Talk To Me

Chapter twenty-nine

Present

"You really need to learn personal boundaries," Oliver said, poking his head under the warm water.

"It's not like I know what you are doing before coming to you." Leah stood in the middle of the bathroom.

Oliver inhaled deeply, pouring shampoo into his palm. "You could just walk." He rubbed the silvery liquid on his damped curls. "Where were you?" He closed his eyes.

"I visited dad and then, wandered for a while."

"Wandered where?" Oliver asked, washing the shampoo away.

"Oh, you know. My grave, the woods, the usual." Leah shrugged.

"Why?" he asked, pouring shower gel on the sponge.

"Because I feel pulled there sometimes." Leah wiggled her knee. "Where is Lily?"

"In the living room or the kitchen," he answered, rubbing his back with the sponge. "She feels better, we're going to stay here for a few days."

"Good," Leah nodded. "I'm going to check on her," she said before walking through the wooden door.

The pit in Oliver's stomach felt less tense, and he realized Leah left him alone. It seemed this was a good time to relax. He found his sister, Lily, was saved and everything seemed to settle down.

Except since this morning, the thoughts about Emma swirled in his head. More so, what her father told him. Surely she can't be that bad, he thought, stepping out from the shower.

He dried himself with a white towel, wrapping the cloth around his waist. Oliver glanced at the foggy mirror and wiped the dew away. His face seemed stained as the bristles of his beard grew unevenly. He felt disturbed as the last spot covered in shaving cream disappeared with his precise action.

"You need to stop doing that," he said, bending and washing his face.

"You turned off the shower a while ago, so I thought you would be dressed by now," Leah said, looking at Oliver's right side.

"It's disturbing, you realized that right?" he asked, wiping his face. "I still need to get dressed."

"What is that?!" Leah questioned, pointing to the left side of Oliver's abdomen.

"A tattoo," he spoke while unfolding his black t-shirt.

"It looks womanly." Oliver raised his eyebrow. "I mean flowers. Really, Oly?"

"Lilies," he simply said, hoping she will understand him.

"Oh." She looked at the tattoo again as Oliver lifted his hands and put the t-shirt on. "And my name is there." She nodded. "Thanks, I guess." She shrank her shoulders. "Anyway, I came to tell you to hurry."

"Why?" Oliver asked through the toothpaste-covered teeth.

"Well, Lily is waiting for you. The table is full of snacks and she is trying to find a movie."

"Okay. I will come soon. I just need to get dressed." He motioned to the bathroom door with his chin.

"Alright, I will go." She turned around. "But before that, I'm cashing out one of your promises."

"Meaning?" he asked, placing the toiletries back in the bag.

"The movie Oliver." She laughed. "This is the perfect opportunity for you to see Harry Potter."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Lily is choosing the movie."

"She loves Harry Potter more than I do." Leah stepped, poking her right leg through the door. "Is it true that you took time off from work?" she asked, halting at the inconvenient position.