"Felicity, could I see you in my office for a moment?"
They had just finished their weekly board meeting and Felicity was collecting her portfolio and papers. As the newly appointed head of the Queen Consolidated technical division, she was now an integral part of company functions, and responsible for taking the research and development department to a whole new level.
Felicity furrowed her brow, tilting her head slightly in question. Was this Green Arrow related?
Oliver shook his head slightly, understanding her meaning without Felicity needing to verbalize it. Shrugging, she followed him into his office.
"What's up?" she asked, closing the door.
Oliver brought up something on his computer screen. "I just got an alert on my daily planner." He looked confused. "We're, uh, having dinner tonight?" He turned the screen so she could see.
Felicity took a deep breath and pursed her lips. She steadied herself and look straight at Oliver, unwavering, stubborn.
"Yes. You're taking me on a date."
Oliver's brows shot up. "I - what?"
"A date, Oliver. You know. Two people, dinner, hopefully wine - ugh there had better be wine." Oliver's eyes widened as she continued. "Flirting, dancing's good. And then some epic making out and if you're not a prude, sex."
On the last addition, Oliver was attacked by a sudden coughing fit. Felicity's eyes softened and she took pity on him, grabbing the bottle of water on his desk and handing it to him. He took it gratefully, taking a long drink.
She was in his personal space now, and she looked up at him with a sigh.
"Oliver. I'm tired of waiting. Tired of making up excuses for you in my head every time you almost kiss me but pull away, or each time you start to say something but then tell me to forget about it."
"Felicity," Oliver began, his voice hoarse from coughing.
"No. Stop. You're going to tiptoe around asking me out? This is me doing it instead. You're taking me on a date Oliver Queen. No arguments. You're going to feed me excellent food, and even better cheesecake afterwards, and then you're going to take me home, and maybe then we'll have more than just coffee. We'll figure it out later. But this? This is happening."
She'd let herself ramble, dropping her eyes to the lapels of his jacket. Despite knowing this was a good idea, despite knowing he wanted this (he was such an easy read), she still felt nervous. She smoothed out a crease in the gray fabric, took a deep breath and looked up again.
Oliver still looked surprised, but his eyes were crinkled at the ends in that small smile he had that seemed to be reserved for just her.
"Okay," he finally said. "A date it is."
Felicity nodded, patting his chest once more and then taking a step back, fixing her glasses.
"Okay," she answered, smiling as well. "Pick me up at 8."