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Oliver sat straight up in bed. He dreamed of her again. Wrinkles etched into her skin. Gray hair pulled back into a tight bun. She sat in a wheelchair beside his bed. He was dying. But he wasn’t himself. He was older too. He had a beard and his face was as wrinkled as hers. Oliver brushed his hand down his face as if the beard were going to be there. The woman reached for his hand and whispered comforting words to him. “I’ll see you in the next life, my love.” As soon as life left his body, he woke up. It was too weird for him. Too weird by a long shot.
He dreamed of this woman so often these days, but he wasn’t sure who she was. Each night was different. A different decade. A different lifetime. But they were always together. It began three days after he turned twenty-one with no explanation. He ran his fingers through his short, messy hair. This was too much to handle, but who the hell was he supposed to talk to about it? He scrubbed his face with his hands and sighed. Maybe it was time to give his mother a call.
Oliver climbed out of bed, nearly getting tangled in his sheets. He snatched his phone off the bedside table. It read a little past five-thirty. His mother might be awake. He chewed his lower lip and pulled up her number anyway. He took a short walk out to his tiny kitchen and set out to make a cup of coffee. His favorite green mug sat under the coffee maker while he leaned on the counter, listening to the phone ring.
“C’mon, mom. Please be awake.”
“Oliver?” Moira Queen answered a moment later. “What are you doing up this early?”
“I’ve been having weird dreams.” He picked up the cup as soon as it was filled and took a sip of the scalding black coffee.
He could hear shuffling on Moira’s side of the line.
“I didn’t wake you did I?” he asked quietly.
“No, no, you’re fine.” She seemed to settle. “What kind of dreams?”
“Well,” he said awkwardly, “They’re about this woman…”
He could almost hear his mother rolling her eyes. “You didn’t call me to talk about something dirty did you?”
“No!” he sighed. “It’s not like that.” His ears burned red anyway. “These dreams… we’re together, but not like that… we’re in a relationship. Married. But in each dream we’re in a different time and place. One night it was like the eighteen hundreds. Last night I swear it was in an early eighties hospital room, maybe a year or two before I was born. But last night I died and this woman said ‘I’ll see you in the next life, my love’ and it was so weird.”
Moira was quiet for a long moment. “I see.”
“Does it mean anything?”
“When did it start?”
“A couple days after my birthday.”
“I want to talk to you about this in person. Come over as soon as you can.”
Oliver’s chest tightened. “Okay.”
When the call ended, he changed his clothes and made his way over to his family’s home. The Queen Manor was massive. He was kind of glad to live in a more modest apartment by himself. He spent his childhood in this mansion. It was big, but it was also cold. He was raised by the staff more than his actual parents, but he was somehow closer to his mother now than he was then. Something about getting away from his family brought him closer to them. Well, mostly his mother. His father spent most of his time working. He shook his head and walked in through the double doors.
It was eerily quiet. No one but Moira was up and moving yet. He went in the direction of the kitchen. She sat there completely dressed and sitting at the island. Moira never let anyone see her at anything but her best. Her hair was done as well as her makeup and she wore a navy dress suit including matching pumps. Oliver held in an eye roll and sat down beside her. She slid him a cup of coffee just the way he liked.
“What’s going on?” he asked, taking the mug.
“I didn’t think this was going to happen to you… it doesn’t happen very often anymore.”
“What?”
“Soulmates.”
He blinked a couple of times. Kids in school talked about soulmates all the time. Everyone grew up believing they were going to find their soulmate, but truly having a soulmate was rare. Oliver certainly didn’t believe he was one in a million that would have one. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to have one. A soulmate. Someone you are destined to be with. It kind of took the fun out of dating didn’t it?
“I… your father and I are not soulmates. My soulmate… he passed away when he was young.” She closed her eyes tightly, reliving a painful memory.
Oliver bit down on his lip. He had never heard this before.
“The children of non-soulmates are not supposed to have soulmates, but what you are describing is more than an average soulmate. My soulmate and I, we dreamed of each other. We could dream of each other’s memories, but you are dreaming of your past lives with your soulmate, Oliver.”
He recoiled away from her. “I don’t want that.”
Moira looked horror struck. “How can you say that? A soulmate is a gift!”
“I want a choice. Not someone handed to me.”
“You have loved this person for lifetimes.”
“I don’t know that.” He pulled away from the island nearly knocking the stool over. “These are just dreams. Soulmates are fairy tales.”
“Oliver!”
“What’s going on?” an eleven-year-old Thea rubbed her eyes and looked at them through the doorway.
Oliver shook his head at his little sister. “Nothing. I was just leaving.”
He walked past her and hurried out the front door. He didn’t know what to do with this information. He could barely wrap his head around it. Soulmates. What a bunch of bullshit. He was twenty-one-years old. He had his whole life ahead of him and he was supposed to meet some woman from his dreams and settle down with her? Oliver stood outside the manor and ran his hands through his hair. Shit. What if he couldn’t find a way around it? What if it had to be?
What if he didn’t love her?
Soulmates were supposed to love each other. Everything in his dreams told him that they loved each other. But he had never met her.
He wanted to scream.
Oliver had to find something else to do. He marched back to his car and started to drive. It was still early. The city was just starting to come to life. He drove through Star City not going anywhere in particular. His mind reeled with everything going on. He barely paid attention to the road. He blinked and someone seemed to appear in front of his car. It was almost seconds too late when he slammed on his breaks. A hand slammed down on the hood of his car followed by a lot of swearing.
Oliver put the car into park and pushed the door open. “I’m so sorry!”
A blond woman hit his car again. “How did you not see me! I am wearing bright pink!”
He walked around to the front of the car with his hands raised in surrender. “I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me but you could have!”
Their eyes met and everything froze. The anger slid away from her face and something like recognition hit her instead. He looked into those crystal blue eyes and knew he had seen them somewhere. He knew he had seen her before. The woman from his dream right there in the present. She looked so different, yet the same. Something warm spread through him and settled in his chest.
No. This wasn’t happening.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. But I have to go.”
“Wh-what? Wait!”
Oliver was already backing away toward his door.
The woman in pink followed. “I just want to talk to you.”
“I can’t.” He put his hand on the door.
“Well, won’t you at least tell me your name?”
“Sorry, I have to go.” He scrambled inside the car.
The woman dove out of the way as he took off down the street. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her watching him from the sidewalk. Part of him felt guilty for running away like that. She hadn’t done anything to him, but he didn’t want to start anything with her. If they didn’t talk or get to know each other they couldn’t be anything to each other.
That warmth in his chest though. He touched his chest as he drove. What was that?
Oliver sat in The Queen’s Jewels, one of several jewelry stores his family owned. He hid in the back in his office where he was working on a project. He made some of the pieces himself. One of a kind pieces that only appeared in the shops once in a while. His current project was a necklace and earring set. He twisted the metals himself, working them into intricate designs. He wore his jeweler’s magnifying glasses and focused on the piece. He was still deciding what kind of gem would go in the center. He didn’t really want a diamond. He thought those were too common. Emerald’s were his favorite because he enjoyed the green color. But maybe he would do sapphire… or something pink.
He blinked. Pink? Oliver shook his head.
The bell on the front door jingled, signaling a customer. He figured Tommy would handle whoever it was. He was an excellent salesman. Seconds later Tommy was at his office door.
“Uh, boss, there’s a really pissed off looking woman here asking for you.” His voice dropped a little lower as he continued. “What did you do?”
Oliver set his things down carefully and took off his glasses. “I don’t know.”
“I’m gonna stay back here and let you handle it.” Tommy actually looked… scared?
Oliver swallowed and left his office. What he found was the woman in pink, standing in front of the main counter. Her arms crossed, her brow furrowed, and an aura of absolute rage radiating off of her. Oliver looked back at the office door and then back at her.
“Don’t you dare run away from me again.”
He nodded and came to stand in front of her. “How did you find me?”
“I ran your plates, Oliver Queen.”
The glare being shot in his direction made his chest tight. He’d had people angry at him before, but this felt terrible. He felt shame and nausea. Oliver didn’t know this woman and he wanted her to be happy. Happy with him and because of him. He wasn’t sure of that urge. It was odd and overwhelming.
The anger fell away from her face. “It’s really hard to stay mad at you, especially when you look at me like that.”
He looked away from her. “I’m not doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“You know what. The reason why you’re here.”
“You won’t even ask me my name. You’re just sending me on my way.”
He gave her a side glance. Her face grumbled. He sighed. “Shit.”
“It’s Felicity by the way. Felicity Smoak.”
“Why do you want to talk to me so badly?”
“Why do you want to push me away?”
“Don’t you want a choice?”
She recoiled, taking a step back. Her gaze dropped away from him. “I… I never thought about it that way.” She moved her fingers nervously in front of her. “My mother told me soulmates were a gift.” Felicity kept her eyes down. “I’ve been alone for most of my life… When the dreams started… I got excited…. I’m sorry I didn’t think about your feelings.”
She turned and ran out of the jewelry store with one last little jingle.
If making her angry felt like shit, making her sad was a thousand times worse. His heart hurt. It ached in his chest. He stood there not sure what to do. He didn’t want to feel guilty over hurting a stranger, but he did. Was he being selfish? Were they both being selfish? What the hell was the right answer here? He didn’t want to be pushed into something he didn’t want, but at the same time did she deserve a chance?
All of this was so confusing!
Oliver ran out the door and looked left and right. Something in his gut told him to go left. He ran in that direction and found Felicity down the block. When he reached her, he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and looked up at him with a tear stained face. He felt a pang in his chest.
“Look, Felicity, I don’t know how to deal with this shit,” he said honestly. “I just found out soulmates are a real thing this morning. I always thought I was going to date a bunch of people before I found the one. If there was a one.”
“I get it.” She wiped her cheeks. “I don’t want to force you into anything.”
“I’m confused.”
“Can we… can we go out for coffee? Just coffee. Just talking. Nothing special.”
He let out a slow breath. “Yeah, we can do that.”
She smiled and his chest warmed again.
“Let me text Tommy that I won’t be back for a few minutes and then we can walk to Starbucks.” He pulled out his phone.
“Great.”
After the text was sent, he slid his phone away. He walked with his hands behind his back because he wasn’t really sure what to do with them. Felicity fiddled with hers in front of her. She chewed on her ruby red lip and gave him a few side glances. He tried to relax and just enjoy the walk to the coffee shop, but there was this tension between them. He wasn’t sure what it was. It wasn’t awkward, but there was something between them.
“I know you don’t have to do this and I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day,” she said quietly.
“Don’t mention it.”
They reached the Starbucks and he held the door open for her. Felicity ordered her coffee first and went to pay. He held up his hand.
“Let me get it. I did almost run you over today.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
He ordered a black coffee. He hoped he would actually get to finish this one. Oliver paid and they waited by the counter for their coffee. When they had their cups in hand, they sat down at a small table in the corner of the coffee shop. Felicity held the coffee with both hands. She wouldn’t look him in the eyes now. He bit down on his own lip. He had done this. He made her nervous and unwilling to talk to him.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?” She peaked up at him.
“Let’s see almost running you over, running away from you and probably almost running you over a second time, making you cry, and now making you nervous.”
“Wow, you’ve been kind of a jerk today. Well, I don’t know you. Maybe you’re a jerk everyday. You don’t try to run over young women on a daily basis do you?”
He gave a sad laugh. “No. I try not to be an asshat.”
“Good.” She seemed to relax more as she took a sip of her coffee.
He watched her lift the coffee. The light shined through the window and glowed across her face. Her blue eyes sparkled and her blonde hair shone almost golden under the sun. She set the cup down and licked her lips. He could feel himself staring at her, but he couldn’t stop. Felicity was truly beautiful. Stunning, really.
“Is there something on my face.” She tapped her cheeks with both hands.
He blushed. “No. Sorry.”
“Oh. Good.” Her own cheeks turned a light pink.
He cleared his throat. “Just um the sun hit you and… I thought you were really pretty.” The last half of the sentence came out in a jumble of words.
She stared at him as if she didn’t hear him correctly.
“I said I think you’re really pretty.” God, he sounded like a teenager again.
Her pink cheeks turned red. “Thank you.”
“So you wanted to talk.”
“Yes! I did.” She played with her cup on the table like a cat, batting a toy around. “I know this is all confusing. I thought it was weird at first… I started having the dreams almost a year ago and it was weird at first. I didn’t know who to talk to.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty. You’re not supposed to have them until twenty-one but for some reason I started having them early. I’ve seen you so many times.” She looked down.
“I’ve only been having them for about a month.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” She took another drink “Anyway, I did some research. A lot of research. I guess soulmates aren’t that common anymore. I asked my mom and she never had one. Probably why my dad… Never mind.” Felicity shook her head.
Oliver wilted. He already hated it when she was sad. It was scary. To be so controlled by someone else’s feelings. He’d never been in a serious relationship, but was that normal? He didn’t remember his parents being that worried about each other’s feelings. They loved each other sure, but they seemed more worried about business. That didn’t seem right either. He wasn’t sure how it was supposed to be.
“What we have is something even more uncommon. Reincarnation among soulmates is almost unheard of. We have lifetimes together.” She met his gaze.
He looked into her eyes and felt torn. Part of him wanted to run and the other part wanted to chase that warmth she gave him. She scared him.
“Don’t be scared, Oliver…” She reached for his hand. “I can feel it in my chest.” She used her other hand to touch her heart. “I’m not here to scare you.”
Oliver resisted the urge to pull his hand away. “I can’t help it. This is… so much. I’ve never felt someone else’s feelings before. I’ve never dreamed of a past life… I’ve never…. I’ve never thought of myself as being tied to another person.” He finally tugged his hand away. “It’s terrifying.”
She looked at him like she didn’t understand.
“How can you be so calm?”
Felicity sighed. “Because I guess I’ve had time to adjust. I believe in this. I believe in you and me.”
He looked away from her and down at his hands. “I just don’t know.”
“I said I wouldn’t push you into anything and I won’t.”
“I need some time. I…” He reached for his wallet and pulled out a card. “Give me a couple days and then call or text… I just need some time,” he repeated.
“Okay.”
Oliver kept his eyes away from her as he picked up his coffee and ran away from her again.