You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 155

Back at Cloud Peak, Patricia stepped out of the shower and crawled into bed, only to find Oliver sitting up against the headboard, paging through a book. It was one of her old art books, the kind she’d left lying around ages ago.

For the past few nights, Oliver had only come to bed after she’d fallen asleep. Seeing him wide awake and comfortable on her side of the bed tonight threw her off, and she hesitated a little before climbing in.

Oliver noticed her stalling and lowered his eyes, pretending not to watch her, though the smile tugging at his lips was impossible to miss.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“No, just… still getting used to this,” she mumbled.

“It’s been fifteen days,” he said out of nowhere.

“What?” Patricia blinked, caught off guard.

He flipped a page without looking at her. “We’ve been sharing a bed for fifteen days now.”

“You should be used to it by now.”

Patricia rolled her eyes. Seriously, old men could be so petty.

“I will. Eventually.” Her answer came out a bit flat.

She slid under the covers, turning her back to him. Her hand searched along the mattress, feeling for her Winnie the Pooh bear—the one she always slept with. But no matter how much she reached, it was gone.

“Looking for this?” Oliver glanced toward the armchair in the corner.

She followed his gaze and spotted her bear propped up on the chair. Her face flushed. “You put it over there?”

“Yeah,” he answered, sounding casual. “It was taking my spot.”

“It doesn’t even take up space.”

“It takes up plenty of space.”

A moment later, a warm hand landed on her lower back, making her tense up. Before she could react, he pulled her close, his breath brushing her skin and his body pressing gently against her shoulder.

The kiss he gave her felt endless. When he finally pulled away, his breathing was rough, his voice low and raw. “Is this okay, Pattie?”

“I… I’m not ready,” Patricia whispered. Honestly, it wasn’t just that she wasn’t ready—she was scared. Two years of a loveless marriage with Theo had left her guarded, always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But she knew—Oliver wasn’t Theo.

Still, she felt guilty for hesitating.

Silence took over, the air heavy and still.

After a while, Oliver let out a quiet sigh, bracing himself with one arm and gently running his fingers through her hair. “It’s fine. I’ll wait for you.”

Patricia thought, he really was a gentleman. No matter what it was, he always knew how to do the right thing.