Oliver Thorton

Benjamin and Oliver were hanging out again. The difference this time was that they were at Benjamin’s home.

It had been a little over two months since Oliver’s parents had decided to grace him with their presence. As promised, they never attempted to make contact with Oliver after that meeting and he sure as hell was not making any contact with them anytime soon. Thomas had informed him that their mother had in fact called him as soon as he had gotten off of the telephone with his brother. She wanted to ensure that Thomas still loved them and attempt to make him see how horrible of a person Oliver was. What kind of parents would do such a thing? Well Thomas didn’t buy it and he exchanged a few words of his own with his mother. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to look her in the face when he told her how horrible of a parent she was.

But Oliver had been attempting to get over it. He focused more of his time on work and Sam. He was saving up enough to put a down payment on a home he had seen in Tiverton, just 26 minutes east of where they lived. It was not even that far from his work and he could maybe afford it if Johanna went in on the rent as well. He was telling Benjamin about it after the older man invited him to his home...that just happened to be in Tiverton - that had absolutely nothing to do with why Oliver had been looking into this area - uh huh. This would be the fifth time that they have ‘hung out’ alone in the two months past.

“Tiverton, well it's a very respectable area, very well kept and prestigious. I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Benjamin agreed over a glass of wine.

Oliver sighed, turning his own drink in his hand. He didn’t want much seeing as he would be driving back home after this supper.

“Yes, but the question is, can I afford it with the baby and all?” Another sigh. “I mean, I’ve told Johanna and she’s ensured me that she can work for her own to help with the rent, I mean, she doesn’t want to be living in my neighbourhood either.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Well if we’re both working, then who’s going to look after Sam? Neither of us have anyone in Tiverton and we can’t very well afford a watcher.”
Benjamin scrunched his face in thought. Oliver had to bite back a smile; he thought it was the cutest facial expression he had ever seen.

“How about James, he’s always available. Have you even told him about the move yet?”
Another sigh from Oliver. Being an adult was harder than he had expected.

“No, I haven’t told him...but that’s only because it’s not a sure thing yet. This is still just a thought process in my head. There are these set of terrace homes in Tiverton that seem to be relatively attainable and I want to try for it, but...don’t you think that’ll be asking too much of James?”

“To watch over Sam?” Oliver nodded. “Of course not! He absolutely adores that baby boy! And Tiverton’s not very far from where you are, it wouldn’t be that bad of a drive. And it’s not like James does much else with his days, except go out to clubs." Oliver had to agree. “And I’m sure you can find someone else. I mean, if I’m not working, you know I’ll definitely watch Sam for you.”

The younger man allowed himself a smile. Benjamin was a sweetheart. He had to admit that first speaking to him, he was afraid that Benjamin would think him stupid. After all, one was the head chef to a very successful restaurant and the other never passed anything beyond secondary and worked at a shop with a baby with a woman he had sex with after one drunken night in a club. But Benjamin proved him wrong. The man was gentle and kind and un-judging. Or at least that was the impression he had been given thus far.

“I should probably tell James about this, huh?”
Benjamin nodded, smiling at the younger man. And just like that the topic of conversation had ended, they had found a solution and they moved onto the next. Oliver found it easy to talk to Benjamin, they had almost nothing in common and yet there was so much that they shared. They both enjoyed delving into the other’s mind, seeing what it was like to be in someone else’s shoes for just a fraction of time.

Oliver made it back home for nine thirty that night, walking right into a Sam meltdown. The boy was sure to be in theatre, he overreacted about almost everything! And he was barely four months old. He had to be held a certain way at a certain time in a certain position or else all hell would break loose. The only person he did not mind holding him was Oliver. Oliver didn’t understand this, of course, because Johanna spent more time with the baby than he did. He worked and recently, he’s been spending time with Benjamin.
As soon as Johanna set eyes on Oliver, She let out a sigh of relief and nearly threw the screaming infant into his arms.

“There, it’s your turn to be the parent for the night. I’m going to bed.” She turned and walked straight into the bedroom. Oliver had been worried about her for quite some time. She never really had any time to herself without the baby since Sam was born. Oliver was worried that she was getting burnt out, but he would worry about that when he had more time. He just set to rocking his son until he calmed and went to speak to James, who was holed up in his bedroom, playing some sort of game on his x-box.

“Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?”
James turned to look up at him.

“Uh-oh, this can’t be anything good. What is it?” James paused the game and made grabby hands for Sam, who was dozing off in his father’s arms.

“Well...I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking lately and...a lot of people have told me that this isn’t the neighbourhood to be raising a family and I’ve been doing some look arounds and I think I found somewhere nice...in Tiverton.” He paused for a reaction, but received none. “I mean, I haven’t put anything down on it or anything and I’m not even 100% sure that I can afford it, but I’m just...I just wanted you to know that...it’s a possibility...I guess.”
James said nothing for two minutes, just sat on the ground and stared at Oliver biting his lip.

“Well...” James finally cleared his throat. “You know that you’re not going anywhere without me, so I’m coming with you.” Olive almost squealed in delight. “I mean, if you’re okay with it, of course. I won’t be living in the same flat, seeing as you and Johanna already need three bedrooms amongst yourselves, but I could live in the complex...or across the street...or something....if you want...”
Oliver actually did bounce in place, a goofy smile on his face.

“Of course I want! Why would I not want? You’re like my best friend!” He stopped his bouncing. “But you don’t have to come because you feel that you must, I want you to be absolutely certain that this is what you want to do. If not, then we’ll still hang out and you’ll still be Sam’s favourite uncle.”
James let out a lighthearted laugh.

“Are you sure about that? I think Benjamin might be trying to worm his way into my position. But yes, I am sure that I want to come along to Tiverton with you. Did you honestly think that I really wanted to be living in this god awful flat for longer than a month? I would have left long ago had you not moved in with me. And then I would have still left, but you turned out to be pretty awesome and I’ve never had a best friend before who didn’t just use me for my money.”

Oliver pulled James into a hug as best as he could with a baby between them. He could not have asked for a better friend.

...

Johanna was rocking a fussy Sam in her arms as her, Oliver, and James stood anxiously in front of a seemingly large terrace home in a very peaceful neighbourhood in Tiverton. Two days after Oliver told James of the thought to move, Oliver contacted the home owner and requested a visit. James was all but too thrilled to join and Johanna was almost bouncing through the roof of the car as they made their way down.

The neighbourhood was quite, the lawns well trimmed, there were children playing about the cul-de-sac, parents waved as they drove by, there was no graffiti on the walls, no gangs....it was perfect. Johanna could not stop proclaiming this as they made their way to the home.

“Oh it’s absolutely wonderful, Oli. Can we live here, please?”
It was what Oliver was hoping. He would have to take out a small loan from James in order to complete the down payment without bankrupting himself, but he promised to pay his best friend back. James simply rolled his eyes and walked away, the money was nothing to him. He might have been cut off from the family, but if he needed money, he would simply have to e-mail his father and have it transferred over...not that he would be needing to do that any time soon.

The owners were a lovely couple, Mr. and Mrs. Scharvros. They owned several properties and rented them out to different people. This was their newest investment. They had recently purchased and upgraded the unit.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Thorton, I take it?” 
Mr. Scharvros shook Oliver’s hand. Oliver didn’t have the heart to correct him, so he simply nodded and shook the couple’s hand.

“Uh...yes. hello. You can just call me Oliver and this is Johanna, our son Sam, and our good friend James.”

Mrs. Scharvros practically threw herself at the baby, so Johanna allowed her to hold him for a bit. 4 minutes and Sam burst into tears and demanded to be fed.

Johanna fell in love again while they were doing the walk through. It was a three bedroom beauty with hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite finishes, a completed basement and more than enough room for Sam to grow.

“This home was a foreclosure, that’s how Mrs. Scharvros and I were able to get it and offer it for such a good deal. Normally you would never be able to find a home in this neighbourhood for such a good price. Go on, take a more in depth look if you like.”

The couple left the group to converse amongst themselves as they made their way through the bedrooms on the second floor.

“Oliver yes, please say that we can move in here! There’s no way we’ll ever be able to find another place like this in this price range! Please!” Johanna was practically on her knees, though Oliver wasn’t sure why. This was a team decision, he wasn’t simply going to make it himself. If Johanna loved it then of course he would work towards it.

“Okay, Oli, don’t be mad at me, but...” James began. Both Oliver and Johanna groaned; this was never a good start to anything James would bring up. “After you told me about this, I happened to make a few phone calls myself and I found a couple of places that might also work for you guys...maybe...if you want to take a look.”

“A couple of places that would work? I looked at every site and this was the only house in the area that was within our price range. I know you want to help James, but I can’t accept any more charity from you.”
James held his hands up in defence.

“But it’s not charity...sort of. When you said Tiverton, I remember my father saying something long ago about having a business partner or something here who owed him something or another. I called my father up - which was a worse conversation than you had had with your parents - and I asked him if he could get a deal.” Oliver opened his mouth to cut in, but Johanna shushed him and motioned for James to continue. “Well this guy owns a couple of houses that he wants to get rid of and he’ll be willing to rent them out to you guys for the same price that you’re getting here. There are more bedrooms and more space, so I can move in to help you guys out for a bit, but even if I leave, you should still be able to afford it on your own...if you want.”

Oliver sighed. Of course James would do something like this. The man just could not stop himself from wanting to save the world. If not the world, then he wanted to get his friends everything. But even Oliver couldn’t deny that he thought this was a better plan. Maybe he could accept just one more thing from James.

So he reluctantly agreed. They told the Scharvros’ that they would take the day to think about it and contact them sometime later on in the week. Oliver hoped this was a good idea because both he and Johanna would be absolutely crushed if the terrace home was sold.

James led the couple just one street down and Oliver could already see a large difference. For one, the neighbourhood was gated! These homes were much larger, the neighbourhood somehow seemed to shine even more. Johanna was falling in love yet again and Oliver felt as though he needed to fight off a headache.

James pulled into a large drive way in front of what Oliver could have sworn was the most beautiful home he had ever seen. Oliver would go from a home in the middle of a dirty city with no working heat to his own gated property! There was no way he would be able to afford something like this. He didn’t want to get his hopes up just to have them dashed.

Johanna just about flew out of the car, leaving Oliver to deal with Sam. Oliver almost couldn’t believe the beauty and size of the home along with the mass of greenery with which it was surrounded. Sam would have enough room to play in the front yard alone. They had parked next to a familiar vehicle in the drive. Oliver could not believe who exited it; he would murder James with his own hands.

“Benjamin? What on earth are you doing here?”
The older man stood beside his vehicle, dressed in a clean cut two piece suit, aviators blocking the sun from his vision. Oliver wanted to drool right then at the sight of him.

“James invited me; he said you would need a bit of convincing.” Smirk. Oliver scowled at that beautiful smirk. Damn James.
There was a key hidden underneath the flower pot - how original - and James ushered them all inside.

“He said I could just come in and have a look around. The family he had rented to before this just up and left a month ago, didn’t even bother taking their things. Marcus said that if we wanted to move in then we’d either have to keep everything or take it to the dump ourselves because he’s not putting any more work into the house.”

Oliver wanted to kill James. Why would he show them a home like this when they would never be able to afford it? It was absolutely wonderful. Absolutely gorgeous foyer, spacious living area complete with roaring fireplace, large dining area, custom kitchen with centre island, cherry hardwood, breakfast bar, family room with its own fireplace, outdoor patio with BBQ centre, covered terrace with yet another fireplace, hot tub, private den, overhead skylight, 5 massive bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a media room, a custom bar and the yard was big enough to fit the whole of Oliver’s current building.

Johanna was ready to place Sam down and never move from the home ever again. Benjamin was smiling softly and nodding his approval and James looked as though he was on top of the world for finding such a wonderful home. Oliver....

“James, are you out of your mind?” Everyone broke free from their day dreams to face a seething Oliver. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, showing us a place like this? Johanna, get it out of your mind right now because there is absolutely no way in hell we will ever be able to afford a place like this unless we miraculously win the lotto.”
Oliver turned to walk away when James grabbed him by the elbow.

“Just listen to me for a second, I told you that I got you guys a deal for this place and -”

“For how long, James?” Oliver cut him off. “A month? A year? And then what? We’re kicked out to live on the streets because we can’t afford to stay? We probably can’t even afford the electricity in a place like this!”

“Marcus said that he would make this a rent to own property. He doesn’t want it anymore, but he wants the money that he paid for it. That’s what the other family was doing and they paid him a lot already, that’s why he’s willing to make it so cheap....that and he owes my father a lot. My dad’s the only reason he’s still in business. Until the day the last member of this family dies, he can’t put the house up on you.” Oliver sighed, rubbing his temples. “I told you, it’s the same price as the terrace and it’s infinitely better and Like I said, I’ll move in too to help out with the rent until either I feel that it’s time to grow up and get a place of my own or you get tired of me and kick me out; either way, with me here, it’s even cheaper. How can you turn a place like this down?”

Johanna and Benjamin stayed off to the side, Sam fast asleep on the couch. Johanna was not past begging on her knees for a place like this and she would if Oliver even dared to think about passing up this home. She had both of her fingers crossed behind her back. Benjamin just stayed off to the side. This was not his place to say anything. He personally would have jumped at an opportunity to live in a place such as this for such a wonderful deal and if Oliver accepted it, then we would be more than happy, but he would not state his opinions just yet. 
There was also the fact that Benjamin’s entire family lived in Tiverton and Oliver would be closer to him this way, but again, he said nothing.
Oliver was fighting an internal battle with himself. He knew that this was obviously a better deal than the other home, but he was absolutely terrified. How long could they stay? Sure James said one thing, but what if this Marcus guy realizes that he could get a better deal with someone else and ups the price? Then what? They’re back to Chester? And what of the other bills? Utilities and electricity and heating? But James would definitely be able to help in that regards, he would take a huge load off of their hands. But for how long?

Oliver’s headache intensified. This was too much stress to take on. But he had to remember that he was not alone. It wasn’t just him working to pay the home, it would be three people and James would be nearby, they wouldn’t need a sitter for Sam. And they could grow in this home, not that Oliver was planning on having any more children with Johanna. But it was a thought.

The young man sighed in defeat...they won.