Chapter Ten
Felicity woke up the next morning, glancing over at the clock. It was well past the time she normally woke up at, and her body's craving for caffeine was giving her a terrible headache. Slowly, she got out of bed, trying to figure out what could have possibly been the reason behind her exhaustion. Then, she remembered Oliver's tongue between her legs, his head dipped low as he crouched down in front of her.
She was numb, and there was a buzzing between her thighs that she could feel a little more now that she'd remembered. God, he'd been good at that. She'd never experienced something as intense as what he'd done to her, and it wasn't even sex.
Suddenly, she remembered how Oliver didn't want to have sex. He'd stopped her before she could even attempt to see if her dream from long ago held any accuracy. His reasoning behind not wanting to have sex with her did make sense, as much as she hated to admit it. But she wanted him so badly. Things were already going to be weird between them, so the least she could have gotten out of it was some mind-blowing sex.
It had been a while.
Felicity walked over to her mirror, smoothing down her hair and putting on her glasses. As badly as she wanted her coffee, she didn't want to leave the confinement of her bedroom. Grabbing her phone, she sent Sara a text. Today, she'd need her friend. There were too many questions she had, and she needed someone to vent to. Sara didn't even ask why Felicity needed her over for the third day in a row, agreeing to be there as soon as possible.
Felicity smiled, feeling a little better. Oliver was going to be in the house while she was talking to Sara, but she knew he'd give them their privacy. Crap, she really didn't know how she was going to face him. He was probably out there already, expecting her. She wasn't exactly prepared to talk to him. Truthfully, she was actually dreading it. However, she couldn't stay in there forever, so she gathered her courage, leaving her bedroom with her head held high.
Stepping into the kitchen, she glanced around for Oliver. He wasn't in there - thank God - but the coffee maker was on, and her mug was next to it. She crossed the kitchen, pouring herself a cup and then leaning back against the counter. Oliver must have woken up and made her coffee, then disappeared back into his room.
Was he avoiding her, too?
Shaking her head, she brought her cup of coffee over to her kitchen table. Her laptop was resting there like it always was, and she opened up the screen to scroll down the popular articles of the day. It was something she tended to do, just to keep herself updated with the rest of the world. As she started reading the headlines of the day's news, one made her pause.
It read: Thea Queen's Birthday Party is Deemed Event of the Year.
Felicity reread it a few times, averting her gaze downwards to read more. Her eyes scanned the words for a date, knowing there had to some explanation as to why Oliver hadn't told her about it yet. She figured it must still be a long time away, and he had been planning on asking her for the day off when it neared. But then she saw the date, and she knew that wasn't the case.
The party was today.
Felicity wondered why he hadn't mentioned it at all to her. They've had plenty of conversations about his sister before. She knew how much he cared for her, and there was no reason why he wouldn't want to be at her birthday party. Did he not feel like he could tell her about it? Sure, things between them have been less than friendly, but she would have given the day off. He had to know that.
Suddenly, there was a noise sounding from behind her, and she switched to another tab. Her body tensed as Oliver's footsteps could be heard approaching, feeling like she'd been caught in the act. He strolled in, dressed for the day, walking over to the coffee maker and pouring some into his usual mug. Felicity watched him, became entranced by the way his tongue peeked out to test the temperature of the liquid, sunk into her own thoughts of just where that tongue had been the night before.
He gazed over at her, lowering the mug. "Good morning, Felicity."
She jumped a little, being roused from her thoughts. "Oliver, hey."
"What are you doing?" he asked, using the hand holding his mug to gesture in the direction of her laptop.
She followed his line of vision, knowing that she needed to discuss Thea's party while she still had that tiny window of opportunity. "I was just reading over some of today's headlines."
"Oh," he mumbled distractedly, taking another drink of his coffee.
"Oliver, why didn't you tell me about Thea's birthday party?" she bluntly asked, watching as his eyes flashed in surprise.
"How do you know about that?" he responded, stepping closer to her.
She motioned towards her screen. "There's an article about it online. It's supposed to be the 'Event of the Year'," she quoted back to him, using her fingers as quotation marks.
He sighed. "I guess I just don't feel right about leaving you alone," he explained. "Its been a long time since they've done anything, and that's really worrying me."
"Oliver, it's your sister's birthday," she reasoned. "You can't miss that."
"Technically, her birthday isn't until next week," he informed her.
She dipped her head. "Okay, then you'll have that day off, too."
"You're giving me the day off?"
She nodded. "Yes, and if you refuse, then I'll fire you." He tried to shake his head, and she knew he was going to go off again about his concern for her well-being, but she wouldn't let him. "Sara is on her way over here. I won't be alone today, so you won't have to worry about me."
Oliver pressed his lips together, trying to act frustrated. His eyes were shining though, and she knew he was grateful.
"Thank you, Felicity," he finally said, the corner of his lips just barely curving upwards.
That was good enough for her.
"You're welcome. Now, you should get going. You haven't seen your family and friends for a long time. Get in as much time with them as you can."
He stared at her, a look she couldn't determine at the moment in his eyes. Then, he nodded, pulling away from the chair he'd been leaning forward on. He went over to the sink, placing his mug inside, and then walked to his room. He came back with his keys and phone in his hand, going straight for the door. He turned around before he could leave, locking eyes with Felicity, who'd been watching him the whole time.
"Felicity, you call me if anything happens, okay?" he urged. "You call me even if you think something is going to happen."
"Yes, I will," she agreed. "Don't think about me today though, Oliver. Try and have a good time."
He chuckled, giving a brief but firm shake of his head. "I don't know if I can stop thinking about you, Felicity." He furrowed his brows after his words, as if he were regretting saying them, and her heart clenched. When he glanced back up at her, any softness was gone. "I'll be back later tonight."
"Okay," she replied, swallowing.
He shut the door, and she stood up to lock it behind him.
Well, at least that wasn't entirely uncomfortable.
It took Sara forty-five minutes after Oliver left for her to arrive at Felicity's apartment. Of course, that had felt like hours to Felicity, who was going a little insane keeping everything that had happened between her and Oliver yesterday bottled inside. When Sara was finally knocking on Felicity's front door, Felicity raced for it, swinging it open.
Sara was on her phone, a box of donuts balanced on her other hand. She looked up from her screen at Felicity, quickly glancing back down and stepping inside. Felicity shut the door behind her, not even slightly curious as to who Sara was texting.
"Hey," she greeted, still typing away at her phone. "You look like you're glowing."
Felicity felt her heart stop, wondering how it was that easy for Sara to know that Felicity had done something sexual. "Uh, glowing?" she repeated. "What do you mean by that?"
Sara finally put the phone down, opening the box of donuts. "Nothing. You look pretty." She brought one to her mouth, taking a huge bite. "Do you have any milk?"
"Yeah," Felicity muttered, frustrated that Sara wasn't giving her an opportunity to share her news.
She sat down in her seat, watching as Sara pulled out a cup from her cabinet and waltzed over to her fridge. She poured herself a generous amount of milk, coming back to sit in the chair next to Felicity's. Her phone buzzed, and Sara glanced at the screen, shaking her head.
"What's wrong?" Felicity asked, shocked that she was the one questioning Sara.
"Chris is making me work tonight," Sara answered, groaning. "I'm not going to be able to stay long, Felicity. I'm sorry."
Felicity gave her a smile, understanding how angry she must be feeling, but still wanting to tell Sara about what had happened with Oliver. "Don't even worry about it. Now, I have to-"
"Try one of the donuts," Sara interrupted, gesturing towards the open box. "They're to die for."
"I will in a minute," Felicity assured. "As I was saying-"
"Come on," Sara pressed. "I got glazed just for you. I know how much you love them. Remember that one time we went to that shop that-"
"My bodyguard went down on me!" Felicity blurted, immediately regretting being so rash about it.
"Who?" Sara asked, seeming to be caught up in her own thoughts.
Felicity gave her a pointed look, and Sara let her donut drop onto the table as realization set in. "Oliver?" she still questioned, earning a smack from Felicity. "I'm sorry! I kind of just got lost in the thought of someone going down on you."
"First of all, what would Nyssa think if she heard you say that? And second of all, can we please focus on the much bigger issue here?"
"Is 'bigger issue' a euphemism for the size of his penis?"
Felicity slapped her hands to her face. "Sara, what the hell is the matter with you? I have no idea how big or whatever his you know what is! I only said he went down on me. If we had fucked, I would have started with that."
"Wait, can you not say the word penis?" Sara questioned, genuinely intrigued.
"Sara!"
"Okay, fine," Sara conceded, raising her hands up in defense. "I'm sorry. Just tell me what happened."
"Well, we were in the living room talking about my thong," Felicity began, being interrupted by a cheer from Sara.
"Yes, my plan worked!" Sara exclaimed, obviously pleased with herself. "I knew that would get him to snap!"
"Sara, focus!" Felicity ordered, waiting a second before continuing. "I told him that it wasn't fair that he got to see my underwear and I didn't get to see his."
"I am so proud of you right now."
"Yeah, well after I said that, he reminded me that he didn't get to see it on me."
"A very good point," Sara agreed with Oliver.
Felicity shook her head. "That lead to me stripping down to very minimal clothing, and it was like once he saw me in my underwear, there was no controlling him. One second I was across the room from him, and the next I was trying not to wake my neighbors."
"Oh, so he was good?"
"Sara! That is so not the point here!
"I'm sorry, but I've always wondered if he's good at that," Sara defended. "I could never ask my sister for obvious reasons that can go unstated, but I can ask you."
Felicity let out a sigh, caving. "Yes, he was amazing at it. Without a doubt, the best I've ever had. Not that I have a lot to compare it to, but yeah, definitely earth-shattering."
Sara grinned. "I knew it!"
Felicity knit her brows together. "How?"
"Well, apart from the fact that he's Oliver Queen and is good at everything," Sara started, making Felicity roll her eyes at the annoying truthfulness to that sentence. "When I was younger, him and his sister would have these candy cane eating contests. Just watching that tongue work-"
"Sara!"
"He won every time."
"Sara!"
"Stop saying my name!"
"Stop talking about my bodyguard like that!"
They were quiet, taking a few moments to calm down. Felicity let her frustration go, bringing her breathing back to its regular pattern. Sara was fiddling with her hands, obviously more calm than Felicity had been. She was the one who broke the silence.
"So, I'm still having a little trouble picturing it," she admitted. "Would you mind reenacting it? I'll be Oliver, obviously."
Felicity didn't even allow herself to get all worked up again, remaining level as she said, "I'm telling Nyssa."
Sara's blood drained from her face. "Felicity, I was kidding! That was my lame attempt at trying to lighten the mood! I'm sorry."
"Fine, but you have to cut it out," she warned.
"I'll try," Sara said, not sounding too convincing.
"Sara," Felicity growled, reaching for her phone threateningly.
Sara stopped her hand, her face turning desperate. "Okay, I won't anymore! I promise!"
Felicity was sure it would happen again, as it always did, but it was nice to have the upper hand with Sara for once. Even if it would be short-lived.
Oliver got to the mansion, surprised to see that it looked exactly as he had left it. He didn't know why he'd been expecting changes, but it was a relief that there weren't any. There was another car in the driveway, and Oliver was curious as to who it belonged to since the party wasn't due to start for another few hours. He walked up to the door, using his key to unlock it.
He wanted his visit to be as much as a surprise as possible, even though Thea was expecting him to come. When he didn't think he'd be able to make it, he still couldn't find it in him to call Thea and tell her that. He knew it would kill her, and he was beyond thrilled that he didn't have to do that to her.
That didn't stop him from worrying about Felicity though. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was only a matter of time, and it was his job to make sure he was there when it did. His absence today was going to bug him, he was sure of it. But she'd assured him she'd call if anything happened and Sara was going to be there to keep her company.
Forcing the troubling thoughts of Felicity getting hurt to the back of his mind, he put on a smile, opening the door. He could hear voices coming from nearby, and made his way across the house. He rounded the corner to find Thea in the kitchen, having a discussion with Tommy and Laurel. She looked incredible, all dressed up in a long black dress.
Tommy was wearing a white dress shirt, his arm around Laurel. Laurel looked just as gorgeous as the last time he'd seen her, listening intently to whatever his sister was saying. Oliver cleared his throat, watching as all heads turned to look at him.
"Ollie?" Thea gasped, rushing to hug him.
He caught her in his arms, holding her to his chest. He spun her around for a few seconds, setting her down and pulling away to look her over.
"You look beautiful, Thea," he complimented. "I hope I'm not too early."
"No, your timing perfect. It gives me more time to spend with you," she said, smiling. "I'm assuming you have to go back to your job tonight?"
He sighed. "Unfortunately. My job takes up all of my time, but I really love it."
"That's good," she responded, though he sensed something was off about it. "Maybe you can tell me all about it."
"I'd love to, Speedy."
He gave her one last smile before glancing up at Tommy and Laurel. Tommy was already coming his way, bringing him into a hug. Oliver clapped him on the back, releasing him to give Laurel a side hug.
"You look good, man," Tommy said, making him laugh. "They feeding you alright where you're at?"
"Tommy, I'm on the other side of Starling City, not an uncharted island." When Tommy gave him a pointed look at his lame attempt at a joke, Oliver rolled his eyes. "Yes, the food is amazing. I get to pick it out myself like I always do."
"What is it exactly that you're doing over there, Ollie?" Laurel asked. "You never have any time to visit."
He nodded. "I know. It's just a long drive and sometimes my job can be a bit demanding."
"You're working with soldiers?" Tommy questioned.
Oliver nodded, hating that he had to lie, but knowing it was the only way to keep his friends and family from worrying about him. "Yeah, I help them recover. It's a lot of work, but I don't mind it. The company is really great."
He smiled, thinking of Felicity and how comfortable he felt with her. He knew that wasn't exactly a good thing. In fact, it was a very bad thing. But he couldn't deny it. She was a huge part of why he hadn't quit and just taken the job at his father's company. He was committed to protecting her for however long it took.
"Well, come say hi to Mom," Thea said, taking his hand and leading him towards the back.
His mother was standing in the yard, directing people around. Tarps were being put up, liquor was being brought out, and tables were being set. He wondered briefly how his sister had convinced his mom to serve alcohol, but figured it had to do with the fact that his mother wasn't exactly the greatest when is came to discipline. He remembered getting away with staying out all night as a teen.
"Mom, look who's here," Thea called, causing Moira's head to swivel in the direction of her voice.
Oliver smiled at his mother, walking up to her since she seemed to be frozen in place. When he wrapped his arms around her, she came back to life, hugging him tightly and then stepping away to straighten out his shirt.
"Oliver, you look handsome," his mother said, scanning him over. "How long are you here for?"
"I have to go back tonight," Oliver answered, watching her eyes soften.
"Oh," she murmured, hanging her head. "Well, I'll see you next week for Thea's dinner, right?"
Oliver recalled Felicity giving him the day off, and nodded his head. "Yes, I've already gotten the day approved off."
Moira smiled, bringing him in for another hug. He knew how much she'd missed him, even though she wasn't saying it out loud. He'd missed her, too. Sure, he'd give her calls every once in a while, but it wasn't the same as in person. His mom was suddenly called away for a question involving the cake, leaving Thea and Oliver to walk around the yard together.
"So, how many people should I be expecting here?" Oliver wondered aloud, his tone teasing.
Thea grinned, raising a shoulder. "Half of Starling City, at least."
"That all?" Oliver replied, stealing a laugh out of her. "So, you still dating that Ron kid?"
Thea exhaled loudly, rolling her eyes. "I know you know his name."
Oliver cracked a smile. It was good to be home.
Thea wasn't kidding about the amount of people to be expecting. The mansion and yard were filled with people of all ages. Most of them were kids from Thea's school, but a lot of them were just crashers who'd read about the party online. Oliver would have been worried about his sister, had she not been stuck to his side all night.
She was determined to enjoy his company for as long as she could, and he wasn't going to fight her on that. He recognized a few people at the party that he went to greet, immediately returning to Thea's side afterwards. They talked about a lot off stuff. She asked him about work, about Diggle, about how he was sleeping. He told her as much truth as he could, regretting every lie he had to tell.
She got this look in her eyes though, every time he'd answer a question about work. It was almost as if she knew he were lying, and was waiting for him to confess. He knew that couldn't be the case though, since the only people who knew about his job were him, Felicity, Diggle, and Sara. None of those people would tell a secret like that, and they'd have no reason to.
It wasn't until near ten at night did it all become clear to him. Thea had asked him if they could talk upstairs, the only place in the house where people weren't allowed to go. She said it would give them privacy to discuss something important. Oliver was concerned, following her up the steps and into one of the guest bedrooms. He half expected two teens to be rolling around in the sheets, relieved to find the room empty.
Oliver closed the door behind them, crossing his arms in front of himself. "Okay, Speedy. What is it?"
She was looking down, expression unreadable. "You know you can tell me anything, right, Ollie?"
He nodded, furrowing his brows. "Yeah, of course I know that."
"Well, then why have you been lying to me?"
His heart stopped. "What are you talking about, Thea?"
She swallowed. "I know you're lying about the facility. You don't really work there." Oliver sighed, running a hand over his head as she continued. "I called there today to beg them to give you today off since you hadn't told me if you were coming or not. They said you didn't work there, and then had a good laugh about the idea of you actually having a job."
"Thea..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"Do you want to tell me what's been going on, Ollie? Tell me why you moved out of here? Tell me where you've been going? Where you've been staying?" she questioned.
"Does Mom know?" Oliver asked.
Thea shook her head. "I wanted to give you the chance to explain first."
"Thanks," he murmured.
There was a silence in the room. She waited for him to tell her the truth, to answer all of the questions she had. He tried to figure out what to say. If he told her the truth, it would get passed up to his mom. And he knew that once she found out, she wouldn't let him continue being Felicity's bodyguard. That wasn't an option.
Before Oliver could respond to Thea, his phone was ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, finding Felicity's name flashing across the screen. His stomach dropped, knowing that she would only be calling him right now if it were an emergency. He shot Thea an apologetic look, reaching for the doorknob.
"Speedy, I have to go," he rushed, finger over the answer button. "I'll see you next week, okay?"
He shut the door before she could respond, pressing the button on his phone that put him on the line with Felicity. He knew something was wrong before she even spoke, his feet guiding him down the stairs at a crazy speed. He earned some very curious stares, ignoring them and anything around him.
"Felicity?" he called, not hearing her say anything.
She sobbed on the other end of the phone. "Oliver, something happened."
He clenched his jaw, rushing down the driveway and jumping into his car. "Tell me," he demanded. "Don't stop talking to me, Felicity. I'm on my way."
"Please hurry," she cried, and he swore if he held the phone any tighter, it'd shatter. "Oliver, I'm scared."
Those words had him slamming his foot onto the gas, speeding loudly down the streets. He knew this was a bad idea. She lived too far away. He was too far. Something was going to happen to her because he hadn't trusted his instincts. He needed to keep hearing her voice. That was the only thing keeping him from literally losing his mind.
"What happened?" he asked, tone sounding a lot steadier than he felt.
She sniffled. "My window's been broken through."
Fuck. "With what, Felicity? A rock?"
"No," she said, her voice small. "A deck of cards."
"Fuck," he uttered, this time out loud. "Where are you right now?"
"I'm in your closet," she whispered, and he imagined her huddling in the dark, her phone pressed to her ear.
He thought hard about what he needed her to do. "Okay, Felicity. Do you hear any movement in your apartment?"
She was quiet for a second, him assuming she was listening. Then she let out a sure, "No."
He exhaled in relief. "Good. I need you to do something then, okay?"
"Okay."
He was swerving around cars, trying to get to her as soon as possible. "Go to my bed. Behind the headboard is a gun. I need you to take it out, and then go back in the closet. Can you do that for me?"
"Yeah," she murmured, sniffling one more time.
He heard shuffling sounds, figuring she was doing what he'd asked. He focused on racing down the roads, cutting the distance between them to shreds with each passing second. He was almost there, his heart pounding harder in his chest. It was a minute or so before he heard her again, his body relaxing slightly.
"Okay, I got it," she informed him. "Are you almost here?"
"Yeah," he answered, turning down the main street that belonged to her. "I'm about five minutes away."
"Please be careful," she urged, and he was amazed that she was concerned about his well being at the moment.
He was in love with her.
The realization didn't surprise him, nor should it have. He'd known it for a while now, but had just been too scared to face the truth. All he cared about was getting to her and feeling her in his arms. He needed that more than anything.
"Felicity, you're remarkable," he told her, hearing her shaky breaths stop for a moment.
"Are you really flirting with me right now?"
He felt his heart squeeze, unsure of whether or not he was willing to confess to something like that; unsure if he was willing to give up his career, especially since Felicity needed him now more than ever.
"What if I am?" he asked, knowing that he wasn't in trouble yet.
"Then don't stop," she whispered.
He closed his eyes briefly, gritting his teeth. "I wish it were that easy." He swallowed, shaking off whatever emotions were coursing through him that were affecting his main concern for Felicity right now. "Felicity, I'm about to pull into your complex. Don't come out until I'm inside, okay?"
"Yeah," she promised, her tone filled with relief.
He swerved inside a random parking space, yanking out his keys and racing up her stairs. He took the steps two at a time, fiddling with his keys once he reached her apartment. He found her key, swiftly unlocking her door. He then locked it behind him, scanning the space quickly. Not one thing was out of place. Still, he searched the whole apartment, locking his jaw when he saw the glass from her window scattered across her bedroom floor.
It wasn't until he'd circled back to the kitchen did he call out her name, sure that the apartment was empty. He heard the closet door open, her body emerging from his room seconds later. She ran into his arms, collapsing against his chest. He wrapped his arms firmly around her, needing to feel her just as much as she needed to feel him.
She started crying hard, her sobs racking through her body. He just held her tighter, running his hands over her hair and down her back. He whispered reassuring words into her ear, kissing her temple repeatedly.
"It's okay," he murmured, twirling her hair around his finger. "I'm here. You're safe."
"I was so scared, Oliver," she admitted, her words muffled from being pressed into his chest. "So scared..."
He pulled away, wiping her tears away and forcing her to look at him. "Well, I'm not leaving, okay? You won't have to be scared again. I promise."
He brought her back into his embrace crushing her against him. Her fingers dug into his back, holding onto him as if her life depended on it. He didn't care if they had to stay like that all night. He needed her to feel safe, whatever it took. So, he did remain there, keeping her against his body and feeling her jerky sobs even out into regular breathing.
"Clearly, they're not coming back tonight. This must have been another threat," he thought aloud. "I'll just have to be on more alert from now on. I'm not going to leave your side again."
She shuddered against him, and he tightened his grip on her to the point where he worried about cutting off her circulation.
Then there was a knock on the door, sending them apart. He stepped in front of her, eyes locked onto the door.
"Felicity, stay behind me. If it's them, I need you to run and get my gun, okay?" he instructed, hearing her small voice of agreement.
His steps were slow, cautious, and growing faster with each pounding on the door. When he reached it, he was quick, swinging it open to face whoever was on the other side of it. So many different people of so many different sizes flashed through his mind as he brought that door open. His mind nearly exploded when he saw his sister standing there, arms crossed.
"What the hell is going on, Ollie?"