Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
NOSTALGIC NIGHTS
“ A re you ready for our next adventure?” Oliver questioned me as he loaded my things into his car. He had just returned from vacation with his family yesterday and came over first thing this morning. I started to wonder if he had anything in store for us or not.
“Always.” I smiled at him as Tank climbed into the backseat and I took my place in the passenger’s seat. “Although, I’m curious as to what happens when we run out of things to do. There are only a few more left on my list.”
And two that you don’t know about…
Oliver smiled back at me as he dropped into his seat and turned on the engine of his car. “You don’t have to worry about that, Luna. Your list isn’t written in stone, is it? We can always add more or change things. Speaking of changing… I don’t think you need to go on that blind date anymore.”
I tilted my head to the side, staring at him for a moment as he avoided my gaze and focused on the road while pulling the car out of my driveway. “Why not? I’ve never been on a blind date before and I think it would be something fun to do.”
Oliver’s jaw clenched, and I watched a shadow pass over his expression. His grip tightened around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning stark white as he continued to stare at the road.
“What’s wrong, Ollie?” I questioned him, my voice tender and slightly hesitant.
He pulled the car up to a red light and turned to look at me. A fire burned deeply in his eyes and a shiver ran down my spine. “I don’t want you going on a date with anyone else.”
“It’s not like it means anything. I just want to experience it one time.”
“What happens if you like the guy?” There was a sense of panic in his tone and it struck me. Oliver didn’t want me developing feelings for anyone else. My mind drifted to our conversation from the other night and how he said he would wait for me to be ready for him.
“It wouldn’t change anything between us,” I assured him, unsure of why I was still arguing at this point. A part of me liked this jealous side of Oliver because it was something I had never seen before. In a way, it made me feel like I was a prized possession he didn’t want to share with anyone. It made me feel weirdly special.
“Look, Luna,” he said as he looked back to the road when the light turned green. There was a gentleness in his tone, yet a heaviness lingered in his words. “It’s your list. Whatever you want, I will make it happen. I don’t like it, but I’m not going to deny you anything you want.”
His words warmed my heart, even if it pained him to say. Oliver had always been the one to make sure everyone else was good and their needs were met. He knew it was something on my bucket list and since I was making a big deal about it, he was folding. All he ever wanted was for me to be happy.
What he didn’t know was nothing else in this universe made me quite as happy as he did.
We both shifted into a slightly uncomfortable silence after that. I had a feeling of where Oliver was driving us and when he pulled onto the gravel drive, I knew I was right. Other cars were already lining the field and off in the distance, you could see the carnival rides and games.
“For the record, I would have much rather gone to an amusement park, but I know how much you love the fair.”
Every summer, they set up the fair for one week. It’s just a chaotic mess of games and mazes and rides. All of the stands have the greasiest food you could ever ask for. Everything is fried and you’re lucky if you make it out without a clogged artery.
There’s something nostalgic about it. The smells, the sounds-every piece of it reaches out and tickles your senses. It was enough to make you feel like a kid again. It brought you back to a place where the world around you wasn’t so complicated. Back to when the only thing you had to worry about was being a kid.
My childhood wasn’t that simple, but that didn’t diminish the nostalgia that came along with going to the fair.
“You know how unsafe these rides are, right?” Oliver asked me as he put the car in park and killed the engine. He turned to look at me with a sense of worry in his eyes. “How did our parents let us ride these things without thinking of what could go wrong?”
I stared at him for a moment, my eyes widening. “You know it’s on my bucket list because I’ve never gotten to ride any of these rides before. You’re not making me feel any safer doing it.” I paused for a moment, a nervous chuckle escaping me. “I mean, I can think of other horrible ways to go out, so I guess if I die on a sketchy carnival ride, it wouldn’t be that terrible.”
Oliver’s lips parted and he reached out to me, taking my hand in his as his eyes desperately searched mine. “I promise I will always keep you safe, Luna. I wouldn’t be taking you on the Ferris wheel if I thought it would put you in danger.”
He paused for a moment, and my stomach did somersaults as the butterflies fluttered. His palm was warm against mine and I suddenly didn’t care about the fair. I wanted to stay right here and hold hands with him all night.
“I will always protect you,” he murmured as he lifted his other hand to caress the side of my face. His thumb was soft as he gently stroked my cheek. His eyes dropped down to my lips and I watched in awe as his tongue slipped out to wet his own. “You are the most important person in my life. You are always safe with me.”
The silence settled around us and it felt like the oxygen was quickly dissipating from the small space in Oliver’s car. His eyes were still on my lips and he was shifting his weight, moving closer to me as he continued to gently stroke the side of my face. He was inching closer and my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest.
He’s going to kiss me again…
“Luna,” he murmured, his voice soft. There was a shift between us and I just knew it was going to happen again. And despite the conversation we had, I wasn't so sure I was going to stop him.
Everything around us ceased to exist. In the distance, I could hear Tank panting and shifting in the backseat. The sound of the blood rushing through my veins was drowning out every sound. Suddenly, a pounding sound came from the window behind Oliver. I yelped, jumping in my seat as he abruptly pulled away from me and turned around.
“What the fuck?” Oliver muttered, the frustration heavy in his tone. I looked past him and saw Dylan peering in with a huge grin. An exasperated sigh escaped Oliver and he pushed his door open. “What do you want?”
Dylan leaned forward, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Oliver and I. “Was I interrupting something?”
“Not at all,” I said quicker than I probably should have. I didn’t miss the way Oliver’s body went rigid for a moment. He didn’t turn back to look at me before he exited the car. My heart was in my stomach and I hated the way I felt. I hated the way I made Oliver feel.
It wasn’t my intention but the words came out anyway.
I got out of the car and went to the back to let Tank out. Holding onto his leash, I moved out of the way as he jumped out.
“Do you want me to bring everything or just your emergency bag?” Oliver questioned me from where he was standing at the trunk. We always brought my back up ventilator and suction machine just in case. I didn’t see myself needing either of them and they were in the car if something were to happen.
I shook my head at him as I stepped closer. “I think I should be okay.”
Oliver nodded and closed the trunk before putting the backpack on. I had recently transferred most of my supplies into a backpack. It made it a lot easier to carry while being out and it just seemed a little more practical.
And then I realized it was more of a pain to carry around on your shoulder. I guess a part of me wanted to appear a little more normal, like I had an oversized purse instead of a backpack. There were a lot of times in my life where I just wanted to fit in with everyone else. It took a long time for me to accept it, especially during my early teenage years, but I eventually came to terms with it.
I wasn’t like anyone else and that was okay.
It was okay to be me, exactly the way I was. I didn't feel the need to try and fit in anymore. It was an exhausting thing to do and it felt like a weight had been lifted when I stopped caring.
“Luna, are you coming?” Dylan questioned me from where he stood in the center aisle between the cars. Oliver was watching me carefully, his head tilted slightly with a touch of concern in his eyes.
A nervous laugh escaped me. “Yep.”
Dylan turned around and began to walk toward the fair. Oliver was waiting for me and turned with me as I walked past him. I expected him to fall into step beside me but he didn't. Instead, his hand darted out, wrapping around my wrist as he pulled me back toward him.
I abruptly stopped and turned back to look at him, my eyes wide with surprise. Oliver stared back at me for a moment, his expression unreadable. He closed the distance between us, his hand sliding down to intertwine our fingers, his warm palm pressing flush against mine.
He dropped his gaze down to our clasped hands before his eyes met mine once again. “That’s better,” he murmured as the corners of his lips lifted slightly. “Shall we?”
The butterflies danced in my stomach to Oliver’s melody. “We shall.”