My eyes bulged. “Ollie!”
During lunch, Lynch made an announcement over the intercom about another vigil held for a total of four lives stolen from Dolor: Livy from over a year ago, Haden, Chad, and now William.
Zeke tapped his finger on the table to get our attention. I miss Livy, he signed.
Tell us about her, Ollie signed back before grabbing my hand and falling back into his chair, keeping his attention on Zeke.
Strawberry-blonde hair, Zeke’s lip twitched as his hands moved, Sweet, funny, Tommy and Livy. Big blue eyes. She was nice to me but didn’t take no for an answer like Mia.
“She sounds like a nice girl. Someone hard to forget,” I said through a chuckle.
Tommy loved her. She said it was Tommy’s baby, Zeke signed. His hands dropped down, and we all waited to see what would come next—but nothing. That was where Zeke wanted to end his story. He picked up a roll and bit into it.
Ollie snapped his finger, bringing Zeke’s eyes back to him. “Livy and her baby are living in your heart. Once a soul touches you, it’s a part of you forever. Find comfort in that.”
Zeke’s eyes snapped wide, and the roll dropped over his tray. What about Tommy? He was good. He didn’t deserve what happened to him. Tommy’s alone in a prison cell. Tommy was nice to me. My brother. Tommy is my brother.
A tear rolled down Zeke’s cheek, and I froze under his confession.
“No,” Ollie shook his head and pulled up his hands, signing and speaking eagerly. “Blood or spirit?”
Zeke’s eyes went frantic, and he pushed his tray forward angrily.
Ollie pounded his fist over the table to collect his attention. “Blood or spirit, Zeke?”
Zeke’s hands moved fluidly yet violently.
I looked over to Ollie whose expression transformed with each movement of Zeke’s hands. “I can’t keep up. What is he saying?”
“How is he your brother? Why haven’t you told me this?” Ollie said through gritted teeth.
My eyes snapped back to Zeke, whose hands and features were hot, brown curly hair bouncing as he moved. “He came for me. He fell in love. Now he’s locked away, and I’m stuck here forever. I can’t help him. He needs me, and I can’t help him. I couldn’t save Livy. I was supposed to look after her. I was supposed to protect her. He said, don’t tell anyone I’m his brother, or they would come after me next.”
“Bloody, hell,” Ollie rubbed over his forehead, “You can trust me. I’m your family,” Ollie insisted. “We’re family. I’m your brother, too … in spirit. When we leave here, I promise to do everything in my power to free Tommy. Do you understand?”
Zeke nodded. Zeke understood, but the ability for me to catch up seemed impossible.
Later that evening, Ollie and I walked down the hill toward the vigil. Red, yellow, and orange painted across the sky as the sun simmered. The crowd forming the circle wasn’t nearly as large as the last one. People had lost interest in caring for others.
Ethan stood in the same place. His hands hid behind his back, and we exchanged nods.
Ollie stood behind me. The mere touch of his fingertips against mine reminded me he was always within reach. The circle was silent, but Ollie’s emotions shouted within him, illuminating like the sunset above. He dropped his forehead to the back of my head, whispering a prayer to himself. His words persuaded my eyes to close. His words wrapped a bubble around us, protecting us from the outside world. His words were the cause of the shortage of breath and my flickering pulse.
Ollie prayed for Zeke. He prayed for souls, for the lost and confused, and the selfish. Ollie prayed for love to prevail, hindsight to come forth, and the close-minded to blur their lines. He prayed to no one and everyone, believing in the higher power, whoever or whatever it may be. He prayed for Ethan, for me, for himself. Everyone Ollie’s eyes came across, and each person who hadn’t had the opportunity to meet him has been prayed for.
He lifted his forehead from mine and sealed his prayer with a kiss to the back of my head. I scanned the circle. Bodies relaxed and tears subsided, and Ollie threaded his fingers into mine. “Let’s go, love.”
Our feet landed on the last step of the stairs as we retreated back to our dorm. “What do you believe in?” I asked.
“I believe in a lot of things.” Ollie smiled. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Did you go to church? You know, before Dolor?”
Our pace was slow as we climbed the stairs, falling back behind the crowd.
“Why would I need to go to church? A building is manmade. I’m the creation of God. Our body is the closest thing we have to the eternal light, not a bloody building. I have the power to pray when and where I want. God hears me no matter where I am. No one can take that away from me. But a building? A building can be destroyed, knocked down, or turned into a McDonalds if the city permits it.”
“You believe in God,” I concluded with a nod.
Ollie licked his lips. “Remember the story A Thousand Years Apart? The one I read to you at the hospital?”
“Yeah. Something about an eternal light.”
Ollie nodded. “That’s one of many I believe in, but what about you, love? Are you going to tell me a story on how God failed you? Or are you going to tell me a story on how our creator gave you strength to get through?”
Suddenly, I’d felt ashamed. “I don’t know what to believe.”
Ollie and I reached the top of the stairs when he stopped and faced me. “If you believe in nothing, then that is what you live for. And living for nothing is a waste, wouldn’t you say?”
“I hope our children take after you.”
We fell back into step. “How many?” Ollie searched with a smile.
“Well let’s see, how many croissants have you surprised me with?”
“Two, but I want three, so I owe you one.”
Everyone seemed to be lost in a daze in the community bathroom. A place where Jake usually sang, Bria normally whined, and chatter usually filled the background noise. The only sound tonight was the water, the curtain swinging back and forth against the rod, and toilets flushing. Students moved at the same pace as the rising humidity.
It was the same place I’d first met Ollie. ‘Hi’s’ and smiles had happened in this very room—among other things: glances, a handshake, broken mirrors, attachment, sacred moments, sweet love, Christmas kisses, laughs, and tears. This bathroom held every pivotal moment in our relationship.
The tiny opening in the shower stall Ollie occupied revealed the shape of him. The dip at his lower back and his cute ass. He turned under the water, and his tattooed birds flew across the surface of his skin. Only half of him showed, and my eyes traveled over every crevice of his chest, stomach, and prominent lines leading to places I’ve visited, and which I was lucky to have for the rest of my life.
This man was my fiancé.
He chose me, and I’d said it before, and I would say it again and again … I’ll never fucking understand it.
Ollie tilted his head, and green eyes peered back at me from the small opening, and he motioned me over with the come-hither finger. My cheeks heated. I jumped down off the counter and made my way toward him before pushing my head through the curtain.