Olive Juice

The first time Calum had ever felt the need to tell Nerissa that he loved her, they were on a ferris wheel at the local carnival. The attraction only came once annually, and that was the first year that Calum and Nerissa attended as a couple.

The memory still made Calum smile when he pondered on it for too long; the ride had come to a halt (something to do with faulty wiring in the control panel), and their carriage was almost to the top, with a good one hundred and fifty feet separating them from solid ground. Calum couldn’t decide, even now, almost six months on, who was more nervous — Nerissa, or himself.

He swore to himself, quite often, that if he concentrated hard enough, he could recall the scenario almost perfectly. How the air around them vaguely held the scent of cotton candy, how the weather was forecast to rain, and it had still, miraculously, stayed dry and clear of clouds. He was sure he could even recall Nerissa’s outfit, right down to the leather jacket, because Calum remembered just how she took his breath away when he met her at the entrance.

She still did.

When a voice over the intercom had told everyone to remain seated and wait patiently with a possible half hour delay, Calum recalled looking to Nerissa, sat beside him, and seeing the look of anxiety on her face. It was obvious, with the way she bit her lip and looked down once more. Calum had done the best he could, leaning carefully to take her hand within his own, interlocking their fingers and offering her hand a gentle squeeze to let her know that he was right beside her; hoping that she understood that, for as long as he could help it, he always would be.

He still intended to keep that promise.

The silence of the moment had allowed Calum to think, and he’d been contemplating over those past few weeks when the best time to tell Nerissa he loved her would be, but every time he thought of saying the word love, his throat would conveniently shut down and he’d be left with nothing but a fond smile, because dammit, Calum’s brain and mouth just couldn’t seem to agree on coming to a middle ground when it came to courage.

Laughing to himself as he thought back, Calum shook his head, continuing to focus on the sheet of lyrics in front of him, but his mind just couldn’t help but drift back to that ferris wheel.

About two minutes had passed without a word, and Calum remembered just how comfortable that silence was. Whenever he was with Nerissa, words weren’t needed to express their adoration for each other, and that’s what made her so damn incredible to him, they were so effortlessly good together. But when Calum had anxiously cleared his throat, the way Nerissa looked over to him caused him to shoot her a smile, all while silently deciding that the chance would never be so perfect again.

Calum had offered Nerissa’s hand another squeeze; because he wasn’t quite ready to speak. And despite his anxiety, Calum had never felt so at ease, and it was odd to him, how to emotions that were made to contradict each other seemed to go hand in hand so nicely. Nerissa brought out the best in Calum, and when chaos stirred in Calum’s chest, Nerissa always seemed to be the calm that he never admitted that he needed.

Although Calum could admit that the situation wasn’t convenient, he couldn’t help but tell himself it was perfect. The sky had long turned dark, and the inky blues and blacks, with the occasional cluster of stars; just seemed to fit. Around them, there were lights, neon pinks and blues and everything bright and bold, and Calum was beginning to feel grateful that the damned ferris wheel had decided, on tonight of all nights, to give out for a little while.

What was even more incredible, was that these lights seemed to illuminate Nerissa in a glow that was almost ethereal. If anyone was to look at this woman, they’d assume she was an angel. Hell, even Calum did at times, but now the thought seeped into his mind more than ever, because god dammit, she was a vision.

“Calum,” Nerissa spoke softly from beside him, and Calum lifted his gaze to meet her eyes. He was sure he’d been staring… was it bothering her? When he saw that her attention was focused on him, Calum raised his eyebrows with a soft smile, prompting Nerissa to speak. “Are you okay? You seem… nervous.”

Calum couldn’t help but chuckle with Nerissa’s words, biting his lip as he studied her, giving her hand another squeeze. Despite his amusement, Calum couldn’t decide if Nerissa just knew him that well, or if he was being that obvious. “I’m okay,” he promised, lifting her hand to press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Just thinking.”

Nerissa chuckled gently, returning the squeeze that Calum had offered her hand. “Oh?” Her tone was teasing. “Thinking, huh? I didn’t know that was something you could do.” She grinned over at him.

“Oi!” Calum debated, although his own grin couldn’t be disguised. “I write songs, don’t I?” His grin, then, broadened to a smile of pride.

Nerissa laughed, shaking her head. “And yet you always say you don’t put that much thought into your lyrics.” She grinned, knowing she had won that round when she saw Calum’s lips fall into a pout, and leaning in, Nerissa pressed a kiss to Calum’s cheek, her forehead leaning against his temple. “Sorry, baby.”

Calum, for once in his life, didn’t have an appropriate comeback, so he just smiled, releasing Nerissa’s hand so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders, tugging her as close as he could. “You’re mean. You’re lucky you’re so cute.” He teased, pressing a kiss to the top of Nerissa’s head.

Nerissa, when Calum pulled her to him, shifted so she could rest her head against his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his middle. When Calum held her this close, she knew she was safe; and being one hundred and fifty foot above ground didn’t bother her that much anymore. “So, what’re you thinking about?” She asked, just taking a moment to appreciate how warm he was, how his cologne surrounded her in the best way.

That question was something Calum wasn’t expecting, but it was his opportunity. “Oh, uh.” He cleared his throat anxiously, kissing the top of her head once more. “About something I wanted to tell you, Ner, for a really long time.” His voice was quiet, the nerves getting to him a little, but he knew, he just knew he was ready.

Nerissa’s curiosity was almost too much, and she sat up a little, but she didn’t bother separating herself from Calum fully. She studied him, silently trying to decipher him. “What is it?”

Well, here goes nothing. It wasn’t like Calum could chicken out now. “Uh, well…” Calum cleared his throat again, a habit he seemed to do when he was feeling too vulnerable. Calum had never told a girl he loved her before, because he never truly felt love, but with Nerissa, everything was so new, and so beautiful, but Calum’s brain was doing that stupid thing where it shut down his mouth. Fuck. “Olive juice.” Was all he could spit out, and how the hell he got that from ‘I love you’ was still a mystery to him, even six months later.

Nerissa blinked in surprise for a moment, watching Calum closely, repeating the words to herself in her mind: olive juice… murmuring it out loud though, the words suddenly made sense, and Nerissa grinned, understanding just what it was Calum was trying to say to her. “Olive juice, Calum.” She laughed, leaning to press a kiss to his lips. “Now and forever.”


Calum was pulled from his memory when he heard Nerissa’s footsteps echoing down the hallway of the home they shared together. Since that night, everything had fallen into place perfectly, and Calum knew that he was with the woman he was meant to marry. “Work already?” He asked with a smile.

“Mhm,” Nerissa replied with a smile, grabbing her jacket as she approached Calum, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Have a good day, baby. Tell the guys I say hey.” She pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek from behind, smiling.

Calum smiled as he relaxed back into his chair, turning his head to press a kiss to Nerissa’s lips as he dropped his pen onto the notepad. “Olive juice, babe. Have a good day at work.”

Nerissa smiled, returning Calum’s kiss before pulling away with a smile, roughing up Calum’s hair. “Olive juice.” She bit her lip happily with their own secret declaration of love. “See you when I get home.”