KILL YOUR DARLINGS ✸ Saltburn

𝒙𝒊𝒗. bouquet of secrets

𖤐 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑬𝑵:
╰┈➤ bouquet of secrets ༉‧₊˚.

MEREDITH WAS AWOKEN BY SOMETHING—someone sitting on top of her.

The yellow eye mask shielding Meredith's eyes from the sunlight was pulled off of her and with a groggy groan, she could see a blurry image of what appeared to be Venetia.

She had her legs on either side of Meredith and was very noticeably on edge.

She still had eyeliner smudged and rimmed around her blue eyes and it was quite obvious that she hadn't yet slept. Even though the alarm clock read 5:01 AM.

"What?" Meredith croaked out, hands instinctively going to rub her eyes. "What's happened?"

"I slept with Oliver." She admits abruptly.

Meredith's eyes widened so far she was afraid they were bulging out of her head. "What?"

Somehow, the reckless blonde had both guilt and pride in her features.

"You... slept with Oliver?" Meredith asked once more, trying to get both confirmation but also to make sure that's actually what Venetia said, because surely, there's no way she's slept with Oliver so soon.

She nodded, tucking her bottom lip in between her teeth.

Meredith nearly laughed, but she somehow contained it. "Felix is going to kill the both of you."

Venetia sat at the edge of the bed after swatting at her friend. "It's not funny! I feel so guilty, Mere."

The curly-haired girl furrowed her brows together with confusion. "Why?"

Venetia lowered her head, appearing as though she'd been keeping a secret to someone but didn't want to break it open and spread it.

"Well?" Meredith asked once more, eager with anticipation.

"Felix said there might have been something going on between you and Oliver." She said, finally, nearly almost frowning now.

Meredith almost snorted. "Me and Oliver?"

She nodded. "He said Oliver had some sort of crush on you or something."

The image of Felix confiding in his sister with his jealousy for his best mate liking Meredith was something she could picture entirely.

"Well, there's nothing between me and Oliver, so," Meredith kissed her teeth, the palms of her hands patting against her thighs. "Go for it."

Venetia raised her head, looking like a child who's just been told they could spend the night at their friend's house. "Really?"

Meredith nodded. "Why the hell not?"

Surprisingly enough, Venetia reached over and slung her arms around the Archibald girl. She pressed a kiss to her cheek as the two tumbled backward into the pile of pillow at the headboard of her bed, both grinning.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She repeated over and over and honestly, it was quite adorable to Meredith how the girl was so interested in Oliver.

Oliver was quiet, reserved—intelligent. Venetia was one of the wittiest people Meredith had met, though, she'd been a party girl and always seemed to get her heart broken.

Maybe Oliver would be good for a girl like Venetia.

After a few moments of quick silence, Meredith couldn't help the smile spreading across her face, sitting up. "Well, was it alright, then?"

A wicked grin played out on Venetia's face, giving Meredith her answer entirely and earning a squirm from both of the two girls.

"My God, you work fast!" Meredith beamed with utter disbelief.

For the longest time, since Felix and Meredith started hanging out in Secondary School, Meredith had earned a best friend too—Venetia.

Meredith's laughs came to an end but she kept the grin on her face. "Have you told Felix yet?"

"He's my next stop." She shook her head.

Meredith sighed—the only noise she could make without laughing out. "Well, today should be interesting then, hmm?"