Drop Dead.

I made a coffee date with Tom, who I hadn’t seen very much of since David’s appearance. I felt bad for neglecting my friendship with him, but when I tried to apologize, he said he understood. He was just happy I hadn’t completely forgotten about him.

“I couldn’t forget about yeh, Tom. Yeh my best friend,” I responded with a small smile. A small blush tinted his cheeks and I laughed.

Aside from Melanie, Tom was my best friend. I knew that, like Melanie, if David ever hurt me that Tom would go after him with a shotgun if I asked him to. I didn’t think I would ever need to ask, but it was reassuring to know he would always be there for me.

“Sounds like yeh really ‘appy, love,” he observed as we walked back to my apartment. I was beaming.

“I am, Tom.”

“No more thoughts about Olleh then?” he asked warily, sneaking a glance at me from underneath his lashes. I hesitated in answering, choosing first to worry my lip in thought.

“There are times when I think about him,” I told him quietly, honestly.

“Well do yeh still like ‘im?” Tom urged. I sighed and thought again.

“Not as much. I think David’s starting to help me get over it.” I nodded confidently, finalizing my thought. Tom smiled then and threw his arm around my shoulder.

“Good.”

David and I had been going solid for an entire month and it was at the beginning of the second that I decided to let Tom anywhere near him. When I did, Tom stared David down. My stomach was all nerves as the two sized each other up. When Tom realized David wasn’t backing down, he cracked a grin. The two got on surprisingly well and they talked mostly about Tom’s job for Bring Me the Horizon. David seemed to be really interested in what Tom had to say, and watching them interact brought a smile to my face.

When David left, Tom immediately said, “I like ‘im. ‘e’s not a prat like me brother.” I chuckled and shook my head, looking at door David had just walked through.

Oliver didn’t seem so happy about my happiness. Every time he was at the apartment and Melanie wasn’t around, he wore a scowl on his face as if he’d tasted something bitter. He faked smiles for Melanie – or maybe they were genuine, I couldn’t tell – but whenever it was just the two of us, he was silent and fuming.

He was, once again, silent one morning when Melanie went out to pick up a few things. His colorful arms were folded across his chest and he was glaring at the TV screen, which was off. Sighing inaudibly, I set down my magazine and stared at him.

“All right, Oliver, why have yeh been so pissed lately?” I asked him sharply. He turned his hard gaze on me, but I just stared right back with the same intensity. “Yeh’ve been silent and proper rude to me for the past month.”

It was his turn to sigh and his eyes softened. “Jus’...havin’ trouble wiff some lyrics,” he responded, dropping his gaze. I didn’t believe him for a minute, but whatever was bothering him seemed to be a more personal issue, so I didn’t press it.

We fell into silence again and it stayed that way until Melanie came back and she and Oliver disappeared out the front door for good. That was when I called Tom over. He was really the only one I could safely talk to about Oliver and my dwindling feelings for him – but the feelings were there nonetheless.

“What’s been up Oliver’s arse lately?” I pestered as soon as his ass was on the couch. He looked taken aback for a moment before he composed himself and cleared his throat.

“What do yeh mean?” he dodged. I sighed and rolled my eyes, knowing that Tom would cover for his brother.

“I mean that he’s being a right prick about everything! Around Melanie, he’s fine. Around me, it’s like I’m the spawn of Satan and his angry-at-the-world attitude comes out. What did I do?” I pleaded the last four words as if they were painful to say. And I guess, in a way, they were. I didn’t know what I’d done to get Oliver so pissed off with me – and I didn’t believe his lyrics excuse for a second – and it was really bothering me. For obvious reasons, I couldn’t talk to Melanie about this, as much as I wanted to. I needed Melanie’s advice now more than anything.

Tom sighed in defeat. “Yeh did nothin’ wrong, Char. Olleh’s jus’...got a lot of thinkin’ to do.”