Check out the new cast if you haven't already! It's in the aesthetics chapter at the beginning of the book!
"Charlie," Oliver slurred as he banged on the door. "Please open the door."
He had been relentlessly banging on the door but Charlie wasn't answering. Why was he ignoring him? What did he ever do to make Charlie ignore him?
It seemed like the entire world just refused to cooperate whenever he wanted something. Like the fates had it in for him.
His hand was shaking from the coke he had taken yet his head felt heavy from the lack of sleep and his liquid breakfast. He felt like he should cry. But there were no tears leaving his eyes. The cocaine muffler was working. He was too pumped up to feel the pain of his wife leaving him.
"Oliver? What are you doing here?"
Oliver turned around to find Charlie exiting the elevator was a cotton bag filled with groceries.
Oh no. Here they come. Triggered by the sight of Charlie, Oliver fell into a heap of cries which eventually turned to sobs. He looked up pathetically at Charlie who just looked confused (and slightly disturbed). Charlie sighed and moved past him, entering his apartment. He didn't invite Oliver in but he didn't close the door so Oliver took it as a sign to follow him in.
Charlie dropped the groceries off in the kitchen before returning to the living room. He leaned on the door frame as he watched Oliver sloppily pour himself whiskey in a cup and sit down.
"What's wrong?" Charlie tried to sound cold but he couldn't stop sympathy from creeping into his tone.
Oliver wanted more than anything for Charlie to sit down beside him and hug him. Comfort him, wipe the tears off of his face. But Charlie remained frozen in his spot.
"She left me..."
"Didn't you guys get married yesterday?"
Oliver nodded before burying his face in his hands. His shoulders shook when he cried and his hands were slowly becoming drenched with strolling tears.
"Oh."
"I fucking love her.... She's my world and she just... how could she just leave me?!"
"Why are you doing this?"
Oliver looked up in confusion. "What?"
"Why are you here, Oliver?"
"Because... because...."
"You're making it so hard for me to move on. Seeing you hurts me but obviously you wouldn't care about that because you think the world revolves around you.
"Maybe you don't have to move on... I mean, I'm here now..." Oliver said suggestively, struggling to stand up.
He stumbled towards Charlie just as Charlie shook his head in disbelief.
"What? No- I don't- you're unbelievable! I don't want to be with you anymore."
"But I'm single-"
Charlie looked like he was about to explode. "You're such an dick! No wonder Nora left you! Oliver, you chose her. You didn't choose me, you chose Nora. So why the hell would I want to be with you?"
"I'm choosing you now!"
"I don't want you."
Oliver paused and shook his head. "No-"
"I like you but you're a mess. And you act way too entitled. I'm sorry you're in pain and I'm sorry things with Nora didn't work out but I'm not just someone you come to when things aren't working out. I'm not here to fix you."
"Why are you being like this?"
Charlie cocked his jaw and glanced at the door. "You're not listening to anything I'm saying."
"I came because you're the only person in this world I can talk to," Oliver said answering his question from earlier.
"I'm not your therapist."
Oliver didn't understand why Charlie was being so difficult. Charlie started to walk away but Oliver reached his hand to stop him. In the process his grip on his glass loosened and it slid out of his hand and dropped to the floor. Charlie tutted in disdain as the glass shattered on the floor, splashing the whiskey on their feet.
"Oliver..." Charlie sighed.
"WHY IS EVERYONE SO AGAINST ME?!"
Charlie didn't seem dazed by his sudden outburst. He said something but Oliver couldn't hear him from the sound of anger deafening him. Blood rushed to his ears in indignation.
"Oliver! Stop! What are you doing man?" Another voice said.
Oliver turned around and suddenly found Spencer watching him. Where did he come from?
Oliver gave Charlie a look that attempted to telepathically tell him not to mention anything about their relationship. It wasn't that Oliver was scared of coming out. He just wasn't ready for Spencer's reaction to him sleeping with his brother. He had also slept with their late sister Ellie and Spencer's reaction to that was far from happy. It ended in both of them being escorted out of a high school ball by security.
"She left me. Nora left me! She called me narcissistic! And selfish! I'm not selfish!"
Spencer rolled his eyes. "You're currently wrecking my brother's apartment so yes I think you are selfish. Sit down. You need to calm down."
Oliver didn't have the patience for Spencer at that moment. Spencer was so completely out of the loop. He didn't know what was going on. Maybe he would have known had he bothered to check up on Oliver every once in a while but the previous year had brought nothing but distance to their relationship. They used to be like brothers but at that moment they were basically strangers. Neither of them knew anything about what was going on in either of their lives.
Oliver shook his head before bending down to pick up the glass. "It was an accident," He mumbled.
"Oliver, stop. You're going to cut yourself," Charlie sighed.
He looked up and glared at him. "Oh, so you care now?"
Charlie rolled his eyes and took the pieces of glass out of Oliver's hands. "You're such an asshole, Oliver. You come here, have your breakdowns and then leave. I'm sick of it Oliver! I keep trying to help you but you don't want to be helped! You just want people to tell you you're right!"
"That's not true..."
"It is! I'm so tired of this, Oliver. I'm done. Please get out of my apartment."
Charlie picked up most of the glass shards before standing up and leaving to go to the kitchen.
Oliver felt pathetic as he watched, from the floor, as Charlie left. His hand had small gashes from holding onto the glass to tightly and his head was spinning. Charlie was disgusted. Spencer was disgusted. Even Oliver was disgusted by himself. He was such a fuck-up.
"Charlie!" Oliver called
As he stood up he felt a hand hold him back. He found Spencer glowering angrily at him.
"Sit down," Spencer spat.
Why was he still there?
"I have to-"
"SIT DOWN!"
Oliver scoffed irately at the volume of his voice. "Don't raise your voice at me."
Spencer pushed him even though Oliver had done nothing to provoke him.
"You don't want to sit down? That's fine. My brother asked you to leave. So leave."
Who did Spencer think he was giving him orders like that?
"I'm not leaving."
"Why are you even here? More cocaine? Is that it, hm?"
Oh, how little he knew....
"No. What I wanted was support from a friend and instead I got hostility."
He should have just told him. They were already fighting so he may as well have just told him about his relationship with Charlie. That would rile him up. Oliver wanted Spencer to become furious. So violently enraged that he would no longer look like the moral hero he painted himself out to be. For once, Spencer would be the bad guy.
Oliver had the ability to bring about anyone's 'low-point'.
"You got hostility because you're acting like a child-"
"My wife wants a divorce! I have every right to be upset-"
"Yes but you're twenty-four and throwing a damn temper tantrum. God, you're such a mess! I'm sorry Nora left you but she shouldn't have married you in the first place! You treated her like shit!"
"I didn't-"
"Yes you fucking did! You need to start seeing yourself for what you truly are!"
"A victim!"
"A villain! You're the villain of this story, man!"
Oliver froze and looked around. His eyes fell on the wet patch on the floor and the broken glass surrounding it. His eyes darted to the door that had been slammed shut by Charlie moments ago and to the fallen couch cushions that had been knocked down during Oliver's thrashing. He knew he wasn't a villain because villains were one-dimensional. They were hateful and cruel and vengeful. But as he looked around at the destruction he had caused he realised that maybe he wasn't all that perfect. He wasn't a helpless victim to his addictions or to the people around him. He was a deeply flawed young man who couldn't stop himself from hurting the people around him, no matter how much he tried. He eyed the door. Maybe his first good deed would be to leave.
He stumbled towards the door, trying to keep his eyes focused straight so that he could avoid Spencer's glare. However, once he reached the door, he realised he needed to say something.
"We used to be brothers, Spencer. I expected a little sympathy. But I'm the fucking bad guy, aren't I? So even when I'm heartbroken, I don't deserve any compassion or sympathy because I'm just purely, irredeemably evil. Is that it, huh?
"That's not-"
"You know nothing about me, Spencer. Nothing."
He slammed the door on his way out
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Oliver took another swig of vodka straight from the bottle as he read through the articles online about his wedding. One paparazzo had even managed to get a photo. It was grainy but he could just about make out Sienna laughing beside him as Nora walked ahead of them with a stoic expression on her face.
How could everything fall apart within less that twenty-four hours?
Had Nora really not been happy the previous night? Oliver remembered her kissing him and saying 'I do'. She had been smiling. Was it all fake? It would have caused a lot less heartbreak if she had just told him she didn't want to marry him.
Oliver heard the elevator ding open, announcing the arrival of a visitor. Last time that happened it was Nora coming to get back together with him. This time however he really doubted it was anyone significant. Probably just a maid.
However, as Ed Scott came marching in angrily, Oliver regretted all the alcohol he had consumed.
His father clenched his jaw at the sight of Oliver lying down on the floor, close to the point of passing out.
If it were under any other circumstances, Oliver would have panicked and tried to at least look sober but what was the point? He was too drunk.
"You missed you disciplinary hearing," His father stated. "The board has decided to suspend you without pay indefinitely. You can get your job back once I see that you're actually making an effort to get better."
Oliver nodded. "Anything else?"
Ed's face had a scowl glued onto it. "No."
Oliver nodded again. "Fair enough."
His fingers curled around a small waste bin beside him just as he felt bile rise up his throat.
"Oliver... you need help."
No, what he needed was for his father to leave because Oliver was certain that in about ten seconds he was going to vomit everywhere.
He gave Ed a dismissive thumbs up. "You can leave now."
"Oliver-"
Ed Scott didn't get to finish what he was saying because he was cut off by the sound of his son throwing up into the waste bin.
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A/N;
I don't know why I'm so much slower updating this book than the others. I think the chapters are longer but still. Anyways, apologies for the long wait. All the chapters to come are a wild ride so stay tuned you wonderful people!
Love,
-hexed