He Stole My Cab (Benedict Cumberbatch Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirty Four

He stepped towards me, engulfing me in one of his hugs that I had missed so much. Had I? His familiar scent covered me, swallowed me up, and cuddled me in. It reminded me of so many times in my childhood. I remembered when I was only 8 years old, the first time that Oli cam e round, and I plodded down the corridor to Derek’s room where he and Oli were playing on some sort of gaming machine. I remember how I snuck into the room and sat on Derek’s bed, the two of them to engrossed in the combat scene on the TV to notice. When Derek had thrown his control to the floor in annoyance he turned to see me on the bed and starting shouting at me, although later he told me it was only because he was trying to impress his friend, but Oli had said that it was OK if I stayed in the room and he even let me play, teaching me all the different controls. I thought he was one of the coolest guys ever, apart from Derek who I looked up to even at that age.

Oli would come over quite often because he had family issues at home and would want to get away from his family as much as he could. Sometimes he would stay over for multiple nights in a row and Mum and Dad always treated him as if he was a cousin, a part of the family. When I was 16 we had a family BBQ and Oli arrived late in the afternoon asking whether it was possible to stay. He and Derek were 16, approaching 17, and they kept themselves to themselves for most of the evening, avoiding mad Aunty Julie that was for sure! I was heading up to bed when I heard noises coming from the attic and I walked up to see Oli on the phone, well shouting on the phone and when he hung up he lashed his foot out, kicking out at the wall. “Hey what’s the wall ever done to you?” I said, trying to cheer him up, and he turned and gave me his lopsided grin that only Oli could pull off. “Hey Tess” he had said and I walked across the room, and lay down on the rug with a pile of pillows scattered across it, directly beneath the skylight. “What are you doing?” he had asked. “Looking at the stars, come and have a look.” And he walked over and lay down beside me.

I can remember how my heart and begun racing as he rested his hands behind his head and stared up at the dark sky. “Sometimes” I began apprehensively “I like to imagine what it’s like to go up there, get away from life down here. I imagine how peaceful it must be in space” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and saw he was still smiling to himself “You’re mad you are” he muttered to himself after a few minutes “And yet here you are” I retorted gesturing to his body. “And yet here I am” he repeated my words slowly and looked across at me. He sat up then his long legs sprawled before him and I sat up too, sitting back on my knees. “Is everything OK at home?” I had asked softly, knowing the answer already, especially judging by the phone call. He titled his head down slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, his straight black hair falling to shadow his eyes. “Things have been better. It looks like mum and dad are going to get a divorce.”

“I’m sorry to hear that”

“Don’t be. I think it might be a good thing, I mean people grow apart and at least it will put an end to all the shouting. Right? “He looked at me, his eyes full of hope.

“Yeah I think you might be right. This way they can both move on in their lives, maybe find someone who will make them happy again.” I said quietly, stumped for words.

“Yeah hopefully” he said and an awkward silence began to build “Thanks Tess” He said before pulling me into a hug.

He kissed me then. My first ever kiss and it was from the boy that I was head over heels for. The next year was full of sneaking around to see him, which was easier than you would expect with so many rooms in one house. It was exhilarating, the thought of getting caught, not that we ever did anything inappropriate but still. Being a year older than me he left for university when I was 17. We both cried a little when he told me he got a place in Bath University. We decided that it would be too difficult to continue to see each other with so much distance and we hadn’t really been seeing each other before. Within a few months his Facebook displayed that he was in a relationship with a girl called Marie

It’s not that I didn’t expect it to happen but that didn’t prepare me for when it did. It was hard enough with Derek gone as well so my parents were even more on my back that usual as I was the only one at home but now to know that Oli had moved on as well it was heart-breaking. I guess that’s why I fell for Jamie as hard and as fast as I did when I went to Uni. I had only seen Oli twice since he left. Once in my first year at uni I had come home for Christmas and had walked into the living room to see Oli sitting with Derek by the fire. I had left the room pretty quickly after that but he found me later in the attic reading. He had changed so much since I had seen him; his hair was longer now and pushed back from his face, he had grown even more and built a lot more muscle but his eyes seemed to shine even brighter. He had walked into the room and stood in front of the cushions, rocking back and forth on his heels before wishing me a merry Christmas and leaving.

The second time was at New Years Eve a year later. I was out at a house party of one of my school friends and she knew someone who was going out with one of Derek and Oli’s friends so they were also there. As the countdown began I left the room to a secluded hallway upstairs where I could see out of a window the city line of London, the busy flashing lights and occasionally the eruption of colour from a firework. He joined me by the window, whether he had followed me or it happened by chance I will never know. As everyone downstairs shouted zero, followed by the popping of bottles being opened I was transported to my own world as he stepped forward and kissed me again. That was one of my best memories before I met Benedict.

Benedict.

I pulled out of the hug that probably only lasted a few seconds but I suddenly felt hot and embarrassed. Nearly seven years has passed by since that party and yet I’m transported back there as though it was yesterday. Is that a bad thing? I can’t imagine it’s a good thing to be reminiscing about a kiss from someone whilst your current boyfriend, who you love, is standing behind you. “Benedict, his name, my boyfriend Benedict. This is my boyfriend Benedict” I managed to ramble out and they both stepped forward to shake hands, although I could feel both of their eyes on me. “This is my, erm, my friend Oli” I said introducing them both. Wow it is getting hot in here. They both stood awkwardly and I decided that, as the middle man, I should try and start a conversation to eliminate the tension beginning to build.

“What have you been up to?” I asked Oli. Great one Theresa, nice way to break the ice. He coughed awkwardly “Well I got a job in London, I’m in a lab doing physics experiments”

“That’s amazing! What you always wanted, congratulations” I practically squealed, beaming ear to ear and he smiled back at me, still his lopsided one. “What about you Tess, a famous author yet?” I watched as something flashed across Benedict’s face but it disappeared so quickly that I thought I must have imagined it. I slide my hand into the back pocket of his trousers, feeling my cheeks burn as Oli’s eyes followed my movement, but saw the smile begin to creep onto Benedict’s face. “Not quite there yet, one day maybe” and I gave him a weak smile.

“Olive!” Mum calls from downstairs and instantly both Oli and I begun to laugh, both remembering how much he hates to be called that. “Yes Sue” He called back downstairs, giving a sheepish grin. As Oli hates to be called Oliver he calls my mum Sue, and has since a young age, as she can’t stand being called that. But my mum has always had a soft spot for Oli and has got used to it by now but she used to turn bright red and say that “he was too cheeky for his own good”

“Would you like some desert dear, there’s plenty left” Oli called back that he would before saying to us “Can never refuse your mums cooking” and patted his stomach before we both started laughing once more. “I’ll see you later Tess” he said before looking quickly back and forth between Benedict and I, and opened and closed his jaw as if he wanted to say more. I raised an eyebrow at him and his mouth twitched slightly before giving me a “later” look. “It was nice to meet you” he said before leaving the room.