The Bet Game

There are moments in life that split time into before and after. Olivia Bennett didn't know it yet, but tonight was going to be one of them. "Please…" "Chloe, I'm exhausted." Olivia flopped back against the couch cushions. For the past twenty minutes, Chloe had been begging her to come to the party, but Olivia wasn't budging. "Remember when you crashed into me on that bike and I got a concuss…" Olivia lunged forward and clamped her hand over Chloe's mouth before she could complete the sentence. "You're evil." Chloe pushed her hand away, grinning. "Says the girl who won't come with me to one party." Olivia groaned. She couldn't argue with that. Flashback They were thirteen when it happened. Olivia had been obsessed with the idea of riding bikes together. You can call it some wholesome best-friend fantasy she'd gotten from a movie. The problem was, she had no idea how to actually ride one. Chloe had tried to talk her out of it. "Liv, you're going to kill yourself." But Olivia was nothing if not stubborn. She'd strapped on the helmet, climbed onto Chloe's bike, and gripped the handlebars like she was holding on for dear life. Which, as it turned out, she was. "Be careful!" Chloe had shouted. Olivia wobbled down the street, teeth gritted, legs pumping wildly. For about ten glorious seconds, she thought she had it. Then the bike started to weave. "Olivia!" Her hands jerked. The front wheel twisted. And before she knew it, she was careening straight toward Chloe, who stood frozen in the middle of the sidewalk. The crash was spectacular. They'd both ended up in a heap on the pavement.Olivia with a sprained wrist, Chloe with a mild concussion. Mrs. Williams had been furious. They were grounded for two weeks. End Flashback Olivia shook her head, dragging herself back to the present. "Why do you always bring that up?" "Because it works." Chloe crossed her arms, pouting like a kid. "Come on. Please?" Olivia sighed. "Fine. But I'm sitting in a corner the whole time. No dancing." "Deal!" Chloe squealed, throwing her arms around her. "You're the best." "Yeah, yeah.” ♥︎♥︎♥︎ The club turned out to be a sensory assult. Bass thumped through the floor, vibrating in Olivia's chest. Neon lights flickered across the crowd blue, red, purple, casting everyone in shifting colors. Bodies pressed together on the dance floor, moving in chaotic rhythm. Olivia sat in a corner with a cup of -whatever-drink-was-in-there. She could see her friend coming towards her where she was sitted, vibing with the rhythm of the song the DJ was playing. “Olivia, don't be a boring duck…”Chloe shouted ”come and dance, Mummy's not here” she giggled. ‘Duckhead!’ Olivia thought fondly. But Chloe was right. She wasn't staying glued to this seat all night just because parties made her uncomfortable. She stood, letting Chloe pull her onto the floor. "Loosen up!" Chloe laughed. Olivia rolled her eyes but started moving. The music wasn't terrible afterall. Actually, once she stopped overthinking it, it was kind of fun. "I need the bathroom," Olivia said after a few songs. "Left side, past the bar!” Across the club, Sebastian sat slouched in a booth, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. “Don't be such a douchebag, Sebastian” the one with blonde hair started “Do you plan on studying your whole life without taking a glimpse of the good things in the outside world?” "Don't be such a buzzkill," Chris said, leaning back with a grin. "You planning to study yourself into an early grave?" "Bringing him here was a public service," Lucas added. "Otherwise he'd die alone in his apartment surrounded by law books." Chris nodded solemnly. "No wife. No kids. Just you and your laptop.” “I'm leaving” “You can only live your life once,y'know. Not everything is about Crane and Hart,and your computer” Chris and Lucas laughed. Sebastian stood up,without uttering any word. He thought it was useless talking to them. “Where are you going?” Lucas asked Sebastian didn't say anything,as he walked away from them. “He's such a pain in the ass. Let's…” "Let him go," Chris said, grabbing Lucas's arm. "He's not a kid. If he wants to sulk, let him sulk." Outside the main room, the hallway was quieter. Sebastian exhaled, trying to shake off his irritation. This is such a waste of time. He turned a corner…and collided with someone. "Oh! I'm so sorry," a woman's voice said. Sebastian looked down. A girl stood in front of him, dark hair, wide eyes, clearly flustered. "Are you blind?" he snapped. Her expression shifted instantly. "Excuse me?" "You walked right into me." "You walked into me." Her voice was sharp now. "And I'm the one who apologized." "Maybe watch where you're going next time." "Maybe you should." Her eyes narrowed. "Who do you think you are?" Sebastian's jaw tightened. "Someone who doesn't have time for this." "Then move." He didn't move. She didn't move. They stood there, locked in a silent standoff. His icy blue eyes met hers, neither willing to back down. Sebastian couldn't remember the last time anyone had looked at him like that. Like he was simply another obstacle. Like his name meant nothing. Like his presence was an inconvenience rather than an event. "Olivia?" Chloe appeared, breathless. "I've been looking everywhere for you. What's going on?" She glanced between them…then her eyes widened as she got a good look at Sebastian. Oh my God. He's gorgeous. She shook herself. "Olivia, what's happening?" "This jerk bumped into me and then acted like it was my fault," Olivia said, not breaking eye contact with Sebastian. Sebastian's expression darkened. "Why don't you take your drunk friend home?" Chloe bristled. "She's not drunk. Are you?" "Thanks, Chloe." "Come on. Let's go.” As the girls walked away, Sebastian heard Chris and Lucas laughing behind him. “Well,well,well. What do we have here?” “A raging lion ready to devour whatever comes his way” Chris and Lucas laughed as they approached the now-fuming-mad statue from behind. Seems they've been observing for a while. “Did you see that?” “"Oh, I saw it.” said Lucas,rubbing his fingers on his chin,trying to figure out something. “I never knew there would come a day where a girl would actually confront the Almighty Sebastian head-on like this.” “Hmm…” Chris agreed. “Wonders never seize. Do they?” Sebastian turned to look at them. Slowly. “What?” Lucas remarked “Don't look at me like that. I was not the one who made you angry.” “Guess you had a good time watching.” Sebastian hissed They could both sense the irritation in Sebastian's voice. “Of course not…” “No…” They both said in unison,stifling a laugh. *** In the car, Chloe glanced sideways at Olivia. "Okay. Spill." "I told you. He bumped into me. I apologized like a normal person would, and he asked if I was blind." "Wow. That's... wow." "I know." Olivia crossed her arms. "I hate people like that. Arrogant. Self-absorbed." Chloe paused. "He was kind of hot, though." Olivia opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. "...Yeah. Okay. He was." Chloe burst out laughing, the kind that started in the stomach and took over, and Olivia sat there and let her, because honestly, she deserved it. Chloe burst out laughing. "I knew it!" "Shut up and drive." "Yes, ma'am.” Olivia turned to look out the window as the city slipped past. Streetlights. Headlights. The dark blur of the night. She told herself the heat creeping up the back of her neck was just the club. The music. The dancing. She almost believed it. *** Sebastian sat in the back of the Porsche, staring out at nothing. Chris drove. Lucas rode shotgun. Both of them were being very, very carefully quiet. It only lasted about four minutes. "So..." Chris glanced in the rearview mirror, barely suppressing a grin. "That was entertaining." "Shut up," "I'm just saying," Lucas turned around in his seat, "in all the years I've known you, all of them, Sebastian I've never seen a girl talk to you like that." "She didn't know who I was." "Oh, what if she does? With the look of things…i think…i think she knew" Chris laughed. "She just didn't care." Sebastian's fingers drummed against his thigh. He could still see those eyes. Defiant, sharp, completely unimpressed. It irritated him. No, it infuriated him. "Forget about her," he said flatly. "You can't, though." Lucas grinned. "Can you?" Sebastian shot him a warning glare. Chris pulled up to a red light and turned fully around in his seat. "I'll be honest with you," he said, in the tone he used when he was about to say something that was going to cost him. "I don't think you could handle a girl like that. Even if you tried.” "What's that supposed to mean?" "Oh, you know what i mean buddy" Chris smirked. "You're used to girls falling at your feet, Sebastian. But her? She looked at you like you were nothing special." "She looked at him like he was ‘annoying’," Lucas corrected, laughing. "Like he was nothing," Chris repeated. "Prove me wrong. Get her to fall for you, completely,and I'll believe there's nothing Sebastian Crane can't handle.” Lucas let out a low whistle. "Oh, this is going to be something." Sebastian should have laughed. Should have told them both to grow up, that he had better things to do — a case to prep, a deal to close, an empire that didn't run itself. But the way she'd looked at him. Like he was beneath her. Something hot and stubborn moved through his chest, and he heard himself say, before he'd fully decided to… "Fine." His voice was quiet. Controlled. Dangerous in exactly the way that usually made people reconsider. "I take the bet.” Chris and Lucas exchanged glances, then burst out laughing. "Oh man, this is going to be legendary," Lucas said. Sebastian stared out the window, his reflection sharp in the glass. Olivia. He didn't know her last name. Didn't know where she lived or where she worked or what she looked like when she laughed instead of glared. But he would.