Light the Way

Chapter Nineteen

Song for the chapter is Money Power Glory by Lana Del Ray

Spice warning - feel free to skip this one if it's not your thing, will be more plot development in the next couple chapters.

Enjoy!

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Coriolanus showed up on her doorstep, gifts in hand. A shit-eating grin plastered across his face knowing whatever time Tobias Greenwood had spent with her tonight would be his very last. He hoped the boy would savour it, as if it were his last meal. Confidence had fuelled him on the drive over, washing away any anxiety he first harboured. The worry of her rejecting him a long forgotten fear.

Olivia opened the door, sporting a grey zip-up hoodie and some matching sweat shorts, wearing a look of surprise across her face. She didn't think he'd actually show up. With her arms crossed against her chest, she moved over to let him in.

"Coriolanus, what is all of this?" She asked, genuinely worried he had fallen off the wagon. Maybe the fight with Festus caused some sort of damage to his brain. Showing up in the middle of the night with some large box. She wasn't the type to swoon over lavish gifts.

"It's easier if I just show you, Lumen. And well... If you listen." He said with a smile, eyes gleaming.

Confused and still angry, but a bit intrigued by his excitement, she led him into her room. 

It was late in the evening, the lights in her bedroom had been dimmed and he thought she might have been heading for bed, smiling at the idea that she chose to wait up for him after all. The moonlight streamed in through her window, casting some light over the two of them. He got to work unwrapping the package he was carrying and headed over to her desk. Setting the record player down and unwrapping the record, readying it all up like Pluribus had shown him. Moving the needle to the edge of the record, he started the song. A soft melody began to fill the room, and he turned to face her, leaning up against her desk.

"I totally messed up with you Olivia, the other day." He said to her, his voice smooth and sure. He'd practiced this part a few times, just to make sure he got the words right. He wouldn't be able to go back and change it. She just nodded in response, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm not trying to date you to get to your father. Or to just mess around with you." He said, searching her eyes for any kind of understanding. She softened a bit, still standing with her arms crossed, but she stepped forward, leaning in towards him.

"It's hard to tell Coriolanus. Words are just words, it's the actions behind them that tell me how you really feel." She spoke softly, staring at him. He nodded in agreement, begging for the space between them to get smaller and smaller.

"I know, I know. And I fucked up. I just thought that I didn't need to say it out loud to you. You just seemed to get me in a way that no one else really has before." He rushed out, the last part coming out much softer than he expected.

"What are you trying to say, Coriolanus?" She asked, stepping closer.

He was struggling with this last part – it never sounded good when he rehearsed it in his head. He hoped that the first bit would be enough, and his stomach started to churn again.

It's now or never.

"I'm trying to say that you've shown me you see me. Really see me. And I'm trying to show you that I see you too." He finished, closing the gap between them, and staring into her eyes. Just as the lyrics started to come through. Leaning his face into hers, searching for any kind of helpful emotion. Hoping he wasn't making an absolute fool of himself.