17. Seventeen

Seventeen

Ollie

F irst thing I did the next morning was to find Fitz in his office. He was sitting behind his gleaming mahogany desk, poring over bank statements, I thought.

Is this a bad time?

"Fitz? I need a few days off," I blurted out when I wasn't even halfway across the room, and before I could consider if this was the right moment. "Please," I added when I realised how demanding I'd sounded.

He immediately put the stack of papers aside and focused his attention on me, his blood red head tilted at me. "Of course, Ollie! It's about time you took a break. Maddie and I were getting worried about you." His voice softened, genuine concern lacing his words.

"You were?" I asked weakly, plopping my ass down in one of the visitor's chairs before his desk.

"Yeah, you seemed to be a little off since the hockey team left. We thought it had been too much work…" Fitz trailed off, leaning back in his wheelchair and opening space for me.

"No." I buried my face in my hands and groaned under my breath. "The work is still great. It's…" I broke off, heaving a deep sigh of sorrow.

"Hey, Ollie, mate." Fitz got up, took his cane, and walked over to me. "What's wrong?" He sat down on the edge of his desk—I knew it was difficult for him to keep standing for long—and rested his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Fitz. I'm so stupid, I messed up."

My boss cocked his ears at me, a benign smile on his mouth, inviting me to keep talking.

"I, oh God." I groaned again. "One of the players and I, we…" I couldn't go on.

"You like him?" His voice was way gentler than I deserved.

"Yes." It was the first time I had ever allowed myself to speak my truth. I had told Bo, but revealing it to Fitz was different. I whispered it into existence, an incantation that was spreading across my body, across time and space, across sea and land to find…him. My mate. I hadn't taken Bo entirely seriously, but he was right. We were meant to be. Not just a holiday fling.

"When is your flight?"

My eyes snapped up to find my boss's green gaze resting on me, a smile playing at the corners of his muzzle.

"I haven't booked yet. I don't even know if he wants me there."

Fitz chuckled. "Oh, he does, Ollie. Book the flight. Take as long as you need, okay?" Fitz hugged me. "And just so you know, Lone Fox, I," he corrected himself, backing away and giving me another kind look. "I and all of us would be sad to see you go. But I know better than anyone that one's happiness matters more than any job in the world. You'll always have a home here at LFD, Ollie."

"Always." My voice broke, and I returned what I knew was a watery smile. "Thank you, Fitz."

"Not for this. Go get your man."

"Yeah." I got up, took a deep breath, and stalked to the door. With my hand on the handle, I turned back. "Thank you, Fitz," I repeated.

"Go!" he urged me, grinning widely now, and I nodded and dashed from the room.

Back in my office, I immediately typed out a message to Bo.

Ollie: I've been looking at flights…

It took him only seconds to reply.

Bo: Flights??

Ollie: To see you…

Ollie: If you want me to come…

Bo: If I want you? Gods, Ollie…

Bo: I want you, ?lskling.

Bo: Tell me when you land and I'll come to pick you up

Bo: I'll leave now x

Ollie: The next flight I can make lands at ten thirty tonight

Ollie: That's probably too late

Bo: No! Take the earliest available flight.

Bo: I need you

My heart squeezed in my chest.

Fuck, I need him, too. So bad.

Ollie: Okay, I'll see you later, I guess?

Bo: Tell me this isn't a joke, Ollie.

Ollie: I've never been more serious in my life

I shared my location with him so he could track me, then I stood before my wardrobe and stared at it.

What do I bring?

"Hey, Ollie. What can I do for you?" My brother seemed happy to hear my voice.

"I'm going to Germany for a few days and don't know what to pack. You're the travelling expert. Help me, please?"

"To Germany?" I heard Noah sit up and a little grumpy voice complaining about it. He was with Lew, of course. "What are you doing in Germany, brother dear?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm visiting my boyfriend."

Noah whooped. Even though the word didn't quite cut to the point of what Bo was to me, I couldn't help but grin at my reflection in the mirror.

My boyfriend. Today was a day of firsts. I had never called him that before.

"Okay, Ollie. You'll have to explain that to me later, about how you ended up with a German boyfriend," he put great emphasis on the word, "but let's focus on what you should bring. I only ever went to the Oktoberfest and the Nuremberg Christmas market…" His voice trailed off. "I'll text you my list for a week and you can adjust it for however long you'll be staying."

"Your list?"

"I have packing lists on my blog. For a week, a month," my brother explained.

"Oh, okay." I'd completely forgotten about Noah's blog.

You suck at being his big brother.

"Thank you, Noah." I meant it and perhaps he knew because I could have sworn he choked a little when he bade me goodbye.

A few minutes later, I had a downloadable packing list in my messages. I wasn't a design person, but it looked great. I could even check things off as I added them to my bag.

Ollie: Awesome. Thank you again!

Ollie: That was so helpful, you rock

Noah: anytime!

He added a little heart to the message, and I felt, for the first time, truly close to him. We were so different from each other it was sometimes difficult to get on common ground with him, but maybe there was still hope.

The last thing I added to my bag was a book; one Bo had bought for me in Port Cillean.

For a moment I stopped in the doorway, looking back at my overflowing shelves, each book a token of his love.

Then I locked the door behind me and hurried to my car.

I had never enjoyed flying, another thing Noah and I didn't have in common. He would have lived on a plane if he could.

Yet today everything went smoothly. I got to the airport and through security with more than an hour to go, and sat by my gate waiting for boarding to begin.

The flight itself was on time, and I had the entire row of seats to myself.

Only when we arrived at Nuremberg airport did I get antsy at the absolute snails on my flight. My fingers impatiently drumming on my leather bag, I hunched in my row, desperate for them to move. I couldn't get off the plane fast enough.

Since I didn't have to declare anything or a suitcase to pick up, I went straight to the exit.

Gosh, please let him be there.

I spotted him immediately, my tall, handsome boyfriend, head swivelling from side to side to keep both automatic doors in sight.

When he spotted me, he pushed through the crowd that was surprisingly dense, considering the hour.

Bo didn't seem to care much about the other people, or who he had to get past to get to me.

With a wide smile on his face, he handed me the gorgeous flowers he was holding, cupped my cheeks with his huge palms and kissed me on the lips.

A few people in our vicinity cleared their throats at his blatant show of affection. I didn't give a shit about any of them. Nothing mattered to me but the man before me.

"You're here," he whispered, as he leaned his forehead against mine. "You came."