(𝐀 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑)

The last few days have been nothing but studying and exams, I hardly had any time to do anything fun and my birthday was tomorrow.

Thankfully, today I'm getting to spend my night with Tristan since it's what he planned.

"Hey," he says before planting a quick kiss on my lips.

"Hey," I smile.

He places his hand in mine then his brows furrow a bit before he raises my hand to look at the bracelet.

"It's an early birthday gift from my dad," I say.

"And here I thought I was the only one giving you an early gift," he says and I chuckle.

"It's a tradition between my dad and me," I say and he nods.

"It's cute," he says with a soft smile.

"How are your mock exams?" He asks as we walk to my class.

"Stressful, I can't wait for tonight, a night with no books,"

"I think you'll like it, and you'll be stress-free don't worry," he says.

He comes to a halt outside my class and kisses my brow. "See you at lunch," he mutters, and I nod.

He lets my hand go and walks to his class after he 

I take a seat  and soon enough Joshua sits next to me, "Brunette,"

I look at him with furrowed brows, "Josh,"

"Come on, Tristan's gonna end up breaking your heart soon enough," he says.

"Tristan's your best friend, and you sure as hell spend more time talking about him than to him,"

"That's because he's just not the one!" he exclaims slightly.

A few students look around the room and lock their eyes onto us causing him to lower his voice. "I'm telling you, he's not for you," he mutters.

"Yet when I was with Chase, you never thought to tell me that, you never dared to utter anything negative about him," I pause. "And Tristan, who has always looked out for you, continues to get bashed; I can't stand hearing you talk about him like this, so if you want to salvage what little friendship we have left,"

"Get straight with Tristan," I tell him.

He sits there in silence for a few minutes before grabbing his stuff and moving to another seat.

── ·✩· ──

I had no idea what to wear because he had never informed me where we were going, the surroundings, the dress code, or anything else.

I was a little worried since he said he'd be there in twenty minutes and that was fifteen minutes ago.

I didn't want to overdress, but I also didn't want to be underdressed.

When I hear a car come into the driveway, I look out the window to see Tristan's jeep.

Shit.

I go into my closet and shuffle through my dresses again but I can't find anything; perhaps I should just wait for him to come up and see what he's wearing.

Just as I thought he knocks on the door and opens it after I say it's open. "You're not ready are you?" He chuckles.

After a brief silence, I utter a quick, "No,"

I pull out a dress and place it in front of me before heading out of the closet to show him, "I don't know what to wear," I tell him.

"Because you gave me no details and now I'm here panicking because I don't want to underdress or overdress" I rant. "And you're not even listening," I say as I drop the dress onto the bed and cross my arms.

Soon I remember I'm only wearing my bra and underwear, indicating why he's so quiet.

"I'm listening," he says, as his eyes roam my entire body, slowly undressing me further than I probably already am.

"Really?" I ask.

"Mhm," he murmurs.

I walk back into the closet with a groan and he chuckles, "You look beautiful in everything," he says.

"Even nothing," he mutters under his breath.

"I heard that,"

He wore a long-sleeved blue shirt with black dress trousers and was dressed formally. He was wearing a simple necklace and the four rings he typically wore.

I decided to wear a silk white dress and pair it with some earrings, and my dad's bracelet.

Although tonight was supposed to be stress-free I decided to wear some silver heels.

While giving myself one last look in the mirror, I watch as Tristan walks in with a smile before stopping behind me. 

He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me on the shoulder when he whispers, "You look gorgeous,"

"Thank you," I say before turning my head to face him.

He plants a kiss on my lips, "Ready?" He asks and I nod in response.

On the drive there, I completely irritate Tristan by taking over the aux and playing a variety of music that he had no idea about while I sang along.

Despite this, He didn't complain, he just glanced at me and laughed softly every now and then.

After enduring my dreadful performance, he parks the car, and when we get out, I notice we're near a beach. There is soft music playing from afar but there aren't many people or conversations That can be heard.

We walk down a little walkway that is mostly concrete, but Tristan lifts me up before my heels can touch the sand. Complete. Bridal. Carry.

"Stress-free night, remember," he mutters.

He leads us to a nearly deserted outdoor restaurant. The tables and chairs are still there, but no one other than the staff is present.

Throughout the restaurant, fairy lights are hanging, and practically everything is made of wood. The air is salty but not overpowering; it's invigorating, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I can breathe freely.

He places me precisely next to a chair and pulls it from beneath the table, allowing me to sit. He then takes a seat directly across from me.

"How is it so empty?" I ask.

"It's after hours, my mom's friend owns the place so I made a few calls,"

A server approaches us and pours two glasses of water before showing us the menus,  which Tristan thanks him for.

I take a look and realise it's all of my favourite meals, "You gave me a tough decision," I tell him.

"I may have changed up the menu,"

I finally make a choice and soon after we order our food.

"Ready for your gift?" He asks, I nod anxiously.

I'm not sure why my hands become cold; I adore gifts and I love to give them, but I despise the uneasiness that sits in the pit of my stomach whenever I have to accept one.

He gets up from his seat and sits next to me. He then takes a small black velvet box from his pocket.

He places it in my hand, "Happy birthday," he mutters.

I open the box slowly and I see a gold necklace with a butterfly made out of small diamonds.

"In the process of overcoming your fears, you have become someone so brave and self-assured. It's like watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon, with newfound confidence and a sense of purpose. And you've become someone truly beautiful and special."

"Much like a butterfly who has conquered challenges and evolved over time into something beautiful and vibrant, so too, have you matured and found self-love. Like a butterfly"

"You've brought a welcome dose of colour and joy into my life and I thank you for that, Olivia,"

"Tristan," I whisper as I look up at him.

"Hey," he mutters, his voice low and comforting as he reaches to place his hand on my cheek to wipe away a tear that had rolled down my cheek without my knowledge.

"Is it that bad?" he jokes causing me to laugh.

"No, I just—I didn't expect that," I mutter.

"Thank you," I say before placing my lips on his.

I take the necklace out of the package and place it in his hand before turning my back to him. I move my hair to the side and he sets the necklace around my neck.

I run my fingertips over it and he places a kiss on my neck, "I hope you like it," he whispers.

"I love it,"

── ·✩· ──

The restaurant was ready to close after dinner, but they relocated us to an area closer to the coast. They stated the lights would be turned on and it would be more comfortable.

They weren't wrong, it was more of a big round couch;  wooden pillars held up a round ceiling, and the pillars allowed for the air to flow freely through the area, hitting both of us with a pleasantly cold wind.

Tristan's arm encloses my waist as he sits beside me, my head rests peacefully on his chest, "Tristan," I mutter.

"Hmm,"

"Why'd we become close?" I ask.

He takes a deep breath before he looks at me, "You want to have this conversation now?" He asks and I nod. I wasn't sure if now was the right time to ask this but I've always wondered why he'd ruin his friendships for me.

"At first I thought it was because I felt guilty, I turned your life upside down and I wanted you to have some stability back," he pauses before taking a deep breath.

"Now I know it definitely wasn't just that, I'd thought about you for a long time and after those drugs kicked off I thought about you a lot more every day for those two weeks you didn't come to school,"

"I didn't tell anyone I mean, you were Chase's girlfriend. I shouldn't have even thought about you in the way I did," He states.

"You're saying you had feelings for me behind those blank expressions and snarly comments," I chuckle.

He nods, "I guess I was also upset you couldn't see for yourself what mess you were putting yourself through,"

"But what about Chase?" I ask.

"What about him?"

"Didn't you feel guilty—about spilling his lies?" I hesitate to ask.

"I didn't, but when I got close to you he did ask me to help him get you back," he admits, "But you can see how that worked out," 

I raise my head from his chest and look at him with furrowed brows.

"I immediately told him I couldn't, I mean just after a few days I was already allowing feelings to build up and I tried to push you away, I really did. I didn't think I could give you any better," 

"I would've never gone this far with you if I was helping Chase, believe me,"

"I do," I say, placing a kiss on his cheek.

He smiles a bit as he glances down at me, his gaze is fixed on mine and I can't stop myself from thinking how his blue eyes are so beautiful, though they're dark and possibly grey instead, they're unique and I could stare at them for hours.

"Olivia," he mutters.

"Yes?"

"I love you,"

You what?

I fall quiet. I've always thought about this exact moment, I didn't expect it to be this perfect, and I'd always imagine I'd say it but he said it first.

"You don't have to sa–"

"I love you too, Tristan," I say, interrupting him.

A sparkling smile tugs at his lips, and for the first time, his eyes light up, his face flushes slightly, and his dimples appear. Those deep and beautiful dimples.

"Can you say that again?" He mutters.

"I love you, Tristan,"

"You love me?" He asks.

"Yes Tristan, I love you," I repeat.

It felt great to tell him that, seeing the unbreakable smile on his face every time. I wished the smile would never fade. Just as a thought enters my mind, another takes over, prompting me to smile even more.

"What?"

"Come with me,"  I tell him. As I get up from the couch, I take the heels off and drop them.

His brows furrow, "Where?"

I take a step onto the sand and turn around to face him as I drop my dress.

He gives a little smile before standing up and unbuttoning his shirt. I was already in the water by the time he finished undressing. The water was freezing and the wind didn't make it any better but after a while it became tolerable.

Soon enough, Tristan joins me and sweeps me up into his arms, and, unlike the previous time he saved me from dying, kissing him didn't seem like a mistake.

"This wasn't a part of my plan," he says.

"That'd be such a missed opportunity, clearly, Tristan isn't thinking like Tristan," I tell him with a small smile.

He places his lips on mine and I immediately kiss him back. His soft lips synced perfectly with mine as his fingertips softly grazed my side.

His damp lips soak mine with a salty savour and his hand squeezes beneath my thigh.

My limps feel numb and I completely allow myself to melt in his arms and in his lips. I run my hand through his damp hair and pull him closer to me.

He groans against my lips and I run my fingers through his wet strands. He parts our lips and immediately places his lips on my neck.

I take a few moments to regulate my breaths before I become a moaning mess. Outside was empty, I didn't care how loud I was and I'm positive he didn't either.

The night felt special with the light from the moon and the stars in the sky standing right above us. I'm gonna remember the feeling of his lips on my skin on this night for a long time.

── ·✩· ──

𝗼𝗼. ⁞ 𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒!

Hey guys, that concludes chapter sixty-six, now I know this chapter should've gone on longer ifykyk, but I physically couldn't figure it out, just wait for the next chapter, but I am obsessed with this chapter so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, leave your feedback in the comments. Chapter sixty-seven is coming soon.

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