The Education of Oliver Wood

The Talk(s)

Emmie sighed as she stepped back from the door, waiting for Oliver to answer. She felt much calmer after taking a week to really think things over. She and Kara had had many long talks when she returned home from practice over the week and she felt sure in her decision.

And ready to face Oliver again.

"Mac," Oliver said, looking slightly surprised to see her on his doorstep. And relatively calm and under control considering their last few interactions.

"Could I come in?" she asked. He nodded and stepped aside, waiting for her to walk in before shutting the door.

A jolt of nerves ran through him. He wasn't sure why she was there, though thankfully, he didn't think she was angry at him. Which was another thing that puzzled him. He was fairly sure that he had made things more difficult with Flint and she wouldn't be happy about that. He had fully expected her to come over all week and ream him out for breaking them up.

Emmie took a deep breath and then faced him.

"Did ye mean everythin' that ye said last weekend?" she asked.

"Aye, of course," he replied. Emmie nodded slowly as she looked around the flat, carefully taking in the photos and it's clean state.

"Been talkin' to Percy," she said, walking over to the wall and gazing up at the photographs. "He says that ye're really makin' progress."

"Hasnae been that long, but aye, suppose compared to before it's a lot," Oliver replied.

Emmie looked over at him, her green eyes unreadable. That was a first. Normally he could read her like a book. And now he had no idea what she was about to say.

"He thinks that ye'll keep it up," she said. "Do ye think that ye will?"

That was a rather difficult question to answer. He wanted to say yes immediately, but at the same time, he knew how easy it was to fall back into his old ways. All it took was one night out. One random, difficult memory. He still struggled with getting those under control. Though it helped that anytime he started feeling overwhelmed, he could owl or floo Percy or George. And he was meeting up with them and the girls fairly regularly. Getting out of the flat and spending time with all of them was proving to be far more healing that he had expected.

"I know that I'm goin' to try. And that I dinnae want to go back to how I was," he said, finding it as best an answer as he could give.

Emmie seemed to consider this before deeming it acceptable. She stepped towards him.

"That's good to hear," she said. "I really do hope that ye continue workin' on things. I only ever wanted the best for ye."

"I ken," Oliver said softly, his heart beginning to ache.

He knew it. This was the moment when she told him that she had her closure and she was going to walk away from him so that she could focus on her own life and happiness. It was what she should do, but he hoped that perhaps Emmie could find it in her to allow him back into her life. Not as a boyfriend, of course, but at the very least as a friend.

Emmie swallowed and looked down at her hands.

"It's been awhile since we've really spent any time around each other, hasnae it?" she asked. "I almost dinnae ken how to act around ye anymore." She looked up at him. "But... suppose that's not so bad. Makes it easier for us to start over."

Oliver felt his mouth drop open as he just stared at her. She was giving him another chance? Why? Though just as quickly, he knew why. This was Emmie, after all. Growing up, she had always been quick to forgive. Willing to help. Some things about her would never change.