Oblivion | Euronymous

8 - Church Bells

THE DAYS AFTER THE 'INCIDENT' AT HELVETE WERE TENSE. Ada mostly avoided Øystein, despite not having a good reason to do so. Øystein, noticing this, tried to make amends.

Eventually, one evening when he caught her alone in the den sitting and drawing he walked up to her and sat down beside her on the couch. "Let's go grab a kebab, hmm?" This offer seemed strange to her, but then Ada realized he probably wanted to explain himself and make amends between the two of them. Offering an olive branch of sorts. Plus, he was the band leader and needed to make sure all his 'subordinates' were under his control, which meant no avoiding him.

"Okay..." she said coldly and put her drawing supplies in her little bag and slung it over her shoulders. Little did he know she was drawing him. She already drew two portraits of him, one with and one without his corpse paint. She just couldn't get him out of her head.

They walked out of Helvete and began making their way to a Middle-Eastern shop that was about half an hour from them. The weather was mostly calm, except for the chilling Norwegian wind that made Ada shiver to her bones. Finally, they got to the shop and once they walked in, they were greeted by warm heaters. Ada visibly relaxed and walked over to a secluded table in the far corner. When she looked back she saw Euronymous already at the counter ordering them food. Thankfully he knew her well enough to know what food she preferred.

While waiting for him to return, Ada removed her bag and took out the drawing supplies. She wanted to finish the portrait of Øystein so she grabbed a pencil and began creating lines on the paper.

After a few minutes he came back to the table and the pair began waiting for their food. It was quiet between them for some time, none of them wanted to be the first to say something.

Ada continued drawing, the paper turned to herself so he'd not see, and Øystein sat in silence looking at her.

She noticed how he seemed more relaxed like he was trying to bridge the gap that had formed between them.

"About the other night," Øystein began, his voice low, "I wanted to apologise. I didn't handle it well."

Ada looked at him, surprised by his candidness. "You didn't do anything wrong," she said dismissively, though the memory of his seeming apathy still stung.

"I did, though," he insisted, meeting her eyes. "I shouldn't have let Varg push things that far. I'm not into that sort of... scene."

Ada felt a wave of relief wash over her, "So you didn't...erm... Do anything?" she trailed off, not knowing how to phrase it.

"No, of course not." He shook his head, "Varg insisted I stay, so did Ann-Marit but I argued with them for a few minutes before eventually I left." He stated quite calmly and casually.

Ada continued to sketch, her hand moving fluidly across the paper as she glanced up at Øystein every so often for reference. His presence was strangely comforting, and the tension between them seemed to be fading, replaced by a quiet understanding.

"I'm glad you didn't stay," she finally said, her voice soft but clear. "I don't think I could handle seeing you with someone else like that."

Øystein raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her confession. "Oh? And why is that?"

Ada hesitated, her pencil pausing mid-stroke. She felt the weight of his gaze on her, and for a moment, she considered brushing it off with a joke or a change of subject. But the truth was bubbling up inside her, and she knew she couldn't keep it in much longer.

"Because... I like you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "More than I probably should."

She risked a glance up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. Øystein's expression softened, and he leaned closer, his voice just as quiet as hers.