[center][h1]How to survive your crush[/h1]
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[hr]Oberon shrugged when Chloe said she didn’t even notice he was late. He was slightly disappointed, but it wasn’t something to dwell on. [color=7ea7d8]”I guess that’s for the better. I have a reputation to uphold, after all.”[/color] He smirked. [color=7ea7d8]”Not to mention, it’s probably better for your health this way.”[/color] While Oberon could appreciate his friend’s caring and worrying nature, that didn’t mean he’d make any less fun of it whenever he got the chance.  He gratefully took the box from Chloe and took a brief look at the cupcakes. He would save them for the flight itself.

His own entrance was soon overshadowed by the much more unexpected one that was Valentina’s.  He couldn’t exactly blame her, she was a welcome surprise whereas Oberon was just late.  He had known the pretty brunette for quite some time now. Oberon knew Chloe in high school, and thus he knew Val as well. He didn’t really get to know her, however, until college. This was when he actually started to get along better with Chloe.   As a result, he got to interact with Chloe’s friends afterward as well,  including Valentina. [color=7ea7d8]”You  made it? Awesome!”[/color] He said and smiled. He knew Chloe would have a lot more fun with her around.

Following tedious security procedures, Oberon made way for his spot on the plane.  Chloe had told him that the seating was done randomly. But upon seeing who he was to be spending his time with on this plane, he knew Chloe had set this up. Well, he wasn’t about to look the gift horse in the mouth. He sat down and settled himself in, even more mentally than physically. He didn’t want to say anything stupid. If he did, he might as well throw himself off this plane. He didn’t answer her when she said his nickname. Instead, he just flashed her a quick smile. 

Hardly had he steeled himself, before she already leaned against him for a picture. [color=7ea7d8]Act natural, you fool![/color] echoed through his mind as he managed to conjure a somewhat awkward smile. Apparently it was not awkward enough to be noticeable, thank god. Last thing he wanted was to actually look like the fool he was currently being. Luckily for him, he wasn’t the type to stumble over his words or blabber like an idiot. He just had to make sure not to say or do anything stupid.  Something he nearly did when she commented how good they looked together.  Instead, he just nodded and simply said: [color=7ea7d8]”Looks great.”[/color] That said, that made the line she put with the picture on social media sting just that little bit more. Silently, with his feelings only slightly trampled, he just nodded when she asked whether she should send it to him. 

It was still weird for Oberon to be this into a girl. He had always been rather passive when it came to love. His prior relationships were all started by the girl confessing to him. He didn’t really chase after anyone. And then he was simply awestruck by someone he had known for what must’ve been two decades. The Jamesons and Bergmans were neighbors and good friends, after all. Sure, he hadn’t seen her since he first entered college when it happened. But what exactly had changed? Oberon didn’t exactly let that bother him too much, and instead focused on how to deal with it instead. Luckily Chloe was there, being supportive in the usual Chloe fashion. When it came to Paige, surely Oberon would be doomed without her.
And as much as he paid attention to her, it was impossible for Oberon not to notice the small trail of tears produced by Paige. And neither went unnoticed her attempt to hide said tears. He slowly closed the distance between them, and whispered softly: [color=7ea7d8]”Is something wrong?”[/color] If she was trying to hide it then he didn’t want to draw the attention of the rest. Oberon fully well understood Paige’s emotions at this moment. He had two older sisters of his own, one married and the other engaged, and he had always been quite close with them.  The feeling of letting your beloved sibling go into the married life could be a saddening one indeed, even if you were happy for them as well.

Most time that was not spent directly interacting with his object of affection was spent with music on his ears. There were a few songs of which he was still trying to remember the lyrics  for a performance of his own. Only those who attended the same college as he did knew that he was in a band that had performed on quite a few of the college’s events. But even now that the band had graduated, they still occasionally came together to jam. They mostly did covers, but occasionally wrote their own music as well.  And seeing how he wasn’t going to get much chances to practice this week (and he needed some distraction right now anyway), he’d use this time wisely.

Following a charming display by Tish, he gave some critique on Paige’s drawing.  He was by no means the artist that she was, there was a reason why he focused on music, but that didn’t stop him from attempting to provide worthwhile commentary. He always appreciated constructive criticism on his music, himself. Not to mention, Oberon was always brutally honest no matter the subject. That said, Paige’s drawing was not bad. There were a few details, a few things on the proportions, but nothing really outstandingly bad. He was actually quite impressed how well she did for someone who doesn’t draw humans that often. And he was sure to praise her as much as he criticized her in that regard. [color=7ea7d8]”Want to do a drawing of me sometime? I’ll write a song for you in return.”[/color] He smiled. It wasn’t that he really wanted her to draw him. He just wanted an excuse to spend more time with her, and he figured that Paige was more likely to bite if he presented it as a playful ‘deal’.  And a song might help getting his own feelings across, she was a perfect muse for him.

He rose a brow when cooed by the bubbly female. He wasn’t exactly planning on making a witty comment regarding her order. He turned towards the attendant and said simply [color=7ea7d8]”What she’s having.”[/color] He then grinned at Paige as he followed her example and downed the glass in one gulp. He didn’t really care about not looking like a lady or not, he just wanted to get the sitrus taste out of his mouth as quickly as possible. How was he supposed to know a mimosa had sitrus in it? He hated sitrus! Had he ever told Paige that? He honestly didn’t remember. 

The rest of the plane ride was spent talking. He was actually quite happy that she told him about the many events and locations. He had been so busy with work preparing for this vacation that he had no time to look into anything. Naturally he knew a little about Vegas, but he had no exact plans. Oberon wasn’t exactly against ‘going with the flow and just have fun’, but he liked to have things planned anyhow. Other than that, they played hangman until the plane landed. Even though most times he’d pick fairly normal words, Oberon wasn’t above using some ridiculously uncommon word that was only used in life science just to tease her a bit. 

[color=7ea7d8]”Anytime.”[/color] Oberon commented with a laugh when they finally landed. Despite having a good time, he was fairly happy to be relieved of her for now. It was easy for him to grow restless, to worry about making mistakes around her. Plus, he still had that goddamn sitrus taste in his mouth! Sometimes he cursed his own impulsiveness in that regard. However, once the plane was exited he was quickly confronted with the classic antics of the rest of the group. He laughed a bit at River’s cartoon and turned to Tish. [color=7ea7d8]”I’d be ready too if I were that well-rested.”[/color] He joked with a smirk.