Unravel Me | Arrow [ COMPLETED ]

chapter five

"You are one of God's mistakes
You crying, tragic waste of skin"
PLACEBO - 'Song to Say Goodbye'

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By the time Cali walked into the bar where Oliver's Welcome Home bash was happening, Oliver was already up on the table, proclaiming to the crowd that he missed tequila. Tommy was watching him with a wide grin, completely oblivious to the late arrival of his sister. It wasn't until she reached out and touched his arm that he startled and became aware of her presence.

"Cali!" He cheered loudly, sweeping her into a tight hug. "Hey! Glad you could make it - I got a bit worried when you rang and said you weren't coming back to the mansion first. Did something happen?"

Before she could answer, Oliver was fighting his way back to them, another man trailing him. "Hey Cali," he greeted lightly. "You okay? We were all a bit concerned when you changed plans so suddenly."

She offered them both tight smiles. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just...had a visit from my father. It shook me a little."

Immediately, Tommy's expression soured. His casual hold on her shoulder got tighter. "Did he do anything?" He demanded. "Say anything? I won't hesitate to go and kick his ass if he did something."

Cali spared Oliver a quick look, taking in the sharp look in his eyes. He was studying them, and learning about them, and analysing them. His casual mask had crumbled. She could see him. "No," she answered Tommy, looking away from Oliver. "Nothing happened. I'm fine. I just hate dealing with him." She flicked her attention to the man who was hovering by Oliver's shoulder. "Hello."

He smiled warmly, offering his hand. She took it and shook it firmly. "John Diggle," he introduced. "I'm Oliver's bodyguard."

Cali returned his smile. "Calissa Merlyn. Cali, if you would, please." She gave Oliver a teasing look. "Glad to know someone else is finally starting to look after this one. It was getting a bit difficult on my own."

"I've been back two days," Oliver protested. "It couldn't have been that difficult!"

Cali just shared an amused look with John. John said, "Are you gonna tell him, or should I?" Cali laughed loudly as Oliver grumbled to himself, feeling the weight of the evening slowly start to drift away. It was nice - Oliver was back, Tommy seemed to be in a much better mood, and the new John Diggle seemed to share her sense of humour. She was among friends.

Tommy nudged Oliver. "Now, by my rough estimate, you have not had sex in 1,839 days."

Cali snorted. "Jeez, Tommy, why are you keeping count? That's a little obsessive."

Tommy sent her a sharp glare that did absolutely nothing against her cheeky amusement. He shifted his attention back to Oliver, whose mask had slipped back into place during the brief time Tommy had been talking. "As your wingman," Tommy continued, "I highly recommend Carmen Golden."

Cali guessed that Oliver was merely humouring Tommy at this point - she had a sneaking suspicion that Oliver hadn't come back from that island to give a damn about some random chicks at a club. "Which one is she?" Oliver asked, playing along.

Tommy nodded vaguely at the crowd. "The one who looks like the chick from 'Twilight'."

Oliver just blinked. "What's 'Twilight'?"

"You're so better off not knowing," Cali interjected, grimacing a little. John made a sound of agreement beside her, and she nudged her elbow back to jostle him, beaming up at him. She liked the man already, and she'd only known him all of about three minutes.