Secrets | Watty Awards Winner 2013

Chapter 25

Ari’s P.O.V

The food must have been drugged because I am unable to move my arms and legs as Richard ties me to the chair again. Opposite me, Ollie is screaming at Richard, his eyes flickering between me and the man. His face is contorted with rage and the veins in his neck bulge. I frown, trying to process the reason behind his rage. I strain my ears to hear him but the only sound I can register is the blood thundering in my ears. The noise is deafening and drowns out everything else. I vaguely hear someone’s footsteps before a door slamming shut.

I look around the room, trying to clear my senses but everything is so hazy. The dim light bulb suddenly has a surreal glow that wasn’t there before and other items in the room seem to have a white halo around them.

“Ari!”

It’s the first word that finally snaps me back to reality and I focus on the intensity of Ollie’s tone. It keeps me from slipping back into my dream-like world.

“What did they pump into you?” Ollie’s eyes are focused and serious. “Ari, eyes here. Stop phasing out. I need you to concentrate.”

I try to. I really do. But all I can think about is how good-looking Ollie is. His honey-blonde hair is short but has grown longer so that it curls behind his ears. His brown eyes, although not half as mesmerising as Will’s blue-grey ones, have a certain quality in them that makes me feel as if I’m looking into two pools of milk chocolate. His physique and slight stubble on his jaw makes him look grown up but his eyes remind me of a little kid who’s begging his mother to let him buy that extra piece of candy at the shop.

“Did you know that you’re really good-looking?” I say and my speech is slurred. For a moment, Ollie’s too surprised to speak but I pretend not to notice as I keep speaking, “Why do you like me? My family is so weird. I’m so weird. Hey, what happened to that hot cheerleader you were going out with last year? What was her name? Emily? Emerald? No. It was Emmy. It was Emmy, wasn’t it? Emmy and Ollie sitting in a tree…” I giggle at my own immaturity. Whatever the hell they pumped into me, it was doing a fine job of making me lose my mind.

“Firstly, I’m glad you finally admitted how hot I am,” Ollie says slowly, a wry grin pulling at the corners of his lips. “Secondly, her name was Emmy but the only reason we went out was because our parents made us to. They thought I was spending too much time obsessing over you.”

‘But you were,” I say, frowning.

“That’s because I love you.”

Maybe it’s my drug-induced state speaking but the words, “I love you too,” tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them. For a second, I purse my lips then I say it again.

“Oliver Harrison Sullivan, I love you.”

I watch as a series of emotions passes over Ollie’s face. First it’s confusion, then disappointment then a mixture of excitement and happiness.

“You’re not in your right state of mind,” he says and even though his tone is neutral, he can’t hide the slight tremor in his voice.

“I don’t know,” I respond with a light shrug. “You know how the saying goes- a man who is drunk is far more honest than when he is sober.”

For several moments, Ollie doesn’t say anything but judging from the way his Adam’s apple bobs up and down, he looks on the verge of believing me. At least, I’ve done one thing right.

It’s probably the last thing I’ll do.

“They want to blow up this place,” I say.

“Who?”