Jamie Lannister (celticpride) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-01-19 00:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, oliver wood, verity |
Who: Oliver Wood and Verity Ashford
When: Backdated to 17 January 2012; after Alice/Jefferson/Oliver have lunch
Where: Verity's hospital room, Irvine General
What: Talk - Oliver wants to ask Verity about Alice
Rating: Low
Status: Complete!
Verity had her new inhaler. She had two, actually. One was curing the disease, and the other was controlling the symptoms. She was able to breathe, and her skin was almost rosy again. Almost the peachy pink shade it’d been before her lungs stopped working at 100% capacity.
She was sitting on her hospital bed with her phone. She’d downloaded a game like Farmville, but with a little city and people, collecting money, it was stupid, but it took her mind off of things. She was busy playing it and ignoring her roommates and the television.
'Knock, knock,' came a voice from the doorway.
It was Oliver, out of bed for the first time since Christmas Eve and sitting upright in a wheelchair. His knee was bent too, the start of physical therapy to restore basic function to the joint and limb before he tried to stand again. Unfortunately he was accompanied by a nurse; with his shoulder reinjured he couldn't get around alone yet.
'Feeling up to a visit?'
Verity looked up at the sound of the voice and broke into an instant smile. Even after a few weeks in bed in the hospital, he still looked strong and handsome. A wave of pride and affection welled within her. "Of course I am!" She said, sounding excited. It was obvious she was feeling better, too, as she sat up straight in the bed.
Carefully, the nurse pushed Oliver into the room, mindful of his leg on the doorframe, and parked the chair beside Verity's bed with the threat of returning in thirty minutes. He was still recovering from surgery, after all, and too much sitting up increased the threat of blood clots.
When she left, Oliver reached for Verity's hand and gave it a squeeze, happy to see her cheeks pink and her lips red. 'You're looking better. Feeling better too?'
"Yeah," Verity said with a smile, locking her phone and setting it aside. She could play more of that game later, when she didn’t have such an interesting visitor in her room. Handsome, charming, a man she was head over heels in love with, even though she felt like she barely knew him. "Much better now you're here," she added, a playful tease in her voice. "You look fantastic, Oli. How are you feeling?"
‘Better,’ he admitted plainly. No jokes, no sarcasm. The need for those defenses didn’t feel as great today as they normally did. ‘A nurse brought some inhalers by this morning. Supposedly a cure... they seem to have helped Alice quite a bit and it looks like maybe you’ve had one too,’ he said smiling, reaching up to pinch Verity’s chin. ‘You’re looking less and less like Smurfette.’
“Yes, your friend Doctor McSteamyPants came and gave me one himself.” Verity said, lifting the inhaler up with her free hand and waggling it at him. “So I’m afraid your fondest dreams about shagging a smurf are going to have to be pushed aside again.”
‘I’ve got other dreams,’ Oliver replied.
The colour returning to Verity’s cheeks was incredibly reassuring. Oliver could feel a strange tightness behind his eyes that he fought to ignore. It had no place here, not on a day when people were healing all over the hospital.
‘So... Ancient norse gods, life-saving surgeons... ex-footy players. Any other profession you’re racking up?’ he teased. And it was a joke, if a curious question sort of kind.
“Well, y’know, my husband’s an Antiques Dealer, and my boyfriend does taxes, so...” She responded, teasing right back. Hers was an out and out untruth, though. A complete joke. Perhaps it was a good sign that she was joking. She was obviously feeling better.
‘Ah, your boyfriend, then?’ Oliver picked up, nodding playfully. ‘So there’s two of us then. For shame.’
Verity went rather pink. It must have been a very pleasant change from the blue of yesterday. She was realizing that he’d used the word ‘boyfriend’ a couple of times now. She was still afraid she’d be pushing if she asked him to define what they were. And yet he was able to come out with the term so easily.
“...and my husband, too. Don’t forget him.” She grinned.
‘Right. He’s the...’ Oliver paused, thinking back on the conversation then remembered suddenly, “Antiques Dealer! Wonder if he could get me a good price on a new motorbike.’
“If you want an antique one, he sure could.” Verity said, giving him a grin. “He gives all my boyfriends special discounts.” ...there. She’d said it, too. Did that make it official? Was it official already? Did she have to use the word ‘girlfriend’ for it to be truly official?
‘Well, now that we’ve got that all settled....’ Oliver concluded their round of banter with a good natured grin. As enjoyable as their conversation was, he was there on the business of another topic entirely. One that would probably prove to be far less enjoyable than one they’d just concluded, but much more important.
With Jefferson’s visit to the hospital that morning, Oliver knew it was time to confront Verity about Alice. He had seen how joyful Alice had been around Jefferson, how easily it would be for her to slip away from his life forever if Verity pushed hard enough. But Oliver didn’t want that. He needed Alice as much as he needed Verity, however, in completely different ways.
Alice was his sister, his best friend, family without blood. And Verity, without putting too fine a point on it, was the woman who would save his life. It took Oliver dying for him to realise that potential, though. He had a long road to recovery ahead of him and he desperately wanted Verity there by his side, but not at the cost of his family. That was a price too high to pay for though he felt love in his heart, it was still early yet to be wagering a sister.
‘I actually was hoping we could talk, if you’re feeling up to it?’
Verity would never want him to give up on any aspect of his life for her. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The only thing she wanted from him was monogamy. If they were going to be a couple, boyfriend and girlfriend, that was her only requirement. For the most part. No sleeping around, no lying about it. In all honesty, the 'no lying about it' was far more important than the monogamy. They could work things out of they had to.
But she'd never ask him to pick between her and Alice. Not only because it wasn't fair or necessary, but because she knew who he would pick. Verity was under the impression that she would always come second in his book, and she was trying to reconcile that in her mind. She figured she'd rather come second than not at all. Even if it stung.
"Sure," she said, sitting up a little and crossing her legs. "What's up?"
'Do you hate Alice?' he asked bluntly. There was no sense in beating around the bush. Oliver didn't like cat and mouse games, he'd told Verity that many times before. And since she seemed prone to running away, Oliver didn't see a need in wasting either of their time or energy building up to the inevitable conclusion.
Least, he hoped he was prepared for it this time.
Verity was caught off guard by the abruptness of the question. But she wasn't about to lie. They'd promised each other honesty, even if it hurt. If she expected as much from him, she would have to give it.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I barely know her."
'Alice has been given the impression that you do,' he explained gently, no judgement or defensive emotions present in his tone. This was a two-way conversation and Oliver wasn't pointing fingers. Not yet at least. 'Enough so that she told me she was planning on moving out. Apparently she thought that would make it easier for you...' he trailed off there, hoping Verity would pick up where he'd left off.
Verity frowned. She didn't like where it felt like this was going. She didn't want to be blamed for Alice moving out. It wasn't something she asked for, or even something she wanted, necessarily. "She told me she was moving out." She said, softly. "She said something about me moving in, or wanting me to move in," Verity frowned. That was surrounded by a fever Haze from her illness. "I never told her to or asked her to." She added quickly.
'No, no, no,' Oliver returned just as quickly, raising his hand and waving away the negativity beginning to creep into the conversation. 'Of course nae, I know you would never do that. I just-' he paused to have a careful think before proceeding. Words were extremely important in emotional situations and he wanted to be sure he had the correct ones for the job. 'It seemed to me that if Alice was feeling like she was getting in the way of us,' he gestures between them for clarification, 'then perhaps you might be feeling similarly. And I thought that was something worth talking about.'
Verity needed a moment. She wasn't sure how to respond, or what he was expecting her to say. She reached for her inhaler to take a puff on it, though the tightness in her lungs had nothing to do with the blue flu. She wanted to say something about how she knew Alice would always be there between them, then thought that sounded petulant. She thought about trying to explain how awkward she felt that Oliver had slept with Alice just days after telling her he wanted to be with her, but she didn't have the words for that, either. Besides, it wasn't as If he'd promised her anything.
Verity had a huge fear about losing Oliver to Alice. Not exactly an unfounded one, as she'd lost her last boyfriend to a friend, the lies and the cheating nearly broke her. But trying to explain that fear would make her sound paranoid.
She cleared her throat. "Well, it was a bit awkward when you put me on speaker phone to read us both a bedtime story."
A small chuckle escaped Oliver's throat before he could think on how that might have sounded following Verity's long pause and quiet admission. But it was himself he was laughing at because of course she would have felt that way, and how stupid was he for not realizing it in the moment.
'Well I apologise for that, wholeheartedly,' he said. 'She was in the room and I thought perhaps putting you on speaker phone where you could talk to one another might have been better than having her lurk in the background. I am sorry, for that.'
"It's okay." Verity responded. "I understand." She paused. "Did Alice tell you that she felt like she was getting in the way of us?" She didn't need the hand gesture to clarify who she meant by 'us.'
'She said she dinnae want to be in the way,' he clarified. There was a difference, between Alice feeling as if she were actively being in the way versus getting caught in the crosshairs and mucking things up. It was just difficult to verbalized those definitions. 'That she dinnae want you to feel as if she was trying to get in the middle of us, and her solution was to leave.' They weren't her exact words, but the message was more clearly delivered paraphrased.
Oliver continued, 'I told her nae to go, so she is nae. I told her nae to go because for me, she cannae get in the way of how I feel about you. But if it's a problem for you, I would understand. I know that my lifestyle, what it was before you... It was very different than what you're used to. And I get it, if that's too much for you.'
Verity nodded. She understood the distinction. She thought it was a little funny, though. Alice may have been worried she was going to get in the way. Maybe she didn't know she was already there. Not necessarily 'in the way' so much as 'between them.' That was an important distinction, too.
"I would never even dream of asking her to leave or asking you to have her leave." Verity said, softly.
'I know that,' Oliver said, smiling softly, trying to encourage a little more conversation out of Verity. Her lack of communication was starting to make him feel like the girl in the situation. 'Just nae sure if you know that I can separate my love for you and my love for Alice and that they're nae the same. Aye?'
Verity nodded gently, lifting her eyes to look into his. "No, I know. I understand." She was being honest. She did understand. At least, she thought she did. Different loves. It made sense. She loved Fred and George, too. But very differently from how she loved Oliver. She'd just never had sex with either of them.
"I'm glad that you worked it out with her. I was surprised when she told me she was moving. She said it was my job to take care of you now." Verity wasn't sure she could handle that responsibility. Oliver was going to need more than just Verity now in his recovery.
Hearing that made Oliver chuckle, lightening the tension in the room. Leave it to Alice to drive things forward like a battering ram. 'Nae, no. I take care of myself. But I do like knowing I have you in my corner.'
Oliver reached up and took Verity's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. They were running out of time, he knew, though he wasn’t quite ready to leave. 'Are you alright with all of this? Is there anything you need? Anything you want to know? Tell me.'
Verity really wanted to be possessive. She wanted to tell him how much it scared her that she might lose him to Alice, especially with the history they had together. And she was living in the room next to his. What if he decided they (meaning himself and Verity) were a mistake? How easy would it be for him to just... step next door? Especially considering they'd fallen in love so quickly, and they still hadn't consummated their relationship, and wouldn't for a while...
No. Verity knew he wouldn't do that to her. She knew, just like she knew every time she got in a plane that it wasn't going to crash, but she still felt nervous.
She squeezed his hand. "You've got me in your corner. I dunno how you did it, Oliver Wood, but you've got me. I'm yours, completely." She hoped that wouldn't scare him away. "I trust you. I'm scared, but I trust you'll be honest with me. And that's all I want."
‘Have nae lied to you yet,’ he replied, squeezing her hand back protectively. ‘And I never will. About anything.’
Verity gave a soft chuckle. “If the question is, ‘do these jeans make my butt look big?’ it’s okay to lie.” She said, turning her hand and lacing her fingers through his.
Oliver laughed, a healthy, full chuckle that caused Verity’s roommates to stirr in sleep. He didn’t care though; Verity made him happy and he was proud of that fact, the sleeping ill be damned. ‘Nope. Never going to lie. It’s a quirk you’re going to have to live with. And donnae ever expect surprises either if you ask questions. Cannae lie. It’s a rule, and I donnae break the rules.’
“Well, then I’ll just have to never ask you how I look.” She said, giving him a grin. “If you’re not gonna lie when I look terrible, I’ll just have to make sure that I never ask.” She was teasing. Mostly. It was nice to know that he was always honest. But sometimes she just wanted to be told that everything was gonna be all right.
“How good are you at following directions?” She asked, somewhat suddenly.
Oliver shot her a look out of the corner of his eyes, ‘What sort of directions?’
“Well, if I instruct you to tell me that I look fantastic, even if I’m a total mess... can I count on you to lie to me then?” Verity asked, teasing. “Because every once in awhile a girl just needs to hear she looks pretty, even if she’s having a bad hair day.”
In that moment, there was nothing Oliver wanted to do more than stand up, lean over Verity’s bedside and kiss her. But he had been hit by a lorry, he had tender wounds and half a leg and the best he could do was stroke his thumb along hers. ‘I think that if I can see you as a smurf and still find you attractive, then there wonnae ever be a need for me to lie.’
“Ah, so wording is important.” Verity said, though she was flushing and his words touched her heart. “I’ll ask if you still find me attractive, not if the pants make my butt look big.”
‘Perfect compromise,’ he said, and squeezed her hand.