---
-
Close to You
'Why do birds
Suddenly appear?
Everytime you are near
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you'
Olive Snook listened intently to the song that was currently playing on the radio. Due to the fact that she was once again, had been left behind to clean and close up The Pie Hole while Ned, Chuck and Emerson went off adventuring to the morgue or whatever. She had never paid much attention to where they were going, because every time the small orchestra in her heart played the saddest song in the world over and over again when she saw Ned smile at Chuck in a way he never smiled at her.
Even though she had come to accept Chuck and become friends with her, underneath her heart panged with envy, jealousy, and sadness. Ever since Chuck came to The Pie Hole, she and Ned instantly became so close. A closeness in which Olive greedily craved.
Day quickly turned into night and Olive lazily cleaned the counters since she stopped paying attention to what she was doing a while ago. The soft, smooth melody of the song still carried on the air, Olive listened in silence.
'Why do stars
Fall down from the sky?
Everytime you walk by
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you'
The tranquil air shattered when the bell attached to the door rang. Much to Olive's delight, it was the Piemaker, and he was alone.
"Olive!"
"Hi Ned!"
"Why are you still here? The shop has been closed for a while now."
Unable to come up with a reasonable excuse, and not wanting to tell the Piemaker that she sat in silence for 2 hours dreaming about him, and sulking about him being with Chuck, she lied.
"I left my purse."
Ned cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. "But, you don't have a purse."
"It's brand new and it's small, so you've probably never seen it before. Ever."
"Oh."
Olive threw the towel that she used to clean under the counter and walked over to him.
"Why are you here?"
The Piemaker paused, not wanting to tell his co-worker that he came here for the sole reason that Chuck temporarily didn't want to speak to him, he also lied.
"I left my watch here."
"But you're wearing your watch."
"It's a different watch.
"Okay."
The two nodded awkwardly, and Ned with his hands stuffed stiffly in his pockets, head off to the back to get his "watch", when Olive turned around and asked him a question that he never thought she'd ask.
"Ned, why do you hate being around me?"
The air around them seemed deafening and thick, the song that playing seemed like mere background music, surrounding them in a moment that would almost be called an awkward silence.
'On the day that you were born
The angels got together and decided
To create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moondust in your hair
Of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue'
At that moment, the only thing that Ned could do was turnaround, and look Olive straight in the eye, only to find out that she was being completely serious.
He only found one word to respond with.
"What?"
Olive sighed, and looked the Piemaker straight in the eye. "You heard me, Ned. Why do you hate being around me?"
"I don't hate being around you!" He shot back a little to quickly. Ned caught his breath and tried again.
"Olive, I do not hate being around you. Why would you think that?"
Her eyes became downcast, and she walked over to the counter and slightly leaned on it.
"I dunno. Maybe it's the fact that despite working with me for 2 years, you refuse to talk to me about anything, you never ask how my day is, and ignore every hint I've given you. To make it all better, along came Chuck and even though you haven't seen her in like forever, you two are snug as a bug! And whenever she's here, you're always miles away from me! I bet you probably wanted me to be happy for you two, but I'm not Ned!"
The Piemaker stared at his co-worker with guilt and pity. Saying nothing, he leaned on the counter as well never taking his eyes off of her.
Olive sighed sadly, and looked at her dear Piemaker. She walked toward him, and as she did Ned straightened up, towering over her. The melody swept over them as they silently looked into each other's eyes.
'That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you'
"Look Ned," Olive started, "I know you love Chuck and all, but it's not fair. I mean, I didn't even get a chance."
Ned looked apologetic at Olive and slowly relaxed. "Olive, I sorry. I-I had no idea. I mean, I knew that you had a thing for me but-"
"You knew? Then why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you do anything?"
"My childhood was very difficult Olive. I had a hard time getting close to people I cared about, I'm sorry."
"But when Chuck comes along, it's a whole new story, isn't it?"
"Yes. Yes it is Olive. And it's a long one. I, I enjoy your presence and your company Olive, and I don't hate being around you."
Olive sniffed a little and faced toward the front of the shop. "You sure act like it sometimes."
"Olive, I swear to you, I don't."
"Then how come I didn't get a chance?"
She turned to him with tears tugging at the edges of her eyes. Ned hated making people upset, and he never wanted to, but lately he's been having a real knack for it.
"I only wanted /sniff/ one thing Ned. And that was to be close to you, and that's all I wanted! I wanted to be close, but you always end up pushing me away… and-"
At that moment, no more words came out of Olive Snook's mouth, because the Piemaker's lips were pressed against hers.
Time seemed to stop, the air became weightless around her, and Olive sunk into a deep pit of happiness and content.
Both of them seemed to be drifting away, with nothing tying them down to earth. The only thing they were hanging onto were the soothing words fading away in the air. Olive was happy. And so was Ned.
'Just like me
They long to be
Close to you'
Olive was happy because she receive the closeness she so dearly craved, and Ned was happy, because inside he realized, he needed to be close to someone as well.
As the two melted into one harmonious being, someone outside the Pie Hole was watching. And suddenly the girl named Chuck felt very far away.
'Close to you…'
-
---