Seven Twenty-Eight

39 (Oliver).

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - June 8, 2018

"Are you nervous?" Mary asked quietly, leaning over to lay her head on Oliver's shoulder.

He smiled weakly, reaching over to clutch onto her hand. "No," He lied, tapping his foot on the ground nervously.

She smiled back at him, looking up at the home as they approached. "I, for one, am excited for you."

"For what?" Jackson asked, sitting up to stick his nose over Mary's head. He reached over the seats to grab onto an open bag of tortilla chips and crammed a couple into his mouth.

Mary lifted her chin to look at him, raising her eyebrows at him suspiciously.

"Oh," He said dryly, "Excited to see your girlfriend."

Oliver lifted his head to look at him as well, cringing at the salt flakes that fell into his lap. "Yes, I'm very excited to see her," He retorted, "You'd get the feeling if you let one stick around."

Jackson smirked in response, nodding his head, "You're right." He hesitated to sit back, glancing over at Mary and Sam nervously.

Sam nodded his head silently before looking away, gazing out the window peacefully.

Oliver nearly jumped out of his seat when the car stopped. He paced toward the house eagerly, leaving his friends straggling behind him. He came to a halt in the open doorway as he nearly ran into Charlie.

"Charlie!" He chirped.

Charlie nodded his head at him, "Oliver."

"Is Kara here already?" He asked excitedly, bouncing up on the balls of his feet.

Charlie smiled softly, respectfully stepping to the side. "Miss Valentine is upstairs, sir— In her room."

Oliver paused, taking a deep as he stared up at the stairs.

Mary nudged his back gently, causing him to look back at her. "You're nervous," She told him, pushing him forward.

He chuckled uncomfortably, turning completely to catch Jackson and Sam drawing closer as well. "She told you guys," He called out to them, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sam smiled weakly, nodding his head. "What'd you expect from her?"

"Hey!" Mary scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest in a pout.

He flashed a toothy grin at her, grabbing onto her face carefully to pull her closer. He kissed her forehead softly, lingering for a moment as the anxiety settled.

Jackson swallowed the lump in his throat, staring up at his best friend anxiously. He watched as Oliver turned back around, taking a deep breath before beginning his ascend up the stairs. He turned around to face Sam and Mary with sad eyes.

Mary's eyes widened, shaking her head and in a low tone said, "Jack, don't."

"What did you guys do?" He whispered, "Wh— I can't be here if this is going any way I think it might-"

"We don't know, Jack— We left it up to Jay," Sam retorted, wrapping his arm around Mary's waist protectively, "Let's go find out."

Oliver bounced around the corner ecstatically. He paused to take another deep breath, glancing over to take note of the clamoring of his friends on the stairs. He turned back to the door in front of him, leaning forward to grip onto the handle with clammy hands. He knocked once as he pushed the door open cautiously. "Kara?"

Had it not been for the frantic shuffling in the sheets, one could hear a pin drop— Silence overcame the entire estate for just a moment.

"Oh shit-"