FALLING FOR YOU

Chapter 2: Sight-seeing

It was his second cup of coffee, now half empty with the lukewarm caffeinated drink. Oliver never drank lukewarm coffee, but today he was willing to make an exception. He was actually taking his time consuming the beverage, because he did not want his conversation with Felicity Smoak to end just yet. He was going to hold on to his cup for as long as it takes.

In just half an hour, Oliver had already learned a lot about her. He'd found out that she was from the other side of the country, born and raised in Surrey, near Vancouver where she now worked as an IT specialist in a huge tech company, which unfortunately took her skills and loyalty for granted. While she had shared some anecdotes about her job and workplace, he had thought that if she had been working for his family's company, he would have made sure that she wasn't treated that way. He'd also discovered that she was an only child and that she was raised by a single mother for most of her life.

Oliver also learned that Felicity was in Niagara because of a national academic competition - the same one that his sister Thea was in. She had told him how her former junior high school had begged her to coach their team this year because the principal and faculty had thought that this year's representatives had the best chance to make it past the semifinal round since her team became the national champion about fifteen years ago. She had also explained how she had to file for leave from work in advance, having saved her remaining days-off so that she could train the students and go on this trip and enjoy the sight-seeing in between competitions, before she had to fly back on Monday. He immediately made a mental note that he had only three days to try to get to know her before she had to drive back to Toronto and fly home to Vancouver. If he had felt a tinge of panic over the very limited time he had to get to know her, he had done quite well to hide it from her with his winsome smile.

For a while, she had done most of the talking, until he had already consumed his first cup of coffee. So, she had offered to buy him a second cup on the condition that he would talk about himself when she got back to their table. It did not take a lot of convincing for him to oblige her. When she came back with their second round of caffeine, Oliver had begun to tell her more about himself, mostly about his family and the work he did in his family's company. When Felicity had realized that he was actually the billionaire heir of business tycoons Robert and Moira Queen of Toronto, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in disbelief. He couldn't help but smirk because of her reaction, but he had assured her that he and his sister weren't like many of the high brow, snobbish elitists that his parents usually socialized with. That had encouraged her to relax and be at ease once more in his company.

When Felicity asked what brought him to Niagara, Oliver had told her that he had also taken time off work in order to support his sister and cheer her on for the competition because it was her first time to join one. He had told her how much his sister meant to him, and Felicity had told him how much she had dreamed of having a sibling when she was younger. He even added that his sister did not know he was coming and that he had meant for it to be a surprise. He later on realized the dilemma he was now in - whether he should root for his sister's team or for Felicity's team - but it was Felicity that had voiced it out first and teased him, saying, "May the best team win!"

And because some good things never last for long, their coffee cup conversation soon ended. But Oliver wouldn't have it. He had to make sure they would see each other again.

"Well, thanks for coffee and good company. It was nice meeting you, Oliver," Felicity said, signaling the end of their time together.

Oliver sensed that she was trying to take leave, so he responded, "It was my pleasure. Thank you for buying us the second cups." He wanted to say more but didn't know what else to say except that he REALLY wanted to see her again.

Good thing she spoke once more. "I've got to get going. Need to get ready for the competition. Opening ceremony begins at 9 sharp at the Americana."

Of course, he knew where the competition was being held, but he hadn't yet bothered to message Thea and ask about the schedules since it was a surprise. So, was it just him, or did she actually drop that line to tell him exactly where she would be today? He wondered, with hopeful excitement.

Then Felicity added, "I'm sure your sister would be thrilled to see you. Semifinals start at 10 and last until about 3 in the afternoon." He smiled and nodded. He could certainly take a hint.

Just as Felicity was about to stand up and leave, Oliver ventured to ask, "Felicity, would you be free after that? I could take you around, that is, if you would like to see Niagara. It's really more than just the Falls."

Felicity smiled. "That would be nice, thank you. I suppose you've been here before?"

"Multiple times," he replied. "My family actually has a man-" He cleared his throat, hesitating for a moment. He didn't want her to see him as someone way beyond her league if he had told her that he stayed in a mansion. "Years ago, my parents bought a vacation house thirty minutes away from here. We come here every so often, just to get away from the daily grind."

"Oh."

"What time should I pick you up?"

"Maybe quarter past three?"

"Okay. At the Americana?"

"Yes. That's where my team and I are staying. It's convenient."

Oliver was thrilled that she was dropping more hints. Well, at least he thought so. "Great! I'll see you at the lobby of the hotel then."

"Yeah, cool!"

They parted ways, Oliver eager as a beaver for their something-like-a-date that afternoon.

Oliver was in over his head, but he didn't mind. Yesterday, after the semifinal competition, he had offered to take Felicity to the wax museum, Ripley's, and the other attractions in town, but she had declined. Instead, she had asked if he could take her to Marineland. At first, he had thought that he'd be bored looking at sea creatures in gigantic aquariums, but he'd figured that the rides would compensate for that. He hadn't been disappointed. Because Felicity Smoak had proven to be more than an entertaining sight-seeing companion; his time with her had been highly educational and intellectually stimulating. He had learned more about marine mammals from her than he did from his college biology professor. He had learned more about physics and the laws of motion by listening to her very interesting explanations while waiting in line to go on the roller coaster, the triple tower ride, etc.

Truth be told, the rides and attractions still weren't as interesting as the person that talked about them. Felicity was one of a kind. Something about her just made him feel light, made him forget about his cares, and made him appreciate the simple joys in life that he otherwise failed to notice because of his stressful, busy lifestyle. And he liked it. He liked her. Really liked her.

The next day, Saturday, he had known better. He took her to the botanical garden and then brought her to the floral clock in the morning, before the finals in the afternoon. Felicity had appreciated it so much. She was on on a roll, telling him facts and trivia about the different kinds of plants and herbs they had seen there. He had been impressed by how she was able to identify the different kinds of maple trees in the garden. He marveled at how her beauty and bright personality blended in with the wonders of nature in the butterfly conservatory. He hoped that she had not noticed him staring at her more than once while she babbled about the different species of butterflies that she had read about when she was in middle school.

The best thing for him, though, was when she had casually invited him to visit Vancouver Island, specifically the Butchart Gardens, after he had timidly confessed that he hadn't been there yet. "You're kidding!" she had exclaimed. "I can't believe you've been to Vancouver a few times but have never been to the most beautiful gardens in the world. It's a National Historic Site of Canada, Oliver, blooming for more than 100 years! You have got to come see it!"

Immediately, Oliver grabbed the opportunity and asked, "Will you take me there?"

That had instantly cut her off from her rambling. It seemed that she had suddenly realized what she had just opened up for him. Oliver saw her cheeks color into crimson. Taking a deep breath to ground herself once more, she answered, "Sure, I can do that. It's the least I can do for you after taking up so much of your time here. You should be spending time with your sister."

"It's not a bother, really," he assured her. "Thea has seen Niagara so many times, and I'm sure she'd rather spend her free time with her friends while she's here." He paused, and when Felicity didn't say anything, he added, "What I'm interested in is seeing the gardens you speak so highly of. So, I think I'm going to take you up on that, if you are willing to show me around."

"You've got yourself a tour guide," Felicity replied, smiling. "But it's gotta be on a weekend, though. I've already used up my paid LOAs because of this trip and all the coaching I've been doing. Unlike you, Mr. Queen, every dollar in my paycheck counts."

"Deal," he quickly responded. "I'll have my EA check my calendar later, and then I'll get back to you."

"Excited much, huh? I didn't mean you had to get on it right away," she teased him. When he blushed in embarrassment, she said, "I'm just kidding."

They headed back to the parking lot and hopped into his car. He drove them back to the hotel with plenty of time for her to prepare for the finals. Thea's team had not made it past the semis, but Felicity's had gone straight to championship round. Oliver was relieved that he did not have to choose between those two teams which one to root for, had they both become finalists. He could focus on cheering Felicity's team alone.

At the end of the day, Felicity's team was awarded the coveted trophy. Oliver congratulated her and her team afterwards, and when they dispersed, he took the chance to introduce Felicity to his sister Thea, who didn't fail to notice how brightly her brother's face beamed in the presence of the beautiful, brilliant blonde from Vancouver.

When Thea excused herself to go back to her friends, Oliver said to Felicity, "Hungry? I know a great Italian place in town, or I could take you to the Summit Suite Buffet at the Skylon Tower. That is, if you don't have dinner plans yet."

"Oh... Actually, it's been such a long day. I was thinking of going straight to my hotel room and just ordering from room service. Rain check?" she asked.

"No problem. Tomorrow then? We could go back to the Falls and take a cruise in the afternoon, and then go straight to dinner." He kept his fingers crossed.

"Yeah, that would be nice." She smiled, but as he watched her walk away, his smile grew wider than hers.

A/N: What did you think of this one? I intentionally did not make them residents of Starling City. I know for a fact that SA hails from Toronto and EBR from Vancouver BC, specifically Surrey.

And how did you like the tour? The botanical garden in Niagara is a very nice place. But in my opinion, Butchart Gardens in Vancouver Island is way nicer - it's beautiful there. I wouldn't mind going back if the opportunity arises.