Chapter 24

Watching as the coffee brewed, Oliver knew this felt a little wrong. For while he usually made coffee for a blonde woman... it wasn't this blonde woman. However, he wasn't going to be an ungrateful host, so he filled up the cup and sighed before heading to the bedroom, knowing there was a good chance Leah wasn't sleeping anymore.

Knocking on the door, Oliver opened it to walk inside, seeing his company stretch her arms before recognizing his presence.

"Morning Leah," he said with a smile.

"Morning," she replied, a curious expression forming as she pulled back the covers. "Since when do you make coffee?" She had known Oliver too long to know that despite owning a coffee machine, he hardly knew how to use it. When he shrugged, Leah took the cup, as it smelt amazing, but after a single sip, she realized that he could make a darn good cup now. Looking up at Oliver, Leah was about to ask what inspired him to learn how to make coffee, but before she had a chance to speak, his grin fell, providing her with the answer she was looking for. "Well, I understand why you called me now."

"Come on, you needed me there just as much as I needed you. It was your event, remember?" Oliver crossed his arms, more than willing to bring up her frantic phone call to him earlier that week.

Leah remembered the phone call, but she didn't have the heart to tell Oliver that he was the one to offer his company for last night. "Oliver Queen, hesitant," she said as she slipped her dress over her head, a quiet chuckle following as she smoothed it against her body. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"I know the feeling," he countered, as this was basically a case of the pot calling the kettle black. There was a reason they were so comfortable in each other's company, and while the usual suspects were once involved, that was far from the case now.

Leah caught his insinuation, but she took another sip of coffee before walking past Oliver into the main area. There was somewhere she had to be and the tabloids had to have their shots by now, so there was no point in delaying her inevitable exit. "Well, thanks again."

Oliver sighed as he leaned against the doorway, deciding to let her in a little more. "Like you said... I needed the distraction."

Nodding, Leah continued towards the elevator, but she stopped upon seeing his bow on the floor. He really wasn't kidding, because since their university days, archery had become an escape rather than a hobby to Oliver. Picking it up, Leah pursed her lips before saying, "Hal told me you'd been shooting more lately. Hearing that brought back a lot of memories."

Pushing himself from the wall, Oliver walked towards Leah to take the bow from her, not wanting his friend to read too much into it. "Second year spring break comes to mind," he replied, trying to shift the conversation from the path that Leah wanted to take it.

"Shots and arrows after nailing midterms... among other things," she replied, taking the bait only because he wanted her to. Although she wasn't sure why he wanted to talk about the only time the tabloids would have been right about their relationship.

That week, they had come here to celebrate and spend a few days away from campus. They also knew what they were getting into, but they wanted to do it on their own terms. Because Leah knew that had been a big deal, as she met Oliver Queen the first week of university and she had made him wait for her instead of immediately falling for his charms.

In the year-and-a-half of post-secondary education between those dates, they got to know each other quite well. It was how Leah came to truly respect Oliver and what he tried to do. They unfortunately shared the inability to accept who they really were, but they were great at helping each other.

Which led to the night in question. Leah was never supposed to see the bow, but it was left out, leading to them challenging each other while sharing the effortless banter they always had.

In that regard, Leah would always give the tabloids a smidge of credit, because her and Oliver were perfect on paper. But it wasn't perfect, and that was clear the morning after, a time Leah would never forget, when Oliver had turned over, failing to find the words to say.

The conversation was a lot better, wasn't it?, she had asked him, and from there, relief showed across all of his features. More reasons, including the real deal-breaker, would come later, but despite all that, they had held onto a friendship that Leah wouldn't trade for anything.

However, her job had its consequences. The clothing line had taken most of her attention this year, so while he had seen the pictures of him and Chloe Sullivan, Leah tried not to intervene. The way she saw it, Chloe was another version of what she had been once to Oliver. It was what she thought until last night, and especially this morning.

The look on Oliver's face said it all, because when they split, if they could call it that, their friendship fell back into place. But now... now he didn't look like the CEO that just narrowly avoided a crushing blow.

Leah turned to walk towards the target, the arrows in the dead centre. He hadn't lost his touch in that department, but it was crazy to think how much had changed since that night. Finally hearing his footsteps once more, Leah reached up and pulled the arrows out. "We were a lot different back then, weren't we?"

Oliver shrugged as he took the arrows from her to put them down on the table. "I don't think we were supposed to be completely mature then." He heard Leah laugh, a welcome sound after the quiet that had existed in this place for the last few weeks. Unfortunately, it only reminded Oliver of the reason the quiet started. "Finding the right people that help us realize who we really are also helps with that."

"After that, it's a matter of accepting that happiness," she whispered. "God knows we aren't too great at holding onto the good things in our life."

Reaching out, Oliver squeezed her shoulder with his hand. "We held onto each other, didn't we?"

"And for that, I'll always be grateful." Leah moved his hand away, taking a few steps away as she stared at the blankets left haphazardly on the couch. It should have surprised her, especially considering that he had three bedrooms in this place, but it didn't. "My life wouldn't be the same without you."

Oliver knew what she was alluding to, but he knew to give credit where it was actually due. "The clothing line was your dream and your business savvy. I just introduced you to the right person to show off other people's clothes."

Of course he underplayed his efforts, classic Oliver as far as Leah was concerned. She chuckled quietly while she folded the blanket, a small token of her appreciation, because she knew that there was no way she could fully repay the favours Oliver had given to her. After patting the blanket, Leah looked over her shoulder, ensuring their eyes met before she said, "You also introduced me to the love of my life."

The declaration caught Oliver off-guard, because Leah was the type to divulge as little personal detail as she could. Plus, the way she spoke about her relationship last, Oliver didn't think things had been going that smoothly. But it was encouraging to know that, because it allowed Oliver to remind Leah that he wasn't the only one who was hiding. "Which leads me to wonder why you haven't told your parents yet... or anyone for that matter. You could be a real inspiration to some people and I know you're braver than this."

She blinked, almost not believing her ears. Deep down, she knew this side of Oliver, but they never really talked about this. It was what it was to him, the details didn't matter. But it appeared that the blonde journalist did more than she thought. Giving Oliver a smile, she said, "Tell you what, I'll tell them when you tell her."

His eyes had narrowed upon hearing that, watching as his friend picked up her purse. "I'll hold you to that," he called out.

It was a faster response than she had expected, but Leah couldn't help but laugh as the words sunk in. "Good, because I expect you to follow through." Leaning back in the elevator, Leah shrugged. "Just think... we'll explode the tabloids together." As the doors shut, she made sure to add, "Someday."

~0~

It had been a long night for him, but Ian knew that he had it easy next to someone else he knew. In covering for a co-worker, he had decided to sleep at the Ace of Clubs after cleaning up from last night's shift. That was technically discouraged, but he really didn't feel like going home to an empty apartment for five hours.

Besides, the Saturday morning and afternoon shift was the easiest because barely anyone came here in need of a bartender before three p.m. The waitresses were busy, as they handled the early lunch business meetings, but the place seemed quiet, almost the opposite of the buzz last night. Ian swallowed hard as he remembered the look on Chloe's face when she realized something was going on. He was willing to bet she had no idea, or else she wouldn't have come here last night. But then again, he also didn't expect her to come by so soon after the headlines, and here she was.

Chloe sat down at her favourite stool, almost acting as if nothing was wrong, so Ian decided to play along, even though he knew she was wearing the same dress as last night. "Either you're having a really good morning or a really bad one," he said.

"A strange balance of both actually." What inspired her to come back here, Chloe wasn't too sure. She knew there wouldn't be too many people, but if she really wanted a drink, she could have raided Oliver's liquor cabinet. It's not like he would have minded. But she was here now, and Chloe figured that she might as well tell Ian that her life wasn't completely messed up. "I'm going to be on the Canary Call next week."

"Seriously?" Ian's eyes widened as he pulled out a glass, ready to make up a celebratory drink of her favourite. "Chloe, that's incredible news." It was also a well-timed break that Chloe desperately needed. However, based on her expression, the bad was still stronger than the good. "But I know that look... what's the bad news? And don't just say the tabs. I know you better than that."

This was the down side of befriending a bartender, as Ian could read her way too easy. As much as the photos hurt to see, it hurt mostly because of the timing of their release. "The wedding's this afternoon."

"Actually, that's good. That means that..." His voice trailed as he heard a clink on the counter. The source of the noise was a couple of cufflinks Chloe had placed down. Initially, Ian thought they might were Oliver's, but based on the conversation, Ian realized they were someone else's. "Please tell me those aren't Jimmy's," he asked nonetheless, hoping he was wrong, but Chloe only pursed her lips, confirming his fears. "Chloe."

"I don't need a pep talk, I just need a drink." Chloe put down some money to pay for the drink, but Ian pushed it back.

"Comin' up."

Hearing him step away, Chloe put the money, along with the cufflinks, back into her purse. It felt wrong to hold onto them like this, as they felt like weights everywhere she went, but like Clark said, it was a burden she carried with her. That was true, whether they were hidden in a drawer or in plain sight.

Pressing her elbow against the bar, Chloe leaned her head against her hand as she saw her drink come into sight. "I should go, shouldn't I?"

"To the wedding? Yeah you should." There was no doubt in Ian's mind, although he never expected to be the one to tell her that. "I don't see you as often as many people, and I'm sorry about your mom, Chloe, but a blind man can see that you need to move forward. I think that going will be what you need to truly start fresh from everything that has happened this year. It may even help you decide what you really want from a certain billionaire."

Her mouth gaped open, as she hadn't anticipated him to bring up Oliver, a conversation she desperately wanted to avoid. "Ian, please."

Unfortunately for her, Ian didn't drop the conversation. "If you came here for the alcohol, you wouldn't have asked me that question. My guess... you came here because my girlfriend is studying abroad for the next three months and you've heard me complain about the distance." Ian could practically hear the interjection, the denial on her lips, but he never let her speak it. "And before you try to spin that, keep in mind who served your drinks the real night you met and left with him."

Chloe's eyes widened at the accusation, but it was a fact she had long forgotten. In all this time, she never realized that their secret wasn't just theirs. "You knew?"

Ian nodded, almost surprised that she didn't realize that from the start. Apparently whatever happened that night had hit her harder than he thought. "I knew the story then. I admit, now's a bit blurry, but I think I can still provide what you're looking for." Leaning against the bar, Ian added, "Distance sucks, but you get to see who you are outside of that person. Except now, he has to wait for the right time to call and timing... can be a bitch."

"Understatement," Chloe said, scoffing before taking a sip. Timing was about the furthest thing from being their friend. Between company crises to family emergencies, they had seen it all. Telling him the truth while she was vulnerable was a risk on a good day, but it seemed like she had been vulnerable this whole time.

Recognizing how his friend was lost in her thoughts, Ian dipped his head, his eyes noticing the tabloid that someone had brought in this morning. He had actually stolen it from the customer, giving them a free drink in exchange, but he didn't want to have those pictures in his sights, not when it was complete bullshit.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Chloe uncharacteristically believed the headlines. "Chloe, I've seen the tabloid covers and I've heard all the stories behind this bar counter. I don't believe a single one of them."

"Why not?" The pictures were pretty convincing, the history was there and Leah seemed tolerable next to the other women Oliver actually dated.

However Chloe didn't realize how easy of an answer that was for Ian. "He stopped leaving here with other women," he deadpanned, not surprised to see Chloe's head pop up. "The last time I saw you two together, he offered to pay for your drinks, but instead you left him here. That night, he left alone and after that, the playboy took a back seat. Maybe the odd flirtation, but the guys here used to have bets over which girl he would take home."

He grinned at Chloe, knowing that the wheels inside were turning, as her expression gave that much away. "That stopped once the article was published," he added, staring her directly in her eyes.

"How can you be so sure about now?"

Wanting to respond, Ian held up his finger, putting the conversation on hold to serve another customer. He watched as Chloe stared down at her purse, which he knew had some clothes stuffed inside of it. There was clearly a story behind that, but Ian knew better than to bring it up. Not when more pressing matters needed to be attended to.

"Temptation is always present in his life," he said, catching her attention once more, "but instead of giving into it, he picked the one person he had platonic ties with... because he hopes that even if the tabloids say one thing, you will trust him." Ian waited a few seconds for Chloe to comment, but when she didn't, he said, "But if you want my honest opinion, you could probably make it a little easier on the guy if you gave him a call."

Chloe glanced up at him, sensing a little frustration in his words. "Are we still talking about me here?"

Ian shrugged. "It applies in both cases," he said, making a mental note to call his girlfriend when he got off his shift.

"I don't know, he looks happy." It wasn't the smile she was used to seeing, but it wasn't the fake one he used either. As much as she wanted to admit otherwise, they were still getting to know each other and there was no way for her to know otherwise, even if, like everyone else, her friend disagreed.

"Does he really?" Ian narrowed his eyes, moving his foot to squash down the tabloid in the recycle bin. That got him a weird look from Chloe, as she couldn't see what he was doing, but he quickly moved forward. "I mean, the headlines say one thing, but the look on his face... it's pride for someone else, not happiness in his life."

Chloe rolled her eyes, as she had heard similar lines for too long. "Now you're just pulling stuff out of your –"

"Look again, Chloe. He doesn't even hold her hand, let alone any other suggestive PDA, and their exit was completely staged," Ian interjected, expecting her skepticism. Most of the world would believe this garbage, but there were perks to being a bartender, which meant he could easily read between the lines.

"Staged?" Chloe supposed it could be possible, but why would he stage photos? He told her that he didn't want to be judged by that part of his life.

"I'd bet my next paycheque on it." Ian considered telling Chloe the truth, that he had worked the venue before and that it had multiple back entrances for VIP clientele. He could say that Oliver Queen was smarter than that, that they left the event early because they wanted those headlines, but right now, she had to focus on what she could do right now. "Look, you can ignore everything I just said, but I still think you should go to the wedding, if for no other reason than to put the last of your frustrations behind you. From there, let yourself see where life takes you."

"You know," Chloe said before finishing her drink, "That sounded a lot like a pep talk."

"So don't tip me on your free drink." Ian took the empty glass, tossing it up in the air with one hand, catching it with the other. His eyes moving to meet hers, Ian smirked at Chloe. "But don't tell me I'm wrong about how you're feeling."

Chloe smirked at him before ordering another drink. With mostly everything out in the open, she allowed herself to relax, but with a glance down at her purse, at the clothes showing through, Chloe knew that there was something she had to do first before going to the wedding.

~0~

As she stood in the elevator, Chloe took in every detail, no matter how redundant this trip felt. Last night was supposed to be about closure, but instead it brought everything back to the surface. That's why she came back, trying to look at this place with a different perspective.

After all, their circumstances were partially her fault. He had tried calling her on multiple occasions, but she wanted to ignore him. Therefore, she couldn't blame him for wanting to carry on with his life after months of radio silence. It was one of her worst habits, letting her past dominate her own feelings, as instead of pleading her case, she stood back, allowing herself to fall to second place. But if the time that had passed had taught her anything, it was that Chloe didn't want to lose what Oliver gave her. More importantly, she didn't want him to forget about her.

Stepping outside of the elevator, Chloe dropped her purse down, trying to focus on the good memories, trying to hold onto them instead of pushing them away. The alcohol helped with that, but Chloe knew it wasn't completely to blame, as she had eaten a blueberry muffin en route to Oliver's place. Oddly enough, this was the clearest her mind had felt in a long time.

With a smile, she ran her fingers down the couch, reminding her of the movie nights they had, the talks they would have when the room got quiet, the support for each other that came to them like breathing.

It still hurt thinking about what she had let go of, knowing there was a chance he had indeed moved on. But it was still possible to have him be a part of her life, wasn't it? She had done it before, and there was no reason she couldn't do it again.

It would suck for awhile, it always did before, but life wasn't much better without him. In the end, Chloe was ready to accept whatever role he could play in her life, but she knew that she couldn't wait another second. It was her turn to do some of the heavy lifting to repair their relationship, leading to Chloe walking back over to her purse to pull out her phone and finally find the courage to dial his number.

Time seemed to crawl as she held the phone to her ear, knowing exactly what she wanted to say when his voicemail activated.

~0~

Oliver shook his head as he heard the elevator activate, taking Leah downstairs. With a grin, he moved back to the kitchen, to the coffee pot that had way too much coffee left inside. He should have known this would have given him away. Heck, he should have known Leah would figure out why he wanted to go, but Oliver knew that he couldn't focus on what he lost forever.

Pouring himself a cup, he tried to understand what people saw in the caffeine shot. It wasn't enough that he had made this for her plenty of times, but what made it worse was that tasting it on her tongue was a lot better than drinking it himself. He thought about spitting it out, but instead, Oliver swallowed it hard before pouring the rest down the sink.

I'll tell them when you tell her.

It wasn't really much of a deal, but he had to give Leah credit for her effective job of keeping her personal life private. Her girlfriend would likely disagree, but fortunately for Oliver, she understood the way their friendship worked.

But would Chloe?

It felt wrong then and it felt wrong now to do this to her, but this was something he had to do. He had to get out this place, feel a sense of being alive again. However, it wasn't as easy as opening the door and going out. This fact would seem arrogant at first glance, but it was a rare night when Oliver went out in peace. And he couldn't explain the inevitable photo with a random woman, nor could he clarify his motives in going out as the papers displayed his old ways coming back. Not when the one thing he wanted to ensure was that, even if she let him go, Oliver never forgot his promise.

With Leah, there was a lot he could control, and in a way, she gave him an alibi. She had his back, and she didn't want him that way. But even the best laid plans have a way of backfiring, and last night was no exception, as Chloe wasn't supposed to be dragged into today's headlines. Oliver was so convinced that enough time had passed, but tabloids had proved him wrong.

As if he didn't feel guilty enough already, this only amplified the worry.

You told me that she speaks for herself. So have you let her?

It wouldn't take much for Oliver to figure out Chloe's real reaction to the photos, but Oliver had decided that her long-time silence had told him her answer towards their relationship. After that, all he could do was hope was that this didn't hurt Chloe in any way, but something told Oliver that he wasn't going to be so lucky. Chances are, if he attempted to approach her now, there was no way Lois would let him near Chloe.

And he couldn't blame her, because this is what he wanted. He wanted those pictures to tell Chloe that it was okay to move on. He wanted those pictures to show that even though he hadn't moved on, that he would start spending more time with his quality friends instead of strangers. Take out the pictures and mentions of Chloe... and this is what he wanted.

After a minute, Oliver realized that he had gone through all this trouble to avoid something else that he wanted, making his brilliant plan seem less so by the second. He scoffed, breaking the silence surrounding him, as he wondered if there was any way he could fix this. There had been enough plans tossed his way, as everyone had their say, tossing valid words in his direction. Leah had even summarized their problems in one word.

Hesitant.

In all this time, all he had to do was ask. All he had to do was see if what they had was worth it. The single question they both had avoided for so long was the only one he could think about now. He had a lot of explaining to do, but it was time to fight his own battle, as he could only assume Chloe was getting the same treatment from her friends in Kansas.

Picking up his phone, he took a deep breath, ready to call her, but before he had a chance to dial, her name lit up the screen.

It had been a long time since he had seen this photo on his phone, something he had almost forgotten about. It was a simple photo, one she asked him to delete when he took it, but he kept it. She had full bed-head, her smile shining through, her eyes with a sense of calm happiness while the sunrise came through the cracks between the blinds. She was... beautiful.

But he couldn't answer the phone, not while he didn't know what to say to her and especially while he was unsure he trusted his own voice. So Oliver waited, hoping that she would leave a message. To his surprise... she did, so Oliver acted quickly, not sure why she would be calling right now.

"Ollie, hey. I realized I forgot something at your place, so if you have a blip or something on your security system, it's just me."

He heard the elevator gate, but he never heard it activate, so Oliver assumed that Chloe was still there, standing right outside. "I... I'm sorry for what happened in Star City. You were only trying to help and... I don't know what came over me. Grief, guilt, overall pain, but regardless you didn't deserve that. I know we've changed since we met, but some things haven't changed about me, no matter how much I want them to."

That was something Oliver understood completely, both about himself and about her. It was probably a large contributing factor to their current situation. "However, I want to clarify something. I meant what I said about wanting to forget the pain for a while. You have this crazy ability to make me feel better and I wanted that, but I knew that if you knew... you would care. That still scares me a little, but for the record, that means more to me than you know."

She had given a loud sigh before pulling the elevator gate again, likely pulling it open the rest of the way. "I know you're still busy, but maybe we could start over sometime. Trust me, I know this is slightly cowardly doing this over the phone, but if I didn't do this now, I wouldn't at all. And that is something I would regret for the rest of my life."

"So don't be a stranger Ollie," were the words she spoke as the she pulled the gate closed this time. "Please." The single word almost felt an afterthought, but he felt every inch of meaning behind it. Not to mention the emotion behind of the final sentence she said before hanging up.

"I...I miss you."

The line had been dead for five minutes before Oliver realized that he had been listening to a dial tone. Dropping the phone, he took a long look at the skyline in front of him. Every day he had been here, there was always something missing. It was something that he avoided telling Matt yesterday, but the other man still read him like a book.

You were seeing success, positive recognition for the first time in god knows how long, and then you bailed for what exactly? A long-time dream that had probably changed right in front of your eyes?

Going to Metropolis had allowed Oliver to experience a different kind of life, but in doing so, leaving had led to a new sense of loneliness in Star City. He thought he was fine being alone, living this life, but she made him reconsider that. And as much as he wanted to settle down here, he never thought he would find someone who would see him... and see him that way.

Turning his head back towards where he abandoned his phone, Oliver thought it may be time to make the biggest gamble he had ever partaken in his life. For he could be wrong and screw up everything, but based on the way her voice came across in the message, in the words she spoke, it felt like she was finally ready for more. That was something Oliver had been waiting for, and he had no intention of missing that.

Maybe you'll even be braver than me and take the first step.

He knew that he couldn't have listened to Lois back then, but maybe it wasn't completely too late to take her advice. It wouldn't be the first step, but Oliver hoped it was close enough. Taking one last look at the skyline, Oliver thought about the life that he wanted here, the dream that had been fading. In a way, he had achieved it, but now... it was about time he did something for himself.