The Way We Talk

Interrogation (Talkative #1)

Thea Queen does not consider herself the type of person that could be classified as a "snoop." She resents the term, honestly, and she just doesn't like the idea of prying into someone's private life. But, when it comes to her brother, sometimes she just happens to be in the right place at the right time and learn something new about the company he keeps.

On the day in question, she's just going to see her brother to see if he wants lunch—a completely innocent gesture. She hasn't been to his new office yet, either, and she thinks she might be able to talk him into a little remodeling because his taste in decor is dreadful. If he's going to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company, his office needs to look like it.

But when she sees his secretary—or "executive assistant," whatever—Thea gets the oddest sensation of deja vu. She takes a moment to study the woman, trying to place her. She's is blonde, but, then again, a lot of women are. Her hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she must have good taste because Thea loves that dress. But what finally makes Thea place her are the glasses and the bright fuchsia lipstick.

Oliver's date from the other night. Thea can't quite remember the name—Felicity... something.

She looks as stunned as Thea feels when she walks into the secretary's office. Trying her best Queen intimidation, she crosses her arms, staring at her. Surprisingly, Blondie doesn't cower. "Computer technician, huh?" Thea finally asks.

The blonde girl blushes, but doesn't back down. "I've had a recent change of occupation," she replies dryly, sounding not-at-all thrilled about said change in occupation. "A friend of mine asked me to fill a position because he needed a friend by his side while he's swimming with sharks." She sighs. "And I'm a complete and total pushover, so of course I said yes."

Thea is surprised by the honesty in her tone and the smile in her voice. Thea forgives the deception, offering an olive branch by saying, "Well, you're not the first person Ollie has manipulated." She goes for the question she's wanted to know the answer to since she recognized Felicity: "Just answer one thing: Did he pay you to go to that dinner?"

Felicity looks appalled by the idea, and Thea knows the answer before the words come out. "Of course not!" is her indignant response. "I told you, Oliver's my friend. He asked me and I said yes."

Thea smiles, holding her hands up in a peace offering. "Sorry. I had to ask—my brother has a habit of attracting people that don't have his best interests in mind." And it's true--no one ever really thinks about his best interests, so Thea takes it upon herself to watch out for her older brother. He probably thinks it's rude and a little demeaning, but he does the same to her—and she lets him because he's her brother and he cares.

Thea offers the blonde woman a smile. "So, do you think it would be all right if I forced him to go get lunch with me?" She winks before adding, "I don't want to disrupt his hard-working EA's scheduling."

Felicity makes an odd sound before saying, "By all means. He's been reading contracts all morning, and it makes him all growly and grr-I'll-stab-you-with-my-pen. I beg you to get him out of here for a while so that we can all leave with our limbs intact." She seems to realize that she did, in fact, say that out loud, blushing slightly as Thea laughs.

As if he senses her plight, suddenly Oliver is in his EA's office, asking, "Thea, why are you tormenting my EA?" He sounds oddly calm for someone recently described as "growly," and the corners of his mouth are turned upward just enough—is that a smile on his face? Thea's been trying for months to get him to smile like that, and yet nothing.

Thea waves him off with a hand. "It's not torment, it's girl talk," she says dismissively, throwing her new co-conspirator a wink. Then, more seriously, she says, "I've been told you're in need of a lunch break. Lucky for you, I've come to save the day before you end up stabbing someone with a pen." His eyes flicker toward Felicity for a moment, and Thea watches with interest as he realizes where the information came from.

The subtle changes in his expression are small, with just a hint of something that looks like mischief appearing at the corners of his mouth and in the lightness of his eyes. He smiles at Thea and says, "I'll just be a minute; I need to sign a few more things." His eyes flicker toward Felicity's. "Maybe, in the meantime, Miss Smoak"—he says her name like they're just professional acquaintances—"can get you a cup of coffee?"

He clearly expects the consequences of his words, but Thea is not prepared for the fire in Felicity's eyes. "No, Miss Smoak cannot get you a cup of coffee," she snaps testily, with a glare that reminds Thea of that saying about how looks can kill. "Miss Smoak happens to have a Master's from MIT—not some sort of secretarial school—and she does not fetch at Oliver Queen's whims. Last time I checked, my job description says, 'Oliver Queen's EA,' not 'Oliver Queen's minion.'" As though it explains everything, she hastily adds, "I don't even like bananas."

A rush of breath leaves Oliver's mouth, too fast to be a sigh. It's so foreign that it takes Thea a minute to recognize that it was almost a laugh. He looks like he wants to say something, but Felicity cuts him off. "Don't even start, Oliver," she says in a very dangerous tone. "You just better hope that your computer isn't missing a circuit board when you get back." Though her tone is serious and just a little vindictive, she's smiling all the while, as if this is some sort of game between the two of them.

Oliver holds his hands up in surrender before walking out, dragging Thea along with him. She dismisses the interaction for a while, but then everything comes back to her when, after lunch, her brother orders a to-go plate. At her question, he simply states that its his apology to Felicity.

It's the first time Thea thinks that they're cute together.