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It had started out as a simple dare in the minds of Caitlin and Iris. Felicity had known it would be more than what met the eye. Those two had been planning something for weeks as a revenge for her trick. Something that she couldn’t figure out but involved her. And so, when they had appeared in front of her in the midst of the party, challenging her, she hadn’t given them a second before accepting the dare.
The regret had come another eye blink later though.
When the giggling women had told her precisely what she had to do, Felicity mentally gave herself a slap in the face for not waiting to know what she must even do. Her curiosity got the best out of her and that had been the key Iris and Caitlin used to get her to agree on something she should have known. Okay, maybe not known but sensed. She should have been more careful even if their planning had been bugging her for a while. Maybe then she could have avoided the embarrassing situation she would be put through.
Of course, she could have denied after hearing the rules, but for unknown reasons she had nodded before her mind caught up with her previous action. Which had said something because Felicity usually was very much in control of a situation, except now. Swallowing hard, she made her way to where the beverages were kept, hoping to find a liquor that would calm her racing heart.
Impossible.
She was certain, but she also had to try.
As Felicity stride toward the long kitchen island in the crowded room, she heard her friends laughing behind her, most probably about her, and knew she was doomed. They had found out she had a crush on him somehow and made sure she was aware of that as well. Or this was their retaliation or they were playing matchmakers. All opinions looked bad. There was no way he had any feelings for her. Unthinkable. He was kind and acted like a gentleman whenever they bumped into each other but Felicity knew it was just good manners that he had perfected over the years as successful CEO. Oh god, she was about to have the most embarrassing night of her life.
Maybe, she should come up with a lame excuse why she couldn’t keep to her word. Or say he was kind of her boss. Which was true and also not lame. No. She was strong, she could totally do this. She wouldn’t chicken out now. If she did, they would win.
Kissing him under the mistletoe was no big deal; it was just a dare and also a tradition. Felicity had no idea whom she was trying to convince though. She had developed a huge crush on him over the months, how could it be a simple act?
Stopping in front of the island, Felicity grabbed an unused plastic cup and poured some tea as an attempt to tranquil her nerves. The tasty drink spread warmth through her veins and cleared her hectic thoughts a tad for which she was thankful. She would come up with an easy plan to get him under the mistletoe without suspicion, give him a small kiss (only on the corner of his mouth if her friends weren’t spying on her in that moment) then walk away and pretend nothing had happened. Yes, that would do.
Gulping the last sip, Felicity set the cup on the wooden surface, and turned around just in time to hear cheers and see two people kissing in the doorway with the devil mistletoe hanging above them. She felt her stomach drop and the effects of the warm drink vanishing.
It had been two hours since her friends dared her and Felicity was not any closer to success. As it turned out her target was purposefully avoiding being even close to the mistletoe. She wasn’t the only one who had tried. Actually she was quite surprised by the number of attempts. Though as it seemed, he was aware of that as well, since he managed to stay away from the doorway all night. Albeit, she understood him. He was trying his best to be a good CEO but people still looked at him as a party boy, who did nothing but hook up with anything that could walk. Not that he wouldn’t hook up with-
Oh, there was no way she would let her thoughts wander there. Let’s just get back to the main point. The point was, he was also grumpier than how she usually saw him be. By any means, he wasn’t a person to smile every minute of a day, but she also knew Christmas was his favorite holiday and maybe she just expected to see him happier. Way happier than in everyday life. Nevertheless, the reason behind his sadness could easily be answered. He had broken off a long-term relationship like a week ago and so he might have been brooding over that. From what she had gathered from the local gossip and rumors within the company, he hadn’t taken it well.
Looking over to where he was standing in casual clothes, Felicity sighed, eyeing the vein on his neck as he gulped his champagne. Gaze wandering upper, she watched his stubble that had the ideal length, spotting a mole near his lips as he withdrew the glass. His lips. He had very calling lips. They looked so soft and full. And she would have to kiss those lips and expect to survive. Good joke.
Letting her gaze roam higher, she glanced at his eyes and like some kind of magnet, he swirled on spot and locked his gaze on hers. Cheeks heating and turning into a nice shade of deep red, Felicity looked away. Back to focus, somehow.
She had to get him to the doorway when there weren’t many people around. Maybe then, he wouldn’t bother coming up with a lame excuse like he had when she had first approached him that night and just get over it. Wait, did that mean he knew about her plan?
That would make things worse and more awkward.
Dear God, Felicity wanted the night to finally end. She was already tired of this dare. If he didn’t want to be kissed under the mistletoe by anyone then he wouldn’t. Regardless, she wasn’t about to go down without a fight in front of her friends. She would rather try and fail than not try at all.
She had failed.
No need to give a big speech, it was simple as that. She had tried and failed miserably.
When Caitlin had laid out the rules of the dare, she had set up a time. Either the kiss happened before midnight or Felicity lost. Which she did. Lose, she meant that of course.
The party was in full swing for another few hours then after a while, people – most of them strangers to her – started passing out from consuming too much alcohol. That wasn’t the source of the problem since her target hadn’t drunk much. Just a few glasses of champagne here and there thus he was sober. Or, at least looked like he was. The problem, which had also set up her immediate failure, happened when he had announced he was heading to sleep after the second person ended up on the couch unconsciously. Which was around 11 PM.
Felicity, staying true to herself, had given one last attempt at getting him under the mistletoe that had once again resulted in nothing. Thinking back, she couldn’t even remember what she had told him. He had smiled at her words; melting her right on spot because hello, he could flash the most charming smiles ever, then murmured a small good night and walked toward the stairs. As might be expected, he had taken another route to avoid the doorway with the damn mistletoe and disappeared.
Now, at 11:50 PM, Felicity was sitting on the floor of the balcony, watching the stars and enjoying the quietness of the moment. Soon, after he had said he was going to bed, people started to abandon the room, leaving behind the mess for the next day. It had surprised her to be honest. She had expected the party to end way after midnight and not nearly an hour before it. Nonetheless, she wasn’t complaining.
Leaning back on her elbows, Felicity listened to the music of cicadas, enjoying the moment as the light breeze caressed her skin. For a winter night, the weather was way too light, it was almost like spring. To be very sincere, she would rather stay there for an eternity if it had meant not going back to her shared guest room to listen to her friends teasing her about failing. She did try though. Wasn’t that enough? She couldn’t even count the number of attempts.
She had first asked him if she could exchange a word with him in a less noisy place, preferably on the balcony that could only be accessed by the mistletoe door. Then later on, after he had refused her offer (which proved her earlier point; as in, her unacknowledged feelings were one-sided) she had tried to talk to him about more formal topics, like Queen Consolidated. That didn’t work. Again. The third time, she had seen the greatest opportunity. He and his little sister were striding back to the heart of the party after a little chat on the balcony. Grabbing her might-be-only chance, Felicity sprinted – not literally - toward the door, but the odds were against her because out of all hours and minutes, someone just had to block her path then, to ask her for a dance. By the time she had explained her way out, he and his sister were far away from the door. The fourth attempt was the closest she had gotten him to the mistletoe. The party was a bit calmer; people were either eating or elsewhere in the house. She managed to start a conversation then acted like she had a bad memory and had forgotten her phone on the table out on the balcony. Felicity had asked him politely if he could go and get it, whilst she grabbed some snacks for the two of them. It was risky since anyone could have used her almost-successful plan to kiss him but she was lucky in that department. In other ways? Not so much. She waited him by the door and looked away for a nanosecond that had given him enough time to walk back and away from the hanging devil.
She had other attempts as well and yet she ran out of time.
Caitlin and Iris wouldn’t let her failure go without a word, of that she was sure.
Hearing a sudden noise from the insides of the house, Felicity jumped a little, closing her eyes for a jiffy. It was late. Her friends wouldn’t be awake. She would sneak in to the room as quietly as possible and hide under the blanket on the comfy bed. If anything good came out of that holiday party, then it was being able to sleep on that bed. She had slept on it numerous times when she stayed over for a movie night with Thea and knew from experience that in a minute or less, she would be fast asleep.
Getting up, Felicity cast one last look at the dark sky then walked toward the door, bumping into something solid when she was about to enter the house. Groaning, she took a step back and tilted her head upwards, seeing the person in front of her turn in the darkness, the moonlight illuminating his face. It was him. She bumped into none other than Oliver Queen in the middle of the night when he should be sleeping.
“Oh, Oliver. Hi. I’m not lurking around or anything if that’s what you think. I was just trying to clear my head before heading to sleep. Not that you needed to know any of that. At least I think so and yeah, I’ll go now if you don’t mind…” She stepped next to him to pass, only to be stopped again. Frowning, Felicity stared up at him right into his eyes, seeing his intense gaze on her, the atmosphere filling with tension at the stretched silence.
Licking her lips, Felicity asked. “What? Is there something on my face?” Expecting but not hearing any reply, she tilted her head to the side, putting her hand on his arm and ignoring the warmth his skin radiated. It did things to her mind and body that she should and would not comment on.
“I know you are usually quiet but are you okay? Not because you don’t talk but as in, is something wrong?”
“Felicity…” The way he had said her name… Quiet, soft but meaningful. Like he had told her a million different things just by saying her name. Her stomach fluttered and if she didn’t understand the phrase ‘butterflies dancing in her stomach’ she certainly did now.
“Hmm?” Her frown deepened, her curiosity and confusion spiking new heights.
“Do you know where we are?” Oliver asked back, his tone low, awakening an emotion inside her that she had felt multiple times with him before. An emotion that made her cheeks blush and body heat up.
“Where?”
“Look above you.” She slowly raised her head, breaking the eye connection in the last moment. She looked up and saw it, feeling her heartbeat speed up, her breath catching in her throat.
It was the mistletoe.
Right above them.
Biting out a gasp, Felicity felt hands on her cheeks, tilting her head to face his gaze again. Lips parting as a response, heart beating in her throat, pulsing with excitement and nervousness in the same time, she felt him lean closer to her, his breath caressing her skin. She couldn’t think. The moment he had said her name, he made her brain go jelly. She could only feel.
Eyes closing, she breathed the same air as he did, enjoying the intimate scene they made before his lips came in contact with hers, exploding a bomb of various feels that she had buried deep down. The moment his lips pressed fully to hers, all doubts of him not feeling anything vanished. Her body warmed, heart racing faster than she thought was ever possible. The kiss wasn’t rushed and it was more than Felicity imagined and hoped for. She gripped his arm with more force as Oliver angled her head to the side a tad, deepening the kiss but not making it about lust or anything that might ruin the moment for them. It was about discovering something new that had her longing for more. Longing to discover more about what they might be one day.
When they parted apart for air, a smile lit up his face, making her aware just how handsome he was. A second later she heard cheers and clapping from behind them and in that moment, as Oliver looked down at her, she knew they both had been tricked. They both had been tricked to be right where they were as explained later that night by their friends.
That was the night she had cherished and never forgotten. That was the night when he had asked her out and she said yes, feeling happier than she thought she would. That was the night when she had started discovering what real love had meant. That was the night when she truly started to live her life.