Duplicitous (F.C)

Operation Saltburn

"Only a few more weeks in this hell hole." I say to myself before lighting my cigarette, taking in the lake before me. My mind seemed to be in a fog since the breakfast at the cottage, how I got through mid-terms is a miracle that should be studied. As I recall the day, all I can remember is me writing my name in a curved scripture, instead of my usual cursive that would be almost unreadable to the current generation.

I resented the girl I've become every time I catch my reflection in the mirror. My bright eyes had turned dark, remnants of mascara and eyeliner from nights I have no recollection of seemed to compliment them. My almost modest casual style turned to me wearing belly shirts that showed off my figure, low-rise jeans, and what used to be my pristine Converse. Slowly but surely I was becoming everything that Felix had a distaste for. It was mostly the reason he could never commit to Annabel, whom I've become closer to during Felix and I's time apart. No one can resist a good ole trauma bonding.

       "Mind if I join?" My heart skips a beat when I hear his voice. "To an extent." My back stays turned to him. "We don't have to talk, just having this... it's all I need." Subconsciously, my body moves close enough to feel his body heat. "My mum finally painted the shed at the cottage." Memories of us volunteering to paint the shed flood into my mind. "Daytona Peach, she said it reminded her of our yearly vacation to the States. We'd bring a family picnic to the beach every time, and there would be peaches just for my sister and I. Mother couldn't stand the texture, and at the time my father hated anything that didn't taste of whiskey or steak."

A chuckle escapes my mouth as he continues to ramble. "Nasty habit that." He motions to the cigarette between my index and middle finger. "Each one of those shortens your life by 11 minutes." He takes a seat on the banister, taking the cancer stick away from my lips. "I can think of plenty of other things that have wasted 11 minutes of my life that I'll never get back." I go to snatch my property back, but he catches my wrist before throwing it into the lake.

The two of us lock eyes for the first time in a month. Although we've seen each other in passing during the past month, a look of surprise washes over his face as he takes in my features. His frame seemed slightly smaller since the last time I saw him, and small discolored circles begin to form underneath his eyes. "I'm sorry." We say in unison, which we would normally find hilarious.

"The moment I heard your voice through the door, it made me realize how wrong I was about what I said to you while we were away." I've lived the tale of distance makes the heart grow fonder. "You've plagued my mind since the moment I met you, and this past month without you has been hell." He nods in agreement. "I don't wanna live in a world where you and I don't exist together." Something about him was different from all the other guys I've dated. "You're right, and I hate to admit it"

"I've seen people fall in love, and I've seen the amount of pain when having to pick up the pieces." I face him. "I've guarded myself this long, but the truth is, hearing you on the other side of that door... it pained me a lot more than forcing myself to get over you." Felix pulls me into his arms. "I'd rather ruin myself over and over, than to see you like that Felix." His embrace grows tighter to comfort me, my tears falling onto his arm. "I hope that you can accept my apology."

"I could never be mad at you, C." He continues to comfort me. "I'll always be yours, as long as there's air in my lungs  and color in my face; after that, I vow to find you in every lifetime that we get to exist in together." As I glance up at him, his hands that were wrapped around my  back, wipe the tears that had fallen down my cheeks. "You really are something special, Felix Catton." He chuckles. "I'm not all to credit, professor Blake had us read poetry in our free-time."

"Statement redacted." We both fall into a fit of laughter. "I've missed this." The smile still lingers on my lips. "It's yours, whenever you're ready." Resting my head against his chest, I vocally hum. This is a moment I could relive forever, and one I would hold onto the feeling of for decades to come. "Can I be honest with you, Felix?" He hums. "The reason I ran is because... I think I'm starting to fall in love with you." It didn't seem as scary as I thought it would be, at least not with him. "Can I be honest with you?" I look up at him and nod. "I'm already in love with you, Calliope Mae." Maybe a couple more weeks here wouldn't be that bad.

Oliver Quick's point of view

The discourse between Calliope and Felix had kept my plan in fact, but I found myself feeling guilty for putting the seed in Felix's head. It pained me to see how it affected Calliope, but it shouldn't. Operation Saltburn didn't have Calliope Sinclair in the picture, but Oxford felt gray without her bright smile and her snarky, yet comical remarks towards bystanders and her friends. My conversations with Felix didn't seem as fascinating anymore.

"Something on your mind Ollie." Felix pokes my cheek to gather my attention. "Just a lot going on at home at the moment." He furrows his brows. "So the mysterious boy from the country does have a story?" I shy away from his presence. "It's not something I really like to speak on." Calliope's modesty in conversations always made me hang on to every word, not giving me time to ponder if any of it has been real. "Don't be shy now, Oliver." It's your turn to shine, Quick. "What's there not to tell." A sigh escapes my lips.

"My mother and father never had the greatest home life; parents were never around, my great nan raised my mother, and my father was in and out of foster care." The look of pity rests on Felix's face. "The apple didn't fall too far from the tree when it came to mum and dad." He was hanging onto every. single. word. "Naturally being in and out of the system you're always looking for some kind of escape; something to take your mind off of if your parents ever truly cared enough to have you."

"So then he resorted to drugs, and then came along my angst teenage mother whose family had a plethora of mental health issues, looking for a way to rebel in anyway possible." I sigh. "That is how Harry met Sally." Felix nods.  "Any siblings?" None worth mentioning. "Guess my mom and dad did the council a favor by not producing more than one child." Felix's blackberry vibrated on the table, Callie's name displays across the screen. He reaches for it as if it was an emergency. "So you beckon to her calls now?" I nod to the vibrating blackberry on the cherry stained table. "Is she the old friend you caught up with." He pauses before decline the call.

"Don't stop on my accord." Felix lets out a sigh. "birds over your mates, not cool Felix." He scoffs. "You coaxed me into trying again with Calliope, why the cold shoulder, Oliver?" A dry laugh escapes my mouth. "We're having a sentimental chat about my life, and you're about to accept a phone call from the girl who broke your heart out of nowhere; I've bloody earned pissed." He didn't know I happened to be the reason why, but that's neither here nor there. "Oh, piss off, Ollie." Felix goes to stand up. "It's not like that and you know it." I stand up as well. "Then prove me wrong and stay." He thinks about it for a moment and then gathers his belongings. "I just don't think we're gonna work out as friends." My own plan backfired on me.