🦋 + 🐍
(Oliver's Version)
Oliver found himself going to the café again, nothing new. Just like work and worrying, grabbing an iced americano takeaway from the newly opened coffee shop had become an indispensable part of his routine.
Everything is the same; nothing has changed, he had to keep reminding himself. Lying, technically. Since in reality, everything had changed.
His office was closed today - rather had to be for everyone else - after the rumours that had surfaced online. The news about the cancelled business merger between Wilson Jewels and Closet Starlight had somehow leaked in the press and he couldn't risk the media entering his office building to question his employees. They couldn't afford any kind of slip up, not at trying times like these.
When Oliver tilted his head to one side to pop an aching joint in his neck, he caught a glimpse of the sky - moments before the sunset - probably for the first time in a long while. He wondered how so many years had passed by and he had never bothered to go outside or look up from his computer screen and just observe. Had his work really been so interesting? He pondered but the answer came quicker than the question.
Work was hardly an accomplishment, always an escape. A getaway from his troubles, a flight instinct that kept him away from bitter memories and a diversion that he could immerse himself into without being questioned. And what did he do when his only escape became a source of his worries? Right, he found another escape. The one he was headed to right now.
Whether it was Brew Space or the barista working there, he couldn't dare to find out.
*
Unlike the usual tranquillity, the café was bustling with people and activity. A group of customers had gathered around the counters and by the way they were huddled together, it didn't feel like they were there waiting for their order at all.
Oliver dared to take a few steps ahead when something caught him off guard. It was a girl, somewhat in her teens, from the crowd who kept talking with vague hand gestures. He couldn't control the soft gasp that escaped his lips when he heard his own name.
"-he is such a player with commitment issues. No wonder she dumped him when she found out he was cheating-"
"No, I heard she was the one who cheated. Poor Oliver. Honestly, he can do so much better than Anne." He quickly recognised this voice as the new barista's, Dio's from when he had first encountered him.
He could clearly see why the owner had hired this guy. It was either his presence and contacts or his good looks that had made the café so full with customers. As a group of teens practically swooned over him and devoured the gossip, Oliver couldn't help but shift his gaze towards the door. Would this café always be so full now? Was it always so packed during evenings and he never knew because he used to stop by around closing time? Should he... leave and come back later? Or probably never come back at all?
It was almost as if he had forgotten to breathe. His thick mask felt too tight all of a sudden but he kept pushing it upwards, making sure no one could catch a glimpse of his face somehow. Hearing people gossip about him was one thing but finding out that the man standing right beside them was truly Oliver Wilson... He shuddered at the mere thought. He never wanted to be seen. He never wanted to be found. And all of a sudden, he was that 15 year old kid who wanted to keep hiding under his bed till all the monsters went away.
When his senses kicked him back to the present, coffee didn't feel very appetising and when his flight instincts took over, he turned back towards the door. As if just in time, a familiar voice called out to him. "Hey, there."
Unwilling but unable to stop himself, he turned to find her standing behind one of the counters, a whipping cream dispenser in her hands and a cupcake in another. There was a bit of flour stuck on her forehead but she didn't seem to notice as she smiled at him politely and wiped her now empty hands with a paper towel.
She turned the billing register on to tap away his order when Dio stopped her. "It's my turn to prepare the order, I'll just-"
"It's alright. I got this one." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand and he happily returned to gossip with his group of friends. "So, what will you have today?" She turned to Oliver with a bright smile and for a moment, Oliver wanted to hold onto it like it was the only ray of sunshine in his very dark, scary world.
But she soon covered her face with a surgical mask and sanitised her hands before touching the paper cup. That's when it struck him. He looked around frantically, trying to observe the unnoticed. Amidst all the merger news, he had totally forgotten another one that had made the headline - the one where masks were no longer mandatory. Over half the customers weren't wearing one and it was reasonable, considering most of them were either sipping at their drinks or enjoying a bite of their cookies and cakes.
As if right on cue, Oliver's stomach growled and he rummaged his heart for the slightest bit of courage but returned with empty hands. At this point, he was going to leave the café empty handed as well.
The barista noticed a hint of resignation in the creases between his forehead and the way he constantly kept on gulping, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, as if trying to swallow his words instead of speaking them. His face was covered with a mask that made it impossible to notice his other features but his eyes were drowning in an ocean of despair. All of a sudden, a memory flashed into her mind of when she got lost in a fair as a child, away from everyone she knew. All alone. Confused. Lost. And he looked just like that, if not worse.
Not knowing what to do, she tried to make the situation simpler for him by asking, "Will you have your regular?"
Oliver opened his mouth to speak but shut it the next second. What if they recognise my voice? He barely managed to nod and she noted his order. The scone in the display case caught his eye and his appetite was returning but his fearlessness had betrayed him long back, leaving a pool of anxiety in its place. He was not sure what the feeling was. Helplessness? Fear? Disappointment?
He could just observe this time, paralysed in fear, when his only source of comfort left to prepare his coffee and the sound of gossip returned to him.
"I bet she found a hotter guy than him-"
"Hotter than Oliver? Pfft, no chance." Dio chimed in. "That woman just has a ton of champagne problems."
They all laughed at his snarky comment. They all laughed. At Oliver's helplessness, at his problems and at the mess that was his life.
This is what he was now and would ever be - a laughing stock whose life was merely a source of entertainment for the world. As if he were never a human with emotions to begin with. No matter how hard he tried, his dark thoughts and the echoes of laughter never stopped reverberating in his mind.
If only they knew the truth. If only there was a way for people to know the real version of events that took place. If only anybody would care to go beyond rumours to find out what actually happened that day-
"Your iced Americano," her voice was a whisper but it was enough to pull him out of the storm enveloping him. Just for a moment. She noticed him eyeing the scone and asked if he would like to try that one. Yet again, all he could manage was a forced yet grateful nod.
She handed him a bag when another comment from the group reached her ears and she was fuming, the tip of her ears hot and red in anger. "That's enough, you guys. You know nothing about him or her or their life. Just stop assumi-"
Dio quickly cut in, "No, El, babe. You're the one who's new and clueless here. We have lived in Starlight our entire lives so-" He paused to catch a breath, "-it's better if you stop defending a man you've never heard of before and just focus on your work."
He could notice her face fall, her eyes gave it away and he could almost picture her lips pressed into a tight line behind the mask. This is what happens when you try to play with fire, he thought, you get burnt. You regret it. And the regret that came from defending Oliver was etched over her face like a dull, dark stain on the brightest portrait.
He wanted to thank her, he really wanted to. He wanted to look at her one last time. He wanted to remember it all; the streaks of fresh paint on the wall behind her, the glass cupboard showing off their best crockery, the desserts that you could taste just by the smell, the bitter coffee, her reassuring smile, her sweet voice, her understanding look, her-
You need to go before it all goes downhill, he reminded himself. He wished there was another way. He wished he was somehow invisible. He wished he couldn't feel the tears pricking the corner of his eyes, threatening to fall any second now.
But nothing lasts forever. And Oliver knew if he overstayed his welcome, his daydream would soon turn into a nightmare when he would taint the only good memories he'd had in a while.
It's time to go. Truly.
Clenching his fist to control the jitters, he held the bag with a vice like grip in another. They were right, he mused, it always hurts because you never know it's the last time.
So he left, just like Cinderella left behind Prince Charming with nothing but a glass slipper and a night full of memories. Except in his story, he left nothing behind. Not even an aftertaste unlike his favourite cup of coffee.
Random Question: Are you an introvert, an extrovert or an ambivert?
A/N: Where's my fellow social anxiety gang at?! Do you think Oliver did the right thing by leaving forever? Will they ever be able to meet again? Let me know what you think :D