COLD HANDS• VOLTURI KINGS

CHAPTER SEVEN

Oliver ended up going to bed late, and when he awoke around noon, he felt as though he could actually appreciate the beauty of what he had been awarded. He found himself admiring the way sunlight streamed shamelessly into his room, the way it shimmered against everything it touched. The way it turned even the bleakest things into diamonds. A soft, sweet smelling breeze rustled his curtains and kissed his cheeks. The day had truly greeted him, it had never done that in Forks.

He showered, brushed his teeth, and dressed, all boring tasks that seemed less mind-numbing now that he had been given this new sense of enlightenment. After a breakfast of pancakes (as per his request) He received a text from his sister. He felt partially bad that he hadn’t reached out, but she left him with people she thought were monsters. He shouldn’t feel bad. It doesn’t matter if the Kings had revealed themselves to be significantly less beastly than he had anticipated. She had left him like the Cullens had left her.

Hey Oliver, how’s  Italy? We all miss you.

He stares at the text until it blurs on the screen. Then he replies.

Are you checking to see if I have died?

Bella doesn't respond.

In a desperate need for mood boost, sat in a corner of the library that the sunlight spills generously against, he calls Theo. Oliver figures that it's probably late in Forks; he can almost imagine the heavy rain pelting harshly against Theo's small window. It probably feels like a cage. Theo's voice is wide awake, chirpy even, when he answers, and it echoes around the library like a stream of fresh water. Perhaps it is the first sound of laughter these books have heard.

"Ollie, hi! How's it going?" He asks brightly, Oliver can hear rustling from the phone and can picture Theodore sitting up in bed with a boyish grin, dark curls sticking up messily. "It's going great! I just missed your voice," he jokes, already his face aches from smiling. Damn, he really did miss Theo, didn't he? The boy makes an exaggerated noise of flattery. "I knew you would, honestly Oliver you can't live without me," he says, laughing.

Oliver hums, "how many detentions have you got since I left?" Theo makes a sound of exaggerated offence. "Literally only four, and besides two of them were your fault." He defends. Oliver gasps, unnecessarily loud. "How?I've been living it up in Europe!"  He can practically hear Theo shrug and lay back down. "I forgot to hand in homework, it's your job to remind me.” That’s Theo logic, the best logic to live by.

Oliver smiles, "what about Angela? Surely she would've been all over that."
There's a silence and Theo mumbles something, too low for him to hear. "You gotta speak up, Theo!" He teases. The boy coughs, "Well, I told her that I could be mature and responsible without you, so she swore to not help me." He admits. Oliver laughs, "Oh my god, Theo! You can't live without me either." Theo sighs, overly loud. There's a sound of rustling papers and a soft hum of rain. “Seriously though, Ollie. When are you coming back?  Mike’s driving me insane!”

Oliver doesn’t know what to tell him, “I dunno, it’s amazing here, I  might stay forever” He jokes, moving to lay his head against the cold library table. “With what money? The diner pays you literal breadcrumbs.” He counters. Damn, the diner. Oliver had completely forgotten about that. He winced. He was definitely getting fired. “Unless you’ve found some Italian beauty to fund your adventure?” Theo’s voice has hushed to a whisper, as if he were discussing some scandalous secret. Oliver laughs into his hands. “Yup definitely, that’s what has happened.” He says sarcastically. He can feel his face growing hot from laughter. Oliver welcomed the feeling.

“Well I-” Theo starts, but a familiar voice calls his name. Theo sighs, there’s a sound of his head hitting his pillow. “Sorry, Mom’s making me clean the kitchen. Says if I want to give the dog a bath I should do it outside and not flood the kitchen by using the sink. Have fun with your wife.” He says, as if he had just spoken something entirely normal. Oliver chuckles,  “Will do, bye!”