And the cycle continued.
Oliver woke up with a piercing headache and terrible nausea. How had his body not gotten used to his binges yet?
Surrounding him were empty bottles of whatever alcohol he could find and cocaine. It was a scene he was all too familiar with.
His hands were throbbing with pain and his throat felt desiccated. He needed water and an ice pack. Struggling, Oliver staggered down the spiral stairs, barely able to keep his eyes open. And when he did open them all he could see was a twisting panorama of his apartment, making him even more dizzier.
His head turned towards the direction of the elevator as it dinged. Hobbling out of it was the maid with an unknowing smile on her face. However, she immediately gasped when she saw the shattered table, vases and frames. A look of horror took over her face as she examined the wreckage, not realising Oliver could see her. She slowly followed a trail of broken glass until she entered the living room area. That was when she spotted Oliver.
She had a look of fear on her face. It was familiar. Nora had the same look on her face that night. Her hand gripped the console table behind her as she made contact with Oliver's bloodshot eyes.
"M-Mr Scott... a-are you okay? Did someone break in?"
"No."
She gulped, looking at everything but him. "Um... okay... I can come back later-"
"Tomorrow. Come back tomorrow."
"O-okay."
She paused, trying to think of something to say. "Um..."
"Leave."
She didn't object and scurried away quickly.
Oliver sighed. This was who he was now. Some terrifying man who destroyed everything and everyone in his path.
"Woah... what the hell happened?"
Oliver turned to face the source of the voice, finding Charlie standing at the entrance, looking around in shock.
Oliver's face turned to stone as he apathetically shrugged. "Why are you here?"
"I was... just in the area."
"Oh."
Oliver entered the kitchen with Charlie curiously following closely behind him. He cracked open the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging it down in record time. It did little to quench his thirst or extinguish the fire in his chest.
"Oliver, what's up man? What happened?"
Oliver remained quiet, leaning back against the countertop. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. The light was burning through his pupils.
"You're worrying me..."
Charlie's voice had a concerned and soft tinge to it. It made Oliver want to spill all his secrets to him. Out of everyone he knew, Charlie was probably the easiest person to talk to. Spencer was a close second but sometimes he would side with the wrong person and say things that were very judgmental. Charlie wasn't judgemental, however. He listened carefully as Oliver relieved himself of everything that was burdening him. Or maybe Oliver was too quick to judge him. What if he ran for the hills when Oliver told him how he destroyed his apartment out of sheer insanity? Then he would lose one of his only friends. Certainly his closest friend.
"I can't talk about it..."
Charlie sighed and stood up, patting Oliver's shoulder. "Let's go on a walk. Get some fresh air."
The thought of going outside, somewhere even brighter, made Oliver's head hurt. "I'm good."
"I wasn't asking. Come on."
Charlie waited in the kitchen as Oliver dragged himself upstairs to change. The night before, he went to sleep with his suit still on so the classic Burberry jacket was a crumpled mess that morning. He didn't even have enough energy to take a shower even though he reeked of sweat, sadness and very expensive alcohol. Instead, he threw on a hoodie and a pair of gym shorts. By the time he returned back downstairs he found Charlie had made himself a coffee. As soon as he saw him, however, he placed the cup on the table and stood up swiftly.
"You ready?"
"I still don't want to go."
"Oh. Well, tough."
Oliver dragged his feet as he followed Charlie to the elevator. It dinged open and they both stepped in at the same time, causing them to bump against each other.
"Sorry. You first," Charlie said.
Oliver entered, muttering a quick apology. He went to press the button but again Charlie seemed to be thinking the same thing and his hand brushed against his.
"Now this is getting freaky," Charlie chuckled.
Oliver wanted to laugh but nothing came out. He was so utterly numb.
In the lobby, the doorman, concierge and maid all watched curiously as he and Charlie made their way out. Gossip sure spread like wildfire.
The blinding sun hit them as soon as they left and Oliver couldn't help but wince. He really didn't feel well.
"So, are you going to tell me what happened yesterday?" Charlie eventually asked, addressing the elephant.
"Nothing."
"Your apartment says otherwise."
"Where are we going?" Oliver sighed, ignoring Charlie.
"I don't know."
"Okay." Oliver looked at the ground as he walked alongside Charlie.
"Are you okay?"
"Can you stop asking so many questions?" Oliver snapped.
"Can you start answering them?"
Oliver sighed. They hadn't really walked much. Oliver could still see his building in the distance. But he was out of breath.
"I lost my temper..." Oliver muttered.
"Why?"
"Why?" Oliver scoffed. "You're seriously asking me why. Hm, I don't know maybe it's because the love of my life left me."
"You'll meet someone else. You'll fall in love again. Your life isn't over because you and Nora broke up."
"You don't understand what we had... I love her so much. She's like a dream come true. She's the type of girl people imagine when they think of perfection. I fucked up so much but she always stuck with me. But now... now I'm alone. I have no one."
"I am literally standing in front of you and you're saying you have no one?"
Oliver looked up at him and rolled his eyes. "I mean... someone to love. It feels nice to be in love. Like everyday is an achievement, a celebration of finding your soulmate. But I lost her. And so yes I have no one. And I will never have anyone like her. Someone that makes me better."
Charlie stayed quiet for a moment. "You shouldn't need someone to make you better. It shouldn't be anyone's job to fix you."
Oliver mentally dismissed what Charlie was saying. "Oh, you wouldn't know."
"You're right. I have never needed to rely on someone to make me feel better about myself."
"That's not... that's not what it was."
"Let's go back."
They had only been walking for less than fifteen minutes. He thought Charlie would want to walk with him for hours. Talking, laughing... Oh no, he drove him away too didn't he.
Oliver panicked and stopped walking. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?" He didn't know what he was apologising for. But usually that five letter word did the trick with Nora.
"For what? You did nothing wrong."
"But you're angry with me."
Charlie half-smiled and gently nudged him. "I'm not angry with you. I just don't think the walk did what it was supposed to do. How about we get lunch or something?"
"That sounds good..."
Oliver curled his lips in a genuine smile and for the entirety of the walk back he laughed as Charlie told him some wild anecdotes. The pain in his chest was finally easing.
Of course, the universe could be very cruel at times. Clearly, the universe hated seeing Oliver happy.
As they reached the front of his apartment building he spotted a very familiar girl rushing into a car. He had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But as the car drove away she turned around and looked out the back window, her eyes widening as she realised she had been spotted.
"Oh my god, it's Nora..."
"What?"
Oliver couldn't think. He immediately jumped into a sprint after the car, flailing his arms around hysterically and calling out her name.
"Nora! Nora, stop!"
Why was she there? Why had she come? Did she want to taunt him?
Charlie caught up to him, panting for breath. "Oliver! Stop running!"
Oliver shook his head, trying to push his exhausted body to a speed quicker than a car. However, Charlie had to step in front of him to stop him.
"Move out of my way! She was there, Charlie! I saw her-"
Charlie struggled to hold Oliver as he fought back to chase after the car. It had already disappeared out of sight but maybe he could find it again. If he just kept running...
"Stop! She's gone. Stop running, Ol."
"I...I...Oh god, I blew my chance. She must have seen how I wrecked the apartment. I'm such a fuck-up-"
Oliver couldn't fight back the river of tears coursing down his cheeks. Charlie wordlessly pulled him into a hug. His arms hung loose at his sides as he soaked Charlie's shoulder with tears.
"I'm sorry," He sobbed. It was a genuine apology but he was still unsure of what he was apologising for.
Charlie squeezed him tightly. "It's okay," He whispered into his ear. "It's going to be okay."
⢠⢠â¢
my mental health is pretty much non-existent at the moment. sorry for the long wait. hope it was worth it.