Page 25 of Ravenous

OLLIE

Astheweekswentby, Ollie’s mood grew more and more sour. It had started with losing Finn - although he’d never really had Finn to begin with, but the collateral damage was there - and then continued with the low-grade headache he always seemed to have. As Christmas approached he added being cold all the time to that list as well. It made sense; winter had arrived yet Ollie was still shivering even with multiple layers and a space heater in his room.

But what really chapped his hide was that when he woke up on December twenty-fourth, his social media had taken a hit.

He knew something was wrong the minute he checked his phone; his usual heap of notifications was frighteningly sparse and he immediately sat up in bed, pushing aside his regular morning dizziness to open the app.Your Account Is Currently Suspendedsat in a box across the screen. A few taps later he found that he’d been reported for promoting a poor body image and huffed a hard breath through his nose as anger frothed inside of him. That didn’t make sense. He never talked about his diet, just his hair, makeup, and fashion, and there had always been complaints about his weight no matter what size he was; however, over the last few months, the comments had been trending toward disgust and concern, only increasing with each livestream and becoming impossible to ignore.

His followers were as bad as his family. Thankfully, Ollie could appeal and quickly filled out the form. His phone rang a split second after he finished and when Biz’s name popped up on the screen, he let out a sigh. He loved his sister but she’d been nagging him about anything and everything lately so, in return, he’d been ignoring her texts. But he did have to answer this actual voice call because it was most likely the last step before she showed up at the house in Angry Big Sister mode.

Pressing accept, he faked a smile, hoping that it caused him to sound more chipper than he was. “Hey, Biz.”

“Don’theyme, dipshit. Answer your texts.” Her growly tone was all annoyance.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ve been busy. One of my accounts got suspended.”

“Which one?”

“Not Insta, otherwise I’d be crying into the phone right now.” But anxiety reared its head, whispering that if one of his accounts had gotten dinged, the others could fall like dominoes.

“What else has been keeping you so busy? You don’t still have the flu, do you?” Some of the annoyance left her tone, replaced by concern.

“No, I don’t. Not anymore. I’m sorry I missed Thanksgiving.” At the time, Ollie was still mourning what he could have had with Finn while simultaneously cursing himself for trying to be with someone. And all those feelings, along with the food-oriented focus of Thanksgiving, had been too much for Ollie to deal with so he’d faked an illness, going out for a long run instead of eating turkey under the watchful eye of his family. Even though he knew that he’d made the right choice he still felt guilty about it.

“By the way, I haven’t forgiven you. Mom and Dad were pretty bummed since Sophie wasn’t there either. She had to work.”

“But she hasn’t shown up for years, that’s nothing new. Everyone knows she’s a workaholic.” Ollie looked down at his pink pajama pants, which were dotted with peacocks in various poses. Absently, he traced one of their beaks.

“Part of being a nurse is holiday shifts. What, is she supposed to get fired?”

“I guess not.” Ollie turned his attention to the ceiling, flopping back in bed and pulling the covers over him. The room was far too chilly. “So, is there a point to this call or-”

“You’re such a rude jerk, I swear to god,” Biz huffed. “I’m just making sure that you’re showing up for Christmas and that you haven’t abandoned us since you’re soooo far away now.”

“Stop it.” Ollie tried not to be too cranky with his sister but he was worried. He’d moved out to avoid scrutiny and its partner, commentary, and he was sure that Christmas Day would be littered with comments on his appearance and food choices. The sad truth was that he’d need to hide his recent progress by layering up and contouring his face so he looked fuller; plus, he’d need to eat more than empty salads, fruit, low-calorie soups, and celery. He’d already felt gross and bloated imagining it, and his dread latched onto that like barnacles on a ship. “Of course, I’m going to be there. What would I do with all the gifts I bought?” Between holiday presents and losing his account, money was going to be a little slim by the end of the month. He wished he had a friend like Finn’s who could offer him some work.

“Are you showing up tonight or tomorrow?” Biz was moving around and Ollie could hear the slide of hangers as she searched through her closet.

“Tomorrow. Liam and Owen are having a party tonight and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Can I come?” Biz laughed. “Naw, I’m kidding. I’m going to The Gothmare Before Christmas bash downtown. I’m sure I’ll be hungover tomorrow.”

“Send me pics of your outfit.” Ollie curled under the blanket, enjoying the warm nest he’d created.

“Sure. And stop ignoring my texts, okay?” There was a warning in her words. “Send me a picture of your outfit too.”

He’d have to pose just right to stave off her worry but he should be able to find one decent shot out of the zillion he’d be taking for social media. “Yes, ma’am.”

Ollie didn’t feel like socializing. Although he’d told Biz that he wouldn’t miss this event for the world, it wasn’t fully true. He’d stay home in a heartbeat if it was held by anyone but his bestie.

And his mood affected his energy, which was already quite low, so it took him forever to get ready. He didn’t even have the heart to livestream as he stood in front of his closet, unsure what still fit him and what looked like a potato sack. Eventually, he selected a green velvet suit that he’d recently ordered, pairing it with a white button-down and a red cravat that matched the stitching along his jacket sleeve and the side of the pants. It was very festive, and Ollie finished the outfit with one of his favorite pairs of shoes - his red glittery Betsy Johnson mini-boots. They made him feel like Dorothy and maybe if he clicked his heels three times, then he’d find a man as sweet as Finn who wasactuallygay, then he wouldn’t have to worry.

By the time he’d refreshed his curls, added a bit of makeup, and arrived at the condo he was more than an hour late. The sounds of laughter and revelry leaked through the front door as Ollie stood on the steps, and he took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself. It was only a party. Who knew what would happen? Maybe he’d have fun.

“Ollie!Finally!” Liam said as he opened the door, noise spilling out around him. Quickly pasting a smile on his face, Ollie stepped inside. The living room was certainly festive. A large tree donned with silver and gold took up most of one corner with three stockings on the wall beside it, a name sewn into each one, and Ollie smiled at the little family they represented. After a long year, Owen had gotten his son back and he and Liam couldn’t be happier. Ollie was thrilled for them, yet he couldn’t help but wonder if Liam was worried about losing his family again. It would certainly keep Ollie up at night. Up and running.

“Sorry Li-Squared, I had a fashion emergency.”

“You couldn’t figure out what to wear?” Liam helped him out of his fluffy black coat and orange scarf, hanging them in the closet by the door.

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