SAVING ACE

seven

s e v e n

Olivia Rose Spencer

"Don't keep your brother waiting any longer, I'll be fine," I tried to convince Phoebe to leave.

"Are you sure? I could stay a little bit more."

"Go on, don't be stubborn."

Phoebe said her goodbyes to me with a hug and I made my way back to the couch where I laid down. Since the goddamn paper that I got from Toby, I had been with a terrible headache that didn't seem to go away with anything. It was like there were people hammering the insides of my head.

"Olivia, are you sure you don't want to eat?" Ace asked from the kitchen.

"No, Ace, I'm fine."

"Not even the cookie dough ice cream that I found sitting in the fridge?"

Ace appeared in the doorway, holding two tubs of ice cream, and with a huge smile displaying his white teeth.

"Well, maybe that, yeah."

My roommate gave me a tub of ice cream as well as a spoon before plopping down on an armchair opposite to the sofa where I was lying.

"You don't have to be here with me, Ace. I know I'm not the best person to be around at the moment."

"I want to be here," after a few moments of silence he continued, "Do you want to play twenty questions? We don't really know much about each other."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead."

"What's your favourite band?"

"Uh... I really like Arctic Monkeys and The Neighbourhood. Also, Halsey is a favourite of mine. What about yours?"

"Arctic Monkeys are also my favourite. I also really like Panic! At the Disco and The Neighbourhood, yeah. Favourite colour?"

"Red. Do you have any siblings?"

"I've got a younger sister, she's 16 and her name is Daisy. I told you about her earlier, didn't I?" I nodded and he continued. "I also have an older brother but we don't talk much. You only have a brother?"

"Yeah, he's ten, his name is Oliver. Why are you living here, Scott?"

"I have been quarrelling my brother for a long time and he brought someone I didn't want to see to live in our family home. We got into a fight and my father kicked me out. Where do your parents live, Livvie?"

"They moved to San Jose after I graduated since I was already living alone at that point."

"You were living alone?"

"It's my turn to ask you a question, Acey," I gave him a sheepish smile. "What are you studying?"

"Legal Studies in Berkeley. You were living alone?"

"My parents forced me to move out when I turned eighteen."

"But why?"

"They want us to be as independent as possible. That's why I raised my brother almost on my own since I was nine years old. That's also why my father never went to my graduation since he believed it wasn't that important for him to be there."

"Shit, Livvie, I'm sorry, that's terrible." when he noticed that I was pressing my fingers to my head he asked. "Does... does anything hurt?"

"Just my head, otherwise, I'm fine."

"Do you want me to give you a massage?"

"Sure, thank you, Ace."

He got up from the armchair where he was sitting and sat near my head. Ace had such a calming aura, I couldn't describe it. And I felt I could share a little bit more of myself when I was around him. I felt like I could let go of myself when I was with him, I didn't fear him nor nothing, when I was with him. I closed my eyes as soon as I felt his fingers running through my hair and his fingertips were pressing in my temples, moving small circles around. I fell asleep in moments.