What You Did in the Dark

Oliver went downstairs and found Tom.

"Hey, Oli. I’m going with dad to the store—wanna go?"

Oliver shook his head. “Listen…Aleria and I are going out today.”

Tom grinned, “Like a date?”

"I—do they call it that?…I guess. Yeah. A date."

He received a slap on the back. “Good job, Oli. I can already see it now. You guys are gonna be great together.”

Oliver moved his brother away from the steps. “Don’t talk to loud, she’s upstairs! Jesus, what if I screw this up?”

Tom was thoughtful for a moment. “Where are you guys going?”

"Er…she said there’s a coffee shop she likes downtown."

"A coffee shop? That’s easy. Be bulletproof, Oli. Just hold her hand, pay for her coffee and make her giggle. Here, I found a twenty dollar bill earlier—"

"No need. I still have some left over from last week."

Tom nodded and pushed Oliver upstairs. “Now go have fun on your date,” he winked.

When Oliver walked back in his bedroom, he smiled when he saw Oskar already curled up near Aleria’s legs, wagging his tail and pawing her jeans.

"Your dog’s so sweet," she grinned.

"Yeah, he’s a people kind of dog. And he likes to sleep between the pillows at night," Oliver chuckled. "When do you wanna leave?"

"Whenever you’re ready."

Oliver leaned in to peck her lips before grabbing her hand and pulling her up. “Let’s go then.”



The coffee shop was warm, cozy, and smelled like cinnamon and butterscotch. They ordered the same latte at the counter, and when Aleria fished around in her pocket for money, Oliver had already slid a ten-dollar bill across the counter.

"Oliver, you didn’t have to do that!" She blushed when they seated themselves, trying to hide her stubborn smile by bitting her nail.

"I wanted to. Plus, it pays to see you blush like that. It’s adorable."

Hearing this only made her blush harder, to Oliver’s amusement. He reached across the table and pulled her hand away from her face.

"Don’t hide your face, it’s pretty."

Aleria started to giggle. “You just don’t stop!” She laughed.

Oliver shrugged. He took a sip of his pumpkin spice latte and fiddled with her hand, eventually locking their fingers together. “I love autumn.”

Aleria agreed, nodding. “So do I. I like the weather and how everything looks when the leaves are falling. And I like the white skies.”

Oliver pictured her running through a field where there are orange and yellow leaves littering the grass and the skies are white. He smiled at his own thought.

"Oliver?" She questioned.

Oliver looked at her and offered a smile.

"I want to go to highschool with you," she announced.

Oliver’s eyes widened and his smile faltered. “Really? Like, you actually want to go to public school?”

"Yes," she insisted, "it gets boring waiting for you at home. I think I’d like it better if I could at least be doing something for the time being."

He sighed. “Are you sure about this, Aleria?” He asked. “I mean, the girls are pretty rough.”

"I think I can do it. I want to. Besides, you already told me you wish I went to school with you anyway."

He grabbed both of her hands and brought each of them to his lips, kissing them one at a time. He wanted her to go to school with him more than anything, but he was worried about what they’d do to her. Oliver’s unfortunately seen the worst that highschool has to offer and he didn’t want to put Aleria through that. He’d attempted suicide because of the people at school, and knowing that she, too, was suicidal didn’t help him much. “Are you positive?”

She nodded. “I’m thinking about starting after your winter break.”

"Have you talked to your mum about it first?"

Her eyes dropped to their joined hands. “No. But I’m going to.”

Oliver nodded. “Speaking of winter break,” he grinned, “I get out the day before your birthday.”

This made Aleria giggle. “Why are we talking about my birthday here when yours is in nineteen days? You’re going to be a legal adult!”

"I think I still need to learn how to drive an American car," he thought aloud, "I reckon I’d have to if I wanna take you out."

"What’s wrong with my car?"

"It’s more romantic if the guy drives everywhere. Y’know, to be a gentleman." He leaned across the table to peck her nose.

"Well, in that case, I’d consider myself lucky."