The Hopeful, The Hardheaded and the Homework

Chapter Seventeen: Confessions and Courage : Enoch

Enoch was caught between a rock and a hard place. Though admittedly, there were a lot worse problems to have. It wasn't that he didn't want any kind of relationship with Olive per se, he meant exactly what he said, who knew why he'd said it, he didn't know why she would have even wanted him. He didn't exactly try to be likeable. No, it wasn't that he thought she'd say no or that he didn't like the idea of knowing that he could call her his girlfriend. He just didn't know how to tell her.

So when she said he was his if he'd have her, Enoch froze and stared at her. He could actually feel his heart beat, seemingly unnaturally loud in the silence between them and his pride swelled just that little bit.
He hated the thought of anyone else getting to be with her, or thinking that they were good enough to have a chance. He had a possessive nature, he wasn't denying that, he wanted everyone to know that Olive was not an option, or someone they could get away with making fun of. If Olive hadn't actively been trying to stop him, he may have socked Golan or Bentham quite happily. But he wanted them to know that without thinking that Enoch actually cared for and about her. She was right, Olive was always right about him, when she said that he thought pretending not to care made things better. He still thought that. Only now he was less sure that he could have both.

Damn it all.

Perhaps it was strange, how much easier he found it to just kiss her to show her that he cared, than it was to try and say it. Saying it made it definite. He held her green eyes with his blue and swallowed. And then Olive suddenly moved, breaking the eye contact and looking down at her feet instead. She thought he wasn't going to say anything. He could see it in the way the corners of her mouth fell just a little bit, and heard it in her voice as she tossed her ginger hair over her shoulder.

"Alright, well, when you make up your mind, Enoch."

She turned, and immediately, Enoch moved too. He shot out his hand to reach for her wrist and caught her fingers instead before she could go more than a few steps. "Olive, wait."

It was the first time he'd reached for her instead, and hadn't shied away from touching her hand and he dropped her fingers as soon as she turned back to him, the ever present hope still flickering behind her eyes as plain as ever.

"Yeah, alright? Yeah, I would. Now for the love'a all fings good, don' make me say it again." He could feel the blood rushing to his face and colouring his pale skin as he tried to come across a good deal more confident than he felt.

Olive's smile seemed to go on forever as she beamed so happily it was all Enoch could do to not stare. Yes, he wanted to be the only one to get to see her smile quite so brightly but did have to say it out loud?

Then before he knew what was happening, she had hopped up on her toes and kissed him full on the mouth in the otherwise empty school corridor. He was so caught off guard by it that when Olive stepped back, her skin so red it clashed violently with her hair, he was still staring wide eyed at her like she had momentarily gone mad.

"Bloody 'ell..."

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have just done that. But...no one was around and..." Olive trailed off, still smiling almost giddily, Enoch thought before he looked over his shoulder to be sure that they had in fact been alone. There was happy, and then there was daring to kiss Enoch during school where someone might see and he would close up immediately-happy.

"I 'ardly even said nofin'..."

"It was plenty enough, Enoch."

xxxXxxx

It was as though the elephant in the room that had filled the space between them whenever Enoch and Olive were left alone, had finally vanished. More or less. Gone was the awkward need for a conversation Enoch had never wanted to have about whatever the hell they were to each other. While outwardly, little changed, save perhaps the proximity in which they sat sometimes, it was like an enormous weight had been lifted off Enoch's chest. At least one of the weights but that was all he was inclined to deal with at once.