Love, On Read (MxM)

Chapter 34: Olive Branch

A/N: I was going to make a punny joke of olive(r) branch, but idk, not my best work XD

Ollie's POV

If someone had asked what had happened in the last hour or two, I would've blanked out, probably even passed out. I don't even know, but it did feel exhilarating. And scary, and probably a hundred different emotions that I could not even begin to describe.

Janice did show up around eight to open the store, catching the two of us at the table. She didn't scold Haruto for not finishing his morning shift duties; instead, she was almost relieved to see the two of us sitting at our table.

I remembered the coffee cups he doodled remaining on the table as we mindlessly talked about anything and everything. And I remember when the store got busy, and Janice needed his help to make the drinks.

Yet, everything else felt like a blur since he dropped that info this morning, the events leading up to it replaying over and over in my head. I was still surprised that I hadn't melted into a puddle or woke up from this dream.

The smile Haruto flashed throughout his shift was enough to remind me that it was real and that, yes, Haruto did like me.

And I liked Haruto.

Somehow, even admitting that in my head made the blush creep onto my cheeks again.

By his lunch break, the girls were demanding to see me, so I reluctantly told him that I'd meet up with them for lunch after his break. He didn't mind, nearly insisting I should go if they believed he had kidnapped me again.

I ignored the many messages from Courtney, hitting the call button instead. It rang once.

"Hey Court," I greeted, pulling the phone away from my ear when she squealed over the line.

"You slept over at his house, holy shit!"

"Straight to it, huh?" I said, crossing the street to her toward the bus stop. "Yes, I did. No, nothing happened there, okay?"

"Yes, but I can't believe you actually agreed to!"

I sat at the bus stop, surprised it wasn't crowded for this time of day. "I know, and that's not all."

She scoffed. "Excuse me? There's more?"

I couldn't help but grin, the butterflies in my stomach growing as I replayed the scene of Haruto showing the writings on the cups. I had sneaked a picture of it while he was helping customers earlier.

"Yes," I told her. "Where'd you want to meet for lunch? I'll tell you there. I'm still a bit in shock."

"Oh my god, it was that good?" She shouted something to Mahealani in the background. "What about that sandwich shop across the mall? We should be there in fifteen minutes."

"Sure," I said, just as the bus turned the corner. "I'll text you when I get there. Bus is almost here."

Courtney let out an exciting sound. "I can't wait! See you there."

She hung up as I fumbled for the bus pass in my pocket and waited for it to arrive. I found a window seat. Once the bus started moving, I pulled up the photo of the cups on my phone. I bit back a grin as I helped the phone close to my chest, fearing someone would see.

Not that anyone on the bus would even be able to read the writing on the photo, but I couldn't help but gush over it again. I pinched myself at least three times on the ride to the mall, just narrowly missing the stop.

The girls were already at the shop when I walked across the intersection, flagging me down from one of the outdoor seats. If most of the staff weren't already used to the three of us hanging out there, they'd probably ask her to leave with how loud she gets. Luckily for them, we always knew to tip them at least forty percent, even though it was more of a take-out place than a restaurant.