Count On Me

Part Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Two

The taxi pulled up at one of the better wine bars in the centre of Manchester. Oscar helped her out and led her into the building. Nodding to the waiter as they were shown to a table, he ordered a bottle of champagne, then joined her at the small table tucked away at the back of the room.

"Champagne?" Lizzie asked, watching him fill the two flutes that the waiter returned with.

He gave a little shrug, "only the best for the best."

Again she blushed and that made him smile, "I love making you blush, but I can't believe how easy it is sometimes. You need to learn to take a compliment a little better."

She dropped her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, he knew that her parents weren't affectionate or supportive, and he imagined that Janis dominated her rather than praised her. Surely there were friends and boyfriends who made her feel special? But as he looked at her, he knew that there wasn't. Vicky was the only friend she mentioned, and she didn't see her that often. She'd never mentioned a boyfriend. That meant he had to start that conversation, didn't he?

He toyed with his glass as she sipped hers, then offered, "so I was talking to Freya earlier, she was telling me about when you met Krystal when you were out one night."

Oscar let that hang there for a while, watching as she lowered her head, the blush once again sweeping over her.

"She's beautiful." She finally offered.

He shrugged, "she wanted what I wanted. You were right, no strings. It was easy, too easy. She didn't come to family dinners; she basically kept herself out of every part of my life..." He sat back in his chair, his eyes not leaving hers, "and that suited me. Because I've always been so transparent, so superficial."

"I get that."

He laughed, "no, you don't. Because the moment I walked into your home, met you and Nate...then I've wanted different things. I thought in the beginning it was just Nate, that it was being a father. But it is SO much more than that."

He could tell that she wasn't convinced, but he carried on, "I knew before I felt jealous this weekend, you know?"

That made her laugh, a really quick blurt, "I don't believe that."

Leaning across the table he sighed, "and I can't believe that no one has told you how beautiful you are, made you feel special...treated you right."

He watched as she gulped, swallowing nervously, "please, Oscar."

Reaching out he took her hand, "I'm not feeding you lines here, you're one of the most wonderful people I've ever met, selfless, caring, strong, loyal...and that's just your personality. I'll keep telling you that you're beautiful until you start believing it."

"Not happening."

Her voice was quiet and he wanted to punch something at that.

"You've dated the wrong men."

That made her laugh out loud, "that's an understatement."

He was relieved that she'd confessed that. "So don't judge me by their standards."

She paused, looked up at him, "I don't. I guess."

Topping up their glasses, he returned the bottle to the ice bucket before he spoke again, "ok then, don't think that I'm the same as everyone else. I say what I mean."