As they climbed their way upstairs, Felicity could only think about how easy it would be if she could just hack into the building system to make the elevators work, but Oliver didn't allow her to bring the kids - which referred to the tablets and wires and programs and computers. Her thighs were burning already and Oliver kept going up, step by step, with a constant speed, breathing as if he was sitting on his couch watching a movie. Times like these made her doubt if he was even human.
She stopped and sat down. He realized she had taken a break a few seconds later and went down a few steps to sit with her.
"How can you even do it?" She asked grasping for air.
"We have to work on your cardio," he said.
"You know I don't do cardio," she answered. "I'm the geek. You're the athletic one," she said justifying her indisposition. "We'd never work out in high school," she said more to herself than to him afterwards.
He heard her and smiled as he put his arm on her shoulders and she rested her head on his.
Thank god we're not in high school, he thought.
"What are we doing, anyway?" She asked still taking deep breaths.
"You really don't know what a surprise is, do you?"
She looked at him with puppy eyes.
"You know I've survived worse than this look you use on me," he said.
"Well, it works most of times, so..."
"Not this one," he said.
She loved when he joked about his time on the island. He used to be very serious about it and she couldn't blame him for it. She wanted to help, though. Maybe get him to talk about it in a way that would make him feel better, in a way that would make him feel like his burden is lighter and not like he is reliving everything again, like all the pain is coming back, which was the usual effect.
At first, he described the island a lot. How cold it was or how hot. How he used to hunt and climb trees. He talked about the weather, the landscape, the way he was always running or training with Yao Fei. After a while, he started talking about how Yao Fei, Slade and Shado made him feel like he had something to hold on to. And then Sarah came. But it was only after long months of trying a lot, that he finally started taking about when he really feared for his life, how he missed his home and family like nothing else, how any of the physical pain he was put under could ever be compared to the pain he felt for being there, alone, without knowing if he'd ever go back. Thinking that his mom, sister and friends thought that he was gone.
She saw tears in his eyes for the first time when he told her about how much he missed home and how much it hurt him to think of his family. It cut Felicity's heart to see him like that. She was truly seeing how horrible it had been.
As they sat on the stairways together, having his arm on her shoulder and her head resting on his, he thought, for the hundredth time, that that was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The woman that loved him without changing herself, that knew his problems till his core and never questioned if it was a good idea to be with a such a damaged man, a man who never spoke too much, whose silence she understood completely and was, little by little, vanishing - because of her.
She gave him new life, feelings he had never had before. It's true what they say about soul-mate. He never really believed in such things, but she changed his mind. She was someone completely different from him, someone who was always talking without putting any thought to it, while he was always silent thinking too much, holding back. She was always giving love, making jokes and he was always analyzing, thinking, remembering. He carried such a heavy burden while she had her body free. She helped him carry his baggage, she knew he wasn't strong enough and he never needed to tell her that. She could see through him. She knew when he had had a bad day, she knew how to get him to talk about it. He didn't like to talk about the Island, but It was different with her. She was it. She was his deal. And he wanted to make her his life.
He decided it was time to keep going. There were only five floors left to reach the roof. He stood up and gave her his hand.
"Already?" She asked as she grabbed it.
"I told you to wear sneakers."
"Well, you also told me I might want to wear a dress for the occasion. And seriously, Oliver, what could ever possibly be on that roof that requires a dress and sneakers?"
He grabbed her and carried her all the way upstairs. She tried to say no, but he insisted. As they reached the roof, and he put her down, he told her to close her eyes and opened the door.
"You can look now," he said.
As she opened her eyes, she saw the roof. It was decorated with fairy lights, several lines of wired tiny lights. There was a table in the center for two. It was covered with a white towel and there were big wine glasses. There was another table on the right. It had the food but she couldn't see what it was because it was all covered with silver lids. He offered her his arm and she took it.
"It's beautiful," she said with a whisper outing her thoughts.
He took a deep breath as his tension vanished with her eyes shining of joy at the sight of what he had planned so carefully to her. He owed Thea and Diggle a lot for that.
He pulled one of the chairs so she could sit down as she did. After that, he sat across from her and poured wine for them both.
"I love this one," she said taking the first sip remembering the beautiful day they had spent in Bordeaux when she tasted that wine for the first time.
He took a small remote control off his pocket and turned on the music, which was a slow jazz.
"What is this all about?" She asked because she couldn't contain herself. Many thoughts were crossing her mind and she wanted to give him time and not spoil anything that he had planned, but she was Felicity and the question was out before she realized it.
"Me taking my girl out to dinner," he answered and took a sip afterwards. He was smiling.
She smiled to his answer.
After they talked a little about their days enjoying their wine, Oliver served the food which was her favorite and they enjoyed their meal.
"Was it good?" He asked as they finished.
"It couldn't have been better" she said.
He stood up and walked towards her. As he offered her his hand, she smiled and took it. She thought he was going to dance with her, even though Oliver wasn't the kind who hits it on the dance floor, but he took her to the edge of the roof instead. They sat on the concrete barrier that limited the roof. She used to be afraid of heights, but after having to face it so many times and always having Oliver jumping around with her in many different situations, she was still afraid, but knew nothing would happen as long as he was there.
From that spot, they could see the entire city. It was one of the highest places.
"Six years ago, when I met you," Oliver started and she looked at him even though he was staring at the distance "I really didn't have any plans for my life except to do what my father told me about the list. It was really the only goal I had. I didn't have any perspective of a future. I didn't even want it anymore. It all seemed so weird when I thought about one day living in a house, having a regular life with a wife and kids. It sounded superfluous." He stopped and put his hand on hers still looking at the distance. "But then things started changing," he looked at her. "I thought no one would ever really want to know me. The person I became after the island. I myself was afraid of that person sometimes. People I met before the island didn't know how to be around me then. It was like they didn't know me and I felt like I didn't know them. And after those years I became quiet and I don't know when was the last time I said so many words at once," he laughed when he realized it.
"Neither do I" she said smiling at him.
"And," he recovered his breath "the thing is: you made me better. You made me realize that wanting a regular life and a house and kids isn't superfluous. That wanting all this isn't something that I can't have," he lowered his head smiling.
She squeezed his hand holding back some stupid tears that wanted to stream down her face.
"And I brought you here because I can't see my life as anything other than a picture with you in the center. I can't see myself in the future without the woman that is so bright and kind and beautiful and smoaking hot" they both laughed at the inside joke "and the love of my life. I can't see the rest of my life without you. And I want you to know that I mean it."
He put his hand in his pants' pocket and took a tiny black velvet box from there. Felicity had already given up on trying to hold back the tears so they were just streaming down her face.
"Felicity Smoak, I want you to know that I love you and that I want to spent the rest of my life with you. Would like to be my wife?"
He looked at her having the most sincere of the smiles, feeling a warm happiness cherish his heart. Felicity was trying to make the words get out of her mouth which was difficult - that was a first. Her body was all electricity and she felt a warmth reach her face.
"Yes" she managed to whisper her answer smiling eventually.
He held her hand and put the ring on her finger. She then kissed him and he kissed her back with passion and love. As they broke apart she looked into his eyes and said:
"I also can't see a future without you in it. And you have no idea how happy I am that we are here together now. I love you like I never loved anyone else. And I want the rest of my life to be yours."