Chapter Five

She tried really hard, not to feel lonely. She faked a smile and reminded herself that he was never hers to lose in the first place. She was happy, really happy to see him connect with someone, in love with someone who had gone through the same ordeal as he had.

Felicity had never been exposed to the sort of violence as her fellow team mates have gone through. Her days in colleges were all safe and colourful, except maybe for writing up a code for a deadly virus. Her skin was almost pristine, no scars and no marks that could write her pages of legend. The little mark in the corners of her eyebrow wouldn't count, she had asked Roy secretly whether he could see the mark and he had said no.

So when she saw Sara and Oliver having their usual spar in their arrow cave, it was almost like a dance to her eyes. They were in their own world, their muscles dancing, their grunts were lyrics that she could never comprehend, their arms tangled across each other with each stance that they threw in and Felicity could only regret for not taking at least Karate lessons.

She could see the length of long, deep scars on their back and they looked beautiful, each stitch in their skin was like an insignia for braveness.

She was a coward.

Felicity saw Digg showing his bullet wounds and her three friends were comparing their beautiful flaws in the skin. She showed her little mark in her mouth, the removal of her teeth. She didn't know why she was desperate in joining the club, but she needed recognition.

"You are cute" Sara said and she felt giddy when Oliver smiled at her, his brow lifted in amusement and she felt the brush of familiar warmth pelting across her heart.

~.~.~.~

She had a lunch date with Thea, Oliver had forbade her from meeting his sister for God knows why. Thea kept saying that it was because her brother was afraid that his façade will be broken, but the blonde snorted at the theory. She saw in his eyes, the love he had for Sara, and she knew that Oliver Queen will never look at her with the intensity as such, the azure iris would never shed the light of love on her and she was fine with it.

"I mean, have you seen his abs, his arms are like strong and hard, not that I had touched them before, Okay, I have touched when I was patching up a wound, which you aren't supposed to know, he got that wound when he was riding his bike and I was happen to be at the place and so he had asked me to do the first aid, nothing else and I do know for a fact that he is now in love with Sara and I will never forgive you if you let him know that I like seeing his abs, or his arms, or….never mind" She shut herself finally and a hint of red bathed her cheeks.

"Felicity, I do like Sara, but I also know that my brother has a soft spot for you. There must be a reason as to why he keeps pushing you away" She said and paid for the lunch. It was when she took off her scarf, Felicity noticed an ugly red trail on Thea's neck.

"Did you get bug bite or something?" Felicity asked, tilting her chin.

"More like Roy bite" Thea said and Felicity had to blush, again.

Ooh, bed war. How nice?

'Great, I have never got a hickey either' The genius thought and shook her head to clear some dangerous thoughts. She was already over the quota for fantasising Oliver, and she felt ashamed to think about him that way, he was someone's lover and Sara was not just someone, she was in the team and more like a sister.

~.~.~

It was hectic, unbelievable and she had put the evens in the list of 'awesome things I do when I have an adrenaline rush'. She had saved Sara, she had taken a bullet in her shoulder for someone and she had never been this proud. Okay, maybe she was proud when she had topped in MIT, but this was something that made her to get goose bumps all over again.

Oliver had been worried sick when he heard that Felicity had got hurt. He had noticed the look in her eyes, the one that said she felt left out. A blast of remorse hit him squarely across his chest and he could only hope that she wouldn't do anything rash, like taking a bullet for someone.

He was glad that Sara was safe, but he was equally worried for Felicity. He could see Sara stitching the wound, the tiny jumps of pain that Felicity tried so hard to hide. She has a brave heart, the one that beats with the rhythm of purity and Oliver would never forgive himself if something was to happen to her.

Sara was quick enough to patch up the wound and was sweet enough to give them an alone time. He stood in front of the nerd that he had been smitten with and tilted her chin.

"What?" She asked, her little brow raised up and her lips were parted.

"Digg told me that you felt left out" He reasoned out and saw the hue of blush barging her cheek, all the more reason to stay away from her, to protect her from losing her sanity.

But the string that she had on him was more powerful, stronger than his will to stay away.

"Felicity" He said and she raised her lashes to meet the intensity that she longed for, the warmth that she craved for. Just one word, her name alone on his lips did her things that no one had ever done to her before.

His palm cupped her cheek and she was sure she had let out a moan. He smiled, the one that hid so much pain, the one that was well drafted to make sure that no one could see beneath the surface. But Felicity was a genius and she could see the break-through of the code to his façade.

"What am I to you?" She asked and the smile was gone.

"As in, Oliver, I am sorry, that came out of nowhere. So, I am great huh? I took a bullet for someone. My own personal scar, pretty amazing huh?" She blurted out. The lines in his forehead vanished on seeing her rambling out and he smiled, this time a genuine one.

"Yes, you carry it well" he said and there was a grain of pride in his eyes.

"Huh, maybe Thea is right" Felicity said out loud, without thinking.

"About what?" Oliver asked, his brows were furrowed.

"Um, I am not gonna say to you"

"Felicity" He pressed, his lips were thin as line.

"Yes, Oliver?" She asked, and he could only smile at her playful side.

"What did my sister say?" He pressed on, each syllable rolled out of his tongue and she realised she suddenly has a thing for his mole that blossomed in the corner of his lips.

"As if the slow talks are gonna work. Shoot, I am late. I need to visit the Star Labs" She said and jumped off the table before she could do anything unforgivable like pulling him close and giving him a scar crafted by her teeth.

~.~.~

Word count = 1262