Felicity couldn't have been more surprised if a dinosaur had fallen through the glass ceiling. Oliver was asking her to dance. Oliver, was asking her, to dance. She'd caught him looking at her earlier and chalked it down to his issues with Adam. It wasn't as though he had any other reason for disapproving of her newfound relationship. After all, he was there with his current lady friend, who judging by his track record, was most likely not going to be his last.
"Why?" came her suspicious reply. This wasn't the norm. They'd been at events together before and he'd never asked her to dance.
His eyes dared her to refuse him. "You're here, I'm here and our partners are engaged elsewhere." Wanting to prove his point, he stepped aside and gestured toward Sara and Adam, both of whom were occupied with other people.
He was right, of course. Adam had been called aside by a previous client and while he'd wanted to decline, Felicity had assured him that she could occupy herself without him for a few minutes. She hadn't expected this.
Swallowing her sudden bout of nerves, she pushed a loose curl behind her ear self-consciously. "I-I don't think that's a good idea." The last time she'd been close to him, she'd landed in his lap. The mere memory flooded her stomach with butterflies.
"It's just a dance, Felicity," he replied, teasingly, extending his hand toward her. Standing in the middle of the room, in full view of everyone, she couldn't very well refuse him.
Against her better judgment, she placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her into the throng of dancing twosomes while trying not to become aware of how warm his touch was or how his large, calloused palm dwarfed her fingers. Turning her easily, he caught her in the circle of his arms, his hand like a burning brand at her waist. Even on heels, he was still taller than her and she couldn't help but note how their mouths lined up almost perfectly. This is not a good idea.
For a moment he didn't say anything, just held her closely as they gently swayed in a small circle. "I'm sorry about my mother," he finally voiced quietly, close to her ear. The tender waft of his breath against her neck sent a shiver down her spine.
Trying desperately to hold on to her self-control, she tilted her head back to look at him. "How do you know about that?"
"I saw you with her when I arrived. With the help of Thea and Roy it didn't take much to put the puzzle pieces together."
She nodded. "I knew that she'd be upset that I'd told you."
His voice was almost muffled against her hair. "Why did you?"
"Because I'd never deliberately lie to you about something so important," she answered honestly.
He looked at her then and she was once again taken aback by just how good looking he was. The dark shadow that clung to his jaw only seemed to emphasize his raw masculinity.
"Thank you," he said, sincerely. The warmth that laced his tone stirred something in her that needed to be kept on lock down for her own protection.
Felicity broke eye contact first. "Y-You don't have to apologise on her behalf. She obviously hates that her secret created a rift between the two of you."
She didn't think he realized that the pad of his thumb was casually caressing the side of her finger in slow loops. She would have told him to stop but she didn't want to draw his attention to it lest he started asking questions about why it bothered her.
Oliver's eyes hardened a fraction. "Did she threaten you?"
"No!" Felicity burst forth quickly. Too quickly.
Instinctively his hand tightened at her waist as he stared at her silently, waiting for her to elaborate.
Darn! She couldn't exactly tell him that his mother had realized that she had feelings for him. That's right, she thought. Had. Past tense.
"Really, it was nothing, Oliver. There were no threats." At his raised eyebrow, she amended, "Okay, so she may have hinted that it would be in my best interests not to tell you, but I honestly don't think she meant to hurt me or anything like that."
The tick in his jaw indicated that he was none too pleased. "What exactly did she say?"
Felicity blanched. "Err…I can't remember…exactly," she hedged, the last word coming out on a squeak.
Oliver sighed heavily, looking ready to do battle. "Feli-"
Without thinking, she placed a hand on his chest to placate him. "Oliver, it's okay. Really. I was a little upset earlier because of the way your mom treated Adam and I, but in a way, I get it. No permanent damaged caused."
They were staring at each other, his eyes searching hers for something she refused to give away. Suddenly the rest of the room melted into insignificance and it was just the two of them, turning slowly, her hand absorbing the heat radiating from the solid wall of his chest. She'd touched him many times before when he'd needed patching up, but this didn't feel the same; it felt new, different, intimate. Slowly, they twirled, their feet barely moving, their eyes locked. Unconsciously her fingers curled against his shirt, trying to trap the heat within her palm, an imaginary keepsake of a time that would surely never come again.
"Felicity," he started, her name low and deep, "I-"
"The music stopped a minute ago," came a voice from beside them. Spell broken, Felicity pulled away from Oliver only to be confronted by an irate Sara and a confused looking Adam.
Flustered and embarrassed, she took an extra step away from Oliver for good measure. "S-Sara, I err, didn't see you there."
"I kinda noticed," the other woman retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Oliver recovered and stepped over to Adam, extending his hand. "Nice to see you again."
Taken aback at the friendly display, the DA returned the gesture automatically. "Likewise," he replied coolly, his eyes darting between Felicity and Oliver with unease.
Feeling more than a little awkward, Felicity grabbed Adam's arm. "I'm thirsty. Would you like something to drink?"
He agreed and followed her to the bar. All the way over there, she could feel two pairs of eyes trained on her. Sara's she knew was angry and assessing, but Oliver's… Stop! She'd promised herself that she was over trying to figure him out. Mentally shaking herself, she forged ahead, fighting every step of the way to keep from glancing back.
Oliver stood staring after Felicity, trying to shake the feeling that something fundamental had changed between them. He couldn't explain what had just happened, other than admitting to himself that asking her to dance had been the worst thing he could possibly have done. He should have known that impulsive decisions always lead to regrets.
All he knew was that one moment they'd been dancing and the next he'd noticed that her hair smelled like fresh vanilla, that the palm of her hand fit perfectly inside his, that his heartbeat had accelerated to a gallop when she'd placed her hand over his heart. Worst still was the moment he'd started wondering what her scarlet tinged lips would taste like. What the hell is wrong with me?
He felt feverish and restless, the confines of the swarming room suddenly stifling, making it hard to breathe. Remembering that he wasn't alone, he turned to see Sara walking away from him towards her father.
Closing his eyes briefly, he cursed beneath his breath. "Sara!" he called, following her through the crowd.
She stopped so abruptly he almost knocked her over. "I think I'm going to ask my Dad to give me a ride home."
He touched her arm, but she flinched away. He cursed again. "That's not necessary. I brought you here-"
"Do you even know what you want, Ollie?" she burst out unexpectedly, her voice rising. "You tell me that you want to be together, but when I see you with Felicity, the way you look at her, I wonder why we're even doing this."
"Sara, this is not the time or the place to be having this conversation." He didn't fail to notice the attention they were drawing.
For a split second she looked around too. "I'm going with my Dad," she repeated, with more care this time. She didn't seem angry anymore, merely resigned.
Sara knew that he wouldn't argue the point there, so he let her go. "Okay. But promise me that you'll let me know when you get home?"
She nodded and turned to leave before whirling back swiftly. "Maybe we should take some time apart," she said, silencing him with her finger when he started to speak. "There shouldn't be any lies between us, Ollie. We've been through too much together. You need to decide what it is that you want and when you do, you know where to find me."
Reaching up, she kissed his cheek softly before disappearing into the masses.
What did he want? He didn't know anymore. Once it had all been so simple. He didn't know when everything had become so complicated. Confused and frustrated and feeling oddly empty he saw Felicity and Adam holding hands at the bar, their heads bowed close together. The sight caused a pang deep within his chest.
When had he started wanting the one thing that had always been within his reach but he'd been too blind to see it? It was beyond ironic that he was starting to see at the very moment when what he was beginning to realize he wanted was farther away from him than ever before.