Note: This takes place after they meet Barry but before Oliver get's injected by the miracle serum.
Oliver's pov:
Oliver walks into the office at around 8 o'clock in the evening after a long day of fighting the city's crimes. Feeling of exhaustion mixed with the adrenaline that was yet to wear off created a jittery feeling in his body making him feel slightly unstable.
"Where is Felicity?" he questioned Diggle as he walked into the office giving the empty desk adjacent to his a brief glance.
"Not sure," Diggle shrugged nonchalantly before adding, "somewhere with that Barry kid no doubt."
A cold feeling settled over him, of course she'd be with him. He had seen the way she had looked at him which had for some unknown bothered him. It wasn't that he didn't want her to be happy; it was the fact that he didn't trust Barry. Irritably he took his seat before commencing to sort out the paperwork Isabel had been bothering him about for the past three weeks. Picking up his pen he mused to himself. Sighing, he leaned back on his chair before turning to face Diggle who was watching a movie on his iPad.
"Do you think that we ought to keep an eye on whoever this Barry is?" he asked after a brief pause.
"Not particularly no," he responded before returning his attention to the screen.
"I just—" Oliver pauses for a moment considering the best approach. "I don't trust him, that's all," he finished off to which Diggle responded to with a chuckle.
"What?" he quizzed narrowing his eyes daringly.
Placing the iPad onto the glass desk, Diggle turned to face him with a hint of amusement playing on his lips. "It's been a very long night Oliver so I'm going to be blunt. Does Barry bother you because you think there's more to him than meets the eye, or is it really the fact that you can't stand to see Felicity interested in someone else."
"Don't be absurd Dig, when have you ever seen me acting like a jealous high school boy?"
"Never," Diggle agreed with a casual shrug. "But love can make you do crazy things," he concluded before picking up his iPad and resuming to watch the film leaving Oliver speechless and mildly agitated.
Later that night
Oliver watched as Felicity crashed in through the doors carrying a large book with one hand, and her woolly grey scarf on the other. Dumping what she was carrying onto her desk, she brushed a hand through her windswept hair a small smile playing on her lips.
"Someone looks like they've had a good night," he commented trying to sound as neutral despite the constricting feeling in his chest.
Glancing up at him her smile broadened, her cheeks turning crimson. "I did," was all she said shyly which was very uncharacteristic of her.
An unsettling feeling of envy and unease washed over him, a feeling which had previously been alien to him. Until now. Diggles words echoed at the back of his mind which he immediately dismissed out of his thoughts. Coughing he pushing himself up off from his chair walking around to the front of his desk where he perched himself onto it. The office was empty apart from the two of them; Diggle had bailed out and gone home early tonight leaving Oliver alone to sort out the last files left.
"What are you doing here so late?"
"I came to grab my laptop," she retorted picking up a pink case and holding it up into the air. "Aha!"
Noticing the sombre expression on his face she lowered the case her features contorting to a look of concern. "Is everything allright?"
Jolting out of his thoughts he pushes himself up off the edge of the table standing upright before giving her a small smile. "Everything is fine."
She took delicate steps towards him until she stood in front of him, cocking her head to the side she observed him with an unconvinced expression. "Are you sure?"
"I'm fine," he laughed placing a reassuring hand on her upper arm. Noticing the way her brow creased he knew she wouldn't let this issue go. "I'm serious Felicity, everything is okay. Go home," he added.
Grabbing the scarf out of her hand he wrapped it around her neck before absently tugging her towards him in doing so until their proximity became suffocating. Oliver stood without moving holding the ends of the scarf in both of his hands unsure of the next move make. He wasn't entirely sure what had gotten into him in the past few days, he hadn't felt this out of control since the awkward encounter during their training session. Felicity stood before him with her mouth slightly ajar looking as if he had caught her off guard. A horn sounds from outside the dark street causing them both to jump apart and glance awkwardly at the windows and out into the street.
"That's uh Barry—he said he'd take me home," she says hesitantly after a moment but it takes her half a beat than necessary to move away to grab her belongings. Oliver briefly considers to himself how and when things had gotten this tense with Felicity.
"You should be careful with this Barry," he calls out after her. She stops, turning to face him her brow furrowing together. "If he lied to you about something as simple as his identity he could easily lie about anything else," he adds silently criticising himself for sounding excruciatingly petty.
Felicity's face drops the glow of happiness that had radiated her when she first walked in dissipating causing Oliver to feel a mild surge of guilt.
"Do you know what Oliver," she says her voice controlled but firm. "If you have a problem, and by that I mean if you have a legitimate reasoning as to why you don't want me to go out with Barry then say so and say it now."
The frustration and annoyance was clear as day in the tone of her voice along with her tense stance but he sees the glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"There's no problem." He said after a brief pause. "I just want you to be careful."
"Right," she retorted her voice sounding small. "Well thanks for the tip. Night," and with that she disappeared out of the door and down the corridor.
Turning to face his desk, Oliver grabs a folder lying on his desk throwing it across the room in anger before closing his eyes tightly in exasperation and running his hands through his hair. He knew the exact words Felicity had been waiting for him to say, but the words wouldn't come. He had no idea what was happening to him, up until recently he had never thought of her as anything but platonic. His life with complicated as it was without the added problems of starting something potentially important with Felicity. Not to mention his feelings for Laurel. Sighing he dragged his hands across his face his mind wandering relentlessly. What almost happened with Felicity would never occur again. He couldn't afford to hurt and ergo lose her.
Author's note: First of all, thank you to everyone who followed this story and most of all thank you to those of you who left reviews. You motivate me to continue writing this fic so I hope this chapter does you justice. It's rare that I'll do a chapter from Oliver's point of view purely because this will predominately be things from Felicity's view - but I thought it was important to highlight Oliver's confusion which I think is happening on the show too. I had to rush this one a bit because of other commitments so I hope it isn't too crappy.
Anyhow, you know the drill - please leave me your reviews. Oliver's pov: yay or nay? Ideas of what you would like for me to explore that you think relate to the show too.
