Code Black // Arrow

12 | Dance

"-- what do you want for your birthday?" Tommy leaned against the top of the bar, peering at me over the rim of his glass. "It's coming up in a few weeks and--" He pointed his finger in my direction before he added, "-- don't you dare say you want a puppy again."

A pout instantly formed on my lips once the words left his mouth. The loud music and chatter of the party nearly drowned out his soft chuckle, but my ears were able to pick the sound up. I nodded my head in gratitude when a bar tended replaced my empty glass with a new white russian.

"I think a puppy would be a great addition to our family," I told my brother, taking a sip of my drink.

"Hensley, we aren't home enough to take care of one." Tommy threw his head back on his shoulders. "And I'm not going to be the one to clean up after it when it decides to use our living room as a bathroom."

I waved at Chase over my shoulder, where he stood only a few feet away from my bar stool, knowing I felt better when he was closer in such a large crowd. "Of course not, Tommy. That would be Chase's job."

Chase shot a heavy glare in my direction. "My job is to protect you, not clean up shit from a dog."

I giggled at his response. I rolled my eyes at the two of them before my eyes settled back onto my brother. "Okay, fine. What if we got one that was already trained? Just think about how many girls you could get if you had a puppy. Girls love dogs."

"There's only one girl I want," Tommy responded and took a sip of his drink. His eyes darted through the mass of people, searching for where Laurel disappeared off to.

I pressed my lips together, silently thinking about how Oliver had looked at Laurel earlier. He was trying to push her away, but that look on his face showed that he was still in love with her. I didn't want to see either of them getting hurt, but what scared me most was knowing how my brother would feel if Laurel ever picked Oliver over him.

"I know," I replied, rubbing his arm in a comforting manner.

"Anyways," Tommy cleared his throat, desperate to change the subject. He nodded his head at the dancefloor. "I haven't seen you kick out your favorite dance moves yet."

I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing he was referring to my awful dance moves I would do when I would watch Footloose back home. He had caught me one time and he refused to ever let it go.

"You're a terrible brother."

A small snicker came from Chase. I whipped around in my seat, shooting a playful glare at him as well, which only made the smile on his face grow broader. I shook my head at the two of them teaming up against me.

"You haven't danced either," I reminded him.

"I'm not much of a dancer."

I raised a brow at him. "Dance off?"

"Hensley, no." Tommy shook his head, laughing quietly. "We are not starting a dance off in the middle of this party. Neither of us need to embarrass ourselves like that."

I glanced at the dance floor over my shoulder. I stretched my arm out toward Chase, wiggling my fingers in the air. "Dance with me?"

He was the only person in this whole building I trusted enough to dance with, aside from my own brother, but that would just be weird and awkward with this upbeat music. The two of us had grown so close over the years that we were more like best friends than a bodyguard and his client. I wouldn't have asked Chase if I knew he wouldn't be able to keep on guard while we danced. Chase was an excellent multitasker.

"Good luck." Tommy stood up and patted his shoulder as he walked away from us.

"One dance, Hensley." Chase gave in.