I shake my head. Olivia explains that Lindsey is a YouTuber who came to fame on America’s Got Talent. “She plays the violin, fusing classical, rock, hip-hop, and dubstep.”
“What’s dubstep?” I ask, noting that Olivia is one of those cool girls who doesn’t try to be cool—or make you feel dumb because you’re not cool.
“It’s a kind of electronic dance music that blends two-step rhythms and dub productions with other elements,” Olivia says, her face getting more animated by the second. “It originated in South London as a garage band offshoot.”
I nod, even though she might as well be speaking Italian.
“So is this guy any good?” I ask her.
“I think he’s good, but art is subjective,” she says. “What do you think?”
I listen intently for a few seconds, then shake my head. “I can’t tell.”
“You can’t tell if you like it?” She smiles.
“Oh,” I say, nodding. “If that’s what you mean, then yes, it’s catchy and…happy.”
“Then we agree. He’s good,” Olivia says, her smile widening.
A second later, a waitress comes to take our order.
Olivia gestures for me to go first.
“Un limoncello, per favore,” I say.
“Fanne due,” she says, holding up two fingers. “E possiamo avere i calamari, per favore?”
“Assolutamente,” the waitress says, turning back toward the bar.
“Wait,” I say. “Did you just order a limoncello and calamari?”
“I did! Nice translation,” she says, giving me a fist bump.
Her smile fades as she looks into my eyes.
“Are you worried about Lainey?” I ask.
Olivia shakes her head. “No. I’m not really thinking about Lainey right now.”
My heart skips a beat. “What are you thinking about?” I ask her.
“I’m thinking that I like you,” she says, angling her shoulders toward mine and holding my gaze.
“Oh,” I say, feeling a small rush. “I like you, too.”
“I like you, and I admire you,” Olivia says.
“You do?” I say.
“Yes. Very much.”
“Why do you admire me?” I ask. I’m not being self-deprecating—at least I’m not trying to be—but I really can’t imagine why she’d say such a thing.
Olivia swallows, her eyes locking in on me. “Well, let’s see…. I admire you for caring about Lainey so much that you flew down to Texas and walked into Ashley’s living room with her…. I admire you for reaching out to me. I admire you for coming to Italy when you could be curled up in a ball in Atlanta, feeling sorry for yourself…. Or worse, going through with the wedding…”
“Wow,” I say, feeling touched. “Thank you, Olivia. That’s really nice of you.”
“It’s just the truth. You’re a badass,” she says, smiling.
I smile back at her, my whole body feeling warm.
“Can I ask you a question?” she says.
I nod, getting butterflies in my stomach.
She takes a deep breath, then slowly exhales, looking as nervous as I’m suddenly feeling.
“I was just wondering,” she says. “Have you ever kissed a girl?”
I let out a nervous laugh, then say no.
With the smallest smile, she stares into my eyes, then says, “Have you ever wanted to kiss a girl?”
“You mean…before now?” I ask, my heart racing.
It is by far the boldest thing to ever come out of my mouth, and I watch as Olivia’s smile spreads across her face.
“Yeah,” she says, nodding. “Have you ever wanted to before now?”
