Polaroid Cancer

Oliver, thankfully ( in Casey’s opinion ), left the dog with his mother for the night. As soon as they get home Casey quickly dashes into the nearest bathroom, the beans already beating up her bowels. Oliver, on the other hand, kicks up his Xbox and flops down on the couch. Dead Space was calling his name, and it would be another hour or two until his stomach even began reacting to the food.

Casey had never been so thankful to have Gas-X in her whole-life and took one like she were eating her favorite candy. She takes two huge swigs from a water bottle she had in her purse, and clambers out of the bathroom, making her way to where Oliver is at, and lays down at the opposite end of him. He gently pokes her with his big toe until she grins down at him.

“What?” She asks.

“Nothin’,” Oliver replies, pretending to be distracted by the game.

He starts poking her again with his toe, suddenly her hand his latched onto his leg and Casey starts tickling the bottom of his foot. Oliver restrains himself from kicking her in the face and instead pulls her up next to him, Casey is giggling uncontrollably and still trying to tickle his ribs.

Holding her forearms and gasping for air, Oliver says quietly, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Casey presses her nose against his.

Oliver shuts off his Xbox and both of them curl up on the couch, heavy with sleep and filled with happy thoughts.

“Oli…. Oh, Oli…” Casey keeps repeating his name and she’s crying miserably, her hands pressed to her face so they are covering her eyes. Her red hair is dripping like fresh blood and all around her are dark splotches, writhing and wiggling like bubbling worms. He is on his hands and knees and he tries to crawl to her, but as soon as he makes any progress, she is pulled away.

Casey continues saying his name but something else is added in there, something he can barely make out.

“I can’t… Oliver… I just can’t,” A sobbing breath rattles her, “I can’t do this on my own…”
“You don’t have to, Casey,” He calls out, reaching his hand toward her. The image of her dispels a little and he pulls his hand away, afraid of losing her.

“Please, don’t go,” She cries quietly, another heave wracking her body.

“Oliver…”

“Oliver…”

“Oliver!” Casey is gripping both sides of his face and a look of concern is etched into her features, “Are you alright? You were moaning “don’t go” in your sleep.”

He sits up and gives her a reassuring smile, “Yeah, I’m fine. I jus’… ‘ad a nightmare is all. Probably because of me mum’s cooking. Does tha’, yeh know.” Oliver laughs forcibly and he knows Casey sees right through him but is too kind to press the matter further. She knew him too well at times.

Casey disappears into the kitchen for a couple minutes and comes back out with a glass of water. She hands it to him, “Drink.” Oliver does as he is told and chugs down the entire thing.

“I ‘ave to piss now,” He laughs, poking her in the ribs as he wanders down to the bathroom, “Aye, babe, tonight I’m making dinner, okay?”

“I’m surprised you can even think of food right now,” Casey says, picking up the puppy book again and absent-mindedly flipping through the pages.

“Yeah, but it will blow yeh mind, I promise,” Oliver replies while coming out of the bathroom after washing his hands, he is zipping up his pants as approaches her.

“Really, now?”

“Yes.” Oliver sits down next to Casey and rests his chin on her shoulder.

“I wanna go to a museum, there’s one in Sheffield called the Weston Park Museum… or something… would you want to go sometime?”

“My girlfriend is a secret nerd,” He chuckles giving her a kiss on the cheek seeing as her face is going red, “O’course I’d want t’go!”

She breathes a sigh of relief, “I don’t think you realize how much of a “nerd” I am. You have no idea how I was back in high school or middle school…”

“That’s okay,” He smiles, “I wasn’t exactly what yeh would call ‘the cool kid’ during secondary school. Lets jus’ say I was ‘kicked around’ a lot.” Casey couldn’t believe that Oliver would ever be picked on, he really didn’t seem the type, but then again, everyone has their awful phases.

“Oh… well, you’re pretty amazing to me,” Casey grins, playfully tugging on his hair. Oliver bites her shoulder and jumps away, “What?! Come back here!”