The Hopeful, The Hardheaded and the Homework

Chapter Eighteen: Are We Still "Just" Friends Or What? : Olive

Olive's heart pounded hard in her chest as she sat on one of the benches in the centre of the outdoor mall around a large display of lit up reindeer that always appeared around the middle of November in the same spot. She was early, and certainly hadn't expected Enoch to be and the mall was busy to say the least. All around milled couples and groups and families out to spend a Saturday night or do their Christmas shopping. She tugged at the fingers of her black gloves and wrung her hands together nervously in her lap. They'd agreed to meet there at a quarter to seven, and she was still ten minutes early having been so keen not to be late she'd left far too early.

Enoch had suggested it yesterday, and when he had, Olive had been so surprised she'd actually dropped her phone. Was it a date? She thought so, it was certainly as close to asking her out as Enoch was going to get and she was definitely going to take it. When she'd told her parents, she had practically whispered the word, which had not gone unnoticed and promptly been given a curfew of eleven at the latest to be home.

Olive toyed with one of the large wooden buttons on her pale pink coat and tapped her ankle boots on the pavement. The thought of Enoch changing his mind had crossed hers for a moment before she'd dismissed it. As much as she knew he disliked social activity, she didn't think he would cancel on her at the last minute and not tell her anything. Then just as she looked down at her phone and clicked the screen on, she heard close footsteps and looked up beaming as she saw him.

Enoch was almost entirely in black, from his jeans to the warm jacket zipped up to the middle of his chest and was such a direct contrast to his skin it made his face look even paler. The curls that usually fell over his forehead had blown back in the breeze in a very attractive way that made Olive turn slightly pink when she realised she was staring at his hair. To be fair, she could hardly help it.

"Hi!" She hopped up to her feet as he slightly between a couple and their squealing children and a bespectacled man in a beanie and scarf towards her.

He freed a hand from his pocket to wave half-heartedly at her and she blushed a little as she caught his blue eyes flick up and down her as he stepped over to stand in front of her. How long would it be before she could confidently kiss him hello without being afraid he would push her away. Alone was one thing, in front of a mall full of people was quite another.

"Shall we get goin' then?" Enoch's greetings also needed work but Olive didn't mind. This was probably so far out of his comfort zone he might as well be on another planet.
She fell into step beside him as they started down the mall towards the movie theatre.

"Were your parents surprised you're going out? You said you prefer to spend the weekends inside."

Enoch scoffed and she caught his eye as he looked sideways at her. "Well...got me outta 'omework. Mum guessed 'oo the friend was I was wiv."

Olive loved his accent, she could easily get lost in his voice when he spoke more than a few sentences, both out of deciphering the Cockney, and because it was Enoch. But he'd said friend. He hadn't said date. Did she expect him to? She probably shouldn't have, even if he had admitted he did want her around. She was always going to be his anyway.

"You didn't tell them it was me?"

"Didn' 'ave to. They just fink it'll do me good ta be social. I don' necessarily agree..." Enoch shrugged and the moment they walked into the crowded theatre, full on a Saturday evening, Olive practically felt him tense up. It was probably one thing to be used to a crowded school, and another to willingly put himself into this environment when anyone who looked at a young boy and girl out together would probably assume it was a date.