Crazy About You - Lydia Martin

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Oliver wished he could do something more fancy to make up for missing Lydia's birthday party than take her to dinner in a small diner on the outskirts of town. But ever since his parents left, money was tight. Sofía tried her hardest to cover up their struggle, but Oliver was always too curious for his own good - one of the reasons he and Stiles got along so well - and found out when he was about twelve and accidentally "stumbled" upon the bill notices hidden in the drawer in her bedroom.

He was inconsolable for days, and Sofía never knew why. She comforted him and took him out to eat, which of course made it worse because they couldn't afford it. Oliver wouldn't tell her what was wrong, and when he was perfectly fine a couple of days later, Sofía slowly forgot it ever happened, figuring it had something to do with teenage hormones.

Since that day, Oliver swore to change, to be better than before. He helped out as much as he could between school and lacrosse and ceased his complaining entirely. It was strange for Sofía to witness her brother change everything about himself in a matter of days. All of a sudden, he was far more mature than others his age, at least when it came to stuff regarding their home life. Sure, he was still a reckless teenager. But he was also aware of everything that went on regarding bills and the cost of groceries.

Which is why he never dared to ask Sofía for money. Not even when he really needed it. Eventually, he explained everything to Gabriela to ensure she wasn't left in the dark about expenses and other important stuff. But things also got better money-wise. Sofía was hired at the station and got promotion after promotion during her years working for Noah. In four years she went from a mere assistant to his top deputy.

Oliver and Gabriela grew content with not buying unnecessary expensive stuff. Instead of shopping for high-end designers, Gabriela found a hobby in thrifting. And Oliver, whose only skill for a while was lacrosse, bought his stuff used and cheap from his friends once they got new equipment from their parents.

A diner wasn't what Lydia had expected when Oliver asked to take her out, but she certainly wasn't complaining. She'd done the whole fancy restaurant thing more times than she could count when she was with Jackson. Sure, there was nothing wrong with old school, but it was nice to switch things up once in a while. Besides, Lydia was fairly confident that she would be happy just about anywhere as long as it was with Oliver by her side.

Lydia could easily tell that something was troubling Oliver. Searching his eyes for an indicator as to what it is, she seized his hand that lies limp on the table to grasp his attention. Pulled from his thoughts, he flickered his eyes over to land upon her, his features softening in an instant and his lips pulled into a charming smile that left her heart beating quicker than before.

"What's on your mind?" she queried, a hint of curiosity twinged in her voice. The greens of her eyes sparkled when the moon cast its glow across her face through the window to her left.

Oliver pretended not to notice the fry she took off his plate in the middle of his reply. "Nothing important. I promise." before leaning back in his seat, relaxing his straining muscles, he lifted her hand and placed a delicate kiss on the back of it.

The effect this type of behavior had on her was evident in the way her heart accelerated and her cheeks flushed red. The butterflies in her stomach were jittery and her skin tingled. Thinking back, Lydia wasn't sure Jackson ever evoked these kinds of feelings from her. It excited her.

"I have something for you, by the way," Oliver said, catching Lydia's attention that had unintentionally wandered elsewhere.

Interest peaked once more, she smiled and leaned forward in her seat, probing her elbows up on the table to lean her chin against her palms. "What is it?" she asked, tilting her head to watch as he pulled a silver gift bag from seemingly nowhere.