As you've probably already noticed, this story is progressing a little slowly, so to remedy that I've decided to skimp on the flashbacks just a tad so I can kick things into high gear. Of course, they're still an important part of the story but they just won't happen as frequently. Hopefully you'll enjoy this format a little more, as well. Been feeling sorta iffy with this whole thing due to reasons but hey, like they say… Imitation is the highest form of flattery. But! Of course, thank you thank you thank you for your wonderful reviews!

XVII

"So? Anything juicy happen with you and your little friend?" Lila inquired, a small smirk on her face.

Felicity felt her face heat up for a split second.

"Huh? No. Nope. I don't even know what you're talking about. Didn't I tell you that we're just friends," Felicity defended, rolling her eyes. She looked to Maria. "Don't listen to a word she says. There is literally nothing going on."

She giggled, staring at her feet, "Oh? Well that's a relief… I think he's kind of cute."

Lila squealed, her face lighting up.

"Oh my gosh! Isn't he? Man, those eyes are simply to die for," she gushed.

Felicity pursed her lips flopping down in the spot that Louis had vacated.

"You guys are acting like high schoolers," she muttered.

Ryan suddenly let out a loud chortle, putting down his cup to clap Felicity on the back.

"A little teasing never hurt anyone, don't be such a grump – anyway, Lila is right, he is pretty cute. I wouldn't hold it against you if you did have a thing for him or something," he laughed.

Felicity glared, suddenly feeling like she was back in grade school.

"Ooh, does Felicity have a little crush on someone?" Tyler interjected, popping in over her shoulder.

Her sense of logic was probably a bit more fine-tuned than everyone else considering she had not had anything to drink. She rolled her eyes again and swatted him away.

"Will you guys grow up? You know I'm the one who decides whether or not you still have a job," she threatened.

Honestly, she had no idea why she was so defensive. Felicity had never had a problem with deflecting such accusations before. She figured it was because of what had happened last night. Convinced that it was some sort of deeper psychological defense mechanism, she let it slide. As always, they were just friends and nothing more – and she was content with keeping it that way. Felicity was not about to let one measly kiss years of platonic friendship.

"Ha, well you're not my boss," Lila sang, making a face at her. "And if you're not going to do anything about Mr. Hot Piece of Ass, then maybe I will."

Felicity raised a brow at her friend.

"Oh? Hm, I'm not too sure about that," she quipped, pointing her chin behind her dark haired friend.

Lila turned around to see Maria talking up Jesse. He was still with Louis, leaning against a wall with a cup in hand. Maria had obviously discarded her orange soda and now held her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels like a little girl. If it wasn't already obvious that she was interested in him, the way she batted her lashes and giggled had to give it away.

"Looks like she beat me to it," Lila scowled, shaking her head. "Too bad Maria's only in town until the end of the year."

Maria was doing research for her PhD in Brooklyn for the semester. She was a Brooklyn native but had gone to Chicago for college. She and Lila had gone to the same high school and Lila had offered to let her stay for the term as a way for her to save money.

"You think we should intervene?"

Felicity shook her head, mentally noting that Jesse seemed a lot more confident than he had upon arriving to the party. Maybe it was due to liquid courage – but something told her otherwise. She really hoped he was finally unwinding for good this time around. Maybe a good party was exactly what he needed. Jesse had always seemed to flourish in those types of situations. Regardless of whether or not he realized it, Jesse was a pretty charismatic guy and while he had a bit of trouble when it came to figures of authority, he was still rather likeable. Which explained why a doe eyed girl next door like Maria seemed to be enamoured with him.

"Nah, who knows, maybe a beautiful relationship is in bloom," Felicity shrugged, not letting her think much of it. It wasn't exactly her place to judge who Jesse was interested in nor was it her place to screen any person who might be interested in him.

Lila gave the two of them one last glance before shrugging as well.

"Yeah, who knows, maybe this is a good chance for Maria to finally let loose," she winked.

Jesse took another sip from his cup, relishing the laugh that escaped from the small girl's lips. He glanced to his right only to see that Louis had also gone to work and was chatting up a dark haired girl a few feet over. He smirked and turned his attentions back to the beautiful girl in front of him. He inched closer to her as the music shifted to something a bit heavier.

"You dance?" he questioned.

Maria bit her lip.

"Um… Well, not really," she stuttered.

Jesse let out a husky chuckle, sliding an arm around her waist to pull her closer. She let out a small yelp and giggled, looking up at him through thick lashes.

"Maybe you can teach me?" Maria asked coyly.

"Huh, what a coincidence, I was just thinking about that," he said, slowly moving them both to the beat of the music.

The small blonde let herself relax against him and began to move on her own, pressing herself against him. She wasn't exactly accustomed to this sort of scene but there was something about this guy that she found alluring. Maybe it was his bad boy aura. She had always been interested in guys like that. Now, here she was, dancing with him!

Jesse glanced over Maria's shoulder to see Felicity sitting on the couch, chatting with her friends. For a brief moment, they made eye contact. She smiled, saluting to him. All of his previous concerns had disappeared. At this point in time, he was out in the clear with absolutely nothing to worry about. He had a few drinks and now was dancing with a beautiful girl. On top of that, his best friend was no longer upset with him and he was pretty much set. He figured best friend was the best way to put Felicity – especially after all that she had done for him.

He only smiled back at her before their gazes were broken by someone walking in front of her. The man managed to pull her up from off the couch and spoke to her with his back to him for a few moments. Felicity briefly said something to the rest of her friends before being pulled away by the man. It was none other than Antonio. Jesse continued to watch them subconsciously, still moving with the music as he craned his head to survey them. Tony brought Felicity to a less crowded corner of the room. He clenched his jaw, finding himself unable to look away. He had her back against the wall, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear as he ran his other hand over her arm. Felicity laughed and turned away only to have Tony catch her by the chin and press his lips against hers. Jesse felt his body temperature spike as Felicity froze for a split second before wrapping her arms around Tony's neck to kiss him deeper.

"Alex? Are you okay?" Maria asked, her breath hot against his neck.

Jesse tensed up and felt goose bumps form on his skin. He took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly, pulling back to take a good look at her. Her clear blue eyes stared back at him. They were far too similar to Felicity's and the very fact that he thought that made him uncomfortable. It was none of his business. Jesse didn't understand why he even cared in the first place.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it," he croaked, gulping as he returned all his attention back to Maria.

"It looks like Alex is having fun," Antonio remarked.

Felicity glanced to the side to see him getting pretty comfortable with the small blonde. Something in the back of her head was telling her that she needed to be upset. But why? Because Jesse had no problem getting cozy with some girl that he just met? Something else in the back of her head screamed that her entire train of thought needed to be derailed immediately. It was like she was having a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque episode. Half of her was still hurt that he had imagined her to be someone else and the other obviously more logical half was upset that she was even upset in the first place in the first place.

"I'm glad," she replied. She was telling the truth. Just because her delicate ego had been fractured didn't mean she couldn't genuinely be happy for him. He deserved to have a good time.

"And how about you? Having fun?" Tony inquired, running the back of his fingers over her cheek.

The scent of cologne wafted into her nose, making her forget any of her previous worries. Felicity could also smell the alcohol on his breath – but she had nothing to worry about. She had known Tony long enough to know when he was wasted. She, on the other hand was one hundred percent sober. Felicity hadn't had a drop of alcohol since 2008 and she was looking to keep it that way.

"Of course," she crooned, beginning to sway along with the music.

The longer she thought about Jesse, the more she began to realize that she wouldn't be able to coddle him forever. She had already gone against all her rules and she was playing a dangerous game. He was a client. She was the extractor. She gave him a new life and she was out. That was how it was supposed to work. There were still things that she refused to let Jesse know about her and spending extra time with him was not going to help that mission at all. Felicity bit her lip. She had to drop him – for a little while at least. Here she was getting upset that he couldn't just kiss her normally when she wasn't even supposed to let him get close enough to shake her hand.

She had to let him go.

. . .

Somewhere down the line, Jesse had discarded his jacket, the room getting a bit too hot. Maria clung to him as they moved in synch, her blond locks tousled from dancing and her cheeks red with intoxication. Jesse had his eyes closed, arms wrapped around her tight as people flowed around him. He had no idea how long he had been just standing there gyrating with the music but he had no problem with it. He hadn't felt this free in ages. He hung his head back, airy breaths escaping his lips, Maria's soft hair tickling his neck.

Suddenly, there was a loud cheer that cut through the music. Jesse cracked an eye open, returning back to earth. Maria gripped his shoulder as she tiptoed to look over as well. The thick crowd parted and the music dropped. Jesse narrowed his eyes, fully turning around to see what was going on. From within the crowd emerged Felicity with a cake in her arms. There was a large plastic bust of Superman as well candles in the shape of the numbers two and six and a singular sparkler on top. Jesse felt his breath hitch in his throat as the crowd burst into Happy Birthday.

"…Happy birthday dear…"

Followed by a mumbling of "Alex."

"Happy birthday to you!"

Jesse blinked as Felicity stopped in front of him, a small grin on her face. The sparkler made shadows dance against her skin. He hadn't even noticed that her usually curly hair was straight, if not a little wavy from being in such a humid room. Her eyes were lightly lined and her lips tinted a soft pink. She sported a black lace tank top and some sort of pink bra underneath that along with matching black shorts. In short, she looked damn good.

"Alex?" she asked, snapping him back to reality. He was drunk. That was it.

"Make a wish, tiger," she teased, flashing him a coy smile.

Finding himself incapable of thinking of anything off the top of his head, he looked around the crowd for a brief second, only to realize they were watching him intently. Even Maria who he had just now noticed was still wrapped around his arms, was staring up at him with anticipation. He didn't even know half of these people but here they were, singing him Happy Birthday and waiting for him to blow out his candles. Meeting Felicity's gaze again, he shook his head, chuckling as the sparkler fizzled out.

"No more leaving, deal?" he whispered lowly.

Felicity felt her heart drop. She put on a small smile, shaking her head to feign amusement. He was drunk. He wouldn't remember anyway.

Jesse took that as a yes as he effortlessly blew out the two candles.