Her heart was stuck in a staccato rhythm, like each beat had to wrap itself around the chords he played. It was a trance, and she let herself fall into it each time
“Too corny?” Owen asked as he put his guitar down. “You can tell me if it is.”
“Huh,” Cami shook her head, letting the daydream that had played out to his words fall away. “No, are you kidding? You’re amazing, the song is amazing.”
She got up and started to move. Sometimes it was the only way to truly get out of the spell she let herself fall under.
“Thanks, Cam,” he was fidgety. She could see it in the way his leg bounced. And she’d known Owen long enough to know, that he was distracted too.
“Did you talk to her?” She hadn’t brought it up all week, the giant elephant that sat in between every rehearsal and sound check. The information that formed a lump in the back of Cami’s throat every tie she looked at him.
He pulled something from his pocket, a folded piece of paper. It’s not the first time she’d seen it. He’d been carrying it for the last three years.
“If you want answers for that letter, you have to go see her.”
“Maybe I don’t,” he looked up at her, his eyes full of pain. “Maybe I just... let it go. His voice dropped. “Maybe I can move on?”
She could almost imagine what came next. She could see his hand reach out to hers as he stood, and and feel his fingers as he brushed her hair back. She could hear the hesitation in his voice, just before he added her into that.
But she turned towards the piano, to keep him from seeing how much this effected her, but also to keep every one of those things from happening.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to move on, not until you talk to her,” she had enough strength to look at him again. “I think if you don’t then there is always gonna be a ‘what if’ over your head.” she smiled at him. “And I know you have too good of a heart to do that to a hypothetical someone else.”
He let out a slow breath as he stood, packing up his guitar case. “You really think I should?”
“Not many people get a second chance. Either to work things out or to say goodbye. But you two do, and you shouldn’t waste it.”
“You really believe in second chances?”
“Of course I do. Don’t you?”
“Yeah, I guess I do,” He smile. “Don’t tell Nik, but you give better advice.”
That made her laugh. “It’s because I’m the better friend.”
“You’re the best friend, Cami. Thank you.”
As he left Cami felt herself slide down to the piano bench.
She did believe in second chances, she even felt like this was one. Just not theirs. Owen didn’t love her the way she loved him, and one day she’d wake up and that wouldn’t hurt as much.
But for now, she let it sting, because having him in her life as a friend was better than not having him at all.
Owen Queen has understood love his whole life. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get it wrong a time or two.
This is for @mickeysjones because we added in another next gen person and of course she’s connected to my favorite boy....
If you asked Owen if there was a moment in his six years of life where he wished it could erase the whole day, today would be that day. He would rather take three math tests in a row, then be lying in his bed. Especially when his entire family, immediate and extended, were down stairs having food and fun.
“Knock knock,” his dad stood at the door holding a small pint of ice cream. “I brought you something to eat.”
He glared at the food, then at Oliver. “I’d rather have laptkes.”
“Latkes,” he corrected with a grin. “And maybe in a couple of days. You just had your tonsils out this morning, let’s stick with softer stuff.”
“It won’t be Haunnkah in a couple of days,” he grumbled, folding his arms as he turned away.
“I know buddy.” Oliver moved into the room, taking a seat on the edge of Owen’s bed. “Everyone misses you too. But we want you to feel better. That’s more important.”
“Whatever.”
He holds up the ice cream again, waving the spoon in front of Owen’s face. “It’s double chocolate.”
He took the pint, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still upset.
“Want me to bring you up anything else?”
Footsteps came bounding up the stairs. Owen and Oliver turned towards the door as Sara Diggle popped her head in.
“Uncle Ollie, Daddy told me to come and get you for a kitchen emergency.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“Aunt Licity and Donna are trying to cook more food.”
Owen watched as a mild panic crossed his dad’s face. “I will come back and check on you later. I have to go keep your mom and grandma from burning a hole in my kitchen.”
Oliver slipped past Sara and down the hall. He assumed she’d follow his dad back to the party, but she hovered at the door.
“Everyone wishes you were downstairs,” she said, pushing herself further in. “Miriam looks miserable. But Ada and Mia keep trying to distract her.”
“Thanks,” he took the lid off his ice cream and dug his spoon in.
“You don’t look so happy for someone who gets to eat ice cream for dinner.”
“I’d rather have dinner with everyone else,” he grumbled through a bite.
She nodded, then pulled something in from the hall. It was wrapped in blue and silver paper, about half the size of her as she struggled to maneuver it through the doorway. He could see his name written in big bold letters. “Which is why I thought I’d bring you your present. To cheer you up a little.”
Owen smiled as she came over to his bed, setting the box across his lap. He eyed the gift and then Sara. “It’s not Christmas.”
“No,” she agreed with a grin. “But it is the last night of Hanukkah. Besides we leave for the grandparents in the morning. So it’s the last time we’ll be home until New Years.”
Owen placed his ice cream on his bedside table then pulled the package closer. “You sure it’s okay to open it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Who cares. What are they gonna do get mad at you when you just had organs taken out of your head?”
She had a point. And Owen was really curious to see what was under that wrapping paper.
He ripped at the paper, Sara egging him on the whole time. Once he got the paper off, he lifted the lid from the box.
There, sitting with tissue paper stuffed around it, was a small blue guitar.
“You got this for me?”
“Technically Connor and JJ helped too. Mostly with the money. Mom said I had to say that,” she admitted with a grin. “But I picked it out. I also wrapped it. So remember that when you start learning how to write songs on that thing.”
Owen let his fingers glide across the neck of the guitar. He didn’t think anyone had ever given him such a nice present before. In the shine of its surface, he could see Sara’s reflection. The way she smiled at him, how happy giving him this guitar made her, it lit up her whole face. And he felt the smile grow on his as well.
He didn’t put the words to that feeling until a few years later, but that’s the moment he was sure he knew he loved Sara Diggle. And once he did realize it, he didn’t think he’d ever feel differently.
---
Owen leaned against the porch railing, hearing the sounds of family and laughter coming from inside. But he stayed outside trying to find the courage to go talk to Cami.
Why had he done it? Why did he even put that vibe out into the world? Things had been good, no they had been great between them. But Owen had to open his mouth and ruin everything. Now he was more confused than ever.
“Hey.” He turned towards the front door, Cami standing there in a dark red dress. He had invited her so they could hear his and Miriam’s new song. But… “You’re family’s wondering where you went? Is everything okay?”
It wasn’t. Despite how much he wanted things to be. But he messed everything up. And now all he could hear with his own words on a constant loop in his head.
“Not really,” he managed with a sigh.
He wished he could rewind the week. Back to before Diggle’s had come to dinner on Monday. Before he knew that Sara and Adam were officially a thing.
She told him that night up in his room how much she loved Adam. How she could see herself marrying him one day.
Then the next thing Owen knew he was telling Cami he loved her. And from the moment those words came out of his mouth, everything had changed.
It’s not that he didn’t love her. He was pretty sure he did. But it had always been as a friend. Saying those words had messed everything up.
“Can we talk?” he asked, motioning to the swing off to the side.
Cami followed him, taking a deep breath as she sat. “Depends. Can I go first?”
He wanted to try and rip it off like a bandaid. But she threw him off to the point where all he could say in response was. “Uh yeah I guess. Sure.”
Cami looked almost as nervous as he felt as they sat there in the quiet. “Look Owen about the other night…”
“That’s kinda what I wanted to talk about too.”
The turned a little finally meeting each other’s eyes. Cami looked sad. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“When you came over, and we talked, you said you love me,” she paused biting at her lip. “And I said I love you too.”
“I remember,” Owen hadn’t thought of anything else in days.
“When I said that. I think I just got caught up in the moment.” She shook her head. “I love you, Owen. But I think it’s just--”
“As a friend?” he finished in relief.
She looked at him and smiled. “You too then?”
“I’m sorry Cami,” he threw his head back and laughed. “I honestly thought I meant it when I said it. I wouldn’t have tried to lead you on or anything.”
“Owen, come on. I would never think that,” she reached over and took his hand in hers. “We’ve been dating for a few months. It’s normal to want to reach that next thing.”
“So you don’t hate me?”
“Never.”
The nerves he felt lessened as they sat with each other. “I’m glad we’re friends.”
“Me too.”
“Should we go in, and listen to the new song now?”
“I would love too.”
He rolled his eyes and they laughed together, just sitting and enjoying being each other’s friend. Maybe she wasn’t the love of his life, maybe his first real girlfriend had always just been a friend. But he was glad they had tried. For whatever it's worth, he would always be glad they had.
---
Another party, another time sitting on the outskirts of it. He laughed at the irony. Especially since the party he was currently missing was for himself.
“Owen?” he turned to the voice as she came up the barely lit parking lot. “What are you doing out here?”
Sara looked nice in a vibrant purple dress, her hair pinned back as she walked towards the front of the club.
“Lorena’s running late,” he replied as he stood. “I wanted to meet her out here, considering how my mom usually is.”
“Not easy when you got a parent against your relationship huh?”
“Nope,” he shook with a soft laugh.
They were kind of in the same boat he guessed. With Adam being the grandson of supervillain, Damien Darhk, and Lorena being the princess of the Bertinelli crime family. But neither of them were anything like their families. Not where it mattered most.
“Felicity will come around,” Sara said as she leaned in for a quick hug. “She knows how much you care about Lorena.”
“I think knowing it and believing it are vastly different.”
Something in the night air shifted as Sara looked on. She watched him, almost like recalling something from years past. Then she smiled with a nod. “You love her.”
It wasn’t a question. Just a pure and simple fact that Owen hadn’t told a soul yet. Not even Lorena. But he didn’t want to deny it.
“I do,” he said, not being able to hide his grin. “I’m crazy, stupidly in love with her.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Sara said.
He looked at her then, saw the way her head dipped when she said it. “You knew didn’t you? How I felt.”
He didn’t elaborate, didn’t want to put it out there in case he had been wrong. But like always, Sara knew exactly what he meant. “Not the whole time. I kinda thought maybe it went away when you and Cami started seeing each other.”
“It didn’t.”
“Is that why you two didn’t work? Because of me?”
“We were always better as friends. Just like you and me.” he slid next to her nudging her shoulder. “I wanted to say thank you thank you though.”
“What did I do?”
“I believed in love because of you,” he replied as he let his shoulders shrug. “I believed it could happen because of how I loved you. But now I know what love is like. What it feels like to be so in love with someone you can’t imagine your life without them.”
She looked happy for him. “Are you gonna tell her?”
“I am,” Owen said as another set of footsteps crossed the asphalt.
Sara looked over, and he followed her line of sight.
She looked stunning, in a deep blue dress, with black accents. And Owen felt his heart stammer as he watched her walk closer to them.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Sara said, then winked at him. “Happy birthday Owen.”
“Thanks,” he mouthed, then focused his attention solely on Lorena. “Hey you.”
“Sorry I’m late,” she said wrapping her arms around his neck. “Work was a nightmare.”
“It’s okay,” he pulled her close with a quick kiss. “You didn’t miss much.”
“Having a good birthday?” she asked, and he knew without her having to say words they were both thinking back to when they met. Two years ago almost to the moment. God, how could his life shift so completely in that time? He felt more at peace, more himself than he could have ever imagined back then. And he owed a part of that to her, to what she inspired in him.
“It’s better now that you’re here,” he admitted. “Miriam wants us to sing.”
“I’m so glad I didn’t miss that.”
“I love you,” he whispered. Because he had wanted to tell her for weeks, months even. And he couldn’t think of a single reason to wait another second.
Lorena smiled, leaning in to kiss him softly.
He had felt love three times in his life, outside of his family, three very different, very profound times. Maybe each one had been a building block for the next. Maybe it had meant to lead him right there to that exact moment. If Lorena didn’t feel the same it would be okay. Because he tried. And all he could hope for was to try.
When she pulled back, he could feel the sigh sudder out of her. And he knew even before she spoke, what she was about to say. But he still grinned like an idiot as she said. “I love you too.”
