Starting college was hard for everyone, Felicity knew that. She tried to tell herself that as often as she could, but it didn't matter.
She was already risking so much going in the first place. She didn't have the money for it, and would probably have to work way past retirement just to pay off her student loans, but getting an education was important to her.
And without any family to fall back on, she was completely on her own. She always had been, but going to college in a new city was different. At least back home she had a few friends, but they were all going to different colleges, as high school students often did. She was completely alone here. The only reason she was here and not there was thanks to the partial scholarship she got. It was one of many she applied for, but the only one she got.
She wasn't worried so much about the workload from school, but from the job she had to have to support herself. Without the hours she put in every week over the summer, she wouldn't be able to afford food. But to have classes on top of that, was what scared her.
There was of course the matter of making friends, but for Felicity that wasn't very high in the to-do list. It couldn't afford to be. Literally. It didn't make any money, but working all night did.
She worked as a waitress at a local diner near campus. A lot of their business came from college kids, so she would meet people that way. That was good enough for her.
After partially settling into her dorm she quickly dressed for work and left again. The diner was just starting to get customers when she got there, so she got right to work.
Most of the time the customers were pretty good. They weren't loud, they weren't demanding, occasionally they were incredibly rude, but Felicity was used to that. But on this particular night there was one guy that stood out more than the rest.
He sat at the bar, so he wasn't in her section, but she could see him out of the corner of her eye everywhere she went. He was insanely attractive, the type that knew exactly what he did to women, but didn't abuse it. He watched her just as much as she watched him. She tried to keep her eyes away but it was irresistible.
He left that night without saying a word, only offering her a smile as he walked out the door. She cursed under her breath gaining a wary glance from one of the nearby patrons.
He returned the next night, sitting at the bar again, seeming just as interested, but not willing to give up the game they were playing quite so easily.
It was Friday night so Felicity was swamped, not even having a second to talk to him, if she had wanted to anyway. She didn't though. No friends included attractive men.
He returned for several nights in a row, sitting in exactly the same place, driving her insane. Finally, a week after she saw him the first time he returned, and sat in her section.
She almost didn't know what to do. They were nothing to each other, yet somehow they were. He was the only customer that had ever stood out to her, and not just because he was there every day.
Turns out, she didn't have to say anything.
"Felicity right?" He smiled at her, leaning toward her in his seat.
"How did you know?" She asked. They had never spoken, only stolen glances and occasionally smiles. But nothing more. He seemed to have a pretty good relationship with Benny who worked at that bar most nights, but she didn't want to ask about him for fear of looking stupid. Besides, she didn't want to know anything about him. That's what she told herself.
"I asked about you." His smile grew. "Benny didn't know much, but he told me what he did."
"And what would that be?" She hoped she didn't have any other customers waiting for her.
"That your name is Felicity Smoak, you're a college student, and you work way too hard." She frowned. That's what Benny thought of her? "But see, I told him there has to be more to you than that, and I intend to find out." He continued. That should have made her smile. And maybe on someone else it would have. But she had her rules. And she was trying her hardest to follow them.
"Oh really? And what makes you think I'd be willing to share that kind of information with you?"
"Well I thought maybe you would say yes if I offered to buy you dinner."
Immediately her brain told her to say no. You don't want to get sucked into this, it said. Not with him. She didn't even know his name. She couldn't though. It would make it harder to say no.
"Actually, right now you're the one that is supposed to be getting dinner." She said instead. "Otherwise I'm going to have to go tend to my other tables." She tried to sound polite and not sarcastic, and she tended to be, but it was hard. She really did have other tables, and even though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she needed to keep her job, so she couldn't spend all night talking to him.
He quickly ordered a burger and fries, making her promise the conversation wasn't over. She didn't want it to be either. She knew was breaking one of her own rules, but she couldn't help it. Breaking the rules was what she did. She didn't want it to be, she promised, but she knew that even if she did come back, and they kept talking about it, she couldnt agree to a date, or whatever it is he was suggesting. Friends maybe. He would have to put up with her crazy work hours, but if he was serious, he would do it. And though she tried to tell herself she didn't want that, she did. More than anything, she wanted someone to talk to. And someone hot would definitely be more fun.