June, 2019

Things between Olivia and I were, once again, a little awkward.

On our way to dinner and back that night, we took another waterbus. With Olivia not yet over her fear, she reached for my hand again as her safety net, and I took it without much reluctance. Though it was hard to make eye contact or think of anything to discuss as we ate our meals together after our moment of skinship. Then, once again, on the boat ride back, she clutched onto me out of habit—yet that time she held onto my wrist, which only made us more stiff with each other.

So, the next day as we began our early start of our journey to Bologna, after taking our seats on the waterbus, this time I held my hand out to her first.

She stared at my gesture for a moment, her cheeks once again flushing red as her heart emitted that expected rush. But whatever resolve she came to, eventually she slipped her hand in mine before turning her head towards the ground and closing her eyes.

The journey from Venice to Bologna passed quickly, with Ollie filling the silence by gushing about how beautiful she believed Venice was. Though given her waffling when she was talking and fidgeting in the quiet moments, I assumed something had her on edge. I couldn't help wondering if it was the prospect of bringing Ben back that consumed her. Though I never asked her, not wishing to add to whatever anxious thoughts were brewing.

Once we pulled up at our destination though, this time we didn't find a hotel and settle into a room. We merely whipped out the card and summoned the Cursed Cauldron's witch straight away... which did not go as we hoped.

"Yes?" Circe answered, voice booming around the car as the card hovered in the air between us.

"We are in Bologna," Ollie replied, hesitancy in her voice as though she too could sense this would not go smoothly.

And then... "Why are you telling me... Oh! Yes! We were supposed to meet. Oh, my child... I'm afraid I've moved on."

Ollie's nostrils flared and she took a deep breath before she forced through gritted teeth, "Where are you now?"

"There's this beautiful festival tonight in a small town in the hills called Mascioni. I'll be camping out by the lake with some fellow witches. Come join us!"

And before we could pry further, the card fell back down into her lap.

At once, I began to punch in the new town into our navigation system, and we both grimaced at the four and a half hour journey ahead of us as it loaded the fastest route.

Though rather than complaining, Ollie merely said, "Let's stop somewhere nice for lunch. A restaurant this time instead of service station food."

Glancing her way, I threw her a small smile before agreeing, "That sounds like a great idea." I had officially let go any part of me that was determined to make her let this adventure go.

· · ───── ∘☽༓☾∘ ───── · ·

"I thought mutants generally had great vision," Olivia stated as we stared out at the still, pink and purple water, the sky above mirroring its hues. The setting sun glowed on sections of the lake, making it reflect the mountainous surroundings.

"They do," I mumbled back, feeling stunned myself as I took in the emptiness around us. A barren lake. Vacant grasslands. Only us and a speckling of sheep as far as my eyes could see... and it was quite far.

"Then tell me something is wrong with me. Tell me you see a group of witches somewhere."

I heaved a sigh before I turned to face her. Though instead of responding to her statement, "We should see if there's anywhere to stay here tonight."

"Lukas," was all she said back, exasperated as her gaze met mine in defeat.

"We will try again tomorrow."

"Am I being played here?"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, as memories of the cunning witch toying with my time came rushing back. Though I couldn't tell Olivia that. "Maybe. Or... maybe something came up? I don't know."

As I started to glance around for a sign of a hotel—coming out rather empty as all my eyes could see were ageing villas and vegetation—the fairy finally snapped.

Letting out a gruntled scream into the void, she yanked the card out of her pocket and shouted at it, "Circe, where the heck at you? Circe! I know you can hear me! Talk to me, you cowardly—"

The card flew up in the air, and a not-so-pleased voice spat back, "Just how do you think you're talking to me, little fairy?"

How the heck did they know? I wondered.

Though Ollie paid no mind, instead retorting with, "Like I'd talk to anyone who stood me up. Where the heck are you?" she repeated her earlier question.

Circe grumbled back, "Word of advice, young mutant: in our world you should learn to play your cards right. If you have a favour you need from someone, you should suck up more."

"Because that got me far. I was polite when you weren't in Venice. I said we'd come to you when you said you were in Bologna. And when you weren't there, I bit my tongue and came all the way up this damn mountain to fit in your schedule. We've been driving all day chasing you and for what? To find ourselves out in woop-woop, probably unable to find a place to stay for the night, while you—"

"I was called urgently to Rome," Circe cut her off, annoyance still tainting their tone, though a hint of pity leaking in.

"Are in Rome. Great. Fucking great..." The fairy blew out her last bit of steam, her voice steadier when she asked, "Will you be in Rome tomorrow?"

"It's hard to—"

"Don't." She gritted her teeth, calmed her tone, and tried again. "Don't give me maybes. Tell me for certain whether you will or won't be. Or have the decency to wait until a certain time until we get there."

"I don't owe you anything, you know?"

"Sure. I get that. But you have made plans with me and cancelled them. So... please. I'm begging you. This trip we've been on has already been too long. I'm running out of time to bring this person back, and we are running out of time for an urgent matter at home."

Circe sighed before saying, "I'll make sure I'm in Rome until midday. But if something calls me away after and you're not there, I'm leaving. And you will have to let me know when you get there as I don't know where in Rome I'll be."

"Deal," she replied, then the card flopped back into her hand. After taking a few breaths, she finally turned to face me, "So did you find somewhere tonight? Or are we driving straight to Rome?"

"I did find somewhere..." I replied, glancing at my screen before meeting her worried green gaze once more.

"I hear a but."

"But the nearby towns are clearly booked out for this festival."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning there's only one room left in this whole vicinity. We could head to Rome though. It's only a two hour drive, so—"

"We've been on the road for seven hours today. I'd rather not get back in that car if we can avoid it."

"So you're saying..."

"As long as you aren't completely against it, then I guess we're sharing a room."

· · ───── ∘☽༓☾∘ ───── · ·

We had both washed up and changed our clothes—mine were taken from Ben's belongings before we left Windeck. I had worried Ollie would have flinched at the sight, but she didn't seem to care or notice. To be fair, they were his old clothes, so she probably hadn't realised whose attire I was wearing.

Though when Olivia emerged from the bedroom, she was sporting a eye-catching sage and ivory sundress that hugged her in all the right places and contrasted beautifully with her long copper locks. Nonetheless, I couldn't help asking, "When did you plan to wear that in Windeck?" Because why on earth had she packed it?

Ollie shrugged back. "I had layover time in Cologne on the way back. I figured if I was stuck there, I might as well dress a little nicer and eat out somewhere."

"Fair... Well, you look nice."

The corners of her mouth turned up as her eyes widened in surprise. But as her green gaze raked over me before meeting my eyes again, she then said, "You look pretty dashing yourself."

"They aren't mine." I managed to hold back the comment that almost spilled out.

But then she replied, "I know. I'm sure Ben would agree with me that you look better in them anyway."

How did she—

"Come on," she then said, arm hooking itself around mine. "There's supposedly an amazing festival we're missing out on."

· · ───── ∘☽༓☾∘ ───── · ·

The once-devoid streets had quickly come to life in the few hours we had spent in our room as carts were wheeled out and tents were erected. We were still a little early, but the music from a nearby band was already starting to play, and a pizza shop had fired up their oven.

As the smell of woodfire pizza began to waft through the air, Ollie's stomach grumbled. After throwing me a sheepish grin, she beelined for the shop and attempted to order her pizza in broken Italian. "Er, mi scusi," she called the shop owner over.

"Si?" he replied.

"Um, uno pizza."

Unable to stop myself, a snort escaped me.

The fairy threw me a brief glare before turning back to the shop assistant who was already yapping away, asking her what type she wanted.

Ollie's jaw dropped as she became lost in translation before her eyes turned to me once more, this time begging me for assistance.

"What type do you want?" I asked her.

"Something vegetarian. And with cheese."

"Margherita or Pizza alla Bufala."

"What the heck is the second one?"

"The same as a Margherita but with buffalo mozzarella."

"That. That sounds great."

Turning back to the shopkeeper, I excused Ollie's Italian and placed her order with a little more clarity.

"What are you getting?" she asked after the shopkeeper accepted my money and turned back into the store to prepare the food.

"I can't eat breads."

"Ah... right. It's been too long since I've been around a vampire."

"Didn't stop you from remembering my other dietary requirements the other day, Miss Vampire Erot—"

Her hand clamped over my mouth, the shocks turned up. "Shut it already, would you?"

I snickered as the sparks dampened, prying her hand away. "I think I'll hold onto this one a little longer, Ollie."

Her lips pursed, and I could see a retort brewing in her eyes. But she held it back, her expression clouded by too much joy at the slip of her nickname again. "We will have to get you something later then."

It didn't take much longer until her food was out and put into a box for her. A little walk down the road, and we found a sitting area.

As Olivia pulled out a chair down, I ventured off for some drinks and a snack for myself.

Returning ten minutes later, the once-filled pizza box only had oil remnants remaining on the cardboard, and her gaze was fixated on the crowd gathering in front of us. As I dug into my dinner and Ollie sipped at the can of Coke I opened and passed her way, she watched the crowd of people as they partnered up and twirled together in beat with the music. Eventually even her own head began to sway, her chin resting on her hands as she leaned over the table and gazed in awe at the dancers.

Once my meal was cleared and our drinks were empty, darkness had long ago stolen the sky, and the street and fairy lights now illuminating the open space.

"Why don't you go join them?" I eventually couldn't help asking as another song started and a few more couples headed over to the dance area.

"Huh?" she replied, her eyes delayed in yanking their attention from the crowd to me. "Join..."

"Go dance."

"I can't go on my own. It's all couples out there," she rejected the idea immediately.

I knew she wasn't hinting anything based on the tone of her voice, but I couldn't help falling into the trap I had already set for myself. "Then ask someone."

She shook her head. "I couldn't possibly."

"What happened to the Olivia who had one night stands? Surely asking someone to dance is much easier."

Her gaze widened for a moment, before a challenging look filled her eyes. Back straightening, she retorted, "Being drunk and taking another drunk person home is one thing. Being sober and asking someone in a foreign country who speaks a completely different language than you to dance is—"

"I speak English," I finally said, revealing my last card in this teasing game I had started.

Her mouth opened again, as if she wanted to argue. But when my words seemed to catch up with her, her expression softened. "Would you dance with me, Lukas?" Vulnerability shrouded her eyes, and if the biting of her bottom lip was anything to go by, she was probably fretting I'd turn her down. Even though I had hinted at the fact that she should ask me.

Not wanting to delay any longer, the corners of my lips turned up, and I held my hand out to her across the table. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Fingers wrapping around mine, we abandoned our table in favour of the dance floor. Her hand stayed clutched in mine, the other gently resting on my shoulder. Meanwhile my other free hand drifted down to her waist, its placement there feeling almost like home.

Then at once, we were moving.

I don't know how much of the night passed like that, with her in my arms, us under the Abruzzi stars, her dress swaying and twirling as I spun her away and towards me again and again, song after song. But her laughter and smile was enough to power me on. Enough to make me forget how tired I was after our long day. Enough to forget time itself was still passing as we became frozen in our moment of bliss, of memories past and present, old and new. Enough to forget that there was once a time we were this ignorant and happy together before it was taken away, when I could just wish we'd forever be this way.

"I remember a party," Ollie whispered many songs later as the music slowed down and she rested her head against my chest. "We went to socialise with others, but it ended up being just you and me all night. Even though, like tonight, we were surrounded by people."

"That was the night you told me to call you Ollie."

Her head shifted back as she gazed so longingly into my eyes. "The night I confessed my feelings for you, too."

I pulled her back into my chest, not wanting her to see the myriad of emotions fighting through me in that moment—nostalgia, regret, joy, pain, all of the complexities that came with the happiness and bitterness of having loved and lost her. "What a lovely night that was."

"And what a lovely night this has been, even after the eventful day we had. I'm glad you're here with me, Lukas."

We stayed for a few more songs after that, eventually drifting off as the crowds thinned, Ollie giving a slightly remorseful comment about how we never ended up seeing much of the festival. And then we retreated to our room for the night.

· · ───── ∘☽༓☾∘ ───── · ·

I couldn't sleep. While Ollie struggled for a while to drift off, her heart racing beside me as she tossed and turned on her side of the bed, eventually her exhausted body pulled her under.

Though the same couldn't be said for me, regardless of how long I laid there, listening to her breaths and heart slow down.

My eyes were heavy. My muscles ached. But my mind was racing with realisations from today.

Eventually, when the thoughts seemed to torment me long enough, I decided it was time to do something about it.

Grabbing my phone, I slipped out of the bed as quietly as possible and out of our room onto the balcony.

After gently closing the door behind me so as to not wake Olivia, I dialled Erica's number and waited as the rings sounded.

Thinking she may never pick up, eventually Erica answered, "Do you know how late it is?"

It was at least 1am in London. But I couldn't care. Because I needed someone to talk to, and I needed Erica to tell me how ridiculous I was being. "It's not possible. We keep saying it. But why do I feel the impossible is happening?"

Erica's breaths sounded heavy on the other end, followed by a yawn. Then she finally replied, "I'm too tired to follow, Lukas."

"I think I'm still in love with Olivia. And I think that maybe a part of her still has feelings for me."

There was silence for an immeasurable amount of time. Until she eventually said, "You're right, Lukas. It's impossible."

My heart dropped to hear her confirmation. But it's what I was waiting to hear: reason. "Then what is this? It doesn't feel like friendship. Am I that deluded? Am I that messed up? How can—"

"I didn't say you're wrong. Just that it's impossible."

"Now you're not making sense."

She sighed. "All we've ever learned is that it's impossible to love someone after a bond breaks. All the research done on bonds points towards that solution. But in all studies there've been anomalies... various forces that create things outside the norm. Why your bond breaking didn't create platonic feelings... who knows. But I don't think you've wandered that far down the rabbit hole of insanity to start confusing friendship and love, Lukas. You're still level-headed. In fact, the more you open up to her again, the more I see you returning to your old self. The one who seems to have the most reason. And if that self believes he's in love despite how the magic is supposed to work..."

"What do I do?"

A giggle sounded on the other end of the phone. "What do you mean 'what do I do'? I can't decide for you what you do about your feelings, Lukas."

"Well... Last time I followed my heart with her, she—"

"Hurt you. It is, indeed, something you're going to have to weigh up. Would you rather love her and keep her at a distance to avoid being hurt by that love? Or is loving her and keeping her at a distance more painful?"

"I don't know."

"Then that's something you're going to have to figure out."

A groan sounded from behind me, and I glanced back to find Ollie rolling over, her hand coming down on my side of the empty bed. In an even quieter whisper, I then asked, "What if it's just me?"

"As in, what if she doesn't have feelings for you?"

"Yeah..."

"You said you think she might. How about you ask her?"

"What if my hunch is wrong?"

"Oh Lukas... It's a risk to put yourself out there. Especially with someone who has hurt you several times. Ultimately, it's your decision, and you're going to have to weigh up all the pros and cons. But I'll give you a few things to consider. Ollie is your best friend. And sometimes your best friend makes the best partner. If you do confess and it is all one-sided, she'd won't make fun of you for it or let your friendship end as a result. If you do confess and she feels the same, then you already know how much joy having her by your side can bring. And if you're scared she could hurt you again... Well, remember there's no reason to wipe her memory again. The news of Terra Fairies coming back has started to spread, so she doesn't need to be hidden, meaning that obstacle can't get between you. And... Ben's no longer in the picture, so that can't cause pain again. All the factors that plagued your last—"

"Unless she decides to bring him back tomorrow."

She sighed, but seemed to agree with my new worry. "Then I guess you'll have to base your decision on how that goes."

I stayed on the line with Erica for a while longer, asking her about her birthday and the Mades. Then I filled her in on our debacle with this unreliable witch who keeps changing locations. Eventually we ended the call when my mind felt at ease.

Slipping back into the room, I inched as quietly as I could towards the bed, careful to not disturb Olivia. Lifting her arm from my side back to hers, I shifted back under the covers and laid down next to her, watching her eyes twitch under her closed eyelids. Observing her chest rise and fall with her slow breaths. Studying her as the dreamland continued to away whatever worries plagued her mind.

"Lukas," she mumbled, and my heart glowed at the thought that I had crossed her subconscious.

Unable to stop myself, I reached over and brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. Then, because I was a fool falling foolishly for this fairy once again, my fingers then glided down her arm, stopping only once they laced their way through her fingers.

At that moment, all felt right. The fate of tomorrow—today—was so far away when it was just the two of us, in this bed, in this room, on this mountain. And I let it stay that way as I let my mind manifest a world of what could be, if tomorrow she picked me this time instead of him.