Replay: Amnesia | BOOK 1

Chapter 7

There's a knock on Karika's door and you stare at it, unsure if you should answer or not. Karika hasn't come out of her room since saying that stuff about Chris and you finally had enough of your brain so you decided to start reading Chris's book. It was really good and you were so wrapped up in it that the knocking startled you beyond reasoning.

You get up and peer out the peep-hole in hopes it's someone you know. To your relief, you see Oliver standing outside. You unlock the door and open it up. He looks surprised to see you there, unable to meet your eyes as he takes a step backward.

"Oh, sorry," he says, his cheeks turning red. "I didn't realize..." he trails off. "Is Karika home?"

You nod. "She got home this morning and has been sleeping all day."

"Oh," he says in his quiet tone. "That explains why she hasn't been answering my texts or calls. Sometimes she spends all night in the shop and then falls asleep in the storage room. It gets really cold in there, so I get worried about her."

You nod, curious. Is he really not interested in her like that?

"Can you let me know when she wakes up?" He asks with a small uncomfortable smile. He picks at the cuffs of his jacket nervously as you feel your brows pull together. Why does it seem like he's stepping on eggshells around you? "Or—tell her to let me know. Her dad asked me to take care of her if anything ever happened to him and I want to keep that promise."

You nod. "Sure."

He looks down and wraps his arms around his midsection, keeping himself warm, his face suddenly turning stone-like, no emotions seeping through. "So, uh, you seemed to spend a long time with Chris yesterday."

You nod again, not sure why he's bringing that up. Maybe it's because they're all so close in the club.

"Yeah, we went bowling."

He gives you a sad smile, and that pain on your chest just above your heart returns. You rub it with your thumb to try and ease it. "Bowling's fun. Makes sense Chris would take you there. He loves it. We used to go all the time as a group, but we stopped going after Karika's dad's death. We even had a team name and everything, but we weren't official or anything..." he drifts off awkwardly, making you smile. His face is as red as his hair and he scuffs his shoe against the cement below. "Just... be careful of him. He gets attached super easily and takes things extremely serious." Oliver meets your eyes, that same stoniness reflected there. "I've seen him lose girls in his past because of how attached he gets and then he gets really depressed and throws himself into his books... He's a good guy, but... just be careful. If you like him, make sure you let him know, and that's the same if you don't. He falls hard and fast and that's dangerous sometimes."

You watch Oliver as that sense of confidence washes over him, just like it had when speaking with Karika in the storage room.

"Chris knows what he wants and he'll go and get it if he knows he can have it. If that's something you like..." He pauses, the wind ruffling his hair, making it even wilder than before. "Then be honest with him and he will never let you go."

Holding your gaze, he doesn't wane, and you place your hand on your chest, the organ beating loudly. You nod.

"Alright. Thank you."

He nods, moving his eyes away, his body language telling you the shy part of him has returned, and he begins to pick at his jacket again. He swallows and stands upright, shaking his head as he squeezes his eyes shut and opens them again.

You open your mouth, worried something about you has made him uncomfortable. "Are you—"

"You're welcome," he says, interrupting quietly. "Chris is a friend, but if he's seriously interested in you, I think it's fair you should know how he is when he gets around girls that are as... pretty... as..." he turns away, face beet-red as his jaw tightens and he frowns in frustration. "Um... I'm gonna go. Just let her know I was here, okay?"