He wishes, sometimes, that he wasn't quite so perceptive. Usually he appreciates it; in his current line of work, one minute detail can mean life or death, and so he is usually grateful for the instinct he picked up on the island. Sometimes, though… sometimes he wishes he wasn't so perceptive.
Tonight, he is the first to the Foundry. He doesn't begrudge Diggle his time home with Lyla and Sara, and he knows Felicity can't be here all the time though he might wish otherwise. Oliver doesn't linger on that thought though – it's been nearly a year since he and Felicity shared their one and only kiss, and while nothing is outwardly wrong, there is always an undercurrent of tension in every gaze they share. She still jokes with him and rambles until her cheeks turn a furious shade of pink, but he can tell that she holds back sometimes. Now, she hesitates before she touches his shoulder, and in turn he catches himself before reflexively taking her elbow.
She's been dating Ray Palmer for a while now; he hates it, and he lashed out at her endlessly when he first found out, but he knows he has no right to do anything about it. It's made him even more sullen and serious than usual, but regardless of their feelings their little team of three works well enough together.
And most importantly, she's safe.
Diggle walks in as Oliver is training, and the two men make eye contact in acknowledgment. They begin discussing the night's work, but neither man can really concentrate as they wait for Felicity. When they finally hear the sound of her heels clicking down the stairs a long forty-three minutes later, both breathe a sigh of simultaneous annoyance and relief.
She looks lovely in a bright red dress not unlike the one she wore during their date many moons ago. In fact, with her hair down and glasses off, Oliver can't help but swallow hard as he recalls that night. Diggle comments on her appearance and as Felicity begins to talk in her animated way with her vigorous hand gestures, he sees it.
He blinks, then blinks again – it's still there.
A diamond ring resting on the fourth finger of her left hand.
A low roar overpowers his hearing, and Oliver is frozen. Felicity is still talking, a beautiful smile gracing her face, and Oliver can't help but feel a twinge of hurt that she hasn't noticed his silence. When she finally does turn his way and meet his eyes, Oliver manages an unsteady, "Congratulations."
Her grin is so wide it might split her face. "Thank you, Oliver." She looks down at her hand, and then murmurs, "I'm really happy."
Her smile is genuine, and that's what hurts him the most.
Diggle, who hadn't noticed the engagement ring, wraps Felicity in a warm hug as she recounts the proposal to him. Oliver turns away.
Somehow in the back of his mind, he'd imagined that someday in the future he would be able to be able to live as both Oliver Queen and the Arrow, as the billionaire and as the vigilante, and as… someone to Felicity. Despite everything, he believed that in the end he could still be with her – the brilliant girl who saves his life every night, whose nonsensical talk hides the most genius mind he's ever seen, whose compassion and love gradually pierced his armor and burrowed into his heart.
Oliver wishes Felicity hadn't been dressed to the nines so that he would pay extra attention to her clothes. He wishes he hadn't seen Ray Palmer's ring on her finger. He wishes… but it's too late.
They say that what you don't know can't hurt you, and for once he agrees.
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