Never A Bride-25/2(7)

[the_bluesuede]

Author: BlueSuede
Title:  Never a Bride
Rating:  NC17
Genre: Romance/Humor
Pairings/Characters: primarily Chloe/Oliver
Summary:  When a newspaper prints a false engagement announcement for Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan, and all their friends are thrilled, Chloe and Oliver decide to stage a fake engagement and breakup to prove to their friends how wrong they are for one another.  Because, they will break up, won't they?
Warnings: completely Alternate Universe; also, sexual content and occasional language



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dandiandi22

First Chapter

Previous (Chapter 24)
Next (Chapter 26)

Author's Note: Just a few housekeeping items, folks.

First, no, you haven't got the date mixed up. This chapter is up two weeks early for two reasons: One, I finished the first draft of my novel last month! WOO! So, I had a bit more time on my hands to crank it out. Two, it seemed an appropriate celebratory matter after returning from the wedding of a close friend this weekend. I've got weddings on the brain, what can I say.

Next, I just have to say, the wedding scene in this chapter is awkwardly autobiographical. I swear to God I was the ONLY single person at that wedding! And that reading from Ecclesiastes ACTUALLY HAPPENED! (Just wait, you'll see what I'm talking about in a moment. You won't believe it.) Too bad there was no Oliver to come to my rescue, but my two groomsmen friends eventually swooped in and rescued me when they had an opportunity, so all was well. :)

Third, this story is winding up quickly. As in, I think there's only going to be one more chapter. Gasp. (I know. It has actually taken years to post this. [Which also means at times it's horribly inconsistent. Sorry.] How sick is that? Thanks for sticking with me, you lovely faithful people.) Also, the final chapter of this story will in fact be my final time posting on FFN. Message me to find out where I've moved if you haven't already.

And finally, yes, that last chapter should be up on the 15th on schedule. Thanks for your patience, everyone! And thanks for taking a spare second to read this. :)

Love & Weddings,

Blue



-25-

Is it 5:00 yet? Chloe wondered wistfully. She glanced at the clock. 4:45 P.M. She had never seen it tick so slowly. She debated leaving early, but she never left work early unless it was an emergency. Like breaking off her fake-engagement for instance. She shook her head. She didn't want anyone to think that the 'break up' had affected her work. She would stay late like she always used to. It wasn't like there wasn't plenty she needed to get done.

…her heart just wasn't in it.

Edward appeared a moment later with a coffee mug in his hand and set it gently on her desk. She looked up and gave him a grateful smile. "What would I do without you?"

He shrugged lightly. "Crash and burn?"

She chuckled.

"So how are things?" he asked casually. A little too casually.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine," she lied.

He shook his head. "Ah, come on, Miss Sullivan. We both know you're barely keeping your head above water. What's the matter?"

She sighed. "I guess I miss Lois. She's on her honeymoon and I haven't heard a peep from her."

Edward quirked an eyebrow, obviously suspecting that Lois wasn't the only person that Chloe missed, but he bit his tongue on the matter. "Well why don't you pick up a phone? There's no law that says you can't call."

Chloe cringed internally. Any number of times a day she picked up the phone, wanting to call Oliver, to talk to him and hear his voice. But she never quite did it. She didn't know if it meant she was strong or weak. She supposed it all depended on your perspective. "I don't want to be an annoyance."

"I doubt anyone would be annoyed."

Would Oliver be upset if she called? He'd made it clear that he wanted her back in his life, insisted that their feelings for each other were real. How would he take it if she called just to talk, even though she hadn't figured out her own feelings yet? She had a feeling it would only hurt them both more. "Maybe."

"Really. You should call her?"

"Her?" Chloe blinked. "Oh! Right! Lois." She nodded absently. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll see if I can get her on my commute home."

"Permission to speak freely?" Edward asked jokingly.

Chloe smirked. "Granted."

"Your cousin isn't the only person who'd be glad to hear from you."

Their eyes met momentarily, signaling to Edward that Chloe knew who he meant, but that she didn't feel like discussing it.

"Have you owned up to anyone yet?" he asked, rather than waiting for her to dismiss him.

She frowned. "Owned up to what?"

"Well I figured now that you'd separated you might have admitted to Mrs. Curry or Mrs. Kent that you faked the engagement."

Chloe dropped the coffee cup in surprise. "Ow!" she shouted, jumping out of the way just before any got on her dress. "Oh my God!" she looked at Edward with wide eyes, who just sighed and buzzed Mia for some paper towels.

"How long have you known?" Chloe hissed when he released the intercom button.

He shrugged, "Well, I had some suspicions in the beginning that something was weird about it-after all, I was the one who saw how much he aggravated you in the beginning when you were trying to control all the press about you two. You kept insisting you hated him and then all of a sudden you were engaged. Didn't really add up. But I figured it out after a couple of days."

"Days?" Chloe repeated incredulously.

He nodded easily as Mia appeared with some paper towels.

"Thanks, love," Edward said, taking them from her before she vanished again. He started mopping up the spill on Chloe's desk, as she appeared too stunned to move.

"Days?" Chloe said again, still unable to accept it.

"Around the time we were packing up for your trip to the Stone Wedding. And after that there were little things along the way that confirmed the suspicion, like the fact that your various versions of the engagement story never quite sounded the same. I just played along for your sake."

"Victor and Katherine's?" she asked, stunned. "That was barely a week after it started!"

He shrugged. "I'm around you all the time. I know when you're bullshitting people, and I know when you're upset about things."

All she could do was stare at him. "My God…and you didn't say anything?"

"Well," he said, tossing out the paper towels and finally taking a seat in the chair across from her desk, "I didn't really think it was any of my business. Besides, I had a feeling if you needed to tell someone, you would. Clearly I was wrong."

"I…I…"

"Can I ask what your plan was? And is?"

She swallowed, taking a moment before answering. "We…wanted to prove to everyone how wrong we were for each other, so they'd stop trying to push us together."

Edward couldn't help it, he laughed aloud, clutching his stomach. "Oh jeez," he wiped a tear from his eye. "That's exactly as misguided as I hoped it would be."

Chloe rolled her eyes. Well, at least someone was enjoying this.

"So tell me," he said gleefully, "how's that working out for you both? The whole 'proving you're wrong for one another' thing?"

"Edward, is there a point to this?"

"You tell me. Is there a point to you two breaking up with each other when you've obviously fallen for each other? However unconventionally?"

She arched a brow at him, silent.

He scoffed. "Please, I already told you, I know you pretty well. Just like you always knew when Darren and I were fighting or when things were going well. I mean, you might be my boss, but I also consider you a friend."

Her expression softened. "I consider you a good friend, too, Edward. And I have to admit, if you figured it out, I'm surprised no one else did."

He lifted a shoulder easily and dropped it. "Your family, your close friends…they're blinded by happiness for you. They all just wanted to believe it so they saw what they needed to see. If any of them had heard the way you first talked about him to me…they might have pieced it together, too." He chuckled nostalgically. "But really, from one friend to another…I don't know what you're trying to prove with this break up."

Chloe sighed, wishing she still had the cup of coffee to soothe her. "I don't know, Edward…it's not about proving something. It's just that our whole relationship was based in a lie. Even if it did become something real-which I'm still not entirely positive about-how can you base a relationship on that?"

Edward frowned, forming a T with his hands. "Time out. 'Still not positive?' What are you talking about?"

"I don't even know where the lies ended and the truth began!" Chloe insisted. "I have no idea-"

"You mean to tell me you think there's even the slightest chance you're not in love with him and vice versa?" he asked incredulously.

Her hesitation confirmed it.

"Oh my God," he rolled his eyes. "This is so much worse than I thought. Listen, Miss Sullivan…Chloe, I have been working with you for years, and you have never been as happy as you were for the past couple of months. Never. Can you honestly tell me that you've ever felt for anyone else the way you felt about him?"

Chloe's eyes were wide as she processed. She thought of Jimmy, of Davis, even of Harvey Dent. Not one of them came close. No one had ever made her feel the way Oliver had. "I…" she trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Exactly," he sighed, glad she wasn't denying it. "So what's holding you back?"

Ah yes, there was the rub. "I'll tell you exactly what's holding me back Edward: What we did…it was wrong. It was wrong on so many levels. You've already seen some of the consequences! That dress!" she groaned, remembering the wedding dress that had been haunting her for the last couple of months.

"Uh huh, uh huh…and what about the consequences if you let this continue? What about your own happiness? Seems to me that for someone who was so determined not to let everyone else tell her how to live, you're martyring yourself for no real reason."

She shook her head. "It's not just that…because to some extent I agree with you…trust me. It's been keeping me up at night. It's…I can't imagine how we can build anything real out of this. So what if we fell for each other? There's nothing healthy about it! I mean, for crying out loud! Imagine if we had kids! What would we tell them? Or would we keep lying to everyone we know for the rest of our lives?"

He gave her a pitying look. "I don't know. Honestly, I don't know how you should move forward from here. All I know is that I don't think you should do it apart." He smiled softly, pulling something out of the pocket of his suit coat. "I know this might seem like insensitive timing, but I still wanted to give you this." He placed a pale blue envelope in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked curiously, picking it up.

"An invitation. Darren and I are getting married in August. We're keeping it small, but I insisted we have at least a little celebration." He winked.

"Oh my God, Edward!" she said, moving around the desk to embrace him as he rose from his chair to hug her back. "I'm so happy for you two," she said, teary-eyed. "Congratulations."

He hugged her warmly and smiled. "Thanks, boss."

"Oliver? Oliver! We need to talk!" Laura Queen announced, waltzing into the room uninvited.

Oliver looked up from his office desk at Queen Industries to raise his eyebrows at his mother. "Mother? What are you doing here?"

"Oliver, this has gotten out of hand. I want you to do something."

"Wait, what?"

"Chloe, Oliver! What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Mother," Oliver said wearily, rubbing the crease from his forehead. "You've got to be more specific. What about Chloe? Did something happen?"

She planted her hands firmly on her hips. "Well that's exactly what I'd like to know, Ollie. It's been weeks. What happened? All I get from you is ambiguous excuses and nonsense about her getting cold feet. I want to know why my son isn't with the woman he is so clearly in love with and who so clearly loves him back."

Because there's nothing 'clear' about it, Oliver thought tartly.

"Son, would you-Laura?" Robert Queen looked up in surprise at finding his wife standing in the middle of the office. "When did you get here?"

"Robert, do something about your son!"

"I…do what?"

Oliver sighed.

"I don't know!" Laura threw her hands in the air in frustration. "But one of you had better do something or I'll disown you both!"

"Now just a minute-" Robert began.

"How can you just sit there and let him ruin his life?" she wanted to know. "You're enabling him!" she wagged an accusing finger at her husband.

"Darling, it's between the children. We can't control them."

"I'm not having it!" she insisted. Oliver realized that this might be the first time he'd ever seen his mother so…un-poised. Even during his more reckless days, she'd always handled even the worst of his indiscretions with an air of dignity. She was really unhinged about this. "I don't understand it, Robert! I want to know why I'm being denied grandchildren!" she said unreasonably.

"Well, Ollie," Robert said, folding his arms, "to be honest, I'd really like to hear what happened, too." He turned to look expectantly at his son, who was feeling a little bit ganged up on suddenly.

"Dad, there's nothing to explain. It just…fell apart."

"That's ridiculous!" Laura said. "I saw the two of you together days before you suddenly called it off. You were content as clams. I've never seen two people so much in love!"

"Why don't you tell us what was said, Ollie," Robert said gently. "Maybe we can help piece together what happened. I'm sick of seeing you moping around the office, to tell the truth," he added.

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "There's nothing to piece together."

"All I want to know is do you still love her?" Robert asked. Laura looked at her husband like he was out of his mind.

"Of course he loves her, Robert! Haven't you been paying attention? They're perfect for each other!"

Robert waved a hand at her. "I want to hear him say it," he said, looking directly at Oliver, expectant.

"I…" Oliver bawked a little.

"Well?" Robert asked. "Do you?"

"Well…yes, if you must know. Of course I love her."

"Well then what's the problem? Whatever's upset her, you need to work it out and fix this."

"Finally!" Laura said. "Someone talking sense."

"It's not that simple!" Oliver protested.

"I'll tell you what's simple," Laura said. "You," she pointed a finger at her son, who leaned back nervously, "are not welcome at home until you can prove that you have exhausted every possible method of winning her back, understand?"

"Mother!"

"That's all I came to say. I will not see you ruin your life so completely, Oliver. I won't have it," she announced before storming out.

The Queen men watched her disappearance with bemused expressions. Oliver whistled. "Wow. She's…wow, she's really upset," he commented.

Robert arched an eyebrow at his son. "She's not wrong, though. I hope you haven't thrown in the towel, Oliver," he said severely. "If you do love her, then do something about it. Because I'm not exactly interested in seeing you miserable for the rest of your life, either," he said grimly, angling a disappointed look at Oliver that made him shift in his seat uncomfortably. If only his parents really knew the whole story.

"Bride's side or groom's side?"

Chloe stared at the usher. Now that was a fascinating question. Whose side did you sit on at the wedding of your ex to your friend's cousin whom he left you for? "I…uh…" she glanced around, desperate for a friendly face, but she didn't recognize anyone. "Um…" Ex or homewrecker? Ex or homewrecker? she debated mentally. She wondered which of them had wanted to invite her in the first place? Probably Kara because Chloe was so close to the Kent family.

"Bride's side," she said uncomfortably, and he led her to a seat halfway forward on the left side. It was an outdoor wedding and a beautiful, suneshine-y day in Kansas, too. Chloe wished she'd been able to fit a flask in her clutch. Vodka…vodka would be extremely helpful right now. God, how is there not one person here that I recognize? Chloe wondered. She'd at least hoped to see one or two of their old Daily Planet friends, but she didn't see a single familiar face. And Lois had declined the invitation when she received it months ago, unable to take any more time away from work for the year. Though Chloe strongly suspected she simply hadn't wanted to go.

Great, Chloe thought, slowly noticing that not only did she not recognize anyone, she was also the only person here alone. As more and more people trickled in, she kept her eyes ahead, scanning out of her peripheral in hopes of that one other singleton who she might band together with at the reception for some company. But there was no one.

Finally, everyone was in their seats and the music struck up, and heads turned as the families were led in. There. At least she knew Mr. and Mrs. Kent, bless them. She tried to catch their eye, but they missed her as they walked past. Kara's bridesmaids, clad in bright magenta, began trickling down the aisle followed by the groomsmen. See now, this is how it's done, Chloe thought sourly. Coming down the aisle separately. None of this escort nonsense. She thought of Lois's wedding and her ill-advised promenade with Oliver. She shook her head. Fate was against her. It was as simple as that. She smiled when she saw Clark walk down the aisle, looking sorely out of place in the magenta vest and tie that Kara had selected for the groomsmen. Chloe smiled wryly. She'd loved that color back in high school, but had some how lost her taste for it over the years. She'd really grown very fond of the idea of gold for her wedding colors. And maybe a soft peridot green to accent it.

She shook herself. What was she doing? Why was she thinking about 'her wedding' like it was even an event that might ever even happen? Stop it, Chloe, she told herself firmly, wishing again that she had access to hard liquor.

The ceremony began, and one of Kara's bridesmaids stepped forward to do a reading from Ecclesiastes.

"Two are better than one," she read, "because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up-"

Chloe's mouth fell open as she realized where this was going. Seriously?

"-But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up-"

Seriously?

"-Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?-"

A high-pitched and indignant noise squeaked quietly out of Chloe's throat before she could stop it, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, hoping no one had heard.

"-Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." The bridesmaid finished, and Chloe sat back in her seat, not sure when she had leaned forward in the first place. Wow, she thought. Wow, what a lovely, romantic verse to pick. Must be so great TO HAVE SOMEONE! she mentally exploded. 'Pity anyone who falls and has no one?' Unbelievable! Gee, we're getting married, why don't we just completely take a shot at anyone who came to support our union that isn't in a relationship? Yes, awesome.

She struggled to school her features, not wanting anyone to see her reaction.

Things became more predictable after that, including the fact that about halfway through the ceremony, Chloe found herself tearing up. Fool, she cursed herself, rummaging through her clutch and sniffing. After all this time, you still haven't remembered to bring tissues. Don't you ever learn?

Suddenly a hand from behind appeared and Chloe was surprised to see the person was offering her a clean white handkerchief. In surprised, she glanced over her shoulder at the little old man with white hair and mouthed "Thank you!" to him, accepting the handkerchief. He nodded, and Chloe turned back around, blotting the tears and running mascara beneath her eyes gently, but she found herself getting still more choked up, the kind gesture making her think of Oliver.

Her brow creased. As a matter of fact…she studied the handkerchief…this one matched the ones he used perfectly. It was the same kind of material.

She suddenly remembered the very first time she'd ever met Oliver, when he stuffed that first handkerchief in her hand, walking her down the aisle at Dinah and A.C.'s wedding, leaving it in her palm with a wink. How she had hated him! She gave a sputtering little chuckle of self-deprecation through her tears. Things had gotten so out of hand. She only wished there were an honest way to fix it all.

The term 'wallflower' didn't even begin to cover Chloe's situation. Seated far in the back corner of the room at the reception, Chloe truly wanted to shoot herself. The only people she knew were the Kents, and they were sitting at the family table, Clark tied up in groomsman duties and taking care of his cousin.

The dancing had begun and Chloe found herself vaguely wishing someone would ask her to dance, just so she didn't have to sit there looking so utterly pathetic at her ex-boyfriend's wedding. But no one did. She emptied the glass of wine she had lifted from the tray of a roaming waiter, and, looking at the glass, determined that she was really going to need something stronger.

She smoothed her dress-a forget-me-not blue jersey-and debated with herself. To get drunk or not to get drunk. On the one hand, getting drunk would probably draw more attention to her and make her look even more pitiful to all these strangers. On the other, this night would go by more quickly if she were drinking. And then she could leave as soon as possible.

She wandered over to the bar and looked squarely at the man setting out clean glasses. "Do you have any bourbon back there?"

He smiled, nodding.

"Great. On the rocks, please."

He lifted an eyebrow, a little surprised, but then shrugged, grabbing a bottle of amber liquid and pouring it over a glass of ice for her.

"Thanks," she said, lifting it to her lips and enjoying the burning sensation as she tilted her head back. It was at that moment, when she was least expecting it, that an all-too-familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"You should always wear that shade of blue, you know. You look stunning."

She gasped, almost not daring to believe it when she turned and saw Oliver standing before her. He was giving her a winning smile, but even she noticed the tiny bit of uncertainty in his eyes, as though he wasn't sure how she was going to react.

If she'd known he was planning to be there, she would have told him not to and suffered for it. As it was, upon seeing him, right at the moment when she was feeling most lonely and wretched, Chloe couldn't help it, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Ollie!" she murmured into his shoulder, heart flipping around erratically in her chest as she felt his arms band around her and squeeze her tightly. "What are you doing here?" she asked finally, leaning back to look up at him without letting go.

"I was on the guest list, remember?" he joked.

She shook her head, laughing. "Yes, well, technically the invitation was to me."

"And your guest," he reminded. "I thought you might not want to do this alone. I'm sorry I missed you during the service," he added. "Did you get my handkerchief?"

"That was yours?" she asked, not believing it. "Oh, I hate you," she sighed, completely unconvincing as she dropped her head back onto his shoulder, not wanting to meet his eyes at that moment.

Oliver sighed, too, resting his chin on top of her head. "I thought you were done lying, Sullivan," he reminded jokingly.

Chloe gave a weak laugh but didn't respond.

"So how about it? Do you want to get out of here? Or do you wanna stay and show off first?" he whispered so no one else would hear.

Finally letting go, Chloe picked up her drink again and raised her eyebrows at him, taking a sip. "What were you thinking?"

"Well," he said, removing the drink and leaving it at someone else's place setting, "I thought," he took her hand and pulled her toward the floor, "that we could dance. After all," he added discreetly, "Nothing says, 'I've moved on,' quite like dancing at your ex's wedding."

Chloe laughed, shaking her head as she allowed him to drag her away. She wanted to fight it, to discourage him, but it felt so good to see him, to feel her hand in his again. She was a strong woman, but even she had her limits. Oliver Queen was her weakness.

Oliver was relieved, to say the least. He'd been thinking of this wedding over and over again since seeing Chloe at the Kent wedding. All he'd been able to think about was that night he found Chloe with the broken wine bottle, so miserable at the thought of being alone.

And then damn his parents and Mia and everyone else who was bound and determined to make him feel guilty for leaving her alone. Like this had been his choice. He was just trying to respect her wishes. But he hadn't been able to stand the thought of her alone at this wedding. Ultimately, he'd decided damn it all to hell, he was going to be there for her whether she wanted him to be or not.

Seeing the smile on her face, however wary, he knew he'd made the right decision, so he did what any man in his position would do: pulled her into his arm for a dance, and did his best to keep making her laugh.

"So, what do you think, Chloe? Are the tabloids going to get wind of this and go hysterical trying to figure out what's going on between us?" he winked.

She gave a hesitant laugh, and he realized she'd already been thinking just that.

"Hey, this whole thing started because some so-called reporters wouldn't keep their noses out of our business," he said, spinning her around and wrapping her in his arms as they swayed to the music. "It's only fair that we get to mess with them as much as possible."

"So we're still putting on a show then?" Chloe sighed, but she didn't sound upset.

He shrugged a shoulder, turning her back to face him and plowing ahead. "No. I think we've just officially hit the ultimate level of not caring what anyone else thinks."

She narrowed her eyes at him shrewdly. "You never cared what anyone thought. I was the one who flipped out about the photos from Dinah's wedding."

"Not entirely true. I never cared what the media thought. I cared plenty about what our friends and families thought. And you."

"Me what?"

"I cared what you thought."

She scoffed, laughing.

"It's true!" he protested. "I couldn't figure out why you hated me so easily." She laughed again. "I happen to be a very likeable person, Chloe," he informed her sternly, humor in his eyes. His heart skipped a beat when hers met his, and he would have given anything to know what she was thinking in that moment, but didn't dare ask.

"So you're sure we're not putting on a show this time?" she asked slyly.

"Showing off is not the same thing," Oliver said, matching her tone before dramatically dipping her. As he returned her to her feet, Chloe realized a lot of eyes were on them, including Jimmy and Kara's. She was about to remark on it when she turned to look at Oliver and found their faces very close together. She held her breath, wondering if he were thinking about kissing her, too. Their bodies remembered the feeling too well, even after months apart. But she wasn't sure she was ready for that. Her heart and her mind were on such completely different pages…although she started to suspect that they were catching up to one another.

Still…it wasn't the right moment to make up her mind, not when she was so emotionally vulnerable, so she stepped back slightly, and Oliver let her go. His eyes were still on her mouth but after a moment they drifted back up, and she knew that he'd felt whatever had just happened, too.

Before either of them could say anything, Jonathan Kent appeared, clapping Oliver and Chloe each on the shoulder. "Oliver!" he greeted jovially, shaking Oliver's hand. "It's good to see you again, son. Martha and I were just talking about you and Chloe the other day. It's nice to see you two together." He leaned over and kissed Chloe on the cheek, giving her a fatherly hug in greeting, which Chloe returned with a blush, watching helplessly when he winked at her afterward.

"We're, um…"

"Not together," Oliver came to her rescue, answering the question casually and without embarrassment. "Just in the same time and place." Chloe watched him in small amazement. He'd always been so good at handling things like this, not to mention coming to her rescue. She thought of the handkerchief tucked away in her purse with a rush of gratitude and was seized with a desire to take his hand in hers, but resisted, instead nodding her agreement to Mr. Kent, who looked unconvinced.

"Well," he said indulgently. "Either way, I hope we haven't seen the last of you, Oliver. Whatever comes next. And you, Chloe. Don't be a stranger, okay, sweetheart?" he asked her kindly, taking her hand in his rough and calloused one and squeezing it kindly.

"I won't," Chloe promised, thinking that maybe, after all this time, it was time she started making more regular visits to her home and family in Smallville.

"What do you say?" Oliver asked when Mr. Kent left them. "Do you think you've made a sufficient appearance?"

Chloe smiled. "You know, I think I have. There's just one thing before I leave."

"What's that?"

"Gotta say goodbye," she said, turning to face her past and walking directly toward it.

Oliver hung back, smiling at her as she greeted Jimmy and Kara with a completely genuine hug and smile, sincerely wishing them the best before taking her leave.

Watching Jimmy hug her back and kiss her on the cheek, thanking her for coming, Oliver decided maybe this Olsen guy wasn't so bad after all. He just didn't seem like the type who'd be able to keep up with Chloe. That was probably what had done them in in the end, really. Being with Chloe was like being tied to a comet. Not everyone was up for the ride.

Kara and Jimmy watched Chloe return to Oliver, and for a brief moment Jimmy and Oliver's eyes met across the dance floor, and a silent exchange passed between the two men, in which Oliver sensed Jimmy asking Oliver whether he knew what he was doing.

Oliver nodded almost undetectably. Don't worry, man. I'm not giving her up without a fight this time.

Jimmy gave a soft smile of understanding, as if to give his approval. Just as long as you know you're not the only one who cares about her. With which Jimmy finally looked away, his smile growing immeasurably as he looked at his beautiful bride, leaning close to say something to her. His wife tipped her head back and laughed before tugging him toward the dance floor.

Oliver looked down to see Chloe giving him an inscrutable smile. "Well, Queen," she said. "Take me for a burger and fries?" she asked. By which she meant, Friends, then?

He grinned. "You got it, Sullivan. Just gotta send someone a quick text message." Friends. For the moment, he mentally agreed.

"Okay," she said lightly. "I'll get my purse."

Watching her go, and feeling hope for the first time since the day that damned wedding dress had shown up in her office, Oliver took his cell phone out of the inside of his suit jacket.

>>>>hey. I need a favor.

A second later the response came in.

>>>>This better be good.

He grinned before tapping out a quick reply, then slipping his phone back into the pocket and following after Chloe.

>>>>It is. Call you later.