A Room With A View

[Olivia Skye]

It was kind of depressing, how dark it was getting so soon now. It was only five minutes to eight, and the sky was blackening already. Winter was fast on its way.
And it was certainly cold enough for winter now. As Olivia landed from her flight gracefully, the balls of her feet absorbing the impact so that her heels weren’t ruined, she realised this – because, after all, using flight to get there faster was not the warmest of ideas.
However, it was the most practical, for many reasons. Walking down in these shoes was not a good idea, and getting some form of other transport would just have attracted attention. And besides, she had spent long enough panicking over what she was going to wear that evening that it meant that had she walked, she would have been late – and that was not a way to make a good impression.
Straightening up slightly from her landing, she touched her hair, the waves having been loosely pinned back to check that it hadn’t been ruined (it hadn’t, thank God), smoothed down her black belted coat, and started to amble down the side street to the fountain.
Jack was back – and that fact was making Olivia feel really guilty. She hadn’t told him, and she probably wouldn’t, no matter how much she told herself that there was nothing wrong with it. After all, he was thanking her for the day at the lamppost, that was it.
She couldn’t say that she wanted that to be it, though.
She was excited. Anxious excited, of course – her big panic was that… well… when she’d met Reuben, although he’d seemed lovely – he was concussed. Olivia had no idea what he was really like, where he came from, or if they shared any of the same interests. This ‘date’ could turn out to be hellishly awkward – and already, Olivia knew that she liked Reuben, and she wanted this to go well.
And she was nervous, too. What if the girl he had seen through the concussion-hazed eyes was completely different to who she actually was? Never before had she been nervous about living up to expectations, because with most guys, those.
But a few hours ago, she’d just started to panic about what to wear. And that panic had lasted for ages. It had started during Chemistry (sodium thiosulphate, the joys), and had gone on for a while, as she got ready, until she finally had to pick something. She’d ended up making up a new dress, simple, chiffon-y and black, with a neckline low enough to flatter, but not low enough to be slútty. It was nice. Elegant, and feminine.
And the little heels made her feel nice. Not exactly compatible with the cobblestones under her feet, as she was now realising, but sure. Still, they’d be okay. They wouldn’t break…
And now that the idea had been put into her head, she was now filled with an unholy terror that her heels would snap. Fantastic. One more thing to be nervous about.
So, her steps to the fountain were taken a little more carefully than usual as she entered the square.

[Olivia Skye]

The heels were withstanding the cobbles, thankfully. Not only would snapping a heel be embarrassing, the chances of her turning an ankle on these were probably quite high, and that would really, really not be a good thing.
But she made her way down the cobbled walk delicately, avoiding any misstep on the unkempt stones that could result in a turned ankle or broken heel, thinking that she probably should have landed in the square.
But she was glad that she hadn’t when she arrived at the mouth of the square, and saw Reuben waiting there by the fountain.
The smile was the same, even without the fog of concussion; eyes still as charming, and Olivia found herself instinctively smiling back over at Reuben as she approached him.
“Olivia,” he greeted her, with a careless smile.
Her breath caught in her throat and melted away at that, in a way that she really hadn’t expected it to. He looked… well, even better than she’d remembered him, though he still looked the same. Effortlessly good. His hair was slightly windswept, matched by a smart outfit – but with the shirt tails out and nothing buttoned, all merged together to create a picture of careless perfection.
Was it really any wonder her breath was gone?
She laughed lightly at him. “Right the first time – you’re doing very well at this.”

[Olivia Skye]

“Shall we?” Reuben held out his arm for her, still smiling that crooked grin.
Something about that gesture touched her. Had any boy ever offered her his arm? The answer would have to be a no. But it was so nice – old fashioned courtesy. Simple, but sweet. Olivia could tell already, from the immaculate manners, the ‘Miss Skye’s, and now this, that Reuben was looking like a perfect gentlemen; something she’d believed was just a myth these days. If more guys behaved like that…
She showed her appreciation of this with a pretty smile as she placed her hand on his arm, which was no warmer than the wind at that point. She'd been expecting it, though, so no tremble answered this time. "It is quite cold," she agreed. "The weather just seems to get worse at the minute."

[Olivia Skye]

“So I’ve heard,” she replied, with another smile. “Let’s hope so, anyway.”
It wasn’t just the weather that she’d heard people referring to with that saying. It was a favourite mantra of Nurse Gornray when it came to people with fevers, or influxes of illness. Madeleine had been known to use it whenever it came to particularly bad battles and training. Rufus at the SCR used it when he was talking about Cardsdale’s ruined streets and failing business.
And everyone used it every time this war was stepped up a notch.
Cardsdale really was becoming ruined, though. This, the square, seemed fine on the surface, but the cracks were showing through. The newsagent’s shop on the corner of the square had quietly closed down a few days ago, and now the bright window had been boarded up. It hadn’t been the first place to close – every time Olivia came down here, it looked more and more like a ghost town. People were going – some dying, and some just leaving, businesses were closing, and all of this was pulling the life out of the place. It was getting neglected, too – something shown by the litter lying around the back of the café, the dustbins empty. Any pride in the place that people may have had was now gone.
Because all it was now was basically a warzone – if a pretty, provincial one.
“So, have you destroyed any more lampposts since we met?” Olivia smiled, tilting her head towards him, knowing the light from the lamppost behind them could catch in her hair.

[Olivia Skye]

"There won't always be a beautiful girl to help me up again."
It was probably only a flippant comment, but still it made Olivia feel warm, and a slight pink tinge rise to her cheek. Of course - not to be boastful - Olivia wasn't unused to compliments; things were said, looks were given, smiles exchanged. She knew that she looked good, but that didn't mean that it wasn't nice to be complimented. Usually these were things that made her smile, but sometimes, a few of the compliments given should sometimes have been responded with a roll of the eyes, a frosty smile, or in the odd case - usually in a pub - a well-placed kick, not that she'd ever delivered one.
But being called 'beautiful'... Beautiful was something special, something that she'd never been called aloud before - or at least, not since she was eight years old, and that had come from Elizabeth. Guys very rarely called you beautiful - or at least, not unless it was creepy, or until they were at the Madeleine-and-Lee stage in a relationship. It was fair to say that none of her boyfriends had called her beautiful.
But honestly, if they had, Olivia wasn't sure if it would have had the same impact on her as that just did.
Instant attraction was what she had called it, when she had met him after his crash into the lamppost. But usually, when it was instant attraction, the compliments glanced off, and were quickly forgotten about - and they certainly didn't make her blush, even if this was only a gentle flush.
"Well, we couldn't have that," she smiled. "Though, I'm sure that if you were as concussed as you were, the waiting girls may have a better chance of seeming beautiful."
Reuben was leading her down a side street now, somewhere she didn't know, and she frowned slightly. As far as she knew, there was nowhere down here...

[Olivia Skye]

When her initial and sudden enchantment at his laugh disappeared, her thoughts about their location came back. She had thought that she knew Cardsdale quite well, but apparently not. Olivia had absolutely no idea where they were, or where they were going – something that she should have asked before, but…
Well, there wasn’t really a ‘but’, other than the fact that she hadn’t thought about it before then. When you were on the arm of a boy like Reuben Knight, you tended not to think about practical things like that – the practical side of your brain could be a little… hazy.
Still, it was now she was wondering about it. As far as she knew, there were only houses back here – and it was a bit, well, soon to be bringing her back to his house, really, especially seeing as Reuben’s flawless manners did not suggest that that could be on his mind quite this-
Oh.
A pale yellow radiance shone at the end of the street, which turned into a hundred points of candlelight flickering on the dark street, lining a set of steps up to one of the grand buildings of the street. Reuben led her to the glow, and as she turned to him with her smiling mouth open to ask a question, he unlocked the door, uncovering a spiral staircase lined with thousands more candles.
He stood aside, holding the door open for her, and Olivia stepped over the threshold, looking at all of the lights with a slightly disbelieving smile.
It was… it was really beautiful.
She turned to Reuben, still smiling quizzically. “Did… did you do all of this?”

[Olivia Skye]

Her cheeks coloured a little at that: she hadn’t expected that her emotions would be so easily readable tonight.
“There’s a better part?” she asked as she started the spiral ascent, smiling back at him, her tone going along playfully with his mysterious one.
Reuben’s smile seemed all the more lovely in the soft light as she looked at him, the glow illuminating his features – it had to be a crime for him to look that perfect. It was impossible for him to be living in somewhere like Cardsdale, with a smile as beautiful as that, and the general charisma. Film-makers and designers should have fallen headfirst for him. Or, with a charisma like that, he could be anywhere, doing anything. Reuben shouldn't be living in a place like this.
Still, she felt inexplicably glad that this hadn't happened, because she wouldn't be here, looking at him.
He wouldn't be smiling at her, because he'd have millions of fangirls that she'd have to contend with. The image made her smile just that little bit more.

[Olivia Skye]

“There is always a better part for someone like you, Olivia.”
Her smile slipped slightly at that – but not in a bad way, it was just… surprise. Something in her chest tightened at that, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the look he was giving her, maybe it was his tone. Maybe it was just the soft way he spoke her name, at the end.
But no one had even spoken like that to her before.
And when he opened the blood red door to the room… well, the word ‘breathless’ had never applied to her so much.
The room, painted cream and deep red, was lit up by more candles: long red ones set in wrought iron candelabras scattered about the room. All the little details had been looked after perfectly: the scarlet table cloth, the candles, the table in the centre of the room, but Olivia only just noticed these before her attention was captivated by the window before her
Spanning one length of the wall, it opened up a picture-perfect view of the night time Cardsdale. It was the kind of thing only ever seen in photographs. Lights speckled the darkness of the evening, pinpricks of luminous yellow and white sparkling across the sky, stretching out for what looked like miles…
Olivia had to remind herself to breathe as she tore her gaze away from the view and to the rest of the room. It was all… it was just so perfectly put together; the attention to detail was immaculate.
He’d done all of this for her?
She tilted her head towards him, a smile spreading slowly over her lips. “Well, it can’t get better than this.”

[Olivia Skye]

Olivia smiled, tilting her head and watching him pour the champagne quietly and expertly – a skill that she (nor anyone else that she knew, for that matter) had never been able to master.
It was a form of elegance, in the way he held the bottle. Even in just the way he stood. It was understated, but it was still there, and it made a distinction between Reuben and the other boys that she knew. The elegance, and the manners. Oh, and the thoughtfulness. Olivia had thought that boys who arranged rooms like this for a date only existed in fairytales – especially ones that looked like this – and even now, it was almost too good to be true. But, she couldn’t help but believe that Reuben was genuine. He had still behaved like the gentleman that was only in stories, then. He had to be genuine.
“Thank you,” she responded, with a smile, accepting the glass of clear, sparkling liquid that he offered her.

[Olivia Skye]

“It’s a very special thank you – which I’m not entirely sure that I deserve. How could I not have stopped?” she smiled, as she sipped the champagne.
When he put it like that, it made her sound like… like some sort of Good Samaritan. But Olivia honestly didn’t know anyone that would have just walked past if they saw an unconscious boy lying on the street.
Though, that was maybe because she was a Carer – a natural instinct to fix and care for people. Or something. Will would probably spout something like that out, but Olivia felt that it was probably just human instinct to try and help people who were hurt.
Or, at least, it should be. The Good Samaritan story seemed to tell her that her views were – as always – too idealistic.
“And stopping proved to be worth it, when you regained consciousness,” she added, grinning, a mischievous spark in her eyes. “Do you remember any of what you said?”

[Olivia Skye]

Delighted by the arch of his eyebrow, she tilted her head and smiled sweetly, biting her lip in an imitation of deliberation.
“You won’t become awkward if I tell you, will you?” she asked, wondering if he would be embarrassed or not. It was something she’d wondered about earlier; how he would react. Well – it looked like she’d find out now.
But what if he went awkward? If he was in any way like Jack, he’d freeze up if he was told that he’d unwittingly used corny chat up lines.
Hopefully, that wouldn’t happen - she really was enjoying the little confident quirk of his eyebrows.

[Olivia Skye]

Olivia smiled. “Well, it’s not all that bad,” she said, in a confidential tone, leaning towards him slightly and subconsciously. “You just don’t seem like the kind of guy that resorts to lines like this - you can run away with girls’ breath perfectly well without them.”
Oh, God, had she really just said that? Her cheeks coloured slightly again at that, and it was one of those rare times when Olivia really, really, really hated her redhaired gene. Usually those times only came about when she couldn’t wear a certain shade of lipstick, or like now, when she blushed.
She just prayed he wouldn’t notice.
“But well, the line “did it hurt when you fell from heaven” was employed at first,” she finished, with another smile. “Along with something about you being just too cool for your own good…”

[Olivia Skye]

He had mirrored her change in position, so that they were standing closer together, sending a slight thrill through her.
“I’m sorry, but, what?”
Olivia laughed gently at that, knowing that she shouldn’t. Especially if he did turn out to feel awkward because of this. “Oh, don’t worry, that’s about the worst of it. You did introduce yourself as “Knight, Reuben Knight”, and mentioned something about running away with me sometime, though…”
Reuben’s thoughts weren’t easy to read in his face or voice, but there was a mild form of something like panic at the back of his charming brown eyes, which Olivia found a lot more appealing than she probably should.
“It’s okay, though,” she smiled, still mischievously. “You were concussed, so I feel you can be forgiven for that. And, I have to say, it was a nicer kind of concussion than what I usually see.”

[Olivia Skye]

He edged a chair out for her, and once again, Olivia was surprised by his manners – though, really, from Reuben, she shouldn’t expect anything less.
“Thank you,” she smiled, sitting down and smoothing the skirt of her dress. “I volunteer in a hospital ward, so a lot of the people who come in concussed are not nearly so nice. Sometimes they can be quite abusive.”
It was a practiced half-truth, one that Olivia could deliver with fluency by now. When she had received her acceptance letter from the school, one of the points made was that she should be careful as to who knew that she was a member of the school – for reasons that didn’t need to be written down. It also didn’t need to be written down that you most definitely should not tell the handsome boy that you had only met three weeks ago that you were an active participant in a war like this one.
The abusive part of the sentence wasn’t a half truth, though.
“I’m hoping to go into a nursing college next year, you see,” she added as clarification.

[Olivia Skye]

Olivia smiled, her eyelashes falling over her eyes to cover the gleam of pleasure at the praise, before opening again to meet his looking into hers.
It was ridiculous that a look like that should have the effect it did. It was like… it was like melting, for barely any reason at all.
Except… well, it was a reason. He was attractive, and charming, and he had done all this for her… and he was looking into her eyes. She barely knew him – so, it was ridiculous to melt.
But it didn’t stop the fact that she was.
She laughed softly, to cover up the effect. “Thank you - but I wouldn’t say that I showed any particular skill there; you were able to heal yourself with out any help from me at all. That’s more of a reflection on your skills, isn’t it?”