The champagne oozed its way easily down her throat, it being her third glass.
"Careful there Smoak. A few more of those and you'll be dancing the Macarena straight to the cake."
Felicity swiveled in her seat to find Sara standing over her.
"Sara, you know I don't dance."
"Well your 22nd birthday party definitely begs to differ," Sara teased.
"Oh wh- no no no no. That's not fair! You got me hammered. ON PURPOSE."
"Ahhh goodtimes," Sara smiled in recollection.
Felicity smiled fondly at the memory. That night at Verdant was a highlight of her life. Tommy and Oliver had thrown her a surprise party. It wasn't much of her scene but she enjoyed letting loose, being free, and reckless. No consequences— god consequences were a bitch.
Felicity pulled out the chair beside her, signaling Sara to sit down. Sara sat down with a huff and margarita at hand. The two ladies directed their attention to the head table where Oliver and Laurel sat. Tommy was making his best man speech telling stories of the three of them, Oliver, Felicity, and Tommy in their glory diaper days all the way to his and Oliver's scandalous college years.
Too many memories started creeping their way into Felicity's thoughts prompting her to take another swig of her champagne.
"You know, I always thought it would have been the other way around."
Felicity snapped her head at Sara's direction.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Well, you know-" Felicity's eyebrows shot up as Sara tried to find the right words to say, "Ahh I don't know. I just thought that it would be Tommy and Laurel and you and Oliver."
"Sa- just no. How you could you say that on your sister's wedding," Felicity practically screeched.
"Calm down Smoak, I'm only kidding. Well, a little. Take it as a grain of salt… and A LOT of glasses of margaritas," Sara smiled jokingly.
Felicity tried to laugh at Sara's joke but it ached a little to much, pinched the heart a little too tight to even force a smile. She returned her attention back to the newly married couple. Felicity admits that they look good together, just adding onto the list of why it hurts so much more.
After a couple of speeches later and the cutting of the cake, the other guests alongside the bride and groom started hitting the dance floor. Sara was making her signature dance moves known to the whole world, Oliver and Laurel closely dancing together with the rest of the crowd, and Tommy hit some moves not known to sober Tommy.
"Alright everyone, time for the money dance," The emcee announced.
Little by little the male guests at the reception made their way to Laurel for a dance whilst pinning money on her dress. It was a debate the couple had. Certainly Oliver is well off and don't need the extra money, but to Laurel's suggestion they could take the money that they acquire and give it to charity. Working as a child custody attorney, Laurel often crossed paths of foster care children and knew that the system was corrupted in more ways than one. The charities that try to help ensure the physical and mental healthiness foster kids, Laurel could think of no better way to put to the money received to good use. After all, most of these people were billionaires.
"Go on. Go make your way over there Felicity," a familiar voice behind her whispered.
It could only be one person. Turning her head back there he was, her other best friend, Tommy.
"Actually I was about to head my way out," Felicity said clearing her voice as it dared wavered.
All the sulking and heartache was too much for Felicity. She wanted to be happy for Oliver and Laurel. She wanted to leave before her mood turned any more sour. She wanted to avoid the seeding bitterness in her heart.
"What? No! Already? C'mon Smoak! Let's live it up, for Oliver!"
Only Tommy could put a somewhat smile on her face. The ridiculousness of his limbs all over the place, thanks to alcohol, made her wonder how his speech hasn't been affected. Yet, anyways.
Numerous emotions passed through Felicity. In one moment she was sure she could fake her way through the night, the next moment she was glad that she still had Tommy to lean on, the moment after she felt like downing all the alcoholic beverages in the room. But there was only one feeling that stayed— the acidic burn in her stomach that dares to liquify her whole body until it was a pile of nothing. Which is what she felt as a being, nothing.
Tommy sensing Felicity's growing sadness, tried to put a hand on her should but instead landed on her forearm. Felicity snickered at his attempt.
"Hey, are you okay," Tommy asked, sincerity laced with alcohol.
"I should be asking you the same thing," Felicity wiggled her eyebrows.
The two had an intense stare down. A pairs of blue eyes on a pair of grey. It was the same charade. They knew all too much about hidden conversations, side glances, and most of all, hidden feelings. Sometimes unrequited love burned more excruciating than requited love.
"Ahhhh! Alright you got me Smoak. But c'mon, seriously! Let's live it up tonight to the point that we forget about it."
Tommy had a point. Surely she could have a few more drinks and a hell lot of a good time. It only took another two seconds to change her mind as it cranked out a disastrous scenario: alcohol corrupting her already missing brain to mouth filter. It was enough to finally get Felicity out of there.
"Nope. Uh.. I'm just going to go home. I need to take care of myself," a moment passed, "No! Not in that way. I mean actually take care of myself or treat myself. Like mint chocolate ice cream and stuff like that.. Oh god."
Felicity face palmed herself. The alcohol was definitely in her system ready to take center stage, seizing the mic. Well in her case, her mouth.
Tommy laughed at Felicity's rambling. He put his arm around her, more for the sake of himself than hers and dialed a cab.
"You're not stealing our friend are you now Tommy?"
At the sound of his voice, the two friends arm in arm tried to spin around without falling over.
"Nope. Nope! Not at all. Actually, Felicity why don't you dance with Oliver here," Tommy smirked, alcohol masking the would be apparent tone.
"But the cab—"
"Won't be here for another 10 minutes."
"So what do you say Felicity," Oliver held his hands out, "care to make a donation to the kids and have a dance with your bestfriend?"
Not that tone. Goddamned that tone. Before she knew it she was stumbling her way onto Oliver.
"Okay. Before I leave," she said in a tight smile.
Felicity tried her best to not step on Oliver's feet, mumbling sorry when she does. He just smiled. That was Felicity being Felicity. They swayed to the music, Oliver taking the lead. Despite all his rebuttals on dancing, he doesn't completely have two left feet.
When Felicity gave up trying to avoid massacring Oliver's foot with her heels, she found the courage to look up at his eyes. There she saw all the other possibilities. The dream-world possibilities. The fairytale possibilities. The seemingly impossible possibilities.
But all too soon he blinked and so did she, reality obliterating any chance of hope.
"Congratulations Oliver. I'm happy for you. I really am. Who would have thought out of us three you'd be the first one to get married?"
"Is that a backhanded compliment," Oliver asked, eyebrows wiggling in amusement.
"What? Huh? No. I mean," Felicity took a deep breath as Oliver chuckled, "what I mean is that—"
"I know what you mean Felicity. Me too. Who would have thought, huh?"
"I always believed in you, you know that. I always knew the good in your heart. And I knew you'd make the right choices from it, that some day you'd find someone you love and who would love you back for who you are."
"You always were the talker, weren't you?"
"Even if it got me in trouble."
Oliver and Felicity chuckled. They knew of too many instances when her rambling got her in trouble.
"You know Felicity, you're still my girl. My day one girl."
The acid in her stomach dropped even further liquefying her legs. It gave and she stumbled onto Oliver's chest.
"And that would be the alcohol! Oh god." Not really, but ain't it the medicine and scapegoat of everything?
She straightened herself upright and just as she did a waiter tapped her on her shoulders.
"Miss Smoak? Your cab is here."
"Well that's my cue," she said trying to fix her heels, "seriously Oliver. Congratulations. Best of luck and tell Laurel I'm sorry that I have to leave early." At that Oliver nodded.
Felicity hugged Oliver and scurried her way to the cab in a vapidness unknown to Oliver.
Feet stuck in place, he can't help but feel a book of his life. The heavy back cover falling onto the pages that were now his yesterday. The realization alone set an uneasy feeling in his stomach, daring to hook onto his heart as it tried to drag it down.
Seeing the blonde in the red dress making her way out the door and into the night sky he can't help but think that more often than not the force of this world can't turn a speck of dust into a galaxy of stars.