who_is_she (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
who_is_she) wrote2015-03-02 01:37 pm
who_is_she) wrote2015-03-02 01:37 pm
(no subject)
They had only been staying with Owen's mom for four days, and already Owen was exhausted. It wasn't anything to do with his mom or Dimitri either-- it was the neighbors. Neighbors, acquaintances, old friends, they had all decided Owen was their best friend and kept assaulting him for personal details. He was something of a local celebrity, what with moving off to the big city to be a big hero--but all their fawning just served to make Owen feel more guilty and horrible about quitting. Most of the time he didn't even bother telling them he had quit, if only too avoid the inevitable questions and stress.
It wasn't just the superhero thing, though. They invariably asked the same question-- did he have a girlfriend in the city? He probably had a few, handsome fella like he was. The question itself was bad enough, made all the worse when Dimitri was standing nearby, listening to the whole thing. He'd explained his feelings to Dimitri earlier, that he wasn't comfortable coming out to these people he barely tolerated, but it still felt like he was hiding his relationship because he was ashamed.
Owen was ready to lock himself up inside his mother's house and refuse to leave, but today she'd convinced him to go to the grocery store for her, and he'd brought Dimitri. It seemed to be going all right, right up until a high, terrifyingly familiar voice rang out from behind him.
"Oh my god, Owen? Is that you?"
Owen froze because he knew exactly who it was, and exactly why she'd been terrifying him since he was 15 years old. That's when they'd started dating--Olivia had confessed her crush to him and Owen had liked her (he knew now the affection he'd had for her had been more friendly than anything else) and said yes. They'd been steady right up until prom night, when they'd decided to have sex and Owen's performance had been woefully disappointing. He'd claimed he was nervous and not ready, and she'd accused him of not being in love with her--which Owen hadn't been able to argue, so she broke up with him.
Owen gave Dimitri an apologetic glance before turning with a smile.
"Hi, Olivia," he said with a slight grimace.
"Wow, you look great!" she said, immediately smothering him in a hug that he returned automatically.
"Yeah, um, you too," Owen said, slightly dazed and confused because she was so cheerful when the last time they'd spoken she'd shouted that she never wanted to see him again. A week later he'd been kicked off the football team, and a month after that he'd been off to the city to be a hero. Maybe in the last three and a half years she'd forgiven him.
It wasn't just the superhero thing, though. They invariably asked the same question-- did he have a girlfriend in the city? He probably had a few, handsome fella like he was. The question itself was bad enough, made all the worse when Dimitri was standing nearby, listening to the whole thing. He'd explained his feelings to Dimitri earlier, that he wasn't comfortable coming out to these people he barely tolerated, but it still felt like he was hiding his relationship because he was ashamed.
Owen was ready to lock himself up inside his mother's house and refuse to leave, but today she'd convinced him to go to the grocery store for her, and he'd brought Dimitri. It seemed to be going all right, right up until a high, terrifyingly familiar voice rang out from behind him.
"Oh my god, Owen? Is that you?"
Owen froze because he knew exactly who it was, and exactly why she'd been terrifying him since he was 15 years old. That's when they'd started dating--Olivia had confessed her crush to him and Owen had liked her (he knew now the affection he'd had for her had been more friendly than anything else) and said yes. They'd been steady right up until prom night, when they'd decided to have sex and Owen's performance had been woefully disappointing. He'd claimed he was nervous and not ready, and she'd accused him of not being in love with her--which Owen hadn't been able to argue, so she broke up with him.
Owen gave Dimitri an apologetic glance before turning with a smile.
"Hi, Olivia," he said with a slight grimace.
"Wow, you look great!" she said, immediately smothering him in a hug that he returned automatically.
"Yeah, um, you too," Owen said, slightly dazed and confused because she was so cheerful when the last time they'd spoken she'd shouted that she never wanted to see him again. A week later he'd been kicked off the football team, and a month after that he'd been off to the city to be a hero. Maybe in the last three and a half years she'd forgiven him.
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He watches the way Olivia hugs him, feeling the muscles on his back, and the tone in her voice when she tells him he looks "great" makes him want to gag. He can't blame her, but the fact that he can't step in and let her know this isn't going anywhere is stifling.
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"So, how've you been? Big hero in the city and all-- Should you even be out here? Won't the city descend into crime and chaos without you?" She asks, laughing, and Owen turns white. He forces a small laugh, glancing away and shrugging.
"It's, um, fine," he says awkwardly, panic churning sickly in his gut "How are you?"
"Oh, you know, same old," she says offhandedly, "My life must seem horrifically boring to a superhero." she laughs again and then notices Dimitri off to the side, her eyebrows going up. Owen sees where she's looking and jumps to introduce him.
"Oh! Sorry, um this is Dimitri. I... met him in the city." He says, stuttering a little. At least that isn't a lie, "Dimitri, this is Olivia, my, um..." Owen says, stalling at finding the right word to describe her.
"I was his girlfriend in high school," she says with a smirk, reaching out to shake Dimitri's hand, "Nice to meet you."
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"Hey," he says, sounding a little distracted, "It's nice to meet you, Owen's mentioned you before." He immediately regrets saying the second half of that sentence, worried it might give her the wrong idea. But, she already seemed to have the wrong idea regardless of anything he said or did, so he stuffs his hands in his pockets and purses his lips.
"We were just getting groceries for his mom," he says, chewing on his cheek.
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"You've been talking about me, huh?" she says with a coy little smile, her expression just further confusing Owen. He's not sure how she could think him talking about her would be a good thing, not with the way they broke up.
"Um, I guess," Owen says unsurely, and she just laughs again.
"You always were so shy," she says with that same weird little smile, "We should have dinner together before you leave town again, to, you know, catch up?" Owen gives her a dumbfounded look until she leans forward, touching his arm again, and then it finally clicks.
She meant like a date ! Owen's mouth falls open at the realization that she wanted to have sex with him, and he starts to panic.
"A-actually, um, I'm seeing someone, so," he says, awkward and flushing crimson, glancing guiltily at Dimitri. Olivia's eyebrows go up again in surprise, and then furrow.
"I didn't hear anything about that," she says, like the town gossips have been lying to her.
"I, ah, I haven't really, um, been telling people, because-- Because it's Dimitri," He says, his eyes going wide as he hears the admission drop out of his mouth. He can't help but be a little relieved, though, because he'd rather deal with the gossip of him being gay and in a committed relationship than have to turn down single women.
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"Uh, yeah," he says hoarsely, "Well...yeah."
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Owen just covers his face with his hands, mortified that he'd panicked and spoken without thinking. And now, no doubt the news would be all over town within hours.
"How can you be--" she starts and then cuts herself off, covering her mouth with one hand, "But you were the quarterback! We dated for three years!"
Owen can't even bring himself to reply, to overwhelmed by panic to do anything but breath through his hands.
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"Hey," he says, his voice soft and soothing and at its most persuasive, as he focuses on filling her with positive feelings, "This is good news, right? You don't have to wonder about your breakup anymore, this explains everything. You didn't do anything to make him not like you, he just wasn't into girls, you don't have to wonder what your life would be like now if you'd kept dating the superhero because it's not even an option. This is fine. Great, even. You're so relieved to have found this out because you can move on and find someone new who actually likes you in the ways you deserve and you can stop revisiting the past. You're gonna respect Owen's privacy though, and not out him to anyone he's not ready to talk about this with, though."
He pats her on the shoulder, and gives her a smile and a nod before taking a step back.
"See? Good stuff," he says, shoving his hands back in his pockets and looking a little shamefaced.
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"Yeah," Olivia says distantly, then smiles at Owen, "That's great, Owen. I'm so glad you have someone who makes you happy. You guys have a great day." She walks away like she's floating, and Owen waits until she's disappeared around the corner of the aisle to breath a huge sigh of relief.
"Oh my God, thank you!" Owen says, turning to wrap Dimitri up in a big hug, not caring that they'd just barely escaped an outing.
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"It's no problem," he mumbles against his shoulder, before pulling away, "What am I good for, right?"
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"I just... I just couldn't stand the thought of anyone thinking I could belong to anyone but you. Because there's... It's just you. It's all you." Owen leans in to kiss Dimitri, meaning to make it just a peck but he can't quite manage to keep it that slow and ends up pulling away after ten seconds.
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"Geeze," he laughs, wiping his mouth, "I love you too, Owen, it's...all right, I swear, I get it, really."
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"Um, I guess we should get back to shopping, huh?" Owen asks, laughing a little and still red in the face. He kind of just wanted to pull Dimitri somewhere secluded (the car, maybe) and kiss him for a while, but they couldn't leave without the groceries. Unfortunately.