Author's Note: Sorry this took an extra week. I have had an extremely difficult time finding my muse as of late. I'm still struggling to locate it.

On a positive note, thank you everyone who reviewed last chapter. I figured that would get a good reaction. Now on to the aftermath!

….

Chapter 11: No One Ever Said Keeping Secrets Was Easy

There's a warm presence by his side. It's soft and inviting and smells like lavender mixed with a hint of something smoky. Oliver's sleep addled brain doesn't bother trying to put two and two together. All it cares about is getting closer and basking in the comforting figure nestled against him.

A few minutes pass as Oliver drifts in the space between the sleeping and the awake. He drifts and he soaks in every bit of the warmth that he can. It fills him, sends his body buzzing in the most satisfying way. The warmth sighs and tucks itself impossibly closer to him and that's when he remembers.

The warmth is Felicity. She's here, in Oliver's bed, and he's not worried that she's going to runaway screaming, not scared that he's crossing a line because he already did last night. Oliver crossed the line and he's so glad that he did because this is the happiest he's been in years.

Memories from the previous night swirl behind his closed eyelids. Felicity beaming and laughing on stage. Felicity dancing with Barry. Felicity and her kiss-swollen lips and disheveled hair, panting with desire. Felicity's hand in his as they snuck out the side entrance of Verdant. Felicity falling asleep in his arms after another round of tasting and teasing each other. Felicity, Felicity, Felicity.

Oliver is helpless to the smile that spreads across his face as his eyes slide open, still not believing that this is real, that she is here in his arms like he's dreamt of since his return. But as his vision adjusts to the dim light streaming in from behind the curtains, he's met with the vision of Felicity tucked securely into his side, hair piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun and body swimming in one of his oversized training shirts. It's quickly becoming clear to Oliver that he loves every single one of Felicity's looks. Work, parties, training, formal, casual; every time he sees her she's just as beautiful as the time before, if not more so and right now is no exception. In fact, if he had to choose a favorite, it would be this one where she's wearing his clothing and nothing else.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to stare?"

Felicity doesn't open her eyes as she mumbles the words against his chest but a small smile graces her lips. Oliver momentarily tightens his hold around Felicity's waist, squeezing her side gently, before reaching up to brush loose strands of her golden hair away from her face. He tucks them behind her ear; thumb smoothly gliding along the shell of it. A shiver runs through her at the action, much to Oliver's delight.

"Don't girls find it sweet and romantic now?"

Her eyes flutter open and his breathe catches at the happiness he finds in them, mirroring his own.

"Maybe some do, but if you're not gonna do anything about it then it's just creepy."

Oliver shifts their position so that he's hovering over her, one leg pressed between hers and elbows braced by her shoulders so as not to crush her with his weight. They're close, noses brushing lightly against one another, his body lying on top of hers. Felicity quickly reaches up to lace her hands behind his neck and begins rubbing her thumbs in a circular motion at the base.

"Guess I should do something about it then, shouldn't I?"

"That would be the preferred course of action here."

At first, his lips don't meet hers. They take their time, traveling over the planes of her cheeks, the small indents at her temples, the tip of her round button nose, her eyelids as they flutter shut. Last night their kisses had been fast and full of urgency, a need to be as close as they could be without being close. Now there's no rush. It's just Oliver and Felicity in his bed and the outside world has ceased to exist.

When his lips finally do meet hers, it's sweet. The kiss is slow and deep as he momentarily captures her full bottom lip between his before slowly dragging away and pressing his mouth fully back to hers. Felicity hums against him when his tongue traces the seam of her lips, seeking entrance that she happily grants him. He alternates between stroking his tongue against her own and sipping at her mouth, still learning her taste. Shifting his weight to one elbow, Oliver reaches up to cup her cheek and angles her head to deepen the kiss as they get lost in one another.

Things begin to heat up as Felicity runs her fingers through Oliver's hair and tugs him impossibly closer. The hand that was holding her face drops to the pillow beside her head as Oliver catches himself from falling on top of her and crushing her with his full body weight. Felicity's leg runs up the back of his until she wraps it around his hip to bring their lower bodies closer. A small sigh of satisfaction escapes her mouth where it's currently pressed against his before she begins trailing kisses over his jawline and down his neck. A jolt of electricity surges through him when Felicity gently bites down on an area she learned last night to be particularly sensitive, causing a low groan to leave him.

"Felicity… "

"Mhmm…"

Oliver is at a loss for any other words as she shifts her hips against his, pressing into him with just the right amount of pressure to be felt, but not nearly enough to bring him any kind of relief. Grasping at her ribcage, he drags Felicity's body up against his own and rolls them so that she's on top, legs bracketing his waist. Having been separated in the maneuver, Felicity leans down to return her lips to Oliver's neck but he catches her before she's able to, capturing her mouth with his. Of their own accord, his hands slip down her sides to take hold of her small waist and guide her movements as she shifts against him. This time it pulls a groan from both of them followed by the most attractive whimpering noise from Felicity that Oliver has ever heard.

A battle flares up inside of him as Oliver's brain catches up with his actions. Although they spent the previous night together in his bed, he and Felicity hadn't gone past making out when they'd returned from the party. He didn't want to push her or approach any boundaries too fast. The only definite fact he knows about Felicity's sexual activity is that she's a virgin. Beyond that Oliver has no clue what she has or hasn't done and he doesn't want to pressure her into anything she's not ready for.

From the way that she's moving on top of him now and the small mewling noises escaping her throat, he's pretty sure she's enjoying this. But they should talk before things go further with them. Whatever they are. Another thing they need to talk about.

Reluctantly, Oliver separates from Felicity, who follows after him at the sudden break of contact as if trying to catch him in one more kiss but failing to do so.

"Felicity, we should… "

Oh God. She looks like something from his fantasies perched on top of him in his shirt that's slipping off one of her bare shoulders. Random strands of hair have fallen out of her, now extremely loose, topknot and her cheeks are completely flushed. He's momentarily mesmerized by the rise and fall of her chest in sync with her rapid intake of breath.

Felicity must take his silence as a sign to continue because she leans back down to reacquaint her lips with his. It's slightly embarrassing to say that Oliver doesn't put up much resistance, or any at all really. His hands fist in the material of the sheets underneath him, searching for any semblance of control. However, his efforts are quickly thwarted when hers slide beneath the hem of his shirt, nails lightly dragging over the hardened muscle between his hipbones. His hips jerk up into her at the same moment that his hands fly to her waist to grind her down against him, dragging her heat against his hardened length.

"Ah! Oliver."

Fuck. This needs to stop before they get carried away, further than they already are. But Oliver's already unsteady willpower begins to crumble when she let's out his name at a volume louder than any other exclamation beforehand. Logically he should be urging her to stay quiet, but this situation lends little room to rational thought.

A voice reaches Oliver on the very, very edge of his awareness, a female voice that definitely does not belong to the woman currently on top of him. It takes him longer than it should to identify whom the voice belongs to and when he does, panic sets in because it's getting closer to his door.

"Shit! Felicity… Felicity, Thea is coming!"

"What? Oh fuck!"

In any other situation Oliver would probably laugh at how strange the curse sounds coming from her mouth. But any other situation is not this situation and right now he needs to hide Felicity ASAP. She's scrambling off his lap as the voice pauses in front of his door.

"Ollie? It's Thea. Can I come in?"

Felicity looks like a deer caught in headlights as he catches her gaze, sure that his expression isn't far from mirroring hers.

"Ollie? Are you awake?"

Answer her! Felicity mouths the words and lightly hits him on the chest.

"Uh yeah, yeah I'm up!"

The handle on the door turns as Felicity dives beneath the dark green covers beside Oliver, pressing up against his side so that any move she makes won't draw attention. She just barely gets herself situated by the time his sister enters the room.

"Did you just wake up? You're usually out of bed by now."

The glowing red numbers on the alarm clock atop his bedside table read a quarter 'til ten. She's right, he's usually up by now and gotten his morning work out in. But for the first time in a long time there were no nightmares keeping him awake, no haunting images of ghosts he used to know screaming at him for help that he could not give. It was the most peaceful sleep he had gotten in a long while.

"I, uh, had a long night."

That earns him a pinch on his side from Felicity and a questioning look from Thea.

"Right. So, have you seen Felicity?"

Oh shit. She knows. He's not sure how but she knows. Beneath the covers Felicity's nails dig into his tensed thigh.

"No. Haven't seen her. Weren't you with her at the party?"

"I was, but then she went off with Barry after the cake cutting. I caught up with him but he said you two went off to… talk."

"Yeah, I had a question about my laptop."

Thea arches an eyebrow at that, not taking the bait in the least.

"Really? What happened to it?"

"I spilled a latte on it."

The excuse sounds weak, even to his ears. Felicity's forehead drops against Oliver's hip in silent defeat and her breath against his side sends a shiver running through him. He tries to smooth it over with a smile at his sister.

"Okay. Well, if you see her, tell her she has some explaining to do. Dipping out on her own birthday party like that. Rude!"

"I'll be sure to let her know. If I see her."

His sister glances around the room, eyes narrowing on the closet for a second before she seems to think better of it and shifts her gaze back to Oliver.

"Thanks. Also, Raisa is making hangover brunch so be ready in an hour."

Much to his relief, Thea leaves the room shortly after that. He reaches a hand down to pat the duvet covered mass that is Felicity curled up next to him to signal that the coast is clear. She wiggles and pushes her self up towards the pillows at the head of the bed, tossing the cover down and away from her upper body with a huff.

"A latte? Seriously? She probably saw through that like it was glass, Oliver."

She's trying to be angry but all it does is make him want to kiss her. Although with the crossed arms and the unimpressed glare he doesn't think that would be wise.

"I'm not very good with making up cover stories at the drop of a hat."

"Really? You don't say."

He can't help it. Instead of responding, Oliver leans forward to press his lips against the tip of Felicity's nose before lightly pecking her mouth. He smiles at the way her expression lightens under his ministrations. It looks like he might have just found his secret weapon.

"Next time, I'll hide and you can come up with the cover story."

"That's a little presumptuous there, Mr. Queen."

It's meant to be a joking comment but it gives Oliver pause, causing a swooping sensation low within his stomach. He doesn't know what Felicity wants from this. They haven't talked about any of it, too caught up in the whirlwind of being together. For all he knows it was just a 'caught in the moment' thing for her.

He wants to argue that isn't the case, that there's no way the pull he feels is one sided. What he and Felicity have can't be given a specific label but it's not a fling, at least it doesn't feel that way. However, the fact still remains that they haven't talked about it and therefore he can't be sure what is going through her mind.

A hand on his cheek pulls Oliver from his reverie.

"Hey, where'd you go? I was only kidding. Of course there's going to be a next time, and a next time after that, and a next time after that. If you want there to be, that is. I'm not trying to force you into anything. I know you have a lot going on with QC and your family and… other things. This isn't… I don't want you to feel like I'm expecting anything out of this. It can mean as much or as little as you want it to. I – "

"Felicity."

Her rambling cuts off and she blushes, pulling her hand away from his face and into her lap, tangling it nervously with the other. She looks down as she fiddles with the ring around her finger.

"Felicity, please look at me."

She's hesitant and he copies her action from earlier, taking her cheek in the palm of his hand. When she automatically leans into the contact it sends a steady flood of warmth through him.

"This isn't nothing. It means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me, okay? Last night, when I said I care about you, I wasn't lying. I care about you more than I probably should and I would be an idiot if I let this go on while you were under the impression that I didn't. Listen to me, I want this."

By the time his last words escape, a brilliant smile has spread across Felicity's face.

"Good. It would have really sucked if this didn't mean as much to you as it did to me."

An airy laugh escapes Oliver before he leans in to press his forehead against Felicity's, her breath fanning across his face.

"This isn't going to be easy. People won't… they're not all going to be accepting of this."

"I know. I've talked to Thea about it. She had a lot to say on the subject."

So that's how his sister knew. The little meddling match maker.

"That makes two of us. Thea has been on my ass about it nonstop this past week."

"A cupid in stilettos…" She pauses to take a breath before continuing. "We're going to have to keep this a secret, aren't we?"

He hates it, but they do. There's nothing more that Oliver wants than to be able to be with Felicity properly. He wants to take her on dates and hold her hand and at some point probably post a picture that will make people disgusted by how sweet they are together on one of the various social media platforms being used these days. He wants to be her date and she his at ridiculous galas for the idle rich and be the one she relies on when everything else is failing. He wants the world to know that she is his and he is hers and that they're happy together. But they can't, not right now.

"Yes. Believe me, I don't want to. I'm not ashamed of this but it's something we're going to have to be careful about for the time being."

"I wish it wasn't. But I get it and I'm okay with it. Plus, how can I not be when I get to do this?"

Felicity tilts her chin up and presses a tender kiss to Oliver's lips, just enough pressure to be felt but to also leave him wanting more.

"And this."

Her lips brush against his jaw before pressing firmly at the sensitive skin beneath it.

"And this."

She nips at his ear after whispering the words against it, a jolt shooting through him as her hands disappear beneath the hem of his t-shirt and begin to slowly slide the soft cotton material up his body. Her mouth reattaches itself to the underside of his jaw.

Oliver can feel his train of thought turning into nothing and the control he was kind of, sort of maintaining crumbling away. One of his hands shoots down to encircle Felicity's wrist and pause her movements, causing her to pull back and look at him questioningly.

"It's very hard to control myself with you doing that."

There's a spark in her eyes, one of mischief and desire that he's never seen before. It both worries him and turns him on.

"So don't."

Oliver's mouth is occupied with Felicity's before he can respond. He doesn't stop the kiss from happening, but he doesn't take it any further, both hands now lightly holding her wrists to prevent her from continuing her earlier actions. Felicity's growing frustration is obvious as she huffs against his mouth and pulls away.

"You're no fun. Is that something they teach you in the Army? How to remain unaffected by all sexual advances despite the opposite party being pants-less and very willing? Not that I'm desperate or anything. Just, you know, it's nice and I wouldn't mind continuing."

She's blushing by the end of it, squirming a little until Oliver relinquishes his hold.

"We have to get ready for brunch. Thea's looking for you and I'm sure Digg is too."

"Fine."

Felicity slides out from beneath the covers and Oliver instantly wants to pull her back to him. Her legs are bare, his shirt just reaching the area above her knees, and he vividly remembers what it felt like to have them tangled with his, skin against skin.

"Oh! I almost forgot, I texted Digg last night on the ride back here. If he says anything about you taking me home just go with it. I wasn't feeling well and you offered to bring me back early, got it?"

The words are thrown over her shoulder as Felicity becomes occupied with shimmying back into her jeans from the night before. It's an amusing sight, watching her hop around his bedroom floor to get them situated. It seems like a lot of effort and not entirely comfortable but then what would he know? Skinny jeans were never an item in Oliver's wardrobe, even pre-Army and there were some pretty horrible articles of clothing back then. A pair of Lycra cheetah-print pants he had worn to a 'Welcome to the Jungle' party comes to mind. The thought alone makes him cringe in embarrassment. But they had gotten him laid so…

"You text Diggle?"

"Yeah, we're buds now. He's actually really funny. Plus, I wasn't going to let some random man follow me around without getting to know him. Come on Oliver. That's just weird."

The bed dips as Felicity places a knee on it, leaning forward on both arms to softly kiss his mouth.

"I'll see you at brunch."

One more passing of their lips against one another's and Felicity heads for the door. Just as she's about to leave Oliver calls out.

"Hey, just so you know, I'm not."

Her eyebrows pull together and lips purse in confusion.

"You're not what?"

"Unaffected by your advances."

Realization washes over her in the form of a light pink blush.

"Oh… well, that's good to know."

….

When Oliver comes down for brunch, he finds Tommy talking with his mother and father in the sitting room. Thea and Felicity are nowhere to be seen and he assumes Digg is with them.

"Tommy, what are you doing here?"

They clasp hands and exchange a brief pat on the back before Oliver quickly turns to nod to his parents and briefly trade pleasantries.

"Thought I'd stop by and see if everyone was still alive. Are my two favorite ladies, well besides you Moira, all in one piece? No one could find Felicity after like ten thirty last night. Laurel and I wanted to give her our present in person."

Crap.

"Uh yeah, she's fine. I actually brought her home early. She wasn't feeling very well."

His mother looks concerned at that.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you tell me Felicity was sick? I would have checked on her last night when your father and I got home."

"It was just a headache. I'm fine, Moira."

At the sound of Felicity's voice Oliver's head snaps towards to entranceway. Her and Thea have just entered the room, Digg beside them. He swears his sister is grinning like the cat that ate the canary. When he catches her eye, the grin only widens.

"Are you sure? Raisa can prepare some of that herbal tea you like."

"Thank you but I'm okay. Starving, but okay."

"Well then, let's eat, shall we?"

As they make their way towards the dining room table, Oliver watches Felicity from the corner of his eye. Their gazes catch a few times when she thinks she's sneaking glances at him until Thea leans over to whisper something in her ear. Whatever she says makes Felicity duck her head and avoid looking his way as they take their seats.

"So, Oliver, I talked to Jeanine shortly after our conversation yesterday. What does your schedule look like for this afternoon?"

Moira picks up the conversation as various dishes are passed around the table and glasses are filled.

"I was just going to go over a couple contracts and procedures for Applied Sciences, maybe get a work out in. Why?"

"Well, Jeanine has graciously offered to take some time out of her weekend to show you a few of the models in that new apartment complex."

There's a clatter from the other side of the table and heads turn to look at Felicity as she fumbles to pick up her now egg-devoid silverware.

"Sorry, I uh, dropped my fork. Sorry. You were talking about apartments or something?"

Oliver tries not to give her too questioning and concerned of a look but he's curious as to why the topic would draw this sort of reaction. Sure, he hadn't told her, but it's not that big of a deal. In fact, having his own place might make things easier on them, less of a chance that someone would walk in on them.

"You didn't tell me you were looking for your own bachelor pad, man. Laurel and I have been thinking about getting a new place ourselves. The landlord is kind of an asshole and there's this creepy old man on the first floor that keeps propositioning her."

Moira gestures between Tommy and Oliver with her fork as she speaks.

"Well why don't you two go together? I'm sure Jeanine wouldn't mind. She's the one who sold your father that beach house on the coast, Tommy."

"Actually, that's not a bad ide, Mom. I don't know the first thing about buying my own place. It will be good to have someone with me who's been through it already that's not just trying to make a commission."

Oliver's been meaning to meet up with Tommy for a while now. They haven't really talked since their lunch weeks ago and he's missed his best friend. This is the perfect opportunity for them to catch up.

"Yeah man, sure. Laurel's got this big CNRI case that she's working on so I was just going to help with inventory at the club. She's been so stressed about it lately. Maybe this will help take some of that load off of her."

"Sounds great."

The only sounds that fill the room for the ensuing couple of minutes are the clinking of silverware and the soft, nearly silent chewing of the individuals gathered around the table. Once everyone has made considerable progress on their respective meals, Robert speaks up from his seat at the head of the table.

"So, Thomas, I hear Verdant has been doing well. I'll admit that when you first approached me about turning the old factory into a nightclub I was a bit skeptical."

Oliver's father had refused to call him or Tommy by any given nickname once they turned eighteen. They were adults then and would be addressed as such.

What a load of pretentious bullshit.

"Yes, sir, it's doing very well, thanks for asking. We finally broke even with the construction and start up costs about a month ago. Last night was a huge success as well. I might have to convince Sara to work for us on the regular."

Moira pipes in to join the conversation from the opposite end of the table.

"Sara Lance? How is she doing these days? I feel like I haven't seen the girl in ages. Oliver doesn't bring her around as often as he should."

Wait, what?

Why would he bring Sara around? They're friends, sure, have been for years. But even then they weren't really the type of friends to just hang out one on one without… hanging out all over his bedroom. Or the pool. Or the home theater. There was also that one time in the kitchen but Raisa walked in and that never happened again. However, that had been years ago, before the Army, and while they were still good friends, the sex wasn't going to happen again anytime soon, probably ever.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sara didn't tell you? I ran into her the morning after your homecoming. She's a lovely girl, Oliver, and a dear friend of the family. You don't have to hide her from us."

Oh no, no that's definitely not happening. It's clear that Moira thinks that he and Sara are… something. Maybe not dating but something other than friends and he needs to put this to rest before it's even given life.

"Mom, whatever preconceived notions you have, I can assure you they are false."

"Oh sweetheart, it's quite alright. I'm not going to go meddling in your affairs. You're thirty years old for goodness sake. All I'm saying is you two looked handsome together at the CNRI fundraiser and you have my support."

Oliver cringes internally at the memory, not of dancing with Sara but of what he had said to Felicity that night. Glancing wearily across the table, he can see that this is a sore subject for Felicity as well. He wants to take her hand and tell her that she has nothing to worry about but there's no way to do that from where he's seated.

"We're not... Sara and I... I'm not seeing Sara Lance nor will I ever be. You're right, she's a very good friend and a great person, but that's it. Can we please drop the subject of my romantic life now?"

Oliver looks right at Felicity as he says the words with conviction. It's the only way he knows how to make sure that she understands there's no one else and that there won't be for the foreseeable future while they're still in a room full of people. Much to his relief, she gives an almost imperceptible nod to signal her understanding. He gives her a small smile in return.

"Of course, dear. New subject then… Felicity, did you enjoy your party last night?"

The blonde in question moves to respond but Thea beats her to it, mumbling from her seat beside Felicity.

"Enjoy is a bit of an understatement - ow!"

Thea winces and rubs at her leg underneath the table, throwing a small glare in Felicity's direction.

"What Thea means, is yes, I did. It was wonderful. Thank you so much for helping plan it. I couldn't have asked for a better eighteenth birthday."

She trails off as her eyes meet Oliver's across the table, a genuine smile spreading across her lips, sincerity shining in her bright blue eyes from behind the framed lenses of her glasses. A beat passes before she seems to come back to herself and quickly breaks their connection, shifting her attention back to Moira.

"Minus the, uh, head ache, that is."

Something on Felicity's plate seems to occupy her attention then as she looks down at it with the utmost intent. She reaches up to absentmindedly flip a stray piece of hair over her shoulder and adjusts the scarf around her neck.

Just then Tommy chokes on his drink, spiraling into a coughing fit that has Oliver reaching over to hand him his glass of water.

"Here, man, drink some water."

His friend gratefully accepts the glass and downs its contents, letting out a few stray coughs and clearing his throat in the process.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I just thought I saw… never mind, doesn't matter. Sorry for the interruption."

There's a lull in the conversation as everyone takes his or her own moment to assess if Tommy really is okay or if he's going to dissolve into another bout of coughing. When it seems that the coast is clear, Moira picks up where they left off.

"Okay then... I'm so glad you enjoyed the party, Felicity. I was hoping maybe us girls could go into the city today for a post-birthday shopping spree. But if you're still under the weather we can always do that another time."

"No, no I'm feeling fine now. Nothing a good night of snuggling won't cure. I mean snuggling like into bed with my pillows and that how-fluffy-is-too-fluffy duvet. Not like with a person because that would be crazy. Why would a person be in my bed? Besides me, obviously. Uhm, yeah, shopping would be great. What time should we leave?"

Between Oliver and Felicity they could write a book, 101 Lame Ass Cover Stories That for Some Reason People Don't Question. If she wasn't so prone to babbling someone may have probed her on the subject but thankfully everyone in attendance decides to let it slide.

"Perfect. Would you girls be ready to leave after brunch?"

"Sure! That sounds great."

The remainder of the meal passes on with inconsequential small talk and soon enough the plates are being cleared as everyone begins to part ways.

Oliver tries his best not to stare after Felicity as she leaves with his mother and sister. However, he must not do a very good job of it because Felicity's fingers brush against his as she passes him. They linger for a moment longer than what would constitute an accidental touch as she exerts the barest amount of pressure onto his hand. She catches Oliver's eye and gives him a timid yet reassuring smile before disappearing out the front door, Diggle not far behind.

The older man, who has silently been keeping guard throughout brunch, stops just outside of the door and turns to address Oliver.

"I'll take care of her, Oliver."

….

"So who do you think it was?"

Oliver and Tommy are currently touring the penthouse of the apartment complex Moira had been talking about earlier. It's a nice place, spacious with four bedrooms, more than enough for either of them. Jeanine had left the two to their own devices while she took a phone call from another potential client.

"Tommy, I have no idea what you are talking about. Care to elaborate?"

"The guy who had Felicity's neck for dessert last night, that's who! How did you not see the giant ass hickey this morning at brunch?"

Shit. He hadn't thought about that when it was happening. To be honest, Oliver hadn't been thinking much about anything last night besides the feel of Felicity in his arms and the sounds she made as he kissed and bit and worshipped her sensitive skin.

"I didn't notice it. Wasn't she wearing a scarf?"

That would explain why she was wearing that particular article of clothing in the middle of summer.

"Yeah but, dude, the minute she moved it around, bam! It was right there in the open, not for long I'll admit but it was fucking massive."

Oliver pretends to be interested in the counter top of the master bathroom as he gathers his thoughts. Was that granite or marble? Hell if he knows but there are two sinks and an image of him standing side by side with Felicity as they go through their morning routines flashes through his mind unbidden.

When Oliver doesn't make a move to speak up, Tommy continues on.

"And that smile she kept getting randomly at brunch. Man, I've seen that smile before. It's the boy smile."

"The boy smile?"

Looking up through the mirror, Oliver gives Tommy an incredulous look before walking to the other side of the master bathroom under the guise of examining the shower.

"Yeah, you know, when a girl meets a boy she thinks is cute and smiles whenever she thinks about him. I'm used to it from Thea but from Felicity, that's only happened a handful of times."

Oliver can't help the brief satisfaction he feels at making Felicity so visibly happy, but he tries his best to tamper it down.

"Maybe she's just basking in post-birthday bliss. She was having a lot of fun at the party from what I could tell until her head started hurting."

"Oliver, you haven't been around teenage girls in awhile and, well, I have, in a totally platonic and sibling-like way. Trust me, that was a boy smile."

Tommy briefly sets a hand on Oliver's shoulder as if he's just spewed some mystery of the universe and is about to make his final point.

"We need to find out who this guy is."

"Why, exactly?"

"So we can threaten him and maybe get a friendly punch in for that monstrosity he left on her neck."

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Oliver begins to realize the full implications of Tommy's words. The protective, big brother instinct that Oliver should have resides full force in Tommy. If his best friend ever found at that he was the reason for the hickey on Felicity's neck and the smile on her face…

This is what he was afraid of.

"Is that really necessary? I mean maybe she, uh, liked it."

Images from last night flash through his mind. The sound Felicity had emitted when he nipped at her pulse point replays loud and clear, as if he were actually hearing it again. Her grip on his hair had tightened then as she swiveled her hips against his in a desperate search for friction. Yeah, she definitely liked it.

"Oliver. This is Felicity we're talking about, practically our adoptive sister. It's our duty as big brothers to warn any guy who comes within ten feet of her that if he breaks her heart, we break his neck. Also, that image you just gave me is disgusting. Remind me to bleach my brain when I get home."

They make their way out of the master suite and head back toward the kitchen where Jeanine is waiting for them.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see if she brings up any boys. Until then let's not worry about it. Aren't you supposed to be helping me pick a new place of living?"

Anything to change the subject. Thankfully it seems to work as the focus of Tommy's interest shifts to the apartment, his eyes making a grand sweep of the main living area.

"Right, okay. Well the location is great. Not too far into the city that you're dealing with terrible street noise 24/7 but close enough that you could probably cut your current commute from the mansion to QC in half. The security is pretty nice, if I'm remembering correctly from what Jeanine mentioned early. "

"I looked into it before we even got here. It's the highest level of resident building security in the city."

That was the most important factor on deciding where to live. Oliver wasn't very picky when it came to location and layout. So long as he had the essentials, he could compromise with the rest. Security, however, was the one thing he was unwilling to compromise on. Luckily, this particular complex was constructed with a certain clientele in mind, one that would greatly value its privacy and be willing to pay for it.

"So there you go! And, there's a club just a couple blocks down. Perfect bachelor pad location for walking the ladies back here."

Unfortunately for that line of argument, there's only one woman Oliver wants to bring back to his place and she's not quite old enough to get into the club Tommy's describing.

His best friend continues to explain the benefits of making this apartment his "bachelor pad" but Oliver only hears half of what Tommy's saying. His mind begins to wander and he can't help but get lost in the picture it paints; one where he's not the only person residing in this luxurious penthouse, one where a certain blonde bounces around getting ready for her day in perfect rhythm with him and then falls asleep beside him at night in nothing but his shirt.

They say pictures are worth a thousand words but this one is indescribable.

….

Author's Note: So I have to confess, I'm not super proud of this chapter. I just seemed kind of slow to me but that might just have been due to my struggle with writing it.

In any case I'm hoping to get more things happening next chapter.

Please let me know what you think. I could use some input now more than ever.

Thanks for reading.

- Bri