[color=lavender][center][indent][indent][img]https://i.imgur.com/gVMdqfq.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/tcKsFQX.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/FcdESUQ.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/cF58s0Y.png[/img] [sub][b]An [@Altered Tundra] & [@HaleyTheRandom] Collaboration featuring [color=pink]Stella Lambert[/color] & [color=gray]Oliver Grayson[/color][/b][/sub] [img]https://i.imgur.com/cF58s0Y.png[/img][/indent][/indent][/center] [indent][indent][color=pink]“A lot has happened.”[/color] Stella only spoke a number of times since Georgie and Mac had left her with Oliver. The two had stayed together, talked a few times, but for the most part, both of them have been silent. The only times that either of them said a single word was when either Stella or Oliver would say something and they’d respond shortly, but then it was back to the awkward silence. She didn’t have any answer as to why she couldn’t just talk to him. It should have been easy. She had always been able to talk to Oliver. That’s what was so amazing about their friendship. Because they were always so open and honest, she felt like there wasn’t anything she couldn’t say to him. But now… [color=pink]“Now I don’t know…”[/color] She spoke softly, watching scene after scene unfolding before their very eyes. From Kavi and April being near the DJ booth and watching April Foster announce to the world she was pregnant to Kavi asking Ariel to meet him by the hot tub. [color=pink]“Let’s go there.”[/color] Stella pulled on Oliver’s hand, almost dragging him as they joined the crowd of people. The two talked and then they went silent. Kavi looked sad for some reason and then Ariel suddenly pushed him into the hot tub. Stella was so out of the loop that she wasn’t sure what prompted that. Then, as Ariel brushed past them, she and Kavi had a short conversation and they left for inside the house. Throughout the next five or so minutes, she ran the possibilities of everything through her mind only to ponder about something. [color=pink]“I really do hope they don’t break up, Oli,”[/color] Stella said around him, looking down at the ground. [color=pink]“I mean, Kavi has been really happy. I know a lot of people give him a lot of grief for being a player. I know it’s well-deserved, but lately..”[/color] Her head raised up, smiling at Oliver, [color=pink]“he’s been acting like how Kavi before the chip on his shoulder became an entire potato, ya know?” [/color] She felt like she was rambling, but truth be told, if Kavi and Ariel stood a chance, maybe there was something to be said for her. She had no clue how to bring it up to him, but god, if she couldn’t at least talk to Oliver about her feelings, then why was she even here? [color=pink]“Oliver…”[/color] Her voice was again low. [color=pink]“Can we talk? I mean, go someplace quiet and talk?”[/color] She asked him, her hand squeezing his as if to siphon the excess emotions coursing through her body right now. Her heart was beating incredibly fast and she had no way of stopping it. It seemed like every time Stella and Oliver got together, someone said something that left Oliver in a state of silent thinking. Were they together? Were they not together? Was he supposed to just assume what Stella felt and make the decisions for both of them? No. That seemed like a dick move, and while Oliver had the tendency to be a bit of an ass at times, he wasn’t a dick. Just like any other time, he followed Stella around like a lost puppy - this time outside to the hot tub area. Just like so many others, he watched the brief squabble between Ariel and Kavi. While Oliver didn’t wish for anyone's relationship to end, it seemed like all Ariel and Kavi could ever do was argue - at least at social events. He had been thinking of something to say when Stella's last sentence finally brought him back down to earth. [color=gray]”I uh…. I don’t have any idea of any quiet place here… I… maybe upstairs?”[/color] [color=pink]“Yeah, that works.”[/color] She responded immediately. [color=pink]“I don’t think it’s a good idea to go through the back patio. Too many people are there,”[/color] Stella remarked, [color=pink]“but don’t worry, I’ve been here a lot of times. There’s a staircase through the side entrance of the house that leads upstairs.”[/color] Stella took the lead as she pulled Oliver’s hand, guiding him past the crowds of people who were still talking about April’s announcement and something about Kavi kissing April. It came as a shock to be sure but Stella wasn’t surprised. She was only disappointed in him for potentially ruining a good thing with Ariel. In the time she would spend thinking about Kavi, her and Oliver had sped past the garage, popped back into the house where the staircase was only around the corner. [color=pink]“It should be here--”[/color] As Stella was about to turn around towards the staircase, she felt a brief gust of air hit against her face softly as a mixture of obscenities, Kavi’s name, and remnants of crying sounds faded with the sound of the music playing. Stella was worried and confused. She only caught a brief glimpse of red hair. [color=pink]“I think that was Ariel…[/color]” She muttered to herself, shaking her head. [color=pink]“Anyway, let’s find a room, I guess,”[/color] Stella said, going up the stairs with Oliver. Following her once more, Oliver turned to see the red-haired figure himself. [color=gray]”Yeah… I’m pretty sure it was. I really hope they didn’t end up having to big of a fight or anything…”[/color] Soon the two found a free room, but Stella didn’t realize which room it was. [color=pink]“Okay, so of all rooms, I pick Kavi’s parents’ room. Cool!”[/color] And cool it was. And big. Holy cow was it a spacious room! Stepping inside of Mr. and Mrs. Salvadors room, Oliver felt like he was committing a crime. You always heard of kids sneaking into the host of the parties parents bedroom, but Oliver had never had it happen to him. At least not until now. [color=gray]”I never realized someone could ever need this much room to sleep,”[/color] he commented. [color=pink]“This is nothing,”[/color] she laughed, [color=pink]“my room is almost as big as this one is.”[/color] Suddenly Stella felt like she just exposed herself to open criticism. [color=gray]”Hm. Guess I just never gave that much thought to it. I mean, I think everyone has pretty nice sized houses here. Guess I’m just a simple guy. I’ve never really had to have that much room.”[/color] Not quite comfortable enough to touch anything in the room, he just stood there sort of awkwardly. [color=gray]”So what was it you wanted to talk about?”[/color] As she sat on the cushioned platform in front of the bed, Stella just thought about how she wanted to phrase this. Lord knew that she wasn’t a religious person but if there was ever a time she needed the Lord’s strength, right now was that time. She knew she wanted to get it all out there and tell him where her mind was at (or would it be her heart?), but there was that gut-wrenching wall of actually making the decision. And it also had to do with how this was the [i]only[/i] thing she couldn’t outright tell him. Her discomfort was obvious in how Stella’s lips puckered and wiggled. She’s been told it was a tell of hers when she was stressed about something. Her lips opened, but no more than a single sound came out. She gave it another try and still, there was nothing. [color=pink]“Screw it!”[/color] That time she spoke and this time it was loud. [color=pink]“Oliver, I..I mean,”[/color] she looked up at him. [color=pink]“Can you come sit with me please?”[/color] She pleaded with him, a longing gaze lingering at him that was almost desperate on her part. Whatever she wanted to talk about was obviously bothering her, and the look on her face made him wish he had gotten something strong to drink when he had the chance. Without a word, he walked over and sat down beside her, hands in his lap. [color=gray]”I - If I did anything wrong or something, I’m sorry,”[/color] he blurted out. Stella shook her head. [color=pink]“No, it wasn’t you. I mean, not really.”[/color] When she spoke, she immediately heard herself and looked at him. [color=pink]“No I mean, you didn’t do anything! I just..”[/color] She huffed inwardly, taking in deep, albeit short, breaths. [color=pink]“I’m sorry, Oliver. I just can’t seem to say what I want to say.”[/color] Now was one of those awkward moments where Oliver was really starting to think that he had done something wrong - even though Stella had told him otherwise. [color=gray]”Well regardless of whatever it is, I’d be more than happy to sit here with you until you got the courage to say whatever it is.”[/color] [color=pink][i]That’s it. If I had, we wouldn’t be here suffering.[/i][/color] That’s what Stella wanted to say and more. So instead the brunette closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and muttered something to herself. It was only a short moment, but when she finally calmed her center, she turned to face Oliver, eyes and attention on him. Her heart was beating too fast for her comfort, so she took hold of Oliver’s hands. When she felt it became too much, she squeezed them but Stella wasn’t going to back down. Too far now and she needed to get it own. [color=pink]“Oliver..”[/color] She said slowly, the air around her starting to get thick. [color=pink]“We’ve known each other for a while. I mean, we have been going to the same school since third grade. I remember when you were the new student and you stood out like a sore thumb but you never let that stop you from shining on,”[/color] Stella laughed with a smile, picturing how adorkable Oliver was with his bowtie back then. [color=pink]“I remember how the kids at school teased you and even though I didn’t stop them, there was always someone nearby who did.”[/color] [color=gray]”Well, I mean, I don’t blame you for that or whatever. Come to think of it, I kinda always admired you. You were always like this ray of freaking sunshine walking around with bows in your hair and crap,”[/color] he said smiling. [color=gray]”But what does any of that have to do with this?”[/color] Right, the point. Stella had a tendency to not get to it. [color=pink]“I just mean we have been near each other for so long and only in the past two months have we gotten to know each other. Like, you know that my favorite colors are lavender and bubblegum pink and that I don’t like jalapenos on my nachos. You know I’m deathly afraid of spiders.”[/color] She said, unconsciously moving closer to Oliver. [color=pink]“All of these little things you know about me and you’ve never judged me. Everyone else has cause they’re pretty dumb, but you haven’t.”[/color] She was doing it again, so she shook her head. [color=pink]“What this has to do with everything — at least, what I’m trying to say and failing at — is that you’ve been around all this time and it took to our senior year for me to realize just how much I like you, Oliver.”[/color] People that judged you because of your favorite colors, fears and nacho preferences were stupid - and that was something Oliver firmly believed. [color=gray]”So like…”[/color] he took a deep breath, licking his lips. [color=gray]”Are you saying that you like… [i]like[/i] me, or that you like… [i]like like[/i] me?”[/color] Part of her wanted to laugh but she was so high on nerves right now, the only thing Stella could do was look at him with a smile. Truth be told, she wasn’t exactly sure what the proper answer to his question was. She knew it was more than simply liking him as a person. She liked Sonny. She liked Kavi. She liked all of her friends. And yes, she liked Oliver, but he was different. The way he speaks so passionately when he’d say basically anything to her whether it was about how much he loves pickles and how not having them on a cheeseburger was a crime always makes her smile, or when he tells her about all the dog breeds he wants to own in his lifetime (cats too) and how they both agree pits are unjustifiably hated. Everything she and Oliver might talk about just has this effect on her. She might not understand most of it cause they still have different interests, but Stella does like Oliver the person. She loves how he gets whenever there are raw pickles for sale in the cafeteria. She loves their back and forths when they list all the things wrong with President Trump and how Bernie Sanders is the man. There is never a minute that she isn’t smiling when she’s with him. Even for someone who quite frequently misses certain cues people make, she never has missed one when she’s been with Oliver. [color=pink]“I...think it might be the second one.”[/color] She spoke, her face as red as fast her heart had been beating this entire time. [color=gray]”Thank. Fucking. God.”[/color] he said, a smile breaking across his face as he laughed light-heartedly. [color=gray]”I’m sorry that I made things so awkward for you and like between us and everything but I’m not good with these things at all and I really, really like you. I just didn’t want to make things super awkward for us if you didn’t like me back and I just….”[/color] he took a deep breath. [color=gray]”Yeah.”[/color] He couldn’t help it. Oliver just kept smiling like a complete idiot for a few brief moments before he decided to talk again. [color=gray]”So does this mean I get to, like, hold your hand in public now?”[/color] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/69ZdwvP.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/gqhSW2R.gif[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/nxBkj6x.png[/img][/center][/indent][/indent][/color]