We Are Not Forgotten

chapter twenty four.

My immediate reaction was to rush over to him and throw my arms around his shoulders, squeezing him as tightly as I could. I clung to his body like a little lost child to their mother. I had never been so absolutely overpowered by such happiness.

“I-I can’t b-believe you’re h-here” I blubbered into his shoulder, still gripping onto him securely. His arms had enveloped me into a tender hug too and he was running hand up and down my back. I’m glad that even after everything that had happened between us, he held no grudges against me. The past was in the past and that’s where it was going stay.

“Hey Becks… c’mon it’s okay” He whispered softly, not releasing me from the hug. I swallowed heavily to try and regain some control. It almost felt as though I was drowning in my own tears. I couldn’t believe he had actually come to save me.

I relished in Oliver’s embrace for as long as I could before finally disconnecting from him. I glanced up at his face to check if it truly was him. It all felt like a dream to me. I grinned from ear to ear and giggled gleefully. He had come to rescue me.

“H-how did you f-find me?” I asked, creasing my forehead in confusion, my voice still croaky from the tears.

“Well it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure” He chuckled, shaking his head lightly, “How did you get into this mess Becks?”

“I-I don’t know…” I sighed, my smile fading slightly. So much had happened since Oliver had left; it was kind of hard to remember every single detail. I felt a small bubble of emotion in the pit of my stomach but I managed to keep it at bay. My best friend had saved me from the miserable hell that I thought would never end and that’s all that mattered right now. I was safe.

“How about we go for coffee and you can tell me everything?” He suggested, wrapping his arm around my shoulders protectively. I nodded, and kept close to his warm body. We had so much to catch up on. Our lives were so different from when we last seen one another. It felt more like two years since we’d seen each other, not two months.

  

***

“They can’t do that!” Oliver raged, once I had told him about how social services had taken Gabi from me. I divulged all of the gruesome details as well, like how Sarah thought I was a prostitute. I knew Oliver of all people would believe that I wasn’t actually one, he knew me too well, so I had no reservations in telling him.

I sipped at the steamy coffee in my hands. I had never needed it so much and Oliver was happy to buy it for me. I felt the bursts of energy rushing through my veins as I drank and I felt so much more alive.

  

“I couldn’t stop them… Joyce…she just took her…. s-she didn’t even let me explain…”

“Well… she probably deserved to be attacked then, I mean she kind of had it coming” He laughed lightly, running his fingers through his longer hair. His appearance was quite different from when I saw him as well but I was only just taking it in. His blonde hair was thicker and hung lower down his face than before; he had even grown a bit of stubble making him look less young and baby-faced. I quite liked it.

“I know she deserved it but… I lost control didn’t I? I thought I was past all of that…” I sighed, glancing out of the window of the café. Oliver had seen me when I was a reckless little fifteen year old. He had been there through it all. I had been the one to corrupt him because before he met me, he was a bit of a nerd. He knew that I struggled to maintain my cool; he knew what I could be like.