The Writer's Assistant (ManxMan)

Chapter 20: Love Sick

"Besides, you can't blame your breakup with Aaron solely on your careers. Sure, it made it harder for you to date because of exposure on social media and the paparazzi, but Aaron always had problems. He's under a lot of stress and isn't great with his anger management. Plus, he acts impulsively and isn't the most mature dude out there. Not saying that he's immature, but I think he's not ready for a relationship. He has too many personal problems to deal with," Jack said. "Oliver is older. He's more mature. He's kind of strange, but I like him. I think he's cool and a hell better fit for you. You guys are so different but you know what they say; opposites attract."

"It doesn't matter. Oliver is dating Tina."

"Tina Grenswell?!"

"Yeah."

"Dude, you don't stand a chance."

My lips parted. "Gee, thanks."

"What did you expect? He confessed to you more than once, treated you nice and showed you his affection, but you turned him down. It's your fault for missing the chance of your life to get choked by daddy."

"Please never say that again." I said. "Ever."

"If you're jealous, why don't you tell him?"

"Because I don't want to lose him," I snapped. The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I closed shut my eyes with regret. But there was also a slight sense of relief as if I had finally managed to get a heavy secret off my shoulders. "I like what we have and I don't want to jeopardise it. It's not enough, but it's better than nothing."

"See? You're comparing him to Aaron again," Jack groaned. "Look, mate." Mate? Since when did he become Australian? "I get you're scared, but moping around and being love sick isn't going to help your professional life or your personal one. In fact, it'll only make them worse. If you don't want to date him, why don't you tell Oliver how you feel and that despite your mutual feelings, you don't think you're ready to take things further. It's the most professional thing you can do. He deserves the truth because only an idiot wouldn't be able to see the chemistry between you two."

Jack was right. But it was much easier said than done.

"Telling him doesn't mean you have to date him," he reminded me. "But it'll clear the misunderstandings and ambiguity between you two, and it'll give both of you closure."

I hated how right Jack was.

"I would," I began.

"But?" He stretched.

"But... He's scary."

Silence. And then I heard something dying only to realise that Jack was laughing.

He was cackling so hard, I think he dropped his phone because I heard it clatter. He picked it up and asked in an incredulous voice, "You think Oliver Carlson is scary?"

My chest tightened and my lips pinched. Sure, Oliver wore unicorn printed clothes and had coffee mugs with cute corgis printed on them, but he could be scary. Or at least intimidating. There were rare occasions where his voice would turn cold and his eyes sharp. The switch in his voice when the staff interrupted us before the interview still lingered in my mind. Let's not forget the dry tone he had when he warned Aaron to never lay a hand on me, or this morning when he warned me not to cross the line.

Oliver Carlson was all rainbow and sunshine, but once you got on his bad side, it'd be the end of it. He wasn't someone you wanted to mess with. I wasn't even sure if he knew how intimidating he could be at times, which only made him even scarier. I didn't want to be at the center of his attention when his gaze turned icy cold or his voice distant and grim.

But I realised that the only moments he'd show that side of him was when he was protecting me.

"I'd be angry if we were together. If you were mine, I'd be furious."

My chest twinged when I remembered his words.

"I won't settle for anything half-assed."

His sharp words made my fingers tingle.

"I don't have a problem reminding him that you work for me, and I also won't mind telling him to fuck off if he crosses the line."

Yup. Everyone had realised it before I did, but Oliver Carlson was definitely daddy material.

"I'll throw a donut at his face, if I must."

My lips split into a smile. A daddy who loved donuts.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Jack said, snapping me out of my thoughts. My ears burned red and I quickly fixed my lips into a scowl.

"No."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, baby boy."

"How come you're so good at giving relationship advice anyway?" I scowled.

"It's called being single. Everyone knows the universal truth that single people give the best relationship advice."

Couldn't argue with that.

"So, what are you going to do?" He asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but he interrupted, "Oh, hold on. I think my package just arrived."

"Did you order something?" I asked.

"Yup, a dildo and a box of sex toys."

He said it so casually I almost missed it.

"I can give you one in case you ever wanna get frisky with Oliver."

"Jack!" I hissed, face red. He laughed.

"I'll call you back in a sec."

He hung up and I waited, pondering on what I was going to say. Jack was right; telling Oliver my feelings didn't mean we'd have to date, but it would help give him closure and I wouldn't have to feel guilty about feeling jealous of him dating Tina. My phone rang and I picked it, feeling confident and prepared.

"I thought about what to tell Oliver," I said. "And you're right. He deserves the truth. I'll tell him that I was jealous when I found out he was going on a date with Tina and how I didn't want him to go, even though I had no right to be jealous. I'll apologise for my selfish feelings. I'll tell him I never pull away from his hand because I like it when he holds it. I like when he touches me and when he's near me, and the way he looks at me and says my name gives me butterflies." I chuckled nervously. "You know, there was this one time he stood so close to me, I had a full on gay panic attack and ran away only to find out that I was hard." I sighed with a smile. "But that secrets dies with us in our grave. Right, Jack?"

No answer. My brows furrowed at the silence.

"Jack?" I repeated, wondering if there was a problem with the connection. "Did you find your dildos?"

My body suddenly turned rigid when an airy feeling tickled the nape of my neck, hollowing the pits of my stomach. I gulped, staring at the ceiling in fear.

"Jack?" I croaked.

After a long pause, a quiet voice finally spoke.

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else," murmured a familiar voice that was definitely not my best friend's.

This one was huskier, lower, and goddamn sexy. I looked at my phone screen and felt the entire world freeze around me.

It was Oliver.

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What was your reaction at the end of the chapter? Mine is 🫣🫣🫣😏 also can we all agree that Jack is BFF material?

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