be sure to read Part 1 And I'll Love You All the While (Because You Saved My Life Once) before continuing on to this story
The story's title is from the song "One Day" by Kodaline. All of the chapter titles come from various songs by the same band.
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Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and any original characters that may be added in later. All rights over characters of the TV show Arrow belong to CW Television and DC Comics.
A Love Like This Won't Last Forever (But I Don't Mind At All)
August 2010
The strobe lights flickered and the music was blasting, thumping loudly in her ears as soon as Felicity stepped in the club. She tightened her grip on Sara's hand, not wanting to get separated from her friend in the crowd. They were at this new club called Poison, getting in with their fake IDs curtesy of Donna Smoak, to celebrate two things: Felicity was officially a high school graduate and she was leaving for Massachusetts tomorrow. Her last night in Starling and she was being dragged out in her tightest dress, probably to get drunk. The plane ride tomorrow was going to be epically horrible.
The two blondes finally reached the bar, spotting the other girls they were meeting and Felicity smiled at the sight of her friends.
"Felicityyyy!" Caitlin squealed, obviously already tipsy by the way she forcefully wrapped her arms around Felicity, her balance wavering slightly. Whenever Caitlin got even the slightest bit drunk, she turned into a completely different person, allowing herself to let loose and have fun.
Felicity laughed, making eye contact with Laurel over Caitlin's shoulder in a silent question, receiving a helpless shrug from the oldest girl of the group. She finally pried the brunette's arms from around her neck, "I see you've started drinking without us. Isn't this supposed to be my party?"
"Yes! Because you're a meanie and you're leaving me. But that's okay! Let's do shots!" She clapped her hands in excitement and eagerly made her way to the bartender, who was probably in his mid-twenties and had that whole hipster thing going on.
Felicity completed the short distance to the Lance sisters, surprised to find only Laurel. She furrowed her brows, "Where'd Sara go?"
"Oh, she went to the bathroom. I think she's calling Nyssa, too," Laurel responded, taking a sip of what she suspected was a tequila sunrise. Even though they'd hung out multiple times, it had always been in a group setting and they'd never been left alone. she can't help but feel awkward around the gorgeous brunette, considering she's currently dating the girl's ex who cheated on her with her sister. Yeah. Awkward.
Felicity observed the room to try and disguise her uncomfortableness as curiosity of her surroundings. She took in the people around her, the strong smell of alcohol and the gyrating bodies on the dance floor. They all looked so happy, like they didn't have a care in the world, and she envied that. Things had been hard the last two months without Oliver in Starling. Because of the time differences and how busy she'd been with her classes and getting her stuff ready to move to Boston, it's difficult for them to find a time when they can talk for longer than 10 minutes, and she misses him so much.
Laurel's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she quickly turned to the older Lance, "Are you excited about MIT?" she asked, her voice full of genuine interest.
She smiled at the thought of the school she'll be attending, "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. It's such an amazing opportunity for me. You're going to Starling U, right?"
"Yeah, pre-law. Tommy's going too when he gets back. I think we're gonna try to have an actual relationship." A giddy smile spread across Laurel's face at the mention of Tommy, and Felicity couldn't help but feel glad that her other best friend could be happy with someone he loves. He deserves that after everything she had put him through.
"That's great. I really hope you guys work out. He deserves to be with someone that makes him happy and can love him completely."
"Like you couldn't?"
Felicity's head shot up from where her eyes were fixed on a sticky spot on the table, expecting to see accusation or anger in the other girl's eyes but only found compassion and understanding. "Yeah, I guess. I loved Tommy, I still do. I just… I don't think that I ever allowed myself to be truly in love with him, not with the feelings I had for someone else."
"Oliver," she concluded with a small smile.
The blonde's eyes met hers. "Yeah. Oliver."
She took a sip of her drink before a small laugh bubbled past her lips. "You know, I was always a little bit jealous of you." Felicity's eyes widened in shock at her confession, but she just kept talking. "Oliver was always different around you. It's hard to explain, but he was just… different. Better, maybe? He'd look at you and I would just know that we were temporary. And now, with him being away and then you being away and the whole long distance thing, I know that he never would've done that for me."
She stared at her, not exactly sure of what to say before she offered her a sweet smile. "Uh, thanks Laurel. It's been hard with him gone, but it's nice that you think that we can make it."
"Of course," Laurel smiled in return and took another sip of her drink.
About an hour later, Felicity made her way through the crowd of people from the dance floor to the bar, swaying a little as she reached it. She could feel the alcohol from the tequila shots they took pumping through her veins and making her feel warm all over.
"Pomegranate martini, please!" she yelled at the bartender, the music making it hard for her to hear herself, but the man nodded in acknowledgement. Focusing her eyes forward, Felicity felt a little dizzy so she pulled over a stool and sat down, resting her elbows on the slightly sticky bar top.
"Can I buy you a drink?" a deep voice asked from next to her.
Felicity glanced up, blue eyes meeting the light brown ones of a very attractive guy. He was probably in his early twenties, with dirty blonde hair and a nice body. Felicity couldn't help but think that he was cute and kind of looked like a shorter, slightly less attractive version of Oliver. "I'm okay, thanks." Just as the words left her mouth, the bartender placed her martini in front of her, waiting expectantly for the money when Cute Guy placed 8 dollars on the table. She slid her drink closer to her and offered Cute Guy a smile, "Thanks."
"No problem. I'm Jake," Cute Guy - Jake - sat in the open stool next to her.
"Felicity," she offered, taking a sip of her drink. Not gonna lie, she kind of liked the attention she was getting right now. Cute Guy Jake seemed nice and totally harmless, and Oliver never had time for her anymore. She put a lot of work into getting ready dammit, and it's nice to feel hot and appreciated.
"That's pretty. So, Felicity, do you want to dance?"
Felicity took another sip of her drink and tilted her head at him, looking apologetic, "I actually have a boyfriend."
"Really? Cause I don't see him anywhere," Cute Guy Jake chuckled, a flirty edge to his voice.
She sighed and stared down where her fingers played with the bottom of her glass. "Yeah, join the club."
"Trouble in paradise?"
"Well he's in Europe, partying it up with his best friend and probably dancing with gorgeous Italian girls as we speak. Although it's like 8 in the morning there so he's probably sleeping cause he's tired from dancing with gorgeous Italian girls all night," she explained, voice laced with bitter jealousy and the alcohol causing her to slur.
Cute Guy Jake laughed again, shifting forward and placing his hand on her thigh, "Well, Felicity, why don't you get tired from dancing with me all night?" He inched his hand higher up on her leg, fingers nearly reaching the hem of her dress and squeezing lightly. "Then maybe you can sleep… back at my place."
Felicity downed the rest of her drink before standing up, watching his hand fall from her leg. "Thanks, but my boyfriend is way hotter than you so I'd rather not mess that up," she smiled sweetly at his shocked expression, "Have a good night though!" She walked toward the door of the club, stumbling out as she rummaged through her fuchsia bag. She pushed her way through the groups of drunk people, laughing and waiting for cabs. Having newly-named Creepy Guy Jake's hand on her bare skin made her feel gross and claustrophobic in the crowded club. Searching through her purse, she finally found her phone and clicked on the all too familiar contact picture, bringing it up to her ear and listening to it ring with her back leaning against the brick wall of a nearby building.
"Hello?" a groggy voice answered on the last ring, clearly having been woken up by the noise.
Felicity let out a deep, relieved sigh at the sound of his voice. Just that one word completely calmed her down, making her feel safe. She was brought back to the present when he said her name and she finally responded. "Hi, it's me."
Oliver laughed over the phone, "Yeah, I know. Where are you? It's late there and it sounds like there's music in the background."
She lifted her hand, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm at… I'm at Poison with the girls for a going away par-" she hiccupped, "- ty."
"Babe, are you drunk?" Oliver chuckled again.
"Jus a little bit," Felicity brought up her hand, holding her thumb and index finger close together even though he couldn't see her.
"Why are you calling? You should be inside having fun with your friends."
"I know and I was but then I thought about you and gorgeous Italian girls and then Cute Guy Jake turned into Creepy Guy Jake and his hand made me feel weird all over and I just miss you and your hands because they don't make me feel weird all over, they make me feel tingly all over and I just wanna feel tingly all over," she rambled quickly, voice tripping over her words multiple times.
"What?! Some guy touched you?! Did he do anything to you, are you okay?!"
"It's okay, Ol-ver. I'm okay. He wanted to dance and take me home, prolly so he could touch me more with his hands but I told him that my boyfriend is definilly hotter than him and then I ran out here and called you cause your voice makes me feel tingly all over too," she sighed wistfully, her mind fuzzy, "You make me tingly, Ol-ver. I miss you."
Oliver sighed, "You make me tingly, too. And I miss you, Felicity, more than you know."
"So you aren't dancing with gorgeous Italian girls all night?"
"What? No. These Italian girls have nothing on my beautiful girlfriend back in Starling."
Felicity giggled, "That's meeeee!"
"Yeah, babe, it's you," he laughed.
She turned around at the sound of her name being called and saw Sara, Laurel and Caitlin waving her over to the cab they got, obviously having seen her leave the club a few minutes ago. "Ol-ver, I hafta go now, the girls got a cab. But I love you. Thanks for answering, I like feeling tingly."
"I love you too. Call me in the morning before your flight, okay?"
"Okay. Bye, Ol-ver!" Felicity hung up after he returned her goodbye and put her phone back into her bag then walked towards the girls, sliding into the cab. She looked at her friends and sighed, "This was a fun last night. Thanks, guys. Let's go home."
September 2017
Gazing out the window, Felicity takes a deep breath and a small sip of her vodka cranberry. She's always hated flying but the thought of where she is going has her even more nervous. Her leg bounces up and down rapidly, and she closes her eyes. A warm hand is placed on her forearm and she forces her eyes open, turning to the elderly woman in the seat next to her.
"Are you alright, dear?" the woman, who's probably in her late sixties, asks.
Felicity offers a small smile, "Yes, thank you -" she pauses, silently asking for the woman's name.
"Nadine," she supplies.
"Thank you Nadine. I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You seem very nervous."
She sighs, fingers playing with hem of her dress. "I just haven't been here in a while. I'm going to see someone that isn't very happy with me and I really am not looking forward to it." She laughs, shaking her head, "I'm sorry, you don't want to hear my life story. Let's just go with: yes, I'm nervous."
Nadine chuckles, squeezing her hand in reassurance, "I'm sure everything will be alright, dear."
Felicity smiles at the older woman before turning her head to look back out the window, Starling City coming into view. "I hope so."
After the plane lands, Felicity foregoes baggage claim, her belongings already in route from her apartment in Boston on a moving truck. She tightens her grip on the handle of her bag, heels moving her through the airport at a surprising speed. She rounds the corner, tense shoulders immediately relaxing when she sees her friend. A wide smile spreads across her face as she makes her way towards the blonde, wrapping her arms around her neck in a tight embrace. "Sara."
"Hey, girl! It's so good to see you. And might I say, your style has become a lot sexier over the years. I definitely approve, you look gorgeous!" Sara exclaims, barely stopping herself from screaming in excitement.
"Me? Look at you! Let me see it," Felicity pulls back and grips her left hand, pulling it up to examine her ring finger. "Oh Sara, it's beautiful. I'm so happy for you guys. I'm sorry I couldn't be there," she gushes over the white gold wedding band. A few months ago, Sara and her longtime girlfriend Nyssa had gone on a trip to Las Vegas where Felicity was supposed to meet up with them but had to cancel due to work. What she hadn't known at the time was that the two girls had planned to get married, otherwise she would've ditched work and been there in a heartbeat. They got married anyway and have been blissfully happy, living peacefully in their townhouse where Felicity will be staying until she finds a new place of her own.
"Oh forget about it, you're here now. And hopefully for a while?"
"Hopefully for good. It's feels nice to be home. I've missed it," she hooks her arm into the elbow of the other girl, "I've missed you. And I'm excited for tonight. I haven't been to a good party in forever."
They make their way towards the main doors where Sara's car is waiting out front, "Really? You're not nervous? It's been what, five years?" Sara narrows her eyes, voice laced with concern.
Felicity sighs, knowing that she'll be unable to lie to her friend. The truth is, she is more nervous than she has ever been in her entire life. The last time they saw each other, things didn't end well, and who knows where his life has taken him now; he could be dating someone and she could be with him as his guest, and that would be beyond awkward. Especially considering that she has been living with her decision every day for the last five years, knowing what she'd done and hating herself for it. She can only imagine how much he hates her and frankly, she doesn't really want to find out. "Can we not talk about it? Let's just focus on the fact that this is Tommy Merlyn's engagement party. I mean, even when I dated him, I never thought I'd see the day that he got married. Guess it just took the right girl."
"Yeah. And you'll have that one day," Sara assures before opening the car door and climbing into the driver's seat.
She settles herself in the passenger seat, buckling her seatbelt and running her fingers through her ponytail, still getting used to the new length. "I don't know about that. The only person I could ever see myself with… Well, he doesn't see me that way anymore."
Sara reaches over the middle console, gripping her hand and squeezing it in reassurance, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Everything will be okay. I know it."
Felicity offers a small smile as Sara puts the car into drive and pulls away from the curb. Turning her head to look out the window, she's unable to stop the complete and utter feeling of dread that runs through her veins.
Oliver sits at his desk, vigorously signing his name repeatedly, flipping through pages at lightning speed just so he can be done with it. Reading, or let's be real, skimming, and signing contracts is probably what he hates most about his job. The publicity and paparazzi are a close second. But besides that, Oliver actually likes being CEO of Queen Consolidated. He took over the job from his mother about a year ago and it has been a huge challenge, testing him in ways he's never been tested before. People were skeptical, expecting him to fail and drive the company, his father's legacy, into the ground within the first few months but here he is, the youngest CEO of a multibillion dollar company in the world.
A beep sounds signaling an incoming call from his secretary, Gretchen, a 60-something year old woman who is damn good at her job and doesn't take any of his shit. Oliver presses the talk-back button without looking up from his desk, "Yes?"
"Mr. Queen, your sister is here to see you," Gretchen's voice reaches his ears, crackling over the speakerphone.
Oliver looks up at that, surprised to in fact see Thea standing in front of Gretchen's desk, tapping her foot impatiently and rolling her eyes at him. "Send her in," he instructs before hanging up and straightening the stacks of papers on his glass desk. He remodeled the building since taking over, making it more modern and industrial-looking, glass and chrome being two of the more prominent features.
Thea opens the door with one hand, strutting into her brother's office and flopping down on his dark grey sofa with her feet dangling over the arm. "Remind me again why I have to wear this stupid badge? It's not like everyone doesn't know who I am," she asks, fingering the plastic ID badge clipped to the jacket of her school uniform – another thing she hates, because of course Starling City Prep had to switch to uniforms right as she was starting high school.
"Speedy, hello to you too," Oliver sighs, already exasperated by the troubled teenager. Things had been good for a while after Robert died, but he thinks that growing up without a father during such a critical time in her life, especially after she stopped calling, took a toll on his kid sister's emotional state. Being almost 16, she's started acting out: sneaking out, staying out late to go to parties, and no doubt drinking and probably doing drugs. He has tried to talk to her, find out what's going on and how he can help her, but she just gets angry at him and storms off. It's best to just not try and talk about it, her anger leading her to go to a party, which is the last thing he wants.
Thea sighs, a wide smile spreading across her face, "Hello, dear brother-o-mine, it is so lovely to see you. Better?"
"Yup," he stands and loosens his tie, making his way over to his office's makeshift sitting area. He looks at his watch, noticing that it's only just after noon, "Why aren't you at school?"
"I got bored and came to see you instead." She groans as a look of disapproval crosses his features, "Don't look at me like that Ollie. You used to ditch all the time back when you were my age like, a million years ago."
Oliver rolls his eyes, "Okay first, I'm only 25. Second, I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger and you know that I don't want that for you. And third, I know that you're not here just because you miss me, so why don't you tell me what you really want because I have to get back to work."
She sighs, swinging her legs around in front of her and sitting up to face him. "Fine. Mom took away my credit card because I failed my math test, and there's a sale at Gucci and I need a new bag."
He releases a small chuckle before standing up and making his way back towards his desk, picking up his wallet and pulling out his credit card. Turning around, he finds Thea in front of him holding her palm open expectantly with a wide smile on her face. He holds it out to her, yanking it away just as she tries to close her hand around it, causing her to frown. "One bag," he warns. She nods happily, hand closing in a fist around the card before placing it in her jacket pocket.
Oliver moves around his desk, resituating himself in his black leather chair and beginning to sign his name on the contracts in front of him again. After a few seconds, he realizes that Thea hasn't left yet and he looks up, raising his brow expectantly at her.
She shifts uncomfortably, tugging her lower lip between her teeth and glancing down. "There was something else I wanted to talk to you about."
"What is it?"
"Are you okay?"
Oliver furrows his brows at her question, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I'm just worried about you. She'll be there tonight, won't she?"
Realizing that she's talking about Tommy's engagement party, he immediately tenses at the thought of seeing her there. He sighs, trying to relax and nods his head lightly, "I'd assume so. She was invited, after all. But I really can't say that I have any idea what she does nor do I care."
"Ollie, come on. You might be able to get away with that with Mom or Tommy, but not me. I know that you still love her."
"Speedy," he snaps, taking a deep breath because he really doesn't want to have this fight again.
"No! Look, Ollie, I'm mad at her too. But even I still care and I wasn't in love with her for basically my entire life. The possibility of seeing her tonight after so many years is probably freaking you out, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you."
Oliver shifts the papers in front of him in an attempt to stay calm and to not rub his index finger and thumb together like he always does when he's uncomfortable or nervous. "Thanks, Speedy. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I actually haven't given tonight much thought. Whatever happens, happens. Our relationship ended almost five years ago. I'm over it. I've moved on," he reassures, pointedly nodding his head towards the picture frame on his desk to make his point.
"Fine. Whatever you need to believe, Ollie. But I know what I know, and what I know is that you still love her. But whatever, don't listen to me. I'm just a dumb kid, right? Thanks for the card." With that, Thea turns on her heels and walks out of his office, nodding towards Gretchen before disappearing around the corner towards the executive elevators.
Oliver leans forward on his elbows, rubbing his hands over his face and through his cropped hair, considering his sister's words. Thea is wrong, she has to be. It's been years and she broke his heart. He's moved on. Which is what he repeats to himself over and over again for the rest of the day. If only, deep down, he actually believed it.
Felicity steps out of the cab, passing some money to the driver through the window with a small smile. She watches the car drive away and turns around, sucking in a deep breath as she takes in the mansion before her. It's been awhile since she's been in the Merlyn household and she takes a minute to steel herself before gathering up the bottom of her bright pink gown and making her way inside. She approaches the security guards, offering her name to double-check on the guest list. Once her invitation is confirmed, she makes her way past the various scattered attendees, immediately spotting the bride-to-be.
A wide smile spreads across her face and she begins making her way to the other woman, who notices her coming over and excuses herself from her conversation. "Laurel, it's so good to see you! You look amazing. Congratulations!" Felicity extends her arms, pulling the older woman into her arms for a friendly hug.
Laurel hugs her back, giving her a light squeeze before pulling away and moving her hands down her arms to grip her hands, "Thank you! You look beautiful, too. I'm so glad you could make it. Tommy will be thrilled to see you."
"I can't wait to see him, too. I'm so happy for you guys." she offers her a completely genuine smile; she couldn't be happier that one of her best friends has found someone he loves and will spend the rest of his life with. She's happy for Laurel too, the older Lance having become a surprisingly close friend over the years.
"Thank you. So how have you been? Are you going to be in town long enough for the wedding?"
"Yeah, I'm actually hoping to move back here for good. I have a job interview that I think is going to work out so if that's the case, I'm home. Sara and Nyssa are actually letting me stay with them until I find my own place," Felicity explains, voice laced with excitement at the prospect of her new job at an acclaimed security company.
"Really? We should all have dinner this week! It'd be nice to catch up and you can get readjusted," Laurel offers.
"Yeah, that'd be great. I've missed you all, more than you know." her voice fades and she casts her eyes downward, unable to stop him from entering her thoughts.
She catches onto where the blonde's thoughts have wandered and squeezes her hands, offering a reassuring smile. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."
Felicity laughs bitterly, "I sincerely doubt that. But I guess we'll find out."
Nursing a glass of scotch, Oliver leans against the bar, eyes focused on the tabletop. A hand claps on his shoulder and he tilts his head, locking eyes with his best friend and smiling.
"Well if it isn't my best man. Where's your better half?" Tommy jokes with a grin of his own, signaling to the bartender to pour him a scotch as well.
Oliver chuckles, downing the rest of his drink in one swig. "She's working tonight. How are you doing? Got cold feet yet?"
"Nah, man. My feet are the warmest they've ever been. I don't even want to wait, if I had it my way we would've been married yesterday."
He laughs and shifts so that his back is to the bar, leaning against it. He listens half-heartedly as Tommy tells him a story about his encounter with Laurel's Uncle Rob, his eyes darting around the room. Suddenly, he freezes, his entire body tensing when he sees her. In an all-too-familiar occurrence, Tommy's words become white noise and everyone around him fades away when his eyes land on her. Felicity. She's talking to Laurel, head thrown back as she laughs at something the other girl said. Her hair is shorter than he's used to, falling just below her shoulders in light curls. His eyes move down her body, taking in her sparkly mermaid dress, neckline plunging in both the front and back. He always loved when she showed off her perfect back. She looks breathtaking, like she always does and he has to take a deep breath to try and center the sudden flood of emotions he'd filed away a long time ago. His heart beats faster when she turns her head, her smile becoming softer as her eyes meet his. Oliver is feeling so many emotions right now: relief, hurt, anger… love. But he can't seem to take his eyes off her.
The look in her eyes becoming too much, he begins to feel claustrophobic and he rushes out of the room, muttering a weak excuse to Tommy. Oliver makes it outside and leans forward against the railing of the grand front porch, gripping it so tightly that his knuckles turn white and he tries to take a few deep breathes. After what feels like hours, he finally begins to feel himself calm down. That all comes undone when he hears one word -
"Oliver?"
Immediately tensing at the familiar sweet sound of her voice, he straightens his back and turns around, coming face to face with the woman who saved him and then destroyed him for the first time in nearly five years.
Felicity shifts uncomfortably, looking down before tucking a strand of hair that had fallen behind her ear. "I saw you come out here. It's good to see you. You look great."
Oliver clenches his jaw, taking a deep breath through his nose before answering shortly, "Thanks."
She looks up, nodding her head slowly, a self-deprecating smile on her face at his tense response. "Oliver… I don't know what to say."
"There's nothing you can say, Felicity."
"Oliver. I'm sorry."
He huffs a laugh in disbelief at her words, "You're sorry? You gave up on us, Felicity. You don't get to be sorry."
"That's not fair," she takes a step closer to him, shaking her head at his accusation.
"Not fair? You know what's not fair? The fact that you're here. Five years of not speaking and now, what? What is it that you want, Felicity?" Oliver steps forward, anger and hurt radiating from him as he looks down at her, his jaw clenched so tightly it might hurt if his entire body didn't feel numb.
"I don't have some sort of hidden agenda, Oliver. I'm moving back here. And it would be nice if we could at least be civil considering we still have the same friends. And if I'm being completely honest..." she looks up at him under long lashes, eyes filled with tears. "I miss you."
"No," he shakes his head quickly. "You don't get to miss me. Not after everything." He moves around her, pushing his way past her and making his way back inside, only stopped by her shaky voice.
"Oliver, please. You have to let me at least explain," she pleads.
He stops, his shoulders tensing before he turns to face her. His voice is calm, steady, the complete opposite of how he feels whenever he's around her. "There's nothing to explain, Felicity. I understand perfectly. You got scared and you gave up on us. You gave up on me. That's all the explanation I need."
A tear trails down Felicity's cheek as she watches Oliver turn on his heels and walk away from her. She wipes her face, taking a deep breath and moving to lean against the railing that Oliver had been using just moments ago to steady himself. Felicity shivers, the brisk wind hitting her arms and goosebumps spread across her skin but she can't force herself to go back inside. So, she stands out there, staring at the sky and wondering where it all went wrong, how she ended up here. She releases a bitter laugh, knowing exactly how she ended up here. Oliver was right; she got scared and she ran. And it was the biggest mistake of her life.