Felicity got to her apartment with her heart still beating erratically. Had Oliver really just asked her out? On a date?
Just thinking about it had made her giddy all day and she barely got through work. When it had finally been time to go home, she couldn't control how excited she was. Oliver had even shown up at her office at the end of the day in order to let her know he had made reservations.
She almost melted on the spot.
To say she was excited would be a huge understatement. She had almost lost her nerve when she kissed him on the cheek, but she had done it. She had closed the gap and finally felt his skin under her lips.
She was immediately addicted to it, and could only hope it happened again.
Now that she was home, she did everything she could to calm her nerves. While she was getting ready, she gave her undivided attention to her makeup and clothes. She must've tried on at least ten different dresses before deciding on the perfect one.
It was red, and went just past her knees. She put the dress on and matched it with her favorite black heels.
She had just finished putting on the final touches when she heard someone knocking on her door.
This was it. He was here and, as she looked at the clock to see it was exactly 7:00, right on time. That made her smile, because he was never on time. Knowing he was on time for their date made her feel that much more special.
Smiling, she walked to the door and opened it to find Oliver in a perfectly fitting suit. She internally sighed while staring at the man in front of her. When her eyes finally rose to meet his, she realized he had been doing exactly what she had and couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks. He had been checking her out.
She saw Oliver sigh before he said, "Felicity. You look breathtaking."
Felicity smiled and let her eyes fall to the floor and rise again as she replied, "Thank you, Oliver. You look very handsome."
She saw his eyes light up and knew her face looked the same. She grabbed her purse and reached for her coat so they wouldn't miss their reservation. After helping her into her coat, Oliver led her out of her apartment with his hand on her lower back.
The touch was so intimate that Felicity couldn't fight the burn that ignited low in her stomach.
She just hoped she could make it through dinner before allowing that burn to take over.
This was going to be a long night.
They got to the restaurant just in time for their reservations. The car ride there was a comfortable silence and it made Felicity smile. They had always been comfortable with each other, and she was happy to know that wouldn't change now.
When they got to their table, Oliver helped her out of her coat and pulled her chair out for her. He ordered a bottle of wine once he sat down and she couldn't help but say, "Finally. I get that wine you owe me from when I helped you with that 'scavenger hunt' two years ago."
Felicity sees Oliver's smile widen and he pours wine for both of them as he says, "I know. I'm sorry it took me so long."
Felicity looks at him and sees a somber expression on his face. She realizes he isn't talking about the wine anymore, but about the entire night.
"Well, better late than never if you ask me." She tells him with a smile on her face. He returns it as he replaces the wine and raises his glass to hers for a toast.
"So, what should we toast to?" Felicity asks.
"Hmm… How about we toast to new beginnings?" Oliver says to her, holding so much promise in those words.
"Well," Felicity says, "I won't argue with that."
As they both were lost in their thoughts, Felicity realized there was no one else in the restaurant.
"Oliver… Why are there no other people here?" She asks, even though she already knows the answer. She just wants to hear him say it.
He steadies his gaze on her and she sees something in his eyes that makes her breath catch. Was that...? No. It couldn't be. The candlelight was definitely messing with her eyesight.
"I closed the restaurant down for us tonight. I thought it'd be better if we had some privacy." Oliver stared at her, and she thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest at the look he had in his eyes.
He wanted to do everything for her.
For them.
When their food arrived 20 minutes later, they enjoyed it in silence. Oliver ordered the chef specials for both of them, which was a pasta that tasted amazing. Felicity tried her hardest not to drool when they set it in front of her.
After their plates were scraped clean, they sat there and talked. Oliver asked her about her past, and Felicity asked him about his.
He told her he wasn't on Lian Yu the entire time he was gone, and Felicity couldn't help but be curious and ask him where he was if he wasn't there.
She could see the battle he was holding inside. She grabbed his hand across the table and looked deep into his eyes, and said "Oliver, you can trust me."
He gave her hand a squeeze and whispered, "I know I can. I just don't know if you can handle what I'm about to tell you."
Felicity looked at him and waited as he made his decision on whether to tell her or not. She knew this was difficult for him, so she didn't want to push him. She simply stared at their intertwined hands in awe because of how well they fit together. His strong, calloused hand around hers was probably the best feeling Felicity had ever had.
As she saw him take a deep breath, she noticed out of the corner of her eye there was someone outside. To anyone else, it probably would've looked like they were just talking on the phone, but Felicity knew better. After being around Oliver and Diggle for so long, she knew how to detect suspicious behavior.
The man was standing by the window, shuffling his feet back and forth while his hands were in a bag in front of him. She saw him look up at her, and that was when she saw it.
The man held a device that was black and had wires sticking out of it. When she processed it was a bomb, she didn't hesitate.
She jumped out of her chair, flung herself across the table to Oliver and had just brought the table down in front of them when the bomb went off.
Right before the darkness took her, she realized she was finally where she wanted to be: in Oliver's arms.