Straight Shot ➳ Oliver Queen

32. Merlyn

C H A P T E R   T H I R T Y - T W O

MERLYN

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I groggily stretched my arms above my head when I was awoken by the shifting of the mattress next to me. I rolled over to see Josh had gotten out of bed and was slipping a t-shirt on.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I have an early meeting with a source." He explained to me, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I immediately began sitting up. "Oh, I didn't realize we had one today. I'll start getting ready."

Josh chuckled. "Don't worry. This isn't Arrow business. This is actually for another article." He informed me as he grabbed a chambray shirt from a hanger in his closet and slipped it on, buttoning it up and rolling up the sleeves.

"Oh, yeah. Sometimes I kind of forget your job doesn't completely revolve around the Arrow." I joked, running my fingers through my bedhead.

"But yours does, and lucky for you, there haven't been many reports of him recently so you get to lay in bed and watch the snowfall." He said as he slipped on his shoes.

"Snow?" I repeated. Josh smiled as he stepped towards his bedroom window and drew back the grey curtain. The glass was frosted around the edges and through the window, I could see flurries of snow trickling through the dark sky. "Looks like we're gonna have a white Christmas." He commented happily, gazing out the window.

"Christmas?" I echoed, furrowing my eyebrows. "Wait, it's Christmas."

"Almost," Josh said. "Any big plans?" He wondered, leaving the window to sit on the bed with me.

"I actually don't really celebrate Christmas," I confessed to him and he seemed a little taken aback.

"Really?"

"Yeah... I took a year off after the Gambit went down since I just... didn't feel much like celebrating. And then it just kind of stuck." I explained to him.

"So you haven't had an actual Christmas for five years?!" He clarified, the corners of his lips tugging into a smile.

"Don't go all "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" on me!" I warned teasingly, pointing a finger at him.

"I won't. I promise." He lied, "But there's gotta be something that you miss about celebrating Christmas!" He insisted and I glanced to the side, thinking for a moment.

I gave a little smile. "Well, I guess there is. I usually spent Christmas with the Queens and Robert... he loved Christmas. He used to have Christmas trees set up in every single room of the house and it just... the entire house smelled like Christmas. It felt like Christmas. I guess I just haven't really felt that since."

"Well," he started as he leaned over the side of the bed to kiss me. "You're going to feel that again this year. I promise."

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"Hey, sorry I'm late," I said as I stepped through the front door of the Queen's mansion. Oliver was standing in the foyer, looking as if he had just gotten off the phone with someone. He looked handsome like usual, dressed in a dark grey suit with a light blue dress shirt and a matching striped necktie.

"It's fine. I'm just glad you're here. Walter and my mother are hosting the most boring people in the entire city." Oliver joked before glancing at my dark turquoise dress. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." I responded as I walked alongside him towards the dining room, casually linking my arm with his.

"Oh, I'm so glad you made it! This is Karter Mitchell, Jason Mitchell's daughter and a dear family friend of ours!" Moira announced, standing as we stepped into the room. I wish she hadn't considered all attention was instantly dragged towards me. I forced a shy smile before sitting down at the table in an empty spot next to Oliver and across from Thea.