BURNOUT! ━ 911.

eighteen.

   Time started moving quickly after Christmas. New Year's was spent with Ellis, Buck, Maddie, Chimney and Ollie all squeezed on her living room couch, singing songs loudly despite the neighbors banging on the walls and drinking champagne despite hating the taste. The next day was spent recovering from her hangover and helping Buck clean his temporary bedroom, their faces turning green everytime they got even a whiff of the alcohol from the night before. Spring was there before they knew it, flowers blooming on Ollie's walk to the corner store that she visited every morning for breakfast.

   The longer Ollie spent time at the 118 and with the people from it, the more she felt her heart grow in size. For the longest time, she thought she was undeserving of good, and yet here it was under her nose, so effortlessly and so easily. Every time a text came through from her friends, a smile pulled its way onto her lips even though it had once been so hard to even think of smiling again.

   Slowly, but surely, she was healing.

   And Evan Buckley was one of the main reasons for it.

   She hated inspirational phrases more than the next grumpy, pessimistic person, but she couldn't help agree with the one about distance making the heart grow fonder. While she thought her years away from the man had put a damper on her feelings, they had swung back in full force since he had sauntered back into her life.

   As much as she hated agreeing with anyone, or contradicting anything she said, she was starting to believe that everyone was right when they told her that it was fate that they had ended up in the same place at the same time.

    The ideas weighed on her mind as Ollie mindlessly stirred the ice in her soda around in circles with her straw, eyes glazed over in thought as she watched the carbonation bubble to the top as her drink turned fizzy. She was currently sitting at some cute brunch place, a celebration for Maddie sending her abusive ex-husband divorce papers and asking out Chimney finally, but her mind was traveling all around the city.

    "Olivia." Maddie snapped her fingers in front of her face.

    She shot out of her thoughts, blinking as she focused back on the girl sitting across from her. "Huh? I'm sorry. I was thinking."

    The other woman stared at her for a little bit before shrugging. "Nothing important. What's on your mind?"

    For a while, she just stared at Maddie, biting her lips as she debated her answer. She could just lie, say she was thinking about dinner or how excited she was for Maddie and Chimney to finally be a couple – but Maddie was her best friend. If she could trust her feelings with anyone, it'd be her. "I think I love your brother."

    Maddie's eyes slowly widened as she stared back at her. "Oh. Oh." She was obviously taken back by the sudden confession, but her face quickly brightened once the words finally sat with her. "Well, I could've told you that. Glad you're back on the Buckley train, Ollie." She teased, although she was practically glowing with joy. "Are you gonna tell him?"

    A long groan left her lips, her head falling against the table in front of her. "I don't know. I mean, he's told me how he feels, so I guess it's only right? But how do you even do that? Sit him down in my living room, aka his bedroom, and just tell him 'hey, by the way, I've decided I do love you'?" She rambled, lifting her head to look at Maddie with an anguished expression. "I don't know how to love people."

    She laughed softly, reaching over to place her hand on Ollie's arm reassuringly. "No one does, Liv, but you will learn. Don't stress out too much about it. The right time will come." Her smile didn't fade as she continued looking at her, leaning back in her chair. "Look at us. Two girlies out in the dating world. We deserve a mimosa."