Apology Accepted

I took another glance around the coffee shop as I waited for Oli to come back to the table. He had gotten up to order yet another coffee and head for a bathroom break. I was completely convinced that he didn’t realize coffee practically drilled through your system; and that was why every time he got up to pee, he ordered another large black coffee.

I’d already had about two or three mochas, and I finally refused the fourth as Oliver had gotten up last time to use the facilities. I looked at him, standing with his back behind me, his way too tight black jeans clung to his legs and his boxers peeking out of the top of them.

He shuffled slightly and began tapping his foot. He moved up in line, paid for his coffee, and came to sit down to wait for it.

He maneuvered himself into the chair and set one of his arms across the table. I liked the way his wrist barely hit the edge of the table, leaving his hand hanging loosely towards me.

“I ‘ave teh wait fer them teh bring meh my damn coffeh.” He sighed, “It’s a black coffeh, ‘ow ‘ard could that be teh make?”

I merely grinned at him, and looked down at his hand, still laid across the table. I stuck my fingers in the spaces between his and brought our hands together, so that they were rested on the table top. I looked at him, his gorgeous hazel eyes illuminated by the sun streaming in the window and I finally built up enough courage to ask him the question that had been burning in my mind since we started talking over two hours ago.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” I blurted out, feeling my face turn red.

Oli’s eyes widened at my question and he looked at me curiously, “Why did yeh ask meh that?”

“Does it matter?” I asked softly.

He grinned and sat up in his seat, scooting closer to the table, “I guess not.” He said, “But this is gonna sound real stupid.”

“How is that any different from anything else you say?” I asked playfully.

“’Ey! Yeh better watch it, or else I might not tell yeh.”

“It’s my birthday. You have to give me what I want.”

He rolled his eyes, “Yeh’re quite the manipulator.”

“Just tell me!” I whined, getting impatient.

“Well, teh be ‘onest, I figured yer curiosity would get the best of yeh an’ yeh would end up followin’ meh. But,” He paused, looking out the window at a bird pecking at the sidewalk, “Obviously that plan backfired an’ all I managed teh do was piss yeh off and ‘urt yeh.”

“Just because I didn’t follow you doesn’t mean I wasn’t curious Oli. All I did was think about you and if you were okay. What you were doing, how you were doing, or,” I smiled, “Who you were doing.”

Oliver’s face suddenly turned an embarrassed shade of red and he looked the other direction, ignoring my surprised gasp.

“Oli!” I laughed, “Who did you sleep with?”

“What’s it teh yeh?” He mumbled sheepishly, turning towards me again, “I ain’t sleepin’ with ‘em anymore.”

“It’s nothing to me, I guess. I’m just curious.”

“Well,” He sighed, “If yeh wanna get technical..”

At that moment, the girl from behind the coffee counter set Oliver’s tall, black coffee on the table. I watched the steam rise from the hole in the lid and tuned out the short conversation between the girl and Oli, completely forgetting what we had just started talking about.

“So,” Oli said, picking up his coffee and tearing my gaze away from the rising steam, “I ‘eard yeh’re in school?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

“And ‘ow’re yeh likin’ that?”

“I’m not,” I sighed, “It’s basically just like high school, except most of the morons from there didn’t make it past the second month of summer.”

Oliver laughed slightly, drawing circles on the table with his free hand, “What’re yeh’re majors?”

“Shit.”

“Shit?” He smirked, “Seriously. What are they?”

“English. It’s the only thing I’m not extremely terrible at.” I smiled, playing with Oliver’s hand.

“Oi, yeh ain’t terrible at anythin’.” He said reassuringly.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Yeh workin’ too?” He asked, shifting slightly in his chair.

“Well. Kind of. I lost my job at Red Robin, cause the shift manager is a giant piece of shit and then I just got a job at Jackson’s. Which, I’m pretty sure I won’t have when I get back, because I left without any notice whatsoever.”

“Teh come see meh?”

“Yep. I even blew off the date I was supposed to go on.”

“A date?”

“Well,” I paused, suddenly feeling guilty for even mentioning Jeremy to Oli at all, “It was just a small get together. I didn’t really feel like going to be completely honest. And I thought flying half way across the world to see someone I hated would be more fun anyways.” I smiled softly.

“Ha ha.” Oli mocked, flicking me in the hand.

“Ow!” I murmured, flicking him back harder.

And before I knew it, we were both flicking at each other’s hands like fifth graders. We’d started to get rather loud when a small girl walked up to us, a playful grin spread across her studded lips.
“Audri!” Oli smiled, looking up at her, “What’re yeh doin’ ‘ere?”

I looked at her curiously. She was pretty. Long black hair fell over her shoulders, covering most of the patterns on her white t shirt, and her brown eyes sparkled from the sun casting through the window. She had three small studs placed on the far right side of one of her bottom lip and a small heart tattooed on the side of her neck.

“I just came in teh get Tom some coffeh before I go over teh yer ‘ouse. ‘E was up all night with ‘is damn camera again last night, an’ I think some coffeh an’ a walk might get the stick out of ‘is arse.”

“Yeah,” Oli said solemnly, toying with the paper cover on his cup, “I dunno if anythin’ will get the stick outta his arse.”

“Time.” She said softly, placing a hand on his arm, “Just give ‘im time.”

“’Ow long does ‘e fuckin’ need?” Oliver said loudly, quieting when I squeezed his hand tightly, “I mean, I’m ‘is brother fer fuck’s sake. I ain’t one of ‘is stupid friends Audri.”

Audri had started to look alarmed. She looked down at me and her cheeks reddened. She smiled warmly, “Oi, we’re bein’ right rude, aren’t we? ‘M Audri, doll.” She said, tapping my arm lightly, “’M Tom, Olleh’s lil’ brother’s lass.”

“Oh,” I smiled, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeh’re Sam.” She grinned excitedly; noticing my lack of a British accent, “Oh my God!” She said, looking at Oliver, “It’s Sam! Yeh came!” She leaned down and embraced me in a hug, “’M so glad teh finally meet yeh, dear. ‘Ve ‘eard so much about yeh! Gosh, yeh’re eyes really are as pretty as Oliver said.”

I quickly looked over at Oli, who was grinning sheepishly with an extremely red face, trying to hide behind his large cup of coffee, “Jesus Audri,” He sighed, “Way teh embarrass the shit outta meh.”

“Oh, Oli.” I smiled, “You’re so cute!” I said, reaching across the table to grab a piece of his cheek in between my fingers.

“See what yeh started?” He said, leaning back in his chair with a grin on his face.

“What Olleh? Yeh don’t want the bird teh know yeh missed ‘er?”

“Oh, piss off.” He grinned, “Go get yeh’re damn coffeh.”

She merely smiled and waved him off, “Bye Olleh.”

“Yeh best not be at meh ‘ouse when I get there!”

He turned back to face me and started looking embarrassed once again.

“Oli.” I said, playing with his hands again, “You are adorable, you know that?”

“Sam, yeh’re embarrassin’ meh, yeh know that?”

“I’m serious!” I laughed, “You are so cute.”

He looked over at the clock on the wall and looked towards me again, “Yeh wanna go fer a walk?”

“Sure.” I said.

He got down from his stool and waited for me to get down from mine and we waved once again at a smiling Audri and left the coffee shop, taking a right and walking down the street.

“She was nice.” I said quietly.

“’Oo?” Oli asked, making me smile at the way he said, ‘who?’, “Audri?”

“Yeah, she seemed really sweet.”

“She is sweet. Sometimes I wish she’d rub off on Tommeh.” He said coldly.

“Did something happen between you and Tom?” I asked, swinging our interlaced hands in the air and then turning to face him, still walking, “I mean, you guys seemed like you were really close before you left. What happened when you got back?”

“A lot of things ‘appened.”

“Like what, Oli?”

“Like, we just don’t get along anymore.”

“There’s got to be a reason. You guys are brothers and you aren’t talking? I mean, I’ve never had a brother or sister, but I’m guessing that bond is a little harder to break than you’re making it out to be.”

“I grew up. Tom didn’t.”

I stopped on the sidewalk, looking up at Oliver, “You grew up?” I asked, “You didn’t seem so grown up the other night.”

“Yeah, well. That’s part of the reason Tom an’ I don’t get along much anymore.”

“Cause you drink?”

Oliver sighed loudly and led me over to a bench where we sat down and he held me closely, letting me rest my head in the crook of his neck, “Yeh want the ‘ole story, don’t yeh Sam?”

“Only if you feel like telling it.” I said quietly.

“Better now than never.” He mumbled, “When I came back, I was upset. I didn’t want teh be around anyone. Not even Matt. I’d spent weeks in my room, by meh self, ‘cause I just wanted teh be in the States, with yeh.” He swallowed roughly, “Tom got sick of meh and quit talkin’ teh meh. Matt couldn’t get through teh meh, and then one day, I decided to lose my balls and grow a twat an’ I started doin’ what Tom wanted meh teh do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got drunk every night, slept with whoever,” He cringed lightly, “An’ I stopped thinkin’ about yeh. I stopped talkin’ about yeh teh everyone, but Matt. ’E asked meh one night, ’oo yeh where, an’ I told ’im. Tom accidentally mentioned yeh in front of Audri once, an’ I got bombarded by ’er. Everyone just wanted meh teh be ’appeh, an’ Tom didn’t.” He paused, shuffling his hair, “I dunno why. ’E seemed angry with meh fer wantin’ yeh teh come ’ere. An’ after the other night, I told ’im I was goin’ teh talk teh yeh, an’ ’e ’asn’t spoke teh meh since.”

“Oli.” I said quietly, paying absolutely no attention to anything but the fact that I had ruined Tom and Oliver’s relationship, “I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Don’t beh.”

I looked up at him, “But I am. I’ve fucked literally everything up for you.” I said, tears glistening in my eyes, “I ruined your relationship with your brother for Christ’s sake. You almost quit talking to Matt because of me, and you’ve spent the last three months living inside a bottle, and it’s all my fault.”

I stood up abruptly, ignoring Oliver’s protests and looked up at the sky, the cold air blew around me, and I felt my tears slide across my face as I stood there.

Oli’s arms wrapped around me from behind and he turned me around to face him. He looked down at me and brought his arms down, pulling mine up so they rested around his neck. He then kissed my cheek quickly, softly, and it only lasted a mere three seconds.

“Sam. Yeh keep quiet. This is neither my fault, nor your own. Shit ’appens. We’re both teh blame.” He whispered against my cheek.

I looked up at him, barely hearing what he had just said. My ears were ringing, the frozen tips of my fingers tingled, and my body was aching for another brush of his skin against mine.

“Do yeh understand meh, Sam?”

I nodded quickly, staring at his mouth. Soon, I felt him grow a bit uncomfortable and I realized just how irrational I was being.

“I’m sorry though. I just want you to know that.”

“I forgive yeh, Sam.”

“Okay.” I whispered, leaning against him.

“Come on. Let’s get yeh back teh Matt’s.” He said quietly.

I can’t even begin to describe how uncomfortable and awkward the ride back to Matt’s was. Not to mention the half assed hug he gave me before saying good bye to Matt.