All We Do ↠ Bellamy Blake

chapter twenty-seven

'She let out a laugh,

And then she put her hand over her mouth,

Like she was angry at herself

For forgetting her sadness.'

Jonathan Safran Foer

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Smiling felt strange to Olivia – wrong even but she couldn't stop smiling as she sat at Kai's bedside, listening to him and her mother talk. They were talking about nothing in particular – likely to avoid the topic of the absent family member but being reunited was the happiest ending that the ground would probably ever allow them. Kai was laid down on a bed, her mother sat on a chair beside it whilst she was perched on the edge of the bed. He had a broken arm and a sprained leg, as well as some bruising and dehydration but he'd been pretty lucky with what he came out with.

"Mom, have you seen Olive do her tree climbing thing?" Kai asked, his eyes bright though she could see he was masking some pain in them. Their mom laughed slightly, shaking her head. "She can climb up a tree and like disappear into it like that," he clicked his finger for emphasis, "She went up a tree and like came down on the other side of the forest – I'm convinced she's got some squirrel in her ancestry."

Olivia released a shock laugh, nodding at Kai as she said to her mom, "Are you just gonna let him victimise me like this? He's a menace."

The other two just laughed at her reply, shaking their heads in response. Olivia couldn't help but to laugh slightly herself, biting her lip slightly to stop herself and remain pouting. Someone clearing their throat took their attention, Olivia's smile fading slightly as her eyes met Bellamy's. It wasn't that he made her unhappy but seeing him and his solemn expression reminded her of all the pain and hardship they were all currently facing. Her friends were trapped in a mountain and here she was giggling to herself.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Bellamy cleared his throat awkwardly.

"No, come on in," Kai gestured for him to enter further, "Mom, have you met my knight in shining armour just yet?"

"Only briefly," she smiled, looking over at Bellamy warmly. Olivia sat up, eyes following him as he came to stand beside her, his hand taking her own. He must have been nervous as he was holding on tightly. Her mother was pleased to see him though as she stood, pulling Bellamy into a hug. The surprised look on Bellamy's face made Olivia smile slightly. "Thank you," she told Bellamy, before pulling away, "For saving my children."

Bellamy shrugged sheepishly, "It was a team effort."

"I wasn't sure about you," her mother told him as she sat back down, "But you have my seal of approval now and I believe my husband would feel the same way."

"Thank you so much," Bellamy smiled at her, looking down at Olivia in surprise. She just shrugged at him.

"I won't be such an easy nut to crack though," Kai broke in, lightening the atmosphere that had begun to grow heavy. Olivia glared at him, sending him a look of warning. "Thanks for saving my life though I guess," he grinned sheepishly.

Scoffing, Bellamy just shook his head. The smile on his face quickly faded and he looked down at Olivia seriously. "We're leaving now, Oli," he told her.

Olivia nodded, "Okay, I'll be right there."

Lifting their intertwined fingers, Bellamy pressed a gentle kiss onto her hand before releasing it. "It was nice to see you guys again," he told her family before heading out of the door. Olivia watched him go for second, pushing herself to a stand quickly after.