Fighting for the Heart

Untitled Part 4

John had been working with Oliver for three days and during that time he was seeing that Oliver was still very skilled. His straight arms were on point, his triangle choke could bring down the largest opponent and his double leg take down was quick and accurate. Each time Oliver made a move John was impressed and as John slapped the mat, Oliver's bow and arrow choke having brought him to his knees, he felt good about the bout that Oliver would be fighting in two days. They were still waiting for Felicity to let them know his opponent but John was confident Oliver would be ready, and if he was a betting man, he would bet that Oliver would win the fight.

"Good move man." John said as he moved quickly to his feet. "I think tomorrow we should work on getting your kicks just a little higher. Maybe work on your flexibility."

"Has Felicity contacted you with the name of the person I will be fighting?" Oliver asked as he wiped his brow and followed John off of the mat.

"No, but I am sure we will hear from her soon. She is pretty tenacious. If she has someone in her sights she will not stop until she gets her way."

Oliver snorted, "That is an understatement."

John looked at him in surprise. "You two still at odds?"

"Well I haven't seen or talked to her since I signed the contract on Monday, so at that time yes." Oliver said as he started to remove the tape from his hands.

"Give her some slack man. She has been through a lot too. Just relax when you are around her and I think you will find she will do the same." John said.

Oliver listened to what John said, and he wanted to believe that. He nodded at John before walking back to the showers. He doubted he and Felicity would ever be friends per say, but he would try to be civil the next time he saw her.

Oliver grabbed his clothes and headed to the shower. He was meeting Tommy and Slade for drinks in about an hour at a local pub and he was looking forward to the evening.

***

Felicity parked her car and grabbed her purse before heading into Verdant. She saw John standing by the mats and smiled as she approached him.

"Felicity! What are you doing here?" he asked as she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"Well I was nearby so I wanted to stop by and talk to you about Oliver's fight in person." Felicity glanced around the room. "Is he still here?"

"In the showers. He should be out in a moment." John said. "He said you two were still at odds when you last saw each other. Everything ok?"

"It's fine. He can be a little arrogant, and stubborn and annoying, but other than that things are fine." she said and John lifted an eyebrow at her tone. He had never seen someone get under her skin the way that Oliver seemed to and he hid a smile. Maybe these two would be good for each other. They both needed to come out of their comfort zone and hopefully their business relationship would make them do that.

Oliver walked out of the locker room, and groaned inwardly when he saw a small, annoying blonde standing talking to John. Shit! Why couldn't she just have called? Oliver put on a fake smile and approached them. When Felicity turned and saw him walking toward them he noticed her blue eyes falter before meeting his gaze.

"Oliver! Great, we were just discussing you." John said.

"All good I hope.", Oliver said. Felicity snorted, and Oliver looked at her with annoyance. "So Felicity do you have some good news about Friday?" he said.

"Yes. So I spoke with a colleague of mine who handles some of the best amateur talent in the city. His name is Barry and he has offered to let you fight his top client. Roy Harper!"