DRAWN TO LOVE

Chapter 15-16

Oliver POV

The hallway buzzed with the usual chaos, students moving in waves between classes. I leaned against the lockers, letting my gaze drift casually until it found her—Tami. She wasn’t looking at me, her head bent over her books, her body pressed into the corner of the wall as if trying to disappear.

For a moment, I wanted to call out, to let her know I remembered, that I was different now. But another part of me hesitated. I had spent years regretting the way I treated her, and the last thing I wanted was to make her feel cornered or exposed again.

I watched her adjust her bag, smooth her oversized hoodie over her jeans, and it hit me—the girl she had become. She was still soft-spoken, careful, but there was a quiet strength now that hadn’t been there in grade school. Her eyes, still impossibly blue, flicked up for a brief second before she looked away. And in that second, I saw it—the same spark that had captivated me years ago, the one I’d tried to mask with teasing and pranks.

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. Don’t mess this up, Oliver. I had a reputation to rebuild in my own eyes before I even considered stepping into hers. Yet the pull was undeniable. Every instinct in me wanted to cross the space between us, to break the invisible barrier she had erected.

Then Brittney appeared, laughing too loudly, draping herself over a group of guys near the lockers. My jaw tightened. I hadn’t expected this—not today. But as she leaned in closer to one of the guys, I realized the truth: I didn’t care what anyone else thought, or who she distracted, or how my past weighed between us. My focus was on her.

She glanced toward the crowd, probably sensing someone watching, and I couldn’t stop the small smirk tugging at my lips. A silent message, barely perceptible, just for her.

For a brief second, the hallway seemed to narrow, the world fading to everything but her. I remembered the way I had teased her years ago, the thoughtless cruelty I had inflicted without realizing its sting. And now, here I was, a different person, yet every fiber of me still pulled toward her.

I stepped forward, careful not to startle her, careful not to cross the line she might already be drawing. “Hey,” I said softly, just loud enough for her to hear.

Her head snapped up. For a second, the world froze—her blue eyes meeting mine, suspicion and something else flickering beneath the surface. She didn’t smile, didn’t speak, just stared, and my chest tightened. Damn it, I’ve still got her off balance.

“I… um,” I started, suddenly aware of how awkward I sounded, “I just wanted to say… It’s been a long time. And… I’m sorry.”

Her eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing across her face. I could see the questions forming there—why now? Why me? Can he be trusted?

“I know I was… a jerk back then,” I continued, carefully choosing each word, “and I can’t take back what I did. But I hope… maybe we can start over?”

She blinked, silence stretching between us, thick and charged. And in that pause, I realized something: this wasn’t just about apologies or past mistakes anymore. It was about the pull, undeniable, between us—the one I’d felt long before I even knew the word love.

She did not reply to me, she just moved past me walking towards her friend.

For the first time in years, I didn’t care about the legacy waiting for me, the expectations, or even Brittney’s presence. All I cared about was her, standing there, wary and beautiful, and the chance to show her that I had changed.

And maybe… just maybe, she’d let me.