19. Chapter 19
Popping another foam banana in her mouth, Ruby leaned back on her elbows and stared at Oli. He was still fast asleep. She smirked. She’d arrived a good twenty minutes ago, having practically trotted up the tree-lined path, admiring the flickering candles in their glass jars as she went.
Then, she’d stepped into the magical clearing, with its canopy of fairy lights and huge red tartan picnic blanket – and nearly had a heart attack. The last thing she’d been expecting was to find Oli, spark-out on his back. Her initial blast of fear that there was something horribly wrong had been quickly put to rest by a soft snore drifting on the breeze.
‘Sleeping beauty!’ she chuckled, picking up her pink plastic cup and taking a sip of the ginger beer she’d helped herself to. She had a feeling Oli wouldn’t mind that she’d tucked into some of the goodies from the basket while she waited for him to wake up.
Oli’s ancient copy of Persuasion sat next to her on the blanket. Ruby had fully intended to dive into its pages and enjoy the pure nostalgia of the words. As it turned out though, watching him snooze peacefully in front of her proved to be far too alluring, and she’d quickly set the book down to gaze at the way the dappled light played across his face.
Suddenly, Oli let out a huge yawn and started to stir. Ruby watched with amusement as his face went from pure, relaxed peace - to confusion - to panic in just a matter of seconds. He scrambled up and then spotted her sitting just a few feet away.
‘You’re here!’ he said in pained surprise.
Ruby grinned at him and raised her cup in a mock toast.
‘Wait…’ he said, rubbing his face, ‘you’ve been here for… how long?’
‘One and a half glasses of ginger beer and most of my foam bananas!’ she chuckled. ‘I did think about opening the bubbly, but that seemed a bit mean… I didn’t want the pop to wake you up!’
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, rubbing his face. ‘I can’t believe I fell asleep. I wanted this to be-’
‘Shh!’ said Ruby, shuffling closer to him. Reaching out, she placed a gentle hand on his knee. ‘It’s perfect.’
‘But I-’
‘I love it,’ said Ruby firmly, catching his eye and holding it. ‘I had so much fun with the clues.’
‘Really?’ said Oli, his face starting to relax.
Ruby smiled at him and nodded, feeling a strange sense of pride that she had the power to wipe away his frown lines and replace them with a tentative smile.
‘The first one was a toughie… but after that, I got into the swing of it,’ she said, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. ‘You know, it was a seriously sneaky way to get me to do all the hard work - shopping for our date while you snuck off for a nap!’
‘I didn’t mean to fall asleep - I was so nervous I barely slept last night,’ said Oli, suddenly looking like an eighteen-year-old again. ‘I got here way too early to set up… and then all I had left to do was wait and wonder if you’d come.’
‘Of course I came,’ said Ruby.
As she said the words, she suddenly realised how true they were. Wherever Oliver Evans was – she wanted to be there too. The only way she’d managed to ignore the constant magnetic pull of him all these years was to build an impenetrable defence between her present and her past. Now, parts of that protective wall had started to crumble and the forces were at work on her once more - as gentle as the tide and subtle as lightning.
The pair of them were… inevitable.
With the realisation came another dose of awkwardness, and Ruby suddenly realised she still had her hand resting on Oli’s leg. She quickly pulled away and reached for the basket.
‘I think I got everything!’ she said brightly.
‘Did Kendra crack and tell you everything?’ said Oli with a small smile. ‘She was so excited that you were going in this morning!’
Ruby smiled more easily again. ‘Nah, she was brilliant… though I think our private Q and A tomorrow might just be her grilling me about today and extracting as many juicy details as she can get!’
‘Just tell her you don’t kiss and tell!’ chuckled Oli.
‘Is there going to be kissing?’ said Ruby lightly, drawing the paper bag of bakery goodies out of the basket and setting it between them without making eye contact.
‘You tell me,’ said Oli.
He suddenly sounded a bit out of breath, though it could just be a yawn trying to body-snatch him.
‘I… um… well…’ said Ruby.
Oli sniggered.
‘Git!’ she said, nudging his leg with her foot.
‘Wuss!’ he retorted.
‘Am not,’ said Ruby.
‘Prove it!’ said Oli.
‘Fine. Maybe I will,’ said Ruby. ‘When you least expect it.’
‘Something to look forward t-’
Ruby didn’t even let him finish the sentence. She turned towards him, pressing her lips against his - a dare she’d just won rather than the kiss she’d been dreaming about for years and years.
‘Ha ha!’ she laughed, pulling back to crow at his surprise, only for him to reach up and gently cup her face in his hands.
‘Ha ha,’ he said slowly, his voice gravelly as he leaned in to kiss her properly.
This time, it wasn’t a dare between two teenagers. This was six years of longing and hope and regret and desire. The remains of Ruby’s defences dissolved, and she melted into Oli.
‘I still can’t believe you’re here,’ said Oli.
His voice was low and lazy, and Ruby felt it as much as she heard it. She was snuggled against him, cosied into the crook of his arm with her head resting against his chest. The copy of Persuasion lay unopened on the blanket next to them, and it was so reminiscent of their teenaged study sessions that Ruby felt like she’d climbed into that time machine again. Only this time, it was different. No one could send Oli away from her, and she didn’t have to leave him behind either… not if she chose not to.
‘I’m here,’ she said simply.
Oli tightened his arms around her, pulling her into a warm hug that cocooned her from the rest of the world.
‘Rubes… I want to tell you something,’ said Oli. ‘Need to tell you something, actually. About my dad.’
‘Caroline told me he’d passed away,’ said Ruby. ‘I’m really sorry.’
‘Thanks,’ he muttered.
She felt him shift a little on the blanket and followed suit, turning so that she was lying on her side, her head propped up on one arm, facing him.
‘Is that why you came back?’ she said gently.
He shook his head.
‘Did you get injured? Is that why you decided to stop competing?’ she asked.
‘Nope,’ said Oli. ‘No,’ he said again with a heavy sigh. ‘I just wanted to come home… I wanted to investigate some of the “what ifs” I was busy tormenting myself with.’
‘Like… the bookshop?’ said Ruby.
‘Working with books was definitely one of them,’ he said. ‘I always wished I’d had the strength to stand up for myself and follow my heart. I spent years living for someone else… and I decided it was time to try out some stuff for myself instead. Then dad got sick and he was gone so fast and…’
He paused, a look of confusion crossing his face as though he didn’t quite know how to continue.
‘You must miss him,’ said Ruby, her heart sinking. There was no way she was going to be able to tell him everything now - not with him grieving for his father like this.
‘I do miss him,’ he said. ‘But at least I got to be with him at the end. I got to say goodbye.’
Ruby nodded.
‘Rubes - that’s what I wanted to tell you,’ said Oli, pinning her with his eyes. ‘Before he died, dad told me what he said to you before I went to America... he admitted he was the reason you disappeared from my life.’
‘It doesn’t matter now,’ she said quickly, shaking her head.
Of course, it had mattered - more than anything - for a very long time. But now she was back here with Oli… now they were talking…
‘He only did what he thought was best for you,’ she said.
‘That’s true,’ said Oli, nodding slowly. ‘He told me he was trying to protect me - but he also said he was trying to do the same thing for you, too’
‘I-’ she started, not really knowing where she was planning to go with the sentence.
‘Those things he said to you?’ said Oli. ‘He basically said the same thing to me, too. Not to ruin your life. Not to hold you back. He said you had so much talent… and it wasn’t fair for me to ruin your future.’
Ruby stared at him, her mouth slightly open.
‘He also asked me to apologise to you – for him - if I ever got the chance,’ said Oli. ‘So… sorry… for my dad.’
‘It’s forgiven,’ said Ruby, shaking her head.
And forgotten, she added silently to herself.
The breeze set the leaves above them rustling and Ruby sat up, feeling like she was coming out of some kind of trance.
‘How about a toast?’ she said, grabbing the bottle of bubbly.
‘Sure,’ said Oli, retrieving a couple of brightly coloured plastic flutes.
Ruby popped the cork and poured, then set the bottle into the basket for safekeeping before taking her drink from Oli.
‘To your dad,’ she said. ‘Mr Evans.’
‘To dad,’ said Oli. ‘And I think he’d ask you to call him Mike at this point!’
‘To Mike,’ Ruby added with a soft smile, before tapping the edge of her plastic cup against his and taking a sip.
‘And… to the rest of today, and your amazing event tomorrow!’ said Oli.
‘I’ll cheers to that,’ said Ruby as a little spark of excitement ignited somewhere in the pit of her stomach. ‘By the way, what are the plans for the rest of the day?’
‘Drink the rest of this bottle, eat our picnic, read to each other…’ said Oli, wiggling his eyebrows.
Ruby snorted. Why did she get the feeling he wasn’t really talking about reading?!
‘Great,’ she said, her voice slightly husky. ‘And… after that?’
‘Well, Caroline pointed out that I’m being a complete Ruby-hog, considering you’re planning on leaving right after the signing tomorrow,’ he said.
Ruby shifted uncomfortably. Why did her original plan suddenly feel like a lead weight in her stomach?
‘Anyway - I thought I’d better rectify that,’ he continued. ‘So Caroline is going to swoop over and pick us up when we’re done here, and we’re all going over to Crumbleton Sands for early drinks and food.’
‘We are?!’ said Ruby, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
‘Yep!’ he grinned. ‘And then we’re going to come home and help your mum.’
Ruby blinked. ‘Huh?’
‘She needs a hand getting her Odd Object entries up to the museum,’ said Oli.
‘How do you know that?’ said Ruby.
‘She told me when she came in to pick up her tickets for tomorrow,’ he said with an easy shrug.
‘She’s… she’s got tickets?’ said Ruby, feeling like the rug had just been pulled out from underneath her.
‘Are you kidding me?’ laughed Oli. ‘She’s had them reserved from the moment you confirmed you were up for it.’
‘I… I wasn’t sure if they’d come,’ said Ruby quietly.
‘They’d never miss this,’ said Oli. ‘I know you don’t always feel it, but they adore you, Rubes. They are so proud.’
Ruby nodded, staring down at the blanket. She wasn’t entirely sure if the tears that had just started to prickle at the corners of her eyes were going to make a break for freedom or not.
‘Heads up, though,’ said Oli, reaching out and stroking one finger over the back of her hand, ‘she did mention that she was going to come up with a couple of humdingers for the Q and A!’
Ruby snorted. That sounded more like the mother she knew and loved.
‘So,’ he said, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, ‘let’s make the most of this before Caroline ruins the mood… because we both know she’s awesome at that! More bubbly?’
Ruby grinned at him and held out her glass, then changed her mind.
‘Kiss first, please!’