Her words echoed in his head long after she had disappeared, and he felt drained of energy, the adrenaline rush fading away, leaving him to sit down hard on the edge of the fountain, fingers gripping the ledge.
"Giving it away would feel like I had thrown away the importance of this moment," he murmured to himself, glancing to the side at the people that were watching, but he was too tired, too at ease to give them any more than a cursory glance.
For a long while, he simply sat where he was, the world around him turning to normal bit by bit. By the time he felt ready to move, the sun had already dipped beneath the horizon, bringing with it a slight chill to the air. Only then did he rise, knees weak for a moment before he gained his bearings, and then he moved to return home.
Things were different now, and Oliver was content with the changes.