Bonding. With speedstergrl5

[dl_greenarrow]

Oliver had the chicken already marinating in barbecue sauce by the time Mia got home from school, and he'd changed out of his suit and into a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt, ready for training. He heard the turning of a key in the front door and grinned a little, pulling a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and greeting Mia in the

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[dl_greenarrow]

"I used to be," he admitted. "At least somewhat. But uh--you know, things changed. I had a nasty wake-up call. Made me re-evaluate my life and realize I wasn't the person I wanted to be. And then some other things happened and..." He hesitated. "I kinda backslid. Chloe saved my life--physically and otherwise."

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "So I get what you're saying about Ian."

His expression softened at her admission. "I'm really glad you like her. I have it on good authority that she thinks pretty highly of you." He nudged her arm gently.

[speedstergrl5]

Mia frowned slightly, but didn't push for more information, noticing how he'd hesitated when he spoke and then smiled when he nudged her. "I'm glad...I'll admit I was slightly worried I might get in the way."

She glanced down at the water bottle in her hand, not looking at him. "I can see how much she means to you...and I get why you picked her."

[dl_greenarrow]

"Well, you don't need to worry about that anymore. You're not in anyone's way, Kiddo," he told her honestly, watching her for a moment.

"I think the three of us fit together pretty well."

[speedstergrl5]

She studied his face for a second before grinning, "I think so too..." She picked up her pace slightly as she shot him a sideways glance, not sure she wanted an answer to her next question. "So...what else did you and Ian talk about?"

[dl_greenarrow]

He smiled at her agreement, then picked up his pace, as well. "Just video games and he told me he about being on the basketball team," he told her.

[speedstergrl5]

She nodded. "He likes video games..." Silence settled between them as they continued making their way to the park. Oliver seemed a lot more calm about the Ian thing then he originally had, which she was glad about.

"So, now that you've sort of talked to him...you're okay with...things?"

[dl_greenarrow]

Oliver glanced at her sideways. "I'm more okay with things," he said, nodding slightly. "I'll still worry, I can't lie about that. But like I said, I do trust your judgment. And I want you to have fun, and be happy."

[speedstergrl5]

She smiled, "And I appreciate that..." She wasn't sure if she should bring up the topic of her date tomorrow, but she figured she might as well do it while they were talking openly about things so they could get everything out in the open.

"I asked Chloe to help me get ready for my date tomorrow..."

[dl_greenarrow]

"She told me," he said, smiling softly. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Can I let you in on a secret?"

[speedstergrl5]

Her eyes gleamed slightly as she nodded quickly. "Yes."

[dl_greenarrow]

"She was worried you wouldn't like her, too," he told her.

[speedstergrl5]

Mia blinked surprised by the information. Why in the world would Chloe be worried about her not liking her? She gave Oliver a questioning look. "I don't understand...why would she be worried that I wouldn't like her?"

[dl_greenarrow]

"Well, she knows that you're important to me, and that I value your opinion," he explained with a small smile. "I, of course, knew all along you two would hit it off and be good friends." He winked at her, smirking.