oliviapcrterâ:
âI donât know, maybe?â Her shoulders lifted in a shrug as she let out her own chuckle. âA friend of mine said you were hot not that long ago. Apparently, she used to have a big crush on you. And, I donât know if youâre aware but youâre kind of a big deal around here. Sort of like, a local celebrity. You should use it to your advantage more. But, not so much that you get a big head.â Livâs laughter was softer now, as it traveled to her eyes. There was a brief moment of silence, as Kevin considered how to answer Livâs other question about Tessa. Part of her wondered if this topic was even comfortable to talk about. Or if discussing it was like breathing life into something youâd much rather not. But, he answered it ultimately, and so she supposed it couldnât have been that uncomfortable. Or so, she sincerely hoped. Granted, his answer caused Olivia to grow increasingly silent. It hit home. More than she expected it to. Mainly because, the way he described it, she could relate. So the fact that Kevin was able to move on from something so profound, meant that maybe she could too. As he said â time heals all wounds. How much time though, was the question. To which, she was almost positive he wouldnât have an answer for. Since, she just assumed it was different for everybody. âIt does sound lame. But only, because itâs not specific. Especially, when youâd rather just know when itâll happen. Would probably save me a lot of headache too but, ya knowâŚâ She shrugged again, and then jokingly scowled at his remark. âJerk. Youâre not supposed to agree! Youâre supposed to say â Liv, you can do anything you put your mind to. It sounds hella corny but, if the shoe fits âââ again, she was only joking and teasing him. And, she fully expected him to fire back with more fun-fueled banter.
âWhich friend was this?â Kevin raised an eyebrow playfully before letting out a own chuckle; thankful that Livâs own tone was more playful than serious, too. The whole Tessa being back in town situation had made a lot of people question what was going on between them or if anything was even still there between the two and, admittedly, it had been a hard adjustment for Kevin. Heâd spent years knowing who he was now without her and finding happiness that didnât include her. So he wasnât too put out by Liv asking her own questionsâespecially since the two of them seemed to have maintained that bond that they shared all those years ago. âMe? A big head? Câmon, you know thatâs just not my style, Liv.â Sure, he could joke around with the best of them and absolutely wouldnât walk past a mirror without making sure his hair was doing that thing it did, but he was hardly bigheaded. âI do like the sound of local celebrity, though.â Sending a mischievous wink to his little cousin as they continued onwards, he had to wonder how history seemed to be repeating itself. Granted, his situation with Tessa was a lot better than the one she shared with this guy but Kevin wasnât much younger than Olivia was now when he and his high school sweetheart ended things and he knew that his twenties involved a lot of ups but plenty of downs from the fallout of that. He just hoped Liv could bounce back from this heartbreak a lot quicker than he did with his own. âTrust me, Liv, if I had an exact time, Iâd tell you in a heartbeat. Just remember that it will get better and you have people around you who love you and will always be there for you,â he nudged her gently with his elbow as they walked. âMe being one of them.â Letting out a loud, booming laugh as Liv bit back to his comment about fashion, he continued on with their back and forth. âAh, I could say that but I should probably add that the shoe in question mightnât be, you know, fabulous.â
















