1.1 | daunting medleys

fifty-two | like you

Tabitha was sure she was dreaming. She was asleep, she hadn't woken up from her mother ridden nightmare. This wasn't happening. Oliver wasn't real. Her hands caught the skin on her wrists. She was looking at him, and the pain shooting throughout her arms were a reminder that she was there, and Oliver was looking at her.

Oliver was nothing short of princely, ethereal and every perfect feature he had was convincing her that she was dreaming. She was watching him, eyebrows raising and her lips parting softly, scared she's dreaming. Her heart thudded nervously, and she could feel everything. From his stare trailing up her face to the way her feet curled into her carpet.

"Me? You want to go out with me? Like on a date?"

Oliver was nervous, biting into his lower lip in a nervous struggle, hands wringing together. The sun's rays were on his face, and every bridge and every flutter of his lashes aren't left unnoticed by her.

"I'm sorry for asking so soon. I'll understand if you say no, but God, I don't want you to. I want you to let me love you. I may not be the best at anything but I will take care of you with everything I have. If there's anything you don't like about me, let me know and I'll change." He was closing within his self, and she was shaking, before she reached to tap his cheek. "Is it the smoking? I promise you that I don't do that anymore. I got really stressed and I couldn't even handle my own emotions well-" Oliver was stressing out, and it pushed tears into her eyes.

"Shut up." She said, hands furiously pinching at her wrists. This wasn't a dream. She wasn't dreaming. She wasn't having a dream as vivid as this. "You like me?" Tabitha had finally asked, eyes darting to the crease between his eyebrows.

He nodded, still carefully watching her. His posture was tense, and his grey eyes seemed to hold the turbulence of a thousand storms. Oliver didn't know how badly she wanted to pass out, or scream.

"Do... Do you like me?" Oliver asked softly. Tabitha almost shook her head, wanting to tell him that she was absolutely in love with him, enamoured with everything that he was. But she didn't, just nodded. A flush crept up his cheeks, and he blew out a breath with puffy cheeks. "Oh." Then she giggled, and he let out a laugh. "So? Will you go on a date with me?" He'd asked, holding out a hand, and she took it. Oliver kissed her knuckles, and the soft sensuality crept up her hands until she couldn't help but suck in a harsh breath.

"You mean this romantically?" She asked. "Like, a date?" Oliver flicked her forehead, as he nodded. Her hands tightened around his, and he noticed.

"Are you okay? I understand if it's too much or too sudden." He looked scared again, and it dimmed his bright grey eyes. Tabitha wasn't sure she was breathing anymore, or if she was dreaming.

Tabitha muttered, patting his hands. "Shut up. I'm not sure of if I'm dreaming or not." She breathed slowly. This was real. Oliver was really here, asking her to go out with him. He was watching her with amusement, and there was a light in his eyes that she had failed to notice. There was a feeling washed over her, and sucker punched her in the gut. Inadequacy. She wasn't good enough for him.

"I'm not right for you. You know that, right? I have issues that I'm not close to solving. You don't need me to taint you. I-" Oliver placed his hands over her mouth, and her eyes threatened to flutter shut. Tabitha fought the urge to tell him, that she loved him before everything went down.

He removed his hand, and thumped Tabitha's forehead. "I wouldn't have asked you out if I wasn't completely and absolutely sure of what I saw in you. Tabitha, I don't know everything about you, and I want to spend the rest of forever learning about you, healing with you, and hell, loving you. You mean so much to me, and it physically hurts. So no, I don't know that you are not right for me. I'm not perfect, and you're not perfect either but what I do know is, that you are perfect for me."

"Oh." She muttered dumbly. Tabitha darted up from the bed that she was seating. "I'll be right back." Then she ran into the bathroom. Her hands shook as she turned on the tap to splash water on her face. She was physically shaking, and she could barely breathe. Oliver liked her. He saw her for the messy, shattered person that she was and still told her he liked her. She walked back to the room where he was staring at her. Oliver's eyes had always been very expressive, and as he stared at her with reddened eyes, she could see the fear in them.

"I'm still a mess."

With softened, grey eyes, Oliver nodded. "I know. And so am I."

Fiddling with her sleeve, Tabitha nodded, and sat much closer to him than before, her head was leaned against his shoulder. "I'm sorry for running." She whispered. Then intertwined her fingers with his. Oliver's body lost the brief tenseness that it had before, and his head was leaning against his. She bit back a smile.

"I really like you, Ollie. I really, really do like you."

Tabitha could basically feel his smile. "I like you, Tabitha. I really, really do like you." He teased, chuckling. She lifted her eyes to glare at him, and caught the thin skin on his wrist between her lithe fingers.

"I'd love to go on a date with you." She said, when he didn't say anything. Tabitha glanced up, and when he smiled at her, she could feel her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. It was a surreal feeling, really. The way her cheeks flushed and her mouth went dry. Every bit of her body felt euphoric, like she was on drugs. His hands tightened against hers, and everything else faded away. He looked a dream, one she didn't want to wake up from. Tabitha's feet curled into the carpet when his lips brushed her forehead, her eyes closed and her cheeks burnt. Everything was right. Everything felt absolutely right.

"Do you have anything planned for your birthday?" He asked softly, over the peaceful silence that engulfed them.

Tabitha frowned, through her intoxication on Oliver's scent. "I don't. I thought Talia and I would do something but we obviously don't talk much and I'm very sure she's sick of me after taking care of me for two days."

"What's been happening between you and Talia?" He asked, and Tabitha's mind blanked.

She took off one of his rings, and fixed it around her finger. She almost didn't say anything, playing with his ring on her finger. The silver glinted in the light that came in through the window. "Nothing, and that's the problem. We haven't been close, but this is like a huge revelation in my face. I'm guilty of being so caught up in my problems that I was neglecting her."

"Are you trying to fix things?" She paused to think.

Tabitha shrugged, the action made hard as she was still leaning on his shoulder. "I'm trying, our parents fighting has managed to bring us closer but obviously not as close as I thought." She closed her eyes, and inhaled shakily when his finger traced the back of her palm. She breathed slowly, afraid of making an embarrassing noise.

"Then you need to talk to her. You know that, right?"

She nodded, dread filling her at the conversation that was awaiting her.

"Tabitha?" Oliver said, after they hadn't said anything for a while. She hummed in response. "What happened to you?"