A.N.) Didn't update as quickly as I had hoped to, but with Christmas and then shopping and driving and all that other stuff, it's hard to find time to write. So this may be the last chapter before the new semester starts, so enjoy this until the next one, whenever that'll be...
Chapter 14
/Cristina/
"Cristina? Do you plan on going to class today?"
Who was that?
"Anytime now would be nice."
Maybe I should see who it is.
"I think that summer job really got to you."
"Alright, I'm up," I mumbled, slowly getting up.
Figures as much that Robin would get me up. Of course she knows how much I liked working over the summer.
Wait a second. How did I get back in my dorm?
"You must really enjoy what you wear during the day for you to not change at night," Rebecca commented from across the room.
"Yeah. That's what it is," I yawned in reply, pulling out my clothes for the day.
"Well hurry up or you'll miss breakfast again," Alli called out as they all ran out, leaving me behind.
I wasn't very hungry anyway.
/Oliver/
"Andrew, have you seen Cristina?" I asked him at breakfast, her vacant seat next to me making me wonder where she was.
"Haven't seen her this morning," he replied, shaking his head.
"She probably just slept in again," Kevin said.
Right. This coming from someone who was lucky to be up by mid-afternoon.
"I'll see you guys in class. I'm going to see where she is," I said, standing now.
"I'm telling you she's fine," Kevin replied.
"I'm sure she is, but you know how I am about my team," I commented, my remark making them laugh.
"Well you might want your books," Andrew said as I was walking out, handing me my bag.
I guess I would need that.
As I entered our Common Room, I saw Cristina making her way down the stairs from her dorm. I waited for her at the bottom.
Cristina smiled when she reached me, but I could see something was wrong. Her beautiful sapphire eyes, always bright and full of life, now cold and tired.
"Cristina? Are you alright?" I asked, embracing her tightly.
I felt her arms around me, but she acted as though every move she made was forced upon her.
"Yeah. I'm just really tired," she replied, a smile forcing its way across her lips.
"You missed breakfast. Are you sure everything's fine?" I asked again, not believing that she was ok.
"Sí, soy serió. I just wasn't hungry," Cristina replied, putting on her serious face.
"I'm just getting a little worried about you, after yesterday and – "
"I've already put yesterday out of my mind. I really don't want to dwell on it," Cristina interrupted, her tired eyes catching mine.
"All you ever have to do is tell me if you need anything," I whispered, gently stroking the side of her face.
"I know," she replied, putting her hand on mine and pressing them to her face.
"Come on, let's go to class before we're late," I said, taking her hand as we walked out of the Common Room.
Cristina was like this all week.
She was always tired, falling asleep in study hall and in some classes. Her mind, always so sharp and alert, now distant from everyone and everything.
I never saw her eat anything, her loss of energy now draining the color from her golden skin. She avoided contact with everyone, almost never speaking, not even to me.
The girl I loved was disappearing right in front of me.
I had to do something before she was completely gone.
/Cristina/
Friday afternoon. Finally. First Quidditch game of the season tomorrow afternoon against Slytherin.
Great. Just what I wanted.
Figures that everyone would want to be in our dorms the day I most wanted to be alone. So I went down to the Common Room and stretched myself out on the couch in front of the fire.
I started to drift off, the heat from the fire and my own exhaustion overwhelming me. I was almost asleep when I heard someone walking down the stairs.
I was too tired to care who it was. I didn't have to wait long to find out.
Oliver came over and sat next to me, putting a hand on my shoulder to see if I was awake.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him, his eyes full of concern.
"What's wrong?" I mumbled, his eyes not leaving mine.
"Come with me," Oliver whispered to me, taking my hand as I sat up.
As we stood, he shouldered his bag and we made our way out of our Common Room.
We walked slowly across the grounds, neither of us speaking or looking at each other. Oliver startled me when he finally spoke.
"I told you that you could tell me anything," he said, still not looking at me as we walked on.
"Oliver, I swear everything's –"
Oliver put a finger against my lips, cutting me off.
"No Cristina, everything's not ok. Have you taken a good look at yourself lately? You've stopped eating, you're so tired you fall asleep in class, you have no energy, you've become pale, and you avoid social interaction with everyone, including me. The girl that I love more than anything is disappearing and becoming just an empty shell of who she used to be," he said to me, his eyes full of sadness and worry.
I couldn't keep it inside anymore. Tears began running down my cheeks. My legs gave out from exhaustion and I fell forward, Oliver catching me against his body.
"I didn't know how to handle it. I've been so scared that something would happen," I sobbed, crying against his chest as he held me close, his body supporting mine.
We stood there for a few minutes, the moonlight shining through the forest, neither of us able to say anything to each other.
"I want to show you something," he finally whispered.
Taking my hand, he led me to the Quidditch pitch. As we ascended some stairs, Oliver pulled out his wand and lit up the darkness surrounding us.
"Close your eyes," Oliver whispered to me before we came back out into the open.
I was hesitant. I didn't want to face any more surprises, not after last weekend.
"Trust me," he whispered into my ear, sticking his wand into his pocket and taking my hands in his.
I closed my eyes as he carefully led me up a few more steps. Even with my eyes closed, I could still sense that we had stepped into a lighted area. But how?
"I was hoping to save this for your birthday, but I thought you could really use this now. Go ahead, open your eyes," Oliver whispered from behind me.
I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight in front of me. I had never seen anything so beautiful before.
The full moon, in all her glory, seemed to fill the night sky with her form. Her silver light covered all that crossed her path, glistening over the lake. The stars glittered like diamonds displayed on black velvet.
Oliver stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, gently resting his head on my shoulder.
"I said that you could always trust me," he whispered, his breath warming the side of my neck.
"Always," I whispered in reply.
I shivered as a cool breeze blew over my exposed arms, my thin t-shirt a poor choice to wear without a jacket.
Oliver took his jacket off and held it while I put it on. He took my hand and we sat on a bench, Oliver leaning back against the edge and me in front of him.
Reaching into his bag, Oliver pulled out a blanket and draped it over both of us. I leaned back against him and rested my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer.
"Feeling better?" Oliver asked me, tilting his head so he could see my face.
"Very much now," I replied, smiling at him. "How long have you been planning this?"
"A few months," he replied, a smile finally crossing his face.
"And I thought all you did was sleep in Astronomy," I said, laughing as Oliver rolled his eyes.
"You made me take it with you. And I learn more than you think. For once I enjoy a class," he replied, laughing.
"So I've noticed," I said, both of us laughing now.
We kept sitting there laughing, neither of us able to stop for a while. Finally we stopped laughing and just sat there, enjoying each other's company.
"I can't believe you planned this. I don't think anything could be more beautiful than this," I whispered, looking up into his soft brown eyes.
"The only thing more beautiful is being here with you," Oliver whispered in reply, softly smiling down at me.
Oliver gently lifted my chin, bringing our faces closer together. I closed my eyes as our lips met, taking in the feeling that comes over me when we're together.
I was filled with warmth as his skin touched mine, the cool night breeze not affecting me anymore. Oliver wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close as I wrapped mine around his neck.
All thoughts of last weekend left my mind, erased by Oliver's passionate kissed and love for me.
I felt terrible about how I had treated him all week, being cold and distant toward him above all others. He was concerned about me, but I just turned away and rejected him.
I gently pulled away, leaving Oliver confused.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked softly, his arms still around me.
"I've hurt you all week. I don't deserve to be here with you," I replied softly, turning my head away from him.
"Hey," Oliver began, gently turning my head to face him, "you're only human. Bad things happen to everyone. It can't always be prevented. You can't blame yourself for everything. Cristina, you were hurt and just wanted to be alone. I respect that. You just worried me. That doesn't mean I don't love you. I love you more than you will ever know. NOTHING will ever change that."
"You always have been good with words and making me feel better," I said softly, barely smiling.
"I can make you smile too," he replied, grinning at me.
"Yeah, you do," I sighed, putting my head on his shoulder.
"But you're not smiling," he said as he ran a finger up my spine.
Before I could say anything, Oliver started tickling me. I started laughing so hard my eyes watered, my efforts to stop him useless. Oliver was laughing just as hard.
In my last pathetic attempt to get away, I got tangled up in the blanket and fell off the bench with a small scream of surprise.
I just laid there, looking up at the stars and feeling really stupid. Oliver leaned over to see me, still laughing. I couldn't help but do the same.
"Are you ok down there?" Oliver asked, still laughing.
"Sí. I just felt like getting a good look at the stars," I replied sarcastically, also laughing.
"Here, let me help you up," he said, still laughing here and there.
When Oliver offered his hand to me, I grabbed it and pulled him down, Oliver landing on top of me. We started laughing again, our loss of words leading to laughter.
"Come here you," I said, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him down, kissing him with as much passion as he had shown me.
"I love you," Oliver mumbled as he moved down to my neck.
"I love you too."
A.N.) Ok. I lied. I so didn't get this up before the semester started. But on the bright side, writing has kept me awake during Brit Lit and Algebra Trig. So anyway, look forward to the next chapter cuz it's Quidditch time! As always, RR!
