The Starling Saviour

Chapter 74

Oliver returned to the Queen house with me, both of us walking in silence, not able to say anything to each other. I was still angry at Oliver, and he looked rather humiliated.

'Why are you still mad at me?' Oliver questioned me before we entered the house. 'I understand if Diggle is, but you? Why are you so bothered about what happened? I thought we were finally on the same page, you an me. I thought we were... Together.'

'I still think that,' I raised my eyebrow at him as soon as he had finished speaking. 'But you hurt Diggle, a lot, just so you could make sure the people you seem to care for more were 'safe'. But I had it handled, Ollie, and Rasmus didn't need a visit from you.'

'I can't believe how jealous you are,' Oliver almost laughed. 'I don't love Laurel, I love you, Aria.'

'And I'm not jealous,' I talked back at him, huffing.

'Can we at least put our... Differences aside, for Taylor?' Oliver requested. 'We have a job to do.'

'Sure,' I answered monotonously. 'For Taylor. But once he's not in our company, don't expect me to tiptoe around you.'

'Hey, Aria, Oliver,' Tommy greeted us at the door once we were inside, talking to us both with slight resentment. 'Where were you both? We need you, here, not chasing down some bad guys for you to murder.'

'Keep your voice down,' I whispered, my eagle-eyed glances spotting an abundance of cameras and devices around us, their purpose being to help protect Taylor, Tommy and Laurel. 'And Tommy, I've been here for most of the day.'

'But where have you been, Oliver?' Tommy spun round to his next interrogee. 'You've not shown all day. What was so important that you couldn't be here, hey?'

'I took down Rasmus,' Oliver informed him bluntly. 'And now you're all gonna be safer because of me.'

'It'll help Laurel, but not me,' Tommy narrowed his eyes at Oliver. 'You still like her, don't you?'

'As a friend,' Oliver defended himself, but I was rapidly doubting how much of that was true. 'And now I need to tell my friend that Rasmus confessed and is currently being arrested.'

'Are you seriously going to stand for him?' Tommy asked me as soon as Oliver was out of earshot.

'I'm not,' I answered without hesitation. 'I've already made my opinion perfectly clear to Oliver, and I'm on your side in this. He should've been here, and because he wasn't, I had to leave you and Taylor and Laurel unprotected.'

'We do have other security,' Tommy pointed out, stifling a chuckle in his determination to not totally make it up to me. 'But, I think I know who I can rely on the most out of you both.'

Tommy gave me a soft smile, temporarily pushing me out of my hate towards him as a result of his charm.

'I think we should join the others,' I said awkwardly, brushing past Tommy.

'Why would he confess?' I heard Laurel ask who I presumed was Oliver as we made our way towards the lounge.

'The vigilante was involved,' Oliver replied, Tommy and I seeing that Oliver was talking to Laurel and his mother once we had entered the room.

'Good for him,' Tommy commented rather abruptly in the quiet, Laurel snapping out of whatever she was imagining about Oliver's alter ego.

'So, I- I guess it's over,' Laurel announced, looking at all of us one after the other.

'Yes,' Oliver slowly replied, some kind of sadness apparent in his voice.

He wanted her to stay, that was obvious. I had begun to think that Oliver really cared for me instead, but he was always so quick to run back to Laurel. I didn't really know why I had even considered our relationship in the first place; yes, other people had told me that Oliver 'was in love' with me and that he and Laurel were over, but I didn't believe it, not anymore. Tonight was just a confirmation of who Oliver really vouched for.