1.1 | daunting medleys

fifty-nine | addicted

"Did she say anything else?"

Tabitha shifted her weight between her feet, and exhaled softly. "No. She said she's coming back for me. I don't want to..." She trailed off.

"Tabitha, listen to me. I promise you that I will not let anyone ruin this day or the rest of your life. Enjoy your day. I'll send the number to the police and they'll take care of it. No need to worry, okay?"

Oliver's eyes found hers from where he was fiddling with the lock of the large doors, he was standing with someone else. "Okay." He smiled at her, and her cheeks burnt. He was unnecessarily beautiful, and sometimes, it hurt her poor heart.

"Have fun sweetie, and remember your curfew." He chuckled, before hanging up.

She rolled her eyes, and shoved the phone in her bag before walking up to Oliver and the boy he was talking to. The boy's cheeks reddened considerably when Oliver kissed the top of her head. He looked to be about 15 or 16 and had close cropped hair.

"Jake, this is Tabitha. Tabitha, this is Jake, he is our chaperone for today." He teased. Jake's face was most definitely entirely red, he shoved one hand into his pocket and brought out a key.

He kept glancing at Tabitha, and would turn even redder. "H-hi." Then caught Tabitha's amused expression, and turned to open the big locks behind him.

"He's adorable." She whispered to him.

Oliver's eyes shifted from her to the younger teen's shaky figure, his hands cupped her waist. "Yep, I think it's cute how he keeps staring at you. I think he likes you." They both walked in, and the cold draft blew against her exposed fingers. Tabitha's eyes widened considerably when she noticed where they were. The indoor skating rink was very popular but far, so she hadn't been there since a trip with her father and Talia. The entire place reeked of nostalgic familiarity, and she felt like she was lightweight and would float off.

Tabitha giggled, and Jake turned to them, but mostly Tabitha and shuffled on his feet before moving behind the counter. "I'm way too old for him." It felt weird to use the word old when it came to her, or in the context that she did but Oliver didn't hear the odd tone in her voice, and if he did, he didn't comment on it.

"Yes, but perfect for me." He murmured, and she almost tripped on her own feet. Tabitha looked at him, and the happy light in his eyes, her heart thudded nervously and she could feel her cheeks heating.

She huffed, and leaned into him and his deliriously low chuckle. "Jesus, Ollie."

"What's your shoe size?" He asked, and when she told him, he went up to Jake, eyes darting back to her burning face. Tabitha sat on a bench before her, and like clockwork, the only instance where she'd ever been there played in her mind. Her dad was her support, she had been leaning on him got most of her time there while Talia glided gracefully on the ice. Even when she thought she would fall, he held on to her, and her childish giggles echoed around them. Soon Talia had joined them, and they held hands and skated for hours and hours.

"Tabitha?" Oliver called, and she blinked out of nostalgia, and into beautiful grey eyes.

Her eyes flitted to the shoes in his hands, and a corner of her lips lifted. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She made to take the shoes from him but he got down on one knee, and put her feet on one leg. He swiftly took off one of her flats and pulled off the other pair. She watched with burning cheeks, and a fastly beating heart. "Ollie, you..."

When he'd finished putting on the shoes, he sat beside her and brushed her cheek. Tabitha was transfixed, as she always was with him. "Remember when we made the entire thing where you promised to communicate? Tabitha, you know you can talk to me about anything right?" He said, brows contorted in a frown.

She grinned at Oliver, and the tiniest bit of worry that peeked through bright greys. Tabitha kissed his cheek. "I'm fine, Ollie. I promise."

He sagged in relief, and thumped her chin, before kissing her. She all but melted into his kiss. Considering she'd ever kissed him twice, this being the third, she was surprisingly addicted to the way he kissed her. He tasted like mint, harsh mint pressing against the warmth of her lips. One hand had cupped her face, and temptingly brushed the faintest pattern on her burning cheeks. If Tabitha could, she'd spend the rest of the day being kissed by him. They broke apart when something heavy thudded against the floor, Tabitha's eyes darted to the counter where Jake was, and he flushed nervously.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Oliver laughed, and waved him off. "It's fine, don't worry about it." He held out a hand to a very dazed Tabitha. "C'mon, let's go."

She eyed the empty arena, and the patience in Oliver's eyes before taking his hand. "I feel like it's my social responsibility to let you know that I can't skate, and will probably fall on my face."

A corner of his lips twitched, and he brushed his lips over her knuckles. "I won't let you fall, Tabitha. I promise." Oliver rarely called her by her name, and when he did, her bones felt like jelly and she'd be out of breath, just like she was at that moment. Tabitha wobbled on the ice, and held his hand tightly. Her knees shook and she instinctively clenched the material of his shirt, her heart dropping in fear.

"Where's everyone else?" She said, trying to rid her mind of the thought of accidentally falling on her face. "We're the only ones here."

Oliver's cheeks blossomed a low pink. "I used to work here when I was younger, and the owner's close friends with my mum so I asked for a favor and they closed early today." He helped her into the ice, and pulled her around as they moved slowly.

Tabitha didn't have a single comprehensible thought in her head, she gaped up at him, hoping he wouldn't hear how fast her heart thumped against her ribcage. Previously, they'd been slowly gliding on the ice, his hands holding hers softly.

"Ollie." She called. Oliver answered with a low hum. "Thank you so much, for everything." She wasn't talking about just ice skating, Tabitha meant everything, talking to her in the library, being friends with her and making her fall in love with him. Oliver smiled at her, and she almost didn't hear what he said from the fast ringing in her ears.

He pulled her close to him, and gave her a very tiny smile. "You're welcome." Tabitha let her head rest on his chest, and his heart was pounding as fast as hers. She giggled, and he mumbled something under her breath before spinning her in a twirl, her laugh echoing around the hall.