The Best Years: Year One, Part Two

Chapter Fourty-Seven

We were both on edge waiting for our missing people to suddenly appear catching us off guard. I had been staying over at Oliver's for the past week. It wasn't a conscious decision that we discussed in length before execution.

We were both avoiding being caught off guard, mutually distracting each other and him staying at my dorm was never going to happen. He wouldn't likely trade in a guest house for a small dorm with one window. Even his room at the Frat was twice the size.

Every morning we stopped at the coffee house before heading to campus. He'd firmly hold my hand between us or even let his arm rest along my shoulders. I would always examine his face for discomfort considering every girl he walked by did a double take.

It was strange how comfortable I was being this content, even happy. We went from being secret to arguing over labels to a full blown couple with no signs of a rocky transition. It felt natural, easy even.

Every morning I would bring up going back to my dorm just for him to exceed my hopes in throwing out the idea. Neither of us were ready to step outside our bubble of new couple bliss. Stepping outside this bubble meant facing all the drama of Elizabeth, Jade, our friends. We strategically avoided them all successfully for days. Between his paranoia and my stealth it was easy.

Elizabeth must of dropped the class we had together because I stopped seeing her. She could have skipped but four days in a row?

We were on route to stop for coffee as I read my text book in the car, the physical book, not the electronic stopping me from flipping the page myself. I had a huge examine in another class after lecture with Oliver. I was prepared but exams always crawled under my skin eating away at my nerves.

He offered to just go in, fetching the coffee. I refused to stop being independent despite the overwhelming calm I felt being his. I got out of the car mentally memorizing what I just read.

We walked in standing next in line when I heard a laugh that registered as familiar.

Elizabeth.

I looked at Oliver and he heard the same thing. I watched him scan the room in preparation as I ordered our coffees. Thankfully the pick up was tucked away, out of the main line of sight, so we thought.

Elizabeth looks fresh faced and not baring any weight of what happened when she almost skipped over to us. She placed her empty mug on the counter for the barista to take back smiling at us both.

"Morning love bugs! How exam week going?"

Oliver looked bewildered like this wasn't Elizabeth but some evil version taking over her body.

"Elizabeth," was all he said. She halted, her worry free expression fading. He asked me to wait for the coffees as his fingers laced around her arm dragging her away from the pick up down the hallway further tucked away. I shifted trying to hear better.

"How many coffees have you had? Or should I say the "helper" you take every time we have exams."

Elizabeth yanked her arm back offended by his question. I watched him forcing her to face him as he asked again. She laughed, "I don't need help acing some exams, Oliver."

"It's 6 AM and you're wired, already at the coffee shop, and acting like some fucking robot. We didn't work out but it doesn't trump how well I know you."

She turned around to storm off, stopping herself mid motion to turn back towards him. "It's none of your business how I ace exams. You aren't my boyfriend, Oliver. Go back to miss goody two shoes and the corruption of her soul."

Was she suggesting he corrupted her? In comparison I wouldn't categorize us the same breed of "good girl".

I held our coffees watching him stop her from walking off. I doubted anyone spoke to him like that willingly.