The harsh sound of her alarm clock pulled Felicity from her restless sleep, a groan slipping from her lips as she reached out her hand across the expansion of her large mattress, her brow crinkling in confusion when her fingertips brushed against the cold fabric beside her.
Peeking one eye open, weary of the sun's morning rays casting beams of fresh, new light into her room, Felicity felt a pang in her chest as she gazed at the empty spot on the other side of the bed. Oliver wasn't there; he hadn't been for a week now, choosing to sleep on the couch ever since she'd made that horrible bet with him. That, she now realized, had been one of the biggest mistakes of her young adult life.
When she childishly throughout her ultimatum, Felicity hadn't stopped to think about how intimately her everyday life would change and for what, a chance to prove some stupid point?
She was made painfully aware of her need to reach out for Oliver at various times throughout the night, seeking his warmth and his loving embrace until he was unreachable. He was the first thing she felt for in the morning and the last thing she held at night. Now, she just grasped the emptiness beside her, the massive frame of the bed making her feel exposed and strangely vulnerable without him next to her. She curled her outstretched hand back to her side, feeling the beginning of the sadness that had been her companion this past week as her new reality consisted of her waking up without him for the past seven mornings.
If anything, this past week made her realize just how important Oliver was in her life. Sure, the sex was great, really great, but it was so much more than that. He made her feel wanted, cherished even, safe when he wrapped her in his loving embrace, and most importantly, he made her feel like she was at home when she was with him; Oliver was her home. As long as he was in her life, she was happy.
That made all the pain of this last week even more unbearable, feeling as thought a vital part of her being was missing as she woke up every day without him. She had finally admitted to herself, to the reluctance of her ego and strong feministic ideals, that she needed Oliver Queen, not just as a lover, but as a partner in this crazy adventure they called life.
It was the same every morning, her new routine like clock work- waking up reaching out for Oliver, sinking back in sadness realizing he wasn't there and then the familiar panging of longing-ness as she wished she could feel the heat of skin on her's just one more time. However, it never lasted too long, thank the Google gods, because it was the small voice inside her head, the one that reminded her of their argument after the work party just last week that always pulled the wool over her eyes and made her resolve harden, allowing her to move throughout the rest of the day without incident.
While allowing herself a moment of self-pity, she thought about Oliver's actions the past week and a sense of annoyance and anger passed over her. He'd given her the space she needed throughout the week, only speaking to her at the office when the occasion needed it and Arrow business was conducted swiftly and thoroughly, leaving nothing personal between them all week and it was aggravating. He seemed so aloof this whole week, never fidgeting under the overwhelming awkwardness whenever they were in the same room as one another, the silence going over like a lead balloon.
Perhaps he wasn't as reliant on her company as she was of him, that thought alone making her want to run into his arms alone, peppering his beautiful face with her kisses until he surrendered, only to kiss her back relentlessly. It was the strangest feeling to live with the love of your life and feel like nothing more than college roommates the way they went about their lives.
She was saved from the spiraling down that dark, rabbit whole when her ears perked up to the still ringing sound of her alarm clock on the bedside table. It was a strange feeling, lifting her arm out of the warm cavern of her blankets, reaching across to the table to turn off the offending object, plunging the room into silence once more. Before, it was Oliver who would turn off the alarm, leaning over her still sleeping form, kissing her awake as he settled back into the mattress beside her. She loved waking up to the feeling of his soft lips on her's, pulling at her conscious with his soft caresses. It was how she wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of her life.
Felicity pulled the covers over her head, sighing as she wondered if she'd be able to make it another day, let alone three weeks. Maybe she could call in sick today at work and just have a day for her, do things that she liked, reminding herself that she was still Felicity Smoak, MIT graduate of '09 and not some lost, little puppy. Her mind all but made up, Felicity moved to sit on the edge of her bed, but the smell of coffee stopped her in her tracks, her heart fluttering as the delightful scent eased her growing nerves.
She stretched her aching limbs, releasing the tension from her muscles from her restless sleep, wiping her face and eyes, rubbing away the sleepiness that still clung to her like a second skin.
As the smell of the coffee permeated around her, Felicity admitted that her sudden increase in her consumption of the dark liquid was a little more than alarming, but she couldn't help it. She had been running on E lately, with the long nights at the foundry, and the fact that sleep evaded her for the past week, which caused her to increase her intake of the caffeinated beverage. However, she was usually the first one to put the coffee on, her need for it the first thing in the morning surpassing everything else and knowing that their simple coffee maker did not have a pre-set setting to automatically start the coffee at a given hour, that only meant one thing- Oliver was awake.
She felt the irresistible pull to him pull her from the bed, her feet bringing her flush against the bedroom door. She turned her head to the side, pressing her ear to the cold surface, just wanting to hear him, if only for a brief moment. She would allow herself this moment, using it to get her through this day. She knew she needed to go to work today, if only to put on that she wasn't as affected by their separation (her fault by the way, she admitted,) as she new she was.
The faint clinking of glass and the soft thud of cabinet doors painted her a beautiful picture. Oliver, no doubt in nothing but his boxer brief rummaging in the kitchen as he made the morning's first pot of coffee. She could almost picture him taking out her favorite coffee cup, the dark green one with her name in gold written in a beautiful calligraphy that he had gotten for her on her birthday, filling it with the steaming hot liquid, adding the right amount of sugar that he knew she liked. Something about him knowing that knowledge about her made her feel all tingling inside, urging her to throw all caution to the wind and throw herself into his arms, never letting him go.
As if her body was a slave to her every thought, she felt her right hand wrap around the cool handle of the door, twisting it slightly, feeling her resolve slip a little. It wasn't until a knock on the very door she was leaning against sounded that she threw herself backgrounds, a small squeak falling from her lips. She hadn't even heard him coming down the hallway. She silently cursed his ability to walk without making a sound, berating herself for lingering at door like a love struck teenager.
When the knock came again, this time, with the brief turning of the door handle, Felicity's launched herself into the adjoining bathroom, shutting the door with a forced quietness just as the door to her room opened. Her hand pressed to the door, as if she were keeping the barrier from falling in on her, her mind buzzed as she sensed his approach further into the room. He hadn't stepped foot into their bedroom while she went about her morning routine in getting ready for work, so why was he breaking that now?
"Felicity?" she heard him call out, the shadows of sleepiness still weighing his voice down, its tenor nearly reaching Arrow octaves. It made her shiver, his voice, especially the deeper it went always had a physical affect on her and they both new it, the bastard. As her response, Felicity quickly clicked the lock in place on the door, effectively trapping her in the bathroom, but at least it put one more barrier between them.
She knew it was useless, locking herself away from him, but she needed to feel as if she had some control over the current situation. If Oliver Queen really wanted to get to her, he'd break down any barrier she forced between them. Most of the time, it was a complete turn on, but today, when her fragile mind was all but splintered under warring feeling that wrestled inside of her, it just made her cower further into the depths of the bathroom.
Felicity knew that the locking of the bathroom door had alerted Oliver of her ineffective hiding place because the next time she heard his deep timbered voice, he was right outside the door.
"Felicity," he tried again, this time his voice was softer, like a caress against her skin making her shudder once again. She heard the smooth sound of fingers gliding along the door; as if he were picturing his hands gliding over her skin and she couldn't stop the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach. "I brought coffee," he added and she could hear the smile in his voice. Her jaw set, she knew what he was doing. He knew what he was doing and if her hiding in the bathroom was any indication to him, it was that he was winning whatever sort of game they were playing. And that didn't sit well with Felicity. And what was worse, he was using her precious love of coffee to his tactical advantage.
Felicity just stared at the door, not trusting her voice at the moment to not betray her to the very real threat on the other side of the door. On the other side was her whole world, her protector, her lover, her partner, but she couldn't give in. No, she wouldn't give in. She had to see this through. No matter how difficult he was making it at this present moment.
"I miss you, baby," he cooed, his voice nothing more than a soft whisper, drifting through the door. She could almost see his eyes through the door, their blueness focused on her, shutting out ever thing else around them until it was just the two of them. She knew those eyes, better than she knew her own, and she could just picture the intensity in which he'd be looking at her right now, which cause her to take a couple more involuntary steps behind her. Her back brushed against the cool, tiled wall of the bathroom, causing her mind to sharpen, pulling her focus to immediate predicament.
"Oliver," she warned, silently thanking the universe for her faux temperament behind his name alone, hoping that her perceived it for the warning it truly was.
"Unlock the door, sweetheart," he replied, ignoring the warning in her voice. He knew that he was having more of an effect on her than she was letting on and she silently cursed him for knowing her so well. She supposed that's what came with the territory when you loved someone as much as they did each other.
"Oliver, please," Felicity chimed, wincing at the slight wave of pleading in her voice, that was just great, "I'm already going to be late for work and you know how I hate being tardy." She could feel the steel return to her spine as the silence lingered between them, causing her to briefly hope that he had given up, but she was reluctant to believe even that because she knew Oliver Queen and he never gave up, not without a fight.
Taking the stretching silence as her cue, Felicity turned towards the shower, busing herself in turning the nobs just right allowing the temperature of the water to her satisfaction. She began stripping her clothes off, wanting to put the morning's interesting turn of events behind her, but stilled when she heard the faint, low chuckle from across the barrier. Her body buzzed with electricity as if the low, sensual chuckle vibrated through her own chest. How often had she heard that sexy sound from his chest while he was on top of her, making her scream his name as he made love to her? Or when she could feel his laugh beneath her face as he crushed her between his strong arms in his loving embrace? Ugh, so unfair. Damn you, Oliver Queen.
"Why don't we take a personal day," he offered lightly, before his voice dropped to a more sensual tone, "a very personal day."
"Oh my god, Oliver," Felicity moaned, rolling her eyes as a smile tugged at the corner's of her lips, "Do you use that line on all the girls?"
"Depends," he said a little too cheerily for her taste, "Did it work?"
"Absolutely not," she lied.
"Then no, never," he replied, a hint of his own smile in his words. A silence fell over them again as Felicity finished stepping out of her clothes and slid under the soothing, hot spray of water, nearly groaning when the pressure beat against her strained muscle. These sleepless nights were for the birds.
"You know," Oliver's voice drifted over the barrier once more, he just couldn't help himself she supposed, "I have it on good authority that your boss won't mind if you at least take the morning off."
Felicity huffed, she was going to have to come right and say it, wouldn't she? Just rip off the Band-Aid and send him scurrying away with his tail tucked between his legs. But no, she couldn't be mean to the giant oaf, not after the way he was trying to reach out to her, even if he had ulterior motives as her mind reminded itself.
All she could muster was a firm, "Go away!"
Felicity smiled when she heard the soft thump of a forehead fall against the store. She had to physically bite her cheek to stop the giggling from bubbling out of her mouth when she heard the unmistakable sound of muttering coming from the other side of the door, something about stubborn women, but she shook it off, putting down it down as a stroke in her favor. Felicity- 1; Oliver- 0.
"Fine," she finally heard him growl through the door, "but this isn't over, Ms. Smoak, not by a long shot."
Felicity stilled the hands running the shampoo through her hair as her head slowly swiveled until her eyes locked on the door once again. Perhaps she was a little premature in winning this small battle between them, if the way her body reacted to his veiled promise was any indication.
She thought about his words, the smile returning to her lips as she picked up the gentle massaging of the shampoo in her scalp.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Queen."