Intermission - It’s the same for her.

The more she heard him speak, the guiltier Diana felt. She didn’t have these… magic powers, she couldn’t read minds, and yet she could tell exactly what was going through Oliver’s head. A million scenarios, trying to anticipate them all at the same time as he explained himself and thinking of new possible issues as he did.

Diana used to be exactly like that, too.

On top of that, the things he was saying… It was almost like he was taking the words out of her mouth. Diana’s biggest worry was getting in the way of him living his life. He already had people he cared about, so an outsider like her could throw a wrench in their whole dynamic, and that was on top of her being older. She feared hurting him, even by accident, or rather, especially by accident. But despite all that… She was still here.

Her own thoughts of him also bordered on obsession. She fantasized about him as she went to sleep, she dreamt of him, she hoped they would run into each other somewhere random…

He was right. They were total strangers to each other. If anything, Diana knew slightly more about him than he did about her. Her… attraction for him was mainly due to his looks. Maybe 60%, if she had to put a number to it. The other 40% was that same strong feeling he spoke of. A hunch that maybe, just maybe, things could work out between them. That feeling only became stronger throughout the date. Their similarities, their shared values… It was already more than she expected.

If she were to assume that Oliver indeed had mind reading powers and was lying about his lack of control over them, if she believed that he was deliberately acting and saying things to get on her good side…

…

She couldn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to believe it. If it was an act, then Oliver was a professional. And if his supposed magic abilities were real…

‘Worry not, Diana. You will know when someone means you harm. I’ve made sure of that.’

It had been yet another of his esoteric comments, so Diana had almost forgotten about it. He said something about… protecting capable employees. Did he mean…?

Dammit. Too many ‘ifs’. Diana didn’t like the uncertainty, but she had to accept that it was par for the course when dealing with people instead of numbers and documents.

Bottom line was…

“I want to give this a shot as well,” she told Oliver. Her heart beat fast and loud, yet there was a calming certainty inside her. Nothing that could be put into words, nothing that anyone else could understand, maybe even accept. “You don’t need supernatural powers to hurt someone.”

“...I wish I could do something to prove I’m being honest,” he said.

Diana smiled. “Same here. I don’t want to take advantage of you, either. I just…” Her cheeks heated up and she considered leaving it at that, but after staying quiet and listening to Oliver pour his heart out, it wasn’t fair of her to hide her own feelings. “It’s the first time I’ve felt this… strongly about someone. I don’t want to miss this chance.”

She saw him smile. It was such a pure, tender smile that it melted her heart. Then, Oliver’s eyebrows shot up. He blinked, his smile fading as he looked down at his plate, now with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“What is it?” Diana asked him, tilting her head.

“Ah, no, it’s…” His face was still red, so Diana could only tell he was embarrassed by his unwillingness to meet her eyes. “S-So… S-Should we do something else after this, or…?”

Diana’s heart skipped a beat. It was still relatively early, after all. Around 9:30 pm on a Friday night. There was something she wanted to say but wasn’t sure would be appropriate. But since they were already daring to say so much… She smirked teasingly. “We could, but are you allowed to stay out late, young man?”

Oliver snickered and held back his laughter. Then, with as straight a face as he could manage, answered, “I’ll have you know I’m such a well-behaved boy I was allowed to go back home by 2:00 am.”

That… did raise another question. “Does your family know you…”

“Ah. Well… Yes, they know I’m… on a date. A… blind date that Thomas set up, at least.”

That was technically true, in a way.

…

So his family knew he was with someone new, just not with… a 26 year old woman.

…

Well, they’d cross that bridge once it was necessary, not before.

“I’d like to talk a bit more,” she said. “I told you some things about myself, but I have yet to hear much about you. Well, besides the fact you’re crazy enough to believe you can read minds…” she said with another smirk.

“Okay, now you’re just being mean,” he said, laughing with her.

The air between them was clearing slowly. The laughter certainly helped, but it also made him look even cuter. God, she really was regressing to her teenage years with the butterflies she was feeling in her stomach.

“I think I might know a place we could go to. There’s an observation tower close by. We could watch the city from above. Unless you think that’s too boring.”

“I thought that was a radio tower,” Oliver said.

“It’s both. It’s a popular tourist spot, but it should be relatively empty this time of year.”

Oliver smiled. “Then I’d love to go.”

The butterflies in her stomach stirred.

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