1.1 | daunting medleys

fifty-four | date

They'd ended up talking, for an hour. It wasn't the heavy topics that filled their conversations. It was more of light topics, jokes and the new flirtatiousness that came with knowing Oliver liked her. There was a tiny voice in her head that would remind her of her unworthiness. How she was dirty, compared to him, but the voice would dissipate when he touched her. He was always looking for a way to touch her, he'd let his fingers skim her cheeks, or hold her hands. Tabitha wasn't left out, she'd given him a tiny kiss on his jaw, and the shocked, bashful look in his eyes almost made her melt. She was undeniably in love with him, so much that it hurt. Her Oliver. The flush in his cheeks caused her entire face to burn, and she turned away from him.

"Have you spoken to your dad?" She asked, when they had retired to the floor, her head against the bed frame. "I mean, since, the whole half-brother thing verbally attacking you?"

Oliver paused, before skimming his finger over her palm, as he'd been doing since they had been sitting on the floor. "Can we not talk about this? Not now atleast. I mean, I'm still pretty shocked from the latest development in our relationship," He said softly, and Tabitha bit back a smile. "And I really don't want to spoil what's going on here." Tabitha nodded, not wanting to push. "But he has been calling me often, I don't answer."

"Ollie..." She started hesitantly, but Oliver shook his head.

He sighed. "I know I'll have to talk to him, tell him my stance so I don't waste his time. But I don't want to see him. I haven't seen him since I was a child and his wife dropped me off at the orphanage, and I don't want to. It's hard, Tabitha." His voice was tiny, and broke at the end. She squeezed his hand, and let his fingers graze her palm when she'd unwrapped her fingers from his.

"I'm sorry."

Oliver's laugh was nothing short of ethereal. "It's not your fault, princess." He leaned closer to her, eyes darting to her, before letting his eyes roam her face. "My therapist thinks I should talk to him, I will. Soon, but not now. I don't think I can talk to him without wanting to bash his face in."

"Did you think about his offer about wanting everyone to know you're his son before the elections?" She smiled giddily, their bodies pressed tightly beside each other's. Oliver was warm, and even though she wasn't cold, she snuggled into his heat.

He shrugged, hands soft as they brushed against her scars. "I don't want anyone to know I'm related to that man, but I really don't know yet. I'll have to talk to my mum about it." Tabitha hummed, letting his warmth envelop her as his fingernail brushed her pulse. Something foreign traversed her body, and she shuddered, blowing out a harsh breathe.

"My mum was talking about college yesterday." He said quietly. Tabitha turned to look at him, and caught the insides of her cheek in a nervous tussle. College seemed far away, and she hadn't even begun to think about it. She'd initially wanted to go to UCLA to be closer with Talia, but her mother's choice was Yale, and Tabitha's choice never mattered. A strange sense of exhilaration filled her veins when she realized that her mother wasn't here anymore. She could choose to go to any university she wanted to.

Tabitha let his hands lull her to sagged limbs and slow breaths, where nothing else mattered. Nothing except the beautiful boy beside her. Where she'd make what she had with Oliver work, despite the distance.

"Oh."

He chuckled, the sound low. "Yep, I've always wanted to go to UCLA after my mum attended a seminar there and took me with her. You?" There was a flood of relief that flooded her veins, and she sighed softly when Oliver kissed her fingers.

"My mother wanted me to go to Yale, but I didn't want to. She made me apply there over the summer, but I also applied to UCLA with Talia, in secret."