Quinn didn't notice the vibrating of his wrist at first, still feeling his blood burning through his veins from the concert. But, slowly, the concentrated sensation in his wrist got more and more persistant until he realized exactly what was causing it. Slipping into a quieter area of the backstage area he held the duck up to his mouth. "Choey! It was brilliant! Wasn't I brilliant? That was the worlds best concert. Where are you? Come backstage!"
Cho laughed. "You were brilliant, but wait, wait. Come rescue us! We're locked on the roof, me and Oliver."
"How'd you see the concert from the roof?!" he asked, though there was laughter in the indignant tone of his voice.
"Just come get me! Please?"
"Sure, but it'll take a few minutes. There's autographs to sign between here and the roof. I'll get there as fast as I can though."
"Thanks, Quinny," she said. Then, turning to Oliver, said "He'll come get us. He loves me more than Marc does."
Oliver laughed. "You should tell Jonas to pay Marc more."
"Yeah, maybe," she said. "I'm glad Marc didn't come."
He started walking over toward the door. "But you missed the concert, and..." He stopped himself from saying anything about kissing. "And you had to sing about twinkling so I wouldn't hear you tinkling."
"Okay, so maybe I didn't like that part, but Quinn will have other concerts."
"True," he said, and smiled a little at her, not patronizingly, exactly, but maybe a little indulgently. "I had fun too, Elle Em."
Cho returned his smile. He had fun, too. "So," she said, immediately thinking about what Mari had said and about her promise to tell Oliver everything. This was it. Her chance. As long as she had the nerve. "Katie says that you do at midnight is an indication of how you'll spend your year."
"She does," he said noncommittally, glancing away.
"And Mari said that she talked to you at my ball and that I should talk to you, too."
That brought his eyes back to hers in a flash. "You're...Cho, you're engaged to Jonas. I don't think there's much left to that conversation."
"You're right," she said quietly, turning her eyes to the door. Mari was wrong. Telling him wouldn't change anything. "There's nothing left to talk about."
Oliver pressed his lips together for a moment, and then before he could stop himself, he quietly said, "Did she tell you what I'd told her?"
"Yeah, I think she told me everything."
"And what did you think?" he asked, looking at the ground between them.
Cho didn't answer right away. It had taken hours to figure out what to say to him in a letter and even then it came out all wrong. "I never wanted to date anyone," she said finally, though she knew she wasn't really answering his question, not directly anyway, "but I did. As much as I want to hate myself for breaking that rule, I can't, even if everything is all messed up now. I really, really, really hate you, Oliver."
"I see," he said after a moment. "But that...that doesn't change anything, does it?"
"It does, because... because...I never wanted to date, which means--" She sighed. "--I never wanted to get married. Except I do, and ... I would give up all of the hair on my head to be with you."
Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "Cho...you're not making any sense. Your hair? And you're the one who wasn't willing to wait and see what happened. Surely you heard that all from Marietta."
Another sigh escaped through Cho's lips. "Yeah, I know, don't listen to me. It's probably just the alcohol talking."
Oliver's eyes narrowed. "You haven't had anything to drink in at least an hour," he said, stepping closer to her, and then he lowered his voice. "Cho, if there's something I should know, if...if you don't want to marry Jonas, you should tell me."