Schuyler Van Alen finally rested her head on the comfortable pillows of the Italian hotel after a long day of travel. She and Jack Force left just yesterday on the trip that will change all of Blue Blood society, and she already wants it to be done with. The first day in a new place is always the hardest because the comfort of home still lingered. Even though the luxurious Italian bed Schuyler resides in is comfortable, she misses her special pillow and firm mattress. The food in Italy may be marvelous, but it is nothing like a cheeseburger from a New York diner. But most of all, Schuyler misses the company of her best friend, Oliver Hazard-Perry.
When Oliver set up this trip for her, he executed it thinking that Schuyler would never choose between himself and Jack. Sadly, Schuyler is starting to believe that Oliver chose wrong.
At first, Schuyler had been ecstatic that she could finally live her life with the fallen angel, Jack Force. She had given little to no thought on how Oliver must be feeling, and only focused on what she had to know about the situation at hand. First, Oliver set up the trip for her. Two, Jack left the altar for her. And last, Schuyler is to complete the mission she inherited from her grandfather—stop the Morningstar from opening the gates to Paradise. Schuyler hadn't thought about what her leaving would do to her and Oliver's relationship, but now that she is gone the thoughts lingered in her mind.
Schuyler's giddy high diminished once she was in line to board the airplane. Jack held her shoulder while he guided her to the line, and she wondered if she was making the right choice. Jack noticed her unease and tightened his grip on her shoulder. Don't worry, my love, he sent through the glom. Everything is going to be fine as long as we have each other. Schuyler dismissed her doubts and concentrated on her tasks ahead and her love for Jack, promising herself to block out any thoughts she had of Oliver.
Once she landed in Italy, she broke her promise to herself and thought of her best friend yet again. She yearned to call Oliver to tell him that she landed and misses him. Jack refused, of course. Calling Oliver would increase unwanted risks, but that didn't stop Schuyler from wanting to talk to him so bad. Jack nearly allowed her to send a message through the glom, but then convinced her that it would be poor for his mental state. Schuyler immediately started panicking about how her best friend was feeling.
That's what triggered all of Schuyler's wavering from Oliver to Jack in the last couple of hours.
She went through lists of reasons why she liked and disliked both Jack and Oliver. For Oliver, Schuyler liked the years of friendship they shared and the undeniable trust they held for one another, while with Jack she enjoyed Jack's faithfulness and leadership qualities. Oliver was at an advantage with his years of friendship, but Jack caught up quickly with his charm and selflessness.
But, as Jack laid his head against the pillow adjacent to Schuyler's, she realized that Oliver is the stronger man. Oliver may not be an angel, but he is more powerful in character. Oliver gave up his one love for a guy that he was never close with. It takes strength to walk out of a vampire's life after the sacred kiss has been preformed, but Oliver did it. And because of that, he is brave.
Jack put his arm around Schuyler's waist and kissed her forehead. The only other time she slept arm and arm with a guy was with Oliver. Even though it was only once, the thought of that night still gave her chills.
"Cold?" Jack asked, noting Schuyler's goose bumps.
"Not really, I just got a chill," she said with a smile.
"I'll make sure that won't happen again. You will always be warm with me, love." Jack held on to Schuyler tighter, but it didn't feel right. The arms felt too tight and suffocating. Jack noticed Schuyler's unease and mollified his grip on her. "What's wrong, Sky?" Schuyler cringed at Oliver's nickname to her and jumped out of bed. She needed to go back home. She couldn't do this mission with Jack. She needed her Ollie.
Jack jumped out of bed along with her and rushed to her side to calm her down. "Schuyler, what's going on?"
Schuyler was too busy repacking all of her things to reply to Jack. She didn't have much out since she has been in the hotel for an hour, but she still had to gather her toiletries and such. Jack reached out to her and grabbed her hands. "Schuyler, look at me," he demanded. Schuyler looked away from her bag and into Jack's emerald green eyes. "What's going on?" he asked quietly.
Schuyler fought for words to say. She loves Jack—there's no doubt about it—but deep down she knows that she loves Oliver more. Her love for Oliver may be forbidden, but it is more acceptable than her love for Jack. Schuyler needs Oliver's warmth and stability. With Jack, she didn't know whether or not she was safe. This could be another one of Mimi's insane plans for all she knew.
"Schuyler," Jack whispered. Schuyler immediately felt guilty by thinking that Jack was being dishonest. He would never do that to her, and she knew it. She just felt safer with Oliver. Schuyler gave him a meaningful look; she truly felt bad for leaving him, but she knew it was for the best. "What is it?" he asked.
Schuyler opened her mouth, waiting for words to form. She just kept her mouth open for a while before closing it shut. She closed her eyes and tried again. "Oliver…" she whispered. Jack let go of her hands and gave her an apologetic look.
"I knew your love for him was powerful," he stated. "I just tried to deny it. In the end, I guess it was my oblivion that hurts me the most." With those words, he left the room at inhuman speed. Schuyler stood there with her mouth hanging open staring at the spot where he stood only seconds before. Once the shock left her, Schuyler got to her knees and wept. She knew she had to leave Jack, but it still hurt when he left.
Schuyler rose from the floor to gathering her things again. She dried up her tears and carried on. She had a mission to face, a boy to see, and a flight that needs to be booked; Schuyler did not have time to waste. She threw the rest of her possessions in the suitcase quickly and checked the room for anything left behind.
While zipping her suitcase, Jack's voice entered her mind through the glom. Leaving you hurts, but I knew that you leaving me would be worse. I know you are making the right decision. On our way to Italy, I felt my love for you faltering as I thought of Azrael, my eternal bond. Do not take that the wrong way for I love you, also. I understand that you love me, too, but you love Oliver more. Please understand my feelings like I understand yours.
Schuyler smiled at the thought of Jack going back to Mimi—even if she isn't Schuyler's biggest fan. As much as Schuyler disliked her, she made Jack happy, so Schuyler would put up with her for Jack. Everything will go right back on the correct course again.
As Schuyler stormed through the airport with luggage at tow, she prayed that Oliver listened to her message through the glom and came to the airport. Schuyler felt physically and mentally exhausted after traveling on two seven hour flights in the last twenty-four hours, and didn't feel like looking for him for hours. While approaching Schuyler and Oliver's designated meet up location, Schuyler heard her name being called in the distance.
"Sky, over here!" Schuyler whipped her head to the voice, and saw those familiar hazel eyes and chestnut hair. Oliver looked terrible. His beautiful eyes were rimmed with black bags and his skin looked sickly and pale, but his face was lit up with joy.
Schuyler dropped everything she was holding and ran into his strong, warm arms. She placed her arms around his neck and hugged him with everything she had in her. She sighed with contentment and placed her face into the crook of his neck. Schuyler could feel Oliver's blood rushing through his veins as he put his head against hers.
"Ollie," she said while giving him a modest kiss on the neck. "You don't know how much I have missed you." Oliver dropped their embrace and started laughing.
"No, Sky, you have no idea how much I have missed you."
They looked at each other with wide smiles and bright faces for a moment. Schuyler's body was on alert as Oliver places his hand in hers. Schuyler reached Oliver's other hand and pulled him close. Oliver kissed her forehead gently and wiped away the tears that Schuyler did not realize she had.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I just…" Oliver hushed her. He started walking over to the area where she left her belongings. Schuyler followed for she did not want to let go of his hand.
"I understand. Can you come over to my house or are on a mission?" Oliver averted his eyes while saying this. Even though he wasn't looking at Schuyler, she could tell that his face was sullen again.
"I'll explain everything to you once we are at your house. I promise." Schuyler squeezed Oliver's hands for emphasis. Oliver's face lit up at the thought of spending more time with Schuyler. Schuyler then reluctantly let go of Oliver's hands so that she could grab her suitcase. Oliver swatted away her hands and grabbed her suitcase and carried on. Schuyler looked at Oliver's determined face with confusion. "You don't have to grab that," she said. "I can hold it."
Oliver scoffed at the idea of Schuyler holding her own bags. "Are you questioning my manliness?" he asked with a wink. "This is what guys are supposed to do. Holding your luggage, shopping bags, and whatever else you need is just a part of a man's job." Schuyler rolled her eyes at Oliver's silly ideas. Schuyler could hold her own bags perfectly fine, but since Oliver insisted she wouldn't bother.
Oliver and Schuyler walked to the parking lot in silence. They had a lot to talk about once they reached Oliver's house. And right now, each other's company is just what the other needs.
Schuyler felt more nervous pulling into Oliver's driveway than she did when she pulled into the parking lot of the hotel which Schuyler was supposed to perform the Caerimonia Osculor on Oliver. Schuyler had so much to tell him. She just didn't know how to tell him.
Oliver and Schuyler got out of the car, and Oliver unwillingly let Schuyler grab her bags since he had to unlock the door for her. Oliver opened the door freely—not caring about how much noise he made. Schuyler looked at him with wide eyes. If his parents heard them, they would surly get in trouble.
"My parents aren't home," he explained. "We have the house to ourselves. Come up." Schuyler blushed while walking about the stairs; staying home alone with Oliver was never an issue before, she didn't understand why it seemed so scandalous now.
Schuyler dropped her bags right inside Oliver's room and sat down on his bed. Oliver followed suit, but pushed her back so that they could lay down side to side.
"I have a lot to explain and I don't know where to start," Schuyler said while cuddling into Oliver's side. Oliver stiffened with shock at first, but eased up almost immediately by putting his arms around her.
"Just start from the cab."
And so Schuyler did. She told Oliver everything that had happened from the time she sat in the cab up until the airport. Once Schuyler started talking, words started pouring out of her mouth. Oliver held her while she cried during certain parts and imputed right where she needed him to. Oliver looked pained when she told him about Jack leaving her, but she smoothed it over by telling Oliver what Jack told her through the glom. Oliver listened intently on her story, and when she stopped he was quiet.
Schuyler started fiddling with Oliver's shirt while she let him process all of the information. They laid together in complete silence for so long that Schuyler was nervous that Oliver fell asleep. She looked up to view his face and immediately saw hazel eyes. Oliver started to rub her face tenderly while they gazed at one another.
"You told me what's going on now," Oliver affirmed. "But, I don't quite understand what this means for tomorrow."
Schuyler sighed and said, "This means that I want you, my best friend and conduit, to travel the world with me to find the gates. I don't want Jack to go on the mission with me. Eventually, I would have chosen you. In the end, I will always choose you because you, Oliver Hazard-Perry, are the man that I love."
Oliver and Schuyler's faces began to close in on each other. Once their foreheads were touching, Oliver said, "Good, because I love you, too." Then he kissed her with everything he had in him. Schuyler felt like she had been jolted with electricity. She replied eagerly with the same force as he had. They both felt as if they were high off of each other.
Too soon, their kisses ended. They ended up cuddling closer together than before while they both cried. They cried for the journey that they endured to come to this moment. They cried for the mission that awaits them. But, most of all, they cried for the happiness they felt in the company of one another. Schuyler wiped away Oliver's tears with her fingers, while Oliver kissed hers away.
Eventually, their tears alleviated and they just held each other once again while stealing a few kisses every now and then. They just enjoyed the feeling of holding one another and being able to be with the person they loved.
Schuyler's day of travel caught up with her and her eyelids started to droop. Oliver noted this and picked her up to put her under the covers and jumped in right next to her. He wrapped his arms around her while she started to fall asleep.
"I love you, Sky." He kissed her forehead softly.
"I love you, too, Ollie." Soon her heart rate and breathing slowed, and Oliver eventually fell asleep to the rhythmic beat of her heart.
For Schuyler, this is the start of a new journey that awaits her. But for Oliver, this is the end of his greatest dream—to be with Schuyler.
Thanks for reading my story; it is greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoyed.