"Not really," he said moving his head closer to her ear. "You're here."
The air between them became noticeably heavier. It was as though they both suddenly realized how intimate it was to lie so close to someone in total darkness. The absence of light made it easier to temporarily forget the boundaries they normally set up between one another.
Felicity turned so that she was facing him. Oliver kept his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand slipping down to rest on her side. She tucked her chin against him and allowed herself the simple pleasure of feeling his chest rise and fall beneath her. She closed her eyes and inhaled against his chest. There was no awkwardness between them. It felt natural, familiar even. Together they listened to the various sounds coming from the forest that seemed to echo in the night.
They stayed like that until Felicity felt Oliver shift and bring his hand up to the back of her head. "Felicity, lie still for a moment," he whispered close to her. Oliver slowly reached into his pocket for the small switchblade that he took from the plane's emergency kit.
"Oliver?" Felicity whispered back to him. She squinted in vain to try and see what he was concerned about.
"There's something out there. It's small, whatever it is. I'm sure it's just curious whether or not we have any food." Oliver spoke softly, in a measured tone.
"As long as it's not interested in having us as food," Felicity said quietly, more to herself than to Oliver. She stilled and she could hear the shuffling of something moving around in the darkness.
"I want to see what it is but I don't want to startle it. There's a small chance it could be a skunk. That is not something I want to meet up with in the dark," Oliver said, weighing out his options.
"Skunk? Of all the things to worry about out here that was most definitely not on my list... it is now." Felicity pushed herself off of Oliver so that he could move more easily.
Oliver sat up and struck a match. For a brief moment they could see shadows around their makeshift little camp. Two beady eyes reflected the light of the match back at them. The animal scurried back into the relative safety of the forest.
"Just a raccoon. No need to panic." Oliver waited for the match to burn out, staring into the night. "I can stay awake and keep watch. Why don't you try and get some rest?"
Felicity nodded and moved closer to where he was sitting. Darkness slowly enveloped them once again as the match extinguished. Oliver lay back down on the tarp and pulled Felicity towards him.
He could tell that she was shivering slightly so he ran his hand up and down her arm to warm her. He stopped once her shaking subsided and dropped his hand back down to her waist.
"Thank you," Felicity said. "I'm sorry that I'm so frightened of everything. Considering what we do every day I feel rather ridiculous." Felicity shook her head in the darkness.
"Don't sell yourself short. You're brave in so many ways. I've seen it. Everyone's entitled to a few fears."
"I seem to have a few more than most. I'm guessing Oliver Queen isn't scared of that many things?"
"Tax audits," Oliver deadpanned. "I break out into a cold sweat just thinking about them."
"You'll be happy to know that they are way less frightening when your tax bracket drops down a few levels," Felicity teased.
"Something to look forward to now that I'm broke."
Even in the dark she could feel him smile. She automatically smiled in response even though he couldn't see her. They were both silent for a moment.
She rested her forehead on his chest and sighed. "You would be scared of a tax audit. Not much else fazes the Arrow."
He paused. "That's not true. I was scared when Slade took you," Oliver said honestly. He traced his thumb in patterns along her side. "I don't know what I would have done if things had ended differently." The air became heavy between them again.
Felicity tried to ignore the gooseflesh that was rising underneath his thumb. "It's funny. I was scared then too but in a different way. I knew you would come for me. I knew you would beat him. And you did. It's over." Felicity spread her palm on his chest to reassure him once again that she really was fine.
"But at what price Felicity? The risk was unthinkable." Oliver brought his chin down to rest on the top of her head. She leaned into him.
They both were lost in their own thoughts for a moment. They may have recovered physically from that day but the emotional toll that it took was still very evident.
"Do you want to know what scares me the most Felicity?" Oliver asked softly, almost in a whisper. He spoke to her just above her ear, his lips touching her hair. "It scares me to know that you're lying right here beside me still thinking that I lied to you when I told you that I loved you."
Oliver leaned even closer, facing her, their cheeks almost touching. She couldn't see him but she could feel his breath warm against her lips.
"And it terrifies me knowing that I didn't," he said hesitating, waiting for her reaction.
Notes:
60 minutes in... thanks for reading! Reviews always appreciated :)