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OLIVER FLETCHER

PAST
APRIL 2019

"I like watching you draw," I comment, my eyes settle on Max as he leans over his sketch pad, a sharp pencil in hand. Doodling across the paper with ease.

Max smiles down towards his drawings. "Well I'm glad you're enjoying it," he comments but doesn't look up at me.

His lines were smooth and perfectly rounded, high definition and texture. "Would you ever draw a tattoo for me?" I question.

Max's pencil stops on his paper and he flicks his eyes over to me. "You'd want me to draw you something?"

My shoulders shrug towards him. "I know it will be original, that's been my problem with getting a tattoo. I don't want everyone else to have the same."

"I didn't know you wanted a tattoo," Max grins towards me as he spins in his chair, leaning forward onto his elbows gently.

"Guess I've just been looking at yours and I like the look of them," I admit.

"What do you want?"

I hum for a moment, I've had a few ideas but I didn't want them to seem basic or boring. "I've always liked the idea of a cat laying down and it shaded with some funky pattern or something."

Max raises his eyebrow at me. "Okay, okay," he nods towards me. "I could get down with that."

"Really?" I smile.

He hums instantly. "I love drawing animals," he says before pulling up his long sleeved top. "That's why I've got this rhino on my forearm."

There was no doubting that Max was a good drawer, he was exceptional. They looked perfect against his freckled skin.

"So you'd draw something up for me?" I say.

"Course," Max responds. "I'll do anything for you."

My heart melts in my chest as I look into his dark mysterious eyes. Feeling my phone buzz in my jacket pocket, stirring me away from our cute little moment.

Glancing down at the phone and looking at Drew's name across the screen, asking if we could meet up now for our projects that are due next week.

"Who is it?" Max asks curiously as he leans back in his seat.

"Drew," I reply. "Asking if I want to meet up to go over our paintings for our final project."

My feet stand from my bed and Max narrows his eyes at him. "You're not going are you?" He questions instantly.

"Yeah, I really need some help on it and I'm worried about the deadline being so soon." I say as I grab my bag.

"But we said we would spend our night together," Max says bluntly.

"And I need to finish my work Max," I breathe out slowly.

"You blew me off last week for him," he shakes his head as he pushes himself up from the chair. "This is the only day this week I can see you and you're off to see him?"

"Max," I shake my head.

"It's so fucking obvious that he likes you!" He exclaims before running his hand through his hair.

"What?" I say in disbelief. "No he doesn't, it's harmless. We're class friends."

Max scoffs at my words and takes a step closer to me. "Last weekend when we went out and you bumped into him, he was pretty much all over you. I saw the way he looks at you Oliver, it's so clear that he wants more."

"No he doesn't," I say instantly.

"Does he even know that I'm your boyfriend?!" His voice raises.

My eyes narrow towards him angrily. "Of course he fucking does Max," I match his tone.

"Then why the fuck are you blowing me off for him?" He extends his hand out to the door, frustration clear in his demeanor. "Because I'm not going to see you because of your classes and you being busy and now you just want to cut it off for him?"

"It's not like that," I say as I look up at him but his eyes looked mad.

"Whatever," he shakes his head before grabbing his stuff and shoving it into his bag. "Fucking enjoy him."

He storms past me and opens my dorm door, sliding on his jacket smoothly. "Max," I call out for him but he doesn't respond. "Max!"

His hand slams the door shut so loudly that one of my picture frames on my desk falls onto the floor. My eyes stare back at where he just was, feeling defeated in my heart and shaking inside.

What the fuck just happened?

. . .

I had texted Drew saying I couldn't come and texting Max that I was sorry, deep down I knew I needed to manage my time better but making sure that my work is perfect is my downfall.

When I don't hear from Max I lay in bed feeling like an idiot, guilt riding in my bones.

If he did that to me I would feel crappy too, like he was having a better time elsewhere.

"Fuck," I curse to myself as I roll in my bed and look up at the ceiling, my hand pressed to my forehead.

It was past ten and there was no way I would be able to sleep, my thoughts running around my head a million miles an hour. Already feeling exhausted yet wide awake at the same time.

A soft knock floats through the room and I turn my head to the sound, swinging my feet out of the bed and walking towards the door. My hand holds onto the door handle as I pull it back, my eyes settling on Max as he looks back at me.

He moves closer to me, his feet just about touching the metal door hinge on the floor. "Max I'm so sorry," I tell him instantly.

He takes one step closer and wraps his arms around my body, pulling me into him as I rest my head into the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry too," he murmurs into my shoulder. "I shouldn't have shouted at you like that."

"I'm sorry for not judging my time better," I whisper into him. "I get stressed thinking about work and everything and I know that's not fair on you."

Max pulls back and holds my face between his hands. "I'd never let you fail or hold you back from getting the grades you deserve," he tells me and I nod back at him.

"I know," I say quietly. "I'm just sorry for earlier, it was a shitty thing for me to do."

He shakes his head towards me, pulling my face closer to his as he presses a soft kiss to my lips. So gentle that I barely felt it but it still managed to make my stomach flip over and over.

"I love you Oliver," he speaks quietly. My head pulls back slightly as I look up at him, shock covering my expression. "And I'm sorry if I get a little jealous about you hanging out with other guys, especially when I see the way that they look at you."

I curve my lips into a small smile, pressing my lips to his again. "I love you," I murmur against him. "No one is going to make me feel the way that you do, you have nothing to worry about. Ever."

Max grins back to me, holding me tightly between his cold hands. "Can I stay?"

"Stop being so polite," I roll my eyes towards him playfully. "Of course you can stay, you know that you can stay anytime."

"Good," he breathes out before kissing me again, his foot shutting the door firmly behind him.

PRESENT
FEBRUARY 2021

"How are you feeling Mr Fletcher?" My doctor strolls into my hospital room, checking my clipboard at the end of my bed and then attending to the machine that was next to me. "Your face swelling has gone down slightly."

"Better," I tell her. "Everything still feels a bit tight."

She smiles towards me sympathetically and nods. "You're going to," she tells me. "Hopefully the IV will help flush it out of your system soon, you're reacting really well to it all. It shouldn't take too long before you can go home."

"Thank you," I say gratefully.

"Erm, there's a guy outside who is asking if he can come in to see you?" She says slowly and I turn my attention to her.

The last person I wanted to see right now was Logan, stupidly shoving that food into my mouth.

"Who?" I question as I push myself up in the bed.

My eyes flick over to the window, watching as Max paces back and forth between the blinds. His head looking down to the floor and his finger placed on his lips.

"He's been here since the ambulance brought you in," she explains gently, her smile making me feel comfortable. "Do you want me to tell him to come in or to go?"

I blink back at her for a few moments. "He can come in," I tell her.

"Great," she grins back at me. "I'll let him know."

She backs away from my bed and opens my hospital door, poking her head outside as I watch through the blinds as Max stands still and turns to look at her.

A smile stretching out onto his lips as she says that he can come in. Within a few seconds he stands in the doorway and looks at me, moving in closer to the room.

"Hey," he says gently.

"Hi," I croak out.

"How you feeling?"

"Good now I can breathe." I admit and Max cracks a smile.

He walks closer to the chair beside my bed, looking down at the arms. "Can I sit down?" He questions.

"Yeah," I nod, my eyes keeping on him as he slides into the chair.

"You scared me," he tells me as he draws up one of his ankles onto the tip of his knee.

"Thank fuck you're the only person who knew what was going on," I say lightheartedly.

Max looks up at me and smiles. "Well I'll never forget that time you accidentally ate an almond and you had a bad reaction."

"Yeah that was rough," I agree. "Thanks for helping me, I'm not sure how much longer they would have taken to call an ambulance if you weren't there."

Max shakes his head. "Don't thank me," he says smoothly. "It was the least I could have done for you."

"You still saved my life," I say simply. "Honestly, I could have died."

His eyes blink back at me and eventually he nods. "What's that name of the guy you're with?" He asks like the words were venom.

"You mean Logan?"

"The one that tried to kill you?"

"Yeah," I say with a subtle smile. "We're not together."

"He reminds me of that guy from uni," he comments and I narrow my eyes to him in confusion.

"Who?"

"That guy on your course who fancied the shit out of you, always messaged you to meet up so you could 'work'." He airquotes the word.

"What, Drew?" I laugh to myself.

Max shoves his hands into his pockets and relaxes back into the chair. "I fucking hated that guy." He comments.

My lips curve up into a smile. "Wow, he's a blast from the past. I forgot he even existed to be honest."

His dark eyes drag up to mine. "Him and Logan have the same sort of vibe," he says quietly. "You must attract their personalities."

"Nice guys you mean," I say as I shuffle in the bed, leaning forward to grab my cup of water.

Max is up on his feet to get the water for me. "Here," he says gently as his fingers latch around the cup and hand it to me.

"Thanks," I tell him gently.

"When will your face stop swelling?" He asks.

My shoulders shrug. "Soon, hopefully, it's been a lot worse before. Lucky it's just one eye rather than both."

"It looks sore," he says.

"Yeah being allergic to nuts is not fun, at all." I say as I reach to put the water back, Max takes it from me.

"It's not fun for me either," he says as he settles back into the chair. "I never wanna see you like that again."

"I keep telling myself that I'm not gonna have anymore reactions and then I do," I mumble out as I throw my head back to the bed.

"I could have fucking murdered him," Max grumbles under his breath. "Who just shoves food into someone's mouth?"

My eyes close for a moment. "Yeah, not the brightest of ideas."

"Are you staying the night here?"

I nod my head. "They'll probably discharge me tomorrow when it's mostly out of my system."

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better," he tells me sincerely.

"Thanks," I say quietly.

We stare back at each other for a few moments, trying to ignore how harsh my heart was beating in my chest. But I couldn't help it, every time I looked at him it was like nothing had ever happened and I could fall back into his arms so easily.

. . .

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