𝗯𝗮𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 ── felix catton.

▃▃ 𝖎𝖎𝖎.

𝕭𝖆𝖌 𝕺𝖋 𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘,

chapter three.

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𝕴𝖙 was the night of the Christmas party, and true to Michael's words, neither of them had received an invite nor dared to risk sneaking in.

Thus, Oliver found himself in the dimly lit common room, just outside the festive chaos - flashing lights, booming music, and people in their slutty Christmas outfits streaming in and out of the double doors. Alone, he played pool, the vibrant atmosphere of the party a stark contrast to the isolation engulfing him, with no one even acknowledging his presence as they entered and exited.

Amidst the lively revelry, the door swung open, and Gabriette emerged, exhaling a small sigh of relief. Oblivious to Oliver's presence, she opened the window and leant against it, lighting a cigarette, the soft glow accentuating her sumptuous yet rebellious demeanor.

Without realizing his watchful gaze, Gabriette took a drag, exhaling a plume of smoke into the air. As she looked around, her eyes finally met Oliver's, and a faint smile touched her lips.

"Are you allowed to smoke in here?" Oliver asked rethorically, eyeing the cigarette.

Gabriette softly laughed at the quirk of the boy's brow as he swayed his body back and forth, holding the cue stick with both hands. "You promise not to tell?"

Her tone dropped to a whisper, and it seemed like the two times she'd interacted with Oliver, her tone was passive, as if she were babying him. Oliver played along, understanding that it allowed Gabriette to feel superior in their dynamic.

Oliver responded with a sly smile, "Cross my heart. Your secret's safe with me."

Gabriette leaned out the window slightly, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Good boy," she teased, her eyes glinting with a mischievous charm.

"Did you come to the party with friends?" Oliver asked after a beat of silence, slowly stepping to where she sat on the window sill. He leaned against the edge of the pool table opposite her, placing his hands on the polished wood on either side of him.

"Oh, come on, Oliver, don't act like you don't know. I've seen you looking at me and my friends, especially when I'm with Felix and Farleigh," Gabriette, cutting through Oliver's phony cluelessness. "What? You're still embarrassed by Farleigh's comments?"

With her soft tone replaced by a no-nonsense one, Oliver mumbled, seemingly sounding embarrassed, "He still says things... especially during tutoring sessions."

Gabriette snubbed out her finished cigarette before flicking it out the window. Hopping down from the window sill she approached the boy and brought her hand to his face, brushing his hair back from his forehead before dropping to his button-up shirt adjusting the collar. One of her hands dropped to his collarbone, resting over the prominent bone and the other sliding its way back up to his cheek, gently stroking it.

"You'll eventually get used to Farleigh, we all did, so now you have to aswell" She said with a smirk as gave him a tap on the cheek before her hands slid off him and grabbed the cue stick resting on the edge of the table.

Holding the stick, she placed her left hand on the green baize material, aiming for a 4 green ball. "What about Felix?" Oliver questioned, watching her play by herself.

"What about him?" she mumbled back, hitting her target successfully, the ball rolling into a corner pocket.

"Is he as... prickly as Farleigh?" he added.

Gabriette scoffed softly, her lips quirking upwards, "No, he's the complete opposite of Farleigh."

As she continued to play pool with a casual skill, Oliver couldn't help but let his curiosity push him further. "The opposite of Farleigh? How so?"

With a small laugh, Gabriette lined up another shot, her focus on the table. "Felix is laid-back, easygoing, savior complex kinda bloke, you know? He just goes with the flow, never a try-hard, yet always the center of attention."

Oliver nodded, absorbing this newfound insight. Intrigued, he couldn't help but try his luck to dig a little deeper. "So, what about you and Felix?"

Gabriette's eyes flickered with a subtle mix of emotions, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. "Quite the inquisitive one tonight," she said, glancing at Oliver-referring to him. Yet, she replied nonetheless, "Felix and I, we've got our own thing going on." However, it was painfully vague, much to Oliver's dismay.

Oliver, sensing the vagueness in her response, pressed a bit more. "Are you two, like, together-together?"

Gabriette chuckled softly, maintaining her enigmatic demeanor. Before she could respond, the door swung open and none other than Felix Catton stumbled out, clearly drunk.

"There you are, I've been looking for you," he said, his shoulders visibly relaxing upon laying eyes on Gabriette.

"Just came out for a smoke and I got roped into conversation," the blonde replied simply, setting the cue stick on the table and walking over to Felix.

The boy then switched his relieved gaze from Gabriette to Oliver, as if he'd only now noticed him, "Oh, hiya mate." The Catton lifted his hand in an awkward hello motion and plastered on a sloppy smile at Oliver.

Gabriette reached Felix, who kept his eyes locked with Oliver. She mumbled something about returning to the party, and as soon as her hands came to lay on his chest, Felix snapped out of his staring contest with the shorter boy and turned his full attention to the blonde.

She stood on her tiptoes, bringing his face down to her level with a hand on his neck, her mouth by his ear, whispering something Oliver couldn't decipher, yet it made Felix grin.

Next thing, Gabriette let out a flirty laugh and jumped up, Felix catching the backs of her thighs and her ankles crossing at his back before the tall boy retreated back into the party - Gabriette leaning back to catch the door handle and close the door, calling out a "Bye, Oliver!" before the door slammed shut.

Oliver stood frozen in his stance, his jaw tightening and his upper lip curling into a sneer at the scene he'd just watched. A feeling of jealousy blooming within him.

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