I open my mouth to say something, but she stops me. “I don’t know what you’re going through, so I’m not going to push you,” she says, taking my arm in hers and stroking it, “but I care about you.”

I nod my head in agreement. I can tell she cares. She’s such an extrovert, it’s impossible not to notice. She always shows her feelings. It used to irritate me. Don’t know what happened, but that’s not the case anymore.

“I just… don’t know where to start,” I reply.

Confessing is harder than it seems. And not because of Olivia. It’s because I’ve never had someone to confide in before. Enya tried to make me open up a few times. It worked, but not entirely. There are moments when I shut down and don’t let anyone get too close.

“Come on,” she says, taking my hands and shaking them. “It only makes sense to be him.”

Without her saying his name, I know she’s referring to her brother.

“And why is that?” I wonder.

She doesn’t miss a beat as she straightens her back and spills out the idea.

“You’ve already known him for a couple of days. He’s respectful, so if he notices something strange about you, he’ll act like he didn’t. And you’re already getting used to him.”

She has a valid point there. And because Elias is her brother, I’ll believe Olivia when she says he’s respectful. Can’t say I’m comfortable around him, though. Elias is too curious. When he watches you, he sizes you up, shattering every piece of armor, searching until the only thing he sees is your soul. And he’s not even subtle about it.

But what other choice do I have? Olivia is right. I know a couple of things about him, which will stop me from thinking I’m in a huge pit of mystery.

“I want to hug you,” I tell her. I cringe at my own words. Feels odd. Don’t know how to initiate it without making it weird.

Liv cracks a laugh at that, and she doesn’t hesitate to throw her arms around me.

* * *

I clear my throat to let him know I’m here. There’s a green cup in his hand and I don’t want to be the reason all his work gets spilled. That or I just want to give myself a little more time.

If he’s surprised, he doesn’t show it. He just places the container down and gets up from the ground. He still has his back to me, the rich outlines of his shoulders straining against the coat’s fabric while he brushes the dirt off his jeans. It gives me a couple of seconds to gather my confidence.

Fuck it.

He’s just Olivia’s brother.