All I Need For Yule Is You

Chapter 13

He ran into Stella near the coffee shop, which was already closed- like most of the other shops now. 

"He went home, I think? I haven't seen him." Stella frowned. 

"Well. Do you- d'you have his number?" Sam countered. 

"Sorry mate." Stella shook her head. "I'm going technology free for the hols so I don't have my cell with me right now? I can text you from home though, if it's that urgent?" She added, eyeing how breathless Sam was from dashing about. 

"Okay. You could do that, but I'll still look around a bit," He informed her before dashing off again. 

Not in the arcade. 

Not in the food stall. 

It was easy enough to look for him, as the crowd was emptying up fast, lights shutting down and shops closing. But he wasn't there. 

Sam kept seeing his dejected face. He'd clearly hurt Oliver, even though he never had wanted to. 

Sam was a tool. 

Not in the skating rink either- which was Sam's last hope. 

Sam swallowed miserably, crumpling back against a pillar outside the giant wheel's booth. What had he done? Oliver would never guess the actual issue. 

Sam had probably looked disgusted at the entire prospect of Oliver liking him. He probably had even seemed mad, he realised, remembering the conversation. 

God, he'd never forget that face- like Oliver never expected anything better and was still trying to placate Sam from losing his shit. Which he had lost either way. 

The night sky was clear, a light breeze ruffling the banners and the sparkly paper that was still hung about. Plastic wrappers skittered across the mostly empty ground. 

"Hey kid, only a dollar for a ride. Going for the last time. Want in?" A man called from behind him: from the giant wheel booth. 

Sam shook his head, realising that the wheel was still running, although slowly. Even though there was no one on it. 

No… there was-

"You sure, kid? I'll make it stop for a bit up there, you can see the pretty city lights?" The man went on. 

It was Oliver up there, slowly descending. He looked straight ahead, frowning at nothing. The light reflected off his face, in a way that made him look like a marble statue. Sam's heart twinged at the sight. 

"Okay. One ride." Sam was already getting the last of his change out, and found himself standing there, waiting for the ride to stop. 

Oliver didn't seem to realise he had touched ground level, or that Sam was right there- too preoccupied with thoughts apparently- until Sam cleared his throat. 

Oliver flinched lightly and took Sam's form in, expression blank. 

"Hey." Sam said, wincing internally at himself. 

"Uh yeah. Sure." Oliver made to get out of his seat. "I was going home anyway-"

"No," Sam interrupted. "I mean. Can I join you? It's going up for the last time."

Oliver stared at Sam, as if he could hardly believe it. He probably thought Sam was messing with him. Which, fair. 

"Please." Sam added. "I need to talk."

Oliver didn't reply. One second. Two. Then he nodded slowly. 

Sam climbed onto the seat next to him, and secured himself in. The machinery groaned, and they started moving up slowly. 

Silence. 

It was beautiful- how empty and silent the fair was- a remnant of the happy times that had been. Peaceful. 

Sam's face though, was burning. At least his heart had slowed down considerably. He didn't look at Oliver when he spoke. "I'm truly incredibly really sorry."

Silence. And then, "Yeah. Me too. I shouldn't have just, blurted that out on you. That was incredibly dumb. I swear I didn't mean to-"

"Stop, Oliver-" 

"And obviously, that was weird. I'm just so-"

Sam looked up then, at Oliver's miserable face, and wanted to hug it better immediately. "Oliver. Stop. Stop hijacking my apology."

Oliver stopped in mid-sentence, barely meeting Sam's eyes. "I'm sorry I left you like that. I didn't have an answer."

Oliver let out a scoff at that. "You don't have to apologize for not liking someone back,"

"Will you just listen to me?" Sam snapped. "I didn't have an answer. Because I was -I was in denial, alright? I didn't know what I was feeling, or why I was feeling it, and I just wasn't ready. I was denial because- well, I just always thought you were so cool and -and perfect and that you'd never be friends with me, much less like me back," Sam confessed. "So I thought maybe all this was because of something else. Like a hallucination. Due to a potion. Or something."

The wheel had reached considerably high, and it shuddered, creaked, and stopped. The air was colder here, and oddly silent. Sam felt exposed, but he was fine with that for now. 

He met Oliver's gaze bravely. Oliver looked back. And then he frowned. "Like you back?"

Sam swallowed. "Yeah. Because. I like you too." He breathed out. "And that's a long story, and that involves a stupid misplaced potion that wasn't really swallowed, but I thought I had and therefore I thought I was only crushing so hard on you because of it, but that isn't the case."

"So you mean it? You're not-" Oliver had his eyebrows scrunched up in his usual cute way. "Not because you're under the effect of some potion?"

"No potion has been drunk." Sam confirmed. "And perhaps none of this would have happened had Ana been a little bit less of her usual wonky self and then maybe-" He stopped short as Oliver's mouth began to twist up on one side, almost breaking into one of those grins. 

It was bloody distracting. "My point is. I assure you I'm not under the influence of anything weird, and that yes, I do like you." Sam announced boldly. "You're a great person and I definitely want to know you more."

And the grin was back. 

Sam cringed internally at his own words. He sounded like he was making a public decree. Or giving his blessing or something. 

"Well, the feeling's definitely mutual." Oliver said, a teasing tone to his voice. "So you want to know me more,"

Sam was definitely blushing now. "Yeah." He answered, a grin threatening to break in his own face. "What I said."

"That means you'll just have to bear spending more time with me." Oliver nodded, faux-regretful. 

"It would appear so. Yes." Sam agreed. 

"Something we'll just have to do, I suppose." Oliver said. 

"Part of life," Sam teased back, looking out to the city spread far out below them, little twinkling lights. It was getting colder, but Sam couldn't be more comfortable. Oliver leaned toward him then, and Sam decided it was time to throw caution to the air, and fumbled to hold Oliver's hand- still not looking away from the lights in front- which Oliver squeezed back. 

They stayed there like that for some time, at least until the man at the booth decided it was time to close it all down.