Archive of Our Own ^beta

The air was warm and there was a constant chatter that battled against the loud orchestra music. Felicity strolled into the room behind Oliver. Thankfully, he was walking at a slow pace. She peeked into her clutch to confirm that the bug was indeed there. Tonight was a mix of QC and Arrow business. It was a lavish party to sign on some new investors and Felicity was also going to plant a bug on Mr. Henry, a business who is suspected of dirty dealings. Having his name in Oliver’s book didn’t paint an innocent picture. 

Felicity mingled for a bit before she spotted Mr. Henry. Oliver came over and then headed to Henry together. Oliver would strike up some friendly small talk and Felicity would discreetly plant the bug. As they crossed the room, Felicity felt Oliver’s large hand against the small of her back. The tip of his index finger on the hem of the low back of the dress. Felicity slipped the bug from her purse and into her hand as they neared their suspect.

“Mr. Henry, how are you?” Oliver dove into conversation after introducing Felicity as his assistant and then Felicity stood nodding as if she was listening. She still had the bug in her hand. Digg was walking past, seeing that Felicity was stuck on how to exactly transfer the bug. Henry was paying more attention to her than she had suspected. Digg bumped into the man and apologized as Henry turned.

“Are you alright, Mr. Henry?” Felicity asked in concern, her finger sliding beneath his lapel to plant the bug. She pulled her hand back and he turned, Digg smirked as he continued walking.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you Ms. Smoak. Now if you’ll excuse me, my wife looks ready for a dance.” Henry nodded to Oliver and then disappeared. Oliver shook his head slightly as he met her eyes. 

“What took you so long?” He teased.

“Mr. Henry might have a wife, but his eyes were certainly very concentrated on me.” Oliver lets out a short laugh but his eyes don’t look amused.

“You could have played on that. Business talk is so boring.” Oliver sighed and headed off in a random direction. Felicity made her way towards Digg and they enjoyed some of the small appetizers drifting around on the silver trays carried by the wait staff. After a while, Felicity looked for Oliver. The comms had been quiet for a while, she knew that Oliver liked to keep them on in case something happened.

He stood tense on the edge of the room. His face was pulled into his public smile but the obvious discomfort showed in his shoulders. Felicity went to the bar and ordered a shot of vodka for him. Other than occasionally consuming a glass of champagne at these work functions, a shot of vodka was all Oliver really drank when it came to alcohol. She handed it to him and he offered her a small smile. He downed it and deposited the glass on a passing waiter’s tray.

“Did you talk to Mr. Wentworth, yet?” She asked, unsure of what to say. Maybe a ramble would sooth his worried mind for a moment but it would probably end with something embarrassing and Felicity wasn’t exactly keen on humiliating herself in front of Oliver, even for a smile.

“No, but I did meet his right hand man, he offered to bring Wentworth over when he found him.” Felicity nodded and took a champagne glass off a passing tray and sipped it.

“Mr. Queen?” A voice sounded to their side. Felicity turned to see a middle-aged man and a familiar head of sandy brown hair.

“Mr. Wentworth? It’s a pleasure. This is Felicity Smoak, my executive assistant.”

“Assistant? What happened to IT?” Oliver turned to Felicity with a puzzled look.

“You know Mr. Reynolds?” He asked and she found herself nodding.

“Charlie and I grew up together.” She offered now that Wentworth and Oliver were both looking between them. Charlie raised an eyebrow at the explanation but Felicity wasn’t going to say, ‘This is Charlie, my ex-fiancé’. That was a little too much information and they had grown up together.

“What a small world.” Wentworth offered.

“Charlie tells me that he discussed the investment with you?” Wentworth questioned, turning to Oliver. Charlie stepped around the pair and moved to her left on the other side of Oliver.

“You look lovely.” He stated with an easy smile.

“Thank you. I thought you were still at Pierce Corp.” She inquired. 

“Wentworth was my boss there and when he got the job offer from Anthem, he brought me along. It’s been a great learning experience and Wentworth is the best boss ever.” Felicity bit her lip, Oliver may be a pain in the ass but she couldn’t imagine working with anyone else. 

“I’m glad.” She offered in reply.

“Care for a dance?” One dance couldn’t hurt, could it? Placing her glass on a nearby table, she took his offered hand and they drifted onto the floor. His hand fell to her waist as their joined hands intertwined. Despite all the time that had passed since she had seen him last, it felt comfortable as they began to glide in a waltz amongst the other couples. 

“So what’s the story behind the whole assistant thing?” She sighed.

“Oliver wanted someone who he could trust and I mean I don’t like being an assistant but it’s not that bad.” She wished that she had turned off her comm and she knew that Oliver’s was on from Wentworth’s faint voice in her ear accompanied by Oliver’s occasional remark.

“So are you two...” He trailed off, not wanting to accuse her of anything.

“We’re friends.” Though, she did wish they were more than friends. Things had been so great when he first returned from the island but that all quickly faded and now things were worse than ever. Sometimes she wished that they had just stayed friends.

Charlie smiled a little at the sentence and Felicity found herself glancing over at Oliver who looked up as if sensing her eyes but it probably had to do with what he had just heard. At his blank look, she turned back to Charlie.

“Do you remember that time we waltzed at Chris and Amy’s wedding?” She smiled at the memory.

“When I was pretty drunk already and I tripped and then we both fell?” He laughed and she found herself laughing along with him.

“We haven’t fallen yet.” She pointed out.

“I fell a long time ago.” He stated softly. Her smile fell at his words. It had been about a year since they had broken up and about half of that year had been consumed by Oliver and his mission. She looked down, unsure of what to say.

“Did I just ruin the moment?” He questioned and she met his eyes because he had this way of always saying something to erase her embarrassment.

“I can trip you, if that would help.” She glared at him.

“You’ll highly regret that, Reynolds.” He grinned back at her.

“I would never regret anything that has to do with you, Smoak. Some of the best moments of my life feature you.” She began to feel uncomfortable remembering that Oliver could hear everything.

“Not the job offer.” She quipped because she wasn’t going to let herself get swept away when nothing had changed and even if Oliver could hear, she couldn’t help but remind Charlie had he was the one that left.

“Anthem has an office here and if the Queen Consolidated investment goes through then Wentworth and I are going to be relocating...here.” She bit her lip because that changed things, slightly.

“Charlie...” She began but trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“I made a huge mistake last year. I shouldn’t have picked the job offer over you. I was excited and I was selfish to think that you would just uproot your whole life and move with me. Most of all, I regret leaving.” The song ended and Felicity wanted to pull away because this conversation didn’t feel right in front of all these people, in front of Oliver. Especially when she could feel the tears beginning to form. 

“Charlie, not here.” She begged and he sighed.

“Okay. Let’s just enjoy the moment, then. We can talk later.” He pulled her a little closer and they twirled around the dance floor for two more songs before she pulled away and headed back to Oliver. Wentworth was gone and he was waving goodbye to a couple.

“Hey, so looks like Wentworth seems interested.” Oliver stated, pretending that he hadn’t heard her exchange with Charlie.

“Mhmm.” She replied, not pointing out that she heard how interested Wentworth was. Announcing that would bring up what Oliver had heard over the comm.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his hand finding her elbow.

“I’ll explain later.” She offered, praying that he would drop it. If he got to hide away his thoughts, she wanted to hide hers. Again, this wasn’t the place. It took a moment before he offered a nod.Charlie followed Wentworth for the rest of the evening but his gaze traveled to her, as she noticed a few times. Oliver didn’t say anything about Charlie, or anything really for that matter. 

A familiar song opening began and Felicity smiled as she recognized it. Dream A Little Dream of Me, this had request written all over it. Charlie’s smirk as he sauntered over only confirmed her suspicions.

“One last dance?” Charlie asked as he approached her. She shook her head with a smile. She took his hand and followed him to the middle of the floor. Her free hand rested on his shoulder.

“This is playing dirty.” She commented as he pulled her closer.

“Oh, you like this song?” He teased. She bit her lip as she listened to the notes playing. This was only an instrumental version but it still brought up memories of dancing to it or singing along with it. It had been a favorite song of hers in her teenage years and she hadn’t heard it in awhile, mostly because she had avoided listening to it after Charlie left. It had pretty much been their song, if they had one. 

After the endless routine of work and coming home to an empty apartment, Felicity was grateful for the long hours at the foundry and for Oliver because Charlie became a distant memory rather than a painful regret. Some days she wished that she had gone with him. She had wanted to marry him, to commit to him for life but she couldn’t even move to a new state with him. She considered Starling home and she had liked to work at QC. But, even her mother had said that she was stupid for saying no. 

“I’m sorry, I have to go.” Felicity quickly pulled away and headed for the ladies room. Staring into the mirror, she took calming breaths and focused on trying to fix her hair and her lipstick in an attempt to look busy rather than falling apart. It had been months since Felicity dwelled on her choice and here Charlie was, apologizing, offering a second chance. But why didn’t she just say yes a year ago? It had been a question that haunted her in her pre-Oliver days. There were plenty of answers: it was far away from her family, it meant finding a new job, it felt too soon, but there was one reason that never really occurred. Maybe Charlie just wasn’t enough of a reason to leave her home. That was a scary thought thought because Charlie had been her best friend, her first and only boyfriend, her fiancé. Surely he was enough to move for.

She made her way to the door, passing Isabel on the way out. Felicity didn’t even bother to acknowledge her. She turned to head back to the party but saw Oliver standing in the hall.

“Did something happen? You looked upset.” He queried, his hands in his pockets. He didn’t voice that she sounded upset too. Felicity didn’t waste a second in replying in hopes of easing his worry because she had too much to sort through to even consider spilling it on Oliver.

“No, champagne just hit. I should probably say goodbye to Charlie. I’ll see you in a minute.” She passed by him after he gave a confused nod. She found Charlie standing off to the side of the dance floor.

“I’m sorry. I did something wrong, I’m not sure what but I know it was my fault.” Charlie was too good for her. Felicity had just abruptly left, with all her doubts, and wrong decisions, and yet Charlie was apologizing to her.

“It’s just a lot to take in. It’s been a year and things feel the same...right?” He nodded with a soft smile.

“They do and I really missed this, us.” He took her hands in his. She nodded. Charlie had been such a consistent part of her life and she missed him but maybe it was just the shock of her past colliding with her much different present.

“How long are you in town?” Felicity questioned, already aware that Oliver and Rochev had gotten Wentworth to agree to sign.

“Well, Wentworth is delivering the good news to Mr. Queen now. We’re signing an agreement on Monday and so the question is when we can talk?” 

“Wow, um, how about tomorrow? We can meet up for a late lunch? I’m going to be sleeping in. It’s been a long week.” And I have to stay up even later tonight to finish some secret vigilante business, Felicity thought to herself.

“Sounds perfect. I’ll call you.” She nodded and closed her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“Have a good night.” He stated, releasing her hands from his.

“Good night.” She offered and turned, searching for Oliver. She found him staring with an unreadable expression. She walked to him and he sighed.

“Ready to go?” He asked and she gave a short nod, letting him guide her out by his large hand pressed to the small of her back. Digg met them at the door and guided them down the steps to black town car. He gave her a weird look and she tried to hide her blush remembering that Digg had also had his comm in and heard everything.

“Is it later yet?” Oliver asked as Digg walked to the driver’s side. 

“Sure. What do you want to know?” She didn’t really want to dive into her past and she wasn’t sure if Oliver really deserved to know as much after he had pushed her away but it was too hard to push him away when he already put so much distance between them.

“Who is Charlie exactly?” Digg glanced at her in the mirror as he took his seat. He seemed curious as well. Felicity sighed.

“He’s my ex-fiancé.” It’s better to just bite the bullet than have it bite you, she reminded herself. Telling Oliver a half-truth wouldn’t get her anywhere.

“That explains things.” She nodded, avoiding his eyes and his very tense jaw.

“Why ex?” She really wished that he hadn’t asked. It made things tense because he asked as if he cared, which hurt too much to think. Digg looked up as the car slowed to a stop at a right light.

“He had a job offer, in New York. I didn’t want to move.” She turned to the window and watched as the buildings began to drift by when the car began to move again. She was still thinking over whether or not that was a stupid decision. She had loved him and looking back now, she was glad that she had stayed because she had Oliver...sort of.  She had had Oliver, even if it was for a short but blissful moment in time. Now she could help his cause and keep him alive. The silence carried on into Verdant. Felicity took her seat and began to analyze the data from the bug.

“Okay, I found something. Mr. Henry received a call from a blocked number. They are meeting at the docks tonight in 30 minutes.” Oliver nodded and pulled up his hood. Felicity hadn’t even seen him change. He left with a short glance in her direction and Felicity sighed. Digg gave her a look but she shook her head. She wasn’t ready to talk and they had to monitor Oliver not discuss her love life.

When Oliver let them know that he was on his way back, Felicity removed her comm and headed to the bathroom to change out of her dress. Oliver returned from the mission a minutes later and after knowing that he was safe and alive, Felicity grabbed her purse and left with a quick goodbye.

She had a difficult time falling asleep as she thought over Charlie and Oliver. Everything felt like a mess. At some point, she did drift off into a sleep but her alarm woke her up too early. Skipping her normal skirts and dresses, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a loose shirt paired with her jacket. Charlie called about noon inquiring about where to meet.

“How about the Red Cafe? They are a block from QC and they have amazing sandwiches.” Felicity bit her lip, remembering that her and Oliver used to go there nearly every day, at least during the lunches that didn’t require being worked through.

“Sounds good, what intersection?”

“Smith and Eighth.” She answered after a moment of thought.

“See you there in 30?” He questioned.

“Okay.” Felicity answered and hung up, smiling. Things hadn’t exactly ended perfectly between them. In fact, his last week in Starling had been spent fighting until she drove him to the airport and cried as he hugged her goodbye. They hadn’t talked directly since then. Felicity found out through her mother from his mother that he was getting settled. When her mom got too pushy, Felicity would just ignore her calls altogether. Then she became too busy with all her extra hours with the Arrow business that she didn’t really have time to call.

She finished her makeup and pulled on her boots before heading down to her car. Knowing that parking was always a little difficult in the city, she headed for the QC parking garage, scanning her ID badge to gain access. From there, she headed out from the lobby and turned left to walk the block to the Red Cafe. Charlie was already there when she pushed through the doors. 

He embraced her in a hug as she approached his table in the back. 

“I can’t believe this. Meeting you for lunch. It’s been so long.” She nodded. It was weird, mostly because it felt familiar, even after all this time, even after everything with Oliver. 

They spent the afternoon catching up. Felicity found it hard to find things that she could actually tell him. So much of her new life was a secret, shared with only Digg and Oliver. 

“We should really do this again. Maybe we can meet for lunch on Monday?”

“Yes, after the meeting. I almost forgot.”

“You make a terrible secretary.” He teased her with a smirk.

“Executive Assistant.” She corrected with the hint of a smile.

Monday morning, Charlie and Wentworth showed up for a meeting with Isabel and Oliver. Felicity offered him a soft smile as she brought everyone their coffee. She took her seat next to Oliver and made sure to kick him if he began to zone out. Which happened, a lot. Finally, the meeting came to an end. 

“See you at 12?” Charlie asked as they headed into her office. Isabel was giving Wentworth a tour of the executive offices. Oliver sat at his desk staring at the computer screen.

“Yeah, same place?”

“No, it’s a surprise.”

“Surprise lunch date? Hmm...I think you should tell me.” He grinned.

“I’m not telling but you already knew that. See you at 12.” He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek which made her smile, remembering how he would do that whenever they went to see each other at work. He left and she found herself watching the clock in anticipation for 12.

“It’s almost 12, did you need anything before I leave?” Felicity asked as she headed into Oliver’s office.

“No, thank you. Have a nice lunch.” He offered a small smile before she turned and headed out. Charlie was waiting in the lobby. He offered his arm and guided her to a town car.

“Wentworth insists that I use a town car. Especially on ‘a date with that lovely blonde of yours’. That’s the direct quote.” She laughed and he held out a blindfold. 

“No.” She scoffed as he raised it.

“Please?”

“No. I’m not wearing a blindfold. I won’t peek but I refuse to leave an option of kidnapping open. I know you.”

“Felicity that was one time, and I did get your supervisor to give you the rest of the day off.”

“You called me out sick and every one thought I was pregnant because I had food poisoning the next day.” He smirked at the memory.

“That was an oversight...which will not happen again.” She nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure that it won’t.” She countered, smirking. The drive was short and they pulled up to a familiar restaurant. It was a nice little place over by where Charlie used to work. She took his offered hand as they got out of the car and headed inside. 

Although there wasn’t much free time, Felicity found herself spending whatever time there was with Charlie. She was running on fumes between her two jobs and seeing Charlie nearly every day. Oliver hadn’t talked much, which was a blessing and a curse. She could focus on Charlie a little more when Oliver wasn’t all smiles and charm with her but since she spent about 16 hours with him, he wasn’t very fun to be around.

Things were as smooth as they could be until it had been about three weeks. Felicity was surprised that Charlie had stayed this long. It was starting to cast some optimism on her days. She couldn’t have Oliver but she had Charlie again, which was a miracle in her book.

Except, Oliver seemed to be getting worse as things began to look up for her. He was keeping her later and having her look into people that turned out to be completely innocent. She went immediately from QC to Verdant most nights and Charlie pretended to be okay with it, especially because she couldn’t really explain why she was pulling double shifts.

Her heels clicked against the metal staircase and she found Oliver already waiting downstairs. He looked up from his high rung on the salmon ladder and dropped to his feet gracefully.

“Felicity, I have someone else for you to look into.” He began and she literally had to control herself to keep from rolling her eyes.

“Not tonight, Oliver you can’t just give me busy work because you don’t want me with Charlie. I can’t keep coming up with excuses as to why I’m working from morning to midnight for you. Tonight, Digg is watching AJ and you are going to go home and spend time with Thea. I will check my search and then I am going home. End of story.” He opened his mouth to object but I silenced him with a glare before heading to my computer.

“Apparently I am going on a business trip.” Felicity grumbled as she stepped into her apartment. Charlie followed her in and closed the door. She promptly kicked off her heels and began massaging her feet as Charlie began to pour them both some wine.

“Where?”

“Russia.” He raised his eyebrow in confusion.

“There’s a subsidiary for QC in Russia and Oliver wants to reach out to the heads of all the subsidiaries and he’s been taking some business trips to meet a few of the heads. I’ll only be gone about three days including travel time.” Charlie sighed. In the past week, they’ve texted more than they have actually seen each other, which tonight made all of twice.

“Well I guess you have to go and I have to be okay with it.”

“I wish that you could come.” She confided and he smiled softly.

“Yeah, that would be the best job ever.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and was asleep within minutes. He woke up a little earlier than her since he had to get back to his apartment to change. Falling asleep on the couch had left a kink in her neck but luckily, she could just sleep on the jet. She quickly packed and finished just as Oliver knocked on her door.

“Ready?” He questioned as she opened the door. Nodding, she handed him her bag and made her way to the elevator. He raised an eyebrow at her action.

“You’re more than capable of carrying my bag and since I’m very overtired because I’m been working major overtime for you, I think you should offer at least one gentleman-type of gesture towards your very helpful EA.” He smiled and stepped into the elevator after her. When they reached the car, he held open the door for her and placed her bag in the trunk before sliding in next to her.

The drive to the private airport was quiet and Felicity was fighting sleep the whole way there. When they arrived, another car pulled up as they walked to the jet.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Isabel questioned as she stepped out of the car.

“Tahiti.” Felicity offered. She really didn’t want Isabel on the plane.

“Well the flight manifest says Moscow. You weren’t really going to go visit our subsidiary without your partner were you?” Damn it. 

“No, must have slipped my mind.” Oliver stated with a fake smile.

“Good thing I’m a fast packer.” Isabel walked past them and into the jet. A man followed her with a bag and Felicity let out a sigh before touching Oliver’s arm as she headed onto the jet herself. At least she brought her headphones.

When they landed, Isabel headed off to the hotel and Oliver and Digg ditched her to go for a drink. Sure, she understood that they were going to somewhere Bratva related but why couldn’t she get a drink? Instead she was stuck in the back of the town car with Isabel. Luckily, the other woman was silent. Perhaps a little too silent.

After Felicity had checked into her room, she laid on the bed and called Charlie.

“Hey, beautiful.” He answered and she smiled.

“Hey, I miss you.” She replied.

“I miss you, too.” They talked for a bit before a familiar knock sounded on the door and Felicity pulled the door open.

“Well, I’ll call you later.” She stated as she took a step back to let the boys into her room. 

“Okay, I love you.” Charlie offered.

“I love you, too.” She ended the call and placed her phone on the table as Oliver closed the door behind him. Digg was behind him and they filled her in on the plan of attack.

The next day, Felicity handed Digg his coat and helped him with his scarf before leaning up to kiss his cheek. She silently prayed that everything would go as planned. He left with his duffel bag of drugs and headed to the alley where he would get arrested. That left Oliver and Felicity in a room alone. She turned to him with a worried expression.

“He’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” She nodded and glanced out the window. Oliver stepped forward and placed his hands on the sides of her arms like he always did when she was upset.

“Can we talk?” She met his eyes with a confused expression.

“I mean right now probably isn’t a great time but maybe once Digg is back.” He offered and she closed her eyes and tried to breath evenly. 

“Oliver...” She begged. 

“Please?” He pushed, wishing she would just say yes.

“Fine, but it won’t change anything.” It can’t. She had Charlie now and she was happy. She couldn’t sit there and play the push and pull game with Oliver. She would just get her heart broken again.

She pulled away and headed to her room. Digg would get arrested, Oliver would let her know and then they would wait until nightfall. She tried to call Charlie but he was busy and never answered. She sighed and figured that there was a little bit of time before they had to head out for the prison. 

Before she could even think rationally about it, she made her way to his room and raised her hand to knock but the door opened before she could make contact and Oliver stood there with an unreadable expression. He glanced at his watch and just as Felicity went to speak, Isabel sauntered into view, passing between them and Felicity looked at the ground.

“Don’t you think she can take the night off, Oliver?” Felicity bit her lip at the words and watched the brunette retreat down the hall. She finally looked up at Oliver and tried to pull on a smile.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“For what?” He looked confused.

“For proving me right.” Her words hit home and she saw the hurt penetrate through his mask.

“Felicity...” He started. 

“What happens in Russia, stays in Russia.” She quickly interrupted and didn’t bother to throw a glance over her shoulder as she headed back to her room. The tears fell as soon as the door closed and she quickly reigned it all in. She loved Charlie, Charlie loved her. Charlie not Oliver. 

A few minutes later, she could hear Oliver’s knock on the door and stood, taking a deep breath before pulling open the door. She grabbed her bag and brushed past him without another word.

“Felicity.”

“Oliver, seriously drop it.” She met his eyes knowing that she had to put on a strong face, for both of them.

“Please...” He begged with his piercing blue eyes focused on hers.

“Oliver, we have to go get Digg.” She pressed the button for the elevator and they climbed inside and Felicity was grateful that a couple had followed them in. She stood on the opposite side of the elevator from Oliver and pressed the lobby button. They took a car to Anatoli’s club where he waited with the police truck. Felicity quickly changed in Anatoli’s office and prayed for everything to work perfectly as she took her seat next to Anatoli.

A little over an hour later, Digg had Lyla in the back of the truck and surprisingly, Deadshot too. If it weren’t for the three other men in the truck, Felicity would have panicked just a little bit. A deadly assassin who just escaped from prison was very frightening. 

What was even more surprising was when Digg let the man walk away into the night as he lowered his gun. This had been a vendetta that had ruined his relationship with Carly and almost cost his friendship with Oliver but he just let him walk away. That was suspicious and Felicity figured that she should probably keep an eye on the situation. Anatoli took them back to the club and Felicity quickly changed into her previous outfit as Lyla’s injuries were looked over by Digg in the office. Oliver stood outside the office silently.

“Now can we talk?” He asked in a defeated voice.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to go sleep with Isabel first?” Felicity retorted, pushing past him to go see how Lyla was.

She tried, really, she did. However, it wasn’t like what happened in Russia could really stay there, especially since Isabel was constantly hitting on Oliver. Thankfully, he didn’t seem interested, not that it really mattered after he had slept with the one woman that Felicity hates. 

“Where should we go for lunch?” Oliver asked, taking the seat in front of her desk with an easy smile. She scoffed. She tried to hold it back, honestly, but this was ridiculous, what did he truly believe was going to happen?

“Felicity, can we please just talk? Let me explain.”

“Explain what?” She played dumb, glancing past Oliver to see Charlie step off the elevator. She stood and began pulling on her coat.

“Felicity, I--” Oliver started but was cut off by Charlie’s sudden greeting.

“Hello gorgeous, ready?” Charlie asked, stepping in the office with a smile, not realizing that he had interrupted Oliver.

“Yes, starved.” Felicity took his hand and stepped forward to leave.

“Actually, I need you to stay. We have that last minute project to look over. Westmont scheduled that meeting at 12:30, remember?” Oliver quickly lied, praying that Charlie would just leave so that he might salvage whatever he could of his friendship with Felicity. Although friendship would never be enough. 

“That’s tomorrow.” Felicity countered with a smirk, pulling Charlie out of the office before Oliver could come up with another excuse for her to stay.

“What was that about?”

“Oliver’s just being forgetful. Him and Isabel have had some late nights.” Charlie didn’t press for anymore information or clarification on the insinuation. Instead, he began asking her about her day. 

The lights weren’t quite bright enough to keep her mentally focused and the three cups of coffee in the past hour weren’t helping her stay awake either. Oliver had been oddly quiet as they reviewed the packets for tomorrow’s meeting first thing.

“Felicity, I know that I screwed up, big time and nothing that I say will fix that but I don’t want you out of my life completely.” Oliver had tried to talk to her for the past week since they returned for Russia. Until now, Felicity had done an amazing job at disappearing or cutting him off. 

“Except you pushed me out.” She countered bitterly, putting her fork back in her container since her appetite was waning with this conversation.

“I need you to be safe.” He explained.

“That’s not your choice to make!” She shouted back, thankful that the office was empty. It was another late night but surprisingly it was spent over takeout and reviewing last minute projects rather than bad guys.

“I don’t want to fight.” Felicity sighed, she was tired of fighting too but she couldn’t just shove aside her anger. Oliver had pushed her away and now she was happy with Charlie but then Oliver had to creep in with a fraction of hope and hurt her again. 

“This isn’t fun, right? Can we just forget or talk it out? I just can’t stand you hating me all day.” His gazed dropped to the forgotten packet and she bit her lip because she hated hurting him, even after everything.

“I don’t hate you, Oliver.” She admitted.

“But, I’m disappointed and I...I don’t know what else. Truthfully, I don’t really want to fight either.” Felicity confessed, playing with the hem of her dress in an attempt to distract herself.

“Then ask me whatever you want and I’ll give you the truth.” Oliver shifted to face her and stared at her, willing to answer any of her questions.

“Why her? Besides the obvious leggy model reason.” Oliver’s eyes shifted over her head and she knew that he was trying to avoid her as he opened his mouth to answer.

“It didn’t mean anything, it’s just kind of happened.” His words did nothing to console her. Not that she wanted it to mean anything with Isabel but if he had moved on, found someone to have it mean something with, she could understand. Except he slept with Isabel just to sleep with her. She swallowed her commentary before continuing with her next question.

“Why would you ask to talk and then just turn around and sleep with her?” Oliver looked upset with the question as he looked at her. She had to know though, why play with her emotions like that?

“I was upset because you said it wouldn’t change anything. You just keep pushing me aside and I get why but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

“What am I supposed to do? You chose to end...to end us and I’m happy with Charlie. Let me have that.” She pleaded with him. 

“Okay. Friends?” Oliver reached out his hand and Felicity stared at him for a moment before slipping her own hand in his. Maybe they could return to normal, at least their normal before Russia.  

Sure enough, things had gotten a little easier. Felicity tried harder to forget about Isabel and Oliver was polite to Charlie when he came to steal her away for lunch. He even let her off early some nights. She knew how hard it was for him to do so but she appreciated it. He was trying to let her have her happiness. It just left her a little uneasy that he would let her be with Charlie just for concern over her safety. 

Tonight was a rare night off, and Charlie insisted on dinner at his place. He had an apartment a few blocks from the Anthem office. Felicity had gone home after work at QC and changed into a plum red dress with a modest neckline and a plunging back. She made sure to pack a bag to stay over. It would be faster to go to work from his apartment in the morning. 

Charlie was a great cook, something that she missed amongst all the take-out with Oliver. She opened his door with her spare key and smiled as she smelled her favorite dish cooking on the stove. Charlie greeted her with a slow kiss before hurrying her into the kitchen so he could finish. She poured herself a glass of red wine and smiled as she took in the candles on the table.

“Three courses. I made that salad you like, and your favorite pasta and I got those amazing chocolate cheesecakes from Penny’s.”

“You are perfect.” She complimented. Charlie always knew how to plan a perfect date for her. Soon, they were seated next to each other and beginning their dinner.

When they were almost finished with dessert, Felicity noticed that Charlie looked both excited and nervous. Her stomach began to feel heavy with the mixture of expressions.

“What’s going on?” She inquired as she finished her last bite.

“I have some good news.” Felicity bit her lip and waited for him to continue.

“I’ll be here...permanently. I talked it over with Wentworth and worse comes to worse, he’ll find me a position in Starling.” Charlie smiled but Felicity was confused as to why he was so excited about staying here.

“Why--” Felicity began to ask.

“Felicity, I know that I messed up a year ago but I want to put the past behind us.”

“Okay.” Felicity tried to focus on his words but all she could focus on was the familiar ring box being pulled from his pocket. He grinned and flipped the box open. She met his eyes and tried to process the moment.

“Felicity, will you marry me?” Swallowing, she looked back to the gorgeous ring, her ring. He had kept it. Meeting his eyes once more, she found that there wasn’t really a reason to say no.

“Yes, I’ll marry you.” He smiled and she found herself mirroring his grin as he slid the ring onto her finger. 

For once, her phone was silent through the night and Felicity was grateful that she could pretend that this was like a year ago when Charlie had first asked her. There was no Oliver, and there was no reason why she couldn’t be beyond ecstatic that she was marrying the man she loved. Except, the morning came with a rush of worry. She hid it well from Charlie as he kissed her bare shoulder.

“My fiancée.” He grinned and kissed her lips this time and she kissed him back, wishing she didn’t have to go to work today. His lips began to trail over her jaw and then drift down her neck.

“Okay, okay, before we both end up late for work, you should probably stop kissing my, uh, wow, my neck. Charlie!” He pulled back with a grin. She smirked back and stood as she headed for the bathroom. She showered first and dried her hair as Charlie took a shower. A few minutes later, they were both dressed. Charlie took her hand in his and they strolled to the parking garage. He hadn’t bothered to get a car since he lived so close to his office and due to being used to living in New York. He kissed her softly before she pulled open the door to her car and pulled away.

On the short drive to QC, she took slow, calming breaths and thought of a million and one ways to break the news to Oliver. She made a mental note to stop by the break room and eat her leftover muffin from yesterday as well as snag some coffee. Coffee would certainly give her a brilliant idea of how to tell Oliver.

As the elevator opened on the executive floor, the one variable that she hadn’t considered awaited her with a smile. Oliver stood with a paper bag and a two coffees. She quickly balled up her fist and draped her jacket over her left arm in hopes of hiding her ring.

“Thank you, Oliver.” He smiled warmly at her.

“You’re welcome.” He replied easily, gesturing towards her office. She bit her lip as he followed and tried to think of something to say. She walked in and hung her coat in the tiny hidden closet and placed her purse by the desk before turning to Oliver. He stood with an unreadable expression and Felicity followed his gaze to her left hand.

“Oliver...” She trailed off, unsure of what to say. It was obvious: Charlie proposed and she had said yes. He met her eyes and forced a smile.

“Congratulations.” His jaw was taut as he placed her coffee and the bag on her desk before retreating into his office. She sat down and placed her head in her hands. Why did everything have to be so hard?

The next few weeks had her running dry. She barely had time to call her mother and share the news. Of course, her mother had already heard the news from Charlie’s mother. Felicity was ashamed to admit that she fell asleep during that conversation with her. She kept leaving voicemails discussing wedding plans and Felicity felt anything but happy to discuss the whole affair. Oliver was barely talking to her, except for calling her into work both at QC and to Verdant. Or the occasional night when he actually talked with her. She was pretty sure that she knew more about the island than Digg did. Oliver and her had agreed to be friends and she wanted to be there for him. So some nights, it wasn’t just QC or Arrow business but rather Oliver just needed to talk. He needed her. Charlie wasn’t exactly thrilled that since the proposal, he had barely seen her.

“Felicity, don’t you think it’s kind of coincidental that ever since he found out that we’re getting married that he is having you work pretty much triple time? He did the same thing before you guys went off to Russia.”

“There’s just a lot to do to keep the company afloat. Neither of us really have any experience with this and Isabel keeps calling us in for emergency meetings. Plus, Verdant’s servers keep crashing. It’s fine, I’ll try to make some time.” Charlie sighed and hung up the phone, because naturally, there wasn’t even time to actually go see him.

“I’m taking the night off and tomorrow I have plans with Thea, so don’t even think about creating some kind of work emergency or she will personally kill you.” Oliver squared his jaw but Felicity was too tired to even care that he was upset. She tried, really hard, to make Oliver come to terms with the engagement and to keep their friendship somewhat functioning but he was acting like a child.

She drove to Charlie’s apartment and he gave her a warm smile as they curled up on the couch to a movie. This was honestly the most she had seen him all week. He stroked hair out of her face and luckily didn’t bring up Oliver. 

The next day, Thea showed up at the office at noon. She waved to Felicity and went in to speak with Oliver before coming out and hooking her arm with Felicity’s and dragging her away from her desk.

“There will be no interruptions. I have blackmail.” She whispered as they stepped into the elevator. Felicity laughed.

“So do I.” She whispered back. 

They headed to Big Belly Burger and Felicity waved to Carly as they walked in. Since her and Digg split and Oliver’s return, Felicity hadn’t seen her in months. Which kind of really sucked because Carly was one of her few friends outside of Oliver and Digg before her breakup with Digg.

They ordered and Thea began to inquire all about Charlie and the wedding details. It was nice that even Oliver’s sister could find it in herself to be happy for Felicity. She missed seeing Thea more often. They became friendly while Felicity was fixing up the lair and had only gotten closer when Oliver and her began to date. She had never had a sister growing up and it had occurred to her once or twice that Thea could be her sister if things worked out with Oliver. Felicity took a sip of her water in hopes of clearing her head.

“Well, if you need any help, I’d be glad to spare some assistance or expertise.”

“Thanks but we haven’t even picked a date yet. Oliver’s been a slave driver lately and I can’t plan a wedding in my sleep, if I really ever got any that is.” Thea shook her head.

“He’s really upset.” She confessed. Felicity looked away because she spent too much of her day trying to push that thought away to begin with.

“I’m not really sure why he broke up with you in the first place and I know that’s your business but something tells me that he regrets it.”

“I know but things haven’t changed and he needs to come to terms with the fact that I’m happy and I’m moving on. He did it to himself.” She hated assigning guilt to Oliver but this was his fault, not hers. He was the overly worried one. Felicity could get hit by a bus tomorrow or die of a disease in a few months. He would probably still find a way to blame himself for those things too.

“Well, no offense but are you really happy? You’re giving me faking smiles and he is really volatile all the time. I’ve never seen either of you happier than when you were together.” Thea played with her fries as she spoke, but her eyes were dead set on Felicity, who let out a deep exhale at the observation.

“It’s for the best.” She replied and focused on trying to really smile convincingly for the rest of lunch. Felicity ignored that fact that she hadn’t actually answered Thea’s question.

Her lunch with Thea only strengthened her resolve that she really needed to have a talk with Oliver. It was going to be hard and there would probably be yelling but she had to get this to change. Except, he was in meetings all afternoon and when she arrived at Verdant, Oliver had yet to arrive. Digg and him walked in a little while later and Oliver immediately suited up to go out on a patrol. 

Luckily, she actually made it home for nine, which was early. Charlie was sitting on her couch as she opened the door to her apartment.

“Hey.”

“It’s nine.” Charlie stated, glancing at his watch. Felicity sighed.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“Felicity, I haven’t seen you in three days. This is outrageous. I work in the business world and I’m just not seeing how your job can be that demanding.”

“Oliver’s my friend and he just needs a lot of support. Sadly, that falls on me a lot but I’m trying to cut back. It’s hard.”

“It can’t be that hard. I deserve some time with you too.”

“I know.” She admitted, hating that they were fighting.

“If you keep blowing me off for him, I’m not sure that I can marry you.” His words hit her hard and Felicity had to raise a hand to her chest just to try to breath again. She didn’t want to lose Charlie but she knew that she couldn’t just cut Oliver out completely. He didn’t want that and neither did she. 

“I understand.” She answered, realizing that Charlie had just delivered an ultimatum.

Between Thea and Charlie, Felicity realized that she had to talk to Oliver. Tomorrow. She tried to enjoy her time with Charlie but she found herself worried about what was sure to be a difficult conversation.

Oliver was staring out the window when she arrived and after setting down her things, she pushed through the door to his office. He turned briefly to see that it was her before staring back out the window.

“We need to talk.” Felicity stated, walking up to his side.

“Then talk.” He spoke dryly, avoiding her stare.

“You can’t keep having me working so long. I can’t keep lying to Charlie why I am working from morning to midnight.” His jaw tensed but he didn’t turn to face me.

“Obviously you aren’t able to handle the work load.” He retorted and she rolled her eyes. Of course he was going to be an ass about this.

“I can handle it. I’m an adult but you, you’re acting like selfish child. So grow up! I’m marrying Charlie and you need to handle that. Or I will leave.” He faced her with an angry expression but as usual, his eyes betrayed him to her. 

“You’re giving me an ultimatum?” He questioned.

“Why not? I got one last night.” She replied and his eyebrow raised up and he titled his head slightly as he did when he was confused.

“Oliver, I want to be here for you but you’re suffocating me. I need this, I need Charlie. I can’t just sit here and not have some kind of life outside of you. It’s not fair.” He swallowed and closed his eyes, turning back to the window.

“Fine.”

They had worked out a schedule and Oliver had asked her to work for three nights at Verdant and she offered to keep tabs when she wasn’t at Verdant. Oliver seemed really resigned after the conversation and Felicity wished that her happiness didn’t cost him any of his. The truth was that she would do a lot for him but she couldn’t sacrifice everything when he had pushed her away in the first place.

Things finally began to settle. Thea had accompanied Felicity dress shopping but she just hadn’t found the one yet. They had plans to meet at a new bridal shop today after work and Charlie wished her luck in her search. They had a guest list from before that just needed a little amending and they had narrowed down their list of dates. 

Felicity walked in to the bridal shop and checked her phone for messages from Thea as she waited. The bell from the door drew her attention but the Queen sibling she was expecting wasn’t there. Oliver met her with a careful gaze.

“Thea had a problem at Verdant and asked me to fill in. I can understand if you’d rather just reschedule.”

“You agreed to watch me try on dresses?” Felicity asked, smirking at the thought.

“Well, technically she blackmailed me.” Felicity laughed.

“Well, in that case, you can sit right here.” Felicity patted the couch in front of the mirrors and turned her attention to the sales woman as they began to discuss dress styles. Oliver was playing around with his phone as she headed into the dressing room. The saleswoman had her try on a few dresses but the first two were definitely not the dress for her.

“Are you planning on spending the whole night in there?” Oliver called out.

“No, I just didn’t like the first two.” She responded and let the saleswoman pull the zipper up on the side. Felicity glanced in the mirror and smiled. It was a nice dress with just the right amount of detail and the figure looked great. She reached for the handle and stepped out, holding up the front of the dress as she stepped onto the short pedestal between the mirrors and the couch where Oliver sat. She reviewed the dress more and watched as Oliver stood with a furrowed brow.

“Is it bad?” She asked, confused by his expression.

“No, you look...perfect.” He met her eyes and she offered a small smile as she turned and looked over the dress. It was perfect. She found herself biting her lip and trying not to tear up at the thought of finally finding the perfect dress. Her thoughts changed course as she looked back to Oliver’ reflection and found his eyes on hers.

“Thank you.” She whispered and stepped down, heading back into the dressing room and peeling the dress off before getting dressed again. She stepped out and smiled to the saleswoman who stood outside the room.

“That’s the one, how much?” The woman smiled brightly.

“It’s already taken care of, Ms. Smoak.” Felicity drew her brows together and found Oliver over by the counter, putting his card back in his wallet. Sneaky bastard. 

“Thank you, I’ll make an appointment for alterations next week.” The woman smiled and headed in to the dressing room to bag the gown up again. Felicity made her way over to Oliver.

“You didn’t have to do that.” She stated.

“It’s the least I can do.” She gave him a smile and thanked him. He was finally coming to terms with the wedding but instead of relief, she felt a ball beginning to form in her stomach. Oliver’s acceptance meant he was letting go and she knew that it shouldn’t hurt so much but it did. 

Thea came over that night to help with wedding plans. Charlie was happy that she had found her dress. However, Thea had let it slip that Oliver had been there. As soon as she left, they had gotten into another fight. 

“I thought that he was the one that couldn’t let go but maybe it’s you.” His words burned and she cried when he left that night. Because they were true. 

The good thing about fighting with Charlie was that by the next day or so, everything calmed down and the issue wasn’t usually discussed. Felicity forced herself to remember Charlie’s ultimatum and made sure that there wasn’t a doubt in Charlie’s mind that she had chosen him. He was her only real choice. She could be happy with him and there wasn’t a future with Oliver.

Tonight, they were staying in and enjoying dinner together. Oliver had surprisingly relieved her of Arrow duties. Charlie was in the kitchen making dinner as Felicity sipped some wine and went through her searches on their newest target.

Her phone let out a brief ring and Felicity hesitantly opened the message. I need you. Mansion. Sighing, she looked to Charlie and back to her phone. She had already chosen though. Oliver would only ask her to come to the mansion if he was having trouble with his thoughts. This wasn’t a life or death situation but he needed her and she couldn’t find it in her to say no. She stood and walked to Charlie.

“What’s wrong?” He questioned. 

“I have to go.” She felt the ball in her stomach tighten because she was going to lose Charlie now. If you keep blowing me off for him, I’m not sure that I can marry you.

“Really?” She nodded sadly. She reached and pulled off the ring from her finger, placing it on the counter.

“I’m sorry. I wish things were different.” She grabbed her purse and left.

The drive to Oliver’s was longer than usual. Felicity tried to gather her thoughts as she drove. Here she was headed to Oliver’s and her engagement was over. She couldn’t even think of all the consequences: Charlie, her mother, herself. Oliver needed her and as usual, she dropped everything and ran. Why couldn’t she just say no?

When she pulled up, the guards let her in and Raisa was waiting in the hallway.

“Miss Felicity, it’s so nice to see you. Mr. Oliver is in his room.” Felicity greeted the woman with a smile and took the stairs slowly. She found her way down the familiar hallway and knocked lightly on his door.

“Come in.” His voice sounded from the other side. She was glad that she came because his voice betrayed him, at least to her. She pushed the heavy wood open and leaned against the doorway. She smiled as she waited for him to look up from his perch on the window-seat.

“Felicity?”

“Why do you sound surprised? You asked me to come.” She stepped forward and closed the door behind them. 

“You never answered.” He offered in reply. 

“I was kind of busy trying to get here. Plus, I had to supply someone else with some answers.” Oliver sighed and looked back to the window. 

“I’m sorry, he must not be very happy.” She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it in quick puff as she made her way over to the window seat.

“He wasn’t. That’s okay though.” His head went up at her words and he met her with a confused expression as she took her seat beside him.

“How is it okay?”

“It’s not really, but I mean...in the whole scale of life, I’ll get over it eventually because you’re important, Oliver. More important.” He offered a small smile at her words and she placed her hand over his.

“Where’s your ring?” Felicity glanced down at their left hands and sighed.

“I told you, he gave me an ultimatum.” If you keep blowing me off for him, I’m not sure that I can marry you; I’m marrying Charlie and you need to handle that. Or I will leave.

“Felicity...why would you chose me then?”

“You asked, Oliver. Did you honestly think that I was going to let you sit here and mope all by yourself?” He shrugged and she shook her head with a smile.

“Can we forget about my problems and just focus on yours for a little while?” She questioned, eager to stop thinking about what she had just done.

“We’ll be here forever.” He joked and she smiled and moved to lean her back against his chest. They sat like that and he eventually let his thoughts out. His latest flashbacks and he even let out a few words about his struggle with Charlie. She listened, happy that he was confiding in her again. Even if she didn’t have Charlie, at least she had Oliver. 

“I can’t believe I just talked you to sleep.” He teased after he had shaken her awake.

“I was just resting my eyes.” She lied.

“Come on, you can go sleep in the guest room next door.”

“Guest room? Oliver, we’ve slept together before.” He raised his eyebrow at her slip-up and she smirked back at him.

“Well, we’ve slept in the same bed and that other thing too.” He chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, once or twice.” He joked.

“A day?” She teased back. He raised his eyebrows in surprise but she kept smiling, even with the very apparent blush.

“Do you want me to go grab something of Thea’s?”

“Nope, I’m stealing a t-shirt.” She winked and headed for his closet and found her favorite gray shirt of his. It was a v-neck style that was just barely enough to cover her panties. The real reason it was her favorite was because it was so soft. She quickly stripped off her jeans and sweater and changed into the shirt. As she left the closet, she deposited her clothing on the couch and strolled over to the empty side of the bed and curled up next to him. His arm came around her back in the familiar way it always had before.

“I miss this.” She whispered against his chest, sadly he left his shirt on. 

“Me too.” He whispered back, kissing the top of her head. She wiggled from his hold until she was hovering over him and dropped a soft kiss to his lips which he greedily accepted. WIthin a moment, she was on her back with him hovering her as he kissed her lips then her jaw and her neck. She quickly pulled his shirt off, eager to see his expansive chest and feel his familiar scars beneath her fingertips.

Oliver suddenly pulled back and frowned. Felicity groaned.

“What?” She practically whined as she sat up a little to try to regain his lips with hers.

“Not tonight, you did just break up with your fiancé.” He reminded and she sighed. Of course he just had to remind her. She was trying so very hard to forget all about that because it was going to be a huge mess. Huge. 

“Come on, we could both use some sleep.” He added softly. He laid down on his back and pulled her closer. At the very least, he was shirtless now. His hand stroked through her hair as she traced over his scars and the ridges of his wonderful abs. When his breaths were finally even and his hand had stilled a while ago, she pressed a soft kiss to his bare skin.

“I love you.” She whispered against his skin and let herself drift off to a much needed sleep.

The next morning, Oliver woke her up with soft kisses along her jaw the same way he always used to. She smiled and leaned forward capturing his lips in hers.

“Charlie’s downstairs.” He told her as he broke the kiss. She frowned, seeing the distress in his visage. She sat up slowly, facing him.

“I’ll go take care of it. You just stay right here.” She pushed him back softly onto the bed but as she stepped forward, his fingers gripped her wrist and pulled her to him. His kissed her in a desperate and passionate clash of lips and tongues. With one final soft kiss, he pulled back.

“Why did that feel like goodbye?” She inquired, hoping that he wasn’t pulling away again.

“Because it is.” She pulled away, angry that this was happening, again. Hastily, she pulled her clothes from last night back on, leaving his shirt on underneath her sweat and walked out without another word. Charlie stood at the bottom of the steps and turned when he heard her footsteps.

“Hey.” He stated hesitantly.

“Hey, how did you know I was here?” She wondered aloud. 

“You forgot your phone.” Charlie held up the device and Felicity nodded, stepping forward to retrieve it. 

“I’m sorry about everything.” She stated, meeting his eyes.

“When I told you that I couldn’t marry you, I didn’t think that you would actually leave and when you did, I was angry but I want to marry you. I love you, Felicity and I guess that if Oliver’s a part of your life, I’ll have to accept it if you’re still willing to marry me that is.” Felicity sighed, this was her out. Her chance at the best of both worlds. She could have Charlie, the supposed love of her life, and be there for Oliver. It’s just that after last night, she couldn’t go back to pretending that Charlie meant more, even if that was hard to admit.

“I wish that things were different,” she started, repeating her words from last night, “but, everything changed when you left. I wasn’t sure why I said no. When I saw you at the party, I wondered if maybe it was because I couldn’t give up everything for you. Last night, I chose Oliver and I will again. If he needs me, even if it hurts to be there, I will be. You deserve someone that loves you like that. I wish that I could be her but I can’t. I love you too much to put you through that.” He nodded, turning away with a heavy swallow. This was a much needed conversation that was just much too late. They should have talked more before he had left the first time or at least before he proposed again.

“I hope that he is everything that you deserve. I hope he can be the one for you.” He stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Thank you.” She whispered before turning her face and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. He dropped his arms and turned to leave but suddenly stopped.

“I’m going back to Coast City. Wentworth offered me a job over there but I didn’t want to take it.”

“Good luck, I hope it all goes well for you.” He nodded and left. Felicity stood still for a moment and decided to go back up to Oliver. He stood just inside his room by the door and looked up, surprised to see her.

“He’s going to Coast City.” Oliver looked down and sighed.

“You’re still going to push me away, aren’t you?” He nodded, his eyes closed tightly.

“I guess that I’m just not allowed happy, huh?” She picked up her jacket and her bag from the chair and passed him without another word. It wasn’t fair, he kept intervening with Charlie, he pushed her to come last night and then he let her back in when he heard that things were over with Charlie, but this morning he kisses her and tells her goodbye? As she got to her car, she quickly drove, eager to put some distance between her and Oliver before she broke down. She barely made it off his street before she pulled over. 

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she pulled her glasses off and laid her head in her hands feeling defeated. She had no one and she had hurt Charlie. Again. Oliver had hurt her. Again.

It had been two months before she saw Charlie again. They had talked on the phone about a week ago. Anthem was sending him and Wentworth back to Starling to discuss how the investment was being applied. 

“Your coffee, Mr. Queen.” Felicity set the cup down and took her seat next to Charlie. He offered a small smile. 

After the meeting, Oliver had gone back into his office and Felicity guided Charlie back to hers.

“It’s nice to see you.” Charlie stated.

“It’s nice to see you too. How is Coast City?”

“It’s great, it’s a nice change and it’s been...Okay, enough about me, what’s up with Mr. Broody? Did you two get into a fight?”

“We’re not...” She trailed off.

“I guess I’m just not marriage material then.” He teased.

“You are, really. I have no idea what’s going on in his head.” She confided. Charlie had been her friend long before they dated. He seemed okay with the topic so she took advantage of the opportunity to vent.

“Let’s give him something to think about then.” Charlie smirked and suddenly, his lips were on hers. His hands found her hips and they fell into the familiar rhythm just before he pulled back with a bright smile.

“Lunch?” She laughed, her head falling into his chest as the blush began to creep up her cheeks. Finally, she gained control and pulled back nodding.

“I love you, Charlie Reynolds.” She teased, even if she wasn’t in love with him, he knew her so well and he always knew what she needed.

“I love you, too!” He replied a little too loud. She bit her lip but the smile appeared anyway. She took her seat and began to look over the schedule. Digg came in and raised an eyebrow.

“Later.” She whispered. After a few minutes, Digg retreated out of Oliver’s office and Oliver came out, standing in front of her desk.

“Are you free for lunch?” Charlie, you are brilliant, she thought as she shook her head.

“No, plans with Charlie.” She could see his disappointment in his tight jaw.

“Oh. Are you two getting back together?” Felicity glanced at the time, it was a minute until her lunch break began.

“I don’t see how that’s your business, Mr. Queen.” She had taken to calling him Mr. Queen to spite him. He only corrected her at first. His jaw seemed to gain more tension.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe it’s my lunch break.” She grabbed her purse and jacket and hurried from the office with a smile. She hated to make Oliver made but she was the one who had to deal with him constantly pushing her away and keeping a platonic distance between them. It was getting old. Apparently Oliver only relented when he felt his hold on her was being threatened. It was mean, sure but a girl had to do what a girl had to do.

Charlie’s plan worked brilliantly. That night, yes that night, Oliver had sent her a text. I need you. Mansion. Felicity thought back to a little over two months ago when she had received the same message. This time she would fight him though. 

He was in bed this time, she quickly tossed her bag and her jacket over the chair and disappeared into his closet to borrow a shirt. It feel just past her butt, the soft gray fabric smelled just like him. She smiled and headed to the bed, sliding beneath the covers and into his embrace. His warm arm slid around her back and she leaned up. Her lips meeting his. 

“Felicity...” He began, pulling back from her.

“Tell me you want me to stay.” She begged.

“I want you to stay.” He answered. 

“Tell me you love me.” He sighed before whispering the words into her hair.

“I love you.”

“Tell me that you’ll stay.” She stated, hoping that he would give in and just say it back.

“I can’t.”

“I love these moments.” She interrupted. His thumb was stroking her hip through the thin fabric of the shirt. 

“Felicity...” She recognized his cold tone, he was going to push her away. Again.

“No, you can’t just call me here because you feel threatened. I’m allowed to be happy, Oliver. So you just have one choice to make: either it’s with you, or it’s not.” He sighed and she shifted so that her leg hooked over his and her arm moved over his bare chest with her hand resting on his waist.

“It’s not that easy.”

“I’m making it that easy. Say yes or you lose me.” She prayed that he wouldn’t say no. She needed him, wanted him and despite what he thought, Charlie wasn’t an option.

“This isn’t fair.” He whispered.

“Welcome to my world.” She sighed and felt his lips against her temple.

“If I say no, will you stay the night?” She scoffed and pushed herself into a seating position.

“Are you kidding me?” She was angry now, red hot angry. If he wasn’t so damn invincible, she would punch him.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” He pushed himself into a seating position as well.

“You’re the only one that’s hurting me.” She whispered, knowing that the words would hurt him but needing to say them. He had to hear them.

“That’s not what I meant.” He countered.

“Oliver, you can protect me. I believe in you. Now just shut up and kiss me.” After a long moment of meeting her eyes, he closed his and pulled her to him. Their lips met in a haste fashion. She was quickly laying on her back with him pressed against her.

“Yes.” He whispered as he began to trail kisses down her neck. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling, because finally, he was hers. He brought his lips back to her face and wiped the tears away from her cheeks as he kissed her.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, hating that he had hurt her so much. He wasn’t happy with putting her in danger but she gave him no choice. He couldn’t lose her. He wanted her and she was giving him the choice.

“I’m not leaving. Ever. I love you.” He whispered, kissing her again.

“I love you, too.” She responded and he smiled.

Oliver began kissing her neck as Felicity was drafting a guest list.

“Stop!” She pushed him away but he was stronger and held her as he continued his task.

“Would it be awkward to invite Charlie to the wedding?”

“Only if you hope he is going to steal me away.” She teased. He didn’t seem so amused though.

“Is that what you want?”

“No, Oliver. We really need to have you take a class in Felicity’s sarcasm.” He shook his head at that.

“Ignoring the third person reference, I’d like to thank him, he is the reason we got together. Granted, he did kiss you the night we got together. So I’m not sure he would be very happy.”

“I have a confession.” Oliver tensed, praying that she wasn’t going to reject him. Since they had gotten together, he had somehow became the insecure one, afraid that she would leave him.

“Charlie only kissed me to make you jealous. He was disappointed that you didn’t make a move when he left.”

“Seriously?” She laughed and nodded.

“Well, I guess I really do owe him a thank you.” Felicity smiled and wrote down ‘Charlie Reynolds +1’ on the list, knowing that he had been seeing a nice girl for the past few months. Things had actually worked out.