Arrowheart

Chapter Sixteen

I'm driving back to Laurel's to pick up Hannah when I get a call from Thea.

E - Hey, Thea. What's up?

T - Liz, have you seen Oliver? I've been trying to call him, but he's not answering.

E - I'm sorry, I haven't seen him. What happened?

T - The Hood attacked my mom.

E - Oh my god. Is Moira alright? She's not hurt, is she?

T - No, but she hurt him. Can you find my brother?

E - I'll try my best. Maybe he doesn't get reception in the club. I'll check there.

T - Thank you. Let me know when you find him.

E - I will. Send my best wishes to your mother.

T - I will.

I hang up and tell Tommy why I can't pick up Hannah yet while changing course to go to Oliver's club in the Glades.

When I arrive, I walk up to the front door, just for it to open with Oliver on the other side. He looks shocked to see me.

Oliver: "Liz, what are you doing here?"

Elizabeth: "I came to search for you. Thea called me. The Hood attacked your mother, and no one could reach you."

Oliver: "I-is she okay? I need to go see her."

Elizabeth: "Of course. I need to go pick up Hannah. I'll be over afterward."

Oliver: "I will see you there."

The next day, I began my training with my father. It's been a week since then, and my body is sore. I don't know how I am keeping up with my daily life. I'm going through some paperwork on my desk when there's a knock at my office door.

Elizabeth: "Come in."

I look up as the door opens, expecting to see Stephanie, but I am surprised to see Oliver enter.

Oliver: "Hey, Liz."

Elizabeth: "Ollie, what are you doing here?"

Oliver: "Well, I was in the area when I realized we haven't been on a proper date."

I giggle while standing up and coming around the desk.

Oliver: "I was wondering if you would like to go on that second date with me. I promise, no burning buildings this time."

I bite my lip as I look up at him.

Elizabeth: "I would like that. How about tonight?"

Oliver: "Sounds great. I'll pick you up at eight, and we can grab drinks or something."

Elizabeth: "Okay."

We are both rather smiley.

Oliver: "I'm lingering. I'm gonna go."

We both chuckle as he turns and leaves my office. I bite my lip again, trying and failing to stop my smile, when Stephanie pokes her head into my office.

Stephanie: "So, how was the surprise visit? You look very blushy."

Elizabeth: "It was a nice surprise. I have a date tonight."

Stephanie: "That's a little sudden. How are you going to pick out an outfit in time?"

Elizabeth: "It's not like I don't have clothes here. But I did forget something. I don't have anyone to watch Hannah tonight."

I groan as I hide my face in my hands.

Stephanie: "I'll watch her for you. I want you on that date tonight."

Elizabeth: "Thank you."

Stephanie: "You're welcome. Now let's get in that closet and pick out a dress."

She grabs my arm and drags me into the closet, where we go through all the clothes before finally picking out my date attire.

Stephanie: "You look hot, Liz. He is going to be all over you tonight."

Elizabeth: "Thanks, Steph. God, I don't know why I'm so nervous. We've been on a date before."

Stephanie: "Yeah, and it ended in a life-threatening fire. Of course, you're going to be nervous. But that doesn't matter. He may be Oliver Queen, party-boy, trust-fund brat. But you are Elizabeth Merlyn. You are a badass, single mother who can do whatever she sets her mind to. You've got this, and he is so lucky to even get the time of day from you."

I pull her into a hug.

Elizabeth: "Thank you for everything, Stephanie. You're the best friend I could ever ask for."

Stephanie: "So are you. Now go knock him dead. I'll pick up Hannah from downstairs and see you back at your place when this date is over."

She pats my shoulder once before Oliver picks me up and takes me to Table Salt.

We've been having a great time together and are now sharing a chocolate souffle and drinking wine.

Elizabeth: "Oh my god, you are so right. This is the best souffle I have ever tasted."

Oliver: "Right?"

I look up at him to find his gaze solely on me, and in an attempt to hide my flushed face, I take a sip of my wine.

Oliver: "I really missed you, Liz. You were the one person I really wanted to see the whole time on that island."

He puts his hand on mine while holding my gaze.

Oliver: "To come home and find out that you had our daughter while I was away was an incredible discovery. I love you, Liz. I've wanted to tell you for a while now."

I can't help but be moved by his words, even though there is one thing he doesn't know, and I know this isn't the moment to talk about it. I hold his hand, trying to keep that thought away for now.

Elizabeth: "I love you too, Ollie. I couldn't get over you the whole time you were gone, and there's no one I would rather be with."

He stands and pulls me up with him by my hand, pulling me into a loving kiss.

Oliver: "We should get out of here. Would you like to go back to my place?"

Elizabeth: "I'd love to."

We walk hand-in-hand to his car, and he gets a call right when we reach it. He groans as he takes it and doesn't sound too happy when he ends it. He turns back to me with a somber expression.

Oliver: "Liz, you have no idea how sorry I am about this, but I have to get back to work."

I sigh, knowing how hard running a business can be, especially when you haven't done it before.

Elizabeth: "It's okay, Ollie. I know what it's like. You can drop me off at home, and we will pick this up some other time."

Oliver: "You are so amazing."

He kisses me once more before leaving for the evening. He had Mr. Diggle drive me home. I was upset that it had to be cut short, but I can understand that he has a lot to do with his nightclub opening soon. I went through a similar phase when I opened my company. Once I entered, I found Stephanie on the couch with Hannah fast asleep.

Elizabeth: "Hey, how long has she been out?"

Stephanie: "About half an hour. She wanted to wait for you."

We both chuckle a little before I pick up Hannah and take her to her room. I return to Stephanie once I've tucked her in and closed the door.

Stephanie: "So, how was the date?"

Elizabeth: "Cut short. Something came up that he needed to take care of at work."

Stephanie: "You've got to be kidding me."

Elizabeth: "Steph, it's not like he did it intentionally."

Stephanie: "Yeah, okay. But can't he take a night off and try to spend time with you? It seems like he's always cutting everything short lately."

She huffs like this is happening to her.

Elizabeth: "Hey, how did you feel on those dates you had to miss when we were putting together my fashion company?"

Stephanie: "Every guy thought I was blowing them off as if I was trying to take one of those freeway exits Barney talks about in How I Met Your Mother. It was so annoying. But what's your point?"

Elizabeth: "Apply that to Oliver, and you should see why I'm not mad."

Stephanie: "Yeah, I guess you're right."

She grabs her purse off the kitchen counter before heading toward the door. She stops at the door and turns back to me.

Stephanie: "So what are you gonna do tomorrow?"

Elizabeth: "Well, we have that Cancer Society Auction tomorrow night. Before that, I think I'll take Hannah out for brunch."

Stephanie: "Right. I will see you tomorrow."

Elizabeth: "Good night, and thanks for watching Hannah."

The next day, I took Hannah to brunch at my favorite tea café before I had to prepare for the auction.

Stephanie shows up in her purple dress while I put on the green dress from the new line we just unveiled. Tommy picked up Hannah an hour ago to watch her for the night. We just arrived at the auction and are walking around at the moment.

Elizabeth: "Did Mary or Peyton ever get back to you about if they're coming tonight?"

Stephanie: "Mary said she needed extra time in the financial department, and Peyton decided to go on a date instead."

Elizabeth: "And after Peyton made such a big deal out of wanting to wear the champagne dress. Well, at least we were able to make it."

Stephanie: "It looks like we aren't the only ones."

She gestures toward our left while she takes a sip of her wine. I look over to find Oliver with Mr. Diggle and a blonde woman.

Elizabeth: "It's fine. I don't need to acknowledge this right now."

Stephanie: "Do you want me to beat him up for you? Or maybe get rid of her?"

Elizabeth: "It might not even be what we are thinking. Let's not overreact. He just told me he loves me last night."

She looks at me, stunned, as I sip my wine.

Stephanie: "Wait, what? You tell me everything. Why didn't you mention this sooner?"

Elizabeth: "Because I needed time to process. Plus, you were a little busy trash-talking him for having to leave early."

Stephanie: "Well, maybe I wouldn't have if you mentioned that little detail."

I look back over at Oliver as the blonde girl walks away, and Oliver's eyes land on mine. I quickly look back at Stephanie.

Elizabeth: "Oh crap, I think he just caught me staring at him."

Stephanie: "Yeah, he's coming over here."

I take a deep breath before turning around to find Oliver about a foot away.

Oliver: "Liz, I didn't know you would be here tonight."

Elizabeth: "Yes, well, Stephanie and I thought it would be a good idea to donate some of the proceeds from our fashion show to the Cancer Society. So here we are."

Stephanie: "So, who was your date that just left?"

I subtly elbow her in the side, and she barely reacts while waiting for Oliver to respond.

Oliver: "She isn't my date. Felicity is just a friend of mine. Liz, I'm so sorry I had to cut our date short last night, and I hope you will allow me to make it up to you at some point."

I let out a silent sigh of relief upon hearing Felicity is just a friend.

Elizabeth: "Of course. Maybe we could sit together during the auction."

Oliver: "I would like that."

Elizabeth: "I must speak with someone, but I will find you soon."

Oliver: "Sounds great. I have to take care of something too."

He kisses my cheek before we part ways. As I walk away, I see Felicity wearing a peculiar-looking necklace as she hurries by, but I don't think much of it.

Once I finished talking to the host, I looked for Oliver but couldn't find him. I took my seat with Stephanie, and then Mr. Diggle and Felicity joined us, leaving a seat between them and me.

Diggle: "Oliver will be here in a moment. He needed to step out to make a phone call."

I notice Felicity looks pale and a little frightened, but she's not wearing that weird necklace anymore. Maybe I just imagined it.

Elizabeth: "Alright. Felicity, are you okay? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Felicity: "I'm okay. Thank you for worrying about me."

Oliver makes it to his seat just before the auction starts. He takes my hand in his.

Oliver: "Sorry I'm late."

Elizabeth: "It's okay. Mr. Diggle told me you had to take a phone call."

Oliver: "Yeah, just one of my distributors having some issues with paperwork. But I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere without you."

He kisses my hand before focusing on the auction.