“I wanted to make a difference. I know, it sounds so trite. But it felt like … I had a charmed life, you know? I was born rich, I grew up in fucking Beverly Hills, life came easy to me. I didn’t understand that for a long time, but once I did, I realized it was all a waste unless I used my abilities and my privilege to help other people. I was a prosecutor first, and that’s when I really saw how much pain and sorrow there is out there in the world. And I got really sick of putting people in prison—people who didn’t deserve it, or who had gone through so much in their lives. And I knew the only way to really fix things was to change the laws in the first place.”

He looked at her for a second and then looked away. That might have been a little too much honesty. But it was hard not to tell Olivia the truth, when she looked at him like she really cared about what he said. Like she cared about him. He told most of the world the glib, easy answer, but somehow he couldn’t do that to her.

Ah. This was why Wes was so concerned.

Granted, he hadn’t told Olivia the entire truth—this was still the flattering version of his life story. He still wanted her to like him, after all.

“And now I’m in a job where I wear fake glasses to go out on a date—I hope you like these.” He pulled a pair of new glasses out of the glove compartment and slid them on, and was relieved to see her smile. He grabbed his UCLA cap from the back seat and put it on, too.

He wanted to reach for her hand, but it seemed too early for that. He compromised, and put his hand on her back as they walked toward the theater.

“Anyway, I hope this movie is funny—after the week I’ve had, I could use a few laughs.” He looked over at her. “I’m glad we could do this. It’s really great to see you again.”

Olivia smiled at him, and moved closer to him as they walked.

“I’m glad, too.”

Max seemed different tonight, and Olivia couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was their second date, so they knew each other a little better? Maybe it was the texts they’d been exchanging all week, which had gotten progressively more friendly and relaxed over the course of the week? Maybe it was his mood, just off the plane from DC? Whatever it was, she liked it. He seemed more human.