A/N: Thank you for waiting... real life got busy yesterday and prevented me from posting. Here is chapter two! For those familiar with the movie, we're still following that story fairly closely but there's a definite Olicity twist to everything that happens. Plus, we get our view look at Oliver's POV this chapter!
ooo
Felicity and Ray followed the bellhop as he lead the way from the cart to their own private bungalow, set over the water. Felicity felt like her head was on a swivel, trying to take in everything all at once. The ocean was so blue and the sand was a glorious tan… Then there were the trees and vegetation that framed the beach. And the dark brown of each bungalow, with their thatched roofs, was such a contrast.. She couldn't wait to get inside and see their home for the next week.
"Welcome to paradise, you two," the bellhop said as he unlocked the door. Ray hung back to tip the man but Felicity pushed forward, anxious to see the accommodations. The brochure hadn't shown much and her curiosity had roamed wild.
There was a living room that opened onto a spacious deck, right over the water, with a hot tub set into it. Yep, she was going to be soaking in that bad boy later on. Off the living room was the bedroom which was almost as big and also opened onto the deck which appeared to wrap around the entire back half of the bungalow. An enormous king-sized canopy bed dominated the space, gauzy mosquito netting hanging down and fluffy white linens beckoning. Felicity ran a hand along the bedspread, stifling a groan when she realized how soft it was.
And, true to the brochure, there was windows set into the floor that showed the water beneath their bungalow. Several colorful fish swam by, as though on cue. Felicity grinned.
The bathroom was a whole other marvel. There was a huge tub, almost as big and feature loaded as the hot tub out on the deck. There was also an enormous shower that was almost as big as her whole bathroom back in her apartment at home. Waterfall shower heads ensured that no one would be the cold one at the back of the shower and there was even a bench to sit on. Felicity glanced at that for a long moment, imagining what exactly someone might need a seat in a shower for.
She was getting ahead of herself. When she rejoined Ray in the living room, the bellhop was gone and he had their suitcases set off to the sit. He beamed at her.
"Well? What do you think?"
"I think this place is amazing," she declared. Then, she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug.
"I'm glad you like it," he murmured.
"Like it? I never want to leave!"
"How about we try out the hot tub? Or we can lay on the deck chairs. Or the beach, if you'd rather."
"Is there drink service at the beach?" Felicity asked with a grin.
"Of course there is."
"Then let's do the beach."
"Anything you wish," Ray agreed. "I want this to be the most unforgettable vacation of our lives."
Felicity gave a little squeal and clapped her hands together before turning to retrieve her suitcase. She knew just what suit she'd wear to the beach too. She'd gone on a bit of a shopping spree before they'd left town and couldn't wait to show off all the pretty things she'd bought to Ray.
She dug the sexy little bikini out and then shut herself in the bathroom to change, leaving Ray the room. He'd been a little quiet today, likely stressed about the traveling and tired as well. They'd been on the move since five in the morning. She felt tired too, but that's nothing a little sand and surf (and a stiff mai tai) wouldn't solve.
He seemed determined that she have the perfect time on this trip. No matter how many times she'd told him that just going on this vacation, getting out of Starling and spending the time with him was already enough to make it perfect, he still wouldn't let it go. She was starting to worry a little, remembering how she'd babbled on about couples breaking up in restaurants to him. What was the statistics on couples that broke up on vacation together?
She didn't think she wanted to know.
Felicity loved Ray, she knew she did. He was the first boyfriend she'd managed to maintain a relationship with since her college days. Everyone before him had grown resentful of her career drive. Or been a one night stand. She wasn't too proud of those. But Ray was a smart, driven, successful man with similar ambitions as her. Sure, sometimes she thought he overthought things and sometimes she needed a little space from him, but all things considered, they fit together well. Everyone around them thought so.
But they did spend most of their time working and Felicity worried that maybe whatever spark had brought them together, was fading. Maybe Ray sensed that too. Maybe that's what this trip was about, rekindling the spark. Finding the romance again. The adventure. She promised herself to give it her all. Ray was the best thing to come along in years and she wasn't going to let him just slip through her fingers.
She pushed the thoughts from her mind and focused on changing into her cute-as-hell bikini. For the duration of this week, her thoughts were going to stay focused on enjoying herself. It'd been far too long since she'd had a vacation.
ooo
Later that night, after several glorious sun-soaked hours on the sand, they both got cleaned up, dressed up and headed out for dinner. A day on the beach had been grand, and Felicity had spent her time cultivating the tan that had faded during the autumn and winter months.
They walked along the beat, the sand now cool with the sun behind the horizon. Felicity had her sandals in one hand so she could feel the sand between her toes as they walked. Tipping her head back, Ray's hand in hers, she could see so many stars… more than she'd ever seen before. The waves crashed, the breeze blew the scent of ocean and tropical flowers and music from the bar played in the distance.
"This place is just perfect," Felicity sighed.
"We still have about a half hour until our dinner reservation," Ray told her. "Want to stop at the bar for a cocktail first?"
"Sure, that sounds nice."
They continued down the beach towards the bar that was already filled with vacationers. Ray squeezed her hand and stopped several yards away from the bar, pulling her to stop next to him.
"I'm glad you're having such a great time."
"This trip was a fantastic idea. It's just what I needed to get away from the stress of work." Already, just part of one day here and she already felt loads better. Perhaps she had been working too hard lately.
"I admit, I maybe had an ulterior motive for bringing you here, besides just escaping work," Ray admitted.
"Oh really?" Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, allowing her smile to grow suggestive. "Is it all the kinky island sex you were hoping to have?"
Ray laughed at that. "Okay, maybe that too." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before moving away. "Do you know what today is?"
Felicity wracked her mind. "I have no idea. A Tuesday?"
"It's our anniversary."
Oh, god. She should have known that. Shouldn't she have known that? "We have an anniversary?" she asked, before wincing. That sounded callous.
Luckily, Ray just chuckled. "Yes, unofficially. It was three years ago today that we met."
"Really? Today?"
"Don't you remember? My assistant had called you up to work on my computer and you gave me a hard time about the configuration."
"Well, to be fair, you had a crappy file management system at the time. How you ever found anything you needed, I have no idea."
"I knew where to look."
"But I made it better."
Ray smiled and leaned down to peck at her lips again. "Yes, you did. I'm glad you did."
"So began a beautiful friendship," Felicity remarked.
"You look beautiful tonight."
Felicity flushed at the compliment. She was wearing a long, flowing linen dress that hugged her curves before the slitted hem flirted around her calves. The spaghetti straps left her arms bare to the warm evening breeze and her hair flowed in casual waves around her shoulders. It wasn't a fancy look, but she felt free.
"I was wondering, though, if you might wear something for me tonight."
Felicity's brow furrowed as she tried to think of anything she might have left off. "Sure, but what'd you have in mind?" The dress was perfect as it was, if she did say so herself, and she didn't need a wrap; the air was warm enough that evening. Sure, she could have put on some earrings but with her hair down, she felt she could get away with it as it was. Then… she looked down to see Ray holding up a glittering ring between them.
It must have been in his pocket. He… he was planning this! He was proposing! Felicity gasped, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she gaped at the large, oval cut stone.
"Ray…"
"Felicity, will you marry me?"
"Oh, holy cow," she breathed. Felicity couldn't take her eyes off the ring. How was it that she hadn't seen this coming? Was it too soon? They had known each other for three years, been dating for about two of those years. It was a logical next step and… in that moment the whole reason for this trip became crystal clear.
Ray had been planning to ask her to marry him since he first planned the trip. It was so… over the top and so romantic and just so… Ray. Felicity knew she was young, knew she had a lot on her plate, career-wise… but Ray had always been supportive of her ambitions. He was the one who promoted her to VP of R&D, after all. If she were to marry anyone, he was the sanest choice because he'd never question her commitment to her job.
Felicity smiled up at him and nodded. "Yes, I'll marry you!"
Grinning, Ray slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her again. As Felicity kissed him back, she tried not to notice the weight of the ring on her finger and instead focused on how right this decision felt. Ray was her future, she'd known that before this trip. This just made it real.
ooo
Oliver swayed the music of the live band who were playing some sort of soulful reggae music, intended to have the tourists dancing and flirting with one another. He was working on his fourth drink. Or was it fifth? He should have been paying closer attention. After a long day, this was his favorite way to unwind.
His mind drifted to Sara, to Shado, to McKenna… to any number of the other women who had graced his bed…
Okay, maybe his second favorite way to unwind.
Speaking of which… maybe a little female companionship would be just the thing tonight. Sara was busy with the tourists and they weren't an exclusive thing anyhow. Fuck buddies, that was the proper term for it. But she wasn't available to fuck so he'd have to go sniffing elsewhere…
A lot of the guests at the resort were couples but there were plenty of singles singles around, more women than men. Girls would sometimes come in a group together, share a bungalow. Over the years, Oliver had become quite adept at honing in on those, working them over with his charm, bringing them back to his place.
This could be why he had a bit of a reputation around Maketea.
Hitting up the clubs in Pape'ete was a lot more fun, and a lot bigger pond to swim in, but while he was on the island, the tourists could be fun to play with. That is, if he was careful that they didn't get too attached. Luckily, most women on vacation knew that flings were temporary and weren't interested in anything more. It was the perfect situation for a guy like him, who wanted to only keep things simple and uncomplicated.
He finished off his drink and as he was setting the empty glass on the bar top, he noticed a girl sitting a few stools down, admiring her fingernails. She was gorgeous; blonde and petite with delicious looking curves. Something about her struck him, and it felt like something important but the thought couldn't quite make it through his buzzed haze. Grinning, he made his way to her side.
"This place is pretty gorgeous, but it has nothing on you," Oliver told her as he leaned against the bar next to her, proud that he wasn't slurring his words too much.
She looked up at him (she had the most amazing grey blue eyes) and blinked, a little wrinkle forming between her brows.
"How long have you been on Maketea?" he asked.
The wrinkle disappeared. "You're kidding, I hope."
"I wouldn't kid such a pretty girl as you." Okay, maybe he slurred a little that time. Maybe he should have not had that last glass of rum.
"You brought me here," she said. "Today? You remember that, right?"
Oliver tried to think back to earlier today, when he'd been in Pape'ete. Had he met this girl there and brought her back here with him? Then… he pictured her in a short flirty sundress, sunglasses perched on her nose, wrinkling that same nose at his plane.
"Oh! Damn, a lot has happened since then…" Five rums had happened since then. Oliver tried to perch on the stool next to hers and fell off instead, just catching himself before he crashed to the floor.
"You okay?" the girl called, biting her lip.
He tried again, this time finding purchase on the stool. "Yep, I'm good. So good."
"I can see that." She smirked at him. Damn, she was cute.
He knew he was grinning at her but the rum made it to where he didn't care. "You're even more beautiful than you were earlier today," he told her.
The smile slipped off her face so fast he thought he might have imagined it. "So where is your, uh… co-pilot."
"Who?" He didn't have any co-pilot. It was just him up there, flying through the sky. Always just him. But then he thought back to earlier today… "Oh! You mean Sara?"
The girl nodded.
Oliver waved a hand. "She's busy with the tourists." He added an eye-roll for effect.
"You don't sound like a big fan of tourists," the girl said. What was her name? He wished he knew her name. "I recognize the tone; I grew up in Vegas."
"Oh, I think the tourists are great. I mean, without them, I couldn't be here, right? They put money in my pocket, food on my table, all that." He leaned forward a little and winked at her. "Plus some of them are fucking hot."
The girl's lips pursed together and she looked rather displeased with him. Oliver thought that was a little strange, girls usually melted when he gave them this kind of attention. Was he losing his touch?
"Yeah, you seem like a real charmer," the girl said, eyeing him but without interest. More like… disgust. That bugged him a little.
"I am, though," he insisted. "Either way, the tourists are good for a laugh."
"Oh, and you like to laugh, don't you?"
"Oh yes." Oliver straightened and swallowed a hiccup. "You see, I think it's funny that they all come here looking for magic. They expect to find romance when they can't find it at home."
The girl was watching him close, what he'd said seemed to affect her. "But maybe they will find it here. This is a pretty romantic place."
Oliver scoffed and held up a finger to the bartender, Eddie was his name, signaling for another drink. He looked back at the girl, who was biting her lip again. "It's an island, babe. If you don't bring it here, you won't find it here."
She studied him for another long moment, before looking down at her hands again. Eddie brought him another rum, setting it in front of him and Oliver didn't waste any time taking a healthy drink.
"You're quite the island philosopher. And a pilot. You should charge double," she murmured.
"Let me buy you a drink," he offered, ready to signal Eddie again.
Now, the girl's eyes snapped with annoyance. "I'm here with someone, remember? We flew in together."
Fuck, that's right. He remembered now. Tall guy with dark hair. Kinda smarmy looking. Seen one, seen 'em all. "Oh sure. I meant both of you."
The girl pursed her lips again, tilting her head to the side and disbelief radiated from her small form. "No, you didn't."
"You're a testy little thing, aren't you?" He bet she was a wildcat in bed.
Just then, the guy he'd just pictured in his mind appeared at the girl's other side. Oliver noticed a proprietary hand placed on her shoulder as the other man looked at him with a mild expression. He had a sudden urge to knock that hand off of her.
"Hey, is everything okay?" the guy asked the girl.
She nodded and glanced back at Oliver.
"Hi, there. Nice to see you again," Oliver greeted him.
The guy nodded. "Yeah, you too."
"Hey, let me buy guys a drink."
The girl was shaking her head while the guy perked up, looking hopeful. "Oh, that's—"
She cut him off. "Let's go."
"Oops, looks like we're leaving. We have reservations."
The girl was sliding off her stool and leading the guy away by the arm.
"Some other time then," Oliver called after them as the dancing crowd swallowed them.
He turned around to face the bar once more and picked up his drink, gulping at the contents. "Tourists," he muttered.
ooo
The next morning, after an invigorating morning yoga session with Sara, Felicity and Ray once again commandeered some lounge chairs on the beach. A well-built young waiter kept the drinks coming while the sun baked their bodies. They hadn't spoken much since they got to the beach; Ray was reading something on his tablet reader and Felicity's mind wandered.
She kept thinking back to last night. There was Ray's proposal which had taken her by such surprise that she still couldn't believe he'd done it. Or that she'd said yes. Glancing down at the ring which glinted in the sun, she bit her lip. Her mother would tell her to stop worrying. Or would she? Donna Smoak had met Ray a couple times, of course, on her visits to Starling to see Felicity. She gushed over Ray and went on and on about gorgeous he was. But the last time she'd seen her mother, she'd asked Felicity how she felt about Ray. Of course, Felicity had assured her mother that she loved him but now she wondered what had brought her mother to even ask that.
Felicity made a mental note to call her mother as soon as she could. Of course there wasn't much in the way of cell service on this island and she didn't feel like borrowing the hotel phone at the concierge desk just to call her mother. She'd wait until they were back in Pape'ete, waiting for their plane back to the States.
Then, Felicity's thoughts turned to their pilot from yesterday. She recalled his name was Oliver. She'd been so surprised when he'd started hitting on her at the bar last night that she hadn't known what to say. He hadn't even remembered her at first and when he did (or at least when he claimed he did), he kept hitting on her. Even though he knew she was here with someone. Of course, she knew with his body and his smile and those gorgeous eyes of his, he most likely could have any girl he wanted, whenever he wanted her. Relationship status be damned.
Insufferable.
Now she really hoped they didn't see him again until it was time to leave. Felicity couldn't bear another awkward exchange with the guy.
Next to her, Ray finally set his tablet down. He looked over and smiled at her. "Not bad for a Wednesday afternoon, right?'
"Sure beats a meeting," she agreed.
"Well done, ocean," he said to the waves, lapping at the beach just feet from their toes. "Well done, sky." Puffy white clouds dotted the vivid blue sky, like something out of a picture book.
"Well done, mai tais." Felicity held up her drink and toasted him before taking a long drink through the straw. It was hard to care about much when there was rum to drink, she was learning.
"Well done, silicone," Ray murmured. "Oh, my."
Felicity glanced over to see a woman walk by, wearing a tiny bikini that hid nothing from view.
Then she glared at Ray and smacked his arm.
"Ow. Hey."
"No more ogling the girls," she cautioned him.
Ray winked at her. "I'm spoken for, aren't I?"
"Damn right you are."
Chuckling, he settled back against his lounge chair. "I'm getting a little toasty here," he remarked.
Felicity grinned. "You want me to get the sunscreen?"
"You'd do that for me? You'd cream me up?"
She laughed at that. "Only for you." Felicity sat up and rummaged through the tote bag they'd brought down to the beach with them, looking for the sunscreen. She'd just found it when one of the staff appeared, clearing his throat.
"Excuse me, Miss Smoak? There's a phone call for you at the bar."
Felicity blinked in surprise. Who the heck would be calling her here? "I do?"
"Yes, if you'll just follow me. The man on the phone said it was urgent."
Oh god. She hoped it wasn't her mother. Felicity paled a little as she looked to Ray. He nodded at her. "Go ahead, take it. I'll be right here."
"Okay." Felicity got up and followed the guy back to the bar. The bartender handed her the phone and she lifted the receiver. "Hello? Miss Smoak, speaking."
"Felicity, this is Gerry. I'm so sorry to be calling you on your vacation but I knew you'd want me to call you about this."
Her assistant? "Gerry? What's going on?"
"It's the Merlyn Global merger. Just like you predicted, the bastard waited until you were out of town to agree to meet on this."
Felicity sat on one of the stools. "Merlyn agreed to meet? But that's great! Just schedule it for next Tuesday. I'll be back in the office and we can—"
"That's the thing though," Gerry interrupted. "He said it has to be tomorrow. Some excuse about having other business to take care of at the end of this week, start of next week. He was insistent about this being on his terms."
Ugh. Fucking asshole. "Yeah, that sounds like him alright. Okay, well can you call Curtis in to meet with them in my stead?"
"No can do, boss lady. Merlyn was quite specific about wanting you to be present at the call."
"Okay, then I can see if we can set up a Skype here at the hotel…" She trailed off as she met the bartender's eye. He was shaking his head at her. "Gerry, can you hold on a second?" Felicity put a hand over the mouthpiece and addressed the bartender. "What is it?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am. There's no internet service on the island."
Felicity boggled. "You mean at all? No email? No Facebook?"
He shook his head.
"No Google?"
He shook his head again.
What kind of place was this? No internet? Was this 1990? She removed her hand from the phone. "Gerry, there's no internet here."
"What? You mean at all?" Gerry sounded as incredulous as she was.
"Apparently not. I didn't think such a place existed."
"Me either." Gerry sounded impressed.
"Well…" Her mind raced as she tried to think of a solution. "There's internet back in Pape'ete. I guess… I can fly back there? Do a Skype session and then fly back here?"
"I think that'll work. Let me give his office a quick call to see if that'll work and get a time from him."
Felicity hung up and ran her hands through her hair. Ray was not going to like her having to interrupt their vacation. But it was just one day and it was for the good of his company. He couldn't be too upset, right? She glanced up at the bartender who was drying a glass and look at her with sympathy. "Can I get two mai tais?" she asked him.
He smiled. "Sure thing."
He'd just set the drinks in front of her when the phone rang again. The bartender answered and after a brief moment, passed the phone to her.
"What's the story, Gerry?"
There was a sigh on the other line. "He said the Skype was okay but he wants to do it at 8am tomorrow morning."
"What? That means I'd have to fly out of here today. Tonight!"
"I'm so sorry, Felicity."
She sighed. "Well, there's not much I can do about it. This merger is huge for us. I've been working on this for the last six months. I have to see it through."
"Ray will understand."
"He's going to have to."
Felicity hung up with Gerry and took a long drink from her mai tai before standing up, grabbing both drinks and heading back to Ray to break the news.
