The Kiss Bet: Oliver & Sara Oneshots

Break

"Hey, I'll be back Joe, I'm gonna step outside for a bit," Oliver told his older brother from their bedroom door.

A smile looked back up at him, "alright, text me if you need anything!"

"Will do," he said before walking away with a sigh.

Truth be told, he just needed some air. To get out of those walls that were feeling more and more cramped and lonely despite the constant presence of Joe and the occasional sighting of Mr. Yang. To clear his head of all the overthinking and pain and sadness and regrets that had been consuming him....

Meanwhile, across the hall, "Sara, can you take the trash out?"

"Sure, dad," the previously addressed girl called back, picking up the full bag from the bin and walking to the door.

Looking to her feet, she sighed. Maybe it would do her some good to get out of the house, even if just for a moment. She couldn't stay moping around forever, after all.

Without paying attention, she turned and shut the apartment door behind her, only to hear a small and hesitant, "h-hey..."

This made her head snap up, only to have her look away out in front of her with that painfully familiar ache returning in her heart and head, "......Hey."

Silence. Awkward, tense, unbearable silence.

"I-I was just taking out the trash, so, um..." She said softly without looking at him as she started walking towards the elevator again.

"Yeah... Right...." He muttered, glancing at the ground, the regret growing every moment he stood in her presence.

Even when she had stepped into the elevator and the doors had shut the feeling did not go away. After all, he hadn't seen the girl since.....

He shook his head, opting for the stairs instead at that point, making the journey down all four floors. By the time he reached the exit of the stairwell, he hadn't even realized it, having been too caught up in his thoughts and memories and regrets. If only time could've been reversed and Oliver could've avoided everything.

As he walked out of the building and rounded the corner, he noticed the ginger girl making her own way back. If he couldn't undo what was done, at least he could clear the air.

"Um, Sara?" He murmured once she was close enough.

She sighs quietly, then still looking down, "yeah?"

"I'm just... I'm sorry. About everything." He says after a moment, scratching the back of his neck as she finally looks up at him in slight surprise, "I just... I don't know why I said the stupid things I did, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for avoiding you. And... For breaking things off. I've been kicking myself for it for the whole last week, I just regret everything so much and I wish I could take it all back."

"I'm sorry too...." She says quietly much to his surprise, shoving her hands in her pockets and looking at his chest rather than his face, "I wasn't making anything easy. Honestly, it's my fault that it all started.... I was being dumb, I basically provoked you. I was supposed to be the person who loved and supported and stood by you through everything and... I wasn't."

Oliver takes a moment to process what she had just said, hesitating for a second before speaking again, "you probably hate me at this point but just... I want you to know that I still love you. I have the whole time even if I didn't act like it. I was a total jerk and I didn't treat you how you deserved."

"Well..... I guess it's important for you to know that I still love you too, I always have. We were both being dumb, but I couldn't hate you if I wanted to," Sara chuckled bitterly, leaning against the wall they stood next to.

"What now?" Oliver asked after a second of silence.

Only more quiet followed for a moment until a small voice said so softly he could barely hear, "I don't know...."

For a moment she pauses, though the boy can tell she has more to say until she manages to speak, "I don't know if I'm really ready to jump right back into things. I don't know if either of us are, it sounds like we're both just still hurting.... I think just.... Maybe let's take some time to ourselves. Heal a bit more, understand what happened and talk things through and figure out what went wrong. I want us to work, Oliver, but we can't if we don't communicate. For now, let's just call it a break to focus on fixing things and talk it all through. Is that okay?"

"Yeah..." He says immediately, slightly saddened though he knew it was for the best, "we're probably better off like that for now."

As much as he loved her, he couldn't properly love her if they didn't fix what wasn't right.

"This isn't forever, okay? Just for now...." She said quietly, looking at him with sad eyes upon noticing how he had become more downtrodden.

Finally walking over to the blond boy, she grabs his hand gently and manages a smile, "I'm still committed to you, just.... Not with a formal label right now, you know that, right? This isn't a breakup. I still want you, only you. We just need to work things out before that's possible."

"I know," he sighed, looking at her as well with a dejected smile, "I guess I just hoped things could go right back to normal.... You're right though, we need this, but I guess I can't help but be a little disappointed."

Her face softens, "I know, Olly."

The weight seemed to be lessened in the atmosphere, it was easier to just relax. They both felt like they could finally breathe. It wasn't forever, just for now.

"One last time for now..." She murmurs, making him look at her again.

In a second she leans up and kisses him gently. He could feel not only the love and tenderness but the sadness she conveyed through such a small action. She just needed one last kiss to be able to clear her mind, and then she could focus on fixing things between them without breaking down or having urges to do that every time they'd talk. They savored every second until she pulled back down and looked to her feet.

Without a word, she begins to walk away, only until she turns after a few steps, "text me later, okay? I still want to talk to you even if it ends up not being about this. You're one of my best friends, dating or not."

Oliver nods, the lump in his throat making his lips tighten. As soon as she walked back around the corner, he leaned his back against the wall and slid down. He leaned his head back against it as well while hugging his knees, looking up in an attempt to hold back the tears he knew would form. This was only for naught, for he found his eyes tearing up either way, bringing his gaze down and pushing up his glasses while pressing a hand to one of his eyes as the tears started to flow.

A small unwilling sob choked through his throat, the boy laying his head against his arms that returned to holding his legs. One phrase rang through his head that both comforted him and worsened the tears, and he couldn't stop it from playing like a broken record.

It wasn't forever.

It wasn't forever, just for now....

A/N

Hey y'all!
First off, I'd like to formally apologize for ripping your hearts out- When I made this prompt I had the immediate idea of a post-breakup fixing fic but I kinda trailed off.....  I'm trying to get better at angst and writing really emotional stuff in prep for a few days skjfhdsfdskfn i'm nervous to write that lol-

Anyway, I hope y'all liked this story, please leave any ideas, prompts, thoughts, or constructive criticism in the comments, I love hearing your feedback!