Chapter 4
Chloe shoved the clothes that she’d left lying on the bed into her bag. She should have known better. Of course Oliver was still in love with Lois. How did she think he’d gotten over her so quickly? It was only a few months back that she’d seen that look on his face while they were at the hospital.
He’d looked broken hearted as he watched Lois and Clark together. Rationally speaking it made sense that he’d go to her, the closest person he knew to Lois aside from Clark. She just wished she’d seen it before she started falling for him.
This was supposed to just be a fling, no strings attached, friends with benefits and yet here she was close to tears, packing like a mad woman to get as far away from Oliver Queen as possible.
“I think you forgot the coffee maker…it seems like that might be the only thing you didn’t pack.”
He motioned toward her bag and she swallowed hard, trying to focus enough to get the hurt off her face. She zipped up the bag with such finality it made him wince. It looked like this was going to take more than his normal amount of wit or charm.
“I thought about it, but then I realized the one I have at home is top of the line.”
She grabbed her bag and turned in his direction. Oliver was currently leaning in the doorway arms crossed over his chest sufficiently blocking her only way out of the room. She glared in his direction.
“You’re in my way.”
“Yes, I realize that.”
“Move.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, amusement covering his face.
“You don’t actually expect that to work do you?”
She huffed.
“Oliver…”
The smile left his face and he let out a frustrated sigh as he cut her off.
“You’re not even going to let me explain? You know I would think you of all people would give me a chance to explain myself especially since I had the decency to let you explain in the past when you’ve made mistakes.”
Her eyes hardened, jaw clenched as she let out a bitter chuckle.
“Ah I see. So this is the portion of the day where we throw each other’s mistakes in the other’s face? Well thanks, but I’ll pass on the walk down memory lane. Looks like you win this round.”
She powered forward attempting to get by him, but she just slammed into solid chest. When she grunted and tried to go around him, he grabbed her arms gently and moved her back into the room making her drop her bag. He kicked the door shut behind him and met her defiant stare with one of his own.
“No. No winning, no rounds. This isn’t a game. You’re going to stay here and listen to what I have to say or I will chase you down the stairs and make a scene.”
“Go ahead. It’s your name that will be splattered all over the tabloids. I can see the headline now. ‘Oliver Queen CEO of Queen Industries Chases Flavor of the Week through Quiet Inn Disturbing the Peace of Many’ I’m sure the board would love it.”
He closed his eyes for a second trying to push down the rage that was flowing through his veins. She drove him completely nuts. He wanted to take her and throttle her until she stopped being so confrontational. Then again her fight was one of the things he loved about her.
He just didn’t understand how one of the smartest women he’d ever known could be so utterly stupid. When he opened his eyes again she was glaring at him with a look that could melt metal. He needed to make her understand that this thing between them had passed the casual point.
“Why are you angry?”
The question seemed to startle her. She raised an eyebrow.
“Are you kidding?”
“No, I’m really not. I’m asking a question. You stood down there and basically blew me off telling me this thing between us is casual and yet you’re mad that I tried to get Lois back. Tell me why?”
Chloe opened and closed her mouth twice before straightening up and crossing her hands over her chest. Oliver groaned inwardly. She was in her defensive posture, which couldn’t be a good sign. Her voice cut through the quiet, tone cold.
“Of course it bothers me Oliver. It’s not as if you’re schmoozing up some random woman on the street. Lois is my cousin and I don’t know about how you do things, but we don’t share men. If you wanted to start something up with her again all you needed to do was say something and we could have called off our arrangement.”
Oliver stood there mouth open. She couldn’t mean that. She’d walk away just like that? His confident posture deflated and he looked down, shook his head and glanced back up at her, his voice was soft.
“I tried to spark things between me and Lois when they did that date thing for the Good Morning Metropolis show. Possibly a few other times that month too. That was it, more than six months ago Chloe. When it didn’t work I threw myself into training Mia and work.”
She swallowed hard at his confession and opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.
“Then this happened. We’ve set up boundaries, rules and one of the things we agreed on was that even though this was a no strings thing, we didn’t need other people. We could have no strings and still only be with each other. Do you think so little of me that I’d change things without even telling you?”
Her chest tightened at the hurt she could hear in his voice.
“Of course not Ollie.”
“They why would you blindly believe what Clark says with no facts?”
She hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
He nodded.
“I think you do know. I think you believed him because somewhere along the line you got used to being everyone’s second choice. No don’t interrupt me. You thought because that’s what Clark assumes is the truth it must be. Well it’s not. I’m not here with you because I can’t be here with Lois. I’m here with you because I want to be here with you.”
For the first time since he came back in the room he saw her body relax, tension draining. She took a step towards him and when he didn’t move she closed the distance between them wrapping her arms around him as she whispered into his chest.
“I’m sorry Ollie.”
One arm wound lightly around her as he held her briefly before moving her back gently. Her brows creased as she glanced at him, confusion on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure if the fact that you don’t know makes me feel better or worse.”
“Ollie, what are you…”
“Chloe we’ve been friends for a while now. I’ve been here for you since before…well everything happened and you’ve returned the favor tenfold. I thought things were moving forward, progressing and then one word from Clark, a guy who hasn’t been around, who doesn’t know you nearly as well as I do, and all the faith you’ve had in me, all the trust just disappears?”
She didn’t know what to say. He was right. She shouldn’t have believed Clark over him. She should have given him a chance to explain, but at the time she’d been so hurt, felt so betrayed that she couldn’t. How was she supposed to explain that to him without letting him in on her dirty little secret?
That there were feelings there that surpassed friendship and a part of her wanted more. He stood there and watched the different emotions fly across her face. She was scared he knew that, but until she could admit that she cared about him, she’d be able to turn anything he did or said around on him.
“I’m sorry. You’re right…I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“True, you shouldn’t have, but I get why you did. Maybe you should take some time and figure out why you think you did.”
“What…”
But before Chloe could finish her sentence a loud screech tore through the Inn. They glanced at each other before Oliver ran out the bedroom door to see what was going on, Chloe hot on his heels. She sighed, so much for a quiet weekend away.
Chloe shoved the clothes that she’d left lying on the bed into her bag. She should have known better. Of course Oliver was still in love with Lois. How did she think he’d gotten over her so quickly? It was only a few months back that she’d seen that look on his face while they were at the hospital.
He’d looked broken hearted as he watched Lois and Clark together. Rationally speaking it made sense that he’d go to her, the closest person he knew to Lois aside from Clark. She just wished she’d seen it before she started falling for him.
This was supposed to just be a fling, no strings attached, friends with benefits and yet here she was close to tears, packing like a mad woman to get as far away from Oliver Queen as possible.
“I think you forgot the coffee maker…it seems like that might be the only thing you didn’t pack.”
He motioned toward her bag and she swallowed hard, trying to focus enough to get the hurt off her face. She zipped up the bag with such finality it made him wince. It looked like this was going to take more than his normal amount of wit or charm.
“I thought about it, but then I realized the one I have at home is top of the line.”
She grabbed her bag and turned in his direction. Oliver was currently leaning in the doorway arms crossed over his chest sufficiently blocking her only way out of the room. She glared in his direction.
“You’re in my way.”
“Yes, I realize that.”
“Move.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, amusement covering his face.
“You don’t actually expect that to work do you?”
She huffed.
“Oliver…”
The smile left his face and he let out a frustrated sigh as he cut her off.
“You’re not even going to let me explain? You know I would think you of all people would give me a chance to explain myself especially since I had the decency to let you explain in the past when you’ve made mistakes.”
Her eyes hardened, jaw clenched as she let out a bitter chuckle.
“Ah I see. So this is the portion of the day where we throw each other’s mistakes in the other’s face? Well thanks, but I’ll pass on the walk down memory lane. Looks like you win this round.”
She powered forward attempting to get by him, but she just slammed into solid chest. When she grunted and tried to go around him, he grabbed her arms gently and moved her back into the room making her drop her bag. He kicked the door shut behind him and met her defiant stare with one of his own.
“No. No winning, no rounds. This isn’t a game. You’re going to stay here and listen to what I have to say or I will chase you down the stairs and make a scene.”
“Go ahead. It’s your name that will be splattered all over the tabloids. I can see the headline now. ‘Oliver Queen CEO of Queen Industries Chases Flavor of the Week through Quiet Inn Disturbing the Peace of Many’ I’m sure the board would love it.”
He closed his eyes for a second trying to push down the rage that was flowing through his veins. She drove him completely nuts. He wanted to take her and throttle her until she stopped being so confrontational. Then again her fight was one of the things he loved about her.
He just didn’t understand how one of the smartest women he’d ever known could be so utterly stupid. When he opened his eyes again she was glaring at him with a look that could melt metal. He needed to make her understand that this thing between them had passed the casual point.
“Why are you angry?”
The question seemed to startle her. She raised an eyebrow.
“Are you kidding?”
“No, I’m really not. I’m asking a question. You stood down there and basically blew me off telling me this thing between us is casual and yet you’re mad that I tried to get Lois back. Tell me why?”
Chloe opened and closed her mouth twice before straightening up and crossing her hands over her chest. Oliver groaned inwardly. She was in her defensive posture, which couldn’t be a good sign. Her voice cut through the quiet, tone cold.
“Of course it bothers me Oliver. It’s not as if you’re schmoozing up some random woman on the street. Lois is my cousin and I don’t know about how you do things, but we don’t share men. If you wanted to start something up with her again all you needed to do was say something and we could have called off our arrangement.”
Oliver stood there mouth open. She couldn’t mean that. She’d walk away just like that? His confident posture deflated and he looked down, shook his head and glanced back up at her, his voice was soft.
“I tried to spark things between me and Lois when they did that date thing for the Good Morning Metropolis show. Possibly a few other times that month too. That was it, more than six months ago Chloe. When it didn’t work I threw myself into training Mia and work.”
She swallowed hard at his confession and opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.
“Then this happened. We’ve set up boundaries, rules and one of the things we agreed on was that even though this was a no strings thing, we didn’t need other people. We could have no strings and still only be with each other. Do you think so little of me that I’d change things without even telling you?”
Her chest tightened at the hurt she could hear in his voice.
“Of course not Ollie.”
“They why would you blindly believe what Clark says with no facts?”
She hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
He nodded.
“I think you do know. I think you believed him because somewhere along the line you got used to being everyone’s second choice. No don’t interrupt me. You thought because that’s what Clark assumes is the truth it must be. Well it’s not. I’m not here with you because I can’t be here with Lois. I’m here with you because I want to be here with you.”
For the first time since he came back in the room he saw her body relax, tension draining. She took a step towards him and when he didn’t move she closed the distance between them wrapping her arms around him as she whispered into his chest.
“I’m sorry Ollie.”
One arm wound lightly around her as he held her briefly before moving her back gently. Her brows creased as she glanced at him, confusion on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure if the fact that you don’t know makes me feel better or worse.”
“Ollie, what are you…”
“Chloe we’ve been friends for a while now. I’ve been here for you since before…well everything happened and you’ve returned the favor tenfold. I thought things were moving forward, progressing and then one word from Clark, a guy who hasn’t been around, who doesn’t know you nearly as well as I do, and all the faith you’ve had in me, all the trust just disappears?”
She didn’t know what to say. He was right. She shouldn’t have believed Clark over him. She should have given him a chance to explain, but at the time she’d been so hurt, felt so betrayed that she couldn’t. How was she supposed to explain that to him without letting him in on her dirty little secret?
That there were feelings there that surpassed friendship and a part of her wanted more. He stood there and watched the different emotions fly across her face. She was scared he knew that, but until she could admit that she cared about him, she’d be able to turn anything he did or said around on him.
“I’m sorry. You’re right…I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“True, you shouldn’t have, but I get why you did. Maybe you should take some time and figure out why you think you did.”
“What…”
But before Chloe could finish her sentence a loud screech tore through the Inn. They glanced at each other before Oliver ran out the bedroom door to see what was going on, Chloe hot on his heels. She sighed, so much for a quiet weekend away.
I like that he didn't back down and he forced her to listen. It's true that only Chloe's insecurities would let her believe Clark. Ollie's been a better friend, a best friend to her recently than Clark. And he's proved he's trust worthy.
ReplyDeleteBut it's going to take a lot of loving and devotion for her to crack out of that thinking...
"I think you believed him because somewhere along the line you got used to being everyone’s second choice." :D Spot on. He's a lot more observant than people give him credit for.
Thank you for the update.
Loved the chapter. Can't wait for more of this. They are so adorable.
ReplyDelete