No beta so every mistake is me. I don't own these characters or Arrow. Just love it. Enjoy it and tell me if you like it. Love you fandom. xxoo

I'll Be Alright Without You

Chapter 1

Loving, Touching, Squeezing

It's pouring rain outside and there isn't a cab in site, but he continued walking under the eaves of the city shops until he reached his destination. The small bar is where they used to frequent all the time and now it was just him meeting their friends there. He always came alone never daring to bring anyone with him though he wasn't sure why. They'd broken up almost a year now and everyone expected him to move on. No judgement would be made and he was sure they would welcome anyone he brought, but for him it would be betraying his heart.

He sat in his chair sipping his bottle of beer and laughing at something Diggle had said. Across the table he saw Tommy with his arm loosely resting on Laurels hip as she sat on his lap drinking from her beer. Tommy whispered something in her ear and she turned to him and smiled.

"So, Oliver. I'm wondering if you are interested in going on a blind date with a friend of mine." Laurel turned to Oliver and lifted her beer bottle to her lips.

Oliver turned his head to look away thinking of what to say next as he held his beer bottle with his fingertips slowly turning it clockwise. He bit his bottom lip and took a deep breath. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not really having much luck with dating right now." He turned to look at the beer bottle still turning in his hand.

Diggle leaned in his direction shaking his head. "You know Oliver, you can't close yourself off from women forever. It's been a year since-"

Oliver cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "Look, I know you all mean well, but since my breakup I've been in a loop of nightmare relationships. I had crazy Helena who had major daddy issues."

Diggle, Layla Tommy and Laurel all looked at him and made the same face nodding in agreement.

"Then Mckenna who dumped me for another police officer she worked with."

Each nodded again in agreement.

"And yes she is already engaged to him." Oliver continued. "Then there was crazy Carrie."

He watched the expression on each of their faces. It was a look of Yikes she was crazy and thank goodness the restraining order is still in place. No one made eye contact with him. They all seemed to look away at anything that distracted them from looking directly at him. Lyla bit her bottom lip and looked at her nails, Dig rubbed the back of his neck, Laurel looked up and puckered her lips slowly letting the air out and Tommy just looked at his beer bottle wide eyed and nodding in agreement.

Tommy put his beer bottle down and clasped his hands around Laurels waist. "Look, you had a bad experience."

"A bad experience?" Oliver gave him a true are you kidding me look.

"Ok a few bad experiences while dating. That doesn't mean you give up on trying. I mean there's thousands of women that are waiting to be with the Oliver Queen for pete's sake. Now really I will not let you leave these poor ladies hanging."

Oliver shook his head. "No and thank you." He took another swig of his beer. "Anyone want another round?"

Laurel looked at her watch. "I wish. I have to go. My mom is coming back to town and Sara and I are going dress shopping in the morning." Her and Tommy's wedding was quickly approaching. She stood up Tommy following suit. "Yeah we should get going." He grabs Laurels coat and helps her slip it on and grabs his from the back of his chair.

Lyla stands up. "I'm going to call the sitter and check on the baby." She hugged Tommy and Laurel goodbye and opened her cell phone and began walking towards the hall way where she would be able to hear better.

Oliver said his good byes to Tommy and Laurel as Lyla went to make her call. Dig brought Oliver another beer and straddled the chair resting his arms on the chair back and resting his chin on his folded arms. "So Oliver…Why don't you just ask? You know you really want to know." Diggle shake his head as he sees Oliver look down, clearly bothered by what he was hearing.

Oliver sighed as he took another sip. "Dig…..You know I can't. I just…I don't know."

Dig shook his head. "Look Oliver. I can't tell you what to do. You have to make your own decisions, but I am going to say this. She asks about you every time we see her and at some point you are going to have to come to reality and either move on or face it." Dig leaned back. "Despite what you think. She cares." He brings his beer bottle to his lips and finishes the bottle.

Oliver looks away sucking in his lips. He knows in his head that Dig is right and seeing her again is going to be inevitable. She will be at Tommy and Laurel's wedding and since he is the best man there will be no way he can avoid her. His heart is aching at the thought.

Lyla Returned to the table, puts her hands on Digs shoulders and leans down to kiss Dig on the cheek. Dig takes her hand and kisses the top. "How's the baby?."

"She's fast asleep, but we should get going. You have that security meeting for the concert tomorrow." Lyla rubbed digs shoulders gently.

Dig sighs. "Yeah. We better get going. It's going to be a long day." Dig stood up as Lyla slipped her jacket on and pulled his jacket on adjusting the collar. "Did you want a ride home?"

Oliver remains seated still contemplating what Dig was saying. "Nah. I'll take a cab or walk."

Lyla looked down at Oliver tilting her head she gave him a tight lipped smile. "Are you sure you're going to be ok? We really don't mind driving you back to your place." She rubbed his arm to comfort him and leans down to kiss his cheek.

Oliver smiled looked away and then back at them. "I'm fine really. I can walk or catch a cab." He shakes Digs hand. "I'll call you tomorrow." He smiles as he lifts his beer to take another sip.

After everyone left Oliver sat at the table in the corner of the bar. Then all the sudden that damn song came on. Anything but that song. As it played the memories started filling his brain. This is the song that was playing when he first saw her.

Karaoke night 2 years ago

"I love this song. I should have picked this song." She squealed to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn laughed as she sipped her drink. "Hey don't look now, but if hot pool guy stares at you any harder he's going to burn a hole in your shirt."

Felicity sips her drink wrinkling her brow. "Wait what? Who? Where?"

Caitlyn nods towards the pool table where Oliver is waiting for Tommy to finish his shot and yes very obviously staring at Felicity. "Hot pool guy, ten o'clock."

"Oh yeah." She observed him watching her. "Watch this." She swigs her drink and heads towards the DJ. She walks up to him and whispers something in his ear and then gets up on the small corner stage taking the mike in her hand back facing the bar. Oliver still watching her.

Caitlyn and Iris follow her half way to the stage. "Here she goes."

The DJ gets the song ready. "Alright everyone. I want you to all give a holler to miss Felicity Smoak.

The music started and she began to sing turning to look over her shoulder at the people in the bar. The show begins.

"You make me weap. I wanna die.

Just when you'd said we'd try.

Lovin touchin squeazin each other."

Felicity turns around and starts walking off the stage slowly heading towards the pool table stopping at each table still singing.

"When I'm alone all by myself.

You're out with someone else.'

Loving touchin squeezing each other."

She leans down and points to a random guys' chest as she continues the song. Caitlyn and Iris laugh as she approaches them.

"It won't be long, yes, til you're alone when your lover, oh he hasn't come home, Cause he's lovin' touchin he's squeezing another."

She starts to approach Oliver who is standing there holding his pool q with a smile as he watches her come closer. She walks towards him putting one foot in front of the other. She walks right in front of him and begins to circle him and continue singing stopping right in front of him and looking into his eyes.

He's tearin' me apart, Every every day. He's tearin you apart. Ohe girl what can I say? Cause he's lovin', touchin another, Now it's your turn girl to cry."

She puts the Microphone to his mouth and they sing together. "Na na na na na na na na na na na na na."

When the song is done the dj walks over to her and takes the mike. "Felicity Smoak everybody." He takes the microphone and walks back to the stage.

Felicity mouthed the words "Thank you." And turned to walk away.

Oliver looked at Tommy who shook his head smiling and gives him an approving nod. "That's it. You're going to just walk away after all that."

She turned around to face him. "Well, my friends are over there." She pointed to Caitlyn and Iris who looked at him and gave a wave.

Oliver took a few steps closer. "Well, my friends are over here." He gestured to Tommy, Eddie and Ronnie who looked up at her and gave her a hello nod. "So that settles it then. The best thing for both of us is to have our friends become friends. It'll make it a lot easier when we start dating if everyone gets along." Oliver waves the other ladies over to join his friends at the pool table.

The ladies walk over and introduce themselves to and start chatting as a group together. Felicity turns to Oliver and smiles. "Well, I guess you have this all figured out."

Oliver turns and looks at the Felicity's friends and his own friends who are now laughing together. He looks back at her proud of what he's accomplished. "It's always good to have a backup plan, Just in case a girl serenades you in a bar o karaoke night."

He puts the pool q back on the wall rack ad pulls a chair at a near by table out for her to sit down and he sits across from her ad leans back in his chair putting one hand in his pocket and the other on the table. "Felicity Smoak. Is that your stage name or your real name? "

She looks at him and smiles. "Felicity Smoak, that's me. Even says so on my diploma. Felicity Smoak. MIT class of 09'. Not that you needed to know that, but I case you were wondering. Not that you should be wondering if I graduated because that doesn't really matter since we're in a bar drinking and you don't need a college diploma to do that, but just in case you wondered not that you should wonder and I'm getting off topic, what was your name again?"

"I didn't tell you my name yet." He smiled.

She looked down and bit her lip. "Of course you didn't. What is your name? It would be good to know, unless you don't want to tell me because that would be weird, but that's up to you and here I go again babbling."

"Oliver Queen." He blurts out.

Felicity laughs. "Yeah and I'm the president of the United States." She continued to laugh not believing him until she sees he's not laughing and just standing there with his eyebrows raised still holding the pool q. "Oh my God. You're serious. You're Oliver Queen. The Oliver Queen rich boy gone bad from the tabloids. Oliver Queen who peed on a cop and has dated just about every woman in Starling city."

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck a little nervous about his reputation proceeding him. "Yeah….that was me. You know people change. I…I've changed. I mean that was me, before, but now well, things are different, I'm different."

"I bet you say that to all the girls. Do any of them really fall for that line? "Felicity leans forward giving him a closed mouth smile. "What makes you think I'm going to believe that line? You do have quite the reputation that proceeds you and don't you have a girlfriend? What's her name Liz or Lea something….."

"Laurel." Oliver blurted out. "Laurel Lance and she WAS my girlfriend, but we did break up."

Felicity shook her head and gave him a disbelieving look. "Yeah, right. I'm not that naive. I do have a masters degree in computer science. I'm not just some girl that believes everything that the poor rich kid dishes out."

Oliver leans forward. "I doubt very much that you are naïve by any means and you are definitely not just some girl. I didn't think you'd believe me, but I can prove it."

Felicity raised her eyebrow. "Prove it them Oliver Queen."

Oliver leans back in his chair. "See that guy with the dark hair over there." He gestures to where his friend is sitting holding a beautiful brunettes had and looking at her. He kisses her knuckle and she smiles back at him biting her lower lip. "That is my best friend Tommy Merlin and sitting there with him is my very ex- girlfriend Laurel. They've been dating for the last two months. Exactly two weeks after Laurel told me that she really couldn't be with me because she was completely in love with Tommy. Needless to say Tommy obviously shared the same feelings. Playing match maker was the easy part." Oliver turned, looked at them and smiled. "So what about you Felicity Smoak? Where is your boyfriend tonight?"

"You mean the big guy at the bar." She pointed to a large bald man that stood at the bar wearing a leather vest and jeans.

Oliver swallowed hard as he looked at the large biker type man standing at the bar.

Felicity laughed un-controllably as she watched Oliver size him up. "I'm kidding. I don't have a boyfriend."

Oliver laughed and leaned in. "In that case, Felicity Smoak, can I buy you a drink?"

They talked non stop until Iris came over and tapped her watch. "Felicity we have to go. I have a really early train to catch and I still have to pack."

"Yeah give me one sec." Felicity turned back to Oliver. "Well, I have to go." She stood up.

Oliver stood up to face her. "It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, I had a great time talking to you."

They stood I awkward silence not really sure how to say goodnight or wanting to for that matter. She bit her lower lip and rocked on her heals.

"So. Did you want to…" They blurted out at the same time. "I mean we could…." And again.

They both chuckled and then Felicity ran over the bar tender. A second later she came back and handed a small cocktail napkin to Oliver. "This is my number. If you ever feel like karaoke again or just want to talk call me, but I'm unlisted. Crazy ex stalker boyfriend from college. Long story, but anyways, I'll see you around."

Oliver took the napkin. "I will." He smiled and took her hand. "It was very nice meeting you Felicity Smoak."

She smiled and turned to join her friends as they left the bar.

Oliver turns around holding the napkin between his fingers. He holds it between his pointer finger and his middle finger and walks back to the table where Tommy and Laurel were sitting.

"Well, well. Somebody looks happy." Tommy smiled.

Oliver took a deep breath. "Where's Ronnie? We should get going."

Laurel had a pursed lip smile. "You're going to go call her when we leave aren't you?" She knew he was.

Ronnie returned to the table and plucked the napkin out of Oliver's hand. "Oh what's this?" He teased waiving it around.

Oliver stood up trying to snatch the napkin back from him. "Give it back Ronnie."

Ronnie held it over his head and tripped over the chair. The napkin flew across the floor Oliver trying to chase it watching it as it got stuck to the bottom of some random guys shoe. He pushed his way through the small crowd watching as the stranger left the bar stepped outside into the large puddle causing the napkin to fall apart in a million pieces.

Ronnie looked at him biting his lower lip. "I am so so sorry."

Oliver turned to Ronnie jaw clenched. "Tell me you got her friends phone number." Ronnie shrugged and held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry man."

Tommy walked over to Oliver and padded his back. "Come on Let's go home. We'll look for her tomorrow."

Oliver finished his bear, stood up and slid his jacket on. It was time to go home and clear his head. He sighed and walked out of the bar.