Chapter 28

JUNE

"It was just an act of kindness."

June had repeated those words to herself countless times over the weekend, like a mantra. But no matter how often she recited them, her mind kept drifting back to him. Back to the way his copper eyes softened when they met hers, or the way his low chuckle had made her stomach somersault. And the butterflies... oh, those damn butterflies. They flitted wildly whenever she replayed the smallest moments.

The memory of it all had her heart melting into a puddle at her feet.

But it was nothing. Ollie had just been nice—kind, even. He’d found her in one of her worst moments, crying after yet another argument with John. Anyone would’ve done the same. It didn’t mean anything more than that.

It couldn’t.

Could it?

She wished she could put a stop to it, slam the brakes on her mind. But no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t seem to let go of the way he made her feel, even if she told herself she was setting herself up

She sighed as her mind drifted back to reality to catch Aiden and Amy in the middle of yet another argument barely ten minutes after their arrival. The twins bickered like it was an Olympic sport, and today wasn’t any different. She loved them so much but sometimes, just sometimes, she wished she could escape their constant bickering.

Aiden was the one receiving a scholarship that would sponsor the rest of his academic years. It wasn’t surprising he’d been selected as one of the twenty recipients; he was brilliant in ways that left her awed. She'd thought having her and Amy with him would be nice, but now she was regretting it as they went at each other's throats in the crowded hall.

June pinched the bridge of her nose as a headache throbbed behind her temples.

When they were still kids, she’d hoped they would outgrow this phase, but at sixteen, they still fought like five-year-olds.

If only they’d stop shouting over each other for a moment, they might actually hear what the other was trying to say and resolve whatever petty issue had caused this.

"Guys," June whisper-shouted to not to draw attention to them. "Can you, for once, not do this here? We are in public for god’s sake."

Instantly, they jumped to defend their sides of the argument.

"He pushed me—"

"You stepped on my foot first—"

"It wasn't intentional—"

"But you always do this! You mess up and call it unintentional—"

"You are just too full of yourself..."

She took a deep breath, trying to summon the patience she didn't feel. "Shut up both of you," Raising her hands, she cut through their squabbling. "Enough. Both of you, shut up." Her low voice silenced them on the spot.

Amy's chest heaved as she opened her mouth to argue but June shot her a warning look that halted the words on her tongue.

"I don’t care what happened," she said evenly, "I just need you..." Her gaze shifted between their identical scowls. "...both to stay quiet until we leave. Can you manage that?"

Amy crossed her arms, her lips pressed into a thin line. "When is this event going to end anyway?" Amy asked through her nose. "I can't wait to be out of here."

"I didn't ask you to come," Aiden muttered under his breath, a flicker of hurt flashing his eyes.

June sighed, not saying another word about it. She always restrained from taking sides whenever the twins argued like this.

Often, she wondered if she was doing a good job raising them. She longed for some signs, a pat on the back to tell her she was on the right track because most days it didn't feel like it.

As a voice bloomed over the speaker, signaling the start of the event—finally—they took their seat, June in the middle, and the twins on either side.

After a long opening speech, that last person she’d expected to see— but had been on her mind no matter how hard she tried to push him out—stepped onto the podium.

Her heart tripped over itself.

Ollie looked… unreal.

His grey suit clung perfectly to his broad shoulders and trim frame and his hair was slick back. He could’ve walked straight off the pages a high-end men's magazine.

What was he doing here?

Was he the guest of honor? Or a board member?

As soon as his deep, velvety voice bloomed through the speaker, the room fell into silence so profound if a needle dropped it would echo.

She barely registered his speech as her mind kept circling back to the moment at the ice cream shop. The man in front of her right now was a clear contrast from the Ollie she spent time with the other day. This Ollie looked like he would never visit a place as mundane as an ice cream shop. And his face screamed he’d never smile a day in his life.

Did that make her special? Really, June?

When Ollie finished his speech and strode back to his seat, June's gaze followed him. As the event continued and the scholarship awards were presented, other guests circled him like a beacon. He had this air of indifference around him as though the world could crumble around him, and he wouldn’t bat an eye. Yet people greedily hung onto his every word, eager for a shred of his attention.

"Stop giving a stranger heart eyes, you don't even know him." Amy's girlish voice brushed behind her ear.

She gaped, slowly turning to face her sister. "What did you know about heart eyes?" she narrowed her eyes. Amy was notorious for her random, out-of-pocket comments. She could imagine what a menace she would be when she grew older. She was like a carbon copy of Lola, personality-wise.

Amy rolled her eyes dramatically.

"I am not staring at him," she said cautiously, trying to mask her flustered face. She couldn't believe her younger sister caught her ogling a man.

"Relax, everyone’s staring at him too," Amy whispered.

Her sister wasn't exaggerating. Ollie made perfection look effortless. And everyone wanted to get a glimpse of him like he was some deity even with his detached, bored demeanor.

Clearly, she wasn't special at all. She was just another face in the crowd; another admirer among many.

When it was Aiden's turn for his scholarship award, June stood to accompany him. As they approached the podium, her heart pounded like a jackhammer and her palms were damp with nerves. Ollie was seated there, amid a circle of elites. For some reasons, June didn't know how to act. She always lost her coordination whenever Ollie was involved.

"It’s okay if you don't want to come with me," Aiden said quietly, glancing at her. "You can stay with Amy if you want."

"Of course I want to," June frowned slightly. "Why would you think I wouldn’t?"

She caught the way Aiden hesitated, and realization dawned on her. Every other student was flanked by proud parents. And then there was her—closer in age to the twins. She must have looked out of place and awkward.

Was he ashamed of her? The thought stung.

A sting of doubt crept into her chest, though she forced herself to still ask. "Don't you want me to come with you?" Her hand slid off his shoulder and into a ball as she braced herself for his answer.

Aiden’s head snapped up. "I want you to," he said with conviction that unfurled the tension in her chest. "You just seem so nervous that's why I said it..."

"Oh," she exhaled easily. If only he knew her nerves had nothing to do with him or the award. "I’m not nervous," she said, forcing a laugh that sounded lighter than she felt.

When they ascended the podium, her gaze lifted almost involuntarily and locked with Ollie.

The room seemed to blur at the edges as his piercing gaze held hers, and for an eternal heartbeat, the world stopped spinning. But then, with a lazy, almost bored sweep of his eyes, he glanced away. No flicker of recognition, no warmth, nothing but a cold indifference that cut deep.

Disappointment hit her chest like a physical blow. It was almost like he didn't know her, like he hadn't seen her before. It had her questioning if all the time he'd spent with her was just an illusion she built up in her mind.

Get a grip, June. Was he supposed to run up to you in an embrace? She scoffed. God, she was starting to lose touch of reality.

Pasting a bright smile on her face, she turned to Aiden as the presenter handed him his award. The cameras flashed, and she clapped along with the crowd even as her chest felt like it had caved in.

As they walked off the stage, something inside of her dimmed. This short, dismissive encounter with Ollie had tainted every moment that had once felt precious, though she hadn’t admitted until now.

As she and the twins were about to leave, she caught a glimpse of Ollie from the corner of her eye, striding through the hall in the opposite direction with an older man trailing behind him.

For a split second, her legs moved of their own accord, but she stopped herself, planting her feet in place.

What was she going to do? Confront him for ignoring her? She’d got more pride than this for herself.

"Let's go," she said to the twins, draping her arms on each of their shoulders before steering them toward the exit.

They hadn’t gone far when she stopped abruptly, throwing pride and rationality out of the window. "Give me a minute. I'll be back soon."