The first days back at school after the Christmas holidays were rarely perfectly behaved. Students who didn't want to get back into the workload right after New Year's, which was usually the majority of the student body, didn't listen and were rowdier than usual. That wasn't to say the time of year mattered particularly to more than a few of said students. Those teachers still on holiday mode were more lenient with expected homework, whilst others were stricter still. Even Olive, normally one of the more attentive in all her classes, found herself distracted and daydreaming all through English Literature.

Until someone nudged her elbow and Olive snapped out of the daze she had been in staring out the window and looked over.

"So did he do it?" The girl who had suddenly moved across the room and sat down in the free seat beside her hissed quietly and brushed away a strand of brown hair.

Olive just stared at her confused. "Did...who do what?"

"Uh, Enoch of course." Rose was grinning just the way she had been at the New Year's party when Olive had very clearly seen how much Enoch was annoyed by the peppering of questions he'd had fired at him. "Did he kiss you at midnight? You are a couple aren't you?"

"That was you at the window?" Olive felt her face flush pink until the teacher cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at their side of the room. "You know it was a little awkward."

"Oh....right. Sorry. But he did didn't he? I mean it's Enoch O'Connor, no one really expected him to have a girlfriend but Sketch and I always thought you were cute in biology together and-"

"Uh-sorry, what was that?"

"Rose! Unless what you're talking so animatedly about is this novel, I suggest you concentrate on your work, and weren't you sitting over there?"

"Sorry..." Rose just grinned and Olive stared wide eyed as she quickly grabbed her book and went back to her seat.

What on earth made those two girls so interested in the relationship between Olive and Enoch was beyond Olive, and confusing to say the least. It was one thing for people not to believe that Enoch would be interested in a relationship, or to criticise him about it, it was another to be betting on them getting together. That...seemed like a long shot. Yet it had happened.

Of course he had kissed her a few nights ago on New Year's, out of sight of prying eyes until a dozen people had decided to go outside and watch the fireworks when Enoch had broken away so abruptly Olive might have fallen forward if it hadn't been for his arm around her. Even days later she was still grinning giddily whenever she thought about it.

There had been something entirely different about his manner to her that night. At least when they were alone. He hadn't so much as held her hand where everyone could see, save to try and scare off any other boy trying to talk to her. He didn't like to show that how much he did care about her, that was true, but it was the little, barely there comments he made and gestures like putting his arm around her if she was cold that made it very clear, to her anyway, that he did.

Olive smiled to herself.

xxxXxxx

"And you think it's awful how much time I spend with Enoch? You two have been joined at the hip for two days straight!"

"Because it's new, and you're much worse, Olive." Emma pulled a face at her but couldn't stifle the grin that spread over her face as she tossed her hair back with a very self-satisfied air, "But yes. We are, isn't it great? By the way, Jacob and I are meeting up after school so I won't be-"

"-on the bus. And I'm very happy for you, you know that." Olive beamed and added as an innocent afterthought as she closed the door of her locker and fastened the lock. "At least I have something to get under your skin about now."

"Oh please, you and Enoch are still much more of the "Odd Couple", that's not going to change and you know it."

"No, but it doesn't get under my skin. I don't mind one jot." Olive beamed, and indeed there was a little spring in her step as they sidled along the corridor towards the doors. Emma nudged her and raised an eyebrow.

"No. But it gets under his, doesn't it?"

"Ya talkin' 'bout me an' I can 'ear ya. Stop it." Enoch suddenly appeared from somewhere over Olive's shoulder. She beamed and automatically tried, just in case, to take his hand. Unsurprisingly, Enoch didn't go for it and slipped his hand into his pocket instead.

Emma snorted a little and both Olive and Enoch turned to stare at her. She raised blonde eyebrows and quickly turned on her heel. "Oh nothing, I just...left something in my locker. Bye!"

"Subtle as a bloody blimp."

Olive giggled and chewed her bottom lip slightly. "Enoch, I was thinking..."

"Were ya?" He interrupted in a seamless monotone and Olive poked him in the small of the back as he walked first through the doors.

"Yes. I know you said you're working with your dad today, do you mind if I walk with you?"

Enoch stopped right on the school steps and turned around to raise one perfectly arched eyebrow up at Olive still standing on the top stair. "Why? Ya don't go that way. Long way 'ome walkin' from there."

"Maybe I was going to go that way anyway today, and not straight home."

"Oi! Move it!" Someone grumbled behind her and Olive started back down the steps behind Enoch before pulling him to the side by the elbow.

"If you really don't want me to, I won't walk with you. But I want to anyway and I don't think you mind so much."

Enoch rolled his eyes but Olive thought she saw a flicker of something in his eyes and the corner of his lips twitch before he just sighed and kept walking towards the school gates. "If you gotta."

It wasn't until they were safely down the block and out of sight of the school building, and therefore most of the students, that Olive tried again. But she didn't openly reach for his hand this time, instead just smiled at him and turned hers, palm out as an open invitation.

Enoch didn't miss it. He rarely did. His blue eyes flicked down from her face to her hand and back again without so much as a glimmer of any emotion at all before he slowly took it and the increasingly familiar feeling of his long fingers wrapping around her hand made her smile all the wider.

"Was Mr Barron too hard on you about...last term?"

Enoch scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care, she could see that plainer than anything.

"Got the failin' lecture. Surprised 'e 'asn't just kicked me out yet. Wouldn' mind if 'e did. If there's anyone 'e 'ates, it's me."

"Why are you taking A-level Maths if you hate it so much?" Enoch had to tug her hand to keep her walking out in front of a taxi Olive was so much more interested in Enoch and she turned pink. "Oops."

Enoch's face had soured slightly at the question and before he'd even said a word, Olive knew what the answer would be.

"Wasn' my choice ta do it, I dun' even know why they made me. Not like I need it anyway ta do what I'll do."

His parents, and more specifically his father, Olive would have bet any money. She squeezed his hand gently but Enoch either did not notice, or completely ignored her. "Well what will you do?"

"What d'ya fink? I ain't got siblings, gotta be me, don't it?

"Your dad wouldn't make you take over if you didn't want to, would he?"

Enoch side eyed her as Olive darted closer to his side to avoid a cyclist. Granted, she had only met the man no more than twice and he'd not been very happy with his son then, but Enoch's parents were good people, she was sure of that.

"Ya dunno 'im."

"Okay...but that aside, what would you want to do?"

"What is this? Twenty questions?"

"Enoch O'Connor, you could actually let me get to know you, for once. Are you my boyfriend or not?"

Enoch just grunted but this time Olive knew she had seen his lip twitch. He didn't say anything though, to answer her question. She still loved being able to call him that and not have Enoch cringe and mutter something under his breath.

She was so caught up in just being with Enoch like an actual couple she would have walked right on past the funeral parlour if it hadn't been for Enoch's hand pulling her up short again. He stopped outside the glass door and raised an eyebrow as she staggered back and let go of his hand.

"Okay fine, but you'll talk to me one day I know it."

"Watcha call what I'm doin' now?"

"You know very well what I mean. Bye?" She raised up on her toes again to peck his cheek and then changed her mind halfway. What if...what if she left it to him this time? Instead of kissing Enoch's cool, pale cheek, she stopped halfway and closed her eyes expectantly with a smile.

She heard Enoch scoff again and for a moment he didn't seem to move, if it weren't for the telltale bell on the door that hadn't tinkled, she might have thought he'd gone inside and left her there. Then just as she was about to open her eyes, Enoch had sighed and kissed her.

" 'appy now?"

It was quick and he certainly didn't linger, but he'd done it of his own accord and Olive was beaming when she opened her eyes.

"Yes. Perfectly."

"Right, see ya." And with that, leaving Olive shaking her head to herself on the doorstep, Enoch turned around and pushed open the door where the bell jingled merrily.

Another moment or two had Olive not taken the time to check her phone just outside the door, and she would have missed it completely. But just before the slow closing door came completely to the frame, Olive caught a glimpse of the undertaker striding, or rather storming, out of the back to meet his son, and heard, muffled slightly by the glass, a stern "Enoch!".

She shouldn't have listened, and definitely shouldn't have watched but something got the better of her, and Olive pushed open the door just a fraction, not quite enough to set the bell off and her heart leapt into her throat.

"Three days, Enoch! Three days, and we're getting' notes 'ome already?!"

She could see Enoch standing with his shoulder hunched and his arms crossed and looking like he couldn't care less about anything.

"Barron'll send a note 'ome for nofin' if it's me."

"Oh enough o'that, 'e clearly 'as a reason and if I 'ear one more excuse outta you-"

"Yeh'll ground me? What a punishment. I don' want ta be in that stupid class anyway."

"Yeh watch that tone, son. I ain't gonna put up wiv actin' out like this no more." His father took another step closer to him and help up a warning finger. Olive cringed slightly. She knew she needed to go, she really, really shouldn't be listening in but despite Enoch's obviously uncaring and bad attitude sometimes, and the look on his face now implying he still didn't care, she felt worse than ever for him. He'd told her that his father wasn't usually like that to him, which meant either Enoch had lied or his father was especially angry with him.

"I fought that girl was doin' ya some good. I'm sure she is, but ya needa pull ya 'ead in at school too 'an I 'ighly suggest you don't skip another class again."

"I didn' wanna do it. You made me-"

"What did I just say 'bout excuses?"

Olive's foot slipped and her heart seemed to stop for sheer terror for a few moments as she stumbled too far forward and the bell jingled. Oh great. Way to look as suspicious as you were actually being, Olive.

Two heads turned and stared at her and Olive stared back at Enoch with a hand over her mouth. His eyes were wide and she was sure she'd just stepped over an invisible line.

"I'm...sorry, I...slipped? Uh..." Before either Enoch or his father could say anything or he could look as betrayed as she was rapidly starting to imagine he might be, Olive ran.