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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 5, 2017 9:55:37 GMT -5
( so sorry, I thought I'd replied already! I have to eat dinner, but I'll work on something as soon as I get back ^^ )
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Post by comedy on Apr 5, 2017 10:10:47 GMT -5
(Don't worry about it. I just decided to wait 2-3 days and then give you a reminder. Take as long as you need. I still got 3-4 hours of school )
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 5, 2017 10:53:23 GMT -5
( that sounds like a good rule c: never hesitate to remind me about things, I'm way too forgetful for my own good. )
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Post by comedy on Apr 5, 2017 11:00:44 GMT -5
(Same. So there's nothing wrong with a gentle reminder of either of us forgets our turn)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 5, 2017 12:45:48 GMT -5
Oliver hummed, looking up at her and nodding. She didn't wait around and he didn't watch her go. Instead, he pulled his legs up beside him, folding the long limbs into the chair best as he could. It was cold. He realised a moment later that the heating would have gone with the power. He surveyed the room, searching for something he could wrap himself in. It wasn't long before he found a blanket, just out of reach by the fire-place. He knew what he had to do. He stretched himself out as far as he could go without leaving the chair and snatched it up, covering himself in it not a moment later.
He stayed there, not wishing to go outside to check on his things. He was in no mood to get drenched, nor did he particularly want to leave his spot. He knew his windows were closed - he never opened them - and anything that had fallen out of his car at any point wasn't worth saving. Not when it was cold inside and colder yet outside, and not when he knew that getting attacked by the rain would make his cold down to his bones for the rest of the week. No, he would stay in here and keep himself warm.
He glanced up when Claire returned, frowning when he saw how drenched she was. "What did you expect?" he muttered under his breath, turning back to his phone. She was away for a while again, finally returning with firewood. For the second time that day, Oliver heard himself murmur a soft 'oh'. He should have thought of that, of course he should have. He was about to get up and help, but she seemed to have the situation under control, so he just sighed and sank lower in his chair.
He looked to her for a second, the realisation coming to him at the same time as he noticed the state of her hair. "Here," Olive said, pulling the blanket away from himself and tossing it to her. "You must be freezing." He was, too, something that came back to haunt him mere seconds after he'd given the blanket away. He couldn't very well ask for it back now, though, so he just pulled his arms closer to his body and turned his face towards the fire.
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Post by comedy on Apr 5, 2017 14:19:39 GMT -5
Claire had regretted the decision to run out there as soon as she done it, but she knew she'd get over it. She enjoyed rain and the cold wouldn't last long anyway. At least, she hoped it wouldn't. Maybe t would have been better if she did it later on, rather than shortly after waking up. On the other hand, it had given her an excuse to make a fire. The fire, along with candles and flashlights, were the only light sources in the house. Normally she'd actually enjoy this. It was a variance from everyday life. Unfortunately Oliver's presence seemed to change that for her.
His voice caught her attention. She gratefully took the blanket from his outstretched hand, surprised by the offer. "Thanks," she said, giving him a small smile before curling up with the blanket covering up everything except her head.
As far back as Claire could remember, they had a mutual dislike for each other. It wasn't a hatred. At least, Claire didn't think it was a mutual hatred. After he had shown a little kindness by offering her the blanket, Claire felt the urge to offer her own kindness. She didn't know how, so she just sat in silence, thinking about what she could say to him.
She could apologize for being a bit of a jerk, but she wouldn't. Though he had given her a blanket, that didn't make up their years of dislike. She could ask why he disliked her, but that was an unfair question. She didn't know the answer for why she didn't like him. She could offer him a deal where they agree to act like they liked each other for the week, but she didn't know if she wanted to do that.
"So, uh, do you wanna play a board game?" she asked. She had come across a few beat up boxes of board games when she was searching for the dry firewood. She was always a fan of a good board game, even if they only person to play with was Oliver.
"I spotted a couple and, y'know, I figured there wasn't much else to do. There isn't even enough light for us to go find our own space in the house," she explained quickly. She wanted to make it clear that wasn't saving to the pressure yet.
What pressure? The pressure to make friends with Oliver. Her parents seemed to think that the crushing loneliness would eventually drive her to make friends with the boy. They were correct, the loneliness was hard on her, but she was going to avoid caving in as long as possible. "I mean, if not, I also found some older books in a closet, but there really isn't much to do-" she was cut off by a loud clap of thunder outside and the heightening intensity of the rain. After the weather interrupted her, she became quiet. She would let Oliver answer the question without anymore persuasion from her. She didn't want to annoy him and be stuck in a cold, powerless house with an annoyed Oliver. The house wasn't small, but it sure felt like it when he was the only person she could talk to.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 5, 2017 14:43:09 GMT -5
For once, Oliver didn't mind the silence, which made her interrupting it a little annoying. Of all times, she had to pick a relatively easy to bear moment of silence to speak to him? He was already frustrated, having given away his source of warmth and not having gotten it back from the fire yet. Cold had always made him stingy, and when he could blame himself it was worse.
He turned his head slightly to watch her speak, and as she did his irritation turned slowly into amusement. She was rambling, something he hadn't known she could do. They only ever exchanged short phrases, quick greetings, maybe a smile if their parents were nearby. They hadn't had an actual conversation in years, let alone rambled on. He wasn't sure why she'd started, but it was foreign enough to be amusing and amusing enough to ease his irritation. A good thing, too, or he wasn't sure what his response would be.
"If we can sit on the floor by the fire," he replied, both so she'd known he wasn't accepting her proposition without conditions and so he could warm up faster. Without heating or a group the size of what the house had, it would have freezing even without the storm. He'd given up his blanket so he needed another place to draw his warmth from. "Or you can sit wherever, I guess, but I need to take the floor."
( shorter post, sorry. )
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Post by comedy on Apr 5, 2017 15:35:35 GMT -5
"That works," Claire agreed, half relieved that Oliver had taken her offer to play a game. Since she was unable to make breakfast, she grabbed her large container of almonds as well as all the games suitable for two people. She took a seat on the floor and opened a box at random, setting the game up. She placed the open container of almonds between them- a silent offer that Oliver could eat them if he wanted.
"So..." she began. She wanted to have a conversation. Playing a game in silence was even more awkward than sitting in silence. She just needed to find an easy, casual question that they could build a conversation around.
Huh. Claire had been debating whether or not to play nice with Oliver. Apparently, she had come to a decision without consciously making a choice. And that decision was that she was going to play nice. Why make this trip more miserable than it had to be?
"So," she repeated, formulating some conversation starter in her head. "What do you like to do?" She asked. Yeah, she knew a couple things about him, but this was something simple and easy. Something that should allow them to talk without hitting any subjects that either of them may want to keep a secret. Claire had secrets. Everyone did. She was certain that Oliver did as well.
The storm roared overhead and Claire flinched at another loud clap of thunder, but it was slight, a barely perceptible movement. She pulled out her radar, noticing that the whole area was colored in a dark orange tint, with pockets of yellow and red dotting it. The storm wouldn't be over any time soon.
(It's fine. Mine is too)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 5, 2017 15:54:40 GMT -5
Oliver nodded, getting out of his chair only to fold himself into a similar position on the floor. He'd turned his back to the fire, mostly because if he sat facing it he'd have to sit further away to make room for the game between him and Claire. He wasn't going to give up the heat that easily. He took some almonds but said nothing as she set the game up. This time, though, it wasn't a comfortable silence. It was heavy and uncomfortable, and when she spoke to him again, he was more than a little relieved. Good, so she didn't expect them to spend all day together but not talking.
"I swim," he said, "but you already knew that. I played some other sports before we graduated. Now I don't really do much else besides hang out with my old team." This was an experience he knew he shared with other high-achieving athletes. Between the AP classes and the hours he put into practice every day, there wasn't much time left over at the end of it. The time he did have left he spent with his teammates or, if his mother demanded it of him, the family. But he wasn't going to continue playing soccer now that high school was over, nor any of the other sports he'd half-heartedly played during his high school career. Suddenly he had time on his hands and only two things to do with it - spend time with friends or keep swimming. Both were fun, of course, he didn't mind it, but it was something he was aware of.
He popped an almond into his mouth and chewed slowly. "What about you?" he asked. If she was going to be nice, it was the least he could do to return the favour. He just hoped the full answer wasn't fishing, then he'd have nothing to ask her and the conversation would come to a grinding halt. Picking it back up again wouldn't be impossible but it would be awkward. He really didn't want to go to the trouble.
Thunder rolled overhead and Oliver thought he saw her flinch, but he couldn't be sure. It could just as well be a trick his mind was pulling on him. Either way, he certainly wasn't going to bring it up. He was positive she didn't want him to. He wasn't even sure if her reaction would be worse if she had or if he was imagining things. He wasn't looking to find out. Play nice, he reminded himself, taking another almond.
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Post by comedy on Apr 6, 2017 11:44:49 GMT -5
"Sounds fun," she said. Swimming didn't interest Claire, nor did Oliver's friends, but she didn't want to be rude to him at the moment. Claire felt as though she was walking on thin ice around him. They had built up a very, very weak relationship. One where it seemed as though they had come to a silent agreement not to anger one another. The last thing she wanted to do was break it down by saying or doing the wrong thing. Normally she wouldn't care what she said to Oliver because she wasn't forced to talk to him. In fact, she'd normally avoid talking to him altogether unless her parents demanded it. Since they paid part of Sarge's board, they always used the horse as a threat to get her to be nice to Oliver.
"Stuff. I've been spending more time at the barn and hanging out with friends. Simple stuff," Claire said. She knew the barn wouldn't interest Oliver in the least. It interested very few people that weren't into horses. She then went silent as she took her first turn at the game. She stayed quiet this time, giving Oliver the chance to carry on the conversation. After all, she had been doing it he most. It was his turn to carry on the conversation. Claire was also using it as a test to see if he was at all interested in actually attempting to talk to another and combat their isolation or if he was just answering her questions in an effort to not be a jerk. Which, Claire admitted, still showed that he was a better person than she expected. A couple of the guys at her school would just completely ignore Claire and turn to their friends.
That led to Claire rejecting the social system at school. There was a reason she only had a small group of casual friends. She truly was a likable person, though she closed herself off at school. She had nothing in common with the other kids. She wasn't going to force herself to make halfhearted friends just because they were all locked together in one small building for eight hours a day. Outside of school was a different story. She was much more social and outgoing, and she had built long lasting and strong relationships with people through her various clubs and sports and church. She had even made a few friends at work.
And that, Claire figured, might be part of the reason she disliked Oliver. He was a part of the group of people that she couldn't stand but was forced to interact with anyway. She wanted to fight it, but couldn't, which just led to more dislike of the entire group. Oliver, by being part of this group, had immediately (in Claire's mind) become an obnoxious, narcissistic jerk. Not only that, but he had real friends at school. Claire had very few, if any, true friends from school. Was it jealousy? Could that also be at the root of her dislike?
She watched Oliver, deciding to give up on this whole endeavor of trying to figure out why she disliked him for now. That's something she could do later on.
It was this moment that Claire realized she truly was making an effort to tolerate, and maybe even befriend, Oliver. It was only the second day of their week together, but she had already unconsciously caved to the pressure of loneliness. She feared loneliness and did what she could to fight it for, even if meant falling into her parents' trap and getting along with Oliver. The realization shocked Claire, but she was careful not to show any hint of this realization to Oliver. She still didn't like him, but now she was at least making an effort to figure out why. That, maybe, would lead her to figure out that maybe her parents are right. Maybe he wasn't a horrible guy.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 7, 2017 14:55:44 GMT -5
The barn? Oliver frowned, unsure what she meant. It took a few, awful seconds for him to realise what she meant. "Right. You ride." It wasn't a question, just words meant to let her know that he wasn't entirely clueless, even if he knew very little about her, really. It was all for lack of trying.
He'd never tried to get to know her. By the time they started school, they'd reached a silent but mutual agreement - they stayed away from each other. A few years down the road, when middle-school came along and forced everyone to adopt one of only so many labels, that had just gotten worse. He'd never tried to fix it, and he wasn't sure fixing it was what he was trying to do now, either. But he was lonely. His parents had known he'd succumb to the loneliness sooner rather than later, and as much as he'd love to prove them wrong, here he was doing the exact opposite. He thought it a low price to pay. Tolerate and speak civilly to a girl he'd avoid in any other situation instead of driving himself up the walls by locking himself away. It was losing to his parents that might eventually put him in a foul mood.
He'd known he'd come to this conclusion eventually, he'd realised it on the drive here even. If a three-hour drive by himself got tedious, what would a week do to him? What he hadn't expected was for it to happen so quickly. Then again, today they really didn't have much of a choice unless they wanted to stare at a fire and adamantly ignore a person they were stuck in a single room with until the storm passed. He told himself that this was why it had come so quickly, and that kept his pride satisfied. For now, anyway.
The silence had gone on for too long to be comfortable, Oliver realised. He could only hope his reflections hadn't dragged it out far enough to ruin their entire game. "What's that like? Horses, riding, et cetera?" he asked, glancing at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the game and taking his first turn. Wanting to avoid eye contact for as long as possible, he further put it off by taking another handful of almonds before finally looking back up at her again.
He'd never been interested in riding, much less horses, but this was a topic he could at least kind of understand. Riding was a sport, an athletic activity, and even if it wasn't Oliver's first choice it was a lot easier for him to understand why someone would do it as opposed to something like fishing. It was closer to common ground than anything she'd said so far, and he worried that if they left it behind they'd never find anything as close again. So while, yes, he might have preferred to discuss a sport he understood, something he could give an opinion on and crack jokes about, this would do. It had to.
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Post by comedy on Apr 9, 2017 17:08:50 GMT -5
(I'm really sorry but some stuff has been going in my life recently and I'd rather not talk about it but I just couldn't really get on. I can get up a reply but it'll most likely be tonight or tomorrow. Again, I'm sorry but I had stuff going on)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 9, 2017 17:13:13 GMT -5
( oh no, please don't worry about it! take the time you need. no need to apologise. )
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Post by comedy on Apr 10, 2017 11:42:43 GMT -5
(Thanks for understanding. I'm hoping to be back to my normal self soon but I'll try to get a reply up soon)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 10, 2017 11:57:23 GMT -5
( of course, it's no problem ^^ like I said, take whatever time you need. )
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Post by comedy on Apr 10, 2017 14:28:42 GMT -5
(I've got like an hour to waste before tutoring so I was able to write it. I'm literally just parked across from the middle school waiting till it's time)
Claire knew he really had no interest in horses. Most people don't. She'd normally just smile and say it was fun when people asked her about, so she figured she'd say something like that in this situation. The only ones that she'd sit down and have a lengthy conversation with about horses were her friends that rode. Other people either got annoyed, bored, or knew nothing about the topic and just kinda zoned out. She grabbed a couple almonds and chewed them, giving her time to think about her answer. She had been thinking before she spoke a lot this week, and it wasn't something she normally did often.
"I mean, it's fun," she began, like she would with most people. She tried focusing more on the physical aspects of it- something Oliver could relate to. After all, she'd seen him on numerous sports teams during their high school years. "There's a lot of work that goes into it. Y'know, perfecting every little movement," she said. Again, it was something she figured he could relate to. She assumed he was practicing for hours to work on improving at least one of his sports. She just didn't know much about swimming.
She stopped talking. Should she say more or would it just annoy or bore Oliver? She didn't know. "But I like it," she added as an afterthought.
"How's swimming?" She asked. Claire honestly couldn't care about swimming. She wasn't very good at it and would much rather be on a boat than in the water. But Oliver had at least asked her about riding to carry of the conversation, so she'd do the same. She'd ask him about something that he liked.
She took a few more almonds, looking out the window as a lightning strike illuminated the sky. The storm was bad, but not like tornado bad or anything. That didn't stop Claire from feeling a bit unsure as thunder rumbled overhead. She's wasn't a fan of storms, but it's not like they severely freaked her out. She just found it embarrassing that she was a little afraid of storms. Well, she didn't like to use the word 'afraid'. She preferred to think of herself as 'unsure' or 'worried'. She still didn't like to advertise that fact either though.
She wanted time to let her mind wander and think about things, but she didn't want to annoy Oliver by not paying attention to him. She wasn't sure how easily annoyed he got. After all, she had very little interaction with him besides what their parents required. They had almost no interaction by choice. This, especially, had been against their wishes. Claire was already trying to figure out what to say to her parents. It wouldn't have been nearly as bad if they were here. Or her brother. Or she could even engage in polite conversation with Oliver's family to avoid him.
Now she didn't have that choice. Now she had to talk to Oliver. They had to play nice. Well, it wasn't required, but it would just be too hard not to. The loneliness would get to Claire. It would be especially hard to avoid him on a day like this. Yes, she could sit in complete darkness in another room, but that'd be even worse and her phone probably wouldn't get any reception out here during the storm. Her only other option was too go outside and it was bad enough running out there for a few seconds. She couldn't imagine sitting out there. She'd rather hold a conversation with Oliver than that.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 10, 2017 18:04:55 GMT -5
Oliver nodded as she spoke. The physicality of it he more than understood. It wasn't the same when it came to what he did, not swimming or anything else he'd ever tried his hand at, but when you boiled it down into simple terms, the very basics of what it was they were trying to achieve, they were more similar than they might appear at first glance. For this reason he was relieved that she didn't elaborate too much. It was easier for him to understand it that way. He thought he'd try to do the same for her - though how, exactly, he was going to keep himself from rambling on about things, he didn't know.
"It's easy," he started, more carefully than he would have otherwise. "It's the same stuff you learn when your parents first send you to the pool to take lessons in, like, second grade but refined. It's all about being the best at something anyone can learn to do. I love that." What he didn't say was that he loved it because of that. In a sport like football he'd have to memorise plays and learn to play in a larger team. There wasn't anything wrong with that, per se, but it limited his competition. With something like swimming, he felt like being the best meant a lot more because the competition wasn't as selective. He'd tried to explain it to his teammates, once, but they'd all laughed and pointed out that maybe challenging an eight year old to a race wasn't exactly fair. After some thought, he'd come to the conclusion that it didn't matter. At least he had the sense to keep his pride at besting children at a sport he dedicated most of his time to a secret from then on.
Lightning cleaved the sky in two again and the room went bright. A second later it got dark again. Oliver glanced towards the window, rolling his eyes. The storm frustrated him more than anything. It kept him cooped up and in the dark. Even the brief moment of light that the lightning gave him wasn't enough for him to forgive it, it just reminded him of the situation when the room fell into dim candlelight again. He grumbled something but took another handful of almonds and chewed on them one by one which seemed to shut him up.
"I usually like storms," he commented as the thunder accompanying the lightning rolled overhead. "But this timing is awful." He tried to make sure that he sounded as if his frustration was aimed towards the weather and not her, but as he was unsure of whether he'd succeeded, he made sure to add, "I mean, we're in the middle of nowhere. At least in the city a storm doesn't keep you from doing all but two things."
He hoped his comment didn't annoy her. He wanted to be careful so as to avoid making her irritated; a day where they couldn't leave each other alone was the worst to start an argument. Continuing the conversation seemed like the best idea to him, but he didn't know if she still wanted to stick to the acknowledge-as-little-as-possible deal and if she did, he'd just have done the opposite of what he wanted to.
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Post by comedy on Apr 11, 2017 11:10:56 GMT -5
"Who would've thought we'd have something in common?" Claire asked. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but she had. It really wasn't much, but it was something they could cling onto if they wanted to make their time here more bearable. Many kids their age found enjoyment in physical activity, so it wasn't any major, or anything unique to them, but it was something. Right now, something was all Claire was looking for. Some kind of link that they could discuss and maybe keep an actual conversation going between the two of them.
"I mean, it's not much, really, but I never thought we had anything in common," Claire said. Yes, swimming and riding were two very different things, but they could be comparable when boiled down to their basic components. They were both athletic events. They both required practice and hours spent on perfecting the craft. They both led to healthy, more individual competition. They were even the same in the aspect that you could be on a team, but still competing on your own. Claire had her team, and she loved them, but she was glad when it was only her and Sarge in the arena. It was just the two of them, working together, to beat any other pairs entered in the class.
"I have an odd relationship with storms," Claire said in response to his second statement. It was vague, but true. She really did love storms. She would watch the radar in anticipation when she heard a storm was on its way. When it arrived, however, she felt totally different. She worried. She could barely stop herself from walking to the window every five minutes to look at the storm and how it was affecting her environment. She just didn't like the swaying of trees or flagpoles. She didn't like the way her car rocked at a red light when she was driving through a storm. She didn't like, especially here, where the blinding rain made her feel cut off from the rest of the world. She was alone out here, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Yeah, and the timing couldn't be worse," she agreed. "Normally I'd like it because it would give me an excuse to start a fire and dress up in comfy clothes and even make a mug of hot chocolate if the power's on. But we're limited now, especially with no power, internet, or TV," she said. Again, this is something she'd normally like, if she was with someone she liked more. She'd have tons of fun setting up candles and a board game and relaxing and just sitting in the dark talking to her friends or family.
Now there was only Oliver for her to talk to. She was willing to give it a try, but she knew they wouldn't have the same kind of conversations that she had with her friends. This would be an uneasy truce, just to get through the week. This would be shallow things that they should already know after knowing each other for the past 18 years. Even if she and Oliver could make it through this week and actually communicate, it just wouldn't be the kind of conversation and relationship that Claire enjoyed. She didn't like small talk and shallow conversation, but she already knew that was all she was going to get.
"I'm sure the storm will be over soon. Tomorrow by the latest," she said, moving towards the fireplace and adding a few more pieces of wood on. The fire roared in the fireplace and she returned to her seat on the other side of the game board, taking her turn.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Apr 14, 2017 15:54:49 GMT -5
"Surprised?" Oliver said, not sounding particularly surprised himself. To be honest, though, he hadn't been expecting for them to find any common ground. Even something as simple and vague as both playing a sport - didn't most people nowadays do at least something physical, anyway - was news to him. He doubted it was enough for anything major to form between them, but maybe it would be enough to carry them through the week with some grace. He hoped so. He really wanted this temporary truce to work; arguing would only exhaust him.
He shrugged, looking down at the game to take his turn. "I am, too. But it's good, right? All mans-land or whatever?" he continued as he made his move, still watching the game instead of Claire.
He lounged back towards the fire as he concluded his turn. He was sufficiently warmed now, but he welcomed the new level of heat nonetheless. He'd never liked the cold but warmth he could get behind. That he tended to run hot helped a little, but with the heating gone with the power and the air outside chilled by the rain he was convinced that there was no such thing as getting too close to the fire. He'd melt before he stopped inching slowly closer towards it.
"Tomorrow, huh?" Oliver echoed, glancing up at the ceiling as though he could see the sky through it. Logically he knew that a day wasn't that bad. It could definitely be worse. But a day of small talk and sitting around didn't appeal to him in the slightest. It wasn't that he disliked small talk, he was quite adept at it in fact and in most scenarios he might even enjoy it. But a day of it was too much, especially if he couldn't break it up. If he had a friend or even his family here, things would be different. With them he could relax entirely. He'd spend the day talking animatedly about whatever struck his fancy and genuinely enjoying himself because of who he was with. Unfortunately, all he had was Claire.
That wasn't to say that he'd rather be alone. That would be truly painful. But he didn't know Claire as well as he should. Despite visiting her family regularly for all eighteen years of his life, he didn't know anything about her. He even knew her younger brother better than he expected to know her at the end of this and it wasn't like they were close. That ruled out uninhibited chatter and casual lounging, something he usually looked forward to during storms like these. It left him with small talk that would soon grate on his nerves and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Could be worse, I guess," he said. He didn't sound very sure of himself. Regardless of how true he knew that was, he couldn't force himself to view the situation with any more positivity than he'd already pulled together to have this conversation without being snippy. That was just what he was like, unfortunately. "It won't last that long."
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