Chapter Fourteen

When Oliver finally let Eden go, she climbed in the driver's seat of the car. Her legs were stiff from crouching for so long. Her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were red and puffy. Some of the dirt and blood from Oliver had made it onto her clothes as well.

After crying for nearly 10 minutes, Oliver must be exhausted. He looked tired. His head lolled back against the headrest and his eyes were closed.

Eden started the car and drove towards Oliver's parents house, where she normally dropped him off when he was drunk. Oliver had a small apartment in the city, but Eden had never been there. She didn't even know where it was. Eden figured it was where he took his hook-ups. Not a place fit for her.

"Not their house," Oliver said. Eden jumped. She thought he was asleep.

"Not my parents' house," he said again.

"Where do you want me to take you then?" Eden asked.

"Can we go to your house?"

Eden laughed bitterly. "My parents don't like you very much right now. Or me, as a matter of fact."

Oliver opened his eyes and looked over at Eden. "What happened?"

"My dad happened."

"Oh," Oliver closed his eyes again. Eden knew he understood what she meant. It wasn't a secret that Mr. Richard didn't like Oliver.

"Besides, thanks to you, they think we're dating. If they woke up and found you in our house they would kill both of us. And believe me, they already want to."

Oliver didn't say anything for a while. Eden thought he fell asleep again when he said, "Take a right up here."

Eden took a right. They were headed back into town. She couldn't think of anything that was in this direction.

"Where are we going?" she asked Oliver.

"You'll see," he said simply.

Eden felt uneasy. That's what she'd told Oliver when she'd brought him to Gus's house. Look at how well that turned out.

Eden followed Oliver's directions through the windy streets until they reached a small house.

"What's this?" Eden asked.

"It's where I live." Oliver was already getting out of the car.

Eden quickly followed, and a good thing, too. Oliver was still unsteady on his feet and Eden had to keep him from falling. She supported him up the walk and into the house.

"I thought you had an apartment," Eden said.

"I do," Oliver said fumbling for something in his pocket. "Well, I guess it's more of a duplex. But it's the same thing."

"So you live on the bottom floor?" Eden asked as Oliver unlocked the door.

"Yeah."

Oliver threw his coat on the floor, kicked off his shoes, and flopped down face first on the couch.

Eden picked up his coat and hung it up before following him into the living room.

"Are you okay now?" she asked. appraising him from in front of the couch.

Oliver grunted in reply.

Eden checked her phone. It was already after midnight.

"I better get going."

She moved towards the door, but was stopped by a hand around her wrist.

Oliver said something into a pillow. Eden didn't catch it.

"What'd you say?"

Oliver turned his head so Eden could see his mouth move.

"Stay. Please."

"What?!" Eden exclaimed. If she had a list of things she expected Oliver to say to her, this would be dead last. But then again, he had just spilled his guts to her not an hour ago.

"Stay with me," Oliver repeated, tugging her towards him.

Eden resisted. "Ollie, I can't stay."

"Why not?" he pouted, eyes innocent.

"Why not?! My parents would kill me!"

"Just tell them you stayed with your one friend, what's her name," Oliver snapped his fingers, thinking.

"Emilia?" Eden supplied.

"Yeah, her. Just tell them you stayed with her."

"We're not that close, though."

"Well, your parents don't know that."

Eden let out an exasperated puff of air. "You aren't making this easy."

"That's my job."

Eden allowed herself to be pulled back to the couch. Oliver sat up to make room for her.

"So you'll stay?"

"...Yeah, I'll stay," Eden said reluctantly and hastily added, "But just for tonight."

Oliver grinned. He seemed to be doing much better than five minutes ago.

"You should go get cleaned up," Eden told him. "You're a mess. I'll help you with your wounds after you're done."

"Why don't you help me shower?" Oliver asked, lacing his fingers through hers.

Eden's calmness left her. Her cheeks flushed. Butterflies were ramming themselves against her stomach. Her palms grew sweaty. It's amazing how a few words from the right person can change your mood that fast.

"You're drunk, not dying," she said, tugging her fingers free and standing up, moving as far away from Oliver as possible.

Oliver laughed. "All right, all right, I'll go alone." He winked at her as he left.

Eden waited for Oliver on the couch. When he came out 15 minutes later, he looked a lot fresher. Eden could see the extent of his injuries: some cuts and bruises. But then she realized he was only wearing a towel.

"Dude!" Eden covered her eyes. "Put some clothes on!"

She heard Oliver laugh. She heard footsteps coming towards her. She felt Oliver remove her hands from her eyes.

"Open your eyes," he said soothingly.

Eden shook her head.

"I'm not going to bite you."

Eden still refused.

"Are you going help me or not?"

Eden slowly opened one eye. Oliver was standing over her, one hand clasped over her own. She opened her other eye.

"There you go," Oliver smiled. He held up his other hand for her to see. "I brought band-aids."

Eden tried to ignore how close he was. How he was holding her hands. How he was smiling at her. How much muscle he'd gained since she last some him shirtless. How he was hardly wearing anything.

She succeeded. For a while.

Eden found the hydrogen peroxide and cleaned his cuts. Oliver winced, but stood still. She put band-aids on the nastier ones and ointment on the others.

"There," Eden said.

"Are you done?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah." Eden put away the supplies. When she came back, she yawned. "It's late. We should get to bed."

Which led her to wonder where she would sleep.

"I'll take the couch," Eden offered.

"I have a bed, you know."

"Oh, that's okay. I don't want to take away your bed."

"That's not what I was implying." Oliver stood up and walked towards her slowly. He had an evil grin on his face.

"No," Eden said, backing away. "Ollie, no."

Oliver held up his hands. "What are you so afraid of, Richie?"

"Stay away from me!"

Eden kept backing up until she ran up against a wall. Or what she thought was a wall. It was really a door.

Oliver walked up to her, smiled, and reached out his hand. Eden flinched.

Strange. She didn't feel him touching her. She soon found out why.

She let out a half-cry as she stumbled backwards. Oliver caught her by the shoulders. Sort of. He kept her from falling, but all he did was push her back down after a couple steps.

Eden landed on something soft. A bed. It dawned on her. This was Oliver's bedroom.

She scrambled back as Oliver crawled on the bed.

"Oliver, you've taken it too far!" she cried. "Stop joking around!"

Oliver crawled over her and craned his head down so it was level with Eden's ear and whispered, "What if I'm not?"

Eden stiffened.

Oliver bit her ear.

She shivered.

He placed kisses on her jawbone and continued down her neck. It was when he moved back up, pulling her shirt up as he went, lips hovering over her own, that Eden put an end to it.

She shoved him away and rolled off the bed. She landed on her feet and stormed out of the room. Oliver followed.

"Eden, wait," he said, catching her hand.

She threw off his hand as she slipped on her shoes and zipped up her jacket. "You took it too far. I told you to stop but you didn't listen. Your jokes aren't funny anymore, Oliver."

"You were enjoying it, though," Oliver shrugged.

Eden glared at him. "You said you didn't want to hurt me? Well, you're doing a pretty good job of screwing that up."

She slammed the door in the face of a very stunned young man.