An: I do not own Arrow.
November
The bar had just opened and Alice had the TV above the bar on one of those entertainment channels again. Oliver was doing a quick inventory when he nearly dropped the notepad he had been holding. The television was running a feature article on Oliver Queen or more specifically the six month absence of Oliver Queen. Frantically looking for the remote, he changed the channel before anyone could see what was on. When he got home that night, he googled the show, the title of the episode was 'Where on Earth is Oliver Queen?' His lack of appearances for the last six month was raising red flags. He would have to hit the clubs when he went home for Thanksgiving to let them know he was alive and well so they wouldn't look for him. He made a mental note to get a wig with long hair. He didn't want them knowing what he looked like now.
Nov-2
Oliver failed to intercept the bills before Felicity. He even tried to pay the rent but the landlord indicated Felicity had already paid for November. He decided to pay for December early. He would need to be stealthier for the next set of bills too. He refused to be a sponge and live off of Felicity's kindness. He was determined to make an equal contribution to their living arrangements. He had no immediate plans to move out. He had convinced himself Felicity still needed him.
Nov-3
Following Felicity's example, Oliver decided on Christmas gifts for his family early. Since he hadn't paid any bills, he could divert those funds to gifts. Bob had once told him that sentimentality increases the value of things. He knew that Alice painted in her spare time and he asked Alice to paint a portrait of him. His mother was a fan of art so it would be the perfect gift for her. For his sister, he would give her the shawl that Juanita was working on. He had asked Juanita to personalise the item for Thea. For his father, he had done a little research on the internet and located the baseball player who hit the first homerun his father had ever seen. It was one of his father's fondest memories. The man was still alive and Oliver was going to take a wooden baseball bat and ask the man to sign it for him. For Tommy he was going to engrave a set of shot glasses with their happiest memories. He already had the inscriptions for three of the glasses written. He had also decided to get Felicity a Hanukkah gift. He knew exactly what he wanted to get her and he couldn't wait to give it to her.
Nov-4
Oliver was becoming increasingly aware of the growing attraction between him and Felicity. When he was home with her he could scarcely go five minutes without wanting to touch her. Even worse, when she licked her bottom lip, he wanted to kiss her. He had said when he started this challenge that he didn't want to be involved with anyone. He had tried to bury what he felt for Felicity, to chalk it up to her being his first female friend but his feelings kept growing. He knew he wanted Felicity and he didn't just want her for one night. He wanted her much longer than that. But was it really fair to enter into a relationship with her when she didn't know who he was? If they started something he didn't want it to be based on lies but he couldn't break the terms of the challenge. Could he survive until May?
Nov-5
It was Thanksgiving, he had a packed suitcase by the door, "Are you sure you will be ok?" he asked Felicity.
"I'm fine. John's estranged wife is coming. It's going to be them, Bob, Samantha and I. We'll be fine. Bob cooks a mean turkey!"
"But what about breakfast?" Oliver asked. He had zero faith in Felicity's cooking abilities.
"Oliver I survived before you, I can survive for the four days you're gone."
Bob had given him four days off for the good work he had been doing but Oliver had never felt so hesitant to leave a place before. Even at the start of his father's challenge, when he was moving to Las Vegas with no job or place to live he hadn't felt this way.
"Go Oliver, the cab is here. I don't know why you didn't let me drop you to the airport,"
They had argued for days about that but he couldn't let her know that he wasn't taking a flight. The cab would drop him at a gas station just outside the strip where the driver would meet him in a nondescript Toyota Camry. Flying would have attracted too much attention and with the news report earlier that month, he was not taking any chances.
When Oliver arrived at the manor, he was surprised by how conflicted he felt. This was his home. He had lived here most of his life and when he finished his father's challenge, he would be coming back here but he felt strangely empty as he entered. Not seeing his parents or his sister, he made a beeline to Raisa in the kitchen. The room smelt wonderful. The turkey was in one oven, a rack of lamb in the other. Oliver actually felt a bit disgusted. Some families struggled to put a turkey on the table yet his parents weren't satisfied with just turkey, there was lamb and probably two other meats as well that he hadn't seen yet. The table would be filled with more than twice the amount of food they needed. He could at least take solace in the fact that his father would donate the balance of the food to a homeless shelter in the Glades. He hadn't understood why his father did that before, but now he appreciated that his parents at least remembered others.
"Mister Oliver, don't you look handsome, you're looking much better than when I saw you for your birthday," she said hugging him strongly. She was like a second mother to him.
Oliver smiled at her. It always amazed him that she could pick up on his moods so easily.
"I'm well," he said, "but I need a huge favour,"
"Anything for you," she replied.
He handed her a list he had been compiling, "I need to learn how to cook everything on this list by Sunday,"
Raisa opened the list, "This is a lot to learn. Some of these dishes I have never cooked. These are all traditional Jewish dishes served at Hanukkah,"
"I know," Oliver said with a small smile. He had spent hours researching how Hanukkah was celebrated. He remembered a time a few years ago where his father had a Jewish businessman over and Raisa cooked speciality food for him.
"And this is for?" Raisa asked curiously.
"A friend," he said
At Raisa's look, he expounded more, "she lost her mother a couple of months ago and this will be her first Hanukkah without her. I wanted to make it easy for her,"
"She must be special,"
"She is special,"
"Very well, I'll see you in this kitchen tomorrow at 5:30am,"
"5:30am!"
"If you want to learn all of this then 5:30am,"
"Ok, I'll be here,"
He left the kitchen and headed to his bedroom. Felicity's apartment could probably fit in this bedroom. He returned his leather pants to his wardrobe and picked out a few more jeans to take back with him. He was going through his jeans fast.
He was suddenly tackled from the side, "Ollie!" a mass of brown curls said.
"Speedy," Oliver said hugging her back. He had missed his little sister.
"Why haven't you come to visit? I keep asking Dad but he said I should let you enjoy your last year of freedom."
"I'm sorry Speedy," he said. He would have liked to visit but he worked every day. There was no time to see her.
"We'll do something together at Christmas. I promise."
"Pinky swear?" she asked
Oliver laughed, "What are you five?"
His little sister crossed her hands angrily in front of her, "You've never broken a pink promise to me."
"Ok," he said holding up his little finger to hers.
"Great!" Thea said skipping off. "I'm going to go see Roy."
"Roy? Wait who's Roy? Thea, Thea," he called walking to the door to look into the corridor but his sister was long gone. Who the hell was Roy?
After his sister, he decided he may as well get the talks with his mother and father out of the way as well. He found his mother supervising the preparation of the dining table for dinner. From the amount of settings, he realised his mother had invited extra guests.
"Oh my darling boy," Moira said when Oliver drew close to her. "I hope Las Vegas has been treating you well,"
Oliver's eyes widened in surprise.
"You didn't believe your father would be able to keep your location a secret from me did you? You're just as clueless as your father is then."
"So all those things I tell you on the phone?"
"It amuses me to hear some of the stories you come up with, the sports bottle one must have been my favourite,"
Oliver rubbed his hands over his face, "that had not been the best idea," he reluctantly admitted. He had told his mother that he got his sport bottle stuck in the trash dispenser to cover the noise of the washing machine. She didn't need to know he was doing his own laundry.
"So now that you know that I know the truth, tell me about Vegas, I understand that you work at a bar."
"Yes I do,"
"Is it safe?" his mother asked.
"Yes,"
"I imagine you have plenty of drunks to deal with?"
"Sometimes, mainly when there are big parties. The regulars tend to stick to one or two drinks unless they are depressed about something."
"And you would rather do this than come to work at QC in May?" his mother pressed.
Oliver didn't even have to think about the answer, the word was slipping through his mouth, "yes"
His mother seemed disappointed in his answer. Raisa soon interrupted to inform them that the turkey was finished and that dinner could be served as soon as their guests arrived. The guests turned out to be Tommy and his father. The entire dinner Robert and Malcolm discussed business. His mind wandered to Las Vegas and what was happening at the bar. Felicity was probably babbling away, while John stood by silently listening. John's wife was also there. His friend had been very anxious. He hoped things went well for him. Samantha probably had some weird food craving. So far the weirdest had been when she wanted Bob's Buffalo wings dipped in whip cream.
After dinner, Oliver met up with his father.
"Have you been obeying all of my terms and conditions?" his father asked.
Oliver snorted, "I haven't told anyone who I really am but you've obviously been telling people where I am."
His father sighed, "Tommy can be quite persistent and manipulative when he wants to get something. He gets that from his father and your mother is a force of nature when she wants something."
"Tommy turned up in Las Vegas last month. I refused to see him."
"Good, you wouldn't want to be spotted would you?"
"No, but since you told Tommy and mom, can I tell one person the truth?" Oliver asked.
"No, the terms of the deal clearly state that you cannot tell anyone. There was nothing restricting me from sharing the information with anyone. I haven't broken the terms of this engagement," his father said.
Oliver glared.
"And how are your finances?" his father asked.
"You know I haven't touched any Queen money. I'm sure you have alerts on all of my accounts, trust fund and credit cards."
"I do," Robert confirmed.
"Good night father. I have an early day tomorrow," Oliver said walking away from him. He suddenly didn't feel like partying.
This time when he went to sleep on his bed it didn't feel as comfortable as it had in May. His whole room felt big and empty. It was missing something or as he would eventually admit to himself, someone.
Nov -6
"Ok where is my best bud, it's time to party?" a suave Tommy Merlyn asked walking into the kitchen where a giddy Thea had told him her brother was camped out. Tommy looked at his friend in shock, "I don't think covering yourself in flour is a good look for the club," he deadpanned.
"Can I take a rain check?" Oliver asked. He hadn't left the kitchen all day. Some of those dishes were a lot more difficult than he thought.
"Rain check again?" Tommy asked. "You already ditched on me yesterday."
"I've been cooking all day. It's a lot more tiring than it looks."
"Mister Oliver is a wonderful cook! He learns so fast," Raisa gushed proudly.
"Cooking? Isn't this your vacation?"
"It is,"
"You promised me,"
Oliver sighed, he knew he needed to hit the town with Tommy and let the world see him.
"Ok, I'll go get dressed,"
"Excellent," Tommy beamed at him.
He shaved his face clean and sported a ridiculous wig. He looked at himself in the mirror and wondered why on earth he ever insisted on wearing his hair like that. He looked as ridiculous as the wig itself! If Felicity saw him he was pretty sure she would drop to the floor clutching her stomach in laughter.
Nov -7
The club Tommy took Oliver to was a club that they used to frequent. There were plenty of models and sexy women around but Oliver ignored them in favour of sipping on his whiskey at the bar. He watched the bartenders there, work. He looked at their techniques as they mixed their drinks while he talked with Tommy. He was surprised that Laurel hadn't come but Tommy told him she was at a family retreat. They managed to keep the conversation light. Tommy eventually moved them to a quite booth in the back where he interrogated Oliver for details about what he was doing.
"You know since I started counting, that is the eighth time you've mentioned Felicity's name! And from what I gather she doesn't even work at the bar." Tommy said. "So spill who is this chick?"
"Tommy unless you want my fist to connect with your jaw, don't ever call Felicity a chick. She is so much more than a chick."
Tommy held up his hands in defense, "sorry I didn't meant anything by it but she obviously has you whipped. You've barely looked at another girl all night so who is she,"
Oliver knew the minute he said it Tommy was going to blow it out of proportion. He quietly said she was his roommate, letting the noise of the club drown out his answer.
"I didn't catch that Oliver," Tommy pushed.
"She's my roommate," he said a little bit louder.
"Roommate? Oliver Queen is living with a woman?" Tommy said.
"She's a good friend. She took me in when she didn't have to. She could have left me in the hell hole I was living in but she's not that kind of person."
"So she's just your roommate?" Tommy asked
"She's also a friend," Oliver admitted.
"Oliver Queen does not have female friends," Tommy pointed out.
"No Ollie Queen didn't have female friends but Oliver Arrow has. Alice and Samantha are also my friends. When I go back to being Oliver Queen I don't plan on giving up any of the friendships I've made so far,"
"You make it sound as if Oliver Arrow and Oliver Queen are two separate people. They are both you." Tommy pointed out.
Oliver pursed his lips, "at the moment Oliver Queen feels like an entirely different person to Oliver Arrow,"
To spare himself the torture of trying to explain the difference to Tommy, Oliver suggested they hit the dance floor. The point of the whole excursion was to be seen.
Nov -8
The cab dropped him in front of Felicity's apartment complex. Oliver quickly paid the driver, grabbed his suitcase and raced forward to the door. He had this driving need within him to see Felicity and ensure she had survived his absence. It took him longer than usual to open the door. For some reason in his excitement, he couldn't get the key in the hole. He opened the door and found her seated on the sofa with her legs tucked under her and a glass of wine in her hand. Diggle and another woman he did not recognise where perched on the love seat opposite her.
"Oliver," Felicity exclaimed her whole face lighting up.
"Felicity," he said exhaling a breath he didn't realise he had been holding.
They were both openly staring at each other with dopey smile plastered on their faces. The clearing of a throat brought them back to reality.
"I see what you mean Johnny," the mysterious women said.
Felicity blushed red at the comment.
"Oliver," Digg said standing up, "this is my wife, Lyla,"
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Oliver said moving over to her to shake her hand.
"Likewise," Lyla responded.
Half an hour later, Oliver and Felicity were alone in the kitchen tidying up after the married couple had left. He opened the trash can and found a pile of take out boxes. Why was he not surprised that she had survived with take out, mainly Big Belly Burger.
"I missed this," Felicity commented.
"I missed it too," Oliver responded tying up the garbage for when the truck came around the next day.
"I said that out loud," Felicity exclaimed the familiar blush covering her features, "I didn't mean to say that out loud. It's not like I was waiting for you to come back or anything,"
Oliver closed the distance between them and cut her off by capturing her lips with his. She eagerly returned the kiss. Minutes later when they both parted, they were breathless but happy. Felicity initiated the next kiss. Soon clothes were landing on the floor and they were stumbling to the nearest bed.
Oliver managed to stop himself, hovering just above her on what was her bed. She was beautiful. Her face was flushed the way he liked it and her pupils were blown wide. He didn't want to take the next step without her at first learning a little bit of the truth, "Felicity," he said looking deep into her eyes, "Oliver Arrow isn't my real name. It's not who I am,"
"I don't care Oliver. I know who you really are," Felicity said placing her hand over his heart. She reached up and claimed his lips again. "Make love to me," she whispered against his lips. He didn't need to be asked twice.
November ended and Oliver didn't even realise another month had passed. He was too busy enjoying cloud nine with Felicity.
AN: So I don't know if this is bad news or good news but the chances of me updating tomorrow are 50/50. If you don't see an update don't panic, I will update on Tuesday.