Chapter 4 : Confessions and Confrontations

The next few days go by normally. The only difference was, Oliver stopped coming over in the morning. He has also been avoiding contact, not bothering to challenge me when our businesses intertwine. He'd just let it go, but he'd also stare at me when he thinks I can't see him.

His behavior has gotten me confused. As much as I 'dislike' him, our rivalry was the only thing that made my life seem more like that of a teenager than an overused mopstick discarded in a desert. I want that thrill that comes from arguing with him and beating each other up when no one's around to separate us.

Right now, I'm doing something I never thought I'd be doing. While walking to Oliver's house, I contemplate what exactly I want to tell him. If I asked him why he wasn't fighting with me anymore, that'd just be weird, but I really don't have anything else in mind.

After knocking on the door, the first thing that gets my attention is the voice of a male. I know it's not any of Oliver's usual friends from school because they've not been on good terms since the 'incident'. A moment later, the door is opened by someone I didn't expect to see. It's Michael. I spot Oliver in the background looking irritated. It's probably because of the heart eyes I now have.

"Hey buddy, long time no see."

"Hi Michael... um... is Oliver home?" I ask as if I've not seen him.

"Yeah, he is, come in."

I can tell that Michael is confused as to why I'm looking for Oliver. As I walk into the living room, there's a guy there. A guy I don't know. I look at him with curious eyes, but it seems he already knows who I am.

"Oh yeah, so this is Ezra... my partner. It's the first time anyone is meeting them, but we've been together for almost a year now."

I'm short on words right now. My hopefully future husband, who I didn't even know was gay or bi or whatever he might be, has a... boyfriend? I guess I could say that.

"That's cool."

I'm honestly shocked at how leveled my voice sounds because I feel like I could cry any moment now. Ezra stands up to greet me. They extend a hand towards me and I take it.

"As you already know, I'm Ezra... you can call me Ez. I use they/them as my pronouns, but I'm still Michael's boyfriend."

"It's like you just answered all the questions in my head. Nice to meet you."

Eager to end this, I turn to Michael and tell him I'll be going to find Oliver.

Now standing in front of Oliver's room door, I start contemplating my actions again, but it's too late because I'm suddenly pulled into his room. When I can finally make out what's going on, my back is against the door and Oliver is right in front of me, close enough for me to want to push him away, but the urge doesn't come.

"So—"

"What are you doing here? I'm pretty sure you know I've been avoiding you."

"That's exactly why I'm here. Why are you doing that?" He looks shocked by my question.

"Shouldn't you be happy about that? That's what you've always wanted, for me to stay away. You hate my guts, so I'm pretty sure me avoiding you is the best thing that's ever happened to you."

He's right. I should be happy that he's finally staying away. The person who I always felt was out to get me is now avoiding me. This really should be something to be happy about, but what I'm feeling right now is far from it. I stare at him completely unsure of what to say.

"If you have nothing to say, please can you leave now?"

He gives me a minute to think and just when he's about to show me out, something comes.

"What was that?... what happened the other day at school?"

"I told you already, that was a mistake, just pretend it didn't happen."

I can tell he's talking about the kiss that almost happened, but that's not what I'm referring to.

"I'm not talking about the kiss. When I took you into that classroom, it was obvious something was different with you. Even though I don't like you, I know you, and you never get like that when angry."

He scoffs. "You don't know anything about me, Niko... not even what's on the surface."

Intrigued by what he just said, I want to know more. What else about Oliver is there to know?

"Then tell me... tell me all there is to know."

"What the fuck would I tell you?"

"Because I want to know, and it's obvious those things are bothering you and you can't tell anyone else."

"Why do you even want to know? You don't like me, so what's with the sudden interest? Do you see me as a fun book to read to get rid of your boredom and maybe satisfy your curiosity?"

"I'm not doing it out of curiosity, Oliver. As much as you'll find it hard to believe, I was actually worried when I saw you like that. It was new, different, and not the Oliver I know—"

"I told you already, Niko, you don't know me."

"Fine then, I don't know you, so give me something, anything. Let me know you. You're normally the guy I'd vent to because you'd always have time to go one-on-one with me, and seeing you this way just doesn't feel right. I know you don't want to believe I'm actually worried, so just take it as me being selfish and wanting my rival back."

At this point, I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. Actually, I've not been in control of myself the last few minutes I've been in Oliver's room. My palm is placed firmly on his chest and I can feel his heartbeat. It's a bit unsteady and that makes sense because I can see how anxious he is. I'm not even sure if that's the correct word, but it's obvious he's battling choices in his head right now. The next thing I know, I'm wrapping my arms around him. He accepts the hug, and even though it might be uncomfortable because of our height gap, he buries his face in my neck, giving me access to the back of his head. I gently stroke his hair and it's obvious he enjoys the contact because his body relaxes against mine.

"I'll be back later. I have somewhere to be."

That's a lie, but I really need to get away from here as soon as possible. Oliver doesn't let go. He stays glued to me as if he's fallen asleep. I know he's not asleep because I can feel his eyelashes moving on my neck. I drop my hands and he tenses up at the loss of contact. I want to keep hugging him, but I can't because I really need to leave. He finally pulls away from me, so I quickly grab the doorknob and walk away without looking back. I don't even bother to greet Michael and Ezra. I just leave the house.