A/N: Thanks for all reviews I got, I'm happy some of you are still enjoying this/ are interested in where this is going. Don't get me wrong, I am as well but I wrote it to entertain myself this holiday so I already know how it ends. Aren't those the best stories though, the ones you write for yourself?

Either way, THANK YOU for embarking on this adventure with me, please let me know what you think after/before/during/ whenever. I'm happy with any tips or reviews, really =)

This chapter is really early but its in tribute OF THE AWESOME NEW TRAILER OH MY GOD I AM SO EXCITED

ITALIAN

ITALIAN

I MEAN ITALIAN.

Disclaimer: Yeah if I'd own it I wouldn't be writing it here I'd be writing scripts over there.

Chapter Three

x

The following week, Felicity saw Oliver almost every day she worked at Beans Consolidated. He helped her serve customers and sometimes he even helped his mother. Minor point of irritation: he had been late every day.

But to be honest, he turned out to be a lot nicer than she'd thought he would be. He actually took work off her hands instead of being in the way and once he'd gotten back into making coffees, he turned out to be a natural. Which was handy, because though Felicity could manage on her own, she liked the system she had with Diggle, barista and waitress working together, best. It was efficient and it was nice to be able to chat between taking and serving orders. So they recreated that situation and the system worked like a charm, once again.

Because of this new discovery, Felicity got round to actually having conversations with Oliver instead of small talk. In a short period of time she learned many things about the man. For instance, he had been studying in four different schools before he disappeared, all of which he was sent away from. She wondered how he planned to take over the shop from his mother with no degrees but she figured that was Moira's call. Then, when she dropped Sarah's name in a conversation, Oliver also explained he had been friends with Sarah before he had left the shop. Actually, he had been in a relationship with both Sarah and her sister Laurel at one point, but he had sworn off dating sisters after that. Apparently, he still kept in contact with both of them, though. Once again, that made Felicity wonder how nobody had ever mentioned him, but she kept that to herself. Just like her sarcasm at his 'never dating sisters again'- she didn't understand that at all.
In short, she gathered a lot of information through her prying. Not that Oliver minded. He answered all her questions. Some easier than others, though. He sometimes thought about a question as he stared at the exact same spot just over her head for minutes. There had even been a few questions that had caught him so off guard he had thought about for half an hour before he could answer her, but with her working and serving customers it never turned awkward. She would leave and work and he would make the next order or work on some sort of new drink as he thought of an answer to her questions. It was a solution that worked, Felicity decided. Plus, those new drinks were rather good, Felicity had to admit. Oliver knew his coffee combinations, that much was clear.

In contrast to his barista skills, his baking skills were only so-so, though, which amused all staff members greatly. Diggle and Roy joked it must mean he should get in touch with his feminine side and Thea had just giggled every time the topic came up, for days. Felicity teased him saying it was in the family. But he didn't let any of it slide, though. He let Diggle and Roy have a try at baking too, which they failed at and he told Thea to shut up repeatedly. Even Felicity wasn't forgotten. Oliver started asking her for coffee time and time again to get a rise out of her. Obviously, Felicity kept refusing him, which somehow led it to become a sport for Oliver to actually get her to bring him coffee at some point. Not that it was ever happening.
Felicity wasn't necessarily against pouring a coffee for him as a person, but she would be damned before she would be pouring coffee for her boss to suck up to him. She had worked too hard, studied too long, to do that. So she refused and Oliver kept asking. He had made a habit out of it and all the staff members had bets going on how long it would take before she would succumb. Actually, among many other new qualities she'd discovered about herself when around Oliver (like blabbering, why why why), she had decided that 'saying no to Oliver Queen' could definitely be an addition to her resume's special skills section. The puppy-eyes that man could make anyone give in. So far, she had not, though, and was proud of it.

Now, a week and a half after their first encounter as employee and boss, he seemed to have given up asking for the day. He was working somewhere in the back, looking at the administration, and Moira had gone home. Felicity herself was cleaning the coffee machine on the side for the next day as Diggle closed up the shop and swept the floor. When she wiped the last of the coffee spatters off the machine, she threw the rag in the sink and stretched with a yawn, looking at the clock. She pumped her fist in the air when she saw the time.

It was finally time to stop working.

When Diggle was done, he pulled down the chairs from the table in front of the counter as always. He sat down with a sigh and patted the chair next to him when he saw her looking. Reaching down, Felicity pulled out a beer from the fridge and poured herself a glass of red wine, not even thinking of anything less than an alcoholic beverage. She removed her apron and took the drinks to the table.

"Time for alcohol," she announced as she flopped down on the chair next to Diggle.

He sighed, took his beer from her hand and pressed it against his temple.

"Amen," he agreed, raising the can a bit.

As they sipped their drinks, they sat in silence. For a while, they stared out the windows of the shop. People were rushing by to get the last of their shopping in their cars or to go out for dinner, all dressed up. It was weekend, Felicity realized when she saw a ridiculously short skirt go by. It was weekend and, she realized, for the first time in a long while she was free. All because Oliver had agreed with her timetable and Moira had not intervened and made her work through the whole weekend again. She smiled happily.

"Can we celebrate my freedom by getting sushi?"

A groan from her left.

"I'm too tired to move," Diggle observed.

Felicity whined.

"But I need food," she complained.

Diggle snorted.

"Is that a hint to get me to whip up something edible?"

Felicity batted her eyelashes at him.

"Maybe," she said coyly, drawing out the word.

With a sigh, Diggle got up again and walked to the counter to soil it once again by making cheesy bread, one of their joint favourites.

"Fine," he said whilst pointing a knife at her. "But you're getting Oliver to join."

Turning her head, Felicity licked the wine off her lips.

"What?"

Diggle moved his head to the bookcase maze.

"He's doing administration. He needs saving," Diggle stated.

Felicity looked at her glass, in doubt. When Diggle gave her a pointed look, she checked her ponytail as she stood up and walked away.

"If this gets me fired, you're sharing your pay check with me next month," she called out as she walked through the maze. Diggle snorted on the other side of the bookcase wall.

As she passed table eight to fourteen (or the way to them at least), Felicity revelled in the smell of the books around her until she got to the door of the administration office. Once there, she adjusted her dress and opened the door quietly.

"Oliver," she called inside. "Are you still here?"

She walked in and looked around. It had been a long time since she'd been in here. She whistled softly.

It looked like a bomb had exploded. There was paper everywhere: the floor was barely visible. It made it extremely difficult to walk around and not get footprints on anything. On the desk were even more piles of paper, rustling softly in a breeze of wind coming from one of the large windows behind the desk. Next to the stacks of paper there were also accounting books, strewn around on the desk. Behind them, she could see something move. She walked around the piles of paper carefully and smiled when she saw Oliver in his chair. He had a puzzled look on his face, eyebrows creased in frustration and a pen between his lips. Cautiously, she walked forwards.

"Hey," she said.

Oliver's gaze slid from the paper up to her and he smiled around the pen. He put it away quickly.

"Hey. Sorry, I was just trying to make sense of," he moved his arms to indicate everything. "This."

Felicity laughed.

"I know, it's a lot to take in."

Wide-eyed, Oliver nodded.

"Yeah."

Felicity grabbed a paper from a stack near to her. It was an invoice.

"You know," she explained. "I offered your mother to get it all in a system on the computer so it would take less time to pull up papers and to see how we were doing. But she wanted to do it by hand, except for orders. I get to do those online."

Oliver lowered the paper in his hand and looked at her.

"You could make a program for this," he asked, disbelief etched on his face.

Felicity grinned.

"Always surprises people to come across a smart blonde for once," she said. Oliver grinned back. Then he turned to the books and stacks of papers in front of him, indicating towards them.

"So you could get all this on the computer?"

Felicity looked around with pursed lips and nodded slowly after a moment of thought.

"I would need two days, a laptop, internet and a scanner but yeah. Generally, I could."

Oliver gave her a big smile.

"That would save us so much time," he said, excited. "I'll discuss it with my mother."

With a gleeful nod, Felicity agreed, though she did hope she would be getting paid for those hours. Oliver smiled back broadly at her. He moved his gaze around until he spotted the paper in his hand again. Then he raised the paper again, looking at it closely. The moment they had passed all too soon as he started reading it at his leisure. Felicity rubbed her hands together in doubt. Should she really invite him to drink with them? She pursed her lips together then and made one hand into a fist as she thought of what Diggle would say if she chickened out. With a determined nod, she let go of her lip before opening her mouth again.

"Actually," Felicity started. Oliver lowered the paper and looked at her. "I came to ask if you wanted to take a break with me and Digg. We kind of have an end of the week ritual. If you feel like joining, you're welcome."

Jacking her thumb over her shoulder towards the door behind her, she bit her lip again. His gaze went from her hand to her face and she felt like she was being scrutinized. His blue eyes twinkled when she moved nervously and she despised him for noticing.

"Will there be alcohol," Oliver asked. Felicity nodded with a smile. "Then count me in."

He stood and motioned for Felicity to lead the way. She spun around on her heels and opened the door. She did so with great difficulty, due to the stacks of papers on the floor. When he had caught up enough to hold the door, Oliver let her go first with a playful smile and locked the door behind them. The moment he turned the key, he looked relieved. It was a private little look that Felicity caught, because when he turned around and started walking away from the door, it left his face. She hurried to catch up when he looked over his shoulder to search for her.

"So before we get to the promised alcohol," Oliver started. "Care to tell me how you got to be a computer genius?"

With a smile on her face at the memory of her university days, Felicity answered.

"I studied at MIT and now work as ICT-department member at Walkers Incorporated part time," she explained. Oliver nodded while she waved at their surroundings and continued. "The other three days I work here."

A grin slowly found its way on Oliver's face.

"For four years, I remember?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to go on the newbie-road again. Luckily for him, he didn't. When he was silent, she answered.

"Yeah. I kind of started for the money and never left. It is ironic though, since I hated that my mom was a waitress but … this place just got to me."

Oliver smiled and cast a look at their surroundings.

"This place does that to you," he agreed.

As they walked on slowly, Felicity spotted a napkin underneath one of the tables they passed and stopped to get it. She bent down quickly, grabbing it. While she moved up, she glimpsed at him again. His enticing gaze was still on her.

"Since we're playing twenty questions," she said, gaze not leaving his. Oliver chuckled at the words. "How come I haven't heard of you for four years and then you suddenly appear and are to take over the business?"

The man in front of her shrugged and opened his mouth to reply when Felicity clumsily made a short turn out of the alcove and knocked a few books off their shelf. She stopped short and Oliver reached down to get the books quickly.
She watched him scramble around to pick them all up and move up again. As he got up, he turned his body to her, gazing at her as he did so. From where he was standing, only a few inches separating Felicity and himself, he slid the books back in their place without looking. As he did so, he leaned forward and got into her personal space. She could feel the heat radiating from his body. When she breathed in, the scent of wood and smoke hit her and it made her feel light-headed. Her skin started to tingle at his proximity and though she tried to fight it very hard, lust coursed through her veins as she drowned in his cerulean blue eyes. He made no indication to move back and so they stood close as he answered. The moment his mouth opened, her eyes were glued on it.

"Oh," his low voice drawled. "I've been travelling. I was in India.. China, Europe, Russia. On an island near Australia for some time. All around, really."

Felicity raised her eyebrows when she finally pieced together what he'd said.

"And nobody worried because, what, you're a douchebag?"

Oliver stepped a bit closer at her answer, maybe threateningly, but it had the opposite effect. She could now feel him brush against her when he chuckled or moved his hands as he answered her mock-insult. As he did so, she was struggling to keep her hands to herself and not force his hand to keep still by grabbing it and lacing her fingers through it. She bit her lip as another waft of his scent came her way and he was still looking at her as fascinated as he had been for days, now.

"Maybe I kept them up to date?"

Felicity thought about that for a moment, looking to the side. Then she stood on her tiptoes and answered Oliver with a whisper in his ear. She felt his stubble scratch against her chin as she did so and it sent shivers of anticipation coursing through her body.

"Seemed less plausible."

Once again, Oliver just stared at her for a second, confused and unsure about whether he had just been insulted or not. With a big smile on her face she stepped around him and continued on her way to her glass of red wine. Laughing quietly, Oliver followed soon after.

When they got to the table, Diggle had finished the cheesy bread and had whipped up some dips to go with it. Oliver sat down and Felicity stalked past him to go to the counter. Diggle patted Oliver on the shoulder and asked him after the administration. Before Oliver could answer, though, Felicity cut in.

"Beer, Oliver?"

Oliver leaned back and peered at the woman in front of him. But this time, she wasn't mocking him, for once.

"What, you're really offering?"

Felicity smiled sweetly.

"Only once in a blue moon," she replied. Then she put her hand on her hip. "So?"

Oliver nodded.

"I'd love one."

Without another comment, she reached into the fridge for a cool beer and opened it. She joined both men at the table and sipped her wine while Diggle asked the questions. While he did so, she got a chair to prop up her feet.

"So, Oliver. I gotta say, why the sudden interest in the shop? I mean, I've never seen you around," Diggle asked.

Oliver looked at his beer for some time, then picked it up and sipped it. He sought out Felicity's eyes when he answered.

"My mother always wanted me to take over but I never wanted to. Now, after five years of travelling, I've changed. I'm no longer the wandering, slick guy I used to be and all the jobs I could get here were things that fit the old me. Except for this," he said, pointing at the ceiling. "This place doesn't care about brands and arrogance, it's much more down to earth. I never understood that until now."

Felicity sipped her wine again and closed her eyes as she tilted her head back.

"Sorry to interrupt," she started. "But this wine is the best thing in my life yet, Diggle. You need to buy wine for the shop more."

Diggle and Oliver laughed. She grinned in response. She waited until they had finished before she asked on.

"How come you changed," she asked Oliver.

Shrugging, he moved on his seat.

"I saw so many things happen right in front of me- it made me lose my initial naivety. I realized being myself was enough."

Diggle nodded enthusiastically. Felicity nodded, too. She, too, had lost her naivety pretty early on. It had taken her a long time to realize what had happened to her mother was not her fault, though, and that acting like the perfect daughter would not solve it. Her mother had to solve it on her own. She bit her lip at the memory and watched Diggle as he explained himself.

"Took me multiple tours to find out," he agreed.

Oliver leaned forward and his eyes had widened.

"You were in the army," he asked.

As Diggle nodded, Felicity sipped her wine.

"Did a couple tours," Diggle said.

Felicity slapped his shoulder.

"Shut up," she told him. He started nursing his shoulder immediately. "John did four tours and he has saved at least eight lives directly."

Oliver smiled at her defensiveness. After he nodded, a comfortable silence settled over the group as they sipped their drinks. Felicity caught Oliver's gaze a few times. Then, Oliver seemed to be wondering about something.

"I guess you've worked together for long?"

An enthusiastic nod from both of them.

"A week after I stared, he applied. He knew nothing, was trying to get his life back together. I convinced Moira, your mom, to take him in."

Oliver put his beer down.

"I'm glad. You can whip up some nice specials, Diggle."

The bald-headed man shook his head as he chewed on a piece of bread with pesto. Felicity followed his example.

"I'm okay," he admitted. "But Felicity comes up with the taste combinations. She's good with 'em."

Interested, Oliver leaned forward on the table.

"Oh," he asked, one raised eyebrow. "And you're never serving me again, still?"

The blonde snorted and stood up at the same time. She grabbed Digg's empty beer and her glass.

"I could let you have a taste of the Oliver Queen drink I had in mind," she said coyly. He looked interested. Then she continued with a deadpan voice: "Mostly vanilla."

That made Diggle laugh loudly and she looked smug as she opened another beer. While she refilled her wineglass, Diggle waved away the joke when a clueless Oliver tried to ask what about that was so funny. When Felicity came back with the drinks she gave her soon to be boss a smug look.

"It means," Diggle managed. "She's got a good job at Walkers Inc. and needs a bonus there and not here."

Oliver shook his head. Diggle winked at Felicity, which she appreciated.

"Shame," Oliver said airily. Felicity studied him when he continued, taking a piece of bread from the plate. "I kind of liked it when she served me, last time."

This time it was Felicity's turn to roll her eyes.

"Memorize it for a rainy day," she suggested.

Diggle laughed next to her and she grabbed another piece of bread from the plate in the middle of the table. Oliver was chuckling as well and had his head tilted to the side as he watched her, a hint of a smile on his face. He tipped his beer her way and turned to Diggle.

"I like her. Does she always act this way?"

Diggle sipped his beer and glanced at Felicity, then back at Oliver with a knowing grin.

"Pretty much," he answered. Felicity opened her mouth to reply, but Diggle went on. "What, you are. Not to Moira, though. Your mom already hates her enough without any sassy backtalk."

Oliver raised an eyebrow and turned back to Felicity, who was glaring at Diggle.

"She hates you?"

The blonde moved her gaze from Diggle to Oliver slowly. She sipped her wine and nodded. Oliver ate some bread as she replied.

"Well," she answered, then gave it some thought as she sipped her wine again. "I don't know why. We just don't work together very well."

Oliver leaned forward in surprise and curiosity.

"But you're still here?"

Diggle and Felicity nodded.

"She's basically the manager," Diggle remarked. "She makes the orders and deals when your mother is working in the back."

Felicity shrugged.

"Like I told you, I don't mind. I like it here. I like working with Digg and Thea, even Roy. I love the shop. I couldn't think of a world where I didn't visit the shop once a week."

Oliver smiled genuinely at that.

"Good. We need you," he said, tipping his can of beer to her. Then, he sighed and looked around the empty shop. "My mother is always quick to judge others but is blind to her own mistakes."

The blonde IT-girl answered his sad smile with a weak one of her own. Diggle downed the rest of his beer and gobbled down the last bit of cheesy bread.

"Yeah well, whether she is downright satanic or angelic, shit happens," he answered, resigning to his fate. Then, he put his empty beer on the table. "And we need to work with it."

He stood up from his chair as he pushed it back and walked over to the coat rack near the entrance.

"Anyway, I need to work tomorrow and I still have to see Lyla tonight-"

"And you said you guys weren't dating!"

"-so I'm calling it a night. Also, we're not. I'm leaning how to make cocktails, there's a difference."

Felicity rolled her eyes and put her wine glass down. Diggle grabbed his coat and held it in his hand as she replied.

"If you think I don't notice you texting and smiling all the time, you're wrong," she answered, glancing at Oliver with a conspirational smile as she teased her friend.

Diggle sighed and shrugged into his coat. He grabbed Felicity's long coat after that, giving her a questioning look. Felicity nodded and sent Oliver an apologetic look. He emptied his can just as their eyes met.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm beat. Are you going to be okay?"

Oliver nodded.

"Yeah, you guys close up the front. I'll try to get the administration back in shape so I can leave," he responded, more to Felicity than Diggle.

She snorted as she collected her glass and Diggle and Oliver's empty beer cans.

"Good luck," she said.

Oliver groaned as Diggle walked back to Felicity to hand her her coat.

"I know. Should I ask my mother about the digitalization plan?"

Felicity nodded.

"Yeah, if she agrees I'm in," she answered as she took her coat from Diggle.

During the time she took to button up her coat, Diggle moved back to the front door and let his keys jingle in his hands to make her hurry up. She smiled at Oliver and jerked her head to the front door. "Well, we're heading off. See you Monday!"

"Have a nice night," Oliver called out to them as Diggle opened the front door.

Both Diggle and Felicity waved before Diggle let her get out first. Together, they walked out of the shop and locked it after them.

When they walked into the alley, Diggle to get his bike and Felicity to follow him, Diggle grinned at her. He hung over his bike to unlock it and looked up at her as he did so.

"And?"

Felicity rolled her eyes.

"And, what, Digg?"

Diggle was full-on smirking, now. But he shook his head.

"Nothing."

Felicity let it be and walked back to the street again.

"Ugh, can't wait to get home and get some good wine and good TV on," she remarked, stretching her hands above her.

Behind her, Diggle snorted and walked out of the alley too, bike handle in his left hand.

"Alright, alright, calm down," he joked. "Let's get you home, first."

And so Felicity left the shop and its new owner behind, but not after looking back a few times.

A/N:

Yeah so basically they're still getting to know each other. It's a bit of an I-wanted-to-explain-more-about-characters-in-the-AU-and-not-have-them-be-Mary-Sues case. Either way, it's not yet into the big olicity stuff but next chappie there's interesting stuff happening!

Please,

Read and Review =)