|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 13:52:33 GMT
"I just always figured it was another great one from the silver-tongued Tommy." It wasn't exactly like Laurel had protested at the time either, they had a good fling going on for a while, something they probably both needed at the time. Laurel didn't mind as he dressed in the room, it certainly wasn't the first time she'd seen him without clothes. Had it been 5 years ago, Laurel would have said something, Tommy was the last person she thought she'd end up with.
Sliding off the edge of the bed, Laurel waited for Tommy to put his shoes on. "You didn't hear about it when it opened?" She wasn't trying to make a joke, she actually figured he would know about it. Tommy was known for knowing nightclubs, but he also had good taste in restaurants and enjoyed expensive dinners just because he could. "It's at 10 and Main. Across the street from the hotel."
|
|
|
|
Post by Tommy Merlyn on Apr 17, 2014 14:42:22 GMT
"If you believed that was a great one, then my actual good lines should be pure amazing," he joked as he got up from lacing his shoe. He put his hands in his pockets and walked towards his door, taking his wallet from a dresser as he passed it. Oh good, she hadn't made a comment about his getting dressed in front of her. Well, just because she didn't comment, that didn't mean he'd do it all the time in a situation like this one.
"No, I actually didn't hear much. A little, but not a lot. I've had other things on my mind." he told her. That was true; he did have things on his mind that were more important than a restaurant or nightclub or anything like that. He turned and looked at her, "I've had winning you over on my mind most of the time."
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 14:59:57 GMT
"I can't wait to hear them then." Following Tommy to the door, Laurel grabbed the small black purse she had dropped off in his room when she first came over in the morning. As well, Laurel grabbed her water, finishing the clear liquid as she stepped into the hallway.
"Really? Why now? And why me? " Had something happened to Tommy that she didn't know about? Some epiphany-inducing event? Suddenly she knew it sounded as though she were fishing for compliments, but that wasn't so, Laurel was more interested in Tommy and where his head was at.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tommy Merlyn on Apr 17, 2014 15:10:30 GMT
"I'm not sure how many you're going to hear. I've got to think some of them through, since some of them are made for wining women over, and I've already got you," he told her as he went down the hall. His keys were downstairs, so that would be a quick stop, then they could go.
"Why you?" he asked, stopping. He turned to her, "Because you are one of the best people I know. Oliver was a fool for what he did, and I don't intend to make any mistake like he did. I see everything that is good and pure about you, and I haven't seen it in anyone else. That's why you," he told her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 15:37:19 GMT
Following Tommy along the hall, Laurel immediately stopped when he did, giving him her full attention when he turned to her. Glancing down when he mentioned Oliver, Laurel held her tongue. Oliver was really her fault, not that he was blameless, anything but, but she had pushed him too far, too fast. Suggesting they get their own place together, it was foolish, and her sister paid the price, though that didn't alleviate any of Laurel's anger. Tommy didn't need to know any of that though, just how serious Laurel had been about Oliver and where her mind had been the day he left for his trip.
"That was really sweet." Laurel, the attorney of a million persuasive words, suddenly found herself at a loss for them now. She had never expected a real relationship with Tommy Merlyn, ever, and maybe they were moving quickly, from their sexual flings to an actual relationship, but hadn't Jo been nagging at Laurel to stop being so emotionally closed-off? Maybe this wouldn't last forever, but today seemed like a good start, for them both.
Looping her arm around Tommy's, Laurel leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked. "I hate boats. For future date planning." That was a bit of a lie, it was more that Laurel was terrified of the open sea after Sara's death. It was a start though, opening up to Tommy.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tommy Merlyn on Apr 17, 2014 15:47:20 GMT
He wasn't sure if bringing up Oliver had been smart or not, but he had decided to anyway. It didn't seem to go too badly from what he could tell, but he decided he couldn't do that again, even if it was to make a point. It might still be too sore of a subject, even if he couldn't really tell how she actually felt in that regard. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable in any way, after all.
He smiled a little as he walked with her, arm in arm. "Don't worry, my family has never been in love with the ocean, not like Robert was," he told her. That was true, they might have owned a yacht as a social symbol (he honestly wasn't even sure about that one), but they weren't sea people, not by any means. "But don't worry, I'm not going to take you on any boats. I wouldn't dream of that."
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 15:59:47 GMT
The Queens were definitely a sea-loving family, they all seemed to be into the sport, or at least, were at one point. There was a time when every year, there was at least one major social gathering on the Queen's Gambit, held by Robert Queen. At the time, Laurel had liked that boat, back when it was just an innocent yacht. "Yes, you've always been drawn to the land and how fast of a car you could find. I guess the bad boys get me all the time." Sometimes, it was amazing to Laurel that Tommy had never seriously been injured by his more intense need for danger, but she trusted he knew what he was doing.
Allowing Tommy to guide her to where he had left his cars, Laurel set the now-empty water glass down on a table where she assumed their maid would collect it. Normally Laurel would have taken it to the kitchen herself, but they were heading out. "Think I should call ahead to the restaurant?" It wasn't unusual for Tommy to just show up anywhere and get a table in less than five minutes, though it was always polite to call ahead sometimes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tommy Merlyn on Apr 17, 2014 16:10:57 GMT
"You can call ahead of you want. I can get us a table either way though." He knew that she knew that, but he'd let her do what she wanted. He didn't like to have to use his connections all the time, not when she might want to do things in a more normal fashion. He appreciated having to do things like that sometimes, especially if it would make Laurel feel better.
He picked out a set of car keys and pocketed them on the way to the garage. He didn't need a fancy car for this, just something good and usable. He had sports cars to choose from, very nice cars, but that might be overkill. He didn't really want to go for overkill with Laurel. He found the car and unlocked it, "I figured you wouldn't want something too flashy," he told her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 16:21:51 GMT
"They'd probably appreciate the heads up." Of course, most of the places around Starling purposely left tables available just in case someone like Tommy or a political happened to drop by unannounced, but that wasn't the point. Following Tommy to the garage, any else might have stared at awe in the garage that looked more like a show-room floor for sports cars, but Laurel had seen it all before. Even when she first saw it, she was only mildly impressed, like any young child would be.
Slipping into the passenger side of the car, Laurel settled back into the seat, pulling the belt across her body and securing it in place. "Thank you. I'm sure there will be enough talk and rumor soon enough without having to add flash to it." People like the Merlyns were the celebrities of Starling City. They weren't a small city, but they didn't have actors or singers that occupied the papers either. What they did have were a few very wealthy families and their local politicians. Eventually some reporter was going to publicly link Laurel and Tommy together, and Laurel could only hope she wouldn't be painted as some gold-digger, going from a Queen to a Merlyn.
Pulling her phone out of her purse, Laurel looked up the number for the restaurant, calling ahead for the two of them. Putting the reservation under Tommy's name, Laurel set her phone to silent and put it back in her purse. She had already put work aside for the day, now she wanted to make sure it didn't interfere with their evening.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tommy Merlyn on Apr 17, 2014 16:27:21 GMT
He laughed a little, "What, you don't want a little flash? Well, next time we'll take the bright red imported sports car. I'm sure a little flash might make you have some more fun." He was mostly joking, but he did think Laurel could use some extra fun and enjoyment. Tommy had a lot of that, but that was also because he didn't work or anything. She had a job, a career, so that was definitely more important to her, he figured.
His life was just fun, enjoyment. Flash. But he could put that aside easily enough. He just wanted to joke around a little with Laurel on that subject, he wasn't being serious. It might do her a little good to have some more fun though, just like it would do Tommy some more good to become a bit more serious about things. He figured they might be made for each other, taking that into account.
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 16:38:30 GMT
"We can take any car you want, you're the one driving. Though I would hope that it would be my good work at my job that would propel my name into the paper." Not that Laurel wanted her name in print, quite the opposite. Her name had been splashed across all the paper's right alongside the Queen's name when Sara was named as one of the dead from the ship's sinking, though Laurel knew that once she stepped into the courtroom against a man like Adam Hunt, she'd be back in the papers.
Turning her head to face Tommy, Laurel studied him for a moment. They were nearly thirty and Laurel felt like she had aged a million times more than Tommy over the past five years. His body language was always so relaxed, as carefree as his mood, just being around him made her respond in a relaxing way. "Do you ever get tired of it? Having fun whenever you want?" She was being serious, mostly because she had never known that before. Even when she had been with Oliver, her eye was always on law school, keeping her grades up in high school and studying for the LSAT while working to make the Dean's list in college. Many nights she had turned Oliver down for a date, the way she often had to turn down Tommy now, usually when she had an early day at CNRI.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tommy Merlyn on Apr 17, 2014 16:42:24 GMT
He laughed a little, "Sometimes it does get tiring, but I'm used to it. I really enjoy it most of the time, but yeah, there are times when it gets tiring, but I don't know what to do about it. I'm sure that spending time with you will help me with that." He was being entirely serious with that. He wanted her to help change him, and maybe he could help change her as well, make her more fun.
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 16:53:56 GMT
Normally this would be about the time that Laurel mentioned his father's company, but she had done that already today and he had skillfully avoided the subject. It was clear he didn't want it, yet for all his resentment towards the company, it provided him the ability to pay for all his expensive hobbies. "Have you ever considered volunteering for a charity? You might actually like it." Probably not, Tommy had never had a job before in his life, why would he like working for free? "You could do what you do best, throw an event for a charity. Maybe a silent auction. I'm sure you have something you don't use, and have friends with extra stuff."
|
|
|
|
Post by Tommy Merlyn on Apr 17, 2014 16:57:53 GMT
He nodded a bit, "Yeah, that could work well. I could definitely do that." He looked at her when he came up to a red light, "I can help at CNRI, I can do some charity events...well Laurel, you're really helping me get somewhere today. I really appreciate all of it."
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurel Lance on Apr 17, 2014 18:18:56 GMT
It was a noble offer, to help CNRI, though Laurel knew she was the reason for it. "We could use it, CNRI needs all the donations it can get, but you don't need to do anything for CNRI on my behalf." reaching out to Tommy, Laurel put a hand on his shoulder. "You're acting like you couldn't think of it on your own. Tommy, you're a good person if you just give yourself the credit."
|
|
