Blinded by Limerence

23 | Long Shot

"I see. Come on in, then," she responded, and I was thankful she didn't probe further because if she had, I would've ran out of lies. "It's been a while since you last came over."

Mrs. Darhk showed me in, and I bowed my head just slightly as a sign of respect then thanked her. Knowing the way by heart, I immediately ran up to Morgan's room.

I glanced at my watch again. 

"Better hurry," I whispered to myself. "I don't have a lie good enough to explain to Morgan why I'm here if she were to catch me in the act."

I scoured her bedroom, looking under the bed, opening and closing drawers, checking jewelry boxes... but I could not find anything that tied her to Archer.

"They must have some sort of history," I kept telling myself, "otherwise why would Archer go out of his way to talk to her? Warn her?"

It wasn't only that, too. I've seen the way he looks at her, and it's not a look to be taken lightly. Don't get me wrong, it's a great look: It's just that he's not looking at me.

I shook my head at the memory of seeing Archer with his hands on that treacherous little tart. Ugh.

Just then, from the corner of my eye, I noticed something shine from the top of Morgan's nightstand.

The blinds in her bedroom were down, with only a bit of the afternoon sun's rays seeping through, and I had left the door open as to not arouse suspicion.

The little amount of light in the room caused the mysterious item to shine even more, making me wonder why I hadn't noticed it sooner, before I had ransacked her entire room.

As I walked over to the nightstand, I sat down on the bed. Carefully, I picked the shining object up, only to see that it was the half-heart keychain Morgan found when we were cleaning up her garage a few weeks ago.

I put it back down. "This is useless," I groaned.

But then it hit me: Morgan claimed that she didn't know who the keychain belonged to. If that was the case, why's it still with her? Is there some sort of sentimental value that comes with this trinket? Perhaps... Could it have been from Archer? Could he possess the other half of the heart?

Could that be why he can't seem to commit to me? Because the other half of his heart is with Morgan?

I knew it was a long shot, but I was running out of time. I walked over to Morgan's bedroom window, and a rising sense of panic filled me as I spotted a white dot who I recognized to be Morgan at the end of the lane. 

Without giving it more thought, I pocketed the keychain and ran down the stairs.

"I got what I needed, Mrs. Darhk! I'll be off now, thank you!" I hollered, hoping she had heard me, before running out of the house.

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The following day, I lay in bed, contemplating the implications of the mysterious keychain.

"I'm just grasping at straws here," I sighed, rolling over. "This is nothing." Hopeless, I dumped the keychain onto my nightstand, my arm dangling limply over the edge of my bed.

It was then when I heard someone knock on the door of my studio apartment.

Even though all I wanted to do was stay in bed and continue to feel sorry for myself, I had to be responsible—I did promise my mom and dad when I first moved out here—so I got up and lazily walked over to open the front door. It was probably just the mailman, anyways. 

To my surprise, though, I was greeted by a familiar face, and I could only sigh at the sight of the boy standing in front of me, my dumbfounded mind unable to process why he was here.

"What, don't tell me you don't have plans on a Saturday afternoon," Oliver smirked as he leaned against the doorframe.

Seeing his rugged features once again only reminded me of the times we've spent together, and it definitely made my cheeks hot. I had to look away from his hazel eyes because I couldn't stand the way they bore holes into my skin and drove me crazy.

"Oli, what are you doing here?" I asked, trying my best to suppress a smile.

He shrugged, acting as if everything between us was fine, and nothing had changed. "Can't I come see my best friend without getting the third degree?" He showed himself in but not before patting me on the head like he used to when we were kids.

I closed the door and leaned on it ever so slightly. "You know what I meant," I responded, trying to keep my calm when really, my mind and heart were a mess. Why did you have to come back? "How was Spain?"

"Mm, fun, I guess, but the chicks got really boring," he replied casually before flashing me his million dollar smile, and my heart just melted at the sight. "I've missed you, Abrams."

He walked over to give me a hug, and blushing, I couldn't help but take him all in: the intoxicating scent of his suede jacket, the feel of his stubble against my hot cheek, the familiar way his arms curled around my waist. I've missed him.

Pulling away, he gazed into my blue eyes as I drowned myself in his.

"Care to take a stroll around Brooklyn with me?" he offered with a slight raise of his eyebrow. "I need to clear my head."

He needs to clear his head?

"With me?" I asked in case I had heard wrong, but then, Oliver grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together, and led me to the door.

"Yes. Problem?"

"N-none," I replied, silently trailing behind him. As I glanced at our interlaced hands, I could feel my heartbeat quicken and my cheeks heat up again. The palm of his hand was warm against mine, and I couldn't help but think that it was a perfect fit, as if two pieces of a puzzle were finally reunited. It's never been like this with Archer before.

Before I even realized, as Oliver and I walked out the door, my hand nestled safely in his, I wondered if this person from my past... could finally stay for my present.