"Are you ready?"
Oliver took one final drag from his cigarette before flicking it into an open trashcan and exhaling. He nodded at his father who was standing at a metre distance. Oliver didn't miss how his father's nose kept scrunching in disapproval while he waited for his son to finish his cigarette in the cold winter morning. But he was glad his father didn't voice his disapproval. He really couldn't handle anymore arguments.
"I'm only staying for an hour. Then I'm leaving."
"You can leave whenever you want, Oliver. No one's forcing you to be here. After we leave we can get some breakfast."
Oliver shook his head. "You don't have to leave when I leave... I promise I won't do anything stupid while I'm away."
Ed rolled his eyes. "It's not that I don't trust you. I just want to have breakfast with my son."
"I just-"
"Oliver, I'm freezing my ass off. We can continue this conversation inside before I get frostbite."
Oliver smirked. "Can't handle a bit of cold?"
Ed rolled his eyes in amusement and headed into the building. Oliver looked around curiously once they entered. In an attempt to remain secular, the AA meeting was held in the gym of a youth centre as opposed to the church of some old basement. The gym was certainly bigger but it did nothing to relieve him of how cold he was. His hands were shaking (although that may have been from the withdrawal too). He wrapped his coat tighter around him before taking a seat near the back. His father stopped and looked at him.
"Usually I sit near the front...."
Oliver looked at the seats in front of the podium. They seemed to have a spotlight on them from the rays of light shining through the high windows. Everyone would see him. People might recognise him. What if he was asked to speak? He would choke like a fish out of water. The seats smiled tauntingly at him. They were reserved for clean men and women like his father not corrupted people like him.
"No. I'm... I'm good here."
His father nodded and slipped in beside him.
"Dad, you really don't have to sit with me."
"Your first meeting can be very hard. I'm going to be here for you."
Oliver nodded, hoping the silence between them conveyed how grateful he was.
"I really hope this benefits you. I know alcohol isn't your only addiction so maybe we can try out NA as well sometime?"
"One step at a time, Dad."
His father patted Oliver's shoulder before turning his attention to the platform at the top of the hall. A woman had taken the stage. She looked professional, dressed in a black pencil skirt and red blouse.
"Good morning everyone. For those who don't know me, my name is Angela Chen. I'm a pharmaceutical sales rep but every Tuesday I come here to give back to the programme that gave me my life back. I'm seeing a lot of familiar faces and non-familiar faces and I hope to hear from all of you. I'll start off with my story and then anyone who wants to speak may do so. I have been sober for the past twenty-two years. I lost most of my youth to drinking. I started when I was thirteen and didn't become sober until twenty four. At twenty-three, I decided to stop drinking after I was kicked out of college for 'drunk and disorderly' behaviour. I felt embarrassed, ashamed and I knew then that I needed to stop...."
Oliver didn't think he would remain so focused but he found that, with everyone who went up after her, he clung to their every word, engrossed in their stories. There was such a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. One woman spoke about how she had been homeless. Another man spoke about how he had only been sober for two weeks after years and years of binge-drinking. Someone shared a passage from a book about achieving your goals. It was intriguing.
As his father walked up to the podium, Oliver's ears perked up. He really wanted to hear what his dad the crowd every time he came. Did he admit how terrible he was at being a father every week on that platform? Did he tell them about his drunken rampages? However, Oliver didn't get past his father's introduction before someone interrupted his listening.
"Oliver? Oliver Scott? Oh wow, it's really you!" Someone whispered, slipping into the seat his father was in.
Oliver's blood ran cold. His fear had been running into someone who knew him. He didn't even recognise the girl beside him.
"I went to Notre Dame with you. I'm Teesha. I sat behind you in Biology. Wow, I can't believe you're here! Honestly, not going to lie, your reputation prevails you. You're the last person I would have expected here. Everyone knows you for your drinking but still it's awesome that you're getting help! Are you new? I'm new too-"
Oliver couldn't focus on anything she was saying. He had been compromised. Someone recognised him. Soon the entirety of his high school class would know. They would think he was so pathetic. His teachers would probably nod and talk about how they always knew he would fail. Everyone would know.
"Shit," He cursed, scrambling to leave. He accidentally knocked over his father's cup of coffee in the kerfuffle and looked up to find his father's eyes following him cautiously.
"Are you okay?" Teesha asked but he was already out the door.
He took a big gasp of air as soon as he went outside before burying his face in his hands.
"Shit. Shit. Shit."
He kicked a trashcan beside him. How could he be so stupid? Obviously he was going to run into someone he knew. She was going to tell everyone. Should he had marched back in to beg her not to tell anyone she saw him? He could easily have bribed her. He began to walk away, wiping away his tears with his rough tweed sleeve.
"Oliver. Hey! What happened?" His father called, catching up with him.
"Nothing."
"Oliver..."
He stopped to catch his breath and looked at his father. "Can we go home?"
"What about breakfast?"
"I don't want any damn breakfast! I-I need to go home."
His father furrowed his eyebrows together as he stayed quiet for a few seconds. "I'm sorry if I rushed you into AA. We can take baby steps."
"I don't want to go to AA anymore."
Ed nodded. "There are other options."
Oliver shrugged. "Okay."
"Okay. So breakfast?"
Oliver looked at his dad to see if he was joking. The smile on his father's face made its way onto Oliver's face.
"You know what, dad? Yeah, let's get some breakfast."
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Oliver watched his father blankly as he spoke on the work phone. He had been bombarded with calls all throughout their meal together but he insisted he turn them down. Even when they returned home, he spent his time talking to Oliver. Ed was being a normal father and Oliver was enjoying it. However, he was only delaying the inevitable and the next day he had to eventually start accepting the calls and get to work. Apparently CEO's couldn't just take 'three days off without warning'.
Oliver ate his breakfast while watching his father, unable to help. He had been suspended ever since he missed his disciplinary hearing in front of the board but according to his father he could get his job back if he stopped drinking.
They had walked past a bar on their way to the car the previous day. His father didn't even notice it but Oliver's throat suddenly felt dry as they passed the golden doors. He wanted to go in more than anything. But something in him forced him to keep walking. Maybe he was getting better.
He really wanted to get better. He wanted friends and respect and love. Oh, how he wanted love. His heart constantly ached from losing the man he loved. All he wanted to do was to see Charlie again and tell him how he felt. Tell him how much he loved him.
"So," His father started, sitting down beside him at the dining table. "I might have to go into the office later. Are you okay being along for an hour or two?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine."
"I'm sorry. I know I said I'd be here for you but they just need my signature on a few things."
"It's okay, dad. Honestly. I'll be fine."
Oliver smiled reassuringly and could see his father's tense shoulders relax and fall down.
"Your job is waiting for you, you know..." He said after a few moments of silence. "No one is going to replace you. So whenever you feel like you're ready to come back to work just let me know. No matter how long it takes."
"Thank you."
Ed stretched his arms in front of him to grab his laptop from the table and switched it on, the white Apple logo instantly illuminating.
"I know you said AA isn't going to work for you so I've been doing some research and I found this wellness retreat outside of town-"
"Wellness retreat? You mean rehab?"
Oliver rolled his eyes as his father became defensive.
"It's not rehab exactly. You get therapy, both one-on-one and in a group. There's-"
"That sounds like hell."
"I can go with you-"
"No. You have missed out on too much work because of me."
"Oliver, I've told you before, nothing matters to me more than you."
Oliver's eyes flickered to the laptop screen. It displayed the image of a large, modern building surrounded by a greenery. It looked too perfect.
"I know I'm not going to benefit from it," Oliver explained.
"How do you know that?"
"I just do..."
"One week."
"Huh?"
"Try it for one week. Please."
What was the worst that could happen if he tried it out for one week? Madeline Lockhart went to rehab and she certainly changed for the better after it.
"Okay. Fine. One week."
His father smiled just as his phone began to ring again. "Thank you," He said before excusing himself to take the call.
Oliver took a deep breath in as a headache began to squeeze his head like a tight band. He had been struggling with the symptoms of withdrawal. He hadn't told his father how he had thrown up most of their meals or how he he would get terrible cramps sometimes. It wasn't a surprise to him. What else could he expect after binge-drinking all those years? Maybe the wellness retreat would help with his detox.
Could he even be helped or was he just a lost cause?
No. The old Oliver would have wallowed in self-pity but the new one was intent on change. It was never too late. And someday, when he finally got better, he would reunite with his old friends, reunite with Charlie and finally be free from the shackles of his addictions. He would get his job back . He would apologise to Nora for hurting her in so many ways and maybe she would even forgive him. And if she didn't he would understand because he treated her terribly.
He was going to change. He was going to become a better man.
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There will be a bit of a time jump in the next chapter. Stay tuned!
Love,
-hexed