Page 11 of When We Collide

Oscar smirks. “No need, you’ve done plenty. I’ll handle the rest in the morning. Besides, I’ve barely seen you all day. Join me for a drink and let’s toast to me hitting the big three-oh.”

“I don’t know, Oskie. I think I’ve reached my limit. One more sip and I’ll be drunk. Plus, I’ve got the baby to take care of, who’ll be up in less than an hour for a feed and change.”

“I’ve only had two beers, I’ll get up with DJ, and you can sleep in.”

“Just two beers?” I frown. “I thought you were doing shots with the guys?”

Oscar shakes his head. “Nope. I didn’t want to get wasted in case you wanted to relax and have a few drinks with the girls. I know you’re always worried about not being able to wake up for the baby. So, I told Ash and Jess I’d handle DJ’s night feed so you could enjoy yourself.”

My shoulders slump as I look up at him. “But it’s your birthday, Oskie. You should be the one having fun, not worrying about me or DJ.” Oscar’s smile widens, and he gently touches my chin.

“I did have fun,” he says, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I don’t need to be drunk to enjoy myself. Seeing you let loose and have a little fun was more than enough for me.”

While I gaze up at him in wonderment my sister’s words from earlier resurface in my mind.

“What if the one you were truly fated to be with is someone who selflessly sacrifices his own happiness for yours, time and time again?”

Even on his birthday, he continues to put my needs and happiness before his own. It's as though selflessness is ingrained in every fibre of his being. How can one man possess such an unfathomable level of selflessness? And how could I have been so blind all this time to his unwavering affection towards me? The realization hits me like a wave crashing onto shore—he has always been there, silently sacrificing for my sake and never asking for anything in return. My heart swells in my chest with overwhelming gratitude and admiration for this remarkable man standing in front of me. It’s like a veil has lifted and I’m seeing him in a completely different light. Or I’ve had one too many glasses of wine.

“Okay, but only if you share the last slice of cake with me?”

Oscar’s soft smile widens into a grin, and he hisses. “Ooh, I don’t know, I’m not so good at sharing, especially when it comes to red velvet cake. I might fight you a little bit.”

I let out something that resembles a very un-ladylike snort, “Bring it on.”

Oscar chuckles, “Hey, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll pour us some wine, and you can dig out that slice of cake you’ve hiddenin the fridge, buried so deep I almost needed a treasure map to find it.”

My jaw drops as I stare up at him, surprised. He laughs at my dumbfounded expression and reaches out to squeeze my cheek affectionately. “How did you know I hid it?” I ask.

“Because I know you,” he says with a sly grin, his deep voice laced with familiarity. “You’re like a nimble squirrel, always scurrying about and hiding treats in secret places so you never have to go far for a snack.” My cheeks flush under his amused gaze and I fight off the urge to smile when he grins at me. His dark eyes sparkle with mischief and his dimples deepen as he teases me.

“It's unfair how well you know me.”

“Ah, perks of knowing you all my life, kid. Want to hear another thing I know about you?” I raise an eyebrow in curiosity, and he bites down on his bottom lip, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You're adorable when you're flustered.” I playfully swat his hand away from my face and make my way to the kitchen.

“Oh, hush and get the wine, you affable oaf.” I can hear Oscar's laughter echoing behind me as he follows me to the kitchen.

“Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment? I'm not sure how to take your pet names,” he teases as he retrieves two wine glasses from the sleek steel rack under the kitchen cabinet.

“You can take it however you want,” I reply, digging through the fridge to retrieve the cake I had cleverly hidden behind a container of broccoli florets. Oscar hates broccoli so I knew he would never think to look there.

As we settle on the sofa, for some reason I can feel butterflies flutter about in my stomach while Oscar pours the wine for us. I’ve never had a reason to feel nervous around him. We enjoy each other's company while eating red velvet cake and sipping on the crisp and refreshing glass of rosé wine. It's moments like these that make me grateful for our lifelong friendship. It has always been so easy with Oscar. Even when we just sit in silence, it’s comfortable and familiar. So, why the hell am I feeling so…awareof his presence all of a sudden?

“Hey, Oskie, can I ask you something?” I speak up as I toy with a piece of cake with my fork.

Oscar nods while he chews and swallows the forkful of cake he ate. “You can ask me anything.”

God, how do I even start a conversation like this? I’m blaming the alcohol for this sudden curiosity and bravado. Come on, you can do this Jeyla, it’s a conversation that needs to be had. You can no longer go on oblivious to his feelings for you.

Just speak.

“Do you remember that camping trip we all took a couple of years ago to Camber Sands?” I ask and watch as his dark brows furrow as he recalls the day I’m talking about.

“You mean the day Ash found out about you and Dean?” I nod and he continues, “I do, very vividly, why?” Licking my lips I hesitate and drop my gaze to the fork in my hand and Oscar clearly picks up on my unease and shifts to face me properly, placing his hand on top of mine. The gesture and feel of his hand on mine send my pulse racing, “What is it, Jey?”

For Goodness sakes! Say something, Jeyla. You need to know if he was talking about you or not.

“While we were sitting around the fire before everything blew up and Ivy asked the boys to share what the craziest thing they have ever done for a girl was…” I explain and Oscar watches me closely, nodding mutely in response. “You said you’ve done a lot, but the biggest thing was sacrifice yourself for her happiness.” When I finally force myself to look up, I see a look on Oscar’s face—one I’ve never seen before. He looks unnerved, which is a first for him. “Who were you talking about?”

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