Felix

I left Olivia's apartment not knowing if I succeeded or failed.

Sure, on one hand, I managed to resist her. On the other hand, it was so hard. I'm still amazed I got out of there without positively plowing through her. But is this a victory or did I just burn any opportunity to get near her again?

"It's definitely a win." My sister Maya flips a pancake and catches it with the dexterity of a seasoned chef. "If you would've slept with her, you would've never heard from her again."

I lean my elbows against her kitchen island and watch her flip the pancake again. "So you think now I will?"

"Probably not. But I bet you anything she's dying for you to call her."

I hope she's right, but there's no way to actually check that except to actually call her. "You don't think I should call her, do you?"

Maya quirks an eyebrow. "Never. Let her rot."

I appreciate the sentiment. Maya is one of the few people who is fully aware of the extent of the damage Olivia caused me. But this wouldn't further my plan.

"I have to see her again, though. I'm not done."

"Of course you're not done." She places the pancake in an existing pile and then pushes the plate towards me with a bottle of syrup.

"You know I can't eat those."

"Come on, Felix. You already showed her you look amazing. You can have pancakes now, and drink water. You won't get fat instantly."

She's right and I need the comfort maple syrup can bring so I dig in. It's been so long since I had anything sweet, I can't help but let out a moan. "God, Maya, these are heavenly."

"I know!" She grins at me and puts more batter into the skillet.

"My offer to help you open a bakery still stands," I say casually.

Her hands freeze and she shoots me a death glare. "I don't want your money, Felix."

"It's not my money. It's our uncle's money, and it's not fair that I should get it all."

She shakes her head, her short blond locks barely moving. "I need to make it on my own. Like you did."

"Maya..."

"Seriously. Stop putting yourself down. Getting published in this day and age is a huge deal."

I squirm in my seat. "That's not exactly true. A lot of garbage gets published and becomes popular. My book isn't much better."

She hums because my sister is amazing and she would never lie to me. Sure, that sometimes hurts, but I've always appreciated having a voice of reason on my side.

"Good part is, it really does have the chance to get popular. There's so much bitterness in it. It oozes off the pages. Your MC is a right edgelord and chicks dig that."

I attempt to shove her, and she pulls away, laughing.

"I feel bad enough about it as it is."

"You shouldn't feel bad about it." She fills her own plate with pancakes and joins me on the other side of the island to sit on one of the high stools. "The writing is solid. Sure, the plot is easy, but at least you can feel it's authentic."

"You're only saying that because you know Olivia."

Her gaze darkens and she doesn't answer.

I shift in my seat as well and regret opening my mouth. Maya is just two years younger than me, but she always adored Olivia growing up. My little sister used to look up to her and worship the very ground she walked on. In the beginning, she even blamed me for our rift.

At least until Olivia made me miss my college interview and lose my dream major. It was then that Maya saw her for who she really was and the adoration turned into a hatred that rivaled my own. That's what happens when people you adore disappoint you.

"I do know Olivia," she finally says. "Well enough to be sure that she's dying for you to call her right now."

"But I shouldn't."

"You definitely shouldn't." She chews dreamily, staring into the distance. "What does Derek think?"

My current best friend and agent has a lot to say on the subject. "That I should give this up and escape with my sanity. On the other hand, he wants a new book and thinks this will be the event that inspires it."

Maya gives me a sideway glance. "And will you succumb to the temptation of easy money?"

I huff at this. There is no easier money than it falling into your lap and waking up a billionaire. I haven't decided what I want to do with the money yet. Worst part? It keeps flooding in because our uncle was smart enough to invest in renewable energy and proper stock, so my empire keeps expanding while I sit on my ass and eat pancakes in my baby sister's kitchen.

"I don't need money," I mumble. "I need to create proper art."

"And I'm sure you will." She grasps my forearm and squeezes. "You're smart, and you're creative, Felix. I believe in you. You just have to settle on a theme that speaks to you. You also have to tell me just how you got so jacked."

I laugh and pull my arm away. "Sweat and tears mostly. And squeezing all the fun out of life."

Except for the sex. I had a lot of that all throughout college and after just to manage my very destructive feelings for Olivia. Maya doesn't know that and I'm not going to tell her because I know she would be disappointed.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, by the way. But for now, I'm here for advice."

Her look turns knowing, and I'm sure I'm about to hear some genuine female wisdom. "You mean how to get under Olivia's skin and make her miss you?"

"Precisely. I resisted her charms. What now?"

Maya turns to me and crosses her legs. "Let me see. Seeing how you left, she probably cursed your name for being able to resist her. But, knowing her, she's probably dying to see you again, if only to get the upper hand."

I nod because everything she says makes sense. It fits with the Olivia I know. My entire plan is based on the assumption that she'll stay interested as long as I don't give her what she wants.

"On the other hand, if you wait too long, she'll lose interest, because she's like a squirrel with ADHD," Maya continues. "So you have a tricky balance here."

"I know. That's what's so difficult. I know I shouldn't call her, but if I don't..."

"She'll either call you, or give up on you as soon as something new comes up."

"I don't think she'll call me." Half of me even thinks she got over me already.

"You shouldn't give her the chance to, either. It would definitely ruin your manly-man image."

"My manly-man image..."

She giggles. "You know, what women find attractive. A man who takes charge. If she takes charge, she gets the upper hand because it makes you the jerk."

"Really? Why can't women just go for what they want?"

"Because then they stay single. Like me." She shrugs, but I can see the underlying bitterness behind it. Maya never had good luck as far as dating was concerned. "Anyway, Olivia is not the kind to make the first step. If she has to, the man becomes worthless to her because she'll think she's girlbossing too hard."

Even if her use of vernacular amuses me, the truth in her words doesn't. Olivia may be waiting for the white knight in shining armor, but we both know she'd have no issue tossing him in the trash once he no longer lives up to her expectations. She is independent. Which, as Maya pointed out, is why she's still single.

Unlike me, who's still single because I'm a huge nerd hung up on my high school crush. Correction. Hung up on revenge on my high school crush.

"I have identified this issue, which is why I'm not sure how to proceed. My initial plan was to just let her wait until I called her."

"Well, you were intelligent enough to come to your much smarter sister." Maya grins and the evil in it is delightful. "You're jobless."

"Ouch."

"She's also jobless. Or at least doesn't have a traditional job. Run into her accidentally."

The idea it's so simple and brilliant, I can't believe I didn't think about it in the first place. That way, I can further charm her without the risk of her putting her hand down my pants again. Not sure I could handle that a second time.

"I'm guessing you properly stalked her before starting with this plan," Maya says.

"Yes, I did. I know where she'll be every day of the week." At least when she starts her odd jobs.

"There you go, genius. Pick a time and run into her."

"Did I ever tell you you're my favorite person in the world?"

"Yes, but it usually involves me feeding you." She glances at my empty plate to make a point. "Now go jog those pancakes off or something."

She's right. I'm already in my jogging gear since I ran from my hotel to her place. If I'm going to stick around here and make my plan work, I should really rent a flat of my own. There's no way I'm moving back in with Mom and Dad.

I lean over and kiss her cheek. "I'll keep you posted on how it goes."

As I put my earbuds in and start blasting my running music, I can barely hear it. My feet and arms move automatically to propel me further while I dwell on Maya's advice. As always, she doesn't disappoint. I just wish she would let me help her more.

My stomach sinks as I realize I haven't told her about Nana. The meeting with Olivia's grandmother still haunts me, because I don't want to hurt her. My only hope is that she'll never find out because Olivia doesn't seem to speak to her much.

For now, I have more plotting to do.

I can't meet her in my dirty sweats, so I spend the rest of the morning going shopping for billionaire-appropriate clothes and cleaning myself up.

After I'm sure I'm preppy enough to live up to her fantasies, I head to the park where I know she walks her dogs. All I need to do is wait for her to show up.

Right on time, I can see her making her way towards the dog enclosure, more so being dragged by than walking the twelve dogs yipping around her. She seems lost in thought, her face set into a frown, her eyes unfocused as if she's deep inside her head. She's wearing skinny jeans and a simple t-shirt, looking far less glamorous than her normal self. Of course, she still looks amazing, the clothes molding to her shape.

As I watch her performing this mundane task, I have to admit that I find her a lot more attractive than in her fancy dress. It might be because this is the real her, not some show pony meant to turn heads.

And yet, I can't help but imagine what's under those simple clothes. I can still feel the softness of her skin, hear her labored breathing in my ear. Her moans.

God, I need to snap out of this and fast. I'll have to interact with her, so desperately wanting her is not helping at all. I can do this. She's surrounded by yapping dogs. That's not at all romantic or sexy.

I bite my lower lip, wondering if I should walk over to her. I guess it would be better to do it after she releases the dogs and she can focus on me properly. Except, she doesn't get to.

One of the furry critters spots something and decides to bolt. Its lead tangles around Olivia's legs and she plummets to the ground. The other dogs start running all over her, their barks frantic.

It's so hard not to laugh, but I manage to keep a straight face as I head over to her. She's cursing furiously, trying to untangle herself from the mass of leads with one hand, swatting dogs away from her face with the other.

"Olivia?"

My question is stupid since I obviously recognize her, but I want to seem surprised to see her. I look straight down at her and catch the absolute terror in her eyes.

This is going to be fun.