Right - (boyxboy)

Chapter 9 - The More Things Change

"Hey Ryan, do you mind if I steal Will away from you for a minute?" a voice interjected as Will and Ryan continued to sit at the bar, completely lost in their own world together. 

Will had just been telling Ryan about the time he and Kimi had snuck into a Hollywood party, seeing which celebrities they could bump into, but his words had dried up in his mouth at the sound of that voice. 

"At least you had the decency to ask this time, Oliver," Ryan joked, not a hint of malice or spite in his voice as his face was full of smiles. Will couldn't see Oliver's face, but he was sure his own was probably a sickly shade of green and covered in a grimace. 

Will heard Oliver laugh awkwardly, no doubt still feeling the tiniest bit terrible for what happened back in high school. "Yeah, sorry about that," he even said, as Will heard him shuffle on the spot.

"All good, dude, that was 10 years ago," Ryan dismissed him with a simple hand wave, before hopping off the chair and announcing, "I should be off anyway, the wife's probably mad that we've been gone for two hours," as he gave Will the thumbs up and an encouraging smile, before heading back to the booth where the group of girls were still sat.

Will stayed quiet, not sure whether he should stay, or just leg it out of the bar so he'd never have to deal with this situation, now or ever again. He didn't get his chance to, however, when he heard Oliver sigh before coming around and into his view, sitting in the seat that Ryan had just vacated. 

"Hi," the blonde said softly. It almost felt like an anti-climax, that their ten years apart had led only to a soft 'hi', but Will wasn't sure what he'd expected. A fight, a scene, something big and grandiose, if their history together was anything to go by. 

Maybe they'd both just grown up since then? 

Or maybe that was what was to come, Will didn't know.

Oliver was the first to begin speaking when it was obvious that Will wasn't going to say anything back, saying, "I, uh, wasn't sure if I should've come over to say something or not, but I just thought that since it's been ten years, and y'know," only to groan in frustration for stumbling over his words. "I feel stupid."

"No, don't be," Will chimed in, a small smile on his face as he realised how happy he was to see the blonde once again. In the last ten years since he'd last seen him, Oliver hadn't changed much. He had less of a babyface now than he'd had in high school, his jawline more prominent and covered in a stubble that he'd once struggled to grow when they'd been dating. He was more built and muscly now also, not like a bodybuilder or anything, but he was no longer that lanky kid that Will remembered. "It's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you too," Oliver echoed, a smile growing on his face too as he saw the happiness in the dark brown of Will's eyes. "How's LA been treating you?"

Will was quiet for a moment as he chose his words carefully. He knew this wasn't as simple a question as it sounded. It was a  loaded one, filled with more questions and emotions that neither wanted to speak about just yet, and it all hinged on what Will was about to say. 

"There's been a lot of ups and downs, but that's all just part of life, isn't it?"

Oliver nodded in agreement, even if part of him disliked just how cryptic Will's answer was.

"And what about you, Ol?" Will asked, deciding to turn the focus onto the blonde and away from his life in LA. "What've you been doing with yourself for the last ten years?"

"I'm a lawyer now, actually," Oliver replied as he began to explain the admittedly boring corporate law that he was currently practicing. "I left Wynn Vale pretty much straight after we finished high school, y'know with Dad and all that, and just moved around to study and work. It's been pretty fun, seeing the world and seeing new places and stuff, but I thought it would be best if we moved back here for a little while, maybe something more stable for us, y'know," Oliver was saying with a small shrug, reflecting the uncertainty he felt about his decision.