A/N: Dialogue Prompt: I'm Not Good Enough For You. If You are an LL fan, you probably want to skip this one. She isn't painted in the best light in this one.
The fancy dresses and suits, the champagne and classical music, none of it was anything Felicity was accustomed to all that much.
The fact that she was here now was hard to believe at times.
What was even more mind-boggling was who she was here with.
Oliver Queen. Starling City's most famous and notorious playboy.
If you would have told her a year ago she would be attending a gala and going public with her relationship with Oliver, she honestly would want to know what hallucinogenic drugs you've been smoking because a year ago it would have seemed so far from the realm of what was possible.
The last thing she expected when she moved across the country to start her internship at QC was that she would start a relationship with Oliver Queen. A secret one at that.
She had met him in his father's office of all places when she was sent upstairs because Mr. Queen had been experiencing technical difficulties with his computer.
Mr. Queen had been nothing but professional and surprisingly enough, kind. However, he wasn't alone in his office. He was having lunch with his son Oliver who didn't even try to hide the fact that he was staring at her openly.
Felicity ignored him for the most part only shooting him an annoyed glare twice but he seemed more amused in response than anything else. Not wanting to deal with a silverspoon playboy she had done her best to act like she couldn't feel his eyes on her.
It was a relief when she finally left Mr. Queen's office. Fully believing that would be her last encounter with Oliver Queen.
She couldn't have been more wrong. He showed up at her cubicle two days later brandishing a brand new state of the art laptop that looked like a hammer had been taken to it, claiming he accidentally dropped it down a flight of stairs.
Felicity didn't believe him for a moment and had no problem calling him out on his BS, telling him there were better ways to approach a girl than destroying the latest tech.
Again, she thought that would be the last time she would see him. She was wrong again.
Oliver showed up the next day with a cup of her favorite espresso, having apparently asked around about her wanting to ask her out.
Felicity wasn't looking to be his flavor of the week and told him so but Oliver was persistent. He kept coming back.
Felicity had ignored him for the most part however he started taking interest in what she was doing at work, how her week was, small things that shouldn't even matter to him.
She didn't think he really cared or even listened when she talked but then he would say something that proved her wrong and gradually she started talking to him on her own without him prompting her to and the days where he brought her coffee evolved to him bringing her lunch instead and never once did he give up on asking her out.
After two months Felicity agreed to one date on the condition that she didn't end up in a gossip rag. She may just be an intern but she worked her butt off to get here, it was bad enough her co-workers talked about Oliver coming to see her every day, she didn't need the entire city thinking she was climbing the company ladder so to speak by climbing the heir to QC.
Oliver readily agreed to do anything she asked of him if it meant he finally got that date he been hoping for.
Felicity thoroughly enjoyed herself on their date and wished she had said yes sooner. That one date turned into another and another and another and before she knew it they were secretly dating.
And in the eight months, they had been dating Oliver had always let her know he would be okay with keeping their relationship a secret as long as she wanted no matter how much he wanted more. And if Felicity was being honest so did she.
When his ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance started coming around it was the final push Felicity needed. She wanted all of Starling City to know her man was no longer on the market. He was hers and she was his.
Oliver had been thrilled she was ready to go public, showing his appreciation 10 times over. Oliver could be really really appreciative.
Now, here they were at one of the city's biggest events, packed with Starling's elite crowd, cameras and reporters.
It was daunting but not nearly as daunting as meeting the Queen family. Robert had been welcoming, remembering her.
Thea Queen was friendly enough besides one offhand comment that she didn't look like her brother's type but maybe his taste had finally improved since his last girlfriend.
Oliver's mother, Moira had been calculating at best. She didn't seem all that impressed that Felicity was from Vegas or that she now worked in IT, having finished her internship and accepted a job with QC. Moira seemed to soften though when Oliver informed her she graduated from MIT at the age of 19 with a Daul Masters degree in Applied Science and Cyber Security and had an IQ of 179.
Felicity had been flattered that Oliver was so enamored with her that he felt the need to boast about her, not hiding just how proud of her he was for her accomplishments.
Felicity, by the end of the night, wasn't sure why she had been so worried. She was just glad that Oliver's family seemed to approve of her.
"Dance with me." Felicity felt Oliver's fingers intertwined with hers, gently tugging her onto the dance floor.
"This is nice, " Felicity murmured, her arms looped around his neck.
"Not as bad as you were anticipating?" Oliver wondered with an affectionate smile.
"No," she shook her head. "Not at all."
Oliver smiled, leaning down to press his lips softly against hers.
Felicity hummed in response, arms tightening around his neck, Oliver's hands moved from her waist, cupping her face in his hands as he deepened the kiss.
Felicity grasped the lapels of his suit jacket, arching up against him as their lips glided together, slowly, savoring.
The flash of a camera had them reluctantly ending the kiss, Felicity looked to her left and saw a photographer on the edge of the room, her camera lens focused on them.
Felicity cheeks heated and she turned back to Oliver burying her face into his clothed chest, her hands reaching beneath his jacket, fingers curling around his suspender straps.
"I totally forgot we weren't alone." She muttered and Oliver laughed.
Felicity's head snapped up, glaring slightly. "I'm not seeing the humor about this."
Oliver smoothed his hands down her back, settling them on her waist as he grinned down at her. "I just really love the thought that kissing me can make everything else fall away for you."
"That's really sweet," she smiled softly. "If we weren't currently the focus of a pap, I would be kissing you right now."
"Jessica isn't a pap. She works all the charity events my family sponsors. She's good and not someone we should be worried about."
"So, I'm not going to see a picture of us, making out on the dance floor tomorrow in the gossip rags?" Felicity challenged.
"Not any picture Jessica takes tonight," Oliver promised.
Felicity nodded, deciding to take his word on it.
"There you are man," Tommy seemed to appear out of nowhere. "I need to borrow you for a few minutes." Tommy grinned at Felicity. "I'll have him back to you in no time, Smoaky."
"Yeah, go ahead, I'll just get us some drinks." Felicity waved him off.
She had met Tommy a few weeks into her and Oliver's relationship when he walked in on them making out on Oliver's couch. 5 minutes later and he would have been walking in on something else.
Tommy was a whirlwind but she had gotten used to him popping up out of nowhere and his antics.
"You look breathtaking in that dress by the way." Tommy grinned. "Oliver's a lucky guy."
"Yes, I am." He leaned into her pressing his lips to her neck. "I'll be right back."
Felicity watched Oliver and Tommy cross the room and disappear into the crowd.
Felicity walked up to the bar, waving the bartender over.
"Hi, what can I get you?"
"I know champagne is the drink of choice for events like these but you wouldn't happen to have any red wine would you?" she asked hopefully.
"I do, I'll get you our finest."
"Make that two, please."
"You got it." He filled two crystal glasses. "Enjoy."
"Thank you." Felicity smiled, lifting a glass to her lips as she surveyed the room.
"I hope you're enjoying your 15 minutes in the limelight."
Felicity turned to her right and saw Laurel Lance leaning against the bar in a purple dress that fit her perfectly, looking like she just stepped out of a magazine. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, C'mon, some lowly IT girl from QC dating the future CEO. Your intentions couldn't be more obvious." Laurel replied with a condescending smile.
Felicity's hackles rose at the implication that she was nothing more than a gold digger. "You have no idea what you're talking about. My relationship with Oliver has nothing to do with my job or his family company."
"Your relationship," Laurel repeated. "Even if you weren't using your body to climb the company ladder, you can't obviously believe that it's going to work out between the two of you."
"What could you possibly know about my relationship?" Felicity set her glass on the bar feeling the temptation to throw it in Laurel's face growing. "Your just Oliver's ex-girlfriend."
"The ex-girlfriend that has more history with him than you ever will. The same ex-girlfriend he always finds his way back to. I know Ollie better than anyone and it's only a matter of time before he realizes the glaringly obvious."
Felicity disliked the tone of her voice, the way she was looking down her nose at her like she thought she was something to be scraped off the bottom of her shoe.
"You don't belong here. You are not good enough to be a part of his world." Laurel's lip twisted into a sneer that was borderline smug. "And you are never going to be good enough for him."
Laurel's words cut at Felicity, exposing every fear she ever had about Oliver and her. She didn't belong in his world, she wasn't good enough. The Felicity Smoak's of the world did not end up with men like Oliver Queen. It was unthinkable.
Still, she refused to let Oliver's ex see how her words struck home. "If Oliver is so attached to you and the history you share why is he with me?"
Laurel features harden. "A few weeks with him is nothing."
"Try months." Felicity corrected.
Laurel's eyes widened. "Month's?"
Felicity sighed. "I'm not going to stand here and fight with you. I have more self-respect than to fight over a man who has already made the choice of who he wants to be with."
She didn't wait for Laurel to respond, moving quickly through the crowd, the further she got away from the woman, the more her words echoed in her head, a harsh reminder of every fear she still had about her relationship with Oliver.
She made her escape out into the empty hall, angry tears biting at the back of her eyes.
She pressed her back against the wall, blinking back the tears. She didn't want to cry. It would ruin her make-up but more importantly, she didn't want to give Laurel the satisfaction of knowing she had gotten to her.
She breathed deeply staring down at the marble floor however the sound of heels clicking against the floor had her eyes snapping open and she saw the photographer, Jessica, walking toward her hesitantly.
Felicity was relieved to see her camera was nowhere in sight.
"It's Felicity Smoak, right?" she asked.
"Yes," Felicity answered warily.
"I'm Jessica Carter." She introduced. "I know, it's probably none of my business but I saw you leave and you looked upset and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Oh, I'm, no, I'm fine," Felicity said as a hot flush of embarrassment washed over her.
"Are you sure?" Jessica looked unconvinced.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, why wouldn't I be?"
"I didn't hear any of what was said but I did see you talking to Laurel Lance and it didn't look too pleasant," said Jessica with an almost knowing look. "I'm not going to pry, whatever was said is between the two of you besides it isn't any of my business. I know it was probably about the only thing you two have in common. Oliver."
"Thank you for checking up on me, it was nice of you." Felicity pushed off the wall.
"If I can there is something I would like to say," Jessica said with a kind look. "I have been to more of these events than I can even keep count, I've seen Oliver bring all kinds of dates to these things including Laurel but I have never seen him look as happy as he did tonight when he was with you."
"Why are you telling me this?" Felicity wondered.
"I just don't want you letting someone get in your head and ruining something that most people are not even fortunate enough to find."
"And what is that exactly?" Felicity had to ask.
"Real love." Jessica smiled softly. "Just try and remember that."
Felicity stared stunned, watching as the woman retreated back the way she had come.
Love.
That was what Jessica saw when she looked at them? When neither her or Oliver had ever said those words. Did Oliver love her? She thought so but what if she was wrong? What if Jessica was wrong?
What if Laurel was right? What if it was only a matter of time before Oliver found his way back to his gorgeous ex-girlfriend?
What if Oliver was only-
"God, stop it with the what ifs." She muttered to herself.
She stood straighter, breathing deeply, steeling herself.
She returned to the bar and found Oliver there, eyes scanning the crowd, searching.
His eyes landed on her and he pushed from the bar immediately, his longs strides carrying him quickly to her. "Hey, where did you disappear to?"
"I just needed a moment to clear my head."
His hands reached out landing on her waist. "Is everything okay?"
No, it wasn't but did she tell him that? She had never lied to him before. "Not really. I think we need to talk."
Oliver winced taking a step toward her. "Those are words a guy never wants to hear from his girlfriend. It never leads to anything good," his hands tightened on her waist Imperceptibly.
"That's cause it's not," Felicity replied, Laurel words ringing true in her mind. She didn't belong here. She didn't fit with Oliver no matter how badly she wanted to.
"I don't understand. I thought things were going really well tonight." Oliver said, his forehead creasing in honest confusion.
"They were," she looked around seeing they were drawing a crowd of onlookers including Laurel Lance. "Look, can we not do this here. People are watching."
"I don't care about them. I care about you and when something is bothering you I want you to be honest about it."
"You want me to honest? Fine." She raised her chin higher, steeling herself. "I don't fit here."
"Everyone loved you tonight." Oliver protested. "More importantly you fit with me."
"Oliver," she shook her head, strands of her hair fell out of place and grazed her cheek. "I'm not good enough for you."
Oliver's eyes hardened, his jaw clenched.
"I've never-"
"Stop." Oliver's voice was like steel. "Just stop." He stepped forward, and grasp her elbows, tugging her even closer. "First of all, I have never heard anything further from the truth and if we were going down that road, I would be more concerned with not being good enough for you. I screw up all the time and you, your perfect."
"I'm not perfect." Felicity denied immediately.
"Your right because no one person is perfect but you are perfect for me."
"Oliver." God, why did he have to say such beautiful words to her? He made it really hard to listen to her head and not her heart.
"No, just listen to me." Oliver pleaded. "Love is not about being good enough for someone. It's about how the person you love enriches your life, how you don't even want to think about what your future would look like without them and I'm telling you right now, I don't see a future without you. Not tomorrow, not 6 months from now. Definitely not 3 years from now."
His hands glided up her arms, laying lightly against her neck his thumb caressing the underside of her jaw.
"Felicity Megan Smoak I am in love with you and you are the only woman I want to spend the rest my life with. I want everything with you."
"Oliver," Felicity murmured, eyes shining with emotion, heart pounding in her chest in the best way.
It was like his words and the love she could see shining through his eyes soothe away her fears and silenced Laurel's voice, her words in her head, eradicating her doubts.
"I love you, too. More than I thought was possible." She said quietly, wanting her words to only be for him.
Oliver pulled her against him and closed the distance between their mouths, kissing her slowly, his lips glided over hers unhurried, pulling a quiet moan from the back of her throat that had him wrapping himself around her in response.
Felicity grasped his shirt in her fist, pulling back barely an inch. "Let's get out of here." Her lips brushed over his with every word she spoke.
Oliver slid his hand down her arms, grasping her hand he intertwined her fingers with his own and led her out of the party without a word to anyone and Felicity followed a feeling of love washing over her.
Felicity heard the sound of her front door opening and closing, followed by approaching footsteps.
She saw Oliver appear in the doorway, through the mirror she was currently standing in front of putting the finishing touches to her make-up. She wore a simple green dress. "Hey, you," she smiled. "I'm almost ready to head to your parents for dinner."
"Take your time," he walked closer, coming to stand behind her, scooping down to place a kiss against her neck. "I have something for you."
"Really?" Felicity turned to face him, her dress swishing at her legs.
Oliver produced a white envelope. "Jessica stopped by the mansion today. She asked that I give you this. I wasn't aware the two of you actually formally met."
"We did at the gala a couple days ago." Felicity accepted the envelope. "She was nice to me."
Oliver watched as she opened the envelope. "What is it?"
Felicity pulled out a handwritten note.
Felicity, I thought you like to have this. A reminder of when it's real it's worth holding on to.
Felicity reached in and pulled out a photo and her lips parted in surprise.
Oliver shifted behind her and peered over her shoulder. "Wow, that's a really good picture."
"Yeah, it is." Felicity murmured.
In the picture she had her arms around Oliver's neck, her fingers curling in the ends of his hands, Oliver's arm was wrapped around her so completely, it looked like he was wrapping himself around her, he was staring down at her with this unguarded smile and his eyes shining with love, so much love.
She turned her head to look at him. "I love you."
Oliver smiled and gently turned her in his arms.
"And I love you." He pressed his mouth to hers, silently wondering if it was too soon to ask her if she wanted to move in with him.
They could find a place just for the two of them and start building their life together.
A/N: This one got longer than I intended. Honestly, I feel like this one could be turned into a multi-chapter story if I expanded on when they met, how they went from friends to lovers and all the moments leading up to the gala. I might even come back it at some point to expand on it.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this one.
