Page 27 of Welcome to the Friendzone

“Listen to yourself. It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. Okay?”

Marta placed her hands on each of Oliver’s forearms, almost begging him to finally believe her.

Her heart ached for him because she couldn’t stand seeing her personal sunshine be sad. Oliver had this magical way of making her feel good, making her smile and laugh, and he had been by her side after Frank died. Now it was time for her to return some comfort, but he didn’t let her.

“You’re a loyal friend, you do an amazing job, and you’re an amazing human being, Oliver. I haven’t felt this good around someone since…”

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

Oliver understood what she meant and she could see a small smile dancing across his lips. It was a huge compliment and his heart burned when he realized how hard it must have been for Marta to vocalize these feelings. It meant the world to him.

“Thank you,” he whispered, pulling her in for another hug.

His nose was buried deep in her hair, his arms strong around her shoulder holding her as close as possible. He couldn’t deny that Marta made his heart skip a beat and that he wanted to be around her as much as possible. He even caught himself smiling every time he saw her cross his path. If it was during meetings or when he saw her walking the hallways no matter how many people were between him and her he was able to fix his gaze on her every time. Like his eyes were meant to look at her and, although she’d said that he made her life better, she didn’t realize how much she helped him too. For years he’d been drowning in sorrow for the mental state of his best friend, constantly feeling guilty that Nate had to suffer.

He still felt guilty but, now he had Marta around, Nate was not the primary topic occupying his brain anymore. Oliver finally had something he could look forward to; cooking with Marta, watching movies, or playing board games. He couldn’t wait for his day to be over so he could spend time alone with this wonderful woman.

And suddenly Oliver realized that he had fallen in love with Marta.

He pulled her even closer, closed his own eyes, and enjoyed the moment with her. Her face was buried in his neck and he felt her breath on his skin, leaving goosebumps. Marta was still trying to comfort him so she carefully let her hand caress up and down his back. Every time her fingertips touched his shirt, Oliver’s skin burned. This woman was driving him crazy and he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t realized before that they were more than just friends.

When they broke apart, he quickly placed his palms on both of her cheeks, smiling at her with sparkles in his eyes. Marta was confused and taken by surprise and her eyes widened slightly.

“What are you doing?” She asked, a slight shaking in her voice clearly audible.

“You trust me?”

“I do.”

“Then promise me that whatever happens now, you won’t hate me.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” she chuckled slightly, the joke helping her to cope with the insecurity and fear the whole situation brought to her heart.

“Marta…”

“Okay, okay. I promise.”

He could hear the slight sigh.

Oliver’s thumbs caressed over her hot and blushed cheeks before he slowly leaned in and hovered his lips over hers. His green-blue eyes fixed on her honey-colored ones the entire time looking for hesitation or panic but all he could see was confusion and a storm whirling behind the honey of her eyes.

It was enough for him to finally close the gap and when his lips touched hers they were two puzzle pieces that finally found their way to each other. Butterflies appeared in his stomach, his heart drummed beneath his rib cage and he could hear her every heartbeat.

This was how it was meant to be.

Marta was surprised that she felt exactly the same: the butterflies, the heat, and the increased heart rate. It was all there. She parted her lips slightly to give his tongue access allowing him to explore. His tip gently touched hers and fireworks exploded in her lower bell, a feeling that she thought she'd buried with Frank a long time ago.

It had taken Oliver only a single kiss to bring it back to the surface and Marta had to admit that she hadn’t felt so good in a long time. His featherlight brushes over her cheeks made her blush even more while her eyes remained closed. Their tongues danced around each other, exploring the sensations between them.

It was so right but so wrong at the same time.

They broke apart to catch a breath and when she opened her eyes again she could see Oliver smile widely.

But Marta didn’t smile.

She felt phenomenal. Better than she had felt in the last months, but she didn’t want to feel like that. It felt wrong.

“I can’t,” she mumbled, tears gathering in her eyes.

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