Chloe had spent her time well while Oliver organised their date. An hour had been spent soaking in the bath, although admittedly, fifteen minutes of that had been trying to extract herself from the large tub. She was thankful for the waterproof he had given her earlier, because there was no way her bandage would have survived the escape attempt.
She had dried her hair into curls and taken her time applying her make up. It had been such a long time since she had any reason to look her best that she enjoyed making the effort. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was happy with the results.
Turning on the stool, she looked at the garment bag hanging on the closet door. She had yet to gather the courage to look at the contents, but time was creeping along. Oliver would be knocking on her door in ten minutes.
Gradually getting to her feet, she limped towards the bag, ignoring the shoe box that had been placed on her bed.
As she slowly lowered the zip, a vision of green silk was revealed to her. It was beautiful; simple and elegant. It was practically made for her. She even managed to avoid rolling her eyes at the obvious colour choice.
She slipped the cold material over her head, thankful that she had worn her nicest underwear. It would have ruined the decadent feel of the silk if she had been wearing her simple cotton panties. She felt sexy, and that was a refreshing sensation in itself.
The beautiful choice in clothing was not the only reason for her lingerie choices that evening. She hadn't planned on what had happened the previous day in the pool, and she was determined not to make the same mistake twice. She should have realised that with Oliver you could only expect the unexpected; hence tonight's underwear choice.
She opened the shoe box to find a pair of green peep holed shoes. She thanked God that he had chosen a pair with a small heel. If he had selected fuck me heels, there would have been a good chance she would have collapsed with the first step.
After slipping them on, she turned to look at herself in the mirror.
She was glad that the bruising was starting to fade in places, but despite the beautiful dress, she still felt like a mess. The bruises accompanied the healing cut on her neck, her bandaged arm and her wrapped knee.
"He's got to be crazy to want to date this." she mumbled to herself.
Before her self-depreciation could continue the sound of her phone ringing cut her short. She picked up the offending object and frowned upon reading the caller ID.
"Clark? Is everything alright?" she answered
"Did you receive the basket?"
With a simple abrupt sentence, he had confirmed her earlier suspicions about his influence on Lois sending the package.
"Yes, I did. It came this morning."
"Lois has been waiting for your call all day."
Chloe sighed. She should have known that this was coming. "That's because I am not ready to speak to her yet."
"I thought you wanted to rebuild your relationship with her."
She could hear that he wasn't happy with her. For a man that was able to keep such a large secret, he was lousy with hiding his emotions. "A part of me does, yes, but the other part of me also acknowledges that I was left alone in the hospital without a single word from her."
"So you're going to just ignore her? Don't you think that hurting her feelings on purpose is just a little bit childish?"
Chloe could feel the tension forming in her shoulders with frustration. "Tell me, Clark, did you talk to Lois like this? Because I don't appreciate being talked to like a child. My cousin hasn't had the decency to call me once, and because of a box of cookies everything is supposed to be forgiven?"
"You're being unfair Chloe."
"No, Clark. You are. For once I would like you to be a friend to me, and put my friendship at the forefront of your mind for a change."
"I am. I did this for you!"
"No, you're not! You put everyone's feelings before mine - Lana's, Lois', yours. If you were really thinking about my feelings here, you would be urging Lois to have this conversation with me. Instead, I am talking to you, being berated for not jumping to meet everyone else's expectations!"
"I'm thinking about the both of you. You need to talk to Lois, you can't avoid her."
"You'd know all about avoidance. You're the first to skirt around issues that are too hard or too painful."
"She's trying, Chloe."
She couldn't help but snort over his response. It seemed that selective-hearing was his new super power. "No. She isn't. And I'm guessing that she only sent that basket after persuasion from you. Am I right?"
"That's not the point."
"It's totally my point." She could feel the tears begin to form in her eyes. She didn't want to cry; Oliver would be there any minute and she didn't want him to see her like this again. "I'm hanging up, Clark. I'm tired of being made to feel bad about the actions of others."
Without listening to his response she ended the call. If he knew what was good for him he would stay in Smallville, and leave her in peace to think.
She put her arms on her dressing table and leaned against the wood, trying to take steadying breaths.
She didn't want this. Tonight was supposed to be about spending time with Oliver and enjoying her life in Star City, not reopening healing wounds.
Chloe looked at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but there were no other physical signs of her negative telephone conversation.
The knock on the door snapped her attention from her reflection.
Oliver.
After double checking that no stray tears had escaped, she gingerly made her way to the door. Upon opening it she was greeted by the sight of Oliver holding a bouquet of tulips, dressed in designer jeans and a dress shirt.
He gazed at her outfit appreciably before offering her the flowers.
"You chose to go with the dress I see," he said with a satisfied smirk.
Smiling, she took the tulips from him before inhaling their light scent.
"I wouldn't want my bumps and scrapes putting you off."
"I like your bumps just fine."
Chloe rolled her eyes at his lack of subtlety.
"I'm sure you do."
"So, Miss Sullivan, are you ready for our date?" he offered her his arm, and she took it, smiling back up at him.
"As long as tonight doesn't involve too much walking around, I am more than ready."
"In that case then," He swept her up into his arms as she clung to him by the neck, "your chariot awaits."
Oliver carried her all the way to the dining room. Chloe rarely came in here, instead preferring to eat in the kitchen with the guys.
Instead of the bright room she had seen on brief occasions she found the room to be softly lit by candles. A low fire was crackling in the fireplace, adding to the warm glow, and in the middle of the room a table was set for two.
The place looked intimate and secluded – for once she was at an absolute loss for words. It was the most romantic setting she had even been in.
"I wanted to do something special. I'm keeping you cooped up here twenty-four hours a day, and I needed to find a way to make it up to you." He set her gently onto her feet before carefully leading her to the table.
"It's beautiful, Ollie. Thank you."
"It's not much, but I made it all myself. Well, apart from dessert. I'll admit to sending out for that."
She grinned, thinking that she was lucky to be able to safely warm a can of soup. "I'm impressed. I didn't know you could cook."
Oliver pulled back the chair so she could sit and then poured her some wine. "I aim to please!" he said, shooting her a smirk before sitting down himself.
She waited until he took a sip of his wine before speaking.
"So, did this wine cost twenty-four thousand dollars, too?"
Oliver choked on his drink and coughed into his napkin. Once again she had caught him completely by surprise.
"How did you find out?" he cringed.
The amusement danced in her eyes as she sipped on her wine.
"You left the empty bottle behind. I was bored…so I Googled the label."
"In my defence, I didn't realise what wine I had picked up until I got to your place. I didn't pay attention and brought along the first bottle I could put my hands on."
Chloe slanted him a suspicious look, still clearly amused at his discomfort.
"In all fairness, it would have been wasted on the guys. Who else would I have shared it with? That's not a wine to drink on your own."
"Just…look a little more carefully in the future? I felt sick for three days knowing how much that bottle cost."
Chloe remembered the nausea as she read the findings aloud. She had even cross-checked the figure with other sources, just to make sure she had read it correctly. In one night, she had consumed more than her yearly salary in just three glasses.
Taking her hand from the table, he brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles lightly. "I promise. No more outrageously priced alcohol in the future."
Merlyn sat amongst the trees with his binoculars in hand, watching the intimate dinner.
Anger didn't cover how he felt at that moment. If it wasn't the Green Arrow foiling his plans, it was her infuriatingly clingy friends.
If he had known that she was whoring herself out to Oliver Queen when he struck the deal, the terms would have been a little different. He hadn't counted on the extra security measures the billionaire could afford. This girl had too much luck. The slightest infringement by the Green Arrow and he was cutting the bet loose.
Chloe Sullivan was beginning to infuriate him. It had never taken this long for him to claim a target's life once his sights were set. He was used to winning, and he hated the thought of losing, so it was time to step up his game.
He would win, fair play or not.
Chloe closed her eyes as she slipped the fork from her mouth, savouring the last bite of the moist chocolate fudge cake. It had to have been the most luxurious thing she had ever eaten.
"That was…wow."
"I take it back, I made the cake."
Opening her eyes she saw Oliver staring at her intently. "Nice try." She put the cutlery down and leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "So…I can tell by that gleam in your eye that your plans for tonight didn't just include dinner. Feel like sharing?"
Smirking, he pulled a small remote from underneath his napkin and turned up the soft music that was playing in the room. "Nothing too bad, I promise."
Oliver stood before offering Chloe his hand. "There's nothing wrong with dancing, right?"
"I don't think I am in much shape to be twirling around."
"I was something a little less Viennese waltz, and a little more high school."
"I think I can handle that."
Chloe smiled as she took his hand, and he pulled her gently into his arms. They rocked together slowly, neither aware if they were keeping time with the music.
After a while Oliver finally spoke. "I have to admit that I couldn't do everything I wanted to on our first date. It's not as romantic as I had hoped; staying here has put a real limitation on things."
Chloe raised her head from his chest to look into his eyes. "This is the most romantic thing that anyone has ever done for me."
"You've never had anyone cook for you? Not even Jimmy?"
"Let's not make a list of all my love life's shortcomings." She rested her head back on to his chest as they swayed to the music. "I just want to enjoy the rest of tonight."
"Hint taken; but for the record? When life returns to some semblance of normal, I'll show you a night you'll never forget."
"I'm not one for grand gestures or fancy nights out. Tonight was perfect."
"I know, but I can't help wanting to spoil you. Everyone deserves special attention at least once in their lives, you especially."
His hand ran slowly down her back before making its way back to her neck. The soothing motion had her sighing softly and pulling him closer.
"What's the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you?" she asked.
He stood there for a moment. She could see that he was seriously trying to think of an answer.
"Huh, I guess I've never really thought that deeply about it."
"Are you saying no-one ever has?"
"Well," the smirk was clear in his voice as he began, "once, a beautiful woman defended my honour using the power of the printed word. She might not have meant it as such, but it's probably the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me."
"If that's the case, then it sounds like I'm not the only one who needs to be swept off their feet."
He laughed softly. "You're offering?"
"Once Merlyn in out of our lives I'll find a way to knock your socks off."
"I can't wait."
Chloe yawned into her hand before turning her head back into him.
"You want to call it a night?"
She was well aware that he knew how hard he had pushed her in the gym earlier that day. It was no wonder she was sapped of energy.
"I just want to stay like this, just for a little longer."
"As long as you want."
Oliver tried to dip slightly so he could rest his chin on the top of her head, but the height difference was so obvious without her heels. He wanted to be as close to her as possible, and enjoy her proximity. He couldn't remember anything feeling so right as her in his arms.
They had continued to dance until the playlist ended. If Oliver hadn't known better he would have sworn she had fallen asleep on her feet.
Pulling his arms from around her, he gently began leading her towards the door.
"Come on, it's time to call it a night. Your leg has to be killing you."
"I know, but I don't want the night to end just yet."
Oliver chuckled before lifting her up into his arms and began to climb the stairs.
"I have the feeling you look for excuses to do this. Does it appeal to the caveman in you?"
"Would you think less of me if I said it did?"
"I think I could look past it," she said as she slipped her arms around his neck.
As he reached her bedroom door he gently settled her onto her feet, but she refused to unlink her arms. Taking the hint he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Good night," he whispered against her lips.
"You know, I remember a certain hero promising to stay stuck to my hip twenty four hours a day." She smiled as she pulled him down for another chaste kiss.
"I can't. I mean, I want to, it's just that I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm not asking for sex, Oliver, I just need your company. Stay the night with me." She finally unwound her arms and took hold of his hands instead. "This way our date doesn't have to end and you can keep your word."
"You have more faith in my self-control than I do."
She opened the door to her room and led him in. "Come on, I promise to keep my hands to myself."
"Your hands aren't the ones we should be worried about," he mumbled as he followed her inside.
Chloe walked over to her chest of drawers and pulled out her nightwear. Oliver was in for a surprise. Her stay here was longer than she had intended, so she had asked Bart to grab a few more things from her apartment that morning.
"You get comfortable, and I'll be right back."
She walked into her bathroom and changed into a white tank top and those shorts. It might be cruel, but she wanted to know if this little outfit really had the impact that he had claimed.
After quickly washing her face of make-up she then walked gingerly back into the bedroom, happy to see that Oliver had finally accepted his fate. He was lying in her bed and from what she could see, he was at least naked from the waist upwards.
She watched as his eyes widened comically. "I swear you're trying to kill me."
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Chloe smiled as she crawled into bed next to him and into his open arms.
She sighed contentedly as she felt his arms surround her as she laid her head on his chest. The sound of his steady heartbeat and the warmth of his skin had her relaxing in no time, and she tried to suppress a yawn. Already she could feel her eyelids growing heavy.
"Ollie…do you think he's ever going to stop?" She had felt like something was not right from the beginning, that she was missing important information and couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She felt his grip tighten slightly, drawing her further onto his chest. "He will."
"Don't you think it's weird how he is so focused on me? I've been no further threat to him, so what's holding his interest?"
"What makes any of these guys tick? All I can do is promise you that I'll take care of it."
"I know you will. You'll keep me safe, I have faith in you."
Chloe did yawn this time; Oliver's fingers gently running across her back were working their magic.
Oliver looked down as Chloe's arm curled further around him. Her words both stung and comforted him at the same time. She had faith in him to keep her safe, but to do that he had to lie to her.
She was strong and she was able to keep a secret. Maybe her knowing about the deal wouldn't be such a bad thing?
More than anything in the world, he wanted for their relationship to work, and they needed trust for that to happen. If she found out he had kept this from her, the fallout would be huge.
He knew what he had to do. He had do take that chance.
"Chloe…there's something I need to tell you." He took a fortifying breath and prayed that she wouldn't kick him out of the bed.
"In three days' time you'll be free of Arthur King. I…I made a deal with him. If I could keep you alive for two weeks, he would leave you in peace. I would have told you sooner, but one of his conditions was for me to keep a secret from you. If he finds out, then the agreement is off, and I think there is only one way it will end. It's all or nothing with him."
She had yet to say anything, and he took that as a good sign. If she was able to listen she would be able to see his point of view – maybe even understand why he did it.
"I just need you to know that I didn't want to deceive you, but I'm willing to do anything to keep you safe, even if you hate me for it. You're everything to me, Chloe."
It had come out in a rush, but he felt the weight lifting from his chest.
She had yet to say anything and he waited for her response. After a few more beats he looked down at the blonde cuddled up close to him. Her breathing was deep and even.
She was asleep.
He groaned and hit his head back against his pillow.
"This has got to be a sign." Maybe bringing the truth to light now was just a bad idea after all. She would understand once Merlyn was gone why he had done it. She had faith in him, and he had to do the same.