The Starling Saviour

Chapter 66

'What now?' I asked Oliver after we had sat in silence for goodness knows how long. 'We can't stay down here forever. The club's still packed and I can still hear the faint sound of music playing.'

'I don't know,' Oliver muttered. 'I didn't want Tommy to fall out with you either.'

'Well, we can't turn back time now,' I commented.

I nearly carried on to joke that if we had the Waverider we could, but I realised that Oliver wouldn't understand what I meant, and would then go on to think I was insane, like Tommy probably thought of us both.

'None of this would've happened if I hadn't trusted Helena,' Oliver fretted about the past.

I had to stop myself from cracking another joke about how I felt the same about the Helena I knew, but it really wasn't the time. I seemed to be more witty when I was devastated.

'It was a long time coming,' I shrugged as lightheartedly as possible. 'I was stupid to think I could even possibly be friends with Tommy after all the lies we've both been feeding him. And the fact that we have a lot of... History.'

'I think that's our problem,' Oliver supposed. 'We've been surrounding ourselves with old friends, old lovers. I'm even dating a girl who I got smashed with every weekend before I even met you.'

'Ah, the joys of going out in the turn of the century,' I added, not stopping myself from joking this time. 'Dancing to Girls Aloud and S Club 7 in mini skirts and tank tops.'

'Who the hell are Girls Aloud and S Club 7?' Oliver sounded confused. 'I think it was more... Backstreet Boys and Justin Timberlake over here. But, how did you go out at the start of the millennia? You would've been what, seventeen?'

'Have you not heard of a fake ID?' I pointed out, Oliver giving me an impressed look.

'I didn't know you were so rebellious back then,' Oliver smirked at me. 'I thought your vigilante streak was because of me.'

'I knew you were arrogant, but I didn't think your ego was that big,' I laughed at Oliver's vanity. 'But, I actually only went out a few times, I wasn't that adventurous. I was a studious science student, remember?'

'Hey, I didn't go to your college, how would I know?' Oliver shrugged.

'Hey,' Diggle greeted us as he joined us. 'What are you two doing down here on your opening night?  Shouldn't you be upstairs?'

'Something... Happened,' Oliver explained vaguely.

'Go on,' Diggle stopped walking, turning directly at us. 'I'm listening.'

'Helena, the psycho ex-girlfriend, nearly killed Tommy so Oliver would help her!' I exclaimed due to Oliver's hesitancy in answering Diggle.

Diggle put his hands on the desk next to him, speechless.

'Don't say it,' Oliver pointed, looking away from Diggle in shame, I guessing he talking about the part where Diggle would say an I told you so.

'Okay,' Diggle didn't bother to turn back round to look at his Oliver. 'Then let's talk about Helena.'

'Aria, could you give us the room, please?' Oliver requested suddenly.

'I know about Helena, Ollie, you don't need to hide anything from me,' I protested, but the two stayed silent for what I guessed would be until I left. 'Fine, I probably should be upstairs anyway.'

Heading to the club floor, I bumped into a lingering Helena, she sending me a rather unnatural smile.

'Another one of Oliver's girlfriends,' she said with a light laugh. 'You know he's going to recruit you just so he can go out with you for a week, at the most?'