Hi Everyone... SO SORRY that this chapter is a little late, I hope that because I got carried away and wrote just under 8k of words that it makes up for it. Finally we have come to a little bit of the wedding plans. Let me know what you think :)
Please note that that dress Felicity wears to dinner is the one she wore in The Flash 1x04 might help you pictue it a little more...but in my story she never went to central city.
Oliver caught Felicity looking out of the penthouse window that measured from the floor to the ceiling. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, automatically feeling her hands rest on top of his like it was a natural response from her body. He placed his head on her shoulder, breathing in her scent and letting his body relax into hers.
"What is going through that amazing head of yours?" He felt a smile spread across her face at his question and he couldn't help but smile back.
"For once I wasn't really thinking of anything, just admiring. This view, this room…" She turned herself in his arms so she was now looking at him, placing her arms around his neck. "This moment. For a while it all felt like a dream, like it was too good to be true. Tomorrow the story will be out and we can go and live our lives. Sure we will have the odd paparazzi here and their but no more hiding." Oliver felt at peace to see the happiness shining through her eyes. If he knew how much keeping their relationship a secret was so draining on Felicity, he would have told the world sooner, just so he could see the joy in her now. But then again, they both knew the risks and she was just as happy to wait as he was.
"Well this is a dream Felicity…it's a dream come true. I never pictured myself falling in love and wanting to get married, not even the person I was before the island saw that as something I wanted from the future. Then after the island, well, we all know the type of person I was then. I've changed, for the better part and it's all thanks to you."
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The heat that automatically filled his body caused a sensation below that he was all too familiar with when he is around Felicity. Without any warning, he picked felicity up by placing his arm around the back of her legs, the other around her shoulder. The soft squeal of surprise that escaped Felicity's lips made him smile.
"Oliver aren't you meant to carry me like this AFTER we are married, not before?"
"Well practise makes perfect." She moved back in to continue their kiss as he walked over to the bed. The slight stubble on Oliver's face caused felicity's lips to turn a bright red, the friction adding to the sensation, their tongues both seeking dominance over the other. As Oliver laid her down on the soft king size bed, both their breathing was already hot and heavy. Oliver slowly unbuttoned his shirt as Felicity crawled a little higher up the mattress, feeling that little bit more aroused as each button revealed a little more of Oliver's amazing body. He got to the last button and left his shirt on still, laying himself on top of Felicity, using his arms to support himself. She placed her hand behind his head and pulled softy at his hair as she brought his head towards hers. The kiss was rough, but as he moved away from her lips and began to kiss her neck, finding her weak spot right below her neck and her collarbone, she knew she was now at his mercy. The slight moan that crept through her lips was enough to make Oliver explode there and then and with the added pressure from his pants still being on, that also wasn't helping.
Felicity pushed Oliver away, enough to grab the upper hand and roll him to the side so she could sit on his lap and straddle him. She looked down and smiled, being able to feel him through his pants, right between her legs, was a turn on Felicity always kept to herself. Oliver sat up, still keeping Felicity on his lap and slowly pulled down the zip on the back of her dress. At the same time Felicity took the opportunity to remove his shirt completely. She pulled her arms out of her dress and allowed it to sit around her waist. Pushing Oliver back down onto the bed, she lowered her head onto his chest, leaving a trail of small kisses as she worked her way lower. It didn't matter how many times Felicity did this; she seemed to always kiss every scar or mark left on Oliver's chest. He didn't realise it when they first starting sleeping together, just enjoyed the moment between them, but when it registered what parts of his body she was kissing, it brought comfort knowing that Felicity was trying to take back ever horrible memory and all the pain he went through that lead to those scars. He knew straight away that this wasn't just sex; it was wanting to be with that person 100% and knowing that at that moment, both of them were safe and wanting to bring comfort to the other. He sat back up, butting both his hands on either side of Felicity's face and softly kissed her lips. As he pulled away, he pushed her hair off her right should, seeing the small scar from the bullet she took for Sara and softly rubbed his thumb over it.
"Hey." Felicity softly spoke. "I'm okay. You know that." His smile was weak.
"I know. I just hate that you got hurt because of me."
She placed her arms around his neck, resting her forehead on his. "Now you know how I feel every time you came back and I have to patch you up. I always wonder if there was anything else I could have done to prevent it from happing. Some form of information that could have protected you and the others. And I am going to always worry for the rest of my life, but as long as you come back to me Oliver, then I will be happy."
He looked up at her. "I'll come back. I promise."
A sudden knock at their door brought them out of their little bubble. The slight grown that escaped Oliver's lips caused Felicity to realise it was not something he was expecting. Putting his shirt back on, but not bothering to button it back up, he left the bedroom and walked to the front door that was located in the living area. He opened the door to find a well-dressed man standing out the front with a badge stating that his name was Sam.
"Mr Queen." His smile widened as the door opened. He quickly took in Oliver's appearance. "I'm sorry Mr Queen have I interrupted you at a bad time?" Oliver went to answer when Felicity appeared beside him, fully dressed as though nothing had happened. He realised unfortunately that the moment was gone.
"No, not at all."
Sam's smile returned. "Excellent. I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Sam Anderson and I am the owner of this Hotel. On behalf of myself and the staff I would like to welcome you both and if there is anything else I can help you with to make your stay more at ease, please let me know." Oliver was used to this type of thing, people wanting to get recognition for someone in his position staying at their premises. It always caused a little publicity. But this was new for Felicity, so he was going to let her enjoy the moment and get used to the Queen lifestyle.
"Thank you Mr Anderson, we will let you know."
"Of course. And before I leave, I do believe I owe our priority guests congratulations."
Felicity laughed, it was her reaction whenever she felt a little embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. Oliver found it too cute for words.
"Yes, thank you kindly."
"We are both very excited" Oliver added.
"I am not sure if you have decided on a venue yet but our hotel offers a very luxurious ball room that would be perfect for a reception, it is on its own floor that can only be accessed by your guests. Anyone who may be staying at the hotel would not be able to join in your celebrations. If you like we can organise a tour for you?"
Oliver turned to Felicity and noticed the slight excitement in her eyes at the thought of finally getting to put all the theatricals aside and actually get involved in some wedding planning.
"We'd love to. If you could just give us fifteen minutes to freshen up that would be great. Thank you."
"Absolutely. I will get the room prepared and I will see you shortly."
Oliver closed the door and turned towards Felicity.
"Let's go plan our wedding."
They both changed into something a little more casual, Oliver in light blue denim jeans and a t-shirt while felicity went for a high waisted skirt and a top. As they were staying the night, they both came prepared with clothes for any kind of event, whether it is dinner out, a casual walk down the city or even an Arrow based night. Whatever they needed, they had it. It was fifteen minutes on the dot when another dock came from their hotel door.
"Ready?" Oliver asked her before he opened the door.
"More than ever. And we are only just looking, we don't have to say yes, I am sure there are 100 different places in the city we can have our wedding."
"That's true. But are you ready to step out as Felicity Smoak, fiancé to Oliver Queen?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
He gave her a quick kiss in private before the eyes of everyone staying and working at the hotel would be on them.
"Mr Queen, Miss Smoak. If you'd like to follow me I have arranged to have our ball room set up for your viewing."
Holding hands as they left the room, they followed Sam to the private elevator they had on their level. The Ballroom had its own floor only two levels below them. Oliver could scenes Felicity's excitement from the way her fingers were slightly twitching in his hand. The Elevator doors dinged and they opened to a beautifully open ballroom that made felicity feel like she had stepped into the world of Cinderella.
"Welcome to Hotel Patricia's Grand Ballroom."
Felicity couldn't help opening her mouth slightly in awe. This was a whole new side to her life and as excited as she was for it, she knew it was all too much. Felicity was used to the simple things in life. An apartment that was big enough for three people instead of a mansion that can hold hundreds. Buying her clothes from a shopping centre and not the high-end boutique labels. She was a girl from Vegas that lived on what they had and she was happy with that. However, she wouldn't complain if once in a while they had to attend an event that would be situated in a room like this one. If Oliver was able to get Queen Consolidated back, she was sure that a few charity events would be in order with the appearance of Mr and Mrs Queen. She kept looking around and allowed herself to hear Sam explain the features of the room.
"It can hold up to two hundred people seated and three hundred people for a cocktail event. As you can see the window in front of us offers floor to ceiling views of Starling City with a balcony for any guests that may wish for fresh air throughout the night. All of the other surrounding windows are closed off and can be draped close with the blinds. We have a second level balcony inside the room as well with a grand staircase for the bride and groom to make their entrance down. There is a private room on that level also for you to freshen up or have some time to yourselves before you come down and greet all your guests. Others have used this room not only has a reception area but also for their ceremony, using the staircase for the brides entrance towards the isle."
Felicity and Oliver had walked into the centre of the room and admired its beauty as Sam kept explaining what they could offer. Felicity let go of Oliver hand and walked over to the Balcony, looking onto the city and the amazing view it would offer at night. Sam noticed her admiration for the sights.
"We have a deal with the building over to the right there, they are an office building but they allow us to use their roof for a small fireworks display. It's a nice little touch you can have to end the night before you leave and the guests always find it as a pleasant surprise." Felicity didn't respond, so he continued trying to sell the space.
"As you can see the whole area can be used as a dance floor, the way you set it up is a preferable choice. The chandeliers are over 100 years old and give the room a warm feel to it as the night gets darker. We have a world known chief who is happy to cater to all your needs, any beverages of your choice can be selected for the night and the elevator doors can be locked off to anyone that doesn't have an access key to this floor. We would offer one to all your guests as they arrive, the bellboy would mark their names off a list for you before they even entered the elevator.
Oliver walked up to Felicity and placed his hand in hers. She turned towards him and saw how intrigued he was to know what she thought.
"Oliver this place is-" before she could finish he cut her off.
"There is one thing I want you to keep in mind. Don't think about the money."
"But Oliver, how can we even-?"
"Felicity, what did I just saw? I want you to have your dream wedding and if that means a grand ballroom or a party in a community hall, I don't mind. I have some money put aside in some off shore accounts, I wasn't able to touch them for the last eight months but I will be soon. So you don't need to worry."
"This place is beautiful, it really is and it would be a dream to get married here, it's just…I don't think it's my dream. I know it's got the name Queen written all over it but I always imagined getting married some place more magical and less grand. An area for our close family and friends to come along, not the whole city." Her response made him laugh.
"I'm sorry to interrupt. I didn't mean to ease drop but I believe I have the perfect thing for you Miss Smoak."
Sam didn't say anything further, he only motioned for them to follow him back towards the elevator where he swiped his card and pressed the bottom to the rooftop.
When the doors open, the sights took Felicity's breath away. She stepped forward and was brought into an intimate garden that would only hold around twenty people or so. In front of was a beautiful rotunda that had ivy wrapped around its posts and part of the roof. A two-metre glass edge was situated around the whole premises and even offered a marque type roof in case of rain. Hanging from the marque rooftop was large pot plants that had an arrangement of flowers and vines hanging down and fairy lights looping from one side to the other in between. Wine barrels were set up as a makeshift table and white antique garden chairs were put at the front of the rotunda for the guests to sit down during the ceremony. A small tear escaped the corner of Felicity's eye and landed on her smile. She knew straight away that this was it; this is what she imagined when she thought about her wedding. She didn't need something lavish for the whole word to see, she wanted it to be personal between their closest friends, the ones that have been in their lives since the beginning. She turned around to face Oliver and saw him shaking hands with Sam.
"Its booked in." he said as if it was as simple as that.
"But we didn't even talk about it."
"Felicity this is us, this is exactly what you described downstairs and to be honest its how I pictured our wedding to be also. Besides I can see it in your eyes that there is no other place you would rather get married. Am I right?"
Nodding her head quick enough to make her light headed, she could not agree more with what Oliver said. She felt it from the moment she walked out of that elevator that this was it. He walked towards her and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"There is only one condition I'm afraid."
They both turned towards Sam, almost forgetting he was there as they both enjoyed this moment together.
"Due to OH&S and our building permit states that this space can only be using during summer and spring which means we have to close it down in five weeks and are not allowed to offer it to any guests." Sam noticed Oliver was about to speak. "Yes Mr Queen I am aware of who you are but not even the Mayor himself can bypass these conditions, we could lose our license so I apologies if this changes yours decision."
Oliver and Felicity looked at one another, without a single word Oliver made the decision for them.
"No problems. Five weeks is plenty of time."
"Oliver are you serious? Do you know how much planning goes into a wedding?"
"No, but I'm sure Thea would be happy to help and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if she has planned it all and picked everything out already."
He gave her that smile that made her weak at the knees. Who was she kidding; it was hard to say no to the face. They could do this. With a small guest list and every business wanting to be a part of Oliver Queens wedding, they were sure five weeks would be enough time. Felicity took a breath.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, five weeks to plan a wedding, doesn't matter what we said in that interview, the pregnant rumours are going to be everywhere know. They'll be thinking that we are trying to cover it up before I show or something."
All he could do was laugh.
They had paperwork that needed signing and a date and time to be decided. They both wanted to go for a sunset wedding so they could get full use of the fairy tale lights that sat around the marquee and the vines. "If you like, I can offer a menu tasting this evening for you so you can get all the reception details sorted."
"That would be wonderful, thank you." Felicity was feeling overwhelmed at how everything had seemed to be falling into place. For months leading up to her relationship with Oliver, it felt like the universe was trying to keep them apart, putting obstacles in their way, which prevented them from committing to that next step. Felicity was ready to give up, she believed that even though she loved Oliver with all her heart, love shouldn't be that difficult, it shouldn't be pushing you aside and bringing you down, but before she had lost all hope, something had changed and everything suddenly fell into place. They were laughing, together, and happy. Oliver opened up to her and took that next step, the one he swore he could never take for her safety and now, sitting in the office of this five star hotel, deciding on food and drinks and a guest list for their wedding just seemed a little to much like a fairy tale come true.
"Wonderful. Well I believe until then there is nothing else we need. I assume you are doing an open bar of beer, wine, champagne and standard spirits?"
"Yes thank you." Oliver wanted to offer the best for felicity as well as their guests, and it seemed as though he was doing so without even looking at the price tag.
Oliver and Felicity went back up to their room to discuss some other details further, five weeks was going to fly by fast and in between her job at QC and Arrow business, they needed to use all the spare time they could get. As soon as the door closed behind them, Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity's waist and began to slowly kiss the inside of her neck. "I can't wait to finally call you Mrs Oliver Queen." He whispered, sending shivers down Felicity's spine as his words dripped with passion.
She turned in his arms to look him in the eyes. "It will be here before we know it, but in the process I don't want to spend money we don't have Oliver."
He gave her that look, the one that says she doesn't need to worry, that says he has it all under control. He moved his hands to her arms and slowly rubbed them up and down to calm her nervous that were obviously their.
"Felicity I told you, I want it to be perfect and we don't need to worry about money."
"Okay well first I'm surprised I didn't even know you had an off shore account considering I know everything about you, well almost everything, I still don't know about all your time away, but I'm not pushing, you don't have to tell me that but you know, you can, when you're ready. But secondly, whatever money you do have, we don't have to spend it all on our wedding, we'll need money for the future too, I mean, I have money saved, I do, but not a lot and things like a house and a family, these things cost. Having kids costs money and I don't know if I will always be at QC earning the money I am and you may always be the Arrow and that's a great job but it doesn't pay much so we just can't waste it all now you know."
Oliver didn't move, his eyes suddenly widened at what Felicity said, but then she noticed that soft smile that spread across his face.
"What is it?" She asked, not sure which part of her babble caused this reaction from Oliver.
"You said – I mean, do you think about, having kids?"
Felicity realised what came out of her mouth was something only she had been thinking about and not so much something she wanted to share with Oliver any time soon. Their life is complicated and she didn't want to make it any more complicated than it needed to be.
"Um, no, well, I mean, yes, but not anytime soon, just more, IF we wanted to, or did, it's just, you know, something I thought we should think ahead about, in case."
Oliver didn't say anything; he just kept smiling at her.
"I know you're smiling but you're not freaking out right now are you. Like you said you never pictured yourself getting married and yet here we are and now I bring up kids and I don't want you to suddenly go into a panic because it was all hypothetical."
He laughed. "Hypothetically, if we had kids, I would not freak out AND we would still be okay for money. When mum pasted away, she ah, she had a life insurance policy that left Thea and I enough for a good fifteen years at least, we just couldn't access it until all the legal side of things had been sorted. So in a way, I guess this wedding and anything else in the future we may spend the money on, we can thank my mum for it all." Felicity advanced towards Oliver and wrapped her arms around his neck and he buried his head into her shoulder.
"Oliver I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I wish she could be here at our wedding, I do. Even if she did kind of hate me, but I'm sure that would have changed." Felicity's truth, as harsh it may have sounded still caused Oliver to chuckle. He remembered how difficult it was for his mother to let others into her family but she knew that everything Felicity ever did was in the best interest for him and that is all his mother would have cared about.
"Well, can you at least calm down about the expenses now and maybe we can put a list together so we know how many we should be expecting." She leant in and kissed him softly, placing one hand behind his neck. As she pulled away, she still kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds just to take the moment all in. "I think I can do that."
"Okay I think that's everyone"
"Read the list one more time just to make sure."
"Diggle, Lyla, baby Sara, Thea, Roy, Laurel, which I hope she won't think it weird seeing how you guys used to date and all. Um, Walter, Quentin, Sin, Barry, Caitlin, Cisco and my mother…"
It was a small list, but it's all they wanted. The people that have been with them through thick and thin, who know all their secrets, well, almost everyone did. But most of all it was the people they cared about, everyone who was invited was their because they were family, not because they were associated with the Queen family.
"Sounds perfect. If you want I can give the list to Thea and she can put the invitations together."
"Actually that would be great, that way I can get started on looking for a dress and a dress for my bridesmaid…who I have no idea who that will be. See, being the Arrows IT expert has left me with no social life."
"Felicity, did you even have a social life before you joined the team." It was a crude comment but he was still smiling.
"Hey, catching up on my favourite TV shows while eating ice cream was a social life that worked well with my schedule. Going out and partying with girlfriends which didn't exist, wasn't something that worked with my hours at work."
"Right…"
She picked up the pen and threw it at him. Her attempt to hurt him only made Oliver laugh further.
"Well it doesn't help that I have surrounded myself with new friends who happen to be all men, I mean, I would have asked…never mind, I'll find someone."
Oliver knew she meant Sara. Although at first Felicity felt a little left out when Sara first arrived, they learnt to accept each other's talents and appreciated the help either of them could offer the team. Oliver will never forget how much it hurt them all the day Sara died and how all he thought about was holding Felicity safe in his arms.
It was suddenly time for their food testing, it seemed from the time they got back to their room and worked out a few other details for the wedding that they had no time left for themselves as they needed to get ready for dinner. Felicity was glad she had packed a few evening dresses and she had decided to go for the black shoulderless cocktail dress with open cuts into her waist and straps across her back. She was saving it for a special occasion and this was it.
She walked out of the bathroom; hair down in loose curls and black heals to match. She decided to put contacts in for the evening and left her glasses on the bedside table. Oliver turned around and saw her for the first time and he felt the air escape his lungs at how beautiful she looked. He stood near the window and watched as she walked over towards him, raising her right hand to her face so she could push some of her hair behind her ear.
"Words can not describe how beautiful you look Felicity."
"Well sometimes actions speak louder than words." She couldn't help but flirt, something about this dress made her feel sexy and lustful. She was hoping it would strike up the spark that they had this morning before Sam interrupted them.
He took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips, which he kissed tenderly.
Sam collected them from their room and took them up to the rooftop once again where they were now greeted with a personal waiter standing by their table holding a bottle of Moet Champaign. All the wine barrels and outdoor seating were moved to the side to make room for the table which had candles light in the centre and a single red rose in a vase. A string quartet was playing in the rotunda and Felicity looked at Oliver as though to question if it was his idea.
"I'm sorry but I can not take credit for them."
Oliver pulled out Felicity's chair for her to take a seat, as he pushed her in; he leaned down to kiss her on her cheek. He then sat himself down and the waiter was then quickly coming over to place napkins on their laps and Champaign in the glasses. A man who looked to be the chef for this evening walked over to them and began to discuss the menu.
"Good evening Mr Queen, Ms Smoak. Tonight I have prepared a selection of entrees, mains and desert for you to try; you will be able to select an option of two for you wedding which we will serve to your guests. First may I ask do we have any allergies?"
Before Felicity could speak, Oliver was already answering his questions.
"Yes my fiancé is allergic to peanuts."
It's the little things that count she thought to herself as the chef took note and continued with the night's menu.
"So for entrée there is the Ciabatta bruschetta with mushrooms, parmesan, rocket, and balsamic syrup. A slow cooked pork bell with green beans, papaya, chilli, lime and palm sugar dressing. Fried halloumi with a beetroot, parsley and almond 'tabouleh accompanied with skordalia dressing and flatbread crisp. Lastly we have some prawns with smoaked chorizo and romesco dressing which is made from garlic, capsicum & almonds with a toast almond salad.
"And we can only choose two of those options for the wedding, they all sound amazing."
"I will go finish preparing the entrees and will be back with your meals shortly."
Oliver picked up his glass of Champaign and raised it in the air, Felicity followed suit.
"To our next chapter together" Oliver toasted
"To our next chapter" Felicity repeated the words as their glasses clinked together.
They both took a sip of the champagne and Felicity was surprised at how exquisite it tasted. Felicity always valued the taste of wine over anything else, only ever having champagne for a toast at parties or special events and then goes back to her wine, but the flavour in her mouth was wonderful.
Felicity looked across to Oliver and noticed his eyes darting from his hands to her and back again.
"What's wrong? You seem nervous."
Oliver let out a half laugh at her words.
"Not nervous so much as contemplating." She didn't push him. Felicity knew that sometimes waiting was the best way to show that she wanted to hear more without it coming across as needy.
"Felicity there is something I need, well, something I've wanted to tell you for a while now. I guess I just didn't know the right way to put this into words. As you know when I was away, I wasn't always on the island."
She nodded her head softly. "I remember, you said you spent some time in Hong Kong while Amanda Waller used you to gain some information on the Triad."
He shouldn't be surprised at how well her memory is, but deep down it warmed his heart to know that she took such an interested in what he tells her without coming across as judgemental for the things that happened or the things that he had done.
"Right. Well, while I was there, Amanda drugged me one night and when I woke up I was back in Starling City. She used me to break into Queen Consolidated as one of the men who were working at the time for my father's company was trying to make a deal with the Triad."
Her eyes widened only the slightest as she realised how hard it would have been for Oliver to be so close to home and yet unable to stay and let his family know he was alive and well.
"It was hard, I mean I saw Thea and Tommy and I was so close to coming back, yet at the same time I wasn't because I knew everyone would be in danger if I had let them know I was alive. But what I wanted to tell you was when I was at QC, retrieving the information…I…well I saw you."
Felicity brought her hand up to her chest. "How? I mean – you saw me and yet I never saw you"
Oliver gave her a nod. "You came into my father's office to drop something off and –"
Felicity caught the smile that appeared on Oliver's face. "You looked at a photo of me and my father and you called me cute." Felicity couldn't help the deep red that suddenly appeared on her cheeks. The memory had come back to her now and she remembered how she was babbling about needing to stop talking to herself.
"The point is, seeing you awakened something inside me that I forgot was possible. For three years I had been around death and anger and people controlling me and I just, I forgot what it was like to be around someone who could make me smile and laugh and remind me that there is a light at the end of the road."
At this point she was resting her head on her palm as she was slightly biting on her pinky nail.
"You helped me remember why I needed to keep fighting and stay strong. I had no idea who you were or what your name was but when I returned and Walter directed me to the best IT consultant in QC to help fix my laptop, when I saw it was you I just…smiled. For the first time since I returned. I honestly thought I was never going to see this cute blonde with the glasses who had her hair in a ponytail, babbling ever again…but I did and now here we are."
Before Felicity could even respond the chef came out with two other waiters who were caring the food with them. It was placed in front of them on the table, all in small sampling sizes so they could share each dish and not get too full before the mains and dessert were served.
"Please enjoy. If you have any questions about the dish I am happy to answer them for you. Mains will be served shortly. Tonight we have Roast boneless chicken stuffed with mushrooms and sage, goat's cheese fondant, broccolini and mushroom jus. A Szechuan duck breast, egg noodles, vegetable gyoza, spinach, shiitake and beanshoot salad with burnt orange jus. Eye fillet of beef, roast kipflers, shallot, garlic and mushroom compote with grilled tomato. And lastly Sumac spiced lamb rump, saffron mash, roast pumpkin, chermoula dressing made from lemon, tomato, cumin, garlic and coriander."
Everyone left, the waiter that was serving them drinks came over and poured a white wine that must have been selected to go along nicely with their entrees and then slipped back away into the shadows as if it was just them two up on the rooftop again.
"Oliver I –"
"It's okay, you don't need to say anything, I just wanted to tell you so that you knew how much you have helped me. Those five years away changed me into a person I didn't like and spending time with you throughout this crusade has been the best thing for me."
A tear escaped from the corner of her left eye and she tried to wipe it away without Oliver noticing.
"I know you don't like to talk about your time away and I'll never push for details because I know that when you do decide to speak about it, you only tell me about the parts that matter. The parts the made a difference not only on you, or us, but what made you the man you are today. The one that knows what's best to help this city and the people in it and if that's all I'll ever know, then that's enough for me Oliver."
She could read it on his face that he appreciated her words and was thankful for what she said. He took her left hand in his and laced their fingers together, using his thumb to rub soothing circles into her palm.
"Well, I suppose we should try some of this food before it gets cold."
"Take note, we have some big mouths to feed and lack of food is something they will happily complain about…especially Roy."
The food was divine, they could not pick fault in any of the meals that were served. The mains came out only shortly after the last crumb was left on their plates and Felicity's mouth was watering from the smells she was getting from each dish.
"Here are your main meals that you can choose from. We have selected a wonderful red wine to compliment the dishes. Have you decided on which entrees you would like to go ahead with?"
Oliver looked to Felicity, wanting her to have the final say for the wedding.
"How about we pick a meal each?" She suggested, not wanting to be in charge of such a huge responsibility. Besides, she enjoyed getting Oliver's input in the plans.
"Okay, well I would like the pork belly." He saw the nod of approval come from Felicity.
"I would like the bruschetta please."
"Excellent choices. Enjoy your main meals. Dessert will shortly follow, your options being Raspberry and chocolate tart with raspberry sorbet and coulis. A Chocolate and mascarpone ripple cheesecake with hazelnut crisp and praline sauce. Sticky date "croissant" bread and butter pudding, butterscotch sauce with thickened cream and finally hot chocolate and caramel fondant, toffee ice cream, and warm chocolate sauce with caramel brittle."
"You had me at the word dessert." When it came to food, Felicity had a sweet tooth and anything with chocolate sounded good.
While they enjoyed their main meals, the discussion was kept simply on what they thought of the food, keeping the night light and carefree. It wasn't often a night out was not interrupted at some point with an Arrow crises, but thankfully with Roy now helping out, smaller jobs can be handled between him and Diggle.
As the empty plates were being taken away, Oliver noticed the way Felicity was gently swaying to the music that was coming from the string quartet. Oliver stood up from his seat and put one hand out for Felicity to take.
"Felicity Smoak, may I have this dance?"
She moved the napkin from her lap and placed her hand in his. He walked her into the middle of the marquee, giving them enough space to move around freely and enjoy the music. His left hand moved down her lower back and stopped right above her waist line, pulling her into his body so he could feel her heart beating on his chest. As they swayed side to side, Felicity lay her head on his right shoulder and closed her eyes, allowing Oliver the music and be the only things to move her. He gently laid soft kisses down her neck and shoulder while he moved her from left to right.
"I guess all those dance lessons my mother made me take finally paid off."
The tender laugh that came from her mouth made Oliver's heart melt. If that was the last sound he ever got to hear, the soft chuckles that caused her lips to be pulled into a smile and her eyes to twinkle, he knew he would die happy.
"Felicity?"
"Mm?" she responded with, clearly relaxed in the moment and not that interested in talking.
"Why have you never told me about your childhood? About your relationship with your mother?"
He could feel Felicity tense under his touch but he didn't stop dancing. He knew that it was a distraction for them both, helping her to explain her past without having to look at him and see the look in his eyes that would show that he was sorry for what she went through as a child.
"I guess it never really came up. It's not something I liked to talk about. I suppose you would understand that more than anyone."
Her words may have sounded harsh but they were not a dig at him, he knew that she was trying to get across that everyone has secrets and a dark past that they don't like to share about. This was hers.
"As you know my father left us when I was young and all I had was my mother, but although she had lost her husband that day…I lost my father and my mother. Things changed between us and no matter how hard I tried to get her attention, show her that I needed her in my life, eventually I decided it would be easier to find a new life without her. I feel in love with my friends family that took me in, I suddenly had people that were worried if I had missed a meal or wanted to know how my day was at school and what grades I was getting in class. Before that I was living night after night alone, wondering where she could be, if she was ever coming back to get me and I realised that I needed to start doing whatever it took to protect myself."
Oliver pulled her closer into his chest, wanting to shield her and show that she doesn't have to be that little girl anymore. He will always protect her and make sure she knows how much she is loved.
"I'm not going to say I'm sorry because, from experience, I know that's the last thing you want to hear. But I will say that everything that had happened to you in the past has shaped you into the person you are today…and you know how I feel about her."
She looked up into his eyes and smiled. Felicity had never shared her past with anyone, but since Oliver had opened up a little tonight, she figured it was only fair to share some of her demons also.
The sky grew darker as time passed, nightly clouds rolling in and covering the starry night sky they were originally presented with. A cool change to the air brought a shiver to Felicity. Without saying a word Oliver stopped dancing and removed his coat jacket to place around her body.
"The last thing I need is my girl to get sick right before our big day." He placed his hand around her cheek and brought her in for a kiss on her forehead. As he pulled back dessert was being served. They informed the chef that the chicken and the lamb was their choice of main meals before he left. Oliver pulled out the back of Felicity's chair for her to site down in and instead of going back to his seat; he brought it around the table so he was now sitting beside her, rather than across from her.
The waiter served a lovely port to go with the dessert as well as a brandy. Oliver picked up his spoon and scooped a piece of the chocolate fondant which he then brought up to Felicity's mouth. Watching her lips wrap around the cake and slowly pull it from the spoon while looking deeply into his eyes aroused Oliver. She could tell from the way he shifted in his seat and swallowed as if his mouth was suddenly dry that she had caught his attention. Felicity was ready to finish this up for the night and head back to their room to finish off what they had started this morning.
"I think I know what I want for dessert…but it's not on the menu for the guests"
Oliver clicked his fingers to signal for the waiter to come over.
"Can you please tell the chef anything chocolate would be great for the desserts?"
"Yes sir, is anything wrong with the meals?"
Felicity's hand was now on his thigh, slowly creeping up higher and higher, massaging him along the way which was causing Oliver a loss for words.
"No they were all wonderful we just –" she was now cupping his crotch under the table and the sudden contact made him lose his concentration.
"We've just had a big day and, and ah"
The waiter understood, it wasn't his first night serving a romantic meal for two that can easily heat up by the end of the night.
"Of course Mr Queen, say no more. I hope you have enjoyed your night."
Felicity stood up first, giving Oliver a second to cool down and think of anything but Felicity's hand rubbing through his pants. He took her hand and they walked towards the elevator, pressing the button to take them down to their room. He leaned into her ear and whispered
"Just remember Felicity, whatever you like to tease me with, I can tease right back"
With that the light on the elevator doors dinged open and they stepped through, not even waiting for the doors to fully close before he pushed her against the wall and crashed his lips to hers.