Forget Me Not

The First Confession

"Why do I feel you are deliberately hiding something from me?" Sammy tapped her pen on my book as her eyes flitted between Oliver and me. 

After that horrible night, Oliver had gone to totally silent mode. Yes, we still went to that bookstore, but for some reason, he stopped talking to me. Initially, I thought it was because he lost his friendship with Dave, who seemed pretty close to him. But when I observed minutely, I could say, he had stopped talking to everyone. 

I sighed at Sameera's question, "Nothing happened, Sammy. Why do you even say that?"

Sammy clucked, "Oliver looks at you as if the sky is about to fall on you. He looks disturbed — almost scared. There must be something that made him react like that." She shook her head, "and he has gone uncharacteristically silent. He isn't even talking to those jerkfaces."

"Maybe he has his reasons," I closed my book with a little more force, "just because I go to that bookstore with him, it's not my duty to know about his moods, Sameera. If you want to know what's bothering him please go ahead and ask him but spare me." I stood up from my seat and walked towards the door. 

And much to my dismay, Sameera caught me with quick strides, "Okay fine. Let's talk about something else." She looped her arm with mine,"Are you excited about the party next week?"

I sighed loudly, "It's a bit over the top, don't you think? It's already been months and now the seniors are thinking of the freshers' party."

Sammy shrugged, "Most probably they were waiting for their semester to end. Who knows and who cares! I hear, there will be booze and boys and dancing, what more can we ask for?" She smirked. 

"And you are going?" The gruff voice made both of us stop on our tracks. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was. 

Sammy unlatched her arm from mine, "That's my cue to leave." She winked at me and walked away while I mouthed 'traitor' at her. 

I slowly turned on my heels, "Well, today the sun must have risen from the west I believe. Oliver the Great has decided to talk to me." 

"If you wanted to talk you simply could have come to me." Oliver grunted, "It's not like we didn't meet these past days."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, "Oh really? Have you seen yourself when you are in your grumpy self? Anyone sane won't want to talk to you. All you did was frown at me as if I had murdered your puppy."

The sides of his lips slowly pulled up, "I am sorry, Evette." He shook his head as though he was enjoying a private joke, "You didn't answer me, are you going to the party?"

We started walking together, noticing the stares we were getting. Oliver and I never really talked inside the premises. "I haven't decided yet. Are you going?"

"If you are, then I am." I halted with his sudden declaration. Why would he want to go with me! Looking at my baffled expression, Oliver shrugged, "I don't really like gatherings or parties per se. I go because sometimes I feel lonely."

"And you want to go to this party because," I drawled. 

Oliver looked directly into my eyes, "Dave might be there. I don't want any repetition of what happened in that alley." He pursed his lips, "He is," as he shook his head again, suddenly a realisation drew upon me. I hadn't seen Dave since that night. He hadn't joined any of our mutual classes, or I hadn't seen him creating any scene in the cafeteria. 

I berated myself for my stupidity, that I didn't question it sooner. That night Oliver had asked me to not talk about that incident to anyone. And I was so shaken with how that night turned into an action one, I listened. Not once, it crossed my mind, that Oliver was asking me to do that for a reason.