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chapter five.
ㅤ ㅤ
Oliver must admit that he was surprised when Felix had invented him to a nightclub on a Thursday night, not where he'd usually be but for the past weeks since he's been getting closer to Felix he's found himself doing things and being in places he'd never experienced before - yet he knew, this was the life he dreamed of and it was becoming reality each passing day.
He'd arrived with Felix, the others already there, before the two of them arrived, yet they quickly fell into the rhythm of the night.
As the night unfolded, Oliver couldn't help but notice the subtle shifts in the dynamics of the group. Gabriette and Felix hadn't been by each other's sides throughout the whole night. The two seemed to be enjoying themselves on opposite sides of the club. Gabriette was chain-smoking like there was no tomorrow and downing shots of pure hard alcohol. Her laughter carried away by the music as she loosely danced on one of the many poles.
Felix, on the other hand, was engrossed in equally harsh alcohol and some type of drugs that Farleigh was supplying. The two seemed to be having fun, just not acknowledging each other's presence at all.
Oliver swished the liquor around in the short glass he held, his eyes now on Gabriette that had been joined by some random guy, the two dancing together pretty closely.
The blonde seemed to bask in the guy's attention, a drunken yet sexy smile lit up her face as her arms were slung around his shoulder and his on her swinging hips.
"Mate, give me a jägerbomb, please" Oliver heard Felix's voice behind him, signaling the bartender for his desired drink.
"So, you enjoying yourself?" Felix asked, plopping down on the bar stool next to his newest friend.
"Yeah, yeah, tons!" Oliver replied with a smile, glancing at the boy beside him before his eyes locked back onto Gabriette, Felix's eyes following suit as he recieved the shot and downed it without peeling his eyes away.
"Seems like Gabriette's found a new dance partner tonight," Oliver remarked, trying to inject a light tone into the observation.
Felix's eyes followed Gabriette's every move, a subtle furrow forming on his brow. "Yeah, looks like it," he replied, his tone guarded.
Oliver, choosing his words carefully, added, "Maybe she's just enjoying herself and meeting new people. You know, letting loose. It happens."
Felix's jaw tensed slightly, a flicker of jealousy crossing his eyes as he watched. "She's free to dance with whoever she wants."
Sensing the need for caution, Oliver tried to emphasize Gabriette's actions playfully. "Well, at least she found someone to match her... exuberance."
Felix's expression tightened, misinterpreting Oliver's words. "Exuberance? What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his tone defensive.
"Oh, nothing. Just an observation. She's really putting on a show," Oliver replied, attempting to play it off.
"She's having fun. Let her be." Felix mumbled, the look on his face clearly showing that the last thing he wanted to do is 'let her be'.
"Fucking hell. I need another shot," He added, turning back to the bar and away from the scene unfolding on the dance floor. 𝕹𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝕯𝖆𝖞 ── Oliver and Felix found themselves back at the pub, the scent of aged wood and the hum of pub chatter surrounding them.
"I didn't know you and Farleigh were cousins," Oliver commented as Felix took a gulp of his beer.
Felix leaned back, grinning, and nodded, "My aunt ran away to America when she was nineteen to get away from 'the cold-hearted English'," he explained, pulling out a cigarette and offering one to Oliver, "Ciggie?"
Oliver smiled politely and shook his head, "I don't smoke."
"Smart lad," Felix mumbled as he lit the cigarette, "She married a lunatic who pissed everything she had up the wall, and a fair chunk of Dad's money too, until he had to finally cut her off."
"It sounds like an Evelyn Waugh novel," Oliver commented sympathetically.
"You know, a lot of Waugh's characters are based on my family actually," The Catton boy said, matter-of-factly. "Yeah, he was completely obsessed with our house... "
"Well, Dad, you know, he felt so guilty about the whole thing that he decided he would pay for all of Farleigh's education," Felix continued the story.
Oliver smiled lightly, "Lucky Farleigh."
"Fat lot of good it's done him. He's been expelled from almost every school in England for sucking off the teachers," Felix smirked back, and Oliver laughed.
"How about you?" Oliver questioned, wanting to get to know his newest friend better.
"Oh, I've not sucked off any teachers."
Felix laughs, the shared humor echoing across the cozy ambiance of the King's Arms, "Not yet, you haven't."
The two chuckled at the tease, bringing their cups of beer to their lips. Oliver thought it over for a second, pondering whether to voice the itching question in his mind.
Deciding since they were on the topic of pasts, he spoke, "And what about Gabriette? What's her story?"
"Ahhh, Gabs..." Felix sighed exasperated, thinking it over, "She's... she's been through quite a lot. When she was seven years old, her mother had been secretly taking a bunch of pills and got addicted to 'em quick, and one day she'd taken too many. Gabs heard her collapse on the floor and start having seizures. Paralyzed by panic, she sat by her mother and cried instead of calling 911. By the time her father got home, her mother was dead. She died by overdosing on different types of pill. Calling an ambulance could possibly have prevented her mother's death, and to this day, she feels like it was her fault."
There was a beat of silence before Felix spoke up again, "That's why she doesn't meddle with drugs like Farleigh... and me do. It's why we weren't speaking with each other yesterday night; she caught me and Farleigh doing some lines, and she... flipped."
"Bloody hell..." Oliver mumbled, at a loss for words.
"I met her in middle school, and we've known each other since then. Her father basically pays her to not go home, to stay away - at private middle and high schools, and now Oxford."
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this chapter is sucks ass, i had such a hard time writing and rewriting it yet i still hate how it came out...
