Call It What You Want (to be revamped & restarted soon)

Track 1.05 | got into the accident

 🦋 + 🐍

(Oliver's Version)

Oliver had gotten off from work earlier than usual today. Which was totally unlike him, considering he was someone who drowned himself in work, often way past late nights only to realise it when the sun had already risen in the sky the next morning.

Though in a corner of his heart - assuming he had one - he knew why he had to leave today before the sky got dark. It was not merely because of how darkness had crept its way into his life again through a one syllable name, tarnishing every element till all he could do was safely lurk around and blend himself into the shadows. Silent. Comfortable. Unnoticed.

Anne Starling had done more damage to his life than Oliver could possibly dare to repair. She had ever so sweetly made way into his life, a habit like washing hands during the pandemic which couldn't seem to cause any harm. But soon, this habit turned into something dark, something scary. Because it forced him to panic and spiral to the worst conclusions, like washing hands that soon became an obsessive compulsion and not just a way to clean his dirty hands anymore.

Anne was no longer even remotely a feeling of comfort or safety - not when she had tried to push through all the walls he had spent years building, threatening to break them with one blow. But maybe all good habits came with consequences too, he thought. Just like washing your hands too much made your skin crack dry, maybe loving meant having to accept the past that still haunts you in the middle of the night, in your dreams.

And maybe the first step to loving is to open up just to make your partner happy? So he obliged, keeping all his fears and insecurities at bay. But that only seemed to make things worse. Much worse. And now they were stuck in an infinite loop of running away from each other. House. Office. Thoughts. She was supposed to be everywhere but now Oliver kept trying to make sure she was nowhere, all traces of her gone from his life forever. If only it were ever that simple.

It was a good thing his employees assumed he wanted to be by himself and didn't question him when he left unusually early. They might have thought it was the stress from the failed business merger that made Oliver act this way but they hadn't seen a red rose grow up out of an ice frozen ground; Oliver's only faith that even in the darkness, there might be a smallest glint of light, after all.

He was well aware that it might look like he kept going back to catch a glimpse of the not-so-familiar barista. And it was the truth for a while; he kept visiting for her but stayed for the coffee. The way the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit him with a cosy twinkling sound that made him feel like he was opening doors to another world. One where people didn't bother to invade his privacy, mostly kept to themselves and enjoyed their own company with coffee, tea or the prettiest looking desserts. Even as he thought about it on his walk to the café, he kept craving the ambience more and more with each step he took. Maybe he'd try something different today. Like a croissant or a piece of cake maybe? Either would go well with his favourite coffee.

He remembered how cold the paper cup holding his iced Americano would feel, the icy chill seeping through the coffee sleeve. He could practically recollect every time his body would urge him to curl up on the cosiest sofa alongside the bookshelf but it would always be closing time and he would be rushing to leave. If he closed his eyes once, he bet he could picture her, smiling behind her thin mask and swiftly preparing his coffee with a confidence that felt like she had been doing this job for years. He could practically taste the coffee on his lips and-

The sight that greeted him was not something he had seen a bit coming. All his dreams and hopes vanished into thin air the second he saw a sign on the front gate. The one that said 'Closed'.

It was a working day and there was no reason for this coffee shop to be closed at this time in the evening. None that Oliver could think of, at least. He took a step closer and found a handwritten note attached to the door. It read:

"Sorry, we're closed due to an accident. Please help yourself to some coffee or tea of choice as an apology. The shop will open again soon enough. Thank you for your patience."

The first thing he noticed was the handwriting - messy and scrawled, as if anxiety dripped through the calm words. He wondered if the handwriting was hers or if she was the one who got into the accident.

The thought sent a visible shiver down his spine and he held his jacket closer, inclining to the warmth it provided. He managed to swallow his dark thoughts and observed the small makeshift beverage station arranged outside the shop doors. It was everything anyone craving a caffeinated drink would ever need - disposable cups, instant coffee sachets, tea bags and more. A water dispenser was installed near the said station with options for hot as well as cold water.

But what caught his attention most, earning his amused smile, was the fact that everything was Covid-friendly. The water dispensers were automatic, the sachets and tea bags were appropriately labelled so no one would have to touch them to read the contents and ingredients. The thoughtfulness melted his heart for a bit before fear took over again. He really wanted the galaxy coloured hair girl to be the thoughtful barista who had set up this space. Because if she hadn't, that could only mean one thing. That something was terribly wrong. Something had happened to her.

Taking a deep breath, he picked a cup from the stack and grabbed an instant coffee packet. Emptying the contents into his cup, he watched it fill with cold water when he dropped some coins into the tip jar attached to the wall. Before he could leave, another customer seemed to approach the place. He could picture her exact emotions. The same confusion and concern on her face, reading the same message he was a few minutes back.

It was not like Oliver to ever initiate a conversation. Especially with a stranger. But desperate times called for desperate measures, didn't they?

Shaking himself out of character, he carefully pieced his words together after the woman had picked an earl grey tea bag. "Do you know what happened? The accident?"

The woman looked more than annoyed as she tore the wrapper and if the tables were to turn, Oliver would be too if a stranger had initiated a conversation out of nowhere.

"I'm just worried, that's it." He quickly clarified.

The only response he got was a shrug and the woman walked away after filling her cup. And once again, Oliver was left with unanswered questions and a ton of possibilities. His walk back home was filled with helpless curse words, imagining the worst case scenarios. After all, he was clueless as to what had actually happened and he had no way to find out.

Thank you if you've ever supposed this story in any way. Please know that it means the world to me and I'm more than grateful <3

Random Question: If you could go back in time to live (not change; just live) one day all over again, which one would it be?