just dive in [reed bishop spin-off] ✔️

twenty-one

— t w e n t y - o n e —

WITH REED'S WRIST OUT of commission, Oliver was left to tackle the green slopes on his own. It was only one day of this that he came to the conclusion it was nowhere near as fun when he wasn't with Reed, without anyone to tease or laugh with when he epically failed at slopes little kids around him skied down with ease. So he decided to just give up on the slopes altogether and join Reed in trying to find entertainment elsewhere in the resort. He had been tempted to do this from the first day that Reed couldn't go skiing, but seeing as he was literally on a skiing holiday, it felt wrong to give up that quickly. At least he could safely say that although he had come to a resort designed for skiing, he much preferred Reed's company to any of that.

Surprisingly, it wasn't hard to find ways to pass the time while the others took to the slopes. The pool became a more significant element of the holiday. They would usually go in the morning, racing each other in adjacent lanes, although Oliver refused to let Reed go for too long in case he fucked up the healing of his wrist. They wandered the market that was open every Tuesday and Thursday, advertising cheeses and cold meats and wine. They ate out for lunch a lot more, returning to the cafe they liked best for the exceptional toasties. But a lot of the time, they just hung out at the chalet, sprawled out on the sofas watching movies on the huge TV, drinking an obscene amount of hot chocolates, lazing about in the hot tub so much Oliver was surprised they didn't end up permanently pruned.

Between all the time they spent together and sharing a bed, Oliver couldn't help feeling like it all came a little too close to something that could be classified as dating. Not that anything had happened between them. They teased each other daily, toeing that line between friendly banter and flirting with more boldness with every passing day. They stuck to the sides of the bed Reed had been very clear in assigning but sometimes, when Oliver happened to wake in the night, one of them had crossed the invisible boundary down the centre of the bed. Often times it was both of them, practically cuddling as they shared the sheets and each other's warmth. Reed was always already up and out of bed by the time Oliver woke up in the morning; Oliver had no idea if they were still tangled together like that when Reed woke in the morning, careful to extract himself before it could lead to awkward conversations.

Oliver caught Reed watching him sometimes, his icy gaze so piercing it left him tingling over. But Reed would always look away when Oliver turned to catch his eye. Reed refused to talk about anything that strayed into the territory of the two of them, even when it was Oliver very blatantly teasing to the point of outright saying it to his face. He just deflected and sniped until the topic was changed.

Oliver didn't know how much longer he could keep living like this, caught in this limbo of longing and desire that was so close he could taste it. He didn't know how much longer he could settle for Reed's presence and nothing more.

One evening, the four of them decided to spend the night in the hot tub despite the fact night had fallen and the air was bitingly cold. As long as Oliver kept his body completely submerged in the water, it wasn't too bad. Clair had disappeared inside and returned ten minutes later, clutching something behind her back.

"Ta-da!" She revealed a large bottle of champagne, all green glass and gold foiling. It looked like it had cost a fortune. She dove back into the water with a satisfied smile. "I know, I'm amazing. Feel free to fall over yourself with praise."

Adam seemed to have no intentions of doing anything like that. "Have you lost your mind?" he hissed, snatching the bottle from her. "If my parents found out you stole this from them — "

Clair snatched it back with a look that could have frozen hell over. "I didn't fucking steal it from your parents," she snapped. "But thanks a lot for assuming I'd do something like that. Nice to know you think so highly of me."