Wine & Whipped Cream (Jollie)

[Jade Parrish]

Jade knew that she had to talk to Oliver. She'd known this for the past three weeks. She wasn't the type to usually avoid confronting someone about something. In general, she wasn't the type to avoid anything. She faced things head on. And that's exactly what she was going to do today.

The second she got off of work, she tossed off her apron and was out the door, but not without a latte in hand with an extra shot of espresso. There was no time to go home and change or shower. Besides, she was never one to really care what she looked like. She was in skinny jeans and a purple top and her hair was wildly tied to the side in a messy ponytail that had only gotten worse after a long day working as a barista, but she didn't care. Oliver knew that about her, that she just didn't care. And he seemed to like it. Yeah, she liked to look good but what she thought looked good differed from mostly everyone else, so she was fine with heading over to Hammel like this. It was still cold enough outside to keep the bottle of wine she had in her car cold enough. She'd paid one of her coworkers to pick it up for her on their break.

It wasn't long before she was walking into the doors of Hammel, bottle of wine stuffed into her purse and a sense of nostalgia overwhelming her as she walked down the halls, towards the dormitories to find Oliver's apartment. She stopped in front of his door and knocked a few times. It was just after seven p.m. and she knew he wasn't expecting her. That was probably the best part. So there she was, standing there and waiting with a bottle of wine in her possession at a high school and whipped cream in her hair. And she didn't care.

[Oliver Seabrooke]

Oliver had absolutely nothing interesting planned for the evening. Working as a dorm monitor, his job was never really done, considering he lived where he worked and there was always something to get after the twerps about. However, for the moment the Brit had locked himself in his room, determined to have at least a little bit of time to himself. So for now, he had his headphones stuffed over his ears, trying to block out sounds of kids stomping around upstairs while he surfed around for some new music or maybe a new book to read.

He thought of Jade; he wondered what she was doing. Maybe working, or doing something for the school newspaper, maybe even with Zach. It had taken a little bit for Ollie to get used to his best friend and.... Girl of interest knowing each other, but he sort of liked it now; it was easy to communicate between them both. Or... Well, it would be, but Zach had seemed to be sort of distant lately, and Oliver was starting to wonder if it had something to do with that... Tall Asian guy that Jade had seemed to think was going to be a problem. Oliver didn't want to think about it, so he just scowled into his searching.

A knock came at the door, and Oliver jumped a little, then let out a heavy sigh, scowl deepening. Well, the quiet had been nice while it lasted. He stood up and went to open the door, expecting to see some needy teenager - but was met with an unexpected (but very much more welcome) face. "Jade?" he said, all irritation melting away. "Hey.... I didn't know you were coming over. Come in." A rare pleasant smile touched his face as he stepped to the side to allow the girl inside. "Is that.... Whipped cream in your hair?" he asked with a chuckle, reaching up to wipe at the stuff. Of course he liked Jade's 'idgaf' personality - it was one of the reasons why she was so different, and Ollie enjoyed different.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade heard footsteps coming to the door and thought about trying to impersonate a whiny high schooler who had a problem, but she was just way too happy to see him. When the door opened, she grinned at him. "I didn't know I was coming over either, until halfway through my shift when I decided that hey, it's been while since we banged and..." she trailed off, letting out a slight laugh in the breath she took. She walked past him and into the room, purposefully as always.

When he mentioned the whipped cream, she nodded. "Probably. Being a barista is dangerous, you know. Whipped cream flying everywhere and all. I could have rushed home to take a shower, but you know, I think this look works for me." She smirked, reaching out to curl her fingers around his belt loops and pull him close before kissing him. "I think we have something to talk about. But I wanted to do that first and maybe have some wine. I'm guessing you don't have wine glasses in here?"

[Oliver Seabrooke]

I decided that hey, it’s been a while since we banged and…

Oliver blushed at this, wondering what the meaning behind it was. Did she mean… Did Jade mean she wanted to hook up again? Because… This was not the best place to do it. Whatever the case, he smiled and closed the door behind her as she came inside, locking it behind him so no ‘whiny’ teenagers could interrupt them unannounced. “I’m glad you came over,” he told her, genuinely meaning it. “I was just enjoying the break from monitoring the halls, but it can be pretty boring here by myself.” He could bother Zeb or Ella, or even the new dorm monitor, he supposed, but… He couldn’t be bothered.

He chuckled as she spoke, going to sit on the edge of his bed without trouble. He was finally getting used to dealing with just half of his vision; it wasn’t easy, but he was adjusting. “Jade, you look fit no matter what state you’re in,” Ollie told her with a grin. “Although if you do feel the need to take a shower, I do have my own,” he added as an afterthought, nodding towards the small bathroom on the opposite wall. He didn’t mean it to sound suggestive, but…. Well. His brows rose as her fingers grasped onto his beltloops, and he gave a content hum at the kiss, letting his palm smooth over Jade’s hip as he pulled away. “Always so direct,” he told her affectionately with a smile. “I still think that’s hot.” He wasn’t sure what it was that she wanted to talk about, but he was all ears. “Ah… No, I don’t,” Oliver admitted with a laugh. “I have… Some coffee mugs?” He didn’t like using plastic cups, so he didn’t even have any red solos or anything. He pulled out two of the ceramic glasses and set them on his bedside table, hoping he wouldn’t be needed for the rest of the evening. “Want to ‘talk’ while we drink?” he asked.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade should have realized what her statement could have implied, and well, it implied just that. Sure she wanted that again with Oliver, it was a no-brainer. It would only get better as time went on, she was sure. "I see that," she told him. "Glad you're taking a break. Wouldn't want to catch you being all strict with the students," she said with a wink, knowing that wasn't at all him.

"You don't need to tell me that, I know," she told him, a smirk playing about her lips. What she said next, made her put a hand over her mouth melodramatically. "Oliver Seabrooke, are you hitting on me?" She said it like it was a headline of a newspaper article. "And I don't need to take a shower, but that's a very tempting offer." And actually what she should be talking to him about. "Direct, that's me." She let out a content sigh. "I see you're catching on," she added, in response to his comment. "You're becoming awfully direct yourself."

"Coffee mugs will work just fine. I love the contradiction of drinking wine out of coffee mugs," she said before pulling the bottle out of her purse. "Sounds good to me, I might need a drink to talk about this." She laughed slightly. Of course they still had to get the bottle open.

[Oliver Seabrooke]

"What, me? Strict with those little buggers? Nah, never," Oliver chuckled, passing a hand through his hair. Yeah... He could be kinda stern with the more troublesome ones sometimes. Okay, a lot stern. How else was he supposed to get them to actually listen? Zeb and Ella were fortunate he was more sturdy with his orders than they were, otherwise nothing would get done.

Ollie grinned at her confidence. It was sexy, unlike those meek, needy girls that whimpered and complained about how they didn't look good to fish for compliments and blah blah... "What if I am?" he asked coyly, smirking. "Are you going to tell on me?" He chuckled. "Alright, it's there if you need it. And... Well, I guess I'm learning from you." His own confidence had definitely gotten stronger since they'd hooked up; Oliver felt like he had a purpose again. It was great, and he appreciated Jade for it.

"Good, because I'm afraid I'm in need of some fine wine glasses," he replied, fumbling around until he found something to open the bottle with. He popped the cork out and poured them each a drink. "I don't let myself drink on the job very much," he added,"And, well, I'm pretty much always working." Oliver gave a dry laugh; it paid well, but he did wish he could get away more often. "Ooh, well then, let's drink," he determined, clinking his mug against Jade's before taking a sip. It was good. "Should I be... Nervous?"

[Jade Parrish]

"Something tells me if I was a student here, I'd be in big trouble," Jade told him with a smirk. She hadn't exactly been complient to all of the rules, yet she wasn't a trouble maker and had a reason for everything she did or didn't do.

"If you are, then bravo. I've been waiting for you to hit on me like that for a while." She grinned at his newly found confidence. "And it's good that you don't drink on the job a lot. Nobody wants a drunk dorm monitor...except for maybe me." She joined him in clinking their glasses together before taking a long, lingering sip of her wine. "No," she said, waving it off as she looked up from her mug. "It's just something I normally don't have to talk about. That's all."

[Oliver Seabrooke]

"Yeah.... I'm pretty sure I'd have to get after you all the time if you were a student," Oliver teased, a smirk playing about his lips. "Although... I could still get you in trouble if I wanted. Did you check in before you came to the dorms, or do I need to kick you out for trespassing without permission?" He chuckled and leaned in to give Jade a kiss on the cheek. Of course he was just kidding, there was no reason he would actually do that, but it was fun to tease.

He did feel a light blush touch his cheeks as she grinned at him, though, and it was far too soon for it to be from the alcohol. "What? I haven't hit on you hard enough? Even when we...?" He let the question trail off, his gaze slipping to the side along with it. "Heh... I think that was the last time I got drunk, actually." And look where that had led. Oliver couldn't help it, he had to wonder if they could be quiet enough if... It happened again... The students did it, didn't they? The Brit got enough complaints about noises in the night, at least. He took another drink, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Well... I guess it's best to just... Spill whatever it is?" he replied, not one for beating around the bush. Oliver scooted a little closer to Jade, letting his free arm slip around her back.

[Jade Parrish]

"Check in? No, not with a bottle of wine in my purse," Jade shot back. "And you and I both know that you won't kick me out." She smirked back at him as he planted a kiss on her cheek. Oliver was teasing her. Had she made him comfortable eough to act like this?

"That's different," she pointed out. "You were under the influence of alcohol. It was easier to hit on me. You just hit on me without the crutch of alcohol. That's progress." She grinned at him as he averted his gaze. "Even when we banged?" She finished for him. "Had sex?" She could keep going.

As his arm slipped around her back, she relaxed, turning her head to look at him. "Did I ever mention my strict 'No Dating Policy' to you?" she asked him. "Because...I don't date. I mean, I didn't. Nobody could handle me and I didn't want to waste my time, but...I think we should talk about what this is."

[Oliver Seabrooke]

"Ah.... That makes sense," Oliver chuckled, taking another sip of said wine. "I should keep the kids away from you, you know. Bad influence and everything." Because none of them drank underage... Yeah right. He was surprised with how much easier it was getting to be to talk to Jade; he'd gone from feeling completely out of his league to... Not so much since they... Did that thing.

".... I guess you're right," he admitted with an embarrassed laugh and a blush. "I guess... I guess it was just that initial jump that I needed to take, or something." Because since that night, it felt like things had changed, for the better. "Yeah... That," he said weakly, blush deepening as Jade so bluntly spoke about their experience together. "I... Really had a lot of fun that night, you know..."

Oliver's gaze lifted as she spoke again, and he wracked his memory, trying to recall. "I... I don't know. I don't remember if you did." He drank another more nervous sip as she continued, wondering where this was going. "Oh..." he said quietly. "Well, I guess... I mean, do you... Want to date....?" he mumbled, tapping a finger uncertainly against his mug. "Because... You know, I really like you, quite a lot, and... I mean, if you do..." So much for being smooth with his words.

[Jade Parrish]

"That's me. Bad influence," Jade joked, although she knew there were worse influences than her and she was sure a lot of them roamed the halls of Hammel. "I don't know how you do this job, putting up with people like me. I'd drink a bottle of wine every night."

He still wasn't saying what it was that they'd done, at least not explicitely and it made her laugh and smile at him. That was Oliver and for some reason, she found it endearing. Usually it would annoy her. There was no shame in doing it. "Ah, come on, Oliver. If you can have sex, you can talk about it," she teased lightly, but it was a truthful statement.

He seemed nervous and that's not what Jade meant to do. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you all nervous. I really like you too." That she did. "And I do want to date you. It's not that I don't want to. I think the fact that I want to is what's bothering me...I'm not used to wanting to date people. But I really want to date you. It's just breaking my own personal rule, that's all. But I think I'm willing to."

[Oliver Seabrooke]

Oliver smirked into his cup and shook his head. "Trust me, if I could get away with drinking every night, I would," he told her with a sigh. "I've... Actually been thinking about maybe applying for another job here. If... There's anything else I would be able to do." He'd finally gotten more used to his limited vision, so he felt like he could do more than he could have a few months after the accident.

He blushed more and smiled wider as she continued to tease him. "Oh, alright... Sex," he finally mumbled into his cup. "I guess... I guess Zach and I are alike in that way. We're both just... Complete idiots when it comes to intimacy." Which was why they had decided to try it together in the first place. And boy, had that been awkward, but he wouldn't change it for anything.

"Oh, no, it's uh, it's okay, I just..." Oliver looked down into his mug again. "I've never really had a conversation like this with anyone, and... Well, we've already established that I'm pretty awkward to begin with," he chuckled. "But... But I'm really glad... You feel that way..." He could feel a stupid grin pulling at his lips, and finally set his mug aside, leaning in to kiss Jade on the cheek. "Because I think you're beautiful, and smart, and funny, and I lo- really like your spunk..." God, when had he gotten so cheesy?

[Jade Parrish]

"You should!" Jade encouraged him. Really, what could it hurt? She was sure Oliver could do lots of things, and being a dorm monitor didn't seem very thrilling and actually kind of annoying. "Don't limit yourself, and I'm sure you could get away with keeping a bottle of wine in here. I didn't know that was a rule."

"You said it! Aha!" She poked him lightly in the chest. "You're not an idiot," she corrected him. "You're just shy about it." Nothing to be ashamed of.

"I understand." She never moved her eyes off of him as he looked down into his mug. "I don't expect you to have had this conversation with anybody before. This is kind of exclusive to me. I didn't want to get involved with someone who couldn't handle my deterimination or my..." She struggled to think of the word for it. And then he gave it to her in the next thing he said. "I'm spunky, huh?" She guessed that was quite fitting.

[Oliver Seabrooke]

"You think so?" Oliver replied, smiling a little. It was... Encouraging to hear someone think he could do something. He so often had to be around people (kids) that didn't like him, it was a relief to hear praise. "I... I was actually thinking about becoming a recruiter," he admitted. "I don't know how easy it would be to get the job, but..." But he'd been thinking about it, and Jade seemed willing to listen, so he said it.

His crooked smile widened as Jade poked him, and he laughed again, taking another sip of wine. "I still think it's funny that you work with him," he chuckled. "Talk about coincidence." No matter what she said, Oliver still thought they were idiots. "I wonder how his, uh, love life is doing these days..." Oliver frowned then. He didn't see Zach nearly as often as he used to, or would like.

He had to wonder if Jade really knew what she was talking about. He... Well, they'd confirmed that he wasn't all that bold in the bedroom department, but he... Oliver did feel like he understood her, and could definitely put up with, no, enjoy her 'spunk'. He had so far, hadn't he? "I... I'm sure I can handle you just fine." On a sudden whim, Oliver gently took the mug from Jade's hand, and sat it beside his on the bedside table. Before he could tell himself not to, Oliver leaned in for a proper kiss, gently pushing Jade backwards onto the bed until he was above her. After a few moments, he pulled away and gave an embarrassed smile. "I can be spunky too."