Crazy about you - Lydia Martin

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Oliver could see in Lydia's expression that something was bothering her. It was obvious really, how her eyes darted back and forth between him and the paper on the table, how her glove-clad fingers tapped against her thigh, and how she gnawed at her bottom lip. She opened her mouth every now and then, as though she might say something, but closed it just as quickly with a sigh of defeat.

He wanted to ask her if everything was alright and he wanted to be there for her to offer his support and comfort if it wasn't. But he seemed unable to speak with her. He needed her to be the one to break the awkward silence that ensued. Oliver was sure everyone around them could feel the palpable tension just as well as he could.

Thankfully, Lydia managed to gather the confidence to speak just moments later. She offered him a smile that he could tell was forced as she folded her hands in her lap, seemingly forgetting about the chemistry assignment displayed on the table before them.

"Hey, uh, could I ask you something?"

Oliver grinned as he glanced at her, his eyebrows raised. "You kinda just did." he pointed out, chuckling when her cheeks tinged bright pink in embarrassment. "I'm just messing with you. 'Course you can ask me something."

His gaze returned to the assignment and he began writing down notes that he presumed to be right but Lydia would most likely change when he wasn't looking to not make him feel inadequate. 

Lydia sucked in a deep breath before speaking, getting right to the point before she was discouraged. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

The pen dropped from his hand and clattered to the desk as he slowly turned his head to peer at her. She seemed genuine in her question and the saddened look on her face was enough for him to know that the stares and laughs that seemed to follow her everywhere she went bothered her more than he'd originally assumed.

His jaw clenched and his fists balled into fists at his sides. How could people be so cruel? Oliver hated how the mere thought of anyone hurting her set a fire ablaze inside him. Claws propelled from his fingers, digging into the palms of his hands. The anger consumed him and he was afraid of how much power it had over him. It scared him to know how easy it was for him to lose control when she was involved.

Slowly the anger subdued and he could face her without the fear of showcasing what he was. The anxious expression on her face instantly made guilt surge through his veins. She must've assumed his silence to be a 'yes'.

"Lydia, you are not crazy." her eyes snapped to meet his, tears threatening to run down her cheeks at any moment. He wiped his hands against his jeans, ridding them of the blood he was sure his claws had caused before grabbing hers in his. The leather material of her gloves was smooth against his palms. "You are a girl who has gone through more than you deserve and it's not weird that it messed a little with your mind. But you are not crazy."

She pursed her lips, interlacing her fingers with his in an attempt to find comfort. "Do you really mean that?" she asked hesitantly, afraid that he was only messing with her once again. She couldn't handle him thinking she was crazy.

Oliver smiled softly as he rubbed calming circles on the back of her hands with his thumb. "Of course I do," he assured her before smirking scarcely. "But if it does turn out that you are slightly out of your mind, that really wouldn't be a problem for me. Normal is boring anyway."

The smirk on his face warranted a flustered reaction from Lydia who resisted the overwhelming urge to bury her face in the crock of his neck to escape the embarrassment she was currently feeling.

She didn't know how he could make her heart almost lurch out of her chest at merely a glance and she didn't know what had happened to the sweet boy she used to know. The Oliver who sat beside her right now with her hands still in his, laughing softly at her flushed cheeks, was nothing like the Oliver that had taken her to the formal. He was confident and bold.