A/N:
Just a heads up!! The next few chapters will be from Olivia's POV. Enjoy! 🤍
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I woke up to an empty bed, just like that morning at Cleo's. The morning that felt like years ago. Light flooded in past my curtains onto the space Cleo had slept the night before. I wondered if she had woken in my arms and got freaked out. Maybe I scared her off. But, before my mind could wander any further, the bathroom door creaked open and in stepped Cleo Roberts, dressed in my clothes and smiling back at me.
"Oh, hey. You're up," she said, and I nervously began to occupy my hands with the comforter.
"Morning," I said. "How'd you sleep?"
Cleo pressed her back against my doorway. "Fine. But, I've got to get going soon. You know... Work."
She's lying. She just wants to get away from you.
"Oh, " I said. "That's cool."
Why did you think Cleo would want to settle for you again?
"Yeah, " she said.
I looked at the alarm clock, trying to break eye contact with the girl in front of me. 10:49 AM.
"Oh, god, I slept in. I'm sorry, how long have you been up?"
"Ummm, " Cleo hummed, thinking for a moment. "Since 8."
My eyes widened. "What? Cleo, why didn't you wake me?"
"Well, you look really peaceful. I didn't want to bother you, " she gave me a grin that I returned with a frown.
"So you just hung out alone for almost 3 hours?"
"Uh... Not exactly-"
"CLEO!" a voice called before swinging open my bedroom door. "Oh, hey Ollie, " Allison teased before swinging her gaze back onto Cleo. "Ready to get back?"
I gave Cleo a puzzled look from my bed. "We, uh... We were playing Minecraft, " Cleo said through a chuckle.
"Cleo's really good too. And since you didn't bother waking up..."
"Don't you have your own friends, Ally? I'm sure Cleo doesn't want to hang in that cave you call a bedroom for any longer, " I retorted. Allison looked toward Cleo, awaiting her response.
"Uh, it's been fun, Allison. But now that Via's up..."
She shrugged and gave Cleo a grin. "It's cool. I'll be in my room if she starts boring you to death," Ally joked, backing up. Before closing my door, she mouthed to me, "she's so much cooler than you."
I grumbled something under my breath and fell back onto my bed. Cleo sat beside me, pulling her phone in front of her. "I'm sorry you had to hang with my sister for 2 hours."
"Sorry?" Cleo responded, her eyes still glued to her phone. "Allison's cool."
I scoffed. "She is not cool. She's a pest."
"I think she's cool."
I glanced at Cleo who was vacantly swiping on her phone. She got like this the morning after our last sleepover too. I remembered her house, how maybe if I had said something everything would be different. If I hadn't brushed off her silence, we might be more than friends right now.
"Cleo, " I said. "Are you okay?"
She blinked up at me. "What do you mean? Of course, I'm okay."
"I don't know..." I gulped back my hesitation and looked her in the eyes for the first time in a while. "You haven't been acting like yourself. Ever since... Well, our last sleepover. You've seemed different. Maybe it's just me.."
Cleo hummed and nodded before looking away. "You're probably right." Her eyes were searching, staring at a blank wall but somehow bright and full. I was lost in the blue as she talked. "Honestly, these past couple weeks have been absolute shit. But, you seem different, too, " she said, finally looking back at me.
"Have I?"
"Yeah. Happier. I'm guessing River's good for you."
Oh. River.
I gave a weak shrug. "To be honest, I feel a lot worse than I did a month ago." The words tumbled out without even a thought. Cleo looked at me, brows furrowed. "River and I are... Complicated. I really don't know if we're dating or just friends or something in between... I just prefer something simple with simple rules."
Cleo chuckled. "Of course you would need rules in a relationship. Probably a checklist too, huh? 'Step one: kiss girlfriend'," she mocked.
"I just mean... I don't know. I need to be on the same page as someone."
"Okay, what's your main 'relationship rule' then?"
I thought for a second before replying. "Communicate, I guess. Tell me if you're upset or angry or unhappy."
"Okay," she said, "You're a hypocrite."
"What?"
"Didn't you just say that you and River are 'complicated' and that you're not sure what's really going on there? Have you communicated that with them?"
I let out this pathetic expulsion of air before shaking my head. "You're right. I'm hopeless."
"You are not hopeless, Olivia. You just have to actually follow your own rules. How can you expect to be happy if the guidelines you put in place aren't reasonable?"
Cleo gave me this knowing look that made me chuckle. "Okay, what's your 'relationship rule' then?"
"I don't know," she replied. "Don't try to make me do things I'm not comfortable with, " she said, falling onto her back.
"Cleo..." I started, thinking through my words carefully. "That... Shouldn't be a rule. It's the bare minimum."
"You're probably right. I might just date assholes."
"I wish you didn't, " I sighed. "You deserve better."
Cleo lifted her head slightly to glance at me.
"I don't know, Via. I'm not so sure I'm a good person."
"What?" I got out as I looked at her. "You're a little rough around the edges but honestly, truthfully, you're a good person."
"How can you say that?" she said. Cleo laid back then, staring at the ceiling as she spoke. "Like... you of all people should know that isn't true. I hurt you, Via. How can you still say that?"
I paused then, heeling on giving her the truth or giving her what I knew would be easier to swallow. I settled for something in between. "I don't think it's that simple. If it was, nobody would be a 'good person'. You messed up, yeah? But, one mistake shouldn't define you." I laid beside her then, pretending the ceiling was swarmed with stars. "Believe me: I've made my fair share of mistakes."
"I don't believe that for one second."
I looked over at her, and I suddenly felt this urge to tell her that I wasn't perfect or strong or brave. That I had a voice in my head who liked to ring a bell every time I messed something up. That I'm still angry with her, and part of me was worried it would never go away. Maybe anger just sat in your stomach forever, swelling and shrinking with the years. I wanted to tell her all of that, but I couldn't, because I was a hypocrite.
"I've missed you," I said instead. It was easier, somehow.
"Me too." She turned to look at me then, our eyes flickering in the morning light. "You're... Probably the only person who knows me. Like, really knows me. Is that weird?"
"It's not weird," I said. "You're the only person who knows me, too."
We were inches apart and seeming to get closer every time we breathed. Cleo's eyes flicked down to my mouth and I felt my chest tighten. She took a sharp breath in and moved closer. I could almost feel her lips on mine before the door swung open, and Cleo pulled away.
"Cleo! " Allison yelled.
She stood up to meet my sister as I carefully turned back. "Yeah, Ally?"
"You have to see the statue I just built in Minecraft. I'll give you a hint: It's you. In statue form. It looks so cool."
Cleo glanced at the time on her phone before nervously laughing. "Sorry, man... I've gotta get to work."
I watched as Cleo packed everything she brought and I followed her downstairs. At the door, Cleo gave me a smile and a wave before departing down the driveway. I shut the door closed and leaned against it.
What just happened?
A/N:
Hey guys! I'm so so sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I know every time I take a break I promise to post more but I've just lacked motivation lately. I hope to be able to post more but, in all honesty, I may forget again. THANK YOU guys for holding me accountable!!! The support for this story is insane and I love you all.
40k reads??? Jesus, I can't believe this dumbass story I wrote out of boredom has accumulated this many viewers. Thank you thank you thank you.