Into the Unknown - Arrow

Sushi

"Are you sure?"

Tommy nodded his head. "Yes, I'm sure."

Aurora held a piece of Sushi in her chopsticks and wasn't quite sure about it. "It looks raw."

Tommy smiled. "That's what Sushi is." Tommy shook his head. "Okay, okay. Try this one." Tommy held out a California Roll wrapped in seaweed. "It's a California Roll. It's mostly rice and crab."

Aurora set down her piece and took Tommy's Roll from his chopsticks. She examined the food before she took a small bite. The Roll fell apart and she had to quickly lean over the plate in front of her so she didn't make a mess. Aurora put her hand up to her mouth, as she tasted the California Roll. Aurora let out a smile at Tommy's expression.

"Okay, besides the mess, it's pretty good."

Tommy pumped his fist. "Yes. See Sushi's not that bad."

Aurora lifted her eyebrow and pointed to the rawest of the fish. "I don't know. That one looks like it's going to eat me."

Tommy chuckled. "Yeah, probably shouldn't have started you on that one."

"And you do this with Oliver?"

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, we used to do it all the time before he left. We used to try all the exotic places."

Aurora let out a smile. "Oh, so you're the adventurous type."

Tommy snorted. "That's more Oliver's style."

Aurora was slightly shocked. "Really? That's odd. Although I didn't know Oliver before, so I have a different impression of him."

Tommy's expression suddenly shifted and Aurora had a feeling she knew what he was about to say.

"This is probably going to ruin our date, but can I ask about your family? Oliver mentioned something about how you moved here because of them?"

Aurora swallowed and let out a breath. "You can ask. It's okay. My, uh, my mom died a few years ago from Cancer and a few months ago my dad and little sister got in a car accident."

Tommy let his emotions show. He reached across the table and took Aurora's hand. "I'm so sorry. I lost my mom when I was little too."

Aurora grasped Tommy's hand. "Guess we have something in common."

There was a moment of silence before Aurora spoke again.

"I came to Starling City after the car accident because I wanted to find Moira and Oliver. I saw on the News that he was back from a shipwreck. So I moved here and found my family."

Tommy let out a smile. "I'm glad you got to move on after your parents and sister."

Aurora let out a breath with her smile. "I'm glad I did too. And now I have new friends because of it."

Tommy let his smile widen. "I'm glad that we met. I'm glad you came to my party even if it was cut short."

Tommy let his expression fall again. "My dad was a little out of line."

Aurora swallowed. "Can I ask? About your dad? Oliver said you weren't happy with him."

Tommy cleared his throat. "I guess it's only fair. After my mom died, my dad left for, like, two years and when he came back, he was so cold with me. He presented like a father, but he never was one. Oliver's dad actually acted like a dad to me. He took me to my first baseball game."

Aurora let out a small smile. "Robert?"

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, during those two years, Robert and Moira took care of me. I guess you could say that the Queen's were my second family."

Aurora kept her smile. "I wish I could have met Robert."

"He was a good guy. Very fatherly."

Before either of them could say anything more, Tommy's phone vibrated on the table. Tommy quickly looked at the screen for a moment before he let out a sigh and put the phone face down on the table.

Aurora furrowed her brows. "Is something wrong?"

Tommy let out a breath. "How would you like to go to a Gala with me tonight?"

Aurora's eyebrows lifted. "A Gala? As in fancy, diamond wearing Gala?"

Tommy nodded. "My dad is hosting it...Wow, sorry that was really abrupt."

Aurora smiled. "I would love to accompany you."

Tommy's expression lit up. "Great! I have dinner plans with Oliver, but I can come pick you up after?"

Aurora nodded. "That means I have to find a Gala worthy dress."

Tommy kept his smile. "I can't wait to see what you choose."

Aurora kept her smile as she looked at Tommy. She was beginning to really like the man sitting in front of her.