Friends? Felicity could do friends, couldn't she? People always say you can't be friends with the opposite sex but people are wrong. She needed a friend anyway. Things with her other friends were rocky after she had broken up with Kyle. She hadn't told them what happened with him, she had already set her mind on skipping town, but they wouldn't have been able to help her anyway. But Oliver, he might be able to.

"Friends." She said, trying the word out loud. it sounded weird, even to her. being friends with Oliver wouldn't be easy, but they could always become more than friends in the future couldn't they? "Okay."

"Okay." He said with a smile.

"But we might have to have rules. Number one being no smiling like that."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's too… sexy. Friends don't smile at friends like that."

"This is my normal smile."

"I doubt it."

"Well fine. If I'm not allowed to do that then you are not allowed to twirl your hair."

"I don't do that."

"Yes you do. You do it all the time. It's too tempting."

"Fine." Do I really do that? She thought. Probably.

"That too. That little thing you do where you bite your lip while you think. You can't do that either."

"Umm... okay."

"You don't even realize you're doing it? Great."

"Its not my fault! I'm sure you do a lot of things without realizing it."

"Well I'm pretty sure none of them are as sexy as that."

"Am I going to have to put a ban on that word too? Gosh what is it with you?"

"You're the one that said it the first time."

"And you were the one that was doing the... thing. Just shut up. Cookie?"

"It's 10 o'clock at night and you're eating cookies?"

"Don't judge me. I have a weakness for chocolate."

"Hmm, personally I'm more of a vanilla kind of guy, but these are good too." She tried not to take that as the sexual innuendo he intended it to be, but it was hard.

"Hmm, just eat your cookie." She turned to face the fridge. "Do you want something to drink? I bought some lemonade, and some beer, or I dug out my coffee maker this morning."

"A beer's fine thanks. So how are you liking it here?"

"Honestly?" She leaned against the counter across from him. "It's not as easy as I thought it would be. I guess I just expected my past to stay in the past you know? But it's not."

"What do you mean?"

"My ex-boyfriend Kyle was a real jerk. We dated for like 9 months before I found him in bed with my friend. That was the last straw you know? We lived together, we worked together, I knew I couldn't stay. I packed up and left that day. There was nobody to go to, so I lived out of my car until I felt like my luck had changed and I found this place. But things aren't that different here. My job's still boring 99% of the time, I still don't make the kind of money I want, I still feel alone-"

"You are not alone. You have me. And I'm sorry about Kyle. It sucks to get cheated on, but it's not your fault you know? Guys are just jerks."

"I know, but it wasn't the first time. I just know a lot of jerks I guess."

"Well it's a good thing you're looking for at fresh start then. Its hard, I know. I'm working on changing myself."

"Changing what?"

"I'm just trying to be more grown up. I'm trying to throw less parties, date less women, drink less, just... try to be a better version of myself. I want to settle down someday you know, I can't keep living like a college boy forever."

"What brought that on? One of your friends get married or something?"

"Engaged actually. But yeah, I mean he is a few years older than me, but he seems so happy talking about a future with her and it made me realize that I want that too. So I'm starting slow, I'm obviously not going to get married right now or anything, it just made me realize that I do want to, eventually."

"Well that's good. Its a good goal." Talking about marriage made her sweat. Even if it wasn't about her.

Oliver stayed over for about an hour before she announced that she was going to bed since she had to go to work, and like it or not, but he had to go home.

It was okay though. They had a nice conversation, for the most part anyway. She had a sweet exterior, but on the inside she was fiery. She never said anything rude, but she was sarcastic as hell sometimes. And he loved it. He slept well that night, dreaming of his new friend. In the morning outside his car Tommy gave him all sorts of crap for friend-zoning himself but Oliver was quick to defend himself.

"I know what I'm doing Tommy. You think I don't know how to get a girl?" He asked.

"I think you're taking the long way with this one that's for sure." He replied. "You're wasting your time man."

"You just don't understand. With a girl like Felicity… this is the only way. You'll see. I'm happy Tommy, can't you see? Do you see this smile on my face? I'm doing a good thing with my life. You should be looking up to me Tommy. Oh wait, you always do."

"A short joke? Really?"

Oliver shrugged. "It felt right. Now are we going to work or what?"

"You're driving!" Tommy said.

"Oh. Right. Well get in then."

Oliver was bored all through work. Him and Tommy worked at an insurance company downtown. A desk job wasn't exactly what Oliver imagined himself doing, but Tommy's father found him the job when he desperately needed one so he couldn't quit. He didn't know what else he would rather do anyway.

He wished he could text Felicity but he knew she was working too. She said her job was boring too, but she never mentioned what it was. He should have asked. He didn't have any guesses. There were a lot of things he could see her doing. She wasn't a teacher for sure, though he imagined she'd be pretty good at it. She must work in some sort of store, he thought. She leaves around 9 and she comes home around 5, so nothing too extraordinary. But which store?

He made a mental note to ask her when he go home. Maybe they could do dinner together. Nothing too fancy just take out or something.

When he got home she was already there, music playing in her apartment. He stopped to hear her singing along. She had a good voice, and the sound quality of the speakers was impressive. How did she get it to sound that good?

Before he could stop himself, convince himself that he should go home first, he was knocking on her door.

She lowered the volume of the music, opening the door for him.

"Hi." She said sounding like she had just been caught red-handed. Which was true, if she didn't want him to know that she could sing.

"You're a good singer." He said letting himself in. "I could hear you all the way from the elevator."

"Sorry." She blushed. "I couldn't help myself. I set up the speakers, and then I had to use them."

"You set them up? How did you get them to sound so clear?"

"Just a little techie secret. It's kind of my specialty. Tech I mean, not just speakers. It's always been a hobby of mine."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Well it's not what I expected. Don't get me wrong, it's great, I just, I don't know I pictured you doing something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't really know."