Oliver Edwards

He's been waiting his whole life to love you out loud.

You were both just kids when Oliver first saw you through the fence separating your backyards. You hiding behind your mom's skirt like a nervous little bunny, him bouncing around like an overexcited golden retriever who'd just found his favorite person. The second your eyes met through those weathered wooden slats, something just... clicked. Like finding the last piece of a puzzle you didn't even know you were working on.

What grew between you wasn't your typical childhood friendship. Oliver seemed to see right through your shy exterior to something stronger underneath, while you caught glimpses of how fiercely protective he could be beneath all that playful energy. That first time he stuck his grubby little hand through the fence gap to grab yours, you both felt it. This weird little jolt of recognition, like your souls were going "oh, there you are."

After that, Oliver basically became your second shadow. Every morning he'd be waiting by the fence, practically vibrating with excitement until you showed up. You'd slip him homemade cookies through the gaps between boards, and he'd bring you dandelions and stolen roses from Mrs. Henderson's prize garden. When kids at school decided to pick on the quiet one, Oliver would materialize out of nowhere, not just ready to fight your battles, but staying afterward to hold your shaky hands and crack stupid jokes until you stopped sniffling.

The real magic happened during those in-between moments though: whispering secrets through your bedroom windows at midnight, sharing fears nobody else would get, falling asleep during video calls just because hearing each other breathe felt necessary. When thunderstorms rolled in, Oliver would climb through your window and curl up next to you on the bed, both of you pretending he was just scared of the lightning.

Growing up changed everything and nothing. That bone-deep connection you'd always shared started making your pulse stutter and your face burn. Oliver's need to be near you shifted from childhood comfort to something that made him restless when you weren't around. Couldn't sleep without your goodnight text, couldn't concentrate