Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! And especially reviewing! You're feedback means the world to me and I love to see what you guys think! I have to get to work so this is a quick a/n. But thank you! You guys are awesome! And I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review!

Thank you to: lovelove94 (x2!), emilyhotchner-olicity-bethyl (x2!), schrooten5, Guest, mazzmataz, & bellapaige88!

Enjoy!

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

A Midsummer Night's Dream By William Shakespeare

Chapter 3 Complication

On Monday night Oliver found himself for the second time in the Yale Library, except this time he was there to study instead of find Tommy.

It had to be some kind of record, since at his other two schools he had never even set foot on the same block as the library.

The same Redhead from before was there and his mind yet again drifted to Felicity in the now overly fantasized librarian daydream.

He shook his head trying to clear it of images of Felicity wearing a sultry expression and sitting on a desk threatening to punish him for having overdue books.

Instead he looked around the library to see if he saw the woman who had been haunting his thoughts, if possible even more since Saturday.

He really didn't get it at this point. She was attractive, quirky, and cute, but she wasn't his type and he didn't understand why he felt so different around her. She just made him feel…so alive and normal. Like he wasn't Ollie or Oliver Queen he was just Oliver.

And he liked that.

He liked being around her, which was strange since he rarely ever enjoyed just talking to a girl and not trying to get into her pants.

But Saturday night had flown by even though they had been doing homework. She had talked him through Macro, but also had touched upon his other classes too. She made everything seem so easy and understandable that when she began to yawn and rub her eyes he realized he'd been there for almost four hours. He couldn't believe how quickly the time had flown by and when he got back to the apartment he shared with Tommy he went straight to bed as images of Felicity floated through his head.

Now, here he was in the library on a Monday night, instead of at Dollar Beer Night at the bar on the edge of campus. Instead of getting shit faced like he'd normally do, he was at a study group, all just because he wanted to do better at Yale than he had at his other two schools. And maybe also because he wanted to see Felicity.

He was still trying to ignore whatever weird feelings he had toward her, because he couldn't like Felicity. She was just another girl to him, who was helping him, oddly without getting anything in return. But that was beside the point. She was just a girl, who might be his friend. Who he didn't have any feelings for, small or large. Except of gratitude because, you know, she was helping him with his schoolwork.

"Are you Oliver?"

Oliver turned toward the person who had asked, a large African American man sitting with a petite brunette with shoulder length hair.

He looked between them before answering. "Yeah, are you…part of the Macro study group?" he asked realizing that Felicity hadn't told him the two other people's names in the group.

The guy nodded and gestured across from him and the girl who watched him carefully.

"I'm John Diggle and this is Lyla Michaels." The guy said pointing at himself then nodding at the girl.

Oliver gave them both a smile before sliding into the chair. "Oliver."

"We got that." Lyla said huffing.

John looked over at her and then back at Oliver. He leaned back in his chair and wrapped an arm around the back of Lyla's seat.

"Sorry about Lyla. She's a little…" he trailed off as the girl glared at him.

"What John is trying to say oh-so-delicately is that I don't agree that Felicity invited you to be in our group. We already had one obnoxious billionaire I really don't see why we need another." She said scoffing.

Oliver frowned feeling perplexed about what she was saying. Who was the other rich billionaire? Was there another person in their group that Felicity forgot to mention?

"I don't—" he began.

"You'll have to excuse Lyla," John said shooting her a glare. She rolled her eyes at him. "We met Felicity last year in Microeconomics. She took pity on another billionaire, one who I might remind Lyla became a friend of ours and who she liked by the end of the semester very much."

"Who was it?" he asked although he had a sinking suspicion that it was Tommy.

"Tommy Merlyn. And yes I might have liked him because he was funny, but that doesn't mean Felicity should go around adopting billionaires because she feels bad about their lack of education. I think she should've run it by us instead of telling us. All I'm saying is that I think we should all pull our weight because I'm not letting him get an A off our hard work." Lyla said as if Oliver wasn't there.

Oliver's frown deepened as he listened to Lyla speak. "What did Tommy do that was so bad?"

John sighed and gave Lyla an exasperated look. "Nothing. Lyla actually liked Tommy. Especially after…"

"After what?"

"After what happened with Cooper." Lyla supplied reluctantly.

"Who's Cooper?"

John and Lyla exchanged looks and then begrudgingly Lyla began to talk.

"Cooper was Felicity's boyfriend. He cheated on her. When she found out she got really…sad, obviously, and Tommy really stepped up. He would go out and buy her ice cream and he sat and listened to her try and process what was going on. He really helped her get out of her funk and he became a really good friend of hers. Plus, he really helped out with our Micro projects and…I don't know he just did a lot of stuff for her. So…I guess I can't fault him for that." Lyla paused and a smirk bloomed across her face. "I do think there was more to him helping her though. But every time I tried to get some info out of Felicity she clamed up tighter than a virgin on prom night."

John gave her another annoyed look and then looked at Oliver. "What Lyla is trying to say is that Tommy ended up being a vital part of this team. And we hope that you are too."

Oliver nodded, his mind more concentrated on the fact that Tommy had helped Felicity out last year after her boyfriend had cheated on her. Did Tommy have serious feelings for her? It sounded like he did to Oliver and Felicity seemed like she had serious feelings for him, if the way they acted around one another was any indication. The now familiar tightening feeling in his chest began to press down upon him and he attempted to reign in his anger.

"So what' going on between Tommy and Felicity?" he heard himself ask amazed that he kept his voice light instead of the irritation that was swirling in his chest.

He could feel the monster roaring inside him and he felt the aggravation bubble beneath the surface. He really needed to get a hold of these feelings inside of him regarding Felicity and Tommy. He had never felt this way and he seriously didn't like it. It was like he was burning up all over and his hands wouldn't stop shaking from the rage coursing through him at the idea of them together.

Lyla grinned, "that's what I want to find out! I mean, a guy doesn't go out and buy a girl ice cream at odd hours of the day unless he's aiming to get some. I think she's afraid to ruin their friendship. I mean, it's a valid excuse. But it also could be what happened last year between them and how he'd broken her trust that's holding her back."

Oliver swallowed thickly looking at John who looked miffed by the topic and Lyla who looked gleeful.

"Lyla, can you just drop it? Stop meddling in the poor girl's love life. If she wanted to go after Tommy she would."

"You don't know how a girl's mind works, Johnny! It all comes down to the fact that she's scared! I mean, he's a billionaire and he could have any girl. But on the other hand, maybe they're trying to keep it secret." Lyla mused.

"What are you talking about? I thought you just said she was scared!" John said in displeasure.

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything until I knew more, but what the hell. Last year at the End Of Dorm party I saw…Tommy Merlyn leaving her apartment." Lyla revealed smirking.

John and Oliver stared at her in bewilderment and she rolled her eyes when they didn't reply.

"So maybe, they've already gotten together! And just want to keep it secret, you know because of the Tabloids and everything." She exclaimed.

John blinked and continued to stare at her before finally shaking his head and looking toward Oliver who had an exacerbated look on his face.

He was clenching his jaw so tightly he was surprised he hadn't broken anything. The picture that Lyla had painted of Tommy and Felicity was making the monster in his chest roar with fury as images floated to his mind of Tommy taking Felicity on a desk.

He could see in his mind's eye the way that Tommy would make Felicity scream and he seriously loathed the image. He really did not want Tommy anywhere near Felicity and he certainly did not want to think of them together.

But it was like the image was burned into his brain. He couldn't seem to escape it. His hands fisted under the table and he attempted to calm down before anyone noticed his off behavior.

"Anyway! Welcome Oliver to our study group. I'll talk to Lyla before we meet to go over topics we can and cannot discuss. She likes conspiracy theories so you'll have to excuse her." John said loudly followed by a yelp he let loose when Oliver assumed Lyla kicked him under the table.

"I'm just saying that Felicity needs to find someone who treats her right, and Tommy does. Unless of course they had a one-night stand at the party and he just wants to be friends. Then, she should find someone else to occupy her time."

"Do you really think they slept together?" Oliver asked narrowing his eyes at her. He really didn't like the thought of that, but it would make sense as to why Tommy had told him to stay away from Felicity. Or when Felicity had told him she liked him. He hated the thought of any of it. It made his stomach tighten into knots and he couldn't seem to shake the ever-present animosity he felt about them together. He couldn't see Tommy treating her the way he thought she deserved to be treated.

Lyla shrugged, "I've tried to ask her, but she always dodges the question. If she had nothing to hide then why wouldn't she just be straightforward? All I know is that Tommy slept with someone in that apartment that night."

"Whom else did she live with?"

"Laurel Lance, Mckenna Hall, and Helena Bertinelli."

Oliver opened his mouth to further question Lyla when both her and John straightened while looking over his shoulder.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late! I ran into Tommy." Felicity said sliding into the seat beside him.

He felt an odd mixture of happiness at seeing Felicity, but he also felt indignation at her for holding up their time to be with Tommy.

Lyla raised an eyebrow at him and gave him an 'I told you so' look before ducking her head and looking down at her notebook. He wasn't sure how to respond to the situation, but if there was one thing he knew it was that he needed to know exactly what was going on between Tommy and Felicity.

Purely to cure his own curiosity because in no way shape or form did he like-like her or anything. He just wanted to make sure she was being treated right. It wasn't like he had feelings for her. He was curious. That was it. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself.

Laurel was grabbing a coffee from the coffee cart outside her PLSC232 Info, Tech, and Political Power class when she ran into Ollie leaving the building.

"Laurel."

She gave him a tight smile and sipped her coffee before stepping around him and toward the building.

"Ollie." She greeted moving forward.

"Wait! Laurel?" he called making her look back over her shoulder at him.

She watched as he gave her a nervous look and then reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck, an action that alerted her to his own discomfort. She turned fully back around and waited for him to go on her own curiousness eating at her.

"Yes?" she asked when he didn't say anything else.

He sighed heavily and took a step toward her. He stared down at her and opened his mouth and then closed it.

She raised her eyebrows not knowing what was going on with him, other than he was acting really weird.

"What is it, Ollie? I need to get to class." She announced huffing loudly.

He took a deep breath squared his shoulders and looked her right in the eye. "What happened at the End of the Year Dorm party last year?" he asked point blank.

She stared at him in awe not knowing what to say to his question. A quick flash went through her mind of Tommy hovering over her as he kissed along the column of her neck and she gulped as heat flushed through her body.

She opened her mouth to respond, but her mind seemed to go blank at the question. Should she tell him the truth? Or just play it off like she had no idea what he was talking about? How was she supposed to handle this?

"What?" she asked deciding to go with ignorance.

He huffed and looked down at her uneasiness evident in his eyes. "I was just wondering what happened at last year's End of the Year Dorm party…between Tommy and…" he trailed off looking ridiculously uncomfortable and her stomach dropped to her toes.

He knew.

He totally knew.

She wasn't sure whether she should confirm it or not. Should she talk to Tommy? She didn't want Tommy to lose his best friend over this! And she definitely didn't want to get in the middle of Tommy and Ollie.

She knew their night together would come back to bite her in the ass, but yet she couldn't bring herself to regret it. What was she supposed to do?

"Tommy. Yeah…okay. It's true." She breathed taking a deep breath and diving right in.

"It's true?" he asked his eyes widening to the point she thought they would burst out of his head. She had never seen him look so surprised and annoyance ran through her at the fact that he thought she couldn't be with someone beside him.

"It was only one time. I mean, it's not like anything is going to happen again. At least that wasn't the plan but…" she trailed off trying to be apologetic about it. But for some reason she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She just felt…like she'd dropped a bunch of baggage and it felt…good. She needed to come clean and even though it made their lives an even bigger soap opera she needed to do this.

"But what?" he asked his voice coming out all breathy and filled with hurt.

She glared at him refusing to feel guilty about sleeping with his best friend when he slept with her sister. "Well maybe something will come from it. I mean, Tommy's a really good guy and he could offer a girl a lot. Maybe it's…it's more than we thought. Maybe it's…love." She revealed realizing as she said the L-word that she might actually be in love with Tommy Merlyn.

When did that happen?

But as she thought more about it she realized that the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach, the fact she was always happy around him, and how he made her life so much…better were signs that she was actually in love with her friend.

She knew she felt something for him, but was it love?

She let out a breath as the world seemed to tumble around her with this revelation. Was she in love with Tommy? She needed to figure this out.

And she should probably be getting to class.

"I have to go." She said quickly turning around and hurrying into the building. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Tommy as she tried to untangle the mass of feelings she just realized she had for him. She was so focused on her own feelings she didn't see the completely distressed expression on Oliver's face.

Tommy was happy. While he was in the middle of his BUS230 Business Law class he received a text from Laurel telling him they had to talk. He knew he had no right to be so elated that Laurel just wanted to talk to him, but for some reason he had a vague suspicion that she finally wanted to talk about what had happened between them at the end of last year.

The one night-stand, that meant more to him than he'd ever admit.

He was just glad they were finally going to talk about something that was very much overdue. It was about time, and even if it didn't go the way he wanted, he still so very badly wanted to at least tell her how he felt.

He felt ready to reveal his secret love for her.

He decided to stop at home before he headed over to Laurel's apartment. He wanted to drop off his books and maybe take a quick shower before heading over.

When he arrived home he found Oliver sitting on the couch staring at the wall, a dark expression on his face.

"Dude, why are you sitting in the dark?" Tommy asked turning the light on and looking at Oliver in bewilderment.

Oliver didn't answer immediately instead turning rage filled eyes to Tommy.

"Laurel told me." Oliver revealed making Tommy pause in his movement toward his bedroom.

Tommy turned slowly around, his heart hammering in his chest as his mind began to skim through the millions of things Oliver could be referring to.

"Told you…what?" he asked trying to keep his face blank.

Was he talking about their one night together? Or was he talking about something else entirely? Was Laurel's text from earlier a warning about how she'd spilled the beans to Oliver?

"About the End Of The Dorm party." Oliver revealed standing up from the couch and stalking toward his best friend.

Tommy blinked as his mind began to go on overdrive as he tried to determine whether or not he should tell Oliver the truth or not.

"Okay, okay. Oliver, we didn't mean for it to happen. I mean, it wasn't like I fell on top of her or anything and we landed into bed naked. It just…happened." Tommy paused and took a deep breath. His heart was beating a mile a minute as he told his best friend that he slept with his ex. But he needed to do this. He needed to tell him or else…or else he'd never get the chance he so desperately wanted with Laurel. He needed to be honest. Tommy owed him that much. "Listen, I love her. I know it's a lot to take in, but I do. She's…she's really special to me and I'm sorry, man, but that's just the way I feel." Tommy stuttered wondering whether Oliver was going to punch him for the words spilling from his lips.

"You love her?" Oliver asked looking physically pained.

Tommy nodded slowly, "a lot. More than anything."

"You won't…you won't hurt her, right? I mean, she deserves the best after what happened." Oliver said lowly his eyes radiating pain.

Tommy nodded slowly knowing that despite what Oliver had done to her, protecting and taking care of Laurel was one of the most important things to both of them. They had known each other for so long that despite Oliver and Laurel's history Tommy knew that Oliver still cared for her. Tommy wasn't even sure that Oliver didn't still love her, but he was taking a chance and hoping for the best.

"I promise." Tommy said sincerely.

Oliver nodded sadly and then turned away from him.

There was a moment of silence and the Tommy took a minute to think about what had just happened. Tommy knew that his friend was probably going through a lot right now and probably needed some time to think about what had just happened. Tommy was just glad though he hadn't punched him.

"Are you okay?" Tommy inquired quietly.

Oliver glanced over at him and nodded quickly. Tommy could tell he was trying to put on a brave face, but he wasn't buying it. He'd known Oliver too long and he knew that he was saddened by what he had told him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well it's just that…you seem kinda upset."

"I'm not."

"Are you sure? It's okay if you are. I think…I mean, it's not like we're going to start dating or anything. She only sees me as a friend." Tommy said gloomily. He knew somewhere deep inside that despite how angry Laurel was at Oliver, Tommy knew they would probably end up back together. It's just what they did and Tommy had a feeling that Laurel would never love him the way he knew she loved Oliver.

Oliver stared at him wistfully. "No, she doesn't. She told me she likes you, Tommy."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the other day. I'm happy for you, really." Oliver said forcefully.

Tommy looked at him skeptically. "I know you don't mean it, but thank you for saying it. I figured you guys would end up together."

Oliver frowned, "really?"

"Yeah, I mean, I see the way you look at her. I know it's not the best situation and it'll take some getting used to, hell, I don't even know if we'll date. Maybe it was just a one-time thing. I need to talk to her about it."

"What do you mean the way I look at her?" Oliver asked flummoxed.

Tommy shrugged, "You know, moon-eyes and all that shit. Listen, I need to go, but thanks for the talk. I feel…thank you for being such an awesome friend. I know, this is probably shocking, but it means a lot that you're being supportive. It must be hard for you, considering everything, but I think after everything you've burned that bridge."

Oliver nodded slowly as Tommy's words sunk in. "Wait, how did I burn that bridge?"

Tommy gave him a 'Come on' look. "Oliver, I love you to death, man, but you're an awful boyfriend. You can't commit, you have the attention span of a three year old when it comes to women, and you cheat. I know I have no room to talk, but I'm serious about her and I've never felt this way about anyone before."

Oliver scowled at him, "well maybe I've changed."

Tommy raised an eyebrow and regarded him, "maybe you have, but that doesn't change the fact that she had strong feelings for you and—"

"She has strong feelings for me?" Oliver asked in shock.

Tommy frowned and nodded unsure why Oliver was so surprised about Laurel have strong feelings for him. Had they never said I love you? He couldn't remember Oliver ever saying it, but that didn't mean anything. Maybe they were one of those weird couples who just made sex-eyes at each other so show their love.

"Yeah, man, didn't she tell you?"

Oliver shook his head feeling bewildered.

Tommy shrugged and glanced down at his phone to see he was late to go meet Laurel.

"Listen, I need to go talk to Laurel, so I'll see you later." Tommy said heading toward the door.

Oliver opened his mouth, but Tommy left before he could hear what Oliver had to say. All he could think about was his strong desire to go see Laurel.

Laurel was waiting for Tommy in a dark alcove of the library. She had wanted to meet him at home, but she didn't want to risk anyone over hearing them. The library seemed to be the best place to meet anyway, since it was late at night and not many people were in there.

She felt a vibration in her pocket and she saw that Tommy had texted to see where she was. She quickly texted him back her location and waited until he came to find her. She didn't have to wait long until she saw Tommy approaching her from across the library. She smiled to herself as she watched him cross the library toward her and she felt her heart speed up at the prospect of being in his proximity in a few short minutes.

She opened her mouth to greet him when he moved into her personal space and pressed his lips hard against her own. She stiffened too surprised to respond to Tommy's lips on hers. Then he was pulling back and she already missed the feel of him against her.

"Laurel—" he began, but she cut him off with her own lips attaching themselves to his.

She pulled away when air became an issue and they stared at each other in awe.

"I've wanted to do that for awhile." She admitted blushing brightly.

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

She nodded shyly. "Yeah…I've just been so consumed with my own…issues."

Tommy raised a hand to cup her cheek and looked at her with sympathy. "I know you're afraid of getting hurt again, Laurel, but I want to give us a chance. I have…strong feelings for you and ever since that night we were together…I know you might still love Oliver, but if you could find it in your heart to give us a try, I'd be eternally grateful." He said looking into her eyes.

A slow smile graced her features and she moved closer to Tommy. "I don't have feelings for Oliver anymore. He hurt me…a lot and I just…it was like a circle with us. We couldn't escape the cycle and I need to. I think that Oliver and I are finished Tommy, for good. I mean, don't get me wrong I'm still angry about the whole thing, but it's time that I moved on. And I'd like to move on with you."

"Really?"

She nodded eagerly, "really. If you want I mean."

"I want. I want really bad."

They laughed together and she leaned forward and pressed another kiss to his lips. When she moved back she had a puzzled look on her face and she studied his face.

"Why now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you decide to make a move now?"

He paused and seemed to be searching for the right words. "Oliver asked me what happened last year at the End Of the Dorm party." He revealed.

She smiled slightly and shook her head. "He asked me the same thing this morning."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth." Laurel said quietly. "I realized that I needed to. It was really refreshing to just tell him. He seemed kind of upset, but I don't regret it."

"Regret what?"

"Any of it."

"Good."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I…cared about you and I wanted to be with you. He said he was fine with it, but…"

"We dated for awhile." Laurel said quietly.

Tommy nodded, "right."

They fell into silence the both of them staring at each other as if they couldn't believe what was going on.

"I think we should keep this to our selves. At least for a little while. What do you think?" Laurel asked quietly.

Tommy hesitated and then nodded, "secrets are kinda hot."

She giggled and pulled him in for another kiss both of them getting lost in one another.

Oliver wasn't sure what he was doing there. All he knew was that he didn't want to stop being Felicity's friend even though her and Tommy were probably dating. He wasn't really sure what was going on between Felicity and Tommy, but he figured it had to be something good since Tommy had been in a good mood for days. Oliver hadn't seem Tommy in that good of a mood in a very long time, but when Oliver tried to talk to him about it Tommy just said he got a good grade in one of his classes.

Oliver found it irritating, but he tried to be happy for his friend. Tommy deserved someone genuinely good, and Felicity was the embodiment of light. He just…wasn't as happy as he felt he should be for two good people. He just…didn't understand why Tommy had to date Felicity.

Why couldn't he literally be with anyone else in the entire world except for her? Felicity, who seemed to light a fire in his heart, and who pushed him to be a better person. He liked being around her. And he liked being around Tommy – except for lately it seemed that the better his mood was the worse Oliver's was. He just didn't like being around them together. It made that now familiar monster roar in his chest and he was constantly nauseous when thoughts of them together popped up in his head. He just…didn't like it. But he refused to look into the why of the matter.

And what was with what Tommy had told him, about how he looked at her, and how she felt about him. Was Tommy right? But did it really even matter now when she was with him? He didn't think he made moon-eyes – whatever that was – at her.

And what strong feelings did Felicity have for him? And why didn't she say anything – although, Tommy did have a point about him being an awful boyfriend. Just look at Laurel. Maybe Felicity found it easier dating Tommy because he didn't have any baggage and had never dated Laurel.

Also he'd only known Felicity for a few weeks, when did she develop these strong feelings for him?

Then again, maybe she was like him, he had developed this strange ferocious monster every time someone of the male variety talked to her. Maybe that's what Tommy meant by strong feelings. Then again he had no idea what was going on anymore.

Tommy was dating Felicity, Laurel was jealous over him talking to Felicity, he felt angry anytime anyone even talked to Felicity.

Everyone in his opinion had lost their fucking minds.

He just didn't want to acknowledge the unspoken truth in the situation and for now he was fine with it, but he knew that when everything was out in the open he wouldn't be able to hid behind his denial.

So here he was outside of Felicity's door on a Saturday evening debating whether he was really going to ask her to study when she probably had plans with Tommy.

Hesitantly he raised a hand to knock on the door and he impatiently waited for her to come to the door.

Instead of her coming to the door, however, he was greeted with his ex opening the door.

He scowled his already dark mood becoming if possible even worse. Had she already left with Tommy? Was she even home? He felt like an idiot.

"Is Felicity here?" he asked when Laurel just stared at him a wide eyed look gracing her features as though she had some secret waiting to burst out. He ignored the uncomfortable look on her face and looked over her shoulder too concentrated on seeing of Felicity or Tommy were there.

He was becoming rapidly uncomfortable with the fact that he was probably getting closer to stalker status.

"Yeah. She's in her room." Laurel said slowly.

"Great." He said pushing past and into the apartment.

"What are you doing here, Ollie?" she asked following after him. He heard the soft click of the door close and he looked toward her wondering if he should go into Felicity's room or just wait in the living room awkwardly with Laurel.

"I wanted to ask Felicity if she could help me."

"Oh, we're back to this studying thing." She said smiling slightly.

"Yeah. I guess. You have to do it kinda frequently." He said woodenly.

She rolled her eyes and walked toward Felicity's door. He noticed there was an strange bounce in her step as she walked around and he wondered if everyone in the world was happy except for him.

"You know, Ollie, I'm glad that your taking school seriously. If Felicity is helping you buckle down, I think that's really good. I'm sorry what I said before." Laurel said smiling at him and he stared at her wondering if he had missed some critical thing today that seemed to make everyone ecstatically happy.

"Thanks." He said not knowing what to say.

She grinned and nodded then knocked on Felicity's door. "Felicity? Ollie is here." Laurel announced.

Oliver awkwardly stood in the living room and waited for Felicity to emerge. Finally she came out looking red cheeked and wearing a tight black dress, a red wig, and no glasses. He blinked wondering why she was wearing a wig then looked over at laurel who had walked away and toward the kitchen humming to herself.

"Hey." He said looking her over again his eyes settling on neck line of the black dress wear it showed a generous amount of cleavage.

"What are you wearing?" he asked trying to keep his eyes on her.

"I'm Pepper Potts." She stated and then blushed brightly.

He grinned feeling all of the stress since finding out about her and Tommy disappear. He felt lighter somehow and he had a sneaky suspicion that was because of her.

"Who?" He asked.

"The new Avengers movie is coming out." She said quickly stepping back into her room and going back to doing her make up.

He frowned watching her, "okay…"

"I'm going to the midnight screening. We're gearing up to watch the old one and then going to a private screening at midnight. You could buy tickets through school." She said glancing over at him.

"Okay." He said again watching her do her make up. His mind concentrating on overdrive about what Tommy had said to him. He couldn't stop wondering whether Felicity had, had strong feelings for him, but he also kept telling himself it didn't matter, since she was now dating his best friend.

She glanced over at him and smiled, "what are you doing here?"

"I needed help…" he trailed off feeling like an idiot for being there in the first place. He could be off getting shit faced and instead he's watching Felicity get ready to go to some movie, probably with Tommy.

She nodded absentmindedly, "well, I can help you for a little bit, but then I really need to go."

"That's fine." he said sitting down on her bed.

She glanced over at him taking in his sullen expression, "do you want to come with me?"

"I thought you need tickets."

"You do, but there are still some available I bet."

"What about Tommy?"

"What about Tommy?"

"I mean, isn't he going with you?"

She gave him a confused look and shook her head slowly as if she had no idea what he was talking about. "Why would Tommy come with me?"

He shrugged and looked away not able to bring up the fact that he was sure that they were dating. "I don't know…"

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head in a puzzle fashion and going back to doing her make up.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Tommy hates all this nerdy stuff. Anyway, do you want to come? I know it's not your scene but—"

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" he said trying to ignore the flutters in his stomach at the prospect of spending the whole night with Felicity. In a strictly platonic way.

"I just figured going to a Superhero movie wasn't your…cup of tea." She said looking at him with renewed interest.

He smirked at her, "well there's a lot about me you don't know."

She laughed and grinned at him fondly. "I'm sure that's true. Now we need to find you a costume." She mused staring at his long sleeves forest green Henley and dark jeans.

"I don't dress up." He stated firmly

"You could be Tony Stark." She mused looking him over ignoring what he'd said completely.

"I don't dress up."

"It's a Superhero party, Oliver, you need to dress up. But it doesn't matter anyway since you have the billionaire thing already down. You could probably just go how you are and tell people you're Tony Stark." She said logically.

He looked down at his clothes unsure how to respond to that comment.

"So do you do this kind of thing a lot?" he asked stepping into her room further.

She smiled slightly before finishing her make up. "Sometimes. I mean, it's fun. And I'm not really into the Frat party scene. I'll go with Laurel and Tommy, but I'd prefer other things."

"Like dressing up like Superheroes?"

She laughed and nodded, "something like that. Now hand over your work and we'll do some schooling before we head out."

He sighed overdramatically and moved over on the bed to make room for her. As she talked he tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but his eyes kept drifting to the neckline of her dress, or to her lips. He found himself on a few occasions leaning closer to her subconsciously and he kept having to tell himself that she was now with Tommy so he couldn't be getting too close and comfortable with her.

But he found that he really couldn't' help it. He was like a moth drawn to a flame and he knew inevitably he'd be burned, whether it was because she was with his best friend or the fact that he knew she was much too good for someone like him.

But Tommy's reference to her feelings kept popping up in his mind and he so desperately wanted to ask her about it. But she was with Tommy and he didn't want to put her in a position where she had to choose.

He blinked in surprise at that last thought. He had never minded making a girl choose before…but now it somehow felt wrong. It probably had to do with the fact that he didn't want to upset Tommy…but he knew that wasn't the whole reason.

After about an hour of studying Felicity made them stop and leave the apartment. She led them toward one of main building where the theater was and she babbled energetically about the movie.

He found himself getting excited too since her enthusiasm seemed to be infectious. He smiled down at her and he found himself wishing that this was a real date instead of a friendly outing, but once again he had to remind himself that she was with Tommy. He scowled at the thought, but he tried to push away the negativity so he could just concentrate on her.

"Here we are." She sung out ushering him forward. They got in a long line for tickets and she continued talking merrily until suddenly she stopped.

Oliver frowned wondering what had made her stop chattering on. He hadn't been paying attention, he just liked watching how her eyes light up and her cheeks turned pink as she talked. His eyes strayed to her lips a few times too wondering what they would feel like against his own. But now that she stopped and a dark look passed across her face he pondered what she'd seen that made her freeze.

"Felicity—" he began, but she turned to him a forced smile on her face.

"Sorry." She said quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Felicity—"

"It's really—"

"It's not nothing. Please tell me." He said wanting to know why she suddenly looked so woebegone. He didn't know why he cared, but he did. He really did. God, help him.

"It's…well its Cooper." She stuttered ducking her head and staring down at her shoes.

"Cooper? Your ex?"

"How do you know that?" she asked surprised.

"Lyla." Oliver said sheepishly.

Felicity rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Figures. I guess, you know what else happened then."

Oliver nodded, "he cheated on you."

"With his roommate." She supplied looking put out.

"His…roommate?" Oliver asked with raised eyebrows.

Felicity nodded, "yeah."

Oliver frowned trying to make sense of what she was saying. "Was his roommate a…girl?"

Felicity smiled slightly and shook her head, "a boy. It doesn't matter. I'm happy he's out and everything. I just wish he could've been honest with me."

Oliver nodded and opened his mouth to respond when they heard someone call out to Felicity.

She cringed and looked over at a tall dark blonde guy walking toward them. He was dressed like Captain America and Oliver felt a surge of dislike instantly.

"Cooper." Felicity said trying to keep the disdain from her tone.

The dislike Oliver felt turned to hatred toward him because of the simple fact that he was beginning to loath anyone who hurt her. He could hear the ache in her tone, and despite the fact that he knew that she was with Tommy now and that he would probably aid her like he had the last time, Oliver couldn't help but wish that it was him who she was turning to be comforted. That he would have the opportunity to hold her to him and whisper soothing words into her ear. And buy her ice cream to assuage her pain.

Felicity didn't deserve the hurt Cooper had caused and Oliver felt the urge to step between them and protect her as if Cooper could do anymore damage. But Oliver reminded himself that it wasn't his place to protect Felicity, it was Tommy's. But then again Tommy wasn't there...

Wait, where was Tommy anyway?

"Hey! Felicity." Cooper greeted smiling at her and then glanced over at Oliver with interest.

"Is this your boyfriend?" he asked eyeing Oliver and turning back to Felicity with a kind smile.

Oliver opened his mouth to answer the question, but Felicity beat him to it. Instead of telling Cooper that, 'no this wasn't her boyfriend' she slid a soft hand through his and moved closer to him. He shivered at the action of their skin pressing against each other and he felt an electric shock rush through him at the innocent contact. He wondered briefly what it would be like to touch her more intimately, especially if holding hands made him turn into a pile of mush at her touch.

"Yes. He is." Felicity said quickly giving Oliver a warm smile before turning back to Cooper.

Oliver felt a heat expand throughout his insides. And it was nothing like how it was when she was around Tommy and he had to watch them together. This was a pleasant heat, like drinking hot chocolate on a winter day. It was cozy and he just wanted to sink into her warmth.

Cooper gave her a smile and nodded. "Well I'm Cooper, Felicity's ex."

"Hi." Oliver said tightly, whether that was from the fact that he was very aware of Felicity's skin against his or the fact that he strongly disliked Cooper for hurting her he wasn't sure. He didn't really care either.

For just a moment he was able to pretend that Felicity was with him, that he was genuinely being introduced to her ex as her current boyfriend. He let himself image what this could really be like, standing in line for some geeky movie with her as she talked none stop with excitement, meeting people from other parts of her life, he bet she liked super salty and buttery popcorn too and he'd probably have to get up in the middle of the movie to get more. He wouldn't mind because – because he was with her and that's all that mattered.

Hold up, since when do I daydream about dating girls instead of sleeping with them? What's wrong with me?

"Are you guys going to see the movie?" Cooper asked trying to make conversation.

She nodded eagerly, "yeah. I bought my ticket, but Oliver wasn't sure if he could make it so we're just getting his."

"Myron is already picking out seats for us." Cooper supplied.

"It should be good. I've been reading about it online and it looks like it's going to be just as good as the first!" She said with elation.

Cooper nodded and the two fell into a conversation about the first movie leaving Oliver to watch them. He felt like an outsider watching the two of them gush over every little detail. He could see now how they dated, although they seemed more like friends rather than significant others. But that might have something to do with the knowledge that Cooper was gay.

Oliver though hadn't seen the first movie and wasn't really into Superheroes or comics. He had never been one to get pop culture references either, generally he was too busy with partying, drinking, or girls, to really care about anything that wasn't instant gratification. Movies took too long to get to the point. Reading was boring.

But now with Felicity, he felt the need to prove himself, and he wasn't used to that.

Then again he wasn't used to anything from Felicity's world. Or just the way she made him feel in general. It was like he was looking at the world through brand new eyes.

He felt the prickling of that roaring monster in his chest, while watching them together and he realized with sudden shock that he was jealous. He was jealous of Cooper and Felicity.

When had that happened?

When had he gotten so attached to Felicity that he couldn't even watch her with some guy who was more of a friend than an ex?

The revelation hit him hard in the chest and slowly he began to look back over the few weeks since he met Felicity. He thought about how she made him feel, so different and alive. He thought about how she lit a fire in his heart and erased the boredom from his life.

Then he concentrated on her touch, the warmth of her hand in his and he realized with instant clarification that he didn't want her to hold anyone else's hand. He didn't want her to introduce anyone as her boyfriend. He wanted her.

All of her.

He realized with lucidity that he'd been jealous of Tommy and Felicity. The roaring monster in his chest was the clichéd Green Eyed Monster that seemed to growl anytime Felicity was with someone who wasn't him.

He had never been jealous or possessive before…was that why it had taken him so long to figure out what he was feeling? Or was he just that out of tune with his emotions? Was he emotionally stunted from all of the drugs? He heard that happened, but this…this was ridiculous!

He couldn't believe it had taken him so long to realize it! How could he not have known he was jealous of Tommy and Felicity? And now that they were dating –

or whatever they were doing – how was he supposed to handle that?

Maybe he hadn't figured it out because he'd never been jealous of Tommy or anyone else in his life. He had no idea what jealousy felt like, since he always had everything he wanted. Except now, with Felicity.

Because she was with Tommy and there was nothing he could do about it. Except maybe intervene and he couldn't do that… Tommy was his best friend, and Felicity was becoming a very good friend.

He couldn't get in the middle of them. At least he knew he shouldn't. What was he supposed to do about this revelation anyway?

It wasn't like he liked Felicity, right?

Right!

Shit, he totally liked Felicity.

How did he miss this? He could he have missed this? And when did this happen? Was it before she believed in him or after she urged him to be better?

With the revelation of his jealous everything else he had been repressing was now very evident.

He liked Felicity.

And now that he realized it he knew he couldn't unrealized it. Felicity was with Tommy and that was the end of the story.

Fuck, how did this happen?

He cursed himself mentally until Cooper went away and Felicity turned back to him a frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion.

"Nothing." He said quickly.

"Oliver…" she said giving him a pointed look.

"Just…I didn't like him." He said searching for a good excuse as to why he suddenly looked like a man who just had the ultimate revelation.

Maybe not ultimate, but pretty big.

Very big.

He liked Felicity…

What was he going to do?

She smirked and turned back to the line. "Thank you."

He bit his lip to hold back a smile. "No problem."

She smiled to herself and they moved up in line. Oliver looked down at their still linked hands and hoped she didn't let go. He didn't want to break free, despite the fact he knew he should, but what made him happier – and probably guiltier – was the fact that Felicity didn't withdraw her hand either, at least not until they had to.

(A/n: So what did you think? Please review!)