You guys know the drill. Vote, comment, follow. Ily

OLIVER FLETCHER

PAST
APRIL 2019

"Oliver," Max's voice strains out as I grip onto his hand and look up at his blindfolded eyes. "I don't like this."

"That's the point of a surprise, silly." I shake my head towards him.

"Where are we going?" He huffs out impatiently.

"Just a couple more steps," I say as I push us into the glass door of the bar, my eyes clocking the group of people standing by the stairs.

"Oliver," he groans again.

"Shhhh will you," I say as I squeeze onto his hand.

I stop directly in front of his friends, all of them grinning back at me widely. "Okay," I say gently. "Take off the blindfold."

Max lowers his head and pulls off the mask that was covering his eyes. "Happy birthday Max!" They shout back at him and he blinks before grinning.

"What the hell?" He says in disbelief as his friends come over one by one to wish him for his birthday.

Max turns to me in surprise. "You said you wanted to do something fun," I tell him as I lean up onto my toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "So I decided to get all the people you care about in one room."

"Oliver, you're the best," he tells me as he catches our lips together in a sweet kiss. "Thank you."

"We're overdue shots!" I shout to him and he recoils like I slapped him.

"You and shots?" He says in surprise. I nod my head back to him. "Who are you and what have you done with Oliver?"

My eyes roll towards him with a playful smile on my face. "It's your birthday, of course we're going to celebrate." I tell him as I grab onto his hand and guide him over to the bar.

I order four tequila shots and Max gives me an unsure look but I brush it off. Pouring the salt onto our hands, clinking out glasses together before taking the salt, tequila and then the lemon.

My mouth burns with the taste of alcohol, shots and me didn't really mix. But for birthdays, that was an exception.

"To you," I say as I raise the second shot.

"To me." He grins before downing the tequila.

. . .

My eyesight was blurry by the time that the bar closed, swaying left, right and centre. Chatting endless amounts of shit to everyone that came for Max's birthday. We climb out of the taxi and into Max's university house with a couple of his flatmates.

His arm was wrapped around my torso, helping me into the house and up the stairs. Mumbling away inaudible words as he places me down onto his bed.

"I'm sorry," I slur as I let out a big sigh.

Max drops to his knees in front of me and smiles. "It's okay," he says as he begins to untie my shoes.

"It should b-be you getting drunk." I grumble out. "Not me."

His shoulders shrug as he pulls off one of my shoes. "Well I'd rather you get wasted than me, that way I can remember the night." He tells me.

"Are you mad?"

Max looks up at me as his expression drops, his fingers working to untie my right shoe without looking. "Of course I'm not," he says gently. "I like that you had a good time. I love it when you come out of your shell around me and my friends. Everyone loved you tonight."

I laugh shortly to myself and close my eyes for a brief moment, feeling slightly nauseous from the fact my head felt so dizzy. "Oh god," I mumble out as Max pulls off my other shoe.

"What?" He questions as he stands up to pull off my jacket, my body not being able to cooperate at all.

"The room is spinning," I sigh tragically.

Max chuckles softly. "It tends to do that when you drink a lot of tequila, especially in a row."

"How come you're not as drunk as me?" I sway slightly as Max moves to remove my trousers from my hips.

"Because," he huffs out as he lifts up my body to remove the trousers. "You're a lightweight. I can drink anyone under the table."

"Oh," I say before laughing.

Max pulls back his bedsheets and takes a hold of the hem of my t-shirt. "Arms up," he tells me and I obey.

He strips me down to my boxers and rolls me into his bed before leaving me for a few moments, the cold space beside me soon to be filled with his warm body.

I nuzzle my face into his neck and wrap my arms around him. "I love you," I whisper to him. "So much."

"I know baby," he whispers back.

Pulling my head away from him and snapping my eyes open. "Did you just call me baby?" I say with a smile.

"I did," he kisses my forehead and cups the back of my head with his hand. "I love you too."

"No but I love you so much," I clarify as I press my hand to his bare chest. "Like so fucking much. Almost too much, is that possible to love someone too much?"

Max smiles against my skin and kisses me again. "Oh Oliver," He murmurs into me. "You're too pure for this world."

"Not when I drink this much alcohol, God won't let me into heaven for doing over ten shots." I mumble out with a slight slur.

His chest rumbles against mine, laughing softly. "I'm sure he will," he whispers back to me. "You're a good person."

My lips curve up into a smile as I bury my head back into his warm chest. "Well as long as you think I am, then I'll be happy forever."

"Thanks for making my birthday so special," he mumbles into my hair, his thumb flicking over my cheekbone gently.

"I'm glad you had a good time," I nod my head against him, keeping my eyes tightly shut.

"The best time because it was with you."

PRESENT
FEBRUARY 2021

"Thanks Jamie," I say as he carries my stuff through the apartment, having collected me from the hospital. "And for coming to get me."

Jamie turns back to me and smiles as he lets me get through the door before closing it behind me. "What are friends for ey?"

My lips curve towards him as I place myself down onto the sofas. "Very true," I say gently.

"Can I get you anything?" He suggests as he puts my bags by my bedroom door. "Food? A drink?"

I shake my head towards him. "I'm okay thanks," I say as I prop myself up against the sofa. "You don't need to wait on me hand and foot, the doctor said take it easy. Not let someone else be your slave."

Jamie grins over at me as he waltzes to the kitchen and flicks on the kettle. "Your call," he calls over.

"I might try and paint today," I admit. "It's been a while and might help me take my mind off things."

"Good idea." Jamie says as he reaches up to grab a mug from the cupboard. "I've got to go to work in a bit, you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Stop worrying," I say as I attempt to shrug off my jacket. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," he nods as the kettle pings and he begins to make his drink. "So you didn't tell me that Max was going to be at the party?"

My mouth opens to let out a sigh. "I didn't even know myself," I confess. "He was just there, Frankie invited him so that he could catch up with people after being away for so long."

"Well good thing he was there," Jamie nods as he holds the cup between his hands and leans onto the counter.

"I know," I agree.

"You really need to take out your EpiPen Oli," he says seriously. "What if he wasn't there and they didn't think to call the ambulance? Something could have happened to you."

"It's just adrenaline, it's not an antidote." I say as I look over at him.

"Adrenaline that could be the difference between you living and you dying," he shakes his head as he pushes off from the counter and walks past the sofas. "You need to take this more seriously Oli, you can't not go out without it. Please say you'll take it with you from now on?"

My eyes flick between his and I huff out a sigh. "Okay," I say eventually. "I will."

"Right I'm getting ready for work," Jamie declares before walking towards his bedroom door.

"Alright," I call after him.

. . .

When Jamie leaves for work I take the short walk down to the art studio across the street. I needed some time to myself, to free my mind and not think about anything specific apart from paint.

Settling down into one of my white canvases, mixing a few colours on my mixing tray and beginning to paint after what felt like the longest time. Sometimes I fear that I'll forget how to paint after having such a long time out but when you start, it's like you never stopped.

Just like how you never forget how to ride a bike or drive a car. It's embedded into your veins and imprinted into your skin.

A few hours pass and my eyes blink back at the time, how it was far into the evening already I'll never know.

My hands were covered in paint when my phone buzzes, flicking my eyes over to the screen that was facing up. Feeling a deep pang in my heart at the sight of Max's name on my phone again, I'd never get used to seeing it.

Gingerly picking up my phone, trying not to coat it in different colours of paint from my hands.

Max

Are you home now?

I hated that my stomach flips at his text, seeing him at the hospital was bringing back all the memories that I've tried to block out for the past year.

Oliver

Yeah I was discharged earlier

Thanks again for being there for me

Max

I'll alway be there for you Oliver

My eyes stare back at the screen for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Then the three dots pop up underneath his last text.

Max

So you said you're not going out with that guy from the party?

I can't help but let my lips curve at the question.

Oliver

No it's not serious

Max

Then would you go out with me sometime?

It doesn't even have to be a date, I just want to see you

Listen to what you've been up to, spend time with you

My throat swallows at the words, feeling my hands shake with my phone between my fingers.

Oliver

It doesn't have to be a date?

Max

Not if you don't want it to

Oliver

Okay, we can meet up

Max

When?

Are you free in the week?

Oliver

I could do Wednesday afternoon

Max

Sounds perfect to me

Oliver

See you then

My finger presses down onto the lock button and I hold the phone close to my heart, no matter how hard I tried to ignore the feelings I had for Max in my chest, they always shone through.

I didn't want to jump into anything just yet, hanging out isn't anything serious and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't want to see him. Of course I do, hearing his voice and smelling his aftershave made me feel like I was at home.

Comforting more than anything.

I couldn't keep denying it, otherwise I'll end up dying with the biggest weight of guilt on my shoulders for not trying.

. . .

Read up to chapter 19 on Patreon!
www.patreon.com/dreammcatcher
Link in bio too!

Hey my loves!

Gaaaah what a cute chapter!!!

What did you guys think?

Max looking after Oliver when he's drunk is honestly one of my fav things😭😭😭 he's so gentle and understanding

They're slowly finding their way back to each other, Oliver still needs time!

Hope everyone is well!

See you guys on the next one, love Sav x

Insta: SavRose.x
Patreon: dreammcatcher
Tik Tok: savanna.rose.x