The Hopeful, The Hardheaded and the Homework

Chapter Sixteen: Under the Surface : Olive

So I seem to be abandoning the chapter title theme lately. Oops.

Okay, there might just been the teeeeeeensiest bit of fluff in here for you. I'm not responsible for any cavities. I just wanted to get this out for your guys!

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Reading Enoch was like trying to master integral and differential calculus in an hour. He had his moments when he was so transparently bothered by something or someone, and then most of the time, he was the very definition of 'enigma'. One moment Enoch was scowling and sulking and the next his fingers were cool on her cheek and he was quite literally taking her breath away. It could have lasted forever and Olive would have been perfectly happy to just stay there. It was like both their confidence had increased by tenfold after just one kiss and her fingers drifted up to touch his cheeks which were still remarkably cool.

She felt giddy the moment Enoch moved away. That hadn't been the unsure, awkward little first kiss that had still very much made her head spin, but something more established and sure, albeit brief. But he was still frowning when she opened her eyes and it occurred to her suddenly that she'd never seen him happy. She'd seen his little smile, and his hard façade crack, had certainly seen him happier, but not really happy.

"What?" Her eyes widened and immediately possibilities flooded her mind why he should still be frowning. Did she kiss that awfully? Was he changing his mind before he'd even made it up yet? "Was that not...for what it's worth, I thought-"

Enoch grunted and rolled his eyes as he leaned away from her and touched his mouth with the back of his thumb, a subconscious little movement that made Olive blush. "Well I ain't got much ta compare it to, 'ave I? No, I'm just thinkin'."

"Oh, well...what about then?" Olive let out a breath of relief that it wasn't her, not that Enoch didn't always look like that anyway, and looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Don' bother. Nofin'."

Of course he wouldn't tell her. There was a lot more besides just a plain lack of care about school that had Enoch in so much trouble so regularly, of that Olive was certain, he was certainly intelligent enough to do well. He'd been bothered by something long before they'd started to get closer. Maybe one day he'd pull down that wall for her too. But she wasn't about to push her luck when something so shiny and new had the potential to start. Whatever she was to him.

"I should probably go...time went really fast. Thanks for helping me." She brushed her hands over her skirt to smooth the creases and pushed herself up to stand, smiling down at Enoch. His thoughtful frown had lessened back into his usual, impassive expression and she could feel his gaze following her as she turned to pack her paper and her books back into her bag.

"Yeah, probably. Can't put this off forever."

Olive spun around to face him again, her eyes alight with happiness. Was he talking about her? Or specifically, them? Enoch was standing again and had taken a few steps towards the door as she pulled her bag over her shoulder. "Put...what off?" She asked, crossing her toes inside her shoes so as not to be too obvious, that he meant properly asking her out.
Then her big mouth and optimism got the better of her and at the same moment Enoch opened his mouth to answer her, she blurted out a "I'd love to."

Enoch looked at her like she was crazy and Olive's eyes bulged at her slip of the tongue.

"...I mean the "Get ya act together or we'll ship ya ta military school' talk. What are you talkin' 'bout?"