Open From Afar

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar had been completely caught off guard by the day's festivities. He had never experienced anything quite like it and wasn't sure what to make of it. The roses, the messages, the friendship, all of it felt so foreign. He had been at this school for over a semester now but still felt very distant from everyone else here. Except for maybe Summer but she probably just felt sorry for him. He had declined her offer to go to the dance since he didn't want to go. He didn't explain that a big reason he didn't want to go was because of his lack of wardrobe. He hadn't thought to pack any nice clothes before he left home and his mother hadn't had a chance to get him something new. Of course he could go in regular clothes. There weren't any rules he was aware of. But the mortification of standing out more than he already did was unbearable. The fact that he felt like he had no choice made the silent dorm room harder to stomach. So he found his way to the courtyard. It was still quiet but he was close enough to hear the party and that was slightly comforting.

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer had decided. She loved Valentine's day. Even if she was still young and the whole 'love' aspect of the day felt a little out of her reach she had been thoroughly enjoying herself throughout the day. Sure, delivering roses had been far more tiring than she had expected and she had realised that she much preferred receiving them over delivering them, but it had been fun nonetheless. Still, Summer would be lying if she said she wasn't glad her deliveries were over and done with and she could focus on the most important aspect of the day: the dance. She had gone out on a limb and asked Oskar if he wanted to go with her through the rose she had send him but the fact that she hadn't seen him today had made her decide that his answer was probably no. Something she had also decided she wasn't going to be disappointed by. At least not more than a little. If she had really really wanted to go with him she should've just asked him in person and she was confident she would still have plenty of fun on her own. That's what she kept telling herself and yet she couldn't help but to walk straight past the great hall and out of the doors when she thought she caught a glimpse of Oskar heading into the courtyard. "Hey, wait up!" She called out after him, the combination of her dress and the courtyard floor forcing her to walk a little slower.

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar had hoped whatever was going on inside would keep everyone busy and he would be able to lurk in the shadows in peace. But when he heard some footsteps heading his way he stood up, not wanting to be caught lurking. He would hate if his attempt at avoiding embarrassment would lead him right to it. When he heard a familiar voice call out he realized he was too slow. Oskar turned to see Summer standing in a truly beautiful dress and for a moment he was too stunned to speak. "I wasn't going anywhere." he lied and sat back down. "What are you doing out here?" he asked simply, not knowing what else to say. "You should be at the party."

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer lifted the bottom of her dress up from the ground just enough to make sure she wouldn't accidentally trip on it. Now that would be embarassing. She squinted her eyes to see where Oskar had gone before he suddenly appeared in her field of vision again, only to sit back down when he noticed her. "Oh, yeah. Right." She nodded casually when he responded, cocking her head a little at his question. Or statement, rather. "No, I know." Summer said confidently. "I definitely didn't dress up like this to spend an evening outside." She chuckled. "I was just, uh.. getting some fresh air before heading in." She decided after a second, thinking that offering him a little white lie would be the easiest thing to do. Part of her wanted to bring up the rose she had send him, ask him if he had even gotten it, but the other part wanted to save herself from the embarassment. Because what if he had gotten it and had just decided to avoid her for the rest of the day? Perhaps he was just trying to save them both the awkwardness. So she wouldn't bring it up. Not unless he did. Instead, she turned the question back his way. "What are you doing here?"

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar felt like he had been caught in a trap even though he hadn't actually done anything wrong. But Summer's gaze was intense and he didn't dare to move. He nodded as she explained what she was doing outside. It sounded reasonable to him. But when the question got turned on him, his palms started to sweat. "Me?" he asked as if she could be talking about anyone else. "Um, I didn't want to be in the dorm by myself." he explained slowly. "But I also didn't want to be in there." It was a pretty lame excuse. But she wouldn't understand. Not when she could dress up and float through the crowd like she was made for it. "I didn't have anything to wear." he admitted and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer could hardly imagine anyone not willing to attend the school's dances, not when she herself was already itching to get inside so she could show off her dress. She'd happily take any opportunity she got to dress up and show off. Oskar's words surprised her though and she tried her best not to raise her eyebrows. To remind herself that people differed in what they did and did not like. Hearing him mention he didn't have anything to wear somehow made her feel relieved. Perhaps it wasn't that he didn't want to attend the dance, he just didn't want to show up underdressed. Now that she could understand. Although she'd much rather see him at the ball in jeans and a shirt than not at all. "Oh! Did you forget to pack something?" She asked, genuinely curious how someone could have nothing to wear. "I mean valentine's dance is a lot less formal than the yule ball so I don't think anyone would judge you if you just showed up in something simple." Summer put on a smile, wondering if he would even believe her saying that when she was stood in front of him all dressed up.

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar knew his excuse probably sounded thin. His lack of wardrobe was a big reason but not the only. He already felt like a specimen to be studied. So for him the less visibility was best. But when she asked if he forgot to pack something he winced. She was more correct than she even realized. He had forgotten to back something. Except forgot wasn't the right word. Can you forget something you never even had a chance to grab? He didn't want to bore her with his circumstances so he just nodded. "Yes." he said simply. He barely listened to what she said next. "Please don't let me stop you from enjoying your night." he said trying to cut her off. "I'm...I'm not worth it." he blurted out. "I should probably just go."