Promises, Promises

ten. new comfort

      Oliver stared blankly ahead at the white wooden door. The sound of hushed sobs and sniffles echoed on the other side. It's been two and a half weeks. And still, Oliver heard her cries during the night.

He always wanted to reach out. But he never knew how.

Finally, with two strawberry ice cream bars in his hand, Oliver slowly turned the knob of Iris' room door and peeked inside. He glanced around his old bedroom and mentally restrained the old memories. He was focused on something a little more important at the moment. Oliver's eyes found Iris in the dark, huddled with her knees to her chest and her hands over her face.

Oliver carefully shut the door behind him and tiptoed over to her. "Psst!"

Iris jumped and looked over, her eyes widen at the sight of Oliver. She quickly turned away, rubbing at her tears and using her sleeve to rub at her nose. "Oliver? What are you doing here?" Her voice shook, making her clear her throat.

He held up the ice cream bars in front of her. "I thought you might need some company."

The corner of Iris' lips curled up into a small smile. "I appreciate it." She whispered, her voice still wavering.

Oliver handed her the ice cream as Iris scooted over and made room for him. He sat next to her, both their backs to the wall and their legs extended in front of them. They ate their own bars in a comfortable silence. Every so often Iris would sniffle, still trying to stop the feeling of her cries in the back of her throat.

They both finished, tossing their sticks and wrappers into her garbage pail. She seemed a lot calmer now, maybe a little more confused than anything.

Of course she'd be. Why would Oliver Sullivan make an effort to cheer her up?

"You tired?" Oliver spoke up.

She turned to him, "Mm..not yet. Are you?" Iris asked, though it was plain obvious.  Oliver's eyes were half-lidded, he was struggling to keep them open. Iris would notice him trying to hide his yawns. And yet..

He shook his head. "Here. Let me show you something. I used to go here to clear my thoughts." Oliver changed the subject with a small smile, standing from the bed.

Iris followed him up and over towards the window with a confused look. The window? What was special about the window?

It wasn't the window. At all.

Oliver slid open the window and began to pull himself onto the other side on the small ledge. Iris' eyes widened and whisper-shouted his name. He only met her eyes with a small grin, offering her his hand. She pursed her lips, looking from his hand to his eyes.

"It's safe. I promise."

She met his eyes once more. They showed the same genuineness of his smile. Finally she nodded and took his hand.

Oliver pulled Iris onto the ledge with him, slowly for her sake. "We can go up to the real top of the roof if you're comfortable with it." He added.

Iris nodded after a moment. If Oliver promised it was safe, it was safe.

Oliver smiled and pulled himself up further. After finding a sturdy position, he leaned over and took hold of one of Iris' hands to help pull herself up. When they were both sitting comfortably, Oliver smiled and jerked his head, telling her to look around.

She'd been stargazing before with Kayla, but that didn't mean it got less and less beautiful when she'd look up at the sky. It always offered her a sense of comfort. She'd find herself lost among the stars, leaving behind any worries in the back of her mind. And now that they were on the roof, the sky seemed much more in reach to do so.