“He pisses me off,” Ethan muttered, and we both shared a laugh. “You think I’ll ever find someone like that?”
I raised a brow. “Like Ollie?”
Ethan rolled his eyes and lifted off the tile, turning to face me fully. “No. Someone who makes me feel the same way Masters feels about you.”
My gaze drifted. Before, I didn’t believe in any of this at all, it was crazy to think how much had changed in the year and a half I’d been here. “Yeah, I do.”
“It’s a shame it couldn’t have been you.”
“Trust me. When you do find her, you’ll be thanking me.”
Out of solitary, freshly showered, and stomach rumbling, Ethan and I walked together to the mess hall. We stopped at the entryway, and I scanned over the crowd. Bria and Tyler sat on both sides of Jude at my old table with Jake kicked to the end. All eyes found me, and though Bria forced her gaze away, Jake held mine, and a small glimmer appeared in his eyes before it instantly dulled. My gaze made its journey, stopping at Maddie and Gwen, and Maddie held up her fist and flipped me off.
The old me would’ve returned the favor. Instead, I did nothing and my eyes carried on with their journey across the room.
I felt him before my eyes found him. He was somewhere in the room, and my entire body hummed to his wavelengths. I didn’t have butterflies in my stomach. No. This feeling was a couple dozen phoenix’s rising from their ashes.
And then my eyes found him. Ollie sat leaned over with his head in his hands, and his hood pulled over his head, facing an uneaten tray. My feet moved as my brain disciplined me—reminding me about the repercussions of getting hurt, and a million words ran through my head as I continued forward, finding words to say. Which Ollie did we have today?
I laid a hand over his shoulder, and the tension released from him in that single touch and his shoulders dropped.
“Mia,” Ollie uttered through a single breath. His right hand crossed over him and grabbed my wrist, pulling me over his lap to straddle him. Long arms wrapped around me while his head dug into the crevice of my neck, drawing and breathing me in.
We sat like that for I don’t know how long. I felt their stares on us, but Ollie didn’t move, and I didn’t pull away from him. The only movements were his hands slipping under my shirt, needing skin to skin contact.
Then he lifted his head, and his nose grazed along my jaw with eyes still closed and holding on to wherever he wanted to be in his beautiful head—a perfect paradise. His lips lingered over mine, releasing long breaths.
“Open your eyes,” I whispered.
Ollie shook his head. “Not yet.”
The dreamer grabbed my mouth with his and sank into it.
A damn perfect paradise.
And Ollie was back. My Ollie. Full-force, empowered and rejuvenated. He held our kiss, never took more than what he needed, and this simple connection was enough to relax him as he breathed out through his nose. His lips brushed against mine as he released our kiss, and his eyes opened, staring back at me.
Last night, all we’d talked about was me, and I had no idea how he’d been coping, what struggles he’d been facing. Suddenly, I wanted to know everything. “You have to tell me how to help you. I don’t know how to do this,” I whispered.
“One day at a time, love.” Ollie’s eyes beamed. “We’re both figuring it out. Just know I never meant to hurt you. My heart was always in the right place, but my mind wasn’t doing the right thing.”
“What about the medication?”
A burst of laughter from afar didn’t snag his attention. Eyes, hand, and focus remained solely on me as he leaned over and dragged a nearby chair closer. “Sit, you need to eat.” I slid from his lap and fell back into the chair before he pushed his tray in front of me. “I’ve been off the medication for three days now. It’s easier this time.” Ollie dropped an elbow over the table, turning in his chair to face me and gripped my thigh with his other hand. “I’m alright. Eat, love.”
“No shakes?” I asked, taking a bite of the mashed potatoes.
Ollie held out his hand, showing me. “Well, not from the withdrawal.” He flashed a half-smile, and his eyes studied mine. “I’m okay. Swear to it. Now tell me whose pot you pissed in. Who do you believe is fucking with you?”
“Jude.”
Ollie’s head shook. “No, Jude’s not capable of it.”
“How do you know.”
“I just do.”
I took another bite and scanned the room. “Then, I have no idea.” A few beats passed as Ollie’s fingers wrapped around my thigh. “What if I go to jail over this?”
