Gallery of Hearts

Chapter 9

We sit and cuddle each other on the couch while talking about everything and anything that came to mind. I opened up about my parents - how they fought, divorced, and moved to different states. I mentioned how Hannah's family practically took me in as their own throughout the whole thing. Throughout the whole conversation, he never took his arm off me. We stayed intertwined with each other whole time. Eventually the conversation died down and we just sat together in our own thoughts, basking in the peace and quiet. I put my head on his shoulder and he held me close. Within a few seconds, I drifted off to sleep. 

♡

I woke up to the soft morning light, my head still on Oliver's shoulder and his arm still around me. He's breathing was steady and relaxing. I shift slightly and feel him stir beneath me. His arm tightens and drags me closer. He slowly started to wake up as I looked at him. His eyes met mine.

"Good morning," he murmured, his voice rough and tired. 

"Good morning," I whisper back as a smile forms on my face. He brushes a strand of hair off my face and rests his hand on my leg. His thumb instinctively draws circles on my knee. "I'm glad you're here," I confess to him.

"I am too." I fall back into his embrace. In this moment, I promised myself I would spend so much more time with Oliver like this. 

We get up and get ourselves somewhat decent. I let him use my shower.

"I'm sorry I don't have clothes you can borrow. You'll just have to put your suit back on."

"It's not a problem," he says in a sincere tone. I've never seen him in casual clothes now that I think about it - he's always dressed nice. I use the shower after him and change into a short summer dress. When I come out of the bathroom, I see Oliver sitting on the floor playing with Sunny.

"He likes you," I comment with a smile.

"I like him," Oliver responds without even looking at me. All his focus is on Sunny. I leave to put on some light makeup and when I re-enter the room, the two of them are cuddling on the couch. 

"Anyway, I have to pick up a few frames from the art supply store for my exhibit."

"I'll be out of your way. I've got some chores to do myself," he says as he stands up and Sunny jumps down to the floor.

"But I want to see you again," I say walking over to him and putting my hands on his shoulders. Oliver looks down at me with a small smile.

"I want to see you too." He puts a kiss on my forehead and starts walking to the door, letting his hand linger on mine before letting go. "I'll text you." He winks at me and leaves, closing the door behind him. I feel myself melt thinking about him. I gather my things and head to the store, the morning sun warm on my face and the streets filled with people. No matter what I do, my mind keeps drifting back to Oliver. His smile and his warm touch. 

At the store, I carefully examine each frame to see which one will look best with my paintings. I finally settle on one and pick up a few of them. With the frames secured and paid for, I head back home. I arrange my paintings with the frames and put everything together. I can't wait to set everything up and show my art to the world. I pick up my phone and decide to call Hannah. I've been missing her even more than usual since I got to see her in person. She picks up the phone and we chat for a few hours as the sun starts to fall in the sky and cast a warm glow through my window. I fill her in on my date with Oliver, how we painted together and how I fell asleep on him. She giggles with me and seems genuinely excited for me. She also apologizes about seating me with Liam. 

"If I knew about Oliver, I wouldn't have been so stern about having you two next to each other. Adam thought I was nuts since I didn't tell him about my idea."

"I knowwww. I'm so sorry. Liam was super nice so it was okay in the long run. I wanted to update you about Oliver but it was so unexpected."

"I totally get it. He sounds amazing and perfect for you, Ivy. I can't wait to meet him," she says and I laugh. 

"Soon. You need to come out to New York now." 

As we continue our conversation I get a text from Oliver.

Oliver: Miss you 

I smile and feel my heart skip a beat. Suddenly I'm pulled back to the present by Hannah's voice over the phone.

"Ivy?"

"Sorry what did you say?"

"Is he texting you?" I can hear her smile based on her tone. 

"Maybe..."

"Go talk to him! We'll call later. Love you."

We hang up the phone and I go answer Oliver. 

Me: I miss you too. Come over? We can cook dinner together. 

Sunny comes up to me in hopes of finding a comfortable spot. I pet him as we walks in circles until he finally settles in my lap. 

Oliver: I'm on my way.

I smile and apologize to Sunny before moving him to the side so I can get ready. I touch up my hair and my makeup, put on another short summer dress, and go through my cabinets to see what we could make. I come up with some pasta dish. I grab a few candles and light them around the kitchen and on the dining table. I'm not waiting too long when I hear a knock on my door. I race to grab the handle and open it. Oliver stands tall in the doorway. I grab his arm and pull him inside, closing the door after him. He grabs my waist and leans down for a kiss. I don't even want to make dinner. I want to spend the rest of the night with him exactly like this. I break away from the kiss. 

"I thought we could do pasta."

"I may have some experience with that."

"What can't you do?" I ask. I don't think there's anything Oliver Grant is bad at. He laughs but doesn't answer. He knows he's good at everything. 

"Let's get started," he directs as he rolls up his sleeves. We start to prepare the vegetables and the sauce. We let the water boil and wait for the pasta to cook. Once dinner is ready, we sit across from each other and talk about our day. It doesn't matter what Oliver is saying, I always want to hear him. He catches my attention so quickly, I'd have a hard time not giving it to him. We chat and laugh for over an hour.

"I actually tried a bit of painting when I got home this morning." I almost jump out my seat.

"You're painting again?" I ask excitedly, my eyes wide. 

"Just trying it. I kind of liked where it was going. Only because I had some inspiration from the night before."

"That's amazing!" I'm so happy for him. 

Once we finish our food, we move back to the kitchen to clean up. I wash the plates and other kitchen utensils and Oliver dries. We both finish and I rinse the sink down to get rid of any left over soap or food. Oliver comes behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. His breath is warm against my neck. I turn the sink off and turn around to face him, his hands now on the counter, leaning close to my face. 

"This was nice," I say softly with a smile.

"It was," he smiles back. My eyes drift from his eyes to his lips and back. I see his smile widen and he leans in closer, taking everything in before brushing his lips against mine. We stand there lost in each other, the outside world becoming nonexistent. Oliver deepens the kiss by putting his hand on my back and pulling me in until there's no space left between us. We take a breath and Oliver rests his head on my forehead, looking into my eyes. "We should do this more," he murmurs in a joking tone.

"I would like that." His fingers trail down my arm and back to their original spot on the counter. I can't help myself from leaning back in for another kiss and Oliver meets me halfway.  As we break apart, we remain close, looking at each other. 

"What are you doing to me, Bennett?" he sighs as he searches my face for an answer. 

"The same thing you're doing to me," I whisper, just barely audible.