A/N: Here is the next chapter for you to enjoy! Only two more chapters remain!
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Love always,
~starr
Oliver stood near the window, looking out over the city as he waited for Felicity to gather a few of her things. He shook his head as he noticed the shards of glass lying around the window. He made a mental note to send someone over here first thing in the morning to fix it and install some extra security. Even though the Slade and Chase issue had been handled, Oliver didn't like the idea of Felicity being here by herself without any kind of protection.
"Oliver," Felicity called, pulling his attention away from the night's sky.
"Hmm," Oliver replied, looking back at her over her shoulder. She was wrapped up in a robe; her hair wet from her shower. He smiled as he watched her walk towards him.
"You don't have to stay here tonight. I'll be fine on my own," she insisted, forcing a smile on her face. "You and John took care of Slade. I don't have anything to worry about, right?"
"Not exactly," Oliver replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"What do you mean?" she asked, taking a seat on the bed, rubbing the towel through the ends of her hair.
Oliver crossed his arms over his chest as he turned towards her and walked over to the empty chair at the island in her small apartment. "Slade was a powerful man. He's got lackeys all over the place. Loyal lackeys."
"But he's dead," Felicity replied, raising a brow as she watched Oliver fidget on the stool. She could tell he was nervous. She couldn't blame him in the slightest. She was nervous too, but not because she was worried about Slade or any of his henchmen. She was nervous, having Oliver in her apartment after dark.
Talking to him on the phone late at night was one thing, but actually having him here with her set the butterflies in her stomach a flurry. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, maybe since her middle school days. Felicity reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Oliver studied her face as she sat across the room from him. Something was bothering her, but he couldn't figure out what it was. There was a part of him that wanted to ask her, but at the same time, he didn't want to be intrusive. He was already crossing a line by still being here so late. He should have taken her back to the bunker and then walked her home.
Coming here was a bad idea. Being alone with her in her apartment was a bad idea. All of the feelings Oliver had been pushing away for so long were starting to surface, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
All he wanted to do was make sure Felicity was safe and he had done that. So why did he want to stay now?
"Earth to Oliver," Felicity teased, tossing a stress ball in his general direction. "Have you been listening to anything I said?"
Oliver smiled and shook his head. "Sorry about that. I guess my mind was somewhere else. What were you saying?"
Felicity tossed her head back with a laugh. "So this is what the illustrious Oliver Queen is like after a night of fighting crime and protecting the city. Very interesting."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Oliver asked, furrowing his brow.
"Nothing," Felicity teased, shaking her head. "You really don't have to stay here tonight. I promise I'll be okay."
Oliver stared at her for a few moments. His heart was telling him that now was his chance to tell her how he felt about her and stay the night, at least on the couch. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, and the thought of leaving her here alone was bothering him to no end.
Oliver jumped down off the stool at her island and nodded his head. "Okay," he sighed in defeat. "I'll leave you alone."
"I know where to find you if I get myself into any trouble," Felicity replied with a wink, jumping up from her bed and making her way across the small apartment to her front door.
She watched as Oliver walked over to her with a smile on her face. He stopped just in front of her.
"Thank you for saving me," Felicity said, pressing up on her tiptoes to give him a hug. "Even if I'm just some random woman in your life."
Oliver let out a sigh as his arms fell around her waist, hugging her back. "You aren't some random woman," he said, shaking his head as he leaned back from the hug.
"That's not what you told Slade," Felicity remarked, tilting her head to the side with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"I didn't want Slade to kill you," Oliver said, studying her eyes. "I'd never be able to find a new tech guru for Queen Consolidated."
Oliver tossed his head back with a laugh. Felicity was glaring at him, fighting every sense in her body that she felt to roll her eyes and smack him upside the head.
"You think you're so funny," Felicity grumbled, shaking her head.
Oliver smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Looking Felicity up and down once more in his arms, he let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay, Felicity. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."
"Thanks again," Felicity mumbled, looking up at him. She wanted to kiss him, but she didn't want to alter their friendship in any way.
After a few moments of silence, Felicity pulled back from the hug and took a step back. "Good night, Oliver. I'll see you in the morning."
"Coffee before work?" Oliver asked, raising a brow.
"It's a date," Felicity said; the words fell from her mouth before she realized what she said. Her eyes went wide as the realization struck her.
Oliver smiled and nodded his head. "It's a date. I'd tell you to wear something pretty, but you always look beautiful in anything you wear."
He reached for the doorknob and pulled it open. "Good night, Felicity," he said, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. As he pulled away from her, he paused a few inches away from her face.
Felicity closed her eyes and inhaled sharply as she waited for him to make his move. However, instead of kissing her, he pulled away and walked out of her front door, pulling it closed behind him.
She shook her head and stepped forward to rest her head against the door. "Damn it," she grumbled under her breath.
. . . . . . . . .
Oliver let out a groan as the water landed on his back. The warmth of the water helped to relax his muscles. The tension that had built up there as the evening went on was fading away or was at least relocating to other places on his body. Smacking his fist against the shower wall, Oliver leaned his head back. "Damn it."
He couldn't get her out of his head. The panic-stricken look on her face when he saw her sitting in the middle of that empty room broke his heart. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Slade's blade pressed against her neck. His ears echoed with the sounds of her crying. That sound would haunt him for the rest of his life.
What if he hadn't' gotten there in time? Or what if Slade hadn't been so hell-bent on his revenge? Slade had her alone in the room for hours. He could have killed her at any moment, but Slade wanted Oliver to be there.
Why? That was the one question Oliver had yet to figure out an answer to. There was a part of him that didn't want to know the answer to his question, but at the same time, he needed to know. He wanted to know what was so special about his friendship with Felicity.
Friends, that's all they were, Oliver thought to himself as he finished up his shower. The only feelings he felt towards her were those of friends. Right?
No matter how many times Oliver tried to convince himself that he never thought of her as more than a friend, he knew he was lying to himself. But until he could figure out what he was feeling, he needed to keep his feelings to himself.
As he climbed out of the shower, he heard his cell phone vibrating against his nightstand. He wrapped a towel around his waist and quickly made his way into his bedroom. Looking down at his phone, he frowned when he noticed John's name flashing across the screen.
"Hello?" Oliver said, answering the call as he pressed his phone to his ear.
"Did Felicity let you stay, or were you able to convince her to come to stay with you?" John asked. Oliver could hear him smirking through the phone.
Rolling his eyes, Oliver shook his head. "No, she didn't let me stay. I didn't think it was appropriate to bring her back here."
"Of course not. A sleepover before your first date would not be a wise idea. Don't need you kids getting frisky before you get your feelings for one other sorted out," John teased, chuckling softly on the other end of the phone.
"We're friends," Oliver insisted. "Our friendly feelings have already been sorted out."
"Whatever you need to tell yourself to get to sleep at night, man. But you didn't see the way she was looking at you tonight," John said.
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, furrowing his brow.
"The next time you see her, look deep into her eyes," John advised. "If you look closely, you'll see what I see every time she looks at you."
"You're full of shit," Oliver grumbled. "But I'm seeing her tomorrow."
"Oh, really?" John inquired.
"We are meeting for coffee at our usual place. It's her last week at The Sentinel before she starts working at Queen Consolidated," Oliver replied.
"Interesting," John mused.
"What?" Oliver asked.
"Nothing," John laughed. "Have a good night, Oliver. Try not to have too much fun tomorrow morning. It's just coffee, after all."
"Good night, John," Oliver replied, shaking his head as he hung up the phone. He stared at his screen for a few moments, contemplating whether or not it would be weird to check in on Felicity.
Oliver shook his head and placed his phone on the nightstand. He was seeing her in the morning, and he had just been with her forty-five minutes ago. She was fine. That was all he needed to keep telling himself.
He looked down at his phone for a split second as he contemplated calling her just to check-in. He slowly reached for his phone and then stopped himself. He didn't need to call to check on her. She was fine - she's the one who told him to leave. Besides, they were meeting first thing in the morning for coffee. He needed to make sure he was well rested so that he didn't miss their date.
Just as Oliver started to walk back to his bathroom to finish getting ready for bed, he heard his phone vibrating against the table. Glancing back over his shoulder, he noticed Felicity's name flashing across the screen. He spun around quickly and picked his phone up.
"Felicity," Oliver said. "Is everything okay?"
"Uhm, yeah," she said, pausing for a few moments.
Oliver chuckled, shaking his head. "Then, why did you call me?"
"Uhm," Felicity mumbled. "I just wanted to hear your voice before I went to sleep."
"Oh, really?" Oliver asked, climbing into bed and leaning his head against the headboard. "And why might that be?"
"Because I like the sound of your voice," she blurted out.
Oliver was sure that her face was bright red right about now. She was probably twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she waited for him to say something. He smiled at the thought of her being jittery about him.
"I like the sound of your voice too, Felicity," Oliver admitted, scrubbing a hand over his face. He couldn't believe he was admitting that to her over the phone. It seemed like something that would have more meaning in person. Why didn't he tell her what he felt when he was at her apartment? Because he's an idiot, he thought to himself.
"We're still on for coffee, right?"
"Yes."
"Good," she said, pausing again. "Well, good night, Oliver."
"Good night, Felicity," Oliver replied, lowering his phone from his ear. He tossed the phone onto the mattress and scooted down until his head was on the pillows. He couldn't shake the smile from his face, and he didn't want to.
John was right; he thought to himself, shaking his head. There was more to this relationship with Felicity than he kept insisting.