Chapter 7
Days passed, and I was still adjusting to my new life in Sydney. I buried myself in work, trying to forget the past and focus on rebuilding myself. It wasn’t easy–every now and then, memories of Oliver and everything I had been through would creep in, but I’d force them out.
Scott, as expected, was around all the time. My mom had clearly made him my unofficial babysitter, much to my annoyance. He was playful, flirty, and completely relentless.
“I don’t need a babysitter, Scott,” I told him one day as I sorted through papers at the office. “Who said I’m babysitting?” he replied with a smirk, leaning against my desk. “I’m just keeping you company. You’d be bored without me.”
I rolled
my eyes, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I didn’t want anything to do with Scott, with love, or with anyone at all. I was determined to keep my distance from him, no matter how much he teased me or tried to get under my skin..
But as the days passed, I couldn’t help but notice things about him. The way he always found a way to make me laugh when I least expected it. How he’d go out of his way to make sure I was okay, even when I pretended I didn’t need his help. It was maddening, but at the same time, it was… comforting.
One afternoon, I caught myself staring at him as he worked on his laptop in the corner of the room. His brows were furrowed in concentration, his fingers tapping quickly on the keyboard. The sunlight streaming through the window highlighted the sharp lines of his jaw and the warmth in his smile when he caught me looking.
Suddenly, I remembered the crush I used to have on him when we were kids. I thought back to the summer vacations we spent together at my grandparents‘ house. Scott would always find a way to pull me into some mischief–whether it was sneaking cookies from the kitchen or climbing the tallest tree in the yard to “prove we were brave.”
I remembered one particular day when I had fallen and scraped my knee. Scott had panicked, running to grab a bandage and insisting he’d take care of it. “You’re my best friend,” he’d said, holding my hand tightly. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
The memory made me smile without realizing it, and I snapped back to the present, mortified. I had been staring at him for far too long, and of course, Scott noticed.
“See something you like?” he teased, grinning at me.
I
My face burned. “No,” I said quickly, rolling my eyes as
