Something was up with Felicity. Oliver wasn't sure what exactly, but he knew something was going on with her. Roy and Diggle noticed it too, if the strange looks directed at her were any clue. Felicity had floated into the Foundry on cloud nine with a giddy smile on her face for the last month, or maybe it was longer than that; Oliver confessed he had been too self-absorbed to really pay attention to anything outside of Arrow business. But now he noticed it, because the bright smile on her face, that looked a little painful with its ferocity, was becoming infectious. It was like a breath of fresh air for the men of Team Arrow and Oliver was curious at the cause of it. From when he had last checked in with her, she was an Executive Assistant, a job she disliked, for Ray Palmer, a man she disliked even more.
"So are you two…you know, good?" Roy pointed a red arrow back and forth between Oliver and Felicity. Felicity looked up from her key board and glanced at Oliver quickly before turning back to Roy.
"Of course we're good; why wouldn't we be?" Diggle, Roy, and Oliver exchanged looks. "What?" Felicity fully spun around in her chair to face them.
"I don't know, it's been a little tense for the past couple months and then all of a sudden poof, the tension's vanished." Roy wiped Oliver's finger prints off of another freshly made arrow. Felicity looked to Oliver with wide eyes. Oliver wondered if she really hadn't noticed the new atmosphere in the Foundry.
"Oliver and I are adults; we can go on a failed date and still be friends. Just a lot popped up in between our failed date and now, but we're good." She flashed another bright smile then turned back to her computers. Oliver couldn't tell if he felt relief or sadness; he was glad they were good but there was a bitter taste in his mouth. She had defined them, which to others may not seem like such a grave action, but to Oliver, that meant everything. He and Felicity had never been "just friends" before. Sure she was "personal Internet researcher for Oliver Queen", and then she was his savior and confidante, and then she was a part of his crusade, but in that time there had always been an electric undercurrent scratching at the surface. Now that they were "friends" it felt, weird.
Roy seemed satisfied and shot her a smile back. Diggle nodded and sent her one of those smiles he strictly reserved for her. Oliver just nodded and went back to sharpening a new arrow point. It was a good thing Felicity stocked up on arrow material and bows while he was still loaded, or it would be extremely difficult to continue his nighttime activities. A comfortable silence overtook the team as each went back to their respective tasks.
Shattering the silence, Felicity's phone vibrated against the metal desk; Darth Vader's Imperial march sounded from the tiny device and filled the Foundry. Diggle bit back a smile and Roy fought hard not to chuckle, covering his mouth and avoiding eye contact with anything.
"Sorry," Felicity quickly answered the phone. "It's my boss." She dashed up the stairs and to the former club's office.
To say Oliver was not happy was an understatement. Why was Palmer calling Felicity at, he checked the clock, 8p.m on a Friday night? What did he need that he couldn't do himself or couldn't wait until Monday morning?
"I wonder what her ringtone for you was?" Roy joked. .
"I think it was 'Cold Hearted' for a little while, conveniently after Russia. After that it was 'Mamma Mia,' and then 'Habits'; now I have no clue which song she would use to describe him." Diggle made fun.
"That's not funny." Oliver shot them all a disapproving look but they all shook it off. Oliver's eyes couldn't help but glance up at the Foundry door, wondering when it would reopen.
Felicity parked her mini Cooper in her favorite parking space, grabbed her purse, and rushed towards the elevator, almost leaving her car unlocked in the process. She quickly pressed the lock button on her remote and pressed the button for the 31st floor. Ray had said something urgent had come up at QC, something that "with how easily stock prices plummeted, couldn't wait over the weekend." Felicity ignored the creepy sound of her heels in a deserted office building and rushed to her office door. Once she swept into the glass office a mixture of anger and disbelief overtook her. Standing by his desk, was a very smug Ray Palmer holding a bottle of what looked to be a very expensive red wine. Candles filled the office with delicate lighting and two bags from Pirocchi's Italian restaurant and two glasses of wine sat on the desk.
"I know it's customary to have champagne when celebrating, but I happen to know you appreciate a good bottle of red wine as a reward."
"Celebrating? I thought something urgently catastrophic was happening with Queen Consolidated." Felicity was highly confused; no way had he called her away from her nightly…hobby, to celebrate with red wine and an Italian dinner.
"Well something urgent is happening, or happened with Queen Consolidate, and if catastrophic can be used to mean great then yes." His smug smirk turned into a slightly anxious smile. He placed the bottle down and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Her anger all but dissipated at his demeanor; it was kind of cute to see his usual confidence overcome with nervousness. Plus she was already here, might as well enjoy wine, food, and attractive company.
"So what are we celebrating, and more importantly, what kind of wine are we celebrating with?" Felicity set her purse down on the couch and walked over to her evening companion.
"We're celebrating the completion of the QC field x-ray 200 prototype just in time to reveal it at Starling General's charity gala next weekend." Ray beamed with pride. Felicity's eyes widened in shock. Applied Sciences had already produced a prototype? She figured they were months away from a prototype yet here they were, ready to unveil a physical model for a device that would allow EMTs to take a patient's x-rays in the field and send them to radiologist and surgeons, increasing diagnostic speeds and the chances of survival and recovery. After the two terrorist attacks in Starling City, this technology could be revolutionary to emergency response in disaster zones. This reveal would definitely show that Queen Consolidated was committed to helping Starling City rebuild itself and committed to its rebirth as Star City. The excitement on Ray's face was contagious and Felicity found herself smiling with him.
"Mr. Palm—Ray that's fantastic. That's definitely a reason to be celebrating."
"I thought so too, which is why I had a bottle of wine prepared for this moment; I just didn't think it would come this soon." Ray strode to the desk and picked up the flutes, handing her one. They toasted and took a sip, all the while Ray never took his eyes off of her.
"Oh my gosh, that is really good. What is it?"
"2005 Chateau Lafite Rothschild." Felicity almost choked.
"Oh my gosh, tell me you didn't actually buy this?!" Chateau Lafite Rothschild was notorious among the wine world as one of the most expensive wines. She didn't even want to know how many months she could have paid her rent with the price.
"Ok, I won't tell you. But this is a very special occasion, and a very special bottle of wine, and I wanted to share it with you." He grinned and took another sip. Felicity followed his lead, savoring the deep woodsy flavor she was sure she'd never forget. Ray grasped her hand and led her over to his desk. Felicity sat and was excited to see what was in the bags on the table. As soon as he pulled out one of the containers the scent of hardy sauce and delicious carbs filled the office. Felicity moaned at the appealing aroma and couldn't wait to dig in.
"You even bought dinner; you sure this is just a celebration?" Felicity playfully inquired, but felt something shift when she saw the cloudiness of his eyes. Ray cleared his throat and opened her container full of delicious chicken fettuccine alfredo.
"I umm… well I don't have any family, and spending all my time on a PH.D in physics and building my own company, as well as taking over Queen Consolidated, rarely leaves you with any friends," The nervousness was back in his voice. "I guess I found a kindred spirit in you, and kind off latched on to that. I'm sorry; you must think I'm a weirdo, among other things."
"No! I don't think that at all." Ray looked up, his eyes misty. Felicity felt drawn to him in that moment. She had assumed he was like any other billionaire, eccentric and self-centered, and really after meeting post-island Oliver she should know better, especially seeing how hard Ray worked to get Queen Consolidated back on stable legs.
"I'm the daughter of a Vegas cocktail waitress who was smart enough to get a full-ride scholarship to M.I.T. People called me 'scholarship' and looked at me with pity because it's almost literally a disease to have parents who can't afford to send you to such a prestigious school out of their own pocket. Then I come to Queen Consolidated as a happy but bored IT girl and within a few weeks of Oliver Queen's return he's asking for me by name. Then as soon as Oliver Queen takes over, I'm promoted to Executive Assistant with no qualifications what so ever and I'm gallivanting off to Russia with him; you can imagine how that looks on one's resume, and what people are saying about my character."
"And I made some of those things true, when I begged you to come work for me, and felt you up in a meeting, and ate you out on my desk, and now, calling you after hours to share a candle lit dinner and a bottle of wine. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking I just—" Ray looked really miserable as he began packing his container back in the bag.
"No that's not what I meant! God why am I so bad at this?" Felicity took a deep breath. "What I meant was I know what it feels like…to be lonely, and to latch on to the first sign of affection in an unfamiliar place." Lord knows she had done so with Walter, and then more embarrassingly with Oliver. "I would love to celebrate this with you, Ray. And for the record, I enjoy whatever this is between us."
Ray flashed her a brilliant smile and took his container back out of the bag. He seemed to relax and continued taking out the bread and salad followed by dessert.
"Well then, shall we?" He gestured to the delicious spread before them and Felicity sent him a smile of her own. It felt good to just enjoy this time together. No pressure, just two people enjoying each other's company. They talked about the implications of the completed prototype, each other's hobbies outside of technology, and various other topics that flowed unforced between them. Felicity found herself truly delighted in the banter they exchanged, and noticed she hadn't gotten to be this witty in a long time, if she ever was. Perhaps she could change her ringtone for Ray to something a little nicer. Once they had finished their food and dessert, Felicity pulled on her heels that she had discreetly disposed of halfway through their meal and picked up her purse from the couch.
"Felicity?"
"Yes?" She stepped back as Ray stood directly in front of her, only a hair's breadth apart. She never actively noticed how much taller than her he was and had to crane her neck some to look him fully in the eye.
"I could use a date for the charity gala next weekend. Would you mind going with me? In a strictly professional way I mean." His nervousness was really starting to be a turn on. It was nice to know that on some level she made someone so cocky unsure of himself. Was this how gorgeous women felt around men who fawned over them? If so the power was a little addictive.
"As an Executive Assistant, I usually go to these things with a strictly professional mindset." She smiled softly. Ray nodded and his eyes traveled down to her parted lips. Felicity's breath didn't know whether to speed up with her heart, or slow down with her mind. Gently he rested his hand over the small of her back, pulling her flush against him. His other hand snaked up her chin and he tipped her head back. In slow motion he lowered his lips down to hers, stopping right before they met to give her one last chance to pull away. She didn't. Their lips met and their eyes closed. Felicity moaned at the kiss so sweet and delicate like cotton candy. She tasted the wine on his lips and a husky essence she knew was all him. His sandalwood scent infiltrated her senses and embedded itself in her memory. His hand left her chin and nestled in the back of her ponytail. All too soon the kiss ended, and Ray took a step back, releasing her as he took deep slightly hurried breaths. His eyes searched hers for something and they both smiled at each other.
"Drive carefully, Felicity." She nodded and walked out of the office towards the elevator, heart thundering in her chest. Ray took a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding and ran a hand through his hair.