Less Than Subtle-1/1
Author: BlueSuede
Title: Less Than Subtle
Rating: G
Genre: Romance/Humor/Fluff
Universe: Smallville
Pairings/Characters: Oliver/Chloe
Summary: Chloe has a secret admirer
Warnings: none
prompt from sfgirl7448: Oliver is a secret admirer of Chloe, but also her best friend. She knows but pretends her secret admirer is someone else and Oliver has to hold his emotions at bay but miserably fails
This story is dedicated not just to sfgirl7448 for the prompt, but also to my older brother, who walked into an office at the airforce base, where a receptionist he didn't know was sitting at a desk with a vase of flowers perched on it. Upon being asked who they were for, she replied "I don't know, but I wish they were for me." Later that day my brother returned with flowers for her. (Setting the bar high, gentleman. That's what it's called.)
"Who are the flowers for? Got an admirer, Chloe?"
Chloe laughed, swatting the teasing A.C. on the shoulder. "Don't I wish," she sighed. "No, they arrived this morning. They're for Lois from Clark."
Oliver, doing his best not to listen in and failing miserably, chanced a glance in the pair's direction. Chloe had her elbows propped on her desk and her chin in her hands, looking longingly at the bouquet of flowers, situated in the only open space available on hers and Lois's cluttered back-to-back desks in the Daily Planet.
"Aw, Chlo," A.C. teased. "I'll bring you flowers next time I visit. Promise." He winked, and Chloe beamed.
"I'll hold you to that," she warned.
"Oliver, are you listening?" Clark asked, snapping Oliver's attention back from Chloe and onto him.
"Yeah, I got it, Clark," Oliver nodded seriously. "I'll call some of my contacts and look into it. No problem."
"You're the best, Oliver," Clark said pleasantly, clapping Oliver on the shoulder ever-so-slightly too hard.
Oliver grinned, rubbing his arm. "So I'm told. Thanks, Clark." But as his friend got back to work, Perry White shouting something at him in the background, Oliver's mind drifted back to Chloe, who had now leaned forward to smell one of the roses in front of her. An idea began forming in his mind. "A.C., you ready to go?"
"Yep!" A.C. held up the files Chloe had passed onto him. "All set, bossman," he grinned, planting a friendly kiss on top of Chloe's head, who waved him off, flustered. Oliver felt a pang of jealousy as he watched.
"Bye, Ollie," Chloe said, waving to him. "See you later!"
"Bye, Chloe," he said warmly, eyes flickering from her face to the flowers and back again.
It was foolproof, Oliver figured. Valentine's Day was swiftly approaching, and after all, what girl didn't enjoy receiving flowers and love notes? Not that he was going to send her anything too mushy. He just figured…well, maybe this would help her warm up to the idea. He would woo her, so to speak. Women loved that. Instead of constantly waiting for the right time to lay his cards on the table, he'd just play his hand slowly.
Of course, he had never foreseen the possibility that Chloe, the smartest, most quick-witted woman he'd ever met, would fail to realize the gifts were from him.
"Nah, Chloe, I didn't send them, scout's honor," A.C. was saying as Oliver walked into Watchtower, a little bit of pep in his step as he anticipated Chloe's reaction to the tulips he'd had sent to her at work that morning.
"What are you two talking about?" Oliver asked pleasantly.
"Chloe has a secret admirer," A.C. wiggled his eyebrows, amused.
Chloe, face flushed, shoved him. "Thanks, A.C. So glad you can keep a secret."
A.C. laughed. "I didn't know it was a secret. Sorry."
"Secret admirer?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow, confused.
"Someone sent me flowers at work," she said, shrugging lightly. "It was really sweet."
"And…uh…no idea who they're from?" Oliver asked, panicking slightly. He thought it would have been obvious. "Was there a note?"
"Just some little heart with an arrow drawn through it," A.C. answered for her.
Right, Oliver said. It should be completely obvious. "So…no ideas, huh?" he asked.
Chloe studied him with a mysterious expression on her face. "Nope," she said finally. "But Valentine's Day is this weekend. I'm guessing it was just someone who subscribes to the paper. I've gotten the occasional fan letter before, so…it makes as much sense as anything else. But I thought it might've been A.C., since he joked about sending me flowers the other day."
"Oh," was all Oliver could think to say, feeling like an idiot. He hadn't wanted to get all sappy with some sort of love poem. He'd thought the heart with the arrow would be cute. "Well…I guess…I'm glad someone's showing their appreciation for you, Chloe," he mustered up a charming smile, squeezing her shoulder as he headed for the training equipment. Target practice. He clearly needed target practice because his aim was way off.
Chloe watched her friend head for his bow and stifled a sigh. That man…I swear to God. What's he messing about with flowers for? All he has to do is ask me out. I'd say yes. Knucklehead.
The next day, with renewed ambition, Oliver decided to embrace what he was now thinking of as a happy accident. A secret admirer? Why not. He could do that. He'd let her figure it out on her own. It would be perfect. He just needed to make it a little bit more obvious.
"I just think you should be careful, Chloe," Clark was saying when Oliver arrived at the Daily Planet that afternoon. "This guy could be stalking you."
"Don't be ridiculous, Clark," Lois said. "It's a perfectly innocent box of chocolates."
"Oliver, hi!" Chloe said, catching sight of him as she rolled her eyes at the debate playing out in front of her. She waved and he approached, beaming at her.
"More gifts?" he asked, playing casual.
"Chloe's admirer sent her chocolates. Really delicious chocolates, I might add," she said, popping one into her mouth. Oliver and Clark both quirked an eyebrow at her.
"I still think you should have tested them to be sure they were safe. We receive just as much hate mail as we do fan mail here," Clark said sternly, while Chloe helped herself to one as well, chuckling.
"Help yourself, Ollie," she said, eyes dancing. "I'm spreading the love." She gestured the chocolate.
Smirking, he reached over and helped himself to one of the smaller pieces. "Coffee flavored," he commented. "Must be someone who knows you pretty well."
"That or a damn lucky guess," Lois agreed, sipping her coffee to wash down the truffle.
"Or a stalker," Clark grimaced.
Chloe laughed. "I doubt it, Clark. But don't worry, I'll make sure no one follows me home tonight." She patted his hand affectionately.
"So…no idea who it is, huh?" Oliver asked.
Eyes locking with Oliver's firmly, she shook her head no. "No note," she said simply.
"No clues?" he prompted.
"Just the box," she said, holding up the lid in question. A heart-shaped box, the velvety cushion on the lid had been pierced by a little green plastic arrow.
"Cute," he commented, amused with his handiwork.
"Uh huh."
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Lois asked Oliver, suddenly recalling that, unlike the rest of them, he didn't actually work there.
"Delivery," Oliver said. "You left this behind last night," he informed Chloe, handing her a small silver tape recorder.
"Oh my god, Oliver, I love you!" Chloe exclaimed, grabbing it. "I've been freaking out all day. You are the best!" She leaned across her desk and smacked a kiss on his cheek.
Feeling like his face must be the shade of a candy apple, Oliver felt like he should probably get out while the getting was still good. God, I'm supposed to be the smooth one. What the hell, he internally berated himself. "Right," he cleared his throat. "No problem, Watchtower," he said. "Um…well, my lunch break is short, so I should…leave," he finished lamely.
Three days later it was really getting out of hand. HOW THE HELL HAS SHE NOT FIGURED OUT IT'S ME YET? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
"So really," Oliver ground out, attempting to remain nonchalant. "You have no clue who's sending this stuff?"
Chloe smiled serenely, adding a small stuffed bear with wings and a cupid's bow and arrow to the stack of little trinkets she'd accumulated over the course of the week. She'd been displaying them at her main work station at the watchtower. As much as Oliver appreciated the fact that she was obviously pleased and flattered by the attention, he was going out of his mind over the fact that she hadn't realized it was him. He'd sent her a card the day before and done everything but sign it 'Love, Oliver.' Get a clue, woman!
"All right, where's today's gift?" Dinah asked, entering from the elevator and immediately heading in Chloe's direction.
Chloe presented the stuffed bear with a deeply humorous look.
Dinah made a face. "Well that's kind of…tacky."
"Tacky?" Oliver asked before he could stop himself. Both women looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Er…I mean, I don't know," he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I think it's sort of cute," he suggested awkwardly.
"Me too," Chloe assured. "I mean, not that I need all of this," she added, gesturing the remaining flowers, the card, the half-empty box of chocolates, and the bag of gourmet 'Nocking Point' brand coffee from two days earlier. "But it's sweet, y'know?" she looked to Dinah.
"Um, yeah, I guess. If plushies are your thing. Personally, I think the coffee was definitely the best, though. So what's the story? This guy reveal himself yet? V-Day is tomorrow."
Watching Oliver out of the corner of her eyes, Chloe answered, "Still nothing."
Dinah shrugged. "You must be right. Probably just some fan who reads the paper, not anybody with serious intentions."
"What makes you say that?" Oliver asked quickly.
"Well," Dinah looked at the assortment of gifts. "If it was someone who wanted to ask her out, you'd think he would have done it by now. Why all the secret admirer nonsense otherwise?"
"Maybe he thinks she can figure out who he is on her own," Oliver defended.
"Why not just be a man and be direct about it?" Dinah challenged.
"Well, I think it's…whimsical," Oliver waved a hand in the direction of the anonymous gifts. "Don't you, Chloe?" he asked, frustrated. "Think it's whimsical, I mean?"
Chloe, who was smirking at him thoughtfully, raised her eyebrows at being addressed. "What? Oh, yes of course. Very whimsical."
"There, you see?" Oliver said triumphantly to Dinah. "This person obviously knew it would make her smile."
"Right," Dinah said skeptically. "Well, it's cute, I'll give him that."
"Or her," Chloe pointed out. "I could have a lady admirer, you know."
"Or her," Dinah agreed. "Anyway, I brought that file on the so-called European 'dignitary' you asked for," she changed the subject, producing a flash drive and immediately refocusing Chloe's attention.
"Why didn't you say so?" Chloe snatched the drive and the women headed to a different computer, leaving Oliver alone with his frustration. He pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a long-suffering sigh.
"Morning, Oliver," Chloe greeted, walking into Watchtower and finding him doing target practice.
"Happy Valentine's Day," he greeted, pausing to give her a smile.
"Any plans tonight?" she asked calmly, sitting down in front of her computer.
"N-none to speak of, no," he said, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, nothing," she said. "Just felt restless."
"Any, uh, any word from that secret admirer of yours?" he asked, exasperated with the whole affair.
Sighing, Chloe folded her arms, leaning back in her chair. "Nope, I guess he or she must have given up."
"Huh," he said flatly. "And there weren't any, y'know, hints or clues you might have pieced together?" he asked.
"Like what?"
"Pfft, I don't know. Maybe an overall theme or something? Seems to me if this guy knows you then he probably figured you're pretty clever and could piece it together."
"Knows me, huh?"
"Well…I mean, if it's someone who knows you. Which it seems like he must-"
"Or she."
"-right. Or she. But he must know you pretty well if he's sending you coffee and all."
"Really, Ollie?"
"What?" he asked, releasing an arrow and turning back to look at her.
"If he knows me. I should piece it together?"
"I-what?"
"Oh come on, Oliver, you really thought I needed flowers and chocolates and a stuffed bear?" she asked.
He stared at her. Then, as it fell into place, "You knew?"
"Well you weren't exactly subtle," she pointed out, holding up the bear with the bow and arrow in his paws.
"I-"
"I mean, it's sweet, don't get me wrong," she said, pushing herself out of her chair and walking toward him. "But what exactly was your plan going to be if I never called you out on it?" she asked, lips pressed together to resist a laugh.
"Well," he started, feeling sheepish, "I just didn't want to throw the idea in your face all out of the blue."
She laughed, "It wasn't exactly out of the blue, Ollie. I've been waiting for you to just do something about it for months now."
"Months?" he asked confused.
She nodded, still smirking, and standing awfully close.
"Chloe, I've only been thinking about this for weeks now."
She rolled her eyes, laughing. "Yeah, I know. You're pretty slow on the uptake," she said, stopping in front of him.
"Is that so?" he asked, dropping the arm holding his bow and snaking his other arm around her waist to pull her closer.
"Yeah," she mimicked, "that's so."
"Well how's this for slow on the uptake?" he asked, planting a solid, earth-spinning kiss on her lips. Moments later, prying himself away, he waited for a response.
She tried to catch her breath, meeting his eyes. She looked like she didn't have anything to argue, but then she said, "A stuffed bear? Really, Ollie?"
Title: Less Than Subtle
Rating: G
Genre: Romance/Humor/Fluff
Universe: Smallville
Pairings/Characters: Oliver/Chloe
Summary: Chloe has a secret admirer
Warnings: none
prompt from sfgirl7448: Oliver is a secret admirer of Chloe, but also her best friend. She knows but pretends her secret admirer is someone else and Oliver has to hold his emotions at bay but miserably fails
This story is dedicated not just to sfgirl7448 for the prompt, but also to my older brother, who walked into an office at the airforce base, where a receptionist he didn't know was sitting at a desk with a vase of flowers perched on it. Upon being asked who they were for, she replied "I don't know, but I wish they were for me." Later that day my brother returned with flowers for her. (Setting the bar high, gentleman. That's what it's called.)
"Who are the flowers for? Got an admirer, Chloe?"
Chloe laughed, swatting the teasing A.C. on the shoulder. "Don't I wish," she sighed. "No, they arrived this morning. They're for Lois from Clark."
Oliver, doing his best not to listen in and failing miserably, chanced a glance in the pair's direction. Chloe had her elbows propped on her desk and her chin in her hands, looking longingly at the bouquet of flowers, situated in the only open space available on hers and Lois's cluttered back-to-back desks in the Daily Planet.
"Aw, Chlo," A.C. teased. "I'll bring you flowers next time I visit. Promise." He winked, and Chloe beamed.
"I'll hold you to that," she warned.
"Oliver, are you listening?" Clark asked, snapping Oliver's attention back from Chloe and onto him.
"Yeah, I got it, Clark," Oliver nodded seriously. "I'll call some of my contacts and look into it. No problem."
"You're the best, Oliver," Clark said pleasantly, clapping Oliver on the shoulder ever-so-slightly too hard.
Oliver grinned, rubbing his arm. "So I'm told. Thanks, Clark." But as his friend got back to work, Perry White shouting something at him in the background, Oliver's mind drifted back to Chloe, who had now leaned forward to smell one of the roses in front of her. An idea began forming in his mind. "A.C., you ready to go?"
"Yep!" A.C. held up the files Chloe had passed onto him. "All set, bossman," he grinned, planting a friendly kiss on top of Chloe's head, who waved him off, flustered. Oliver felt a pang of jealousy as he watched.
"Bye, Ollie," Chloe said, waving to him. "See you later!"
"Bye, Chloe," he said warmly, eyes flickering from her face to the flowers and back again.
It was foolproof, Oliver figured. Valentine's Day was swiftly approaching, and after all, what girl didn't enjoy receiving flowers and love notes? Not that he was going to send her anything too mushy. He just figured…well, maybe this would help her warm up to the idea. He would woo her, so to speak. Women loved that. Instead of constantly waiting for the right time to lay his cards on the table, he'd just play his hand slowly.
Of course, he had never foreseen the possibility that Chloe, the smartest, most quick-witted woman he'd ever met, would fail to realize the gifts were from him.
"Nah, Chloe, I didn't send them, scout's honor," A.C. was saying as Oliver walked into Watchtower, a little bit of pep in his step as he anticipated Chloe's reaction to the tulips he'd had sent to her at work that morning.
"What are you two talking about?" Oliver asked pleasantly.
"Chloe has a secret admirer," A.C. wiggled his eyebrows, amused.
Chloe, face flushed, shoved him. "Thanks, A.C. So glad you can keep a secret."
A.C. laughed. "I didn't know it was a secret. Sorry."
"Secret admirer?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow, confused.
"Someone sent me flowers at work," she said, shrugging lightly. "It was really sweet."
"And…uh…no idea who they're from?" Oliver asked, panicking slightly. He thought it would have been obvious. "Was there a note?"
"Just some little heart with an arrow drawn through it," A.C. answered for her.
Right, Oliver said. It should be completely obvious. "So…no ideas, huh?" he asked.
Chloe studied him with a mysterious expression on her face. "Nope," she said finally. "But Valentine's Day is this weekend. I'm guessing it was just someone who subscribes to the paper. I've gotten the occasional fan letter before, so…it makes as much sense as anything else. But I thought it might've been A.C., since he joked about sending me flowers the other day."
"Oh," was all Oliver could think to say, feeling like an idiot. He hadn't wanted to get all sappy with some sort of love poem. He'd thought the heart with the arrow would be cute. "Well…I guess…I'm glad someone's showing their appreciation for you, Chloe," he mustered up a charming smile, squeezing her shoulder as he headed for the training equipment. Target practice. He clearly needed target practice because his aim was way off.
Chloe watched her friend head for his bow and stifled a sigh. That man…I swear to God. What's he messing about with flowers for? All he has to do is ask me out. I'd say yes. Knucklehead.
The next day, with renewed ambition, Oliver decided to embrace what he was now thinking of as a happy accident. A secret admirer? Why not. He could do that. He'd let her figure it out on her own. It would be perfect. He just needed to make it a little bit more obvious.
"I just think you should be careful, Chloe," Clark was saying when Oliver arrived at the Daily Planet that afternoon. "This guy could be stalking you."
"Don't be ridiculous, Clark," Lois said. "It's a perfectly innocent box of chocolates."
"Oliver, hi!" Chloe said, catching sight of him as she rolled her eyes at the debate playing out in front of her. She waved and he approached, beaming at her.
"More gifts?" he asked, playing casual.
"Chloe's admirer sent her chocolates. Really delicious chocolates, I might add," she said, popping one into her mouth. Oliver and Clark both quirked an eyebrow at her.
"I still think you should have tested them to be sure they were safe. We receive just as much hate mail as we do fan mail here," Clark said sternly, while Chloe helped herself to one as well, chuckling.
"Help yourself, Ollie," she said, eyes dancing. "I'm spreading the love." She gestured the chocolate.
Smirking, he reached over and helped himself to one of the smaller pieces. "Coffee flavored," he commented. "Must be someone who knows you pretty well."
"That or a damn lucky guess," Lois agreed, sipping her coffee to wash down the truffle.
"Or a stalker," Clark grimaced.
Chloe laughed. "I doubt it, Clark. But don't worry, I'll make sure no one follows me home tonight." She patted his hand affectionately.
"So…no idea who it is, huh?" Oliver asked.
Eyes locking with Oliver's firmly, she shook her head no. "No note," she said simply.
"No clues?" he prompted.
"Just the box," she said, holding up the lid in question. A heart-shaped box, the velvety cushion on the lid had been pierced by a little green plastic arrow.
"Cute," he commented, amused with his handiwork.
"Uh huh."
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Lois asked Oliver, suddenly recalling that, unlike the rest of them, he didn't actually work there.
"Delivery," Oliver said. "You left this behind last night," he informed Chloe, handing her a small silver tape recorder.
"Oh my god, Oliver, I love you!" Chloe exclaimed, grabbing it. "I've been freaking out all day. You are the best!" She leaned across her desk and smacked a kiss on his cheek.
Feeling like his face must be the shade of a candy apple, Oliver felt like he should probably get out while the getting was still good. God, I'm supposed to be the smooth one. What the hell, he internally berated himself. "Right," he cleared his throat. "No problem, Watchtower," he said. "Um…well, my lunch break is short, so I should…leave," he finished lamely.
Three days later it was really getting out of hand. HOW THE HELL HAS SHE NOT FIGURED OUT IT'S ME YET? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
"So really," Oliver ground out, attempting to remain nonchalant. "You have no clue who's sending this stuff?"
Chloe smiled serenely, adding a small stuffed bear with wings and a cupid's bow and arrow to the stack of little trinkets she'd accumulated over the course of the week. She'd been displaying them at her main work station at the watchtower. As much as Oliver appreciated the fact that she was obviously pleased and flattered by the attention, he was going out of his mind over the fact that she hadn't realized it was him. He'd sent her a card the day before and done everything but sign it 'Love, Oliver.' Get a clue, woman!
"All right, where's today's gift?" Dinah asked, entering from the elevator and immediately heading in Chloe's direction.
Chloe presented the stuffed bear with a deeply humorous look.
Dinah made a face. "Well that's kind of…tacky."
"Tacky?" Oliver asked before he could stop himself. Both women looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Er…I mean, I don't know," he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I think it's sort of cute," he suggested awkwardly.
"Me too," Chloe assured. "I mean, not that I need all of this," she added, gesturing the remaining flowers, the card, the half-empty box of chocolates, and the bag of gourmet 'Nocking Point' brand coffee from two days earlier. "But it's sweet, y'know?" she looked to Dinah.
"Um, yeah, I guess. If plushies are your thing. Personally, I think the coffee was definitely the best, though. So what's the story? This guy reveal himself yet? V-Day is tomorrow."
Watching Oliver out of the corner of her eyes, Chloe answered, "Still nothing."
Dinah shrugged. "You must be right. Probably just some fan who reads the paper, not anybody with serious intentions."
"What makes you say that?" Oliver asked quickly.
"Well," Dinah looked at the assortment of gifts. "If it was someone who wanted to ask her out, you'd think he would have done it by now. Why all the secret admirer nonsense otherwise?"
"Maybe he thinks she can figure out who he is on her own," Oliver defended.
"Why not just be a man and be direct about it?" Dinah challenged.
"Well, I think it's…whimsical," Oliver waved a hand in the direction of the anonymous gifts. "Don't you, Chloe?" he asked, frustrated. "Think it's whimsical, I mean?"
Chloe, who was smirking at him thoughtfully, raised her eyebrows at being addressed. "What? Oh, yes of course. Very whimsical."
"There, you see?" Oliver said triumphantly to Dinah. "This person obviously knew it would make her smile."
"Right," Dinah said skeptically. "Well, it's cute, I'll give him that."
"Or her," Chloe pointed out. "I could have a lady admirer, you know."
"Or her," Dinah agreed. "Anyway, I brought that file on the so-called European 'dignitary' you asked for," she changed the subject, producing a flash drive and immediately refocusing Chloe's attention.
"Why didn't you say so?" Chloe snatched the drive and the women headed to a different computer, leaving Oliver alone with his frustration. He pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a long-suffering sigh.
"Morning, Oliver," Chloe greeted, walking into Watchtower and finding him doing target practice.
"Happy Valentine's Day," he greeted, pausing to give her a smile.
"Any plans tonight?" she asked calmly, sitting down in front of her computer.
"N-none to speak of, no," he said, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, nothing," she said. "Just felt restless."
"Any, uh, any word from that secret admirer of yours?" he asked, exasperated with the whole affair.
Sighing, Chloe folded her arms, leaning back in her chair. "Nope, I guess he or she must have given up."
"Huh," he said flatly. "And there weren't any, y'know, hints or clues you might have pieced together?" he asked.
"Like what?"
"Pfft, I don't know. Maybe an overall theme or something? Seems to me if this guy knows you then he probably figured you're pretty clever and could piece it together."
"Knows me, huh?"
"Well…I mean, if it's someone who knows you. Which it seems like he must-"
"Or she."
"-right. Or she. But he must know you pretty well if he's sending you coffee and all."
"Really, Ollie?"
"What?" he asked, releasing an arrow and turning back to look at her.
"If he knows me. I should piece it together?"
"I-what?"
"Oh come on, Oliver, you really thought I needed flowers and chocolates and a stuffed bear?" she asked.
He stared at her. Then, as it fell into place, "You knew?"
"Well you weren't exactly subtle," she pointed out, holding up the bear with the bow and arrow in his paws.
"I-"
"I mean, it's sweet, don't get me wrong," she said, pushing herself out of her chair and walking toward him. "But what exactly was your plan going to be if I never called you out on it?" she asked, lips pressed together to resist a laugh.
"Well," he started, feeling sheepish, "I just didn't want to throw the idea in your face all out of the blue."
She laughed, "It wasn't exactly out of the blue, Ollie. I've been waiting for you to just do something about it for months now."
"Months?" he asked confused.
She nodded, still smirking, and standing awfully close.
"Chloe, I've only been thinking about this for weeks now."
She rolled her eyes, laughing. "Yeah, I know. You're pretty slow on the uptake," she said, stopping in front of him.
"Is that so?" he asked, dropping the arm holding his bow and snaking his other arm around her waist to pull her closer.
"Yeah," she mimicked, "that's so."
"Well how's this for slow on the uptake?" he asked, planting a solid, earth-spinning kiss on her lips. Moments later, prying himself away, he waited for a response.
She tried to catch her breath, meeting his eyes. She looked like she didn't have anything to argue, but then she said, "A stuffed bear? Really, Ollie?"