In Drunken Matrimony ✔️

Twenty Nine - In The Eyes of The Lord

*This chapter will contain mature content*

Hᴀʟʟɪᴇ

For how much longer I can evade my family, I can't be sure. Especially considering once they tire of trying to ring my powered down phone, they are sure to turn up to my house. It is not unlike them to ambush me - a skill Oliver himself is apparently learning.

I am hardly past the threshold of our front door before he is in front of me, his warm palms gentle against my cheeks. "You insane -" a kiss to my forehead, "incredible -" my nose, "beautiful -" cheek, "mad, human being." My lips. The kiss is hard and heavy, though hardly long enough, and I cannot help but follow him as he pulls away. Wide concerned eyes flick to and from both of mine. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Because I want to be happy, Oli." I tell him plainly. It was a decision I toyed with - throwing away everything I was fated to be to become a person I'm not sure I'm capable of being. It was easy though, when I realised that happiness came from my own choice, and not simply following the path laid out for me, taking the position I was groomed to fill. My parents wanted an heir to their business, but it was never to truly be mine. Not with them breathing down my neck, not with them selling out half of the shares to my ex-boyfriend, in the hopes to maintain at least some sense of control.

Perhaps there were better ways to go about my decline of the promotion - I'm not sure what damage, if any, I have done to Evans' incorporate. If it will alter our hold of the stock market, or the decline of our assets, but I am exhausted with caring. Tired of caring for something beyond my own happiness, which I have come to realise begins with the man stood before me.

"You've thrown everything you've ever wanted away." He says, hands dropping to brace my jaw.

"All I want, Oliver, is you." And he doesn't laugh at how painfully cliche my words are, he only offers the most genuine, soft smile, and moves his lips against mine again, intent on keeping them there for a far stretch longer. Of course -

"Well, this is so lovely it is nauseating." He pulls away with a sigh, resting his forehead against mine, albeit still wearing that smile. Helena lifts her chin as she fixes the collar of her dress. "I'll leave the pair of you alone then." It so slight, I almost miss it, but I am sure she nods to Oliver with something akin to kindness as he tilts his head to watch her depart.

She pauses. "Charlotte? Are you coming?"

Charlotte, with bags in tow, shows herself from around the corner. "Yeah, suppose I better get home." Her brother steps away to hug her, kissing her delicately atop her head. "Elijah can't manage all that well without me, see."

It meek humour to disguise the lingering hurt she feels from whatever argument occurred days earlier, but Oli smiles at her nonetheless. "You know that you can always come back here if you need to." He looks towards me as if searching for confirmation. I hope my smile assures him that he shouldn't feel the need to ask.

"I know, thank you." Her eyes pass over me, and I nod slightly with understanding. "Hopefully we'll figure it out though. Maybe over coffee and couples counselling."

"If I remember rightly, the last few counselling sessions you had with Elijah didn't go all that well." Oliver reminds.

She hums, then shrugs. "No, but things are a little bit different now - we have other ways to dispel the tension." Helena barks a laugh at Oliver's repulsed expression, and I cannot help smile, smacking my hand over my face to disguise such. Charlotte grins fiendishly at her brother, a slight hop in her step as she approaches my sister. "Thank you both; seriously. Love you Wolly."