The Cover Story
"Felicity can you come in here a moment?" Oliver called to her from his desk. It had only taken him two weeks. But he had thought of the perfect excuse that could be used. Now he only had to convince her. It was perfect really; it wasn't just because he wanted to be closer to her. If everyone thought that they were already dating then pretending to date wouldn't be a far stretch. Taking in a deep breath as she stepped through the doorway he smiled.
"Yes, Mr. Queen?" Felicity paused hesitantly.
"Close the door." He told her softly.
"Oh—I thought you were on the phone." She responded shutting the door behind her. "So?"
"Felicity, we need to start dating." Oliver announced as soon as she sat down on the edge of one of the chairs. Her mouth fell open with out her realizing it and she stared at him. "I mean, we need people to think that we have started dating." He hastily corrected his word choice.
"Why is that exactly? I mean I wouldn't be opposed to –" Felicity trailed off abruptly shutting her mouth when she caught herself rambling. What was it about this man that brought that tendency to the surface for her?
"We need a cover for how we spend our nights, and since everyone already believes that we are sleeping with each other. Well—" He trailed off as she started to shake her head no at him, "I just thought—"
"No." She told him holding up her hand and cutting him off. "I don't care what people are saying about—Us." She gestured between them, "I can not do that."
Standing up slowly from his chair he made his way around his desk and stopped in front of the chair she was perched on. Leaning against his desk he gave her his most charming smile. "Come on Felicity, it is the perfect idea. Everyone would believe it."
Smiling tightly at him she again shook her head, "What if I had someone that I wanted to date already?"
"Do you?" He questioned, his hands tightening slightly on the edge of his desk. He hadn't thought about the fact that she could date someone else if she wanted too. He hadn't thought that he could lose her to someone else. He hadn't even thought that she could already be seeing someone else.
"Well, no—but that isn't the point, the point is that if I wanted to do the dirty with someone else I wouldn't be able to without looking like I was cheating on you." Felicity babbled averting her eyes from his the moment she started talking about sex. But her words still brought unbidden images of her to his mind. It made him wish that he knew her under different circumstances. It made him want things he had no right to want. Not if he wanted to keep her safe. She wouldn't be safe with him.
"Why don't we cross that bridge when we come to it?" Oliver asked sensibly, or at least he thought he did.
"What about your business partner?" She asked, it was what she had started calling her after finding them together in his hotel room in Russia. "Don't you think she would have an issue with it?"
"Felicity," he began with a heavy sigh, "I told you before that it didn't mean anything. It happened because it didn't mean anything."
"I'm not jealous." Felicity blurted, making it known that she was in fact definitely jealous, which gave him a tiny thrill to know she was, at the same time as making him sad that he couldn't give her what she really wanted. He couldn't give himself what he really wanted.
"Of course not." Oliver smiled at her. "So is that a yes? Will you be my girlfriend?" He teased her.
Letting out a little sigh, she couldn't help but to smile back at him. "I guess we can give it a shot, but if I find someone that I want to do the dirty with—"
"I know, I know, you will have to break up with me, because cheating isn't your style." He grinned at her holding his hands up in surrender.
"Right, well, I've got work to do." She informed him as she stood up. She was so close that he could smell the playful citrus smell of her perfume and he had to consciously hold himself back from touching her.
"I'll pick you up at six." He promised as she reached the door. And the butterflies taking flight in his stomach made it feel a lot like a real date.
A/N - So this idea came to me after watching last nights episode and I just had to get it out. It could go farther, but is it something that anyone would want to read? Are they in character? It's the first time I'm writing for these two, so I may have to get my footing if I continue this story. As of right now it is only a one shot, so let me know what you all think.