Chapter 2
"Ollie, mom wanted me to tell you that Raisa will have dinner ready in about-"
"Five minutes after I leave Speedy." The young man replied as he exited his room, clad in a gray three-piece suit and black dress shoes.
"And where are you off to in such a rush young man?" Moira Queen asked as she met the two siblings at the bottom of the stairs.
"I've got a date mom." He replied, and Moira arched an eyebrow.
"Moving on from Sara Lance so soon?" The Queen Matriarch asked, unable to entirely mask her disapproval. Even though she would have preferred her son to be with Laurel as opposed to Sara, she thought that the joy on his face when he got ready for his first date with the young blonde was a sign that Oliver was finally growing up and moving on from his party boy ways.
"Not unless she moves on from me." He replied, the firm conviction in his voice making his mother's eyes widen slightly. Even Thea took a step back at the tone in her brother's voice. He had never spoken in such a way when he was with Laurel or any other girl for that matter.
Oliver saw their reactions, the shock and slight disbelief they felt at his words, and he didn't blame them. How could he, after everything that he had done when he was with Laurel. But that didn't make his words any less true.
He felt a smile cross his face as he remembered the dream that he had the night before. He had been standing on the lawn of the Queen Mansion, with Tommy at his side. Then music had played and Sara had walked towards him, escorted by Quienten Lance. Her blonde hair was falling free, and she was clad in a stunning white dress that hugged her curves. But what he remembered most were her blue eyes locking onto his green ones, the two not breaking their gaze even when he took Sara's hands in his own. Then the Justice of the Peace spoke, but Oliver couldn't make out what he was saying, couldn't remember anything except for Sara saying I do. Two simple words, but no other words had meant more to him than those. And when the man turned to him and spoke, Oliver heard each word for an instant communicating with his eyes that he would love, cherish, honor and protect her until death tore them apart before affirming his commitment for everyone present to hear. As the two most important words a man will ever say crossed his lips, Oliver woke up finding himself in the room he had inhabited for his entire life, feeling cheated as he realized that his dream was only a dream.
Oliver looked around the room at the numerous possessions that surrounded him, and he knew that he would give them all up for the chance to make his dream a reality. For the chance to spend his life with the woman he loved.
"Now if you two will excuse me, I need to leave now or I'm gonna be late." He said, breaking from his thoughts and walking past his mother and sister.
"Ollie." Thea called, making Oliver stop and turn his head.
"You're serious aren't you? About Sara?"
"More than you'll ever know Speedy." He replied before walking out of the house.
Lance Residence
"Well, well, don't you clean up nice." Quienten said when he opened the door at 6:25.
"You're early." He said, stepping aside to allow Oliver inside the house.
"You once said to me that early is on time, on time is late, and late means you shouldn't show up." Oliver replied, and the Detective laughed.
"I'm surprised you remember that." He replied, remembering that Oliver had been fourteen when the Detective had found him trying to get into his sister's elementary school play. He had taken the boy aside and told him that the doors were locked, and he couldn't get in until the intermission. Oliver had tried to protest, saying that his family name would benefit him. It was then that Quienten had told him the very words Oliver had just repeated, continuing to say that the young man's choices would impact how people perceived his family name.
"It may have taken a while, but I finally understand." Oliver said.
"I'm glad to see that."
Oliver didn't reply. His attention had been captured by the woman who had just walked into the room. Sara was dressed in a beautiful black dress that came down to just above her knees, while her beautiful blonde hair was straightened. She smiled as her eyes met Oliver's, the young man returning her smile with one of his own before he crossed the room and kissed her.
"Hi." He said when they broke the kiss.
"Hi yourself." Sara replied with a laugh.
A few moments later the two were in Oliver's Mercedes, heading towards Russo's. Oliver had one hand on the wheel and the other resting on top of Sara's while country music blared through the speakers. The two sang along to the music until they arrived at Russo's. Oliver got out of the car, walking around and opening Sara's door for her a moment later. Hand in hand the two walked into the restauraunt where they were seated by Mr. Russo himself.
"Is everything okay?" Sara asked after a moment, and he nodded.
"You are so beautiful." He said quietly, and she blushed. His tone was the same as it was when he had told her she looked amazing the night of their first date. As though he thought she was the most beautiful woman to walk the Earth, and no one, not even her sister could compare. That gave Sara pause. She and Laurel hadn't spoken since their earlier argument, and she had never seen her sister so angry with her before. However, she also knew Laurel was wrong. She didn't know Oliver like Sara did. She only saw what she wanted to see. She didn't see the man who currently sat across from Sara, who was treating her like she was a Queen. No pun intended.
"I'm sorry Ollie, what did you say?" Sara asked, and Oliver smiled.
"I was asking what was on your mind. You seemed like you were a million miles away." He replied, and she shook her head.
"It's nothing. It doesn't matter." She replied, and he nodded.
"Okay. But I need you to understand something. I'm not here with you tonight because I want to have sex. I'm here because I want to be with you. No one else." He said, leaning over and kissing her softly. She smiled when they broke the kiss a moment later.
"How do you know what I need without my asking for it?" She asked, and he smiled.
"It's part of my job as your boyfriend. Assuming I'm not being too presumptuous?" He asked, and she held her chin in her hand, pretending to think for a moment.
"Not at all. But there is one condition." She said, and he raised an eyebrow in question.
"I get to be the girlfriend." She said, and he laughed at the reference from Drake and Josh, remembering the rainy days he, Sara, Laurel and Tommy would spend watching the show.
"It's a deal." He replied, just as the food arrived.
The two ate the meal, Oliver making a few comments here and there. Mostly he just listened to Sara talk, feeling as though he could listen to her for days and never get bored. He learned that Shinedown was one of her favorite bands, at least at the moment. She seemed to have a new favorite band every few weeks, much like when she was a child.
"I still remember when you discovered Nirvana." He replied, and she groaned. She had run up to her father, announcing that she had discovered this great new band. Quienten Lance had promptly told her that Nirvana had been around for years before proceeding to put on one of his old 8-track tapes.
"You listened to that tape for weeks." Oliver said, and Sara smiled.
"You listened to it with me."
"Of course I did. You enjoyed the music, so I did too. Speaking of music, there's one more place I want to take you."
"Care to give me a hint?" She asked, and he chuckled.
"It's a surprise." He replied, paying for their meal before the two headed back to the car.
Ten minutes later they pulled up to a nondescript building that was covered in grafitti.
"Ollie. What the hell is-"
"Sara. Do you trust me?" He asked, reaching for her hand.
She nodded, taking his hand with her own. They walked inside the building, Sara's earlier trepidation being replaced with awe. While the building's exterior may not be much to look at, the interior was an entirely different matter. The ceiling was painted yellow to go along with the yellow walls, and tables dotted the floor, with each table surrounded by comfortable armchairs. A couple dozen people were present, sitting at various tables around the room. Candles were on each table, and lanterns hung from hooks on the walls. The light gave the room a soft, intimate feel, and allowed for a perfect view of the stage that dominated the front of the room. A cordless microphone was set on a stand on the stage.
Oliver kept hold of Sara's hand as he led her to a table near the stage, helping her to her seat before taking the seat next to her.
"What is this place Ollie?" She asked, and he smiled.
"I bumped into someone at Big Belly Burger one day, and we got to talking, found out we have similar tastes in music. He told me about this place he took his best friend, told me that it does karaoke every night. I figured I'd check it out. The music is always interesting, and the owner makes a mean cup of coffee. More importantly, no one cares about my last name. I like to come here from time to time and just get away from everything."
"OLIVER!"
"Speaking of, there are Barry and Iris now." He said, standing up and greeting Barry with a handshake before embracing Iris.
"Iris West, Barry Allen, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Sara Lance." He said, and the three shook hands.
"It's great to finally meet you Sara. Oliver's said a lot about you." Barry said, and Sara glanced at Oliver.
"I may have mentioned how much I thought you might like this place." He said, and Barry and Iris laughed.
"Oh you mentioned it alright. About twenty times by my estimation." Iris said, and Oliver groaned.
"Sara would just love this place. I should totally bring Sara here. But what if she doesn't want to come, especially after things didn't work out with her sister?" Barry quoted, and Oliver groaned again, shaking his head.
"He didn't?!" Sara laughed, and Iris laughed right along with her.
"Oh yes he did. I swear I've never seen Oliver so nervous on stage." Iris said, making Sara turn toward her boyfriend.
"You didn't say you sang here." Sara accused, a smile on her face.
"I was going to make it a surprise." He replied, sending a mock-glare towards Barry and Iris.
Their conversation stopped as a man in his early thirties walked onto the stage, tapping the mike once.
"Good evening everyone. I'm glad to see you are all here. And it looks like Oliver finally brought a date. It's about time."
"She can't be with him. She's too attractive!" A man yelled out, and Oliver flipped the man the bird.
"Thanks for the announcement Jason." He said to the man on the stage, who just chuckled in response.
"Anytime. Now I know you all didn't come to hear me talk. So who will start karaoke tonight?"
Ollie found himself being volunteered as Sara raised his hand, her own hand wrapped around his wrist. He just laughed and made his way onto the stage. After a quick word with Jason, the man handed Oliver the microphone.
"What'll it be tonight?" Jason asked, and Oliver smiled, saying something so that only Jason could hear. The man just smiled and nodded before stepping off the stage.
Oliver suddenly felt his throat go dry. His song choice was not what he had initially planned, especially not for a second date. But as he thought back to his dream from last night, he knew that it was the right one.
He heard the sound of the guitar coming from the speakers hidden in the walls, and he began to sing.
I can't count the times
I almost said what's on my mind
But I didn't
He locked eyes with Sara, seeing everyone else disappear. He couldn't believe that it had taken him this long to ask her out, to tell her how much she meant to him. He had known her for years, almost asked her out at least a dozen times before finally dating Laurel instead.
Just the other day
I wrote down all the things I'd say
But I couldn't
I just couldn't
He had spent hours in his room, torn apart page after page of paper trying to figure out the best way to ask her out. But nothing fit, nothing was just right. Finally he had just asked, and she had said yes.
Baby I know that you've been wondering
Mmm, so here goes nothing
He remembered how she had seemed so far away earlier, her thoughts dwelling on her conversation with Laurel. She had defended him to her sister, and he hoped that any lingering doubts she had about him, about them, would be gone by the end of tonight.
In case you didn't know
Baby I'm crazy bout you
And I would be lying if I said
That I could live this life without you
Even though I don't tell you all the time
You had my heart a long long time ago
In case you didn't know
She didn't know. She couldn't have known because he had denied the truth for so long. All those years he was with Laurel, he had never felt this way. But he knew as he sang the words that they were true. Sara Lance did indeed have his heart, and the idea of a life without her in it was a horrifying prospect.
The way you look tonight
That second glass of wine
That did it, mmm
Okay, so they had only had one glass of wine with dinner. But that wasn't the point. The moment she walked into the living room in her dress, he knew he had never seen anyone so beautiful.
There was something bout that kiss
Girl it did me in
Got me thinking
I'm thinking
The kiss they had shared the night of their first date had been the best of his life, and as cliché as he knew it would sound, the kiss had been perfect. All he could think about after that was the next date, the next time he could see her again.
All of the things that I've been feeling
Mmm, it's time you hear em
He didn't want to wait another day to tell her how he felt. He hoped that she wouldn't think that he was lying, that he was playing with her emotions or leading her on. But he wanted her to know that he loved her.
In case you didn't know
Baby I'm crazy bout you
And I would be lying if I said
That I could live this life without you
Even though I don't tell you all the time
You had my heart a long long time ago
In case you didn't know
You've got all of me
I belong to you
Yeah, you're my everything
He had looked around his room this morning, and he had realized that he didn't care about any of it. For years it had been about the new car, the latest phone or the nicest suit. He had been a stereotypical rich kid, and the idea of a permanent relationship terrified him. That was partly why he had refused to move in with Laurel. He was nowhere near ready to put down those kind of roots. But the idea of putting down roots with Sara didn't scare him. If anything, he was hoping and praying for the day when he and Sara would put those roots down together. Whether that was in the Queen Mansion, a small apartment in Starling City or a deserted island didn't matter in the slightest to him. As long as Sara was with him, he would have everything he needed.
In case you didn't know
I'm crazy bout you
I would be lying if I said
That I could live this life without you
Even though I don't tell you all the time
You had my heart a long long time ago
Yeah, you had my heart a long long time ago, mmm
In case you didn't know, know, know
In case you didn't know
He had stepped off the stage and walked over to where she was sitting next to Barry and Iris as he sang the chorus for the final time. Sara looked at him, tears visible in her eyes, and Oliver felt his heart stop. Had he said too much too soon? And then her lips were on his, and he felt his heart begin to beat anew.
A moment later, the two of them broke their kiss, both blushing as the room broke into applause.
Jason walked onto the stage, preparing to ask who wanted to sing next. Before he could even get the words out Sara had crossed the room and stepped onto the stage. She knew exactly what song she wanted to sing.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review, and the next chapter will be up soon!
