Home (is wherever I'm with you)
Chapter Three
He tried to ignore the "Welcome to Sherwood!" sign as he drove through the pasture. Nope. He was pretty sure he was not welcome.
He took in the view, actually appreciating all the green-ness for once. Though there were a few parks in Central City for him to enjoy, it was nothing compared to the beauty that Sherwood offered.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he reminded himself why he left. How suffocating the town had been, how his parents had been miserable and had lied to him and his sister practically their entire lives. Right.
Navigating his way through the town was easy, and he felt as if he had never really left. There was town hall, with Merlyn Goods right across from it. He scoffed when he saw Bowen's Groceries, remembering how much he had hated Carter for always boasting about their measly shop. Please.
The only thing that managed to surprise him was the new Tech Village, standing tall, right by the library. Huh. Seemed like the town finally believed in getting caught up with the rest of the world.
As he pulled up to his childhood home, he took in a large breath, steeling himself for the reunion with his family. As angry as he was with his mother, he did miss her comforting presence, and he hadn't spoken with her once since he left. Pausing before he knocked on the door, he wondered if his mother even knew he was coming. Before he could talk himself out of it, he rapped the door three times.
He didn't have to wait long before he heard footsteps, and before he was ready for it, the door was thrown open. It was his mother, but she had yet to even look at him. Her head was turned, calling out for Thea.
"Thea, your friends are here-" She turned to look at him with a smile, it quickly dropping from her face when she realized just whom it was standing at her doorstep.
"Oliver. My- my beautiful boy." He couldn't help it. Seeing his mother's unbelieving face, he stepped forward and swept her into a hug. Only a moment later, Thea came running into the room, throwing herself into the hug as well. They must have stood there for minutes, soaking in the feeling of being reunited. A light chuckle brought them out of their embrace, and Oliver turned to meet Walter's approving smile. He recognized him, as he used to work closely with his father.
"Oliver. Good to see you son." He extended a hand, which Oliver took with only a moment's hesitation.
"You too. I guess congratulations are in order." He said, finally finding a moment to drop the bag he had been carrying the entire time. The surprise on his mother's face had him genuinely smiling, nodding towards Thea.
"Speedy called me up, and I realized I didn't want to miss the moment."
"Oliver.." He held up his hand, stopping his mother. The exhaustion from his drive had finally hit him, and he just wanted to crawl into a bed.
"Mom, we will talk. But I just drove for about six hours and I really need a quick nap. Is my room still..?"
Quickly grabbing his hand, his mother eagerly nodded.
"I didn't have the heart to change anything. Everything is just how you've left it." Nodding, he grabbed his bag and made his way to his room. Too exhausted to take in all the posters still hung up, or the pictures lining his desk, he simply dropped his bag and slumped onto his bed, unconsciousness swiftly coming to him.
"No no, absolutely not. Those files need to be sent immediately to the offices in Starling, no excuses." Frustrated, he ended his call and slammed the phone on the kitchen table. He left it there for a moment before he picked it back up to check his emails once again.
"Ollie." Thea sat across from him at the table, glaring and crossing her arms. "You've been here two days, and all you've managed to do is work and make phone calls." Frustrated from his incompetent workers, his patience was already running low. He snapped.
"Shouldn't you be in school, Speedy?" He retorted, not even glancing up from his smartphone.
"You're home! After five years. Don't you, I dunno, wanna have some heartwarming reunions with, gee, some of your best friends?" The anger in her voice finally had him glancing up.
"I.. I don't know if that's the best idea for me. I don't really think they'll be heartwarming." She heard the sadness in his voice and he saw pity enter her gaze. "Besides, there's a big deal on the line and I've got a promotion coming up.."
It instantly became obvious that it was the wrong thing to say, as he saw a flash of anger cross her face.
"I don't even know why I called you home. Clearly, you're not the brother I remember. The one who would watch Barbie movies with me, and hold me when my latest crush decided to be a jerk?" She abruptly stood up, slamming her hands on the table.
"Thea! What in the world is going on?" His mother stood in the entryway of the kitchen, concern coloring her face. Without missing a beat, Thea went on, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.
"I remember having a loving brother. Someone who cared. But you? You don't care about your friends, and you barely care about us! All that matters to you is work and money. And how to be even more successful. Blah blah blah. Well I hope it all works out for you and I hope you're happy. But also? I hope you get out of town the moment this wedding is over. We don't need you."
The sudden beeping from his phone couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time. Already furious, Thea didn't hold back as she snatched it out of his un-expecting hands and threw it on the ground, smashing the screen. She ignored her mother's outraged gasp and didn't look back even as Moira repeatedly called her name.
"Mom, it's fine. Let her go." He reached down to pick up his broken phone, wincing at its' cracked screen. He let out a sigh, glancing up at her. "I'm sorry mom, I should have been spending more time with you and Thea."
"It's fine, dear. I'm just glad you're home." She patted his cheek lovingly, glancing at his destroyed phone. "I know you need your phone. If you stop by Tech Village, they should be able to help you out." Nodding, he grabbed his jacket and headed toward the main doors.
"I'll be back in a bit!" He called over his shoulders.
"Be safe sweetie!" He paused for a moment as déjà vu hit him, remembering the same exchange happening throughout his teenage years and the love the words carried. Shaking it off, he made it to his car and set off in search for someone to fix his phone.
The door set off a jingle as he stepped his way into the store, announcing his presence. Glancing around, he could see the store held a small variety of technological gadgets, unsurprising for the town. Making his way to the front counter, he saw a petite blonde, hair held high in a ponytail, concentrating on the tablet in her hands. He cleared his throat, trying to get her attention. She still didn't look up. Trying again, he stepped closer.
"Excuse me?"
Jumping out of her chair, she straightened up, placing the tablet down on the counter.
"I'm so sorry! I was just looking at this code, and sometimes I get really lost in my own world and I can't hear a thing. Seriously, sometimes I think I would code through a fire!" She let out a soft chuckle, and finally looked up, allowing him to see her face.
They both froze, and he was sure his heart skipped a beat. Sure, her hair was now blonde, and her signature glasses were missing, probably in exchange for more comfortable contacts, but there was no doubt.
"Felicity." He breathed out, slightly panicked. Five years had treated her well, she was more beautiful than ever before. It seemed she traded her brown curls for blonde ones, bringing out her eyes and complexion even more. Her bright fuchsia lipstick caught his attention, and he swallowed loudly, letting one of his favorite memories take over.
"Fe-li-ci-ty.." He moaned as she ground her hips against his. She gave him a devilish smile as she leaned up to silence him with a breath-taking kiss. They were at Carter Bowen's birthday bash, dancing in a hidden corner.
Many people thought small towns were tame, filled with goody-two-shoes, but they couldn't be more wrong. In small towns, there was nothing to do but party, and party they did.
After one too many drinks, he had seen Felicity dancing with Bowen, and all he could see was red. He didn't give a crap that it was Bowen's birthday; he needed to get his hands off of her. So of course, he cut in, asking Felicity for a dance. He had planned on keeping it purely platonic, it was Felicity after all, but then she had smiled at him and led him over to a secluded corner and he lost all control.
Things escalated quickly as they kissed, her mewls turning him on, and his sturdy hands lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around him. He pushed her against the wall, letting her feel just how badly he wanted her.
A loud crash broke them apart, both of them panting. He gently set her back down, and looked around for the source of the commotion, eventually seeing that it had been Tommy that had tripped and sent a table crashing. He mistakenly looked down at her, her smudged bright lipstick immediately distracting him again. But before he could make a move, she held up her hands.
"Maybe we should check up on Tommy?" Right. Tommy. He quickly agreed, and the rest of their evening was spent taking care of their hammered friend.
He and Felicity never spoke of that night again.
Shaking himself out his memory, he focused on his current problem. He was not prepared for this meeting. He often dreamt about how the reunion would play out, but he had never let himself believe that he would actually be standing in her presence again. He watched as her face went through a range of emotions, first shock, then disbelief, then anger, and then blankness. Right. This wouldn't go well.
"How can I help you, sir?" He clenched his jaw, recognizing that he had no right to feel hurt by the coldness in her voice. He knew, by her tone, it would be better for him to not argue. But still, his tongue got away from him.
"You're blonde." She only responded by arching her brow. "I mean, my phone.." He placed his shattered phone on the counter, choosing not to explain any further. He almost grinned when he saw her reaction.
"Awwh, what did you do to this poor baby? Throw it under a bus?! It's one of the newest models!" She gingerly picked it up, examining it from all sides.
"Actually, Thea got a hold of it." She was unable to hold her blank face as she let out a loud laugh.
"Why am I not surprised? She is not one you want to mess with." They made eye contact, and when she realized they were both smiling, she quickly shifted back into her professional mode. "So, I'm assuming you need a new phone? And you want me to transfer all your information and files?"
"That would be wonderful, thank you." She shrugged as she made her way to the mobile devices section.
"No need to thank me. Just doing my job." It hit him then, that he had run into genius Felicity, working retail. She was supposed to be working for NASA or Apple, living out her life-long dreams.
As she came back to the counter to start the transfer, he decided to bite the bullet. He needed to know.
"Felicity.. what are you doing here?" She tensed at his question, but kept her head down as she continued working, ignoring him completely. He might have changed over the years, but Oliver Queen was still definitely not a quitter.
"What happened to MIT? Getting out of town?" On second thought, he probably should have accepted her silence, as she now looked dangerously close to chucking his new phone at his head. Which, honestly, he might have deserved.
"Well, Oliver." He saw her clench her teeth as she continued working. At least she remembered his name. "Not all of us had the luxury of abandoning our friends, family, and responsibilities!" She paused; as she bent down to pick up the connector she had dropped, missing the look of despair that crossed his face.
"I went to MIT on a full ride. Loved it. I'd never been surrounded by so many people like me. But two years ago.." She paused to glance up at him. "Two years ago my dad passed away."
Oliver sucked in a breath. He wasn't there. He wasn't there to support and comfort his best friend. The one who had stood by his side his entire life. The knowledge was like a swift punch to his gut.
"I'm so sorry. Your dad, he was a good man." She nodded, still focusing on her equipment.
"Yeah, he was. It was a difficult time. But it hit my mom even harder, and when I returned to school, she sort of self destructed.. couldn't take care of herself. So I came back home, and I've been here ever since. She needs me." She said with a shrug. "Family is important, and I have the rest of my life to follow my dreams. I haven't given up yet." He could tell by the slight waiver in her voice how hard it was for her to share.
"I was in my third year and pretty ahead of schedule, so I was allowed to finish my credits online. So I have my degree from MIT at least." He couldn't help but stare at her, amazed. "Alright, and the new phone comes out to be $189."
He handed her his card, wishing for things to be normal between them again.
"Felicity, please." Apparently, he had pushed her last button.
"Please what, Oliver? What do you want from me? Am I supposed to just forgive you, and be happy for you and your great shiny new life? You promised you would never leave me, and then bam. You're gone. Did they not have phones in Central City? Was I that easy to leave behind?" She took a deep breath as her eyes began to water. He tried to remind himself why he had left in the first place.
"You don't understand. My family – "
"Don't get me started on family! Your dad had just died! I don't know what happened between you and your mom, or what made you feel like you needed to run away but they needed you. Tommy and I needed you." She finally broke down, letting the tears silently run down her face, and he wanted nothing more to wipe them away and pull her close.
"But I guess you needed a new life. One without us. So congrats, seems like you've got it. Now here's your damn phone." Practically throwing the phone at him, she wiped away her tears, turned, and left to enter the backroom, leaving Oliver standing a lone in an empty room with a shattering heart.
