I am so sorry but I completely lost control of them. Lol! They went rogue on me. This chapter was also supposed to be a whole lot shorter...

Okay, also timing wise I'm going to wing it and ignore proper procedure and lengths and stuff that comes with weddings. The ceremony was in the morning, they had lunch and will also be having dinner. They're celebrating the entire day and I don't care. Look, I need like an entire day to fit everything I want to into this wedding story. Plus, it was a huge ass wedding, it doesn't seem practical to go through all that trouble only for like a couple of hours. So entire day it is ;) This is like after lunch ;)

So on fire, so in love way back when we couldn't get enough remind me, baby remind me

He pulled a laughing Sara in again, until she was back in his arms, swaying them to the music. He had forgotten how much fun they used to have dancing, how much he missed moments like this one. How much he had missed her company. It was fun. He was seriously enjoying himself for the first time that day. Dancing with Sara like they used to as kids, just enjoying themselves was exactly what he had needed. It was easy. He led, she followed. Oliver was pretty certain that everyone who knew Sara now would probably be surprised by the fact that she never had an issue with letting him lead, to put herself in his hands and trust him and just fall in step. There were a lot of parts of her life where she wouldn't hand over control and fight tooth and nail to keep it. The bedroom or battlefield sprang to mind, yet the dance floor had never been one of those places. Understanding her role perfectly given the fifteen plus years of almost professional dance training she's might have corrected his stance, or steps or told him how to move her, but she'd never physically taken over the lead, while they were dancing.

God, she'd missed this. She missed dancing in general and having fun with Ollie in particular. It was a shame that moments like this one had become a rarity over the last few years, and it was hard to believe that they'd used to do things like this all the time. That they used to hang out constantly. She had to laugh at the overtly dramatic moves he'd decided on, not that he was wrong. The song was very, very over the top and made her want to puke. This level of obsession the singer was talking about was anything but healthy or romantic, so Ollie's dramatization was very on point. And the disgusted look on his face was hilarious. She also very much appreciated the knowledge that she wasn't the only one who felt nauseous at the amount of lovey-dovey unrealistic expectations the chosen songs were indulging in. Sure, it was a wedding but, they could've at least picked a couple of songs that weren't all sugary sweet and a teenager's fantasy about true love that were not at all grounded in reality.

They were mostly just having fun, not seriously dancing, just enjoying themselves, and maybe slightly goofing around. Love songs weren't their thing, so making fun of them came only naturally, and was almost a habit. They used to ridicule them back in their teens, just like they had rom-coms, something he still wasn't a fan of, and he knew neither was Sara. Now their mocking was less obvious and a lot more subtle. A shared grin or eye-roll, depending on just how over the top the lyrics to the song were. They were just simply not taking it all too seriously. He twirled Sara again and just watched her, the way her simple but elegant dress hugged her curves perfectly, the straps accentuating her muscular shoulders and arms, the V-neck doing the same for her breasts in a very tasteful way, the delicate golden necklace she'd gotten from Laurel and was always adorning her neck stood out against the dark blue and the pale color of her skin. The fabric of her dress flared out at the bottom, creating a sensual look as it caressed her strong legs while she was moving to the music.

His parents had, of course, made sure he knew his way around the dance floor. There was no way the heir to the Queen name wouldn't know how to properly dance. He had not been too happy about attending Cotillion Class, the more in-depth one that took longer and went into a lot of detail, but there hadn't really been a choice and it had been useful later on to impress girls, so that had paid off. Especially once he and Sara had gotten involved. She'd loved dancing, and he'd loved making her happy. So, it had worked out great. Plus, she had regularly used him as a stand in while practicing specific dance moves, even before their affair, which had also improved his knowledge and skills on the dancefloor exponentially. The fact that he'd regularly driven her to her dance lessons, once he had gotten his license, and mostly stuck around because there hadn't been much to do around the neighborhood the dance studio had been located in and with that there hadn't really been a point in leaving and coming back for the one or two hours the lessons had usually been because by the time he'd reached a place to pass the time, he'd have had to turn back around to make sure he'd pick her up on time. Him sticking around had been an opportunity Sara's teacher had used to get him involved and show him some moves. She'd said, since he was going to be here the entire time, distracting her girls, he might as well make himself useful.

She couldn't believe that she hadn't been out dancing, like really dancing, in years. That the last time they, and she, had done this had been before the Gambit. Dancing used to be like breathing for her, something she hadn't been able to go without. Now she got a similar effect from working out and fighting, but it wasn't the same and she only now realized how much she'd missed the high that came from letting herself completely submerge into the music and her body just follow the beat and melodies. And if she were entirely honest with herself, which she refused to be, just how much she'd missed being in Ollie's arms, to submit herself to him and put herself entirely in his hands, handing control over to him and just following his lead. It was familiar and liberating in a strange way. Knowing that he'd never let her fall and catch her, no matter what. It was the kind of trust she only had in him. It had been one of the reasons why he'd been her favorite dance partner, even if mostly a reluctant one, at least until she had him on the dancefloor.

Oliver remembered now that they were on the dancefloor that it used to be an escape for them both, no one was trying to have a conversation with you while you were dancing, well, no one but your dance partner and Sara'd always been a joy to spend time with and still was. So yeah, this was nice, and he'd have to thank her later, wondering now if this was why she'd chosen to drag him to the dancefloor; it was an acceptable hideout that no one would question or wonder about, and it did give him a breather after the time he'd been forced to spend within very close proximity to Felicity. Not something he'd chosen if he'd been given a choice. His preference would've been to avoid her for the foreseeable future. But that wasn't an option right now, at least not until the festivities died down, which wouldn't be for several hours.

He wasn't sure how long they'd been dancing by the time they returned to his place, he'd completely lost track of time, but obviously they were still in between the scheduled parts of the wedding celebration. He looked at his watch; it was almost another hour until it was time for the toasts, plenty of time to still spend with Sara. He realized, just as Sara must've, that the only free place at his table was his chair. Oliver contemplated for a moment whether they should go to her place and check if they had two free chairs there; he looked at Sara and she raised an eyebrow at him in question while cocking her head towards his chair; he understood the question perfectly. He moved the chair further back than necessary for him to sit and sat down, his hand brushing the blonde's hip and pulling her towards him. Sara dropped sideways into his lap and made herself comfortable, perching one of her elbows on his shoulder in a familiar routine and he couldn't say he minded, he wrapped his arm around her back placing his hand on her hip, giving her some support. This was a rather familiar position; they'd done this countless times at parties or clubs when seating had been sparse, so neither of them thought much of it or considered how it might look to people. It just made sense to them. Oliver wasn't ready to have her not be by his side. It would be early enough that she'd be forced back into her seat for the next meal. And he was hellbent on spending as much time with her as he could get. Come tomorrow, they'd have to part again, not knowing when or if they'd ever get to spend time with each other again. That was the hardest part. The not knowing, given the way they lived their lives, there was always a chance that it would be the last time they'd see each other, get to spend time together; either of them could die; all it took was for one foe to get lucky or one misstep on their part. He pushed the dark thoughts away. Right now, they were together and given an entire day, more or less, to enjoy each other's company, and he was going to make the most of it.

It took her all of two seconds to push the thought that this might not be their brightest idea, given the situation between Ollie and Felicity and the way it would look, from her mind and letting Ollie softly guide her into his lap. Her eyes strayed to Alex for a moment, who still looked very tense and awkward at her presence, while shifting around to find the perfect, most comfortable position Ollie and she had discovered years ago, yes, she didn't want to make this day harder for the other woman, but for crying out loud, they were both adults, they'd had fun, but that was about it. It hadn't been a big deal and there was absolutely no reason to turn last night into something it wasn't. And she really felt like being selfish right now. She hadn't been aware just how much she'd missed Ollie until today and she was not going to sacrifice spending time with him just to not make other people uneasy because of her presence, or how comfortable they were with each other. Also, both Alex and Felicity were strong-willed adults, at least as far as she could tell about the first given the limited amount of time she'd spent with Alex. And it had been the two women's own choices that led them all here. So fuck this. She was going to have fun, and make sure Ollie did as well, and she was going to spend as much time in his company as she could get. If this was the last time they'd get the chance to just hang out, she was going to make the most of it.

He leaned forward and took hold of his water glass which was taken from his hand midway to his mouth by a delicate, yet calloused hand he let go but turned towards her with a raised brow she smirked and winked at him before downing half of the glass and handing it and the rest of the water back to him. He drank what was left in the glass and refilled it, handing it back to her. Dancing definitely got them parched, which wasn't that surprising since they'd been out there for good an hour.

"Thank you." This time she'd emptied the entire glass before handing it back to him. Smiling at him.

"Sure, there's plenty of water left." He smiled back while refilling the glass and swallowing it in one go. Holding it back out to her in question. She shook her head at him, and he placed it back on the table.

"No, not the water. Thank you for indulging me. I haven't had the chance to dance like that in a long time. I missed it." She nodded her head towards the direction of the dancefloor where they'd just come to make sure he understood what she'd thanked him for. It had meant a lot, more than he probably realized, that he'd stayed out there with her for as long as he had and hadn't bailed after the first couple of dances, had he let on that he was done after their first dance, she'd let him leave without a fuss. She'd asked for one dance, and he'd given her what she'd asked for. But as it was, he'd stayed and danced with her for a lot more than just one dance, and she really appreciated it.

"It was my pleasure. Besides. it's not like I had much of a choice there." He winked at her because it was true. There had been almost no way for him to get around sharing a dance with her, but it had been his choice to stay on the dancefloor with her for as long as he had. And it was the truth. It had been his pleasure, and he had enjoyed himself and had missed dancing with her as well. Sara rolled her eyes at the little dig at the end but returned his grin, and the fact that he was joking was easily detectable given the mischievous twinkle in his eyes, just like she could see the truth of his statement that he'd enjoyed himself as well. If she was lucky, she might get him to dance with her again before the end of the day. She wouldn't push. He'd given her more than she'd expected, but asking wouldn't hurt. If he told her no, that was fine, but since there was a slim possibility that he might say yes, it would be stupid not to ask and pass up the opportunity.

Her eyes took him in, studying his face. He looked good, really good the stubbles were a good look on him. She'd noticed before, but now, given the closeness of her position… the less clean-shaven look was very hot and made him look even more attractive than usual, especially with the evening attire. It was a nice contrast. Last time she'd seen him with a beard had been on Lian Yu, but that had been a whole entirely different look given the length of his hair in addition to the beard. She'd really liked the longer hair on him, it had had something wild, unkept and it had been so different from what she'd been used of him, it had been refreshing and enticing. And very hot. She'd loved playing with it in the evenings, before they fell asleep. She'd been kinda sad when she came back home and he'd completely cut it off, she got it and it was also a very good look for him, but she sort of would've loved to indulge in some of the fantasies she's had had…

"By the way, love the new look reminds me of Lian Yu. I kinda miss the hair, though." Sara changed the subject, taking hold of his chin to underline what she meant. If she were anyone else, he'd wonder if she were serious about the hair or not, but one, he knew Sara and therefore could tell whether she was serious or not and two, it wasn't the first time she'd told him that. He still didn't think it had been one of his better looks, but Sara seemed to disagree with him on that. She'd also made it very clear to him, that she'd thought the long hair was a far better look than the one he'd had when they got onto the Gambit, and fair enough, that hadn't been his best look either, not that her bangs had been her best look. Her comment on Lian Yu had been'very Kurt Cobain'. Again, not something he necessarily agreed with, once he saw his clear reflection in Hongkong, but she'd insisted and who was he to disagree with her, especially since she'd always had a thing for the late musician. Nirvana playing while they were having sex had not been a rarity. Cobain's voice put her right in the mood. And she had had her hands in his hair a lot or toyed with them whenever they'd had some downtime on the island. She'd also enjoyed combing it with her hands or even braiding it when she was bored. He was grateful that there was no physical evidence of that one, because if he was certain about one thing, it was that braids weren't something he'd look good with. Sara never actually gave him an answer to the question how it looked. Which was an answer in and off itself. It hadn't kept her from repeating the action though. She'd at some point told him it was calming, when he'd complained about it, so he'd let her. She'd been a ball of nerves pretty much the entire time they'd spent on Lian Yu together, so if braiding his hair helped calm her down, who was he to deny her? And it wasn't like he didn't get what she meant. He'd done the same with her hair. Difference just was, Sara looked great with braids.

He felt her hand caress his beard while she was studying him, her eyes looking at him in concentration, and he wondered what was going on in that mind of hers. She was lost in thought for a while, her hand softly moving across his face before she seemed to snap out of it. She grinned at him before playfully slapping his cheek and removing the hand from his face. Part of him wanted to ask what she'd been thinking about, but he kept quiet. They both focused on the different conversations at the table to decide which one to participate in.

She liked him in a suit, the bowtie wasn't really her thing, but Ollie could pull it off, the vest was a nice touch and made her wonder if he was wearing suspenders under it. The thoughts that crossed her mind while mentally removing the vest and adding the suspenders to his current outfit with the stubble he was rocking were way too sinful. Looking as beautiful and seductive as he did should be against the law. She'd always loved it when he wore suspenders, she loved the way she could use them to pull him wherever she wanted him to go. The way they accentuated his strong shoulders and slipping them past those and down his powerful arms always got her excited for the things to come. She forced her thoughts out of the gutter and back to the present, grinning at him while patting his cheek before taking her hands off of his face, removing temptation, sort of.

Cisco, Kara and Alex were talking about the weirdest things they've eaten, and Oliver decided that was the safest conversation to partake in, and he actually could while using a positive instead of a traumatic memory.

"Sar and I tried grasshoppers and Maguey Worms once in Cancun. I was not a fan." It was true, he'd thought it was rather gross and the whole aphrodisiac claim that was made about the worms and was the main reason why they'd decided to try them had proven to be wrong, at least where they were concerned. The worms might have had another effect on other people, but it had done shit for them. Not that they'd needed an aphrodisiac, they just thought it would be fun if it worked and they wanted to know how exactly it would affect them. They'd already had a healthy and most likely above average sex drive, so they'd been curious. That, of course, had been before they'd gotten shipwrecked and were forced to eat whatever they could find on Lian Yu. His opinion might be different now, not that he planned on trying them again. He'd been forced to eat more than his fair share of things he'd never thought he would and most definitely didn't feel like repeating. He stuck to the foods he actually knew he enjoyed.

"That was not in Cancun. We didn't try the bugs in Cancun, we tried them on the trip we took without Tommy, and I was exactly twice in Cancun. Both times were with you and Tommy during Spring Break." What the fuck was he going on about? They hadn't been to Cancun. Sure, she hadn't been paying that much attention and she'd been kind of distracted by him. They hadn't seen each other in weeks when he'd showed up at her dorm hellbent on taking her away for a few days. She'd only hesitated for a moment, and he'd helped her pack because he had refused to tell her where they were going, so she hadn't known what she'd needed. Ollie had also decided to get one of his family's private jets to get them to wherever he wanted to take her, so it wasn't like she'd had a ticket with the destination on it or the pilot would've told them before takeoff or landing. They'd also had spent the entire flight occupied with each other. She'd been majorly distracted by him and his rather unusual but very affectionate behavior towards her from the moment they got off the plane until they reached the destination of their hotel. And she honestly couldn't have cared less where he'd taken her, all that had mattered to her had been that they were together.

"Yes, it was in Cancun and yes, you were in Cancun twice, once during Spring Break with Tommy and once just with me." He clarified and set her straight, sure the argument was settled before it even began, given the fact he'd been the one who'd organized the trip. Only Sara didn't seem to have gotten the memo, which was rare.

"No." She just looked at him as if he were stupid and not remembering it correctly, which fair enough happened occasionally, especially with events pre-Gambit. He'd been drunk or high most of the time, so his memories were usually so-so. Sara's tended to be better, even though she'd been drunk or high a lot of times as well.

"Woman, who planned and paid for the trip? Trust me, it was Cancun. We ate the bugs in Cancun." But this time around, she was the one in the wrong. It were rare occasions that she wasn't right, but this was one of those. They had been in Cancun when they ate the bugs, and he knew that for a fact.

"No, it was not. It was in Mexico, but it wasn't Cancun." While they had spent the majority of their time there within the confines of their hotel room, well suite really, Ollie never did halves, and the times they had been outside she hadn't really paid that much attention to signs that would've let her know where they'd been, she'd also been too distracted by him and the way he behaved towards her. They'd been holding hands, kissing and just been affectionate towards each other. They had been allowed to just be in love, even if they'd both barked at the implication back then, neither ready nor willing to admit just how hard they'd fallen for each other and how in love they'd truly been. The distance to their home and anyone that might have known or recognized them had given them a freedom they'd never really had before, and it had both been liberating and entirely distracting. It was one of the best memories she had about their affair, and she cherished it immensely. But she was still sure they hadn't stayed in Cancun. She couldn't recall exactly what the name of the place they'd stayed at had been, neither of the hotel or the city, but she was sure it hadn't been Cancun. She'd seen it on the hotel's stationery in their room, and she'd remember it for sure if the address had been Cancun.

"Yes, it was." He wasn't entirely sure why she insisted he was wrong and kept pushing the issue. And why she was so certain that they had not been in Cancun and convinced that he wasn't able to remember the exact location he had taken her to, when he'd been the one who had decided to whisk her away for a couple of days because they'd been busy with school, well mostly her, but still, and that had meant that they hadn't seen each other in weeks and he'd seriously missed her. Of course back then he'd rationalized that he'd missed the fantastic sex and his friend, neither willing nor able, given the circumstances they were in, to admit that he'd been a goner and so fucking in love with her it hadn't even been funny. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about where he should take her. He knew he wanted to go somewhere with her, somewhere where people wouldn't recognize them, where they'd get the chance to just be together, even in public. A party town across the Mexican border had seemed like a good place for that. Even if they'd run into someone they'd known, chances were the person would be drunk or high or both and forget the encounter. Or believe whatever lie they'd told them.

"No, it was not. We never went to Cancun without Tommy." They were both staring at each other now, it was a battle of wills and he wondered if he seriously needed to dig through his financial records to prove to her that they had indeed been in Cancun, he could literally show her the receipt, his family's finance people had it all saved. Every credit card statement, every charge that had been made with any of the cards his family had possessed. It might take them some time. It had been a good ten years ago, but he was sure he'd be able to prove it to her if he had to.

"Yes, we did. Spring Break 06 we went to Cancun. Spring Break 07 we went to Tijuana and June 07 you and I went to Cancun." He explained the way the trips went. He wasn't even remotely unsure of the matter, because he had planned all three of them, the two Spring Break ones with Tommy, the last one alone.

What the hell was he talking about? They hadn't been to Tijuana, Tijuana was known for its crime rate and drug cartels, she might have done some stupid shit, but she wouldn't have gone to Tijuana for several reasons, while her dad would've flipped if he'd found out she'd been to Cancun with the boys, he would've lost it and probably arrested them all had they gone to Tijuana. It was one of his'not ever under any circumstances rules', and those had been the ones she'd actually never broken, because he had explained to them why and mom had usually helped make them, well mostly her, understand her dad's side and why he insisted on it, most of the time it had been about their safety, and mom's explanations had been plausible enough for her to not break those few very specific rules. She broke all the others several times over just to make sure she kept a healthy balance between doing what she was told and doing the exact opposite of what she was told.

"No, both times we went to Cancun was with Tommy. I don't know who you took or when you went to Tijuana, but it wasn't with me. I've never been to Tijuana. Dad would've killed me. Scratch that he would've killed all three of us." Okay, fair enough, he couldn't fault her for insisting she'd never been to Tijuana, that one was on him and Tommy. Exactly because of that fact; Quentin would've killed them, and they were already risking life and limb simply by taking an underage Sara, given she'd still been under twenty-one and therefore not legally allowed to drink even if she'd been eight-teen or nine-teen respectively and with that an adult under the law, to Spring Break especially in Mexico. Quentin would've already not approved would they've stayed in the US but the fact that they not only took her across the border but into Mexico? Yeah, no one would've ever found their bodies had he learnt about that. So they weren't going to take any chances, by letting anyone know that they were going to Tijuana. And since they took one of his family's private jets, she hadn't been the wiser.

"Which is why we didn't tell you, but Spring Break 07 was in Tijuana. Sar, babe, trust me, the trip we took in June 07 was to Cancun. Just a different part of the city than the one we went to in 06. Not that we saw much of the city on either of those trips, but still, we were in Cancun both times." He insisted, putting emphasis on his words, trying to make her understand just how sure he was about the matter. There may be parts of his life before the Gambit that weren't as clear, things he might mess up and others he couldn't remember, like the time at Tommy's party she'd mentioned on Lian Yu where he'd spilled beer on her, he'd tried to recall that specific event but he just couldn't, given the regular substance abuse he partook in, but this wasn't one of those events. This wasn't a hazy, blurred memory, with parts of it missing. This one was as clear as the ocean had been the day they'd taken a walk along the shore. And he needed her to know and understand that. This trip had been too important, had meant so much to him. To get the chance to spend five whole days alone with her without having to worry that someone might find out about them, have her all to himself for the duration of their mini vacation, had meant more than he'd been willing to admit back then. It had meant everything.

"We weren't in Cancun, O.J." She looked at him confused and he wasn't sure if she was questioning him, his sanity or herself and her memory at this point. Maybe it was a combination of all.

Sara was confused, he seemed extremely sure of himself but at the same time she knew she had a memory of looking at the address on the notepad in their room and thinking the name of the city was pretty, which wouldn't have been a thought crossing her mind if it had said Cancun, she would've thought about her previous times there which had included Tommy. She tried to visualize the moment she'd read the address on the paper, but she just couldn't. She hadn't been paying that much attention to it, and it had been a fleeting moment before she'd gotten distracted by Ollie again. God, they'd been so in love back then, it had been sickening.

"You are awfully insistent for someone who didn't organize any of the trips and didn't pay a dime, all three times. We may have rarely left the room our third time in Mexico, but it was still a room in Cancun." He was aware of the change in mood and tried to lighten it. It was getting heavy as shit, and he wasn't entirely sure why.

"No, it was not." God, they'd had zero self-control back then and been incapable of keeping their hands off of each other, especially during the trip they were arguing about. If she were honest, it didn't fucking matter where he'd taken her. It had been amazing. But telling him that right now would look like defeat and as if she was admitting that he was right, and she was wrong and she was sure that they hadn't stayed in Cancun and therefore refused to give up and end their argument.

It was almost as if they were having a deeper conversation underlying this one, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was about. But whatever Sara was trying to tell him, or what she was thinking, she was wrong and while he needed her to know that, he also didn't feel like ruining the fun mood they'd been in before this whole thing started.

"Birdy, I planned the trip, I booked the trip, I paid for the trip. And I took a lot of time and energy to organize it. I think I remember where I took you to." He tried again, but he wasn't sure what else he could do to convince her, what else he could say, she didn't seem to want to hear him, he could try to see if he could look the financial records up on his phone, that would convince her for sure.

"Right, like you remember taking me to the W in LA, except I've never been to the W. We've been to the Roosevelt, and you liked to watch me in the glass room, bathroom while I was stripping down to my Kiki de Montparnasse in the top suite at Chateau Mormont, but we've never been to the W." There was a teasing edge in her voice, especially when she was using Lana del Rey's words which fair enough were describing some of those times they'd spent at the Chateau pretty accurately, letting him know that she'd realized the change in mood as well and made an effort to get back to the less heavy more fun and easy-going one from before as well. And damn, she'd looked down right sinful in the lingerie he'd bought her. He slightly shifted in his seat at the memories.

"Are you seriously starting a new argument while we are still in the middle of another one?" He was teasing even though a part of him was incredulous and the other part highly amused, it could mean that she was theoretically calling defeat, she tended to do shit like that when she realized she was losing the argument, she'd throw something else at him to distract him, most times than not it would be a piece of clothing, her go to was usually her bra, but it wasn't like she could just get naked right now, and he was pretty sure she wasn't wearing a bra, given the way her dress was cut and hugging her chest. Even though the thought of how everyone might react to her ending the argument by taking her dress off was highly amusing and he had to suppress a grin at the thought. Not wanting her to think he was laughing because of her, that could lead to violence on her end. So, it was possible she was using the next best thing, which was memories of her being almost naked.

"Maybe… but technically it is still the same one cause you can't recall shit." She leaned in, getting into his face while saying that before moving back and lightly hitting his shoulder, grinning at him in a challenging way. Alright, she wanted to play? They could play. Especially because she was going to lose this game. Unfortunately for her, she picked the two events he knew for a fact that he was right, and she was wrong.

"I hate to break it to you Birdy, but you'll find out at the end of this argument that you're the one who can't recall shit, starting with the night we spent at the W." And that one quite literally.

"You have never taken me to the freaking W! The Redbury, yes, but not the W." Wait, what? When had he taken her to the Redbury? He was just about to say something but stopped himself at the last minute. There was no reason to add yet another layer to the argument, even less one that she might actually win. It was a fifty-fifty chance that he had actually taken her to the Redbury at some point, he was almost certain he hadn't but different from the other two arguments, he wouldn't bet on it. So, he dropped it for now, deciding to stay focused on the two arguments he knew for a fact he was going to win.

"I did take you to the W, just not during our affair. It's not my fault you can't remember that night. You decided to go to LA with some guy you just met'cause he had a great car and was smoking hot', you called me in the middle of the night all fucked up, lost and alone, I got my ass to Hollywood in record time and picked you up and I got us checked into the W. I still don't know what the fuck you've been thinking and what you've been doing that night, but you were seriously messed up and it thankfully ended in a suite at the W instead of a ditch somewhere in East LA." It was pretty easy for him to recall that night. He'd been at a party down in Malibu, had planned to crash at one of his frat brothers' place after. It had been the weekend, and they'd decided to not spend it at Stanford but in LA at said frat brother's house. His friend's folks had been in Europe, so he'd had the house to himself and decided to throw a party. Sara had called him around one, maybe two in the morning. Her voice had been slurred, and she hadn't made any sense. It had taken him a good while to figure out where she was, he'd been more than surprised when she'd told him LA and wondered how the fuck she'd gotten here, it had only been the next day that she'd told him about the guy who'd taken her. Luckily, Sara had walked past a group of people who'd been able to tell her where she was, which in turn had meant that he'd known where to get her. She had somehow managed to walk all the way from Sunset Strip to Hollywood and Vine and he to this day had no idea how the hell she'd managed that in the state she'd been in. But that had been part of the reason why he'd checked them in at the W. It had been close, and his dad used to stay there when he was in LA for business, which meant they'd get a room for sure even at three in the morning.

"In my defense, he was really, really hot. The sex had been great, and he'd driven a fucking Chevy Malibu. I might have intentionally lost him around Whiskey a Go Go's... chances of getting in were just better without a guy attached." He rolled his eyes at her, but had to grin at the same time. It was just such a Sara thing to do or say.

"Fair enough." She'd pulled that one on him and Tommy as well a couple of times. And it was true, Sara had never had any trouble getting into clubs, not that he and Tommy had once they confirmed their identities, but Sara sometimes just hadn't had the patience for that.

"And it worked, I did get in, I met some guys, there might've been some gals as well, I think I left with the gals actually and we went to the Viper Room, and after that I'm not sure... I vaguely recall walking along the Strip and calling you, but that's about it." Sara looked contemplative, almost as if she was trying to recall more of that night. She eventually just shrugged her shoulders. She'd long moved past the pre-Gambit events in her life that might have been rather traumatic, but she'd never admit to.

"You threw up in my Bugatti." It was another attempt to lighten the mood, which had once again turned serious, given the topic and the implications. It was the truth nonetheless, and it hadn't been the first time, well the first time she'd thrown up in his Bugatti but not the first time she'd thrown up in one of his cars. He'd also had to carry her into the hotel and up to the room, because she hadn't been able to stay upright.

"So you've told me." Sara rolled her eyes and grinned at him, understanding what he was trying to do with that statement. She'd tried to recall more of that night before, especially the next day when Ollie had decided to drive her home, he'd tried to figure out what had happened and how she'd not only ended up in LA but in the state she had been in. She hadn't been able to recall anymore then than she was now. She couldn't even remember throwing up in his car, or anything about the hotel, and he'd never specified which one it had been. And they'd never really talked about it after. Both prefering to pretend it had never happened. Denial had been their choice of handling shit like that more times than not. He'd mentioned once or twice over the years that they'd stayed at the W once, but she'd never given it too much weight, simply assuming he was either mixing things up or confusing her with someone else. Looked like it had been neither. According to Ollie they'd had room service for breakfast, but she was drawing a blank. The next memory she had was of them in the car on the way back home to Starling. She didn't remember getting into the car, Ollie'd told her she'd fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd driven out of the parking, but she had no memory of any of this. She did remember the diner they'd stopped at shortly after she must have woken up. But everything between calling him, which was a very vague memory, and being in his car on their way home was just none existent.

"You also scared the shit out of me with that call. It was a good thing I wasn't actually at Stanford, but in LA myself. Otherwise, I don't know… you were easy pickings that night. I'd still say someone put something in your drink, I've never before or after seen you like that." Yes, he was aware that he just ruined his own attempt at lightening the mood, but he couldn't help it, he'd been very scared that night, he'd even considered taking her to the hospital. Looking back now, he should've. But he hadn't been sober himself and his mind therefore hadn't been working properly. He'd taken care of her, cleaned her up, put her in some of his clothes and made sure she drank plenty of water before they both fell asleep. It had been one of the stupidest things he'd ever done. Chances where that depending on what she'd been given she could've died. They'd been lucky that night and he'd love to say they'd learnt out of that experience, but they unfortunately had not.

That hadn't been one of her best decisions, well truth be told that night had been a series of very bad decisions, the only smart one on her part had been calling Ollie and even that couldn't really be considered as smart in hindsight, he'd been severely drunk as well, given the hangover he'd been nursing the next day, and he'd driven all the way from Malibu to Hollywood because of her. But she couldn't say she regretted that choice of hers. Sure, they'd both gotten extremely lucky. It could've turned out completely differently given the poor choices they'd made. But Ollie had found her and kept her safe and she wasn't sure and she really didn't want to think about what could've happened to her had he not. There'd been too many moments like those in her teens, and one could wonder why she'd never once learnt from any of them. But it looked like all her luck in that department had run out before she boarded the Gambit. She shook her head to get rid of those dark thoughts and the path they would lead down. This wasn't the time or place.

"Maybe, I don't know... I mean, it's possible. So fine, you were right with the W, but you are still wrong about Cancun" He knew Sara didn't like to think about it, not that night and a handful of others that had left her in a vulnerable state given choices she'd made back then, and he got it, plus compared to what she'd been through since… she once again rolled her eyes at him and was slightly pouting while handing him the win, but also made sure he knew she wasn't calling defeat yet on their original argument, her petulant behavior once again led to a more fun mood.

"Do I seriously and quite literally need to show you the receipt? Because I can." He'd won argument number two, and he was going to win number one as well, no matter what it took.

"Well, then, Queen, put your money where your mouth is." She looked at him expectantly, with amusement in her eyes. He got his cell phone out of his pocket and logged into his credit card account, hoping he could go that far back. Sara shifted on his lap, so she was able to see the screen as well while he sifted through all the charges in June from that year.

"Here, the credit card receipt from the hotel. We were in Cancun." It took a while, but he finally found the charge. Sara took the phone from his hand to see better.

"Nope, see here, address says Puerto Morelos, which means we were not in Cancun, like I said." She handed the phone back to him with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Are you serious right now? The hotel was like a ten-minute drive from Cancun." He wasn't going to let this go so easily. There were several more charges on the card from that trip, all of which were made in Cancun.

"A ten-minute drive from Cancun is not in Cancun." While she was theoretically right, so was he and he wasn't just going to let this one go, there were too many arguments between them that she'd won. He wasn't going to let her add this one to the list.

Okay, so they'd been to Cancun, fine whatever. But they hadn't stayed in Cancun. The hotel had not been in Cancun and therefore she'd been right. And he was wrong, insisting they'd been staying in Cancun. And given the fact that they spent a good eighty, if not ninety percent of the trip at the hotel, she was more right than he was.

"Yeah, but the sparse time we spent outside our hotel room was spent in Cancun, not in Puerto Morelos. So, you still were in Cancun with me. And in Tijuana with Tommy and me." They had been in Cancun together, without Tommy, so the hotel might have been over the city limit, but that didn't change the fact that they'd been in Cancun together, and nothing she was going to say was going to change that fact.

"Yeah, but'thehotel room we barely left', was not in Cancun." She used air-quotes and mimicked him while saying that and he knew she knew that he'd been right and won this argument as well and that was why she was focusing on semantics just so she could claim this as a win for her. Which it was not. And he wasn't going to let her get away with that tactic this time.

"Fine, the room was not, but we still ate the bugs in Cancun and not in Puerto Morelos, and you were in Cancun with just me and without Tommy." He summed everything up nicely, now being the one looking smug while her eyes were turned into slits and it was obvious that she was not amused, but she couldn't argue those facts, just like she couldn't argue against the credit card statements that clearly confirmed what he had told her all along, that they had been in Cancun together.

"Fine, whatever. I once ate a Cobra heart, well, and some of the dead snake's meat. I've had better and I've had worse." Sara turned back towards the table and changed the subject back to the original conversation. He'd known about that one. She'd told him the story of how she'd ended up in Vietnam on a mission for the League which somehow had led to her having to eat the snake's heart out of courtesy.

It was shortly after, that their conversation was interrupted by Joe, letting everyone know it was time for the toasts. He let Cisco and Caitlin go first, and exchanged a look with Felicity, to figure out if she wanted to go first, but she just shook her head, letting him know she wanted to go last. He gave her a curt nod as confirmation. It really didn't matter to him.

"You got your notes?" Sara looked at him questioningly, patting his breast pocket, knowing that was the place he usually kept them, while quietly asking the question to not disturb anyone.

"Yes, but I don't need them. It's shit anyway." He whispered back. It was the truth. He'd decided to forego the prepared toast and just improvise.

Sara wasn't sure what he was talking about. She knew him. He took things like this very seriously and he was extremely talented when it came to writing speeches or toasts. There was no way in hell a toast he'd written for his friend's wedding would be shit.

"If you've written it, I'm sure it's great." He appreciated Sara's words, and it wasn't that what he'd written wasn't good, but he'd written the toast with Felicity in the back of his mind and given the current state of their relationship, he really didn't want to use it. It felt wrong and like a lie. They were currently on a break she insisted on and he wasn't sure they'd ever come back out of. So, using words he'd chosen while believing he and Felicity would make it work this time around, almost felt like he would be tainting Barry and Iris' relationship. And he wasn't going to do that.

It took her a moment to realize what he was actually saying. Not that she doubted his ability to come up with a great speech on the spot, he'd done it before but one, this was a wedding toast and two, he was currently rather vulnerable given his own relationship problems. This might not be his best idea.

"Wait, are you saying you want to wing it? Your wedding toast to one of your closest friends?" the surprised look and incredulous tone of her voice once she realized what he'd been implying was highly amusing.

"Yep, that's what I'm saying. It'll be fine, Birdy, trust me." At least he hoped it would be, because as of right now he had no clue what the hell he was going to say, and it looked like he was running out of time. The clapping was slowly dying down, letting him know it was time for him to get up and say his part.

"Alright. You do you, boo. Here's one for good luck." Sara pressed a quick peck on his lips. It was nothing romantic, or sexual or anything, really. Like she said, just a good luck charm, and he could use it, he helped her get off his lap right after and then sit back down onto his chair while he stood behind it, his hands holding on to the back of the chair, brushing her shoulders, giving him strengths. She was sitting slightly sideways, so she could look at him and smiled encouragingly. He returned her smile before putting his focus on Barry and Iris. There might have been nothing to the kiss, but it still left a tingling sensation on his lips that was hard to ignore.

Sara wasn't entirely sure what she'd been thinking. It had been an impulse decision, like most were where Ollie was concerned. If sitting on his lap might not have been their brightest idea, kissing him on the lips in front of everyone, even if it had been completely innocent, seriously she might as well have been Moira, was definitely worse. Sitting on his lap might not be smart given the way people might interpret it, but hey, there was really nothing to it. The kiss though… even if it had been quick and nothing that would warrant any serious speculation or outrage and would've perfectly fit in a PG movie, it probably wasn't the best look. What also didn't help any were the thoughts that came with that action. The kiss had been over in less than a second, and she now really wished it hadn't been, wished she'd gotten a chance to taste him and have his taste linger in her mouth after. Fuck! That had been a stupid move, a really, really stupid move. She tried to push the thoughts away and ignore the sensation his lips on top of hers had created. Focusing on him and his improvised speech.

He took a deep breath and a moment to gather his thoughts. His original toast was about love and romance and all that shit. It hadn't been bad, but it was nothing he felt right now. So he focused on the aspect of their relationship he was currently able to relate to and that wasn't ripping his heart to shreds thinking about. He decided to put emphasize on their beginning and with that the foundation for their marriage.

"It was around five years ago, at a chance encounter, that I met Barry. And suffice to say, at that moment I would've never expected him to become one of my closest friends. It was about a year later that I had the pleasure of meeting Iris and to then, even if from a distance and the sidelines, watch their decade old friendship turn into more. There is nothing more precious than a childhood friend who just understands you without you having to explain things to them because they were there for most events of your life. They understand you on a level few people will ever be able to because they were by your side and watched you grow from a child into an adult and those are the friendships that last a lifetime, it's almost as if once you get past the dramatic teenage years and early twenties and they still stick around, there's literally nothing that will get rid of them and you're stuck with them forever." He glanced at Sara when he felt one of her hands settle on his forearm, his other hand had somehow ended up on her shoulder, his thumb caressing her neck and playing with the gold chain around it, while her open hair was falling over it like a waterfall hiding his actions from the rest of the room, returning the grin she was throwing at him.

Sara was taken aback by Ollie's words. She had not expected those. Not expected the direction he was taking his toast, but she was touched by his words and knew she wasn't interpreting shit in it the moment his hand made contact with her skin, softly caressing it. Her hand had found its way onto his forearm, holding on to him, and softly stroking the patch of skin between the sleeve of his shirt and his hand. What the fuck were they doing? She wasn't sure, just like she wasn't sure she really wanted to think about it. She bit her lip but kept her eyes on him, not wanting to miss anything he said or the emotions he was displaying.

"Barry and Iris hit the jackpot, because they turned their best friend into their life partner, and I think there's nothing more powerful, beautiful, meaningful and precious than that. I think during tough times it will help them to remember what the foundation of their marriage is, where it was built and to look at the other person not as their spouse but as what they've been originally, their closest and most treasured friend. A sound foundation makes a safe home, and there's nothing stronger than a foundation built on friendship. Here's to Barry and Iris and a beautiful friendship that will now become a beautiful marriage. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you guys only the very best and a lot of happiness and laughter to carry you through the hardships life brings, and there is no one more capable of painting a smile on one's face even at the darkest times but a true friend." He lifted his glass towards them, ignoring the nails digging into his forearm. It was only after waiting for the appropriate amount of time that he took his eyes off the couple and down to the woman in his seat, pretty close to drawing blood on his arm.

He was just about to say something when she let go of his forearm, only to hit him hard on his biceps.

"Ow." He rubbed the place she'd hit him, not only for good measure but because it seriously hurt, she hadn't held back, and Sara threw quite the punch. He was certain he'd end up with a bruise.

"Asshole!" She still got up and let him sit back down and lowered herself back into his lap instead of seeking out her own chair, so whatever he'd done to make her mad wasn't that bad.

"What exactly was that for?" He watched her go through his suit jacket, which was draped over the back of their chair, her face was turned away from him and he waited patiently until she found whatever the hell she was looking for. It was when she sat back up, leaning halfway into him, that he realized what she'd looked for; his handkerchief, which she was now carefully dabbing at her eyes, and it was in that moment that he noticed the sheen of tears dancing in her gorgeous sky-blue hues. Oh, shit. No wonder she'd hit him. He'd made her cry. He had to bite his lip to hide the smile. No need to aggravate her further. One bruise was enough. Sara was a big softy. She just didn't want people to know. He wrapped his arm around her and drew her closer into his chest, kissing her temple. But it was nice to know that the toast he'd come up on the spot had been touching enough to get Sara crying, that pretty much meant he'd knocked it out the park, which was good to know.

"Sorry I made you cry, Pretty Bird. But also, I meant everything I said. Thank you." He whispered the words in her hair, still biting back the grin given her very untypical display of emotions. It was cute, not that he'd ever tell her that he wasn't suicidal. Still, he liked her being vulnerable and showing emotions. It was very sweet, actually pretty damn adorable, but again a thought he would never share with her, not wanting to risk coming in close contact with one of her hidden knives.

"Shut up, asshole!" she hit him again, this time into his chest with the back of her hand. It was only a halfhearted attempt at best and the action made him chuckle slightly. He squeezed her tighter and kissed her crown affectionately. Letting her bury her head in his neck to hide her display of emotions from everyone else. And give her a secure place to get her bearings while everyone was focused on Felicity and her toast.

Notes:

I have no idea what this is, first Oliver got away from me with his toast, and then Sara with her reaction to it… sorry if it feels out of character for either or both of them…

Look, Sara's a marshmallow… just like Oliver. He took her by surprise, she did not expect that. Plus, also, idiots that they are never told each other how much they loved each other, yes they subconsciously know, obviously but neither of them ever said the words, so this is the closest Oliver has ever come to actually telling Sara that he loves her, so give the woman a break. And in true Oliver fashion, he's not actually aware of it.

Also, yes, Sara listens to Lana del Rey, which means Oliver listens to Lana del Rey... Sara's using his Spotify account.

Also this story seems to have unintentionally turned into a writing experiment where I'm branching out and mixing up my usual style… let me know what you think cause I'm not entirely sure yet. Do you like it? Don't you like it? Does it makes sense? Are the switches between characters confusing? Any and all inputs are welcome and appreciated, as long as they are constructive.

And yes, I've just posted a freaking almost 10k chapter, what is wrong with me? This is like the longest chapter I've ever written.

Chapter title is from the song "Remind Me" by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.