Sequel: Save Me.

Hollow Crown.

This sudden realisation is tearing me apart.

Oliver was sat at his kitchen table elbows rested on the hard wooden surface, hands holding his face up, as he watched his mother, Carol, run around the kitchen making sure nothing was going wrong with the dinner. He had been made to dress up for the evening’s events against his own will resulting in him wearing a pair of tight back jeans and a green checked button up shirt with a white V-neck underneath it, his hair everywhere as he hadn’t bothered to fix it yet.

Thomas had been made to place the last of the Christmas decorations around the kitchen and living room which had already been covered in excess amounts of tinsel and shiny glass baubles. Twinkling fairly lights adorned the walls, mantelpiece and ten foot tree that was standing in the far left corner of the cream living room, a mountain of presents piled underneath it. The entire house looked exactly the way it had always looked at Christmas time while the boys were growing up.

“Chin up love,” Carol smiled at her eldest son’s gloomy face. “She’ll be here soon” Oliver made a face at his mother when she turned her back on him, going back to the cooker. He didn’t need to be reminded that the Carters where joining them for the Christmas Eve feast, he had been worrying about it all day. Well not so much about them coming over but wither Georgia would like her present or not. He had felt a bit stupid buying her something seeing as they weren’t talking but deep down he had been waiting all year to show her how much she meant to him, even if it was through something as ridiculous as a Christmas gift.

Thomas sat beside his brother, purposely nudging him in the side with his elbow. He had also been made to dress smartly; a white t-shirt, black V-neck jumper and skin tight blue jeans, although he didn’t have to be persuaded like Oliver.

Oliver elbowed Thomas back marking the start of a small wrestling match that had knocked over the dining chairs to result in the boys rolling across the hardwood flooring, their mother yelling at them to ‘act their ages’ as she answered the shrill ringing telephone.

“I’ll send someone over right now Sam” Carol smiled before returning the phone to its stand on the marble counter. The boy’s actions had come to a stand still when they heard her mention Sam. He never phoned their parent’s house, it had always been Georgia to talk to the parents.

“One of you need to go pick up Sam and Georgia. Something happened with Ali and the car, apparently” Carol said, laughing slightly at the thought of what may have happened to the car.

Thomas scrambled to his feet, leaving Oliver to lay on the floor, as he searched for the car keys. Oliver groaned not knowing what to do. If Thomas went to pick them up he would be left in the house with nothing to do but lose his mind with anticipation and nerves. But if he went to pick them up he would have to sit in the car with Georgia not talking to him. Not wanting to have to spend even more time being ignored than necessary, he let Thomas go. Not that he had much choice; Thomas had slammed the front door and jumped in the car before Oliver could pick himself up from the floor.

“Don’t worry sweetie, you and Georgia will work it all out in time” Carol said cheerfully, placing a soft kiss on Oliver’s forehead, just like she had done when he was little.

Oliver had heard that sentence a million times and he believed it less and less with each time.

*****

“Are you watching that shit again?” Sam asked walking into Georgia’s room. She was sat dress and ready to go on her bed, her TV playing the movie Wall-e.

“Yes, now fuck off” she mumbled into the pillow she was holding onto.

When the film first came out, Georgia had dragged Thomas to see it five times. He had hated it the first time but was the only person, excluding Oliver, to sit through it. Georgia had loved it. Everything about the simple characters and story line was the best thing she had ever set eyes on. She had always had a fondness for simple story’s, simple romance.

“Tom’s going to be here soon” Georgia never even acknowledged him that time; she was too focused on the fictional characters on the screen.

Sighing, Sam took the remote from her dresser and stop the movie, leaving the room in almost complete darkness, before switching on the light. Georgia threw her pillow at him, cursing him as she left the room to find some shoes to wear. Sam followed behind her, aware that if he got to close to her, she would hurt him.

After digging through the jacket closet in the hall, Georgia entered the living room, sitting down on the couch to put her favourite heels on. Sam sat beside her, nothing being said between them. Ali had left that morning, after somehow managing to mess up the breaks on Georgia and Sam’s car, to go to Brighton to visit his family for Christmas leaving the house unusually quiet.

“I could just tell everyone you weren’t feeling well if you really don’t want to go” Sam offered, feeling how nervous Georgia was. Her hand was lying lazily on her thigh, her fingers tapping a fast, uneven beat against her bare skin.

“I can handle it,” she smiled softly to him, thanking him silently for the offer. “I’m a big girl now”

*****

“I guess some people just can’t hold their liquor” Ian, the Sykes’ dad, laughed as Oliver and Thomas dragged Sam out to Oliver’s car. Thomas wasn’t being much of a help seeing as he had had a bit too much as well.

“I’m sorry” Georgia apologised, as she fixed her headband for the millionth time of the night.

Dinner had been pleasant. Ian and Carol had always made the Carters feel like they were part of the family. Even with the initial awkwardness between Oliver and Georgia, through out the night everyone had loosened up and just let go. Jokes and conversation came easily with the group as the meal that Carol had made being devoured by everyone. She had always been a great cook.

“Don’t be silly” Carol smiled, pulling Georgia into a hug. Like everyone else, Carol was a good bit taller than Georgia without the added bonus of heels.

“You ready?” Oliver asked Georgia quietly as he made his way back into the house, after dumping a passed out Sam in the backseat of the car, with Thomas attached to his side using him as a leaning post. Passing his younger brother to his dad, Oliver turned back to Georgia, his eyes still not quiet sure what part of her to be looking at. That dress was almost too much for him to handle.

Georgia nodded, shivering slightly with the night wind. Over the course of time they had been in the Sykes residence, it had started to snow, already starting to lie leaving the streets with a thin layer of pure white.

Oliver noticed Georgia shaking slightly and grabbed his jumper off of the banister for the stairs, wrapping it loosely around her shoulders, before he ushered her out of the house, his hand never leaving the small of her back until he opened the passenger door for her.

After a series of ‘Thank yous’ and ‘Goodbyes’, Oliver pulled out of the driveway and started the short journey to the Carters flat. The drive wasn’t as awkward as the pair had thought it would have been. Music playing softly and the occasional mumble from Sam left no need for small chit-chat making things a lot easier for them both. If communication wasn’t a key element to a good relationship, Georgia and Oliver could be happily married for hundreds of years.

When Sam was safely placed in his bed, Georgia walked Oliver to the front door, still no words being exchanged. Standing in the threshold the pair stared in each others eyes for a minute or two, neither of them really wanting the peace between them to be broken even for a second. Everything at that moment in time was perfect.

“I got you a present” Oliver mumbled, pulling a haphazardly wrapped gift from his back pocket, smiling when Georgia took it from him and looked at him as if to ask for permission to open it. His stomach tightened as he watched her reaction to the love filled gift.

A smile formed on Georgia’s face when a white book appeared from under the wrapping paper. A ridiculously cute drawing of two green dinosaurs covering the front.

‘A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton’

“It might be a bit shite but all I want is you to read it once and if you hate it I’ll stop trying” he mumbled, not sure what to do.

“Thank you,” Georgia smiled at him, standing up on her toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek, a small blush covering each of their cheeks. “Merry Christmas Oliver”

Oliver replied with a rush of mumbled words causing her to giggle softly as she closed the door. Oliver returned home to his parent’s house that night a smile plastered to his face.

Georgia picked up the book Oliver had given her as she sat down on her bed, dressed in one of Thomas’ t-shirts and underwear. Deciding to read it she lay down opening the small book. Not realising how much she would be affected by the small book.

The fierce Dinosaur was TRAPPED inside his CAGE of ICE.
Although it was COLD he was HAPPY in there.
It was, after all, HIS cage.

Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
The Lovely Other Dinosaur MELTED the Dinosaur's cage with KIND words and LOVING thoughts.

I LIKE this Dinosaur, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
Although he is fierce he is also TENDER and he is FUNNY.
He is also quite CLEVER though I will not tell him this for now.

I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is BEAUTIFUL and she is DIFFERENT and she SMELLS so nice.
She is also a FREE SPIRIT which is a quality I much ADMIRE in a dinosaur.

But he can be so DISTANT and so PECULIAR at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of THINGS.
Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of THINGS?

But her mind SKIPS from here to there so quickly, thought the Dinosaur.
She is also uncommonly keen on SHOPPING.
Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on SHOPPING?

I will FORGIVE his peculiarity and his concern for THINGS, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered INDIVIDUAL.

I will FORGIVE her SKIPPING MIND and her FONDNESS for shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with BEAUTIFUL thoughts and WONDERFUL surprises.
Besides, I am not unkeen on SHOPPING either.

Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are OLD.
LOOK at them.

TOGETHER they stand on the hill telling each other STORIES and feeling the WARMTH of the sun on their backs.
And that, my FRIENDS, is how it is with LOVE.

Let us ALL be dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs TOGETHER.
For the sun is WARM.
And the world is a BEAUTIFUL place.
THE END.
♠ ♠ ♠
Sorry this took so long to get out.
I should have another out either tomorrow or sunday.
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