Spoiler alert! Tag to the ending scene of 2x06 - "Keep Your Enemies Closer"
Oliver stared after Felicity as she left the office and walked to the bank of elevators. She didn't look back. He'd irrevocably changed things between them; he felt the shift, and now he was off balance, unsure of how to fix something he hadn't considered might be broken when he took Isabel Rochev to bed.
He'd had his reasons for sleeping with Isabel. One of his father's rules in business had been to keep his friends close and his enemies even closer. The former was why he'd moved Felicity to the executive floor. Isabel's scrutiny of his activities and her interest in what he was doing with Felicity would have led to nothing good, so he'd set out to charm her. And it had been easier than he thought it would be once he'd seen the signs of what she really wanted from him. After that it was just a matter of allowing it to happen.
Oliver knew that Isabel harbored no romantic illusions about him. It had been a much needed physical release for both of them, and it was likely she wouldn't be opposed to repeating the experience in the future. Sex didn't have to be complicated, and God knew that after the train wreck that was his relationship with Laurel, he needed something uncomplicated.
Felicity, though – she was a complication. She was loyal, fiercely protective, and he trusted her implicitly. She'd given up a lot for him. If Isabel was to be believed about the rumors regarding his relationship with Felicity, she'd given up a hell of a lot more than he'd even realized. But other than the day she found out about her promotion, she hadn't complained. She likely never would because she believed in him.
She believed in him and in what they were trying to do for Starling City. She'd offered her friendship and her caring to him long ago, and she'd done it unconditionally. Even when she didn't agree with him, she still supported him. She and Diggle were the only people he didn't have to hide from, and he hadn't really considered how important they were to him until he was back on the island.
Since his return from Lian Yu, he and Felicity had grown closer. There was something in her eyes when she looked at him now – something innocent and hopeful that hinted at more. Given how much time they spent together, he supposed it was inevitable. Her crush had both flattered and amused him in the beginning, especially when it sparked one of her rambles as she tried to slam the lid on the attraction she felt towards him.
Lately, though, he'd noticed a certain tension between them that went beyond what had been there before. He wasn't blind - she was smart and beautiful, and under different circumstances he probably wouldn't hesitate. But if the past year had taught him anything it was that he couldn't handle a real relationship. Oliver cared about her too much to risk hurting her.
Except that he'd already hurt her. He hadn't expected Felicity to find out about Isabel, and the look on her face when she realized what the other woman had been doing in his room was equal parts hurt, confused, and disappointed. It was the latter that cut the most.
Felicity was unusually quiet after they got back to Starling City. It was awkward, so they'd stuck to business discussions their first day back in the office. Oliver had hoped she would drop it but then she asked him why. He tried to be glib about it, adopting a dismissive manner he struggled to maintain. Then that hurt expression appeared on her face again, and he couldn't do it. In his attempt to explain, he ended up revealing more than he meant to.
Because the truth was that he felt something for Felicity – something that could grow if he opened up to her and gave his feelings free rein. She was a bright spot in most of his shittiest days, and he'd missed her while he was away. But right now he needed her friendship more.
Despite her own hurt feelings, she told him he deserved better than Isabel, and Oliver could see she really believed that. If he let himself fall for Felicity, he didn't doubt she would love him back with everything she had because she didn't put up walls and boundaries like he did. She wouldn't know that she needed to protect her heart. Letting them get off track was too big a risk because he'd probably wreck her in the end the same way he'd wrecked Sara and Laurel. He couldn't let that happen to her.
The rest of the work day was hellishly slow. They had a lunch meeting to attend, and Oliver noticed that Felicity picked at her food rather than eating it. She also avoided looking at him. After the meeting, she sped out of the conference room and was already at her desk by the time he made it back to his office.
Oliver walked over to her desk and said, "I told Digg to take the night off, and I'm going to do the same. You can head home early today if you want to."
"Okay." Felicity kept her eyes on her computer. "You have another meeting in about thirty minutes – Kayla Reynolds from Applied Sciences."
"I remember. Felicity, about earlier…"
"Please don't." She finally looked at him. "I think it's better if we agree that Isabel Rochev is just another tacenda."
He had no idea what that was, but he recognized a door being slammed shut when he saw one. Maybe he'd been wrong about her ability to protect her heart. "Tacenda?"
"Something better left unsaid," she replied shortly. "Like Sara, Laurel, the island – we'll just add this to the list of things we don't discuss and forget about it, okay?"
No, it wasn't okay at all. He could see that pretty clearly. But the hint of pleading in her eyes stopped him from pushing her. "Okay."
Oliver's concentration was shot for the rest of the afternoon and he struggled to keep his attention on business. When Kayla Reynolds left his office after their meeting, he spent more time watching Felicity than addressing the pile of paperwork on his desk. And not once did she look in his direction.
He'd closed a door, and she was now doing the same. He should be relieved, not wishing he could somehow reverse the last couple of days. But going back was never an option. They just had to find a new way forward now.
A/N: This basically wrote itself after watching that scene between Oliver and Felicity multiple times. Honestly, I was FLOORED that the Olicity ship was addressed so directly at the end of the last episode. Unless I'm crazy, Oliver basically admitted that he knew he could fall for Felicity if he allowed himself to go there. That whole scene was just beautiful angst, and TPTB have now legitimized this ship. It's totally out there – they had a 'When Harry Met Sally' moment, and it will change things between them. Everyone is talking about it now – TV Line mentioned it, and I'm sure it's going to pop up elsewhere and keep coming up. Because these characters have chemistry, and they make sense in a way that he and Laurel just don't. I can handle the angst if it pushes them into new territory, and I believe that's where we're headed now. Still hoping for a slow burn though because Oliver is still pretty wrecked himself – sleeping with Isabel proves that. He's not quite ready yet.
I'll get back to 'Blackout' and 'Recreational Dating for Dummies' this week. I just had to address this first. I'm on Tumblr now so feel free to leave comments, questions or prompts there. What were your thoughts about the episode?