Oliver: "Hey " (he gets up out of the booth to help her with her shopping bags)
Felicity : "hi oliver its been a couple days since we saw you"
Oliver : "Yeah sorry i couldn't make it last week but i had some unresolved issues to deal with and now I at least have clarity on an important aspect of my life"
Felicity: "I'm happy to hear that" (she smiles at him warmly)
Oliver: "So Diggle isn't here yet"
Felicity: "Oh about that ...He called me a couple of minutes ago , He can't come Lyla is having contractions again and it being so close to D-day he's not taking any chances. He said not to worry he'll text us if and when She goes into labour because obviously He wants his son godparents to be present when he's born."
They both looked at each other reminiscing the day Diggle surprised them by asking if they would be his unborn child godparents.
Ever since the events with Slade destroying the city and the foundry they had decided to meet up for lunch once a week at the BBB , as each were trying to figure out their next step and arrrow business was no longer taking up all their time as Oliver needed to figure out « Oliver Queen » public life !
Diggle had family on his mind and had reluctantly agreed to be a consultant for the suicide squad project until Lyla could resume her role due to a difficult pregnancy and she had been ordered by the doctor to stay off her feet.
Oliver : "You look beautiful by the way" yep he hadn't lost his touch as Felicity paused and blushed at same time then lowered her head as she tipped her glasses up her nose.
Felicity:«Thank you ! You look good too if the blue-collar look is what you're going after ? » She babbled on …
Oliver chuckled before saying: « Yeah that's the one , I can't lie to you …
(they both held their breath as memory of yet another moment lingered between them)
seriously though its not so bad working at the russian garage all I had to do is say please in russian »
at that Felicity laughed out loud « I missed you Oliver , I mean yeah we see each other still but I miss spending my days and nights with you »
Oliver: « its ok Felicity I missed you too, more than you've known but I've told you guys this isn't permanent , arrow is just on hiatus for a couple months »
Oliver's thoughts :
I want to spend more than that with her, I want to spend a lifetime .
I want us to get to know each other intimately besides the arrow stuff, no more secrets , no more holding back .
He closes his eyes for a second , He didn't think it was going to be this hard to tell her this , He opens his mouth to say all this when his inner voice says « Hold your horses Oliver play it cool don't dump all the heavy duty on her right away ok! We have a plan to ease her into it ». Its a simple enough task « ask her out on a date ».
Felicity thoughts :
What's up with him anyway? He seems on edge , like he has bad news to give me but its not his health because the biker mechanic look is tots hot and attractive ...
Aww crap when will I stop getting carried away this ship ain't going anywhere because this captain is too drunk to steer us in the right direction stop stop stop 1,2,3...
Both say at the same time « I wanted to ask you ... »
Felicity : Uh-oh there we go again doing that couple thingy even though us two are not a couple , nowhere near a couple not that I've thought about it ...much since the island...well a little but that's beside the point ...point being I didn't mean to imply we should be a couple or that I want us to be one ….
« Fe-li-ci-ty » Oliver says as his hand covers her hand not holding a coffee cup , without fail his touch calms her down and she stops talking and looks him straight in the eyes,« That's just it Felicity , I've thought of a dozen way to tell you this , its the reason I chickened out of last week meet-up with Diggle.
I was afraid you'd notice and I was sure Diggle would but mostly I wanted to be sure there was no going back for me , I wanted to be sure of my next step because you're the most important person in my life right up there with Thea and you better than anyone know how I botched up that relationship."
He was interrupted by the waitress bringing them apple cinammon pie pieces he had ordered beforehand , their regular quick bite when they didnt order burger menus , those were reserved for when the gang spent the night at the foundry.
Felicity took that moment to take a deep breath ,She was starting to palpitate slightly but couldn't figure out why , Oliver wasn't making any sense , all she understood was that there was indeed something He wanted to tell her and then it hit her , her brain being quicker had processed key words in his speech and couldn't remember when last she'd heard those words and seen Oliver's this serious.
chickened out (oliver was the bravest guy she knew) diggle would know and relationship
what was He trying to say ? …
it couldn't be she had given him a chance to admit they were more than just friends or partners and he smiled that non-committed smile He does to annoy her because its like He knows something She doesn't and as a hacker extraordinaire that was the most irksome thing, definetely not that.
Oliver took her other hand in his and pressed them tighter « Felicity do you remember asking me if you could trust me ? »
Felicity smiled fondly at the memory « Yes I do , of course you said I could after that crack about having that kind of face »
Oliver : « Ok then , I want you to give my question some thought but take into account that you can absolutely trust me with your heart » ,Oliver looked her in the eyes trying to convey his feelings for her this way first , his eyes shinning with hope as hers went wide at the implication of what he just said.
« felicity I want us to do this right , I kinda jumped the gun at the mansion unexpectedly and it sorta freaked me out as we were in the midst of fighting my personal enemy.
The thing is I would very much like for you to go on a date with me , a real date no arrow business or as friends or with Diggle ! Just a guy asking a girl to date him, be with him...love him. (he said that last bit with an unsure edge as he smiled expectantly)
Felicity had never been this speechless before , Oliver was asking HER out ?
OMG OMG OMG turmoil taking over her thoughts even though she tried to stay calm on the outside pulling her hands out of his she placed them on her lap, then her geek side kicked in when she realized he had paraphrased one of her favourite movies « notting hill » that made her smile , she looked up at him from under her lashes then cocked her head as she assessed what this gorgeous yet infuriating man was asking of her , a date nothing less , the moon would be easier but then she remembered they don't do easy , they don't do safe (ok she tries not to let him keep her too safe if the mission requires her physical participation gahhh even her thoughts ramble ) and she's rarely seen him this vulnerable.
« Okay» she said as her heart melted.
« Okay ? » Oliver said as his face came closer to hers across the table.
« Okay I will go on a date with you » She raised her hands and it was her turn to put her hands on his as She squeezed them
Relief washed over him, this had been easier than He thought it would be after the way He kept her at a distance for over a year once He felt they were getting too close.
He remembered how warmed He'd felt when She came looking for him along with Diggle on the island , how warmed He felt when She showed him the upgraded foundry and bow , He remembered thinking I'm home She feels like home but tried to pass it off as just being glad to be back with his most trusted friends.
His face lit up as He told her « Its a date then ! A date-date »
« Definitely under very non-platonic circumstances » she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Oliver chuckled as he said « I love you !... (they paused as they both frozed , those 3 words heavy with recent history) what I mean is I love the way your mind works,I love the way things come out of your mouth, not love love even though I do love you but I was planning on laying that one on you slowly.
First I wanted to show you I am that guy , not the one people see in romantic movie with happy ending but the guy who knows He has to earn the girl of his dream and I'm ready now."
Felicity: "well then Mr guy ,lets get out of here so you can give me a preview of how this is going to work" , she slided out of the booth held her free hand out , barely a second went by before he got out of his seat too and took her hand in his
Oliver : « Felicity I came here on my bike , are you ok with that ? » As He looked at the dress she was wearing.
Felicity : « Baby you have no idea how long I've fantasized about getting on that bike with you » as they left the diner out into a world where Oliver and Felicity were not an unthinkable idea a vilain wouldn't see coming
THE END