Olivia." He grinned at me. "I'd love to hear my name coming from your lips."

I tried not to cringe as the waitress passed by with a water pitcher, pouring all of us a glass. I took a sip of the water, hoping to cool down my temper, which was rising by the second.

I glanced at Dahlia, who giggled quietly, absolutely beaming as Lorenzo kept whispering in her ear. I saw his thumb rubbing her hand back and forth, so intimately like it was natural. I sighed. I wouldn't ruin this for Dahlia.

"Any drinks I can get you tonight?" the waitress asked in a heavy accent, her name tag declaring herself as Rina.

Just as I opened my mouth, however, I was cut off by Adrian's loud voice.

"She'll have the Dolcetto d'Ovada," Adrian said proudly, "and I'll have the same."

My eye twitched again as I turned to Adrian with a flabbergasted look. Did he just order for me?

"Sure," Rina sent me an unsure glance.

I grabbed my water, sipping it down to calm my anger. Lorenzo ordered another fancy wine for him, but he at least had the manners to ask Dahlia what she wanted before he ordered.

As Rina turned around to leave, I caught sight of Adrian leaning over to watch her-his eyes clearly not on her shoes.

Not even ten minutes in and three strikes already.

Oh, this was not going well.

As the meal went on, it was clear that Adrian wasn't just oblivious; he was also not too bright.

It started when they brought out a charcuterie board full of meats and cheeses. Adrian, unaffected by my horrified stare, started to cut the small pieces of cheese with his knife and then put them on my plate. "You have to cut the cheese before you eat it," Adrian said, very seriously, "to air out the flavor."

It only got worse from there.

"I still can't believe salami is so good," Adrian said after eating the entire section of salami. "I always thought it would taste fishy."

"Fishy?" I asked, unable to help myself. "Why on earth would it taste fishy?"

"Didn't you know?" He sent me a surprised look, "Salami comes from salamanders."

You've got to be kidding me, I thought. I sent Dahlia an incredulous look and she only winced, a slightly guilty look on her face. Lorenzo seemed to have no problem as he laughed with his buddy, clearly knowing how dumb his friend was but not seeming to care.

"You both go to the university, right?" Dahlia tried to change the subject. "What major are you in?"

"Oh, I'm not in the army," Adrian replied, quite seriously. "I got a scholarship to play football."

Lorenzo smiled brightly. "I'm in the art program, but Adrian's the captain of our football team. He's quite good."

"You should come to see me play sometime, Olivia." Adrian grinned. "I'll let you be my cheerleader."

"I'm not a fan of football," I huffed, twirling the straw in my drink. I hadn't touched the wine, but I was on my fourth glass of water. Maybe if I drank enough, I could use the bathroom as an excuse to get away from this. Meanwhile, Lorenzo kissed Dahlia on the nose, the two of them holding hands under the table as he fed her bites of fruit.

"My professor wanted me to pay her five hundred bucks to study abroad in Egypt, but I saw through that. I'm not stupid enough to believe she has a time machine," Adrian scoffed as if it was ridiculous. "You do know Egypt is still a country, right?" I said sharply. "People of Egyptian descent still live there."

"Good one!" Adrian laughed. "Just like the pyramids still exist."

I groaned, glaring at Dahlia, who didn't even see me any longer. She and Lorenzo could've morphed into one person at this point and I wouldn't blink an eye.

By the time dinner finally came, I was both exhausted and starving. I practically inhaled my pasta just so I could get out sooner. I wanted to be home in bed and sleeping off this nightmare of a date. Adrian, of course, ordered a massive steak, still dripping with blood.

"You have to order rare," he said between bloody bites, "so you can make sure the cow's still fresh."

I felt like I was losing brain cells the longer I sat next to him, and despite my honest attempts to correct his horrendous brain, Adrian proved to be incredibly stubborn.

The checks were paid, and I led the way out of there. The food was good, but the company was not. I was just uncomfortable at this point as Lorenzo opened up his ride.

"Did you guys want to come to my place?" Lorenzo asked with a smile, looking at me and Adrian. "Or do you have something else planned?"

"I'm tired, actually," I said, hurriedly. "I'm just gonna head home."

"In that case, I can drive you," Adrian grinned.

Dahlia stiffened, turning to me with a desperate, pleading look. Her big puppy dog eyes were hard to ignore, and I stifled a groan at the thought of being trapped in a car with Adrian. Be a good friend, Olivia.

"Okay, thank you, Adrian," I said, completely deadpan.

Dahlia squealed, grabbing me into a hug. She brushed against my ear, whispering, "Thanks so much. I owe you."

Her eyes were shiny as she pulled away, and I sighed, unable to stay mad at her. I was happy she was happy.

And if this was what she needed, I had to help her.

"See you," I watched as Lorenzo and Dahlia got in his car, both of them grinning ear to ear.

"My car's this way," Adrian said, pointing to his big red sports car. He clicked the button, and his car door slid upward instead of out. Before I could put my foot inside, however, his hand stopped me. "So, I hope you don't mind," Adrian said, sheepishly, "but I just got her detailed."

"Her?" I asked, incredulously.

"My principessa." He gestured to the car, a loving look on his face as he stroked the hood of it. "Whatever." I sighed, unstrapping my heels and holding them as I stepped into the passenger side. Adrian shut the door behind me, and I buckled up, leaning my head against the cold window. My reflection stared back at me, an unhappy girl sulking.

The car burst to life as Adrian shut his door, buckling up as well. We pulled out of the parking lot in silence, with nothing to say between us.

Right as we got onto the road, a warm hand on my thigh interrupted my thoughts. I glanced at Adrian, who winked at me, and I sighed, gazing out of the window. I didn't have the energy to fight with him about this. Just let it go, Olivia.

The night sky was beautiful tonight, not a cloud, and despite Adrian being in the seat beside me, close enough I could feel his body heat, all my mind could think of was Giovani.

His beautiful eyes as they begged me not to go. If he had actually said that to me, I never would've left.

But maybe that's why he didn't.

I hated this-the sneaking around, pretending I didn't have feelings for Giovani. I had to tell Dahlia, and I had to tell her soon. Nobody else could make me feel what I felt with him, regardless of the age gap, regardless of his family status with Dahlia.

My mind was made up, and I felt a huge burden fall off my shoulders. Dahlia loved me, and I loved her. We were best friends. She would never hate me if this is what I wanted, what made me happy.

And Giovani did make me happy.

I wanted to be with him, out in the open. That much I was sure of.

We pulled into the compound, and I jolted out of my thoughts as the car went dead, the keys jingling in Adrian's hand as his other left my leg. He got out of the car by the time I had unbuckled my seatbelt. Before I could reach for the handle, the door was opening, and Adrian stood there with a grin, holding out his hand to help me out.

With my shoes in one hand, I decided it was better to take his hand than fall flat on my face. The pavement was smooth on my feet, and the slight chill of the outdoors was welcome.

"Let me walk you to your door," Adrian offered, but I shook my head. It was only a few feet, not a mile away.

"That's okay. Thanks for the ride," I said, as politely as I could.

Adrian wasn't listening though. I heard him following me as I stepped up to the door.

"Olivia, wait," Adrian grabbed my arm, pulling me to face him.

"What?" I snapped, a little out of patience.

Adrian only smiled, as he stepped closer. He was much taller than me, and it was a bit intimidating to have him stand over me like this. I stood firm, a frown on my lips.

"I had so much fun tonight," he said gently, leaning forward to brush my hair behind my ear. He smiled, leaning closer to me, and I knew what he was going to do.

Just as my hand snapped up to cover his lips, preventing him from kissing me, the door opened harshly, hitting the house with a bang.

Giovani stood there, a dark look on his face as he glowered at me and Adrian. I shivered at the look, knowing how pissed off he was.

"Where is Dahlia?" Giovani demanded, his glare fixed firmly on me.

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report