—
"So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you."
- Paulo Coelho
—
Oli's POV
—
Three Months Later
—
"This place looks like a dump," Georgia scoffs as we walk towards the little restaurant. Her heels make an obnoxious clicking noise along the pavement, but I don't say anything about it. She likes to wear heels and they make her feel beautiful, so I can't really complain. And she does look gorgeous, as she always does. It's almost unnerving how she never has a hair out of place or a blemish on her skin. Not even a freckle in sight.
I frown at her words, looking at the little Mexican restaurant. It actually looks very welcoming. It's small and the smells coming from the shop already are amazing. The little places like this always have the best food. "Luna goes here all the time, the food will be great. Trust me." I reassure her, holding a hand to the small of her back as I open the door and she walks inside.
The restaurant is filled with booths, many of them taken. The smell of Mexican food is even stronger now and my stomach grumbles. The chicken sandwich I had for lunch really didn't tide me over well.
My eyes flit around the restaurant for a moment until they finally stop on who I'm looking for. Her eyes are already on me, a little smile lifting her lips. Without thinking, I start walking over to her, a grin forming on my lips. I'm stopped by a small hand on my arm and I frown slightly, turning back to my girlfriend. She huffs, following after me quickly and curling her hand around my bicep.
Once she's instep with me, I continue walking towards the back of the restaurant. My eyes stay set on my best friend and I want nothing more than to run over to her. But Georgia's hand on my arm prevents that and for the first time in the few months we've been dating, I resent her. I haven't seen my best friend in over a year and she won't let me go straight over and hug her.
When we get closer, Luna stands up from her seat and steps out of the booth. I quickly turn, murmuring a small 'sorry' to Georgia before gently lifting her hand off my arm and turning back to my best friend. I hurry across the short distance between us and bend down, wrapping my arms around her.
She goes up on her tiptoes, arms curling over my shoulders as I hold her to me. My eyes fall closed once she's finally in my arms, my heart rate slowing and my mind finally calming for the first time in what feels like forever. She smells the same as I remember - a sweet, fruity smell that I'm not sure whether it comes from her shampoo or her perfume. Whatever it is, it seems to have stuck around for years. I've grown addicted to it over time, the smell reminding me of my safe place.
After holding her for maybe a little too long but not long enough all at once, I pull away from her slightly, lifting my hands to cup her cheeks. I scan her face quickly, noting how grown up she looks. She's wearing more makeup than I've seen her wear before, her freckles almost covered up. But the prominent little dots over her nose are still there and the sight makes me smile. At least one thing hasn't changed after all these years.
My eyes dart down to her neck. One more thing that I hope will always stay the same. The dainty gold necklace with mine and her initials on the pendents that I got her for her fourteenth birthday. The first birthday I missed, no matter how hard I tried not to. That necklace still sits around her neck and my eyes linger on my initial pressed against her skin.
Her hair has changed as well, the once golden brown colour has subtle highlights running through it and it's cut to her shoulders. It's curled loosely, making her look more mature than I've ever seen her. I remind myself that she's twenty now. She is mature. She is grown up. She's an adult. She's not so little anymore.
And yet, "Little One," The nickname I've had for her since day one slips from my lips and I smile down at her, releasing my hold on her face. We stay close to each other, only a step away even though we're no longer touching, "God, I've missed you," Her lips pull up into a wide smile at my quiet words, straight white teeth on display and I can't help but mirror her happiness, "And that smile. Nothing makes me quite as happy as seeing you smile, Little Luna."
"Hi, Oli," She whispers, wide turquoise eyes staring up at me. They hold that same look of wonder that they've always held. I've always loved how she looks at me. Like I really mean something. After living half my life meaning nothing to no one, she was a breath of fresh air that day I first met her twelve years ago. Her eyes suddenly dart behind me and her smile drops slightly as she takes a step back. Clearing her throat, she says, "You must be Georgia. It's so nice to finally meet you."
Right. Georgia. My girlfriend. My girlfriend who may or may not have just heard me say that Luna's smile makes me happier than anything. That's not going to go down well.
I quickly straighten and turn to face her. She has her usual pretty fake smile plastered on her lips. I don't remember the last time she genuinely smiled. It's always her fake model smile, the one that's pouty and shows minimal teeth. Georgia steps forward and past me, leaning down to give Luna a hug. It's stiff and not super friendly, but they have just met, I guess.
"It's so nice to meet you, Luna!" Georgia's voice is higher than Luna's and I note that it doesn't bring me the same calm. I push that potentially concerning thought to the back of my mind.
Sudden movement at the booth draws my gaze away from the girls and my smile falls. A guy steps out of the booth and I assume this must be Jackson. Luna's new boyfriend. Also her first boyfriend. When I heard that news only a few weeks after I told Luna about Georgia, I wasn't exactly thrilled. In my mind, no one could possibly be good enough for my best friend. But I've painted a happy smile on my face, feigning enthusiasm each time she brings him up in conversation. I'm happy for her. Really.
"Jackson, good to finally meet you," I hold my hand out to him in a friendly gesture. I know Luna's eyes are on us now and I don't want to be the annoying overprotective best friend. No matter how much I want to be that.
He stares up at me, slightly wide-eyed. "Oli King," He mutters, slightly disbelieving.
I hold back a sigh, forcing a smile as I shake his hand. "Just Oli's fine. You a fan of basketball?"
Jackson's head bobbles with a nod. "The Lakers is my team. I've been following your career for the last few years."
"Maybe you should join Luna to one of my games sometime." I turn to her with raised eyebrows. "Any idea when that will be, Little One?"
She huffs a sigh, rolling her eyes at me, "I'll try, Oli. But the dates just never work out," She frowns at me, "You know I want to watch you play."
I smile at her then, a genuine smile, "I know, I understand. It's alright, really, I just miss having you there."
"Well now you've got me," Georgia shines her model smile up at me, grasping my bicep in her hands again. Her grip is tight and I force a smile in return. I don't know why it's so hard to smile at her genuinely right now.
"Right," I clear my throat, "Should we order?"
The four of us clamber into the booth, Jackson and Luna on one side with her on the outside of the booth while Georgia and I sit opposite them with me across from Luna. We all grab our menus, except I notice Luna doesn't move to grab one.
I raise my brows at her, "You come here that often, you don't need the menu?"
She grins at me, all toothy and wide, "Laney and I come here all the time. We meet up here before, after, between classes. On weekends. They literally have the best food."
Georgia's nose turns up, "It's just Mexican food."
Luna's eyes dart to her, noticeably deflating a little. "I swear it's amazing. Haven't found anywhere quite as good as here."
Georgia looks up at me, placing a hand on my arm, "That Italian place we go to has a five-star rating. I don't know if anything could beat that, right, babe?"
We went there twice. The food was average at best. Too fancy for my taste. I shrug, keeping my eyes on the menu in front of me. "I guess. I'm willing to bet this place will be pretty hard to beat. The food smelt amazing even from halfway down the street," I glance up at Luna, finding her eyes already on me and I shoot her a little wink. Sometimes she needs a little reassurance that someone's on her side.
She smiles at me again, relaxing in her seat, "I recommend the beef nachos. Oh, the quesadillas are really good too. Everything's good here. Alana gets the tacos a lot."
"What are you going to get?" I ask, curious to what her regular is.
"The nachos are my go to, but I'm feeling quesadillas tonight. The burritos are really good too, by the way." She nods to herself before adding, "I think you'd like the tacos, Oli. I thought of you the first time a tried them. Remember back in... What was it like sixth grade? You must have been a Junior in high school. We went to that Mexican place in town with your friends. How are they, by the way, I haven't spoken to them in ages. Anyway, they had the most amazing tacos with-"
"-with double the meat and double the cheese," I finish for her, grinning, "I remember. Those things were overflowing. So much filling. Tasted incredible."
She grins at me, "They do them just like that here. Never found a place quite like back home until I tried the tacos here. Alana almost died when she saw them."
"Guess I'm getting those then," I smile, placing my menu back down on the table.
"How big are the portions? I'm supposed to be on a low-carb diet for the shoot I have next month," Georgia's words tear my gaze away from Luna and my smile dims.
"Uh, they're pretty big. They have vegan and vegetarian options though, which have less carbs." Luna offers, voice soft and accomodating. I find myself just staring at her for a second or two, wondering where all the time went. It feels like just yesterday when I used to drive her to the diner to meet up with my friends and she'd sit in my lap while we ate burgers. I loved those nights more than anything.
"Cory mentioned you just the other day," I tell Luna abruptly, drawing her gaze back to me, "You asked about them? They're all doing pretty good. Don't get to speak to them often, they're off doing their own thing. But we should try to meet up with them sometime. For old time's sake."
Luna immediately nods with a big smile. "I'd like that. I miss them, honestly. They really grew on me after all those years."
"Oli," Georgia huffs beside me and I reluctantly look away from Luna to her. She frowns up at me, "Everything has so many carbs.
"Uh," I frown, looking down at the menu. Everything sounds delicious, but definitely not super healthy. "They have salads. Those sound good. Maybe get one of them."
Her eyes scan the menu again before she sighs, "I guess that'll do."
"How long have you two known each other again?" Jackson asks, making me aware of his presence once again. Talking to Luna, I almost forgot we weren't alone.
"What month is it? August, so it's been..." Luna trails off, eyes finding mine, "Almost twelve years? Right?"
I nod, thinking back as well. "I was adopted not long after I turned 13."
She nods as well, "Yeah, that sounds right. God, it's been a long time."
Smiling, I agree, "It has. Don't know if I'd be here without you, Little Luna."
She rolls her eyes with a scoff, "Please, you're the one who quite literally saved my life."
Jackson's eyes widen at that. "You saved her life?" Even Georgia looks a little interested now.
I sigh softly, leaning back and getting comfortable in my seat. My legs stretch out under the table, resting on either side of Luna's. I trap both her feet with mine quickly and she gives me a little smile, wiggling one of her feet free and putting it on the other side of mine so that one of hers is between mine and one of mine is between hers. She gives me a little secret smile as she goes on to tell the story.
"Okay, so I was only eight when I met Oli. I was super excited to meet him. His moms are best friends with my parents, so I was super happy when I found out they were adopting. Oli was kind of mean at first," She gives me a little glare but I just smile, "But it was understandable, considering he'd never met me or my parents before. Funnily enough, we first bonded over basketball."
"I probably wouldn't have started playing if it wasn't for you," I admit honestly.
She frowns, "That's not true."
"It is," I nod, "I never had much interest in it before. I was always pretty good at it because of my height, but after I met you, I went to your games and we always played together. I grew to love it because of you, Little One."
Her face lights up with a soft smile at my words. "You're welcome then, Oli." She blinks a couple times before continuing, "But anyway, we were shooting hoops in my driveway when the ball rolled off onto the road. Oli had been winning all afternoon, so I saw that as my chance and ran after it. Right as a car was driving down the road."
I shake my head at her, continuing the story, "So obviously I ran after her and pulled her back from the road before she could get hit."
"I burst into tears when I realised what could have happened and Oli carried me inside," She shakes her head at herself too, a fond look in her eyes as she watches me, "I barely let him out of my sight after that. We've been best friends ever since."
Georgia and Jackson continue talking with Luna after that, but I hardly participate. My mind is elsewhere, a place I don't think it's ever been before.
I think it's just hit me - like, really hit me - that my best friend isn't so little anymore. I knew that, of course. I've watched her grow up. But I've hardly actually been there to see it. Sure, I saw the first five years, but for the last seven years I've been at college then playing basketball professionally. The Luna sitting in front of me is very different to the Luna I left behind all those years ago.
And I'm still not quite sure what to do with that information.
—
A/N
Hello wonderful readers!
We finally got Oli's POV! What do you think of this chapter? Any predictions on what you think will happen next?
Thank you so much for reading!! I love you!!!
~ Pink Flamingo