Enoch had in no way been part of the short discussion that had resulted in his standing outside Emma Bloom's house sulkily waiting to join the rest of his apparent 'friends'. Evidently being made to be social was bother beneficial for him and a more fitting punishment than being grounded was. This was definitely the case. Enoch basically grounded himself every weekend anyway, he preferred having a reason to stay in the house.

The moment it had come out that he had actually been invited somewhere, a huge mistake on Enoch's part which he dearly regretted, his mother's entire face had lit up and half an hour later Enoch was sulking in the passenger seat of the car.

He did not hide his displeasure when his father had pulled over at the Bloom residence and slammed the door with only a mumbled reply and a scowl.

The boy looked over his shoulder as he stood on the doorstep to watch the car pull away from the curb and sighed. With a distinct lack of enthusiasm, he reluctantly pressed the doorbell. He could hear the melodic chiming inside the house from where he stood and tucked both hands into the pockets of his black jacket as he shifted uncomfortably on the spot.

When the door opened a few moments later, Enoch was momentarily taken aback. His dark eyebrows shot up and the scowl on his face vanished in surprise. Being Emma's house he had expected her to answer the door. But Olive stood in the doorway instead.

Her red hair had been tied back in a loose plait and several strands had fallen loose around her face framing it in an undeniably pretty way.

She was wearing a pale purple woollen jumper that, even Enoch could not fail to notice, made the green of her eyes stand out even more. Maybe it wouldn't be quite as awful tonight as Enoch had been expecting. Olive gasped when she saw him and for a moment they both just looked at each other, neither expecting to find the other on the other side of the doorway.

"Made the mistake of lettin' my parents find out." Enoch said after a few seconds by way of explanation and immediately a smile broke out over Olive's face.

She had wanted him to come of course, had asked him herself at Emma's insistence, apparently, and said quite genuinely Enoch was sure that it would be nice if he did. The smile on her face was proof enough that she had been wanting him to come along, which was a sensation that Enoch was not familiar with from anyone else. They could take him or leave him for the most part, and the same thing could be said on his part, although it was usually leave them.

"You came after all!"

"Not of my choice..." Enoch quickly insisted although his previously sour mood had perked up slightly and so did the corner of his lips as he looked at Olive who opened the door wider and stepped to the side, beaming at him to come in.

"Emma was upstairs." She said, answering the question before Enoch could care to ask it as he awkwardly stepped inside. "Everyone's going to be so surprised you're here...come on!"

Before he had time to so much as open his mouth to object, Olive had taken hold of his forearm and was pulling him along through a large open doorway and into the living room. She dropped his arm as quickly as she'd grabbed it and he felt the absence of her hand immediately through his jacket sleeve. "Great...yeah that's exactly what I was 'opin' for..."

Four heads turned as soon as they entered the room and Hugh, cuddled up on a loveseat with Fiona let out a cheer and grinned over at them.

"No way?! Look what the wind blew in! What made you decide to come after all? Bet I know."

Enoch glared at him. "You fink I'd be 'ere if I 'ad a choice?"

"Maybe."

"Enoch? You turned up?"

Enoch sighed as Emma appeared from a staircase and rolled his eyes. He wished they'd stop asking the same things. He swept out one hand and gestured to himself sarcastically.

"Apparently."

"Good!" Emma tossed her hair back off her shoulders and hopped past him towards the couch, "You can help us choose what movie to watch."

Enoch's eyes followed her to the couch where they immediately narrowed. The American was sitting on the end of the couch, Emma having dropped into the place beside him.

"Oh great, 'e's 'ere."

"Good to see you too, Enoch." Jacob replied just as dryly and Enoch rolled his eyes.

Olive propped him in the side and he turned and raised an eyebrow down at her at the expression she was shooting him. Her eyes seemed to say 'Please be nice' as clearly as if she'd said the words aloud. He chose to ignore it when Millard spoke up suddenly. Enoch had completely missed him where he was sitting on the floor instead of on a seat.

"Enoch, you strike me as a good judge of horror movies. Please tell Hugh over here that 'The Conjuring' is a far better choice than 'Nightmare on Elm Street'."

"All the girls want 'Nightmare Before Christmas'-"

Enoch pulled a face and rolled his eyes as Olive left his side and walked over to sit back on the couch beside Emma. "On Halloween? You can't watch somefin' that ain't remotely-"

"Scary? That's what I said." Hugh nodded his agreement and raised his eyebrows at the look Fiona was shooting him. "See? Enoch's on my side, that's nothing to take ligh-what?"

Enoch was no less uncomfortable than the moment he'd stepped inside but he left them to their bickering and slowly stepped over towards the seating where everyone else was. There was an unoccupied armchair, at the arm of which Millard was sitting on the floor, and he made for it. In a moment, before Enoch could reach it, the tawny haired boy had jumped up, appearing to change his mind and plopped himself down in the cushion.

Enoch glared down at him and Millard looked up with raised eyebrows and the hint of a smirk on his face that was obvious.

"Well there's other seats..."

Seat. Would have been more correct it seemed, as the only vacant spot on the furniture, much to the apparent glee of everyone else in the room, was at the end of the couch directly beside Olive.

xxxXxxx

How he ended up in the Bloom's living room with a group of other students, including an American he distinctly disliked, and pressed up between the arm of the powder blue couch and Olive was something which both annoyed Enoch greatly and at the same time, quietly pleased him.

Eventually, after a good deal of tiresome debate, Emma had finally relented to watching 'The Conjuring', which Enoch was considerably more satisfied with.

He cast a critical eye around the dark room, lit only by the TV screen and wrinkled his nose in disgust as they landed on Fiona and Hugh entangled with each other and neither looking at the screen.

"I fink I speak for everyone when I say can't ya keep your tongues in ya own mouths?" He said loudly and immediately the couple broke apart, bright red even in the dim lighting.

"Oh don't be so disgusting, Enoch and watch the movie." Emma snapped and Enoch looked past Olive at her and raised an eyebrow.

The retort he had been about to make died on his lips when Millard shushed them all and he turned his glare to the other boy but dropped the point all the same.

An hour into the movie and the bowl of popcorn that had been between Emma and Olive on the couch had been overturned onto the floor, much to Hugh's amusement at what Enoch too deemed an overreaction. To which Fiona had mumbled something about mean boys. Olive in particular was visibly terrified. She had long since pulled her legs up onto the couch and frequently hid her eyes in the crook of her elbow until someone said it was safe to look.

She was so plainly the opposite of Enoch that it was actually amusing him now. While she screamed at every little jump scare and lost a little colour in her face when it was particularly bloody, Enoch was not in the least bothered. Granted, neither were the other boys for the most part but as if he cared.

He glanced to the right again, stealing a glance to look at Olive whose eyes were glued to the screen but could hardly have looked more anxious. She chewed her bottom lip slightly, like she sometimes did when she was concentrating hard in biology, a trait that Enoch pretended not to notice. Amongst the other hundred things that were unique about Olive that he liked. Damn it.

Enoch shifted slightly in his spot, angling himself inwards just that little bit more and resting his arm out on the back of the couch as he made himself more comfortable. He turned his light blue eyes back to the screen and tried to remember what was supposed to be happening. Completely unperturbed by the amount of blood, he was more taken aback at the sudden and unexpected warmth against his side a few minutes later.

He looked down in surprise and didn't dare to even breathe for a few moments. He was met with a head of red hair against his shoulder blade and the pleasant pressure of her arm suddenly pressed up against him. How had that just happened? Since when was she comfortable enough to think that Enoch would suddenly be fine with close contact? But Olive wasn't even looking at him while he stared at her and her skin did not hold the pink tinge it usually did whenever she was particularly close to him. Oh he noticed that alright. But now she wasn't so much as glancing at him, her green eyes glued to the screen instead. He wasn't convinced that she even knew what she was doing this time. She was genuinely just scared. He was sure of that.

Then as suddenly as she had leaned into him, she turned her head to and for a moment her forehead pressed into his chest and Enoch was suddenly reminded of the tingling in his cheek when she had kissed it that time and the burning in his fingertips whenever she touched his hand.

Enoch may not be good, or particularly care for the most apart, about social situations, much less with a girl he secretly enjoyed the company of, but if he pulled right back now when he wasn't even sure she knew what she was doing, he would completely push her away and embarrass them both.

Besides, did he really want her to move away? There was that bubble of pride again that was rearing his head that she was turning to him for comfort and not anyone else. Just him.

His long fingers drummed once on the back of the couch and, in what he assumed was more or less secret while everyone was glued to the TV or hiding their eyes anyway, slowly crept down towards Olive's shoulders. It was awkward and thoroughly unfamiliar a gesture for Enoch, he certainly hadn't ever put his arm around anyone before in his life, but damn it all he liked the feeling of Olive so close and he wanted to be the only one who made her feel better.

As soon as his hand touched her shoulder he heard Olive gasp which, fortunately, everyone must have attributed to the movie and didn't so much as look over when she suddenly looked up at him but otherwise did not move.

Enoch froze with his hand on her shoulder and his arm partially, and not particularly comfortably, around her as she stared at him like she'd never seen him before. He'd messed up. He was sure of it but tried to keep his face the well-rehearsed impassive mask he was so good at. Enoch didn't more his hand but neither did Olive move herself and for a long moment they just held each other's gaze until Enoch nodded minutely. "S'alright." He tried to convey with them and Olive smiled a little shakily, still obviously shaken up by the movie and nodded back at him.

She looked back at the screen and inwardly Enoch let out a sigh of relief. They didn't have to talk about this. If she asked him later he would attribute it to trying to make her feel better because he didn't know how to deal with the other reason.