I'm trying some AU Arrow here, and I'm pretty excited about it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This story title comes from the song "Still Into You" by Paramore.

i.

"Damn it!"

Felicity Smoak grunted as she tried to keep the laptop bag on her shoulder from falling towards the crook of her arm. Of course, it slid down her arm anyway, and she rolled her eyes. It was kind of difficult for her to juggle all of the files she had in her hands, plus the two laptop bags (one was hers and one was her new boss's), her purse, and her keys.

Cursing profusely under her breath, Felicity tried to adjust the keys in her hand so she could unlock the door to her new apartment. She had only moved in two days ago, so she was still getting a hang of the place.

A thumping noise to her left startled her and made her turn to see what it was. She was surprised to see a man pressing a red head (with hair that obviously wasn't natural) to the door next to hers. The man's mouth was attached to her neck, and Felicity tried her best to tear her eyes away. But it was kind of like a train wreck—she wanted to look away, but she couldn't. She didn't think she had ever seen anything like this before.

In her distraction, however, Felicity's keys slipped from her grip and clattered to the floor. The jingle of the keys did nothing to distract the redhead, but the man did lift his face from the woman's neck and look over at Felicity.

He grinned at her with playful eyes and waved before he unlocked his door and took the woman into his apartment with him. Felicity stared at the place they had just been standing, her mouth hanging wide open as both the laptop bags dangled from her arm.

The click of his front door shutting made Felicity jump into action once again, she readjusted her bags and scooped her keys off of the floor. Her mind was still spinning with what she had just witnessed, and one detail stood out above all the rest.

Her new neighbor was Oliver Queen.

ii.

Felicity was twenty years old and had just graduated at the top of her class from MIT. Her parents weren't exactly thrilled when she told them that Queen Consolidated had recruited her and was even giving her a place to live, but they were happy for her (they had been even less thrilled back when she had graduated from high school at sixteen and had gone across the country to MIT. At least she was closer to home now, so her parents couldn't really complain).

But Felicity's mother had repeatedly stated that she didn't think a twenty year old had any business living on her own in a big city. And many of Felicity's new co-workers couldn't believe that Queen Consolidated had even bothered to hire someone as young as her.

Felicity worked through it, however. It was her dream to have a job like this, even if she was starting at the bottom. She knew that she was good at her job and she knew that she could do this, despite her young age. Her mother and her co-workers were just going to have to accept it.

What Felicity still couldn't wrap her mind around, however, was the fact that Oliver Queen was her next door neighbor. Oliver Queen! He was the prince of Starling City, the heir to the company that Felicity was now working at.

He also happened to be the biggest playboy in the country, and that was only proven with what Felicity had witnessed the night before. When she remembered the grin he had sent her way, Felicity's heart skipped a beat.

She shook her head and checked her reflection in the mirror. A black pencil skirt and a pink blouse were her choice of attire for that day. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she had sensible black pumps on her feet. Felicity wasn't normally accustomed to walking around in heels, but she figured that she better get used to it if she was going to be working in an office setting.

Felicity shouldered all of the bags she had dragged home the night before and headed out of her apartment. Her door opened just as Oliver Queen's was shutting. He was wearing slacks and a white dress shirt, and Felicity found it incredibly unfair that someone could look so good in such simple clothes.

"Hey, new neighbor," Oliver said easily. "Welcome to the building. I'm Oliver Queen."

"I know who you are," Felicity blurted without thinking. She blinked as the words hung between them. Trying to fix her blunder, Felicity quickly said, "What I mean is… uh… I… I'm Felicity Smoak."

To her surprise, the corner of Oliver's mouth tilted up. Instead of commenting on her rambling, Oliver said, "It's nice to meet you, Felicity Smoak. I'll see you around."

He tucked his hands into his pockets and went down the hallway. Just as she had the night before, Felicity stared after him with her mouth wide open. Had that actually just happened?

Felicity shook her head and locked her own door behind her before she left. She had focus on work, not her extremely attractive next door neighbor.

iii.

Naturally, they had just waxed the lobby when Felicity entered it.

She sighed heavily as she showed the guard at the front desk her ID. He waved her through and Felicity began to carefully make her way across the now glossy floor of the lobby. Of course, on the day that she decided to practice wearing her heels the floor was slick and hard to maneuver. But she could totally do it. The fact that she was the biggest klutz in the world didn't mean anything.

The lobby was busy and bustling with people on their phones or on their way to meetings. Everyone was dressed in dark colors, and Felicity knew that she stood out like sore thumb with her pink blouse, but that was one of the perks of working on the lower floors. She didn't need one of those sleek business suits.

She occasionally looked up, but for the most part Felicity kept her gaze on her feet as she tried to carefully walk. So she wasn't exactly paying attention when a harried looking intern cut in front of her. Felicity slammed right into her and her right ankle immediately twisted underneath her.

With a gasp of surprise, Felicity could feel herself falling towards the floor. There was really no way to avoid this one; she was about to end up on her face in the middle of the Queen Consolidated lobby. She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact…

…but it never came.

It took Felicity a moment for her to realize that she hadn't hit the floor at all; instead, someone had caught her with a pair of really strong arms. Felicity opened her eyes and then immediately wished she had fallen anyway.

Oliver Queen was staring back at her.

Felicity groaned and Oliver chuckled. "Hello, next door neighbor Felicity Smoak," he said before he set her on her feet.

Felicity straightened her blouse out and forced herself to smile at Oliver. Really, she just wished that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Standing behind Oliver was Robert Queen himself, along with a handful of other board members.

"Uh… hello. Oh, wow. Hello. Um…" Felicity bit her lip and tried to get a grip. Blabbering in front of the new bosses probably wasn't such a great thing. "Thank you."

Robert Queen gave her a kind smile. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Felicity nodded her head. "Oh I'm fine, thanks…" She trailed off when she saw that Robert had already turned around and had walked off with the other members of the board. Felicity's mouth opened and shut before she turned and saw that Oliver was still standing by her.

Oliver was still smiling at her, but there was a sadness in his clear blue eyes that she hadn't noticed there before. "I'm sorry about that," he said, his voice markedly different from when she had met him the night before.

Felicity waved her hand and shifted the bags she was carrying. Thankfully, she had managed to keep any of her bags from tumbling towards the ground during her fall. Though she supposed that was more due to Oliver than anything else.

"Don't worry about it," she said. Felicity rolled her shoulder to get the straps of the laptop bags to stay there, but Oliver surprised her even further by taking the bags from her.

"Where to?" he asked. He either didn't acknowledge or didn't see the way her eyes went owlishly wide, and instead waited for Felicity to direct him.

Holding her purse tightly, Felicity told him, "The tenth floor."

Oliver nodded his head and then offered her his arm. Felicity looked at it in confusion, and he smirked at her. His eyes were no longer sad; instead, they twinkled with mischief.

"We can't have you falling again," he teased.

Felicity's cheeks flushed but she couldn't help but laugh. She slid her hand into the crook of his arm and together they walked towards the elevator.

Once they were standing in there, Oliver didn't make a move to step away. When they got to the tenth floor, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Together, they stepped out and headed down the hall towards Felicity's cubicle.

Oliver hung the laptop bags on one of the available hooks and then slid his hands into his pockets. Felicity set her purse on the desk and then turned to face Oliver.

"Thank you," Felicity said. "For helping me with the bags and for catching me in the lobby. That was really something. You have good hands." As soon as the words left her mouth, Felicity closed her eyes and winced. Of course she would say something like that around Oliver Queen. "What I meant was, your hands are big and quick and… I'm just going to stop talking now."

Oliver chuckled, and then he winked at her. "See you around, Felicity Smoak."

iv.

It was only a week later that Felicity was coming back from a late night at work. Given that she had just moved to Starling City and hadn't really made a lot of friends yet, she spent her Friday nights at the office. If she had any chance to get some extra work done, she would take it. It made her feel like less of a loser if she kept herself busy with work.

Too tired to take the stairs, Felicity just stepped into her building's elevator and rode up to her floor. She tugged the band holding her hair in a ponytail and let it fall loose around her shoulders. She dragged her fingers through her hair and dug around in her purse. Fishing her keys out, she groaned tilted her head back when they slipped from her fingers.

Felicity stood in the middle of the hallway by her apartment door, seriously contemplating if it would be too ridiculous for her to just sleep in front of her door. But the thought of her big, comfy bed was incredibly enticing, and Felicity decided that it was worth the movement.

Just as she began to make her way towards her door, the entrance to the stairwell at the end of the hall slammed open and two people came stumbling through. On closer inspection, Felicity saw that it was Oliver Queen. His face was attached to the woman's he was with, and this time she was raven-haired.

Unable to help herself, Felicity cleared her throat and then immediately regretted it. She didn't need to draw the attention of Oliver and his newest conquest. She was about to make a run for her apartment when the pair broke the kiss and looked over at her.

Oliver smiled at her in greeting but also looked a little embarrassed to be caught in this situation—again. The woman he was with, however, tossed Felicity a disdainful look and dragged her hand down the front of Oliver's chest.

"Oliver," she whined. "Can we go inside now?"

Oliver made an affirmative noise in the back of his throat and pushed her towards his door. "Bye, Felicity," he said quietly.

Felicity belatedly waved her fingers at him return. She supposed that this was what it would be like to live next to Oliver Queen. Maybe she could even make some friends through all of the girls that Oliver brought home.

Then again, Felicity thought as she remembered how the other woman had sneered at her, maybe not.

v.

The sharp knocking on her door brought Felicity out of her peaceful Saturday morning sleep.

Felicity groaned and lifted her head. Peering groggily at the clock, she saw that it was just after seven o'clock in the morning. She made a disgruntled noise and pressed her face back into her pillow. Given the late nights she had been putting in at work, she had hoped that she could at least sleep in until nine o'clock.

When the knocking didn't cease, Felicity rolled out of her bed and yanked a sweatshirt on over her tank top and shorts combo. She slapped her hair into a messy ponytail and shuffled her way through her apartment until she reached the front door.

As soon as she opened it, she saw a young woman around her age that was dressed fashionably and impeccably. Without waiting for Felicity to great her, she said, "Is my brother in there?"

Felicity blinked. Normally, it took her at least one cup of coffee to get her brain up to its full functioning level. As it was, she was pretty much half asleep on her feet. Another moment passed and Felicity suddenly realized that it was Thea Queen standing outside her door.

"Um… what?" Felicity very intelligently responded. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. Seriously, why was she even awake right now?

Thea tapped an expensive shoe on the ground. "Do you know where my brother is?" she repeated. "He mentioned that he had a new blonde next door neighbor, so I was figuring that this was where he had ended up."

"What?" Felicity repeated. It took a moment for her to comprehend what, exactly, Thea was asking her. When she got it, however, she blanched. "Oh! Oh, no. Oliver isn't here. It's me. Just me. I'm here. But not Oliver."

Thea arched a professionally done eyebrow. "Really? Is that so?" She peered over Felicity's shoulder and tried to get a better look into the apartment. It was almost as if she expected Oliver to appear from the bedroom.

Felicity stepped aside, allowing for Thea to have a better view. "Really. You can look if you want. And I'm Felicity Smoak, by the way. Since you introduced yourself, and all."

Thea looked a little dumbstruck by Felicity's remark—she was right. Thea hadn't bothered to introduce herself at all. Then Thea's face relaxed in a smile. "I like you," she declared. "And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that. I'm Thea Queen, the little sister of the man you live next door to."

"It's nice to meet you," Felicity said with a laugh. "And don't worry about it. I can understand why you would assume something like that." Felicity's eyes went wide and she pressed her fingers to her mouth. She had basically just told Thea that her older brother slept around. It was kind of common knowledge, of course, but still.

Thea waved her hand. "Don't worry, I know that my brother is kind of a man whore. Really, though. Do you have any idea where he could be? We have a brunch this morning and he actually needs to be on time for this one."

"He was around last night…" Felicity began, but then she trailed off. It wasn't exactly her place to say that Oliver was spending the night with yet another one of his conquests. Fortunately, Thea knew what she was talking about.

"He had a girl over, didn't he?" At Felicity's silence, Thea knew she was right. "I'm not surprised. He hasn't been answering his phone, but I thought I would have more luck here. He's mentioned you a few times."

Felicity was completely taken aback by that particular revelation. "Really?" she blurted. "Are you sure?"

Thea laughed. "Oh, this is going to be interesting," she said instead of answering Felicity's question. Before Felicity could even ask what that statement meant, Thea said, "I guess I'll go bang on Oliver's door until he answers."

"Oh… uh, okay," Felicity responded. She still wasn't completely awake yet, so she couldn't be completely sure that her interaction with Thea had actually happened. "Have fun with that."

"Bye!" Thea said brightly. She spun on her heel and headed over to Oliver's door, where she began to bang on it and shout his name. Felicity laughed and shook her head before she shut her door. Living next to a Queen was definitely going to be an interesting experience.

vi.

Felicity stared at the bags in the back of her car and then up at the building. She didn't exactly want to take more than one trip to her car, but she wasn't sure that she could carry all of the grocery bags up at one time, either.

Well, she supposed that now was as good a time as any to practice. Felicity got out of her car and began to slide the bags one at a time onto her forearms. It wasn't long before she had all of the grocery bags and her purse hanging from her arms, and she staggered towards the main doors of her apartment building.

Felicity was halfway across the lobby and slowing due to the weight of the bags when she heard someone calling her name. Turning, her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Oliver Queen headed towards her.

His grin was easy as he approached her. "You look like you could use some help," he said. Without waiting, Oliver relieved her of all the grocery bags save for one. Felicity gaped at him and he chuckled.

Together, they made their way up the stairs and then down the hallway. Oliver waited patiently while Felicity unlocked the door and then followed her in. Felicity was extremely glad that she had thought to straighten up her apartment before she had gone food shopping. Oliver didn't need to see the melted carton of ice cream she had accidentally left out the night before.

Oliver set the bags on the counter, and Felicity tried to not freak out about how he was standing in her kitchen. With the way he relaxed back against the counter, he looked as if he didn't plan on racing out of there, either. She had to think of something to say without blurting out anything completely embarrassing.

"Would you like some coffee?" Felicity asked. She was proud of herself with coming up for that. "It's the least I could do. You know, since you carried up the grocery bags and everything."

Another easy grin formed on Oliver's face, and he nodded his head once. "Sure."

Felicity busied herself with the Keurig she got as a graduation present. She brewed two cups and then set some French vanilla cream and sugar on the counter. Unsurprisingly, Oliver took his coffee black. Felicity stirred some of the creamer into her coffee and leaned against the counter opposite of Oliver.

The pair stood in a comfortable silence for several long minutes. They sipped at their coffee and Felicity tried to wrap her head around the fact that the CEO's son of the company she worked for was standing in her kitchen, drinking some coffee. Things like this didn't happen to girls like her.

Felicity had been the girl that always stayed in and did her homework. She had a perfect GPA and an attendance record that didn't have a single blemish on it. That behavior had continued all the way throughout college and her early graduation. Sure, she had friends and she had gone out to parties and things like that. But her friends and family wouldn't have exactly described her as adventurous.

Yet here she was, standing across from Oliver Queen—the biggest playboy in the city—and acting like she was actually friends with him. It was like some weird, out-of-body experience.

Plus, Oliver was all kinds of sexy and Felicity was having a hard time keeping her mind from wandering.

Shaking her head a little, Felicity redirected her thoughts to what Oliver was actually saying. It seemed as if he had been speaking for the past couple of moments, and Felicity had totally missed most of it.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked. It was probably bad that Felicity was so easily distracted by Oliver's face.

One side of Oliver's mouth lifted up and he repeated, "I'm sorry about this weekend. I know my sister kind of accosted you, and… she can be a lot to handle."

"I thought she was really nice!" Once Thea had stopped accusing Felicity of sleeping around with Oliver, that is. "It really wasn't a big deal, I promise."

Oliver looked pleasantly surprised by that, and he nodded his head. "You also distracted her long enough for me to get Mia out of there. So thank you."

Felicity was about to ask who Mia was, but she figured it was the woman Oliver had been with on that night. She made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded something like agreement, but she didn't exactly want to discuss Oliver's one night stands.

He looked a little embarrassed, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thea isn't very fond of Mia. So you did Mia more of a favor than anything else. Thea probably would have tried to kick her ass."

That made Felicity laugh outright, and Oliver returned it with a grin that made her heart stop. She could feel her cheeks turning bright red, and she knew that was going to be in a bunch of trouble.

Felicity Smoak was definitely crushing on her millionaire playboy next door neighbor.

vii.

It wasn't long after that when Felicity came back from having dinner with one of her coworkers (yes, she was making friends now!) when she saw Oliver by his front door once again with another gorgeous girl.

This time, however, he wasn't making out with her and trying to push her into the apartment so they could sleep together. He was actually holding this woman's hand and listening as she told him about her day at work. When he caught sight of Felicity, however, he smiled.

"Felicity, how are you?" Oliver asked warmly. They had seen each other while at Queen Consolidated, but it was mostly in passing. They hadn't really hung out since they shared coffee together in Felicity's apartment two months ago. Felicity didn't want to admit that she missed it, but she definitely did.

Felicity toyed with the keys she held in her hands. "I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

"Great." Oliver continued to grin at her and she smiled back at him. Really, who was able to resist that face? No one could, and Felicity was at the top of that list. A beat of silence passed where Oliver and Felicity just stared at each other and smiled.

And then Felicity remembered that he was holding some other woman's hand. She started and turned to face the other woman. Oliver seemed to realize that he hadn't introduced her either, and he looked surprisingly sheepish.

"This is Laurel Lance," Oliver said. "My girlfriend."

Right. Of course he had a girlfriend. Felicity wasn't surprised, but that didn't stop the disappointed swoop she felt in her stomach. Smiling politely, Felicity offered her hand to the other woman. "I'm Felicity Smoak."

"It's nice to meet you," Laurel said kindly. "Oliver has told me a little bit about you. We should all get together for dinner sometime!"

Sure, because Felicity's idea of a good time was being a third wheel to Oliver and his new girlfriend. But damn it, she couldn't even hate Laurel because she was nice enough to offer to have dinner. Felicity nodded her head and agreed before she turned to head into her apartment.

But then she remembered what Laurel had said before: that Oliver had talked about her. Looking back over her shoulder, she caught Oliver's eye as he walked down the hallway with Laurel. He looked sheepish, but he smiled at her.

Oh no. Felicity was a goner. Her little crush on Oliver was definitely more than a crush now.

viii.

Another two months went by like that. Felicity would frequently see Oliver and Laurel coming out of his apartment. They would always exchange smiles and greetings, but that was the extent of their interactions. Felicity became so busy at Queen Consolidated that she barely had fifteen minutes to eat lunch, let alone see Oliver while he was there.

Felicity tried not to miss him, but she couldn't help it. Her crush on Oliver was still there, as much as tried to pretend that it wasn't. Every time he smiled at her, her heart fluttered. But it was pretty much nothing short of a fantasy. Oliver seemed happy with Laurel.

Except Thea didn't really think so.

A friendship had formed between Felicity and the younger Queen sibling. Thea had showed up at Felicity's apartment more than once since she had first banged on the door. Felicity and Thea got along pretty well, and Felicity even suspected that Thea knew about her crush on Oliver. That didn't seem to faze Thea, however, and Felicity was grateful for that.

"Seriously, though," Thea asked over coffee one afternoon. "What do you think of Laurel?"

Felicity shrugged her shoulders, uncomfortable with the question. "I don't really know her, to be honest. She seems nice, though."

Thea sighed. "I mean, yeah. I guess she seems nice enough. But I don't think she makes Oliver happy."

Felicity's head shot up. "Oliver isn't happy?" she asked before she could stop herself.

A knowing smirk formed on Thea's lips. Thankfully, she didn't remark on Felicity's sudden interest in Oliver's happiness. Instead, she said, "Oliver is just going through the motions. He's doing this because he thinks it's expected of him. Laurel's father is in the running to be the next police commissioner, and to top it off, she's a society princess."

"Like you aren't?" Felicity teased.

Thea pushed her friend's shoulder. "Please. I'm so not the typical heiress, and you know it."

Thea was right. Felicity doubted that many billionaire heiresses would hang out with their brother's next door neighbors and become friends with them. More than that, Felicity could see that Thea had a very kind, genuine soul. She was fiercely loyal and protective of her family, even when she didn't agree with them. It was very admirable.

"Look, if we let this continue on, Oliver will end up marrying Laurel and then he'll spend the rest of his life just being okay instead of truly happy because he's doing what everyone thinks he should do." Thea twisted the material of her very expensive scarf in her hands. She was clearly worried about her older brother, and it made Felicity wonder what else Thea had seen between Oliver and Laurel.

"Wait a second. If we let this continue on? What am I supposed to do?" Felicity asked. She wasn't entirely sure why Thea was dragging her into this dilemma, but it made her kind of nervous. Thea was her friend, but she wasn't about to become a part of some scheme to break Oliver and Laurel up.

Thea went on as if she hadn't heard Felicity. "I wouldn't want to be tied down like that. I want to be with someone who makes me happy." She had a wistful look in her eye and she let out another little sigh.

Smiling, Felicity asked, "Did you meet someone?"

Thea clapped her hands together in excitement. "He's a bartender at Verdant. He's a bouncer sometimes, too." A dreamy look overcame Thea's face. "Oh, Felicity. He's so nice. And he makes fun of me sometimes. No boy I've ever dated has done that."

Felicity arched an eyebrow and took another sip of her latte. "You like that he makes fun of you?" Thea was something else, that was for sure.

"Duh. That means that he doesn't care that I'm a Queen. He doesn't care who my parents are and he treats me just like any other girl. He's comfortable with me!" Thea explained it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Felicity laughed. She supposed that Thea's logic kind of worked.

Thea heaved a sigh and shook her head. "His name is Roy Harper. But my parents would never go for him. It's all very clichéd. He's the boy from the wrong side of the tracks."

"And you're the rich girl and you're afraid that he'll think you're stuck up," Felicity finished, and Thea nodded her head sadly. "Thea, when have you ever done what people expected you to? If you want this boy, you should go after him. I'm sure your parents will get over it."

Thea mulled that over for a moment before she nodded her head and grinned. "Thanks, Felicity. I think I needed to hear that." Before Felicity could change the subject (to something other than their sordid love lives), Thea clapped her hands together. "And I know how I can help you!"

Felicity blinked. "I'm sorry. What?" she asked. Thea's forever changing emotions were going to give her whiplash, she swore it.

"My parents are hosting a gala this weekend, and you have to come. First of all, you absolutely must save me from boredom. And secondly, Oliver will be so happy to see you there."

Once again, Felicity's mouth ran away with her. "Really?" Damn it, she needed to get a filter, or something.

Thea nodded her head. "My brother likes you," she said cryptically.

Felicity wondered what the hell that meant, but she supposed that she would find out that weekend.

ix.

"Thea, are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! You look gorgeous."

Felicity smoothed over the expensive material of the dress she was wearing. It was a gorgeous emerald green and sparkled with her every movement. The scoop neck on the front of the dress left enough for the imagination, and the dress flowed around her legs. It had sleeves that came down to her elbows and was embellished with silver beads at her shoulders. The dress made up for the somewhat demure front with the completely open back that had nothing but a small hook holding it together at the top.

"I can't accept this dress," Felicity said for what felt like the millionth time that night.

Thea twirled in her violet, strapless dress and planted her hands on her hips. "Yes, you can. You can because I said so. Felicity, I'm pretty sure that dress was made for you. You have to wear it, and then you're keeping it. There's really no arguing here."

Felicity sighed and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. Her curly blonde hair had been twisted in a fancy updo on top of her head and held in place with emerald hair clips. Thea had a professional do both of their hair styles, and Felicity was pretty sure that the emeralds in her hair clip were real. She tried not to think about that too much, however.

"Come on." Thea latched onto Felicity's arm and began to tow her out of her bedroom and towards the winding staircase that led into the large, intimidating, very shiny foyer of the Queen mansion. "My brother isn't going to know what to do when he sees you."

Felicity tried to stop, but Thea was surprisingly strong. So she went along with it, following Thea to the top of the stairs. "What is that supposed to mean?" Felicity demanded.

"Nothing." But Thea's look was all knowing, and she nudged Felicity down onto the first step. "Get going!"

With a sigh, Felicity lifted the long skirt of her dress and began to make her way down the stairs. Her fear of tripping and making a huge full of herself in front of all of the Queen's guests made her look at her feet instead of straight ahead. She took the stairs slowly in her sky-high heels, and Felicity hadn't quite realized that she reached the bottom until she felt a warm, familiar hand wrap around her elbow.

Looking up, Felicity was beyond shocked to see Oliver Queen standing next to her. Of course, he looked absolutely amazing in his tuxedo. It was like everything he put on his body was specifically made just for him. It was truly unfair for someone to look that good.

"Felicity." Oliver's smile was warm and wide and it made Felicity's stomach flutter. This was the part where she was supposed to remind herself that he had a girlfriend.

"Oliver," Felicity said with a smile of her own in return.

His fingers tightened around her elbow a little as he guided her towards the grand ballroom off to the left side. "You look… you're… you look amazing, Felicity." Felicity was surprised to see Oliver's cheeks turn a little red, and that feeling grew when she heard how unsure he sounded. The Oliver Queen that she had seen pressing girls up against the front door of his apartment certainly wasn't that nervous.

"Thank you," Felicity said softly. "You look gorgeous. That suit fits you like…" She trailed off and she could actually feel her cheeks turning bright red. "What I mean is, I think that suit was made for you and…" Wow, she wasn't handling this very well at all. "You look great. I'm going to stop talking, now."

Oliver chuckled, and his blue eyes connected with hers. Felicity was pretty sure she could have spent at least a solid twenty minutes staring into Oliver's eyes and not grow tired of it. But she had to remember that Oliver was taken. She could crush out on him all she wanted to, but nothing was ever going to happen between them.

"Where's Laurel?" Felicity asked, as way to remind herself that Oliver did indeed have a girlfriend.

Oliver's brow furrowed and then he shrugged his shoulders. "She was stuck at the office and said that she'd be a little late."

Before it got too awkward, Thea suddenly appeared at Oliver's elbow. "And where is Tommy?" she demanded. "I haven't seen him since he got back from his vacation in Costa Rica. That asshole kept sending me pictures of the beach and I hate him for it."

Oliver laughed and shook his head. Turning to Felicity, he explained, "Tommy Merlyn is my best friend. And he does whatever he can to get on Thea's nerves."

"He does it well," Thea huffed. "And speaking of…" She pointed towards the double doors at the entrance of the grand ballroom. Laurel Lance had arrived, and of course she looked perfect in a red gown with a lot of tiny straps covering her shoulders. She had her arm linked with Tommy Merlyn's, who was another one of Starling City's charming billionaire playboys.

Introductions were made and soon enough, Felicity found herself being whisked onto the dance floor by Tommy Merlyn himself. He was funny and he made her laugh, which was a nice distraction from thinking too much about Oliver.

Even so, Felicity could feel Oliver's eyes burning into her. He stood off to the side with Thea and Laurel. It looked as if the two women were trying to keep up a conversation, and they weren't having very much success. Oliver wasn't even trying to facilitate the conversation, either. His eyes remained on Felicity the entire time she danced with Tommy.

When Tommy and Felicity joined the trio again, Oliver offered to dance with Thea. She waved her hand dismissively and snatched a glass of champagne off the tray of a waiter that was passing by.

"Sorry, Ollie. I'm not exactly in the mood to dance right now. But go dance with Felicity," Thea said. Her voice was nonchalant, as if she had just made the suggestion on the fly. But Felicity saw the twinkle in Thea's eyes, and she narrowed her eyes at her.

Tommy turned to Laurel and offered her his hand. "Then should we head out onto the dance floor?"

Laurel giggled and nodded her head. The pair went off and then Oliver held out his hand to Felicity. She smiled at him and placed her hand in his, curling her fingers around his large palm.

While they swayed on the dance floor, Felicity couldn't resist briefly resting her head against Oliver's chest. And she was almost positive that he had pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

x.

This was the first time that Felicity had seen Oliver at his front door by himself.

Normally, Felicity wouldn't be very alarmed by that. But Oliver was actually sitting on the floor, slumped against the door, and, well… Felicity thought that that was a pretty good reason to be concerned.

"Oliver!" Felicity exclaimed. She rushed over to him and dropped to her knees beside him, completely forgetting that she was in a skirt. "Oliver, are you okay?"

Oliver's head swung toward hers, and Felicity immediately caught a whiff of the alcohol on his breath. It was vodka, if she wasn't mistaken—and very expensive vodka, she was sure.

It was seven o'clock on a Tuesday night. Felicity had stayed a couple of hours late at work, but she had no idea why Oliver was this trashed at this time on a weeknight. She reached a hand up to rest it against his cheek but thought better of it at the last second. She curled her fingers into a fist and let her hand drop back to her side.

"Oliver," she repeated. "What's going on?"

He didn't tell her what was wrong with him, exactly. Instead, Oliver gave her a dopey smile that endeared him to her even further. "You're pretty," he told her.

Felicity blushed; of course, even a completely wasted Oliver Queen could reduce her to a puddle of goo. Sighing, Felicity patted the pockets of his pants until she felt his keys. Casting a glance up at Oliver and deciding that he was too drunk to remember this, let alone be bothered by it, she dipped her fingers into his front right pocket and quickly extracted his keys.

Oliver was still grinning at her, and Felicity shook her head and felt a smile of her own forming on her lips. She had just felt around in his front pocket, and he was just sitting there and smiling at her. Felicity clambered to her feet and then held her hands out.

Thankfully, she didn't have to coerce Oliver into taking her hands. It took her a few tries, but she eventually managed to pull him to his feet. Wow, he really was much larger than her. Tall and broad-shouldered and muscular… Felicity shook her head to rid herself of that train of thought. She didn't need to be thinking about that right now.

Oliver was putting most of his weight against her, with his arm slung around her shoulders. Felicity swayed to the side a little, but she somehow righted herself and got Oliver's door unlocked without too much struggle.

Felicity shouldn't have been surprised that Oliver's apartment was way nicer than hers (and hers was pretty nice, too), but she still stopped to gape when they entered. She had always wondered why there were only two apartments on this floor, but now she knew; most of Oliver's took up this floor, and Felicity had the other part.

Felicity knew that the Queens dabbled in realty as well, and they had a large share in this complex. Robert and Moira Queen had the penthouse, so that was probably why Oliver had most of this floor to himself instead of living up there.

Even though they were standing completely still, Oliver still stumbled and Felicity almost lost her grip on him. Cursing under her breath, Felicity pushed on Oliver until he was upright once again. Deciding that she couldn't waste any more time, Felicity ushered Oliver in the direction that she assumed his bedroom was in.

It took her a few tries (seriously, she didn't know how Oliver's apartment had so many rooms), but Felicity eventually found Oliver's bedroom. It looked exactly how she expected it to: all dark with masculine shades and large windows to let light in. And it even smelled like him, which was something that Felicity tried not to focus too much on.

Felicity guided Oliver towards the bed and waited until he climbed onto it. Oliver managed to get under the covers on his own, but when Felicity tried to pull back, he caught her wrist and stopped her.

"Oliver," Felicity whispered. She hadn't meant for her voice to sound breathy like that, but she couldn't help herself. Oliver had pulled her even closer and she was lost in his delicious scent and deep blue eyes.

Oliver gave her another one of those hot-stopping smiles. "Thank you," he murmured next to her ear. His warm lips pressed against her cheek, and a shiver ran down Felicity's spine.

Felicity stood frozen next to Oliver's bed for several long moments before she forced herself to move again. She rummaged around in Oliver's kitchen until she unearthed a glass and then found some aspirin in the bathroom.

Felicity set them on the bedside table next to Oliver's bed and smiled when she saw that he was already fast asleep. How he managed to be adorable and utterly sexy at the same time, she would never know.

xi.

Felicity figured that she should do the neighborly thing and check on Oliver in the morning. Maybe if he was up to it, they could even go out to breakfast. Felicity missed spending time with Oliver. It might have been silly of her to think that they had a new bond after the night before, but she couldn't help herself.

So Felicity got dressed and made her way over to Oliver's apartment. Unsurprisingly, Thea was approaching at the same time. The look of anger on her face made Felicity draw up short, however. When Thea caught sight of Felicity, however, she relaxed some.

"Oh no," Thea said. "You had to deal with Ollie last night, didn't you?"

"It really wasn't that big of a deal," Felicity said immediately. "I didn't mind."

"I bet you didn't." Thea's voice was teasing and warm, and Felicity didn't really know what to make of it. Correctly assuming that Thea had a key, Felicity instead gestured to the door.

"Do you mind if I go check on him with you? He was in pretty bad shape last night and I just want to make sure that he's okay." Thea was watching Felicity with a knowing smile on her face, and it was unnerving. So when Thea didn't answer right away, Felicity just kept talking. "Do you know why Oliver was so upset last night? You're his sister, so you have to know. Right? Oh, I'm probably intruding too much. I shouldn't ask so many questions and I just…" Felicity abruptly realized that she was rambling. "I'm just going to stop." She clamped her mouth shut and hoped that Thea wouldn't tell her to go back to her apartment.

But Felicity should have known better; Thea was her new friend, after all. "Of course you can come in," she said. "Ollie will probably be happy to see you, anyway."

Thea really needed to stop with the cryptic statements about her older brother, because they were doing funny things to Felicity's brain and heart. If she kept talking like that, Felicity was going to think that she actually had a chance with Oliver.

As if she could read Felicity's mind, Thea continued, "Listen, he broke up with Laurel last night."

"Oh." Felicity pressed her lips together and was mildly ashamed of the brief flash of happiness that coursed through her at that announcement. She immediately shook those thoughts away and then followed Thea into Oliver's apartment.

"Ollie!" Thea called loudly. "Ollie, are you awake yet?"

They heard a groan come from the direction of Oliver's room. Felicity and Thea shared a look before they headed down the hallway. They found Oliver sitting on the edge of his bed in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. Felicity's cheeks flushed and she tried not to stare, but… damn. Oliver Queen sure was something else.

Thea made a face and found a discarded white t-shirt on the floor. "Jesus, Ollie. Put a shirt on, would you?"

Oliver grabbed the shirt but set it aside on the bed. He pressed the palms of his hands to his face and groaned. "Stop talking so loudly," he pleaded. He looked thoroughly disheveled but still undeniably attractive, and Felicity found herself taking a step closer to him. She forced herself to stay still and clenched her hands into fists at her sides.

Thea gave her older brother a sympathetic look. "Rough night, Ollie?" she asked. She wasn't teasing him; she was truly asking because she was concerned.

Oliver closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his close-cropped hair. "Yeah," he mumbled on a heavy sigh. Opening his eyes again, he reached for the t-shirt that Thea had given him and pulled it over his head. He caught sight of Felicity and managed a small smile for her.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Thank you."

Felicity waved off his thanks and gazed upon him with large, concerned eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked. Sure, Oliver had been seven different kinds of drunk the night before, but even then Felicity could see how sad he was.

Oliver caught Felicity's eyes and held her gaze for several long moments. The air crackled between them. And then Oliver said, "I don't know. Ask me later." His voice was honest and candid, and Felicity's heart broke for him.

"I can kick her ass if you want me too, Ollie," Thea said immediately. "Actually, I think I will anyway just because I feel like it."

Oliver sighed heavily. "Thea…"

"What happened?" Felicity blurted before she could stop herself. Honestly, she should probably get herself a muzzle. Something big had obviously happened that was weighing heavily upon Oliver, and Felicity couldn't stop asking him questions.

Thea extracted a magazine from her purse and dropped it on Oliver's bedside table. Curious, Felicity leaned over to peer at the front cover. There was a picture of Oliver emblazoned on the front, and in the lower left hand corner was another picture of Laurel and Tommy… and they were wrapped in a very passionate embrace.

Felicity couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips. Oliver and Laurel had dated for just about six months, and she couldn't believe that Laurel would cheat on him. Looking back towards Oliver, Felicity saw the way he looked resolutely away from the magazine. His jaw tightened and his hands clenched into fists and Felicity reached a hand out. She hesitated just a moment before she placed her hand over Oliver's.

xii.

Somehow, Felicity had found herself with a relatively light workday. In order to celebrate this rare occasion, Felicity decided to treat herself by going out to lunch. She was making her way through the lobby at Queen Consolidated when she heard someone call Oliver's name.

And then the man himself went barreling into her.

Oliver's reflexes were quick, and his large hands wrapped around her waist. Felicity steadied herself by gripping his forearms, and she tried not to notice too much how his muscles flexed under her fingers.

Oliver's face was tense, but he relaxed when Felicity looked up at him. One side of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile, and his eyes danced with mischief and amusement.

"Well hey there, Felicity," he said.

Felicity giggled (and yes, she was embarrassed about it). "We have to stop meeting like this," she said, and Oliver chuckled.

Before he could say anything else, Robert Queen's voice rang across the open expanse of the lobby. "Oliver! We weren't finished with our discussion yet!"

A mask of anger dropped over Oliver's face. His eyes grew dark and stormy and his fingers tightened around Felicity's waist. She started, as she hadn't quite realized that he was still holding on to her… and she was still gripping his arms. Her cheeks grew hot when she saw Robert approaching them, but she stood her ground and remained by Oliver's side.

"Yes, we were," Oliver said in a tight voice. Felicity squeezed his forearm in a show of support, and his looked down at her, his eyes shining with thanks. Looking back towards his father, Oliver continued, "I'm not discussing this anymore."

"Oliver, you're acting like a child," Robert snapped. "Now come back up to my office."

Oliver let go of Felicity's waist only to grab onto her hand instead. "I can't," he said simply. "I'm going to lunch with Felicity." And with that said, Oliver began to tow Felicity across the lobby and out the front door.

"I'm sorry about that," Oliver said. His eyes were truly apologetic and he squeezed Felicity's hand. "I didn't mean to drag you into the middle of my fight with my father. I just needed to get out of there."

"I understand," Felicity assured him. Really, all she could think about was how Oliver Queen was holding her hand. "Parents can be a bit overbearing at times."

Oliver snorted. "A bit," he mumbled under his breath. Now that there was no longer the tension from Robert, Oliver took a moment to observe Felicity's appearance. Since she was wearing a light jacket and had her purse with her, he could only assume that she was already going out anyway. "Let me take you to lunch."

"Oliver, you don't have to—"

"I want to."

Felicity bit her lip and then nodded her head. Her heart was thumping erratically in her excitement. Oliver smiled at her and tightened his fingers around hers for a brief moment before he let go.

Ten minutes later, the pair were at a café close to Queen Consolidated. It was one of Felicity's favorite places in the city (mostly because they had such amazing coffee), and she loved going to lunch there. Oliver didn't seem to mind her choice at all, and they ordered their food and found a table to sit at.

"My parents didn't want me to move here," Felicity revealed. "My mother especially. We argued about it for days before I told her that I was moving whether she liked it or not. She kept insisting that twenty years old was too young for me to be living on my own."

Oliver gave her an appreciative look. He was glad that Felicity was taking it upon herself to change the subject. "Aren't you going to be twenty-one soon, though?"

"In two days," Felicity revealed. "And yes, your sister has already planned a huge party for me. I'm in big trouble."

"Yes, you are," Oliver said with a chuckle. "Because Thea definitely knows how to throw a party."

xiii.

"Ollie! Ollie, help me!"

It was just after two o'clock in the morning, which meant that his sister and Felicity were right on time to be returning home. Oliver opened his apartment door and found Thea holding up a barely awake Felicity.

He had been planning on going to Felicity's party, but Robert had made him stay late at work to complete a presentation. By the time he was able to leave work, it was too late and Oliver was in too bad a mood to go. He knew that he would have only put a damper on the festivities had he gone. Oliver hated that he was twenty-four years old and still let his father dictate so much of his life, but that was the way that things worked within their family. That was the way it had been for years, and it certainly wasn't going to change with Robert.

"Ollie, I can't hold her up," Thea said with a giggle. She stumbled to the side but somehow managed to keep bother herself and Felicity upright. It was an impressive feat, especially considering that both young women were wearing sky high heels. "She's going to fall asleep!"

Oliver caught Felicity around the waist and steadied her against him. She giggled and rested her head on his chest. With eyes half-opened, she looked up at him and then yawned. Oliver smiled, and all he could think about was how adorable she looked.

"That would probably be because you gave her too much to drink," Oliver said dryly.

Thea made a face at her older brother. "It's her twenty-first birthday, Ollie! She needed to have some fun!"

Oliver shook his head in amusement and gestured towards his apartment. "Head in and go put yourself to bed. I'll take care of Felicity."

"I bet you will." Thea wiggled her eyebrows at Oliver. Before he could ask what that particular statement meant, Thea disappeared into his apartment. Shaking his head, Oliver scooped Felicity into his arms and maneuvered his way into her apartment.

She let out a little gasp and threw her arms around his neck. "You're strong," Felicity murmured. She rested her heads against his shoulder and snuggled closer to him. Oliver smiled and couldn't resist brushing his lips across her forehead.

Oliver took Felicity directly into her bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. When he went to pull away so he could cover her with the blankets, however, she tightened her arms around his neck and wouldn't let go.

Felicity looked more awake now than she had when she had arrived home. "It's my birthday," she whispered.

"It is." Oliver kept one hand planted on either side of her so he could hold himself above her. "Did you get everything you want?"

Oliver was surprised by the sultry smile that crossed Felicity's lips. "Almost…" And then she drew him closer until his lips pressed against hers.

The kiss was short and sweet. She pulled back after a single heartbeat and lay back against her pillows. Felicity's smile was radiant, and then she closed her eyes. Oliver watched her until he saw that she had fallen asleep.

Eventually, Oliver made himself move. Like she had for him a week earlier, Oliver found some Advil in her medicine cabinet and got a class of water for her. He set it up next to her bed and made sure that the blankets were tucked around her. He would check on her in the morning to see how she was doing.

But the one thing on Oliver's mind was whether or not Felicity would remember that kiss.

xiv.

Felicity had the hangover from hell.

Sure, she had gone to parties and had a little too much fun before, but this was taking it to a whole other level. The room was spinning and her head was pounding. The sun shining through the windows was entirely too bright, and she had the worst case of cotton mouth in the world.

Felicity couldn't even pretend to be angry with Thea. Her party had been a great time and Felicity especially had a blast. Of course, she would have expected anything less from Thea, the party planner extraordinaire.

Thea had even gone through her closet and had pulled out a beautiful couture dress for Felicity to wear to the party. It was a tank dress made entirely from gold sequins and it fell to just above her knees.

As gorgeous as that dress was, however, it hadn't been very comfortable to sleep in. Felicity knew that she would only feel human once she took a shower and got changed. So Felicity dragged her ass out of bed and immediately shed the dress. She made sure to hang it up so that it wouldn't get ruined.

Before she disappeared into the bathroom, Felicity spotted the Advil and water that had been left on the bedside table. She dove for it and choked a few of the pills down, hoping that it would do something to relieve the pounding in her head soon.

Felicity had assumed that Thea had left the Advil and water for her. But once she was in the shower, Felicity had flashes of the night before—and Oliver's face was at the forefront of her mind. He had helped her back into the apartment and put her to bed. He had taken care of her.

And she had kissed him.

The bar of soap that Felicity had been using slipped from her hands and clattered to the tiled floor of the shower. Now that she was more awake thanks to the shower, Felicity could clearly remember pulling Oliver towards her.

Oh God. She could never see him again.

Oliver had just got out of a relationship with a girlfriend who had cheated on him and had probably completely destroyed his trust in people. Felicity didn't need to be confusing him further by dropping kisses on him whenever she felt like it. She couldn't believe she had embarrassed herself that much.

Felicity pressed her forehead to the cool tile of the shower and closed her eyes. She should have just stayed in bed.

xv.

Around noon, there was a knock at her front door.

Felicity stared at her front and shifted from foot to foot as she chewed on her thumbnail. It was either Thea or Oliver, and Felicity was too afraid to look through the peephole and find out. If it was Oliver, she would freak out and would be unable to open the door. That wouldn't really accomplish anything, since Oliver knew she was home. It wasn't like she could hide from him.

Take a deep breath, Felicity squared her shoulders and marched to the front door. Without giving herself a chance to hesitate, she wrapped her fingers around the doorknob and swung the door open.

Of course it was Oliver.

But he was holding a to-go bag and had a drink carrier containing several cups of coffee, so it wasn't like Felicity was going to turn him away. Besides, he just looked so damn cute standing at her front door, looking at her with a warm smile. How was she supposed to say no to that?

Oliver held up the bag and coffee enticingly. "I come bearing gifts."

Felicity couldn't help herself. Despite her nerves, she stepped back and allowed Oliver to come into her apartment. He set their meal on the table and turned to look at her. Felicity shifted under his intense gaze. Was he going to start talking first, or should she?

Naturally, Felicity couldn't keep her mouth shut. "About last night…" she began. When Oliver just continued to watch her, Felicity responded with what she did best: she started to babble. "I'm sure you remember what happened. Of course you do, you were sober. I definitely wasn't sober, though. It was my twenty-first birthday after all. But I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I mean, I'm not sorry that I did I did it, because I really enjoyed it. I'm sorry that I made you do it, though, and I—"

"Felicity." Oliver was smiling now, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw it. Felicity opened her mouth to speak again, but she was silenced when Oliver strode forward, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her.

Felicity was completely and utterly shocked—for all of half a second, that is. She slid her arms around Oliver's neck and practically melted against him. His lips were hot and insistent against hers, and when they broke apart, Oliver rested his forehead against hers.

"Whoa," Felicity breathed when she caught her breath. "Is this real life?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Felicity's cheeks turned bright red.

Oliver burst out laughing and tightened his arms around Felicity's waist, drawing her against him and hugging her. Felicity pressed her cheek to his chest and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, I remember last night," Oliver said. "And it was one of the best nights I've had in a long time."

xvi.

"It's almost disgusting how cute the two of you are."

Oliver lifted his face from where it was pressed against Felicity's cheek and glared at his little sister. "You know, no one is actually making you hang out with us. Don't you have something to do?"

Thea twirled the straw in her drink and stuck her tongue out. "This is our club, dear big brother. I'm here to check out the hot bartender."

Felicity laughed and Oliver scowled at the young man who was making drinks for the throngs of people in the club. "I didn't need to know that." Shooting a look at Felicity (who was still giggling), he demanded, "Did you know that?"

"Of course I knew that," Felicity said. "Why do you think we would come to Verdant so often? Partying isn't exactly my thing, Oliver. However, I am a pretty great wing woman, so…"

Thea snorted. "Wing woman? I think not. The only reason I got to talk to Roy was because you spilled your drink all over the bar."

"Hey, I didn't—"

"And then you spilled the second drink he made you all over him. I mean, I guess I should thank you, because the only reason we started talking in the first place was because you were so clumsy."

Felicity crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, causing Oliver to laugh and press a kiss to her cheek. A camera flash went off somewhere in the club, and both Oliver and Thea groaned. Felicity lifted her head, looking around wildly.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded. "Did someone just take a picture of us? Was it even of us? Was that just a flash? Was it—"

Oliver cut Felicity off by pressing his lips to hers. He slid a hand up to cradle the back of her head, and Felicity curled her fingers into the front of his button down shirt. Thea groaned and dropped her head into her hands, hiding her face. Roy was there in an instant, sliding her a martini across the bar.

Thea lifted the glass and winked at him. "Did anyone ever tell you how amazing you are, Roy Harper?"

Roy gave her a flirtatious smile. "I wouldn't mind hearing it a few more times." It was then that Roy realized Oliver had pulled back from Felicity and was now glaring at him over her head. "Um, I know your brother is having a good time with his girlfriend or whatever, but he's kind of scaring me right now."

"Ollie!" Thea protested. "God, I can't take you anywhere!"

Oliver was distracted when Felicity look up at him with her big, blue eyes. "Girlfriend?" she asked playfully.

"The title is yours if you want it," Oliver said seriously. They had been on several dates since Felicity's birthday. So far, the tabloids had been questioning who Oliver's new girl was, and Thea had constantly been referring to them as a couple. Is that what they were? Felicity had felt so comfortable with Oliver that she hadn't quite given it any thought yet.

In response, Felicity slid her arms around Oliver's neck and kissed him again.

xvii.

When she got that feeling that she wasn't in her own bed, Felicity lifted her head and looked around. She recognized Oliver's room immediately, and she felt the warm, hard body stretched out next to hers. Felicity stretched and she smiled when she felt that deliciously sore feeling in her body that could only come after a night filled with true passion.

"You're awake."

Felicity turned her head and saw Oliver watching her. The shadow of stubble on his face was darker than it normally was, and his eyes were still cloudy with sleep. Oliver looked truly at peace like this, and it made Felicity never want to leave this bed.

"I woke up just before you did," Oliver admitted. "But it was long enough for me to order some breakfast from room service."

Felicity tugged the sheets up around her naked body and rolled closer to Oliver so that she could rest her chin on his chest. He slid his large, warm hands up and down her back and smiled at her.

"Cancel the order," Felicity said. "I know you have a fully stocked fridge here. Let's make breakfast."

Oliver looked a little embarrassed as he admitted, "I know how to scramble eggs and make toast. That's about it."

Felicity kissed the center of his chest. "Luckily for you, I know how to make some pretty kick-ass eggs in a basket. So get your butt out of bed, Queen. You're about to get a culinary lesson."

Oliver grinned as he watched Felicity climb out of his bed. His smile grew when he saw her fish one of his button down shirts off the floor and slide it on. She gathered her long, messy blonde hair over one shoulder and stopped when she noticed Oliver watching her.

"What?" she asked as she planted her hands on her hips. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You're cute," Oliver stated. "And that shirt looks way better on you than it ever did on me."

Felicity buttoned up two of the buttons in the middle of the shirt and grinned at him. "I kind of doubt that, but sure. Now I expect you to have your butt out of bed in the next five minutes so I can show you how to make a real breakfast."

"Or we could always just stay in bed…" Oliver suggested. Reaching out, he wrapped his strong fingers around her wrist and pulled her back towards the bed. Sitting up, he pulled Felicity down so that he could kiss her.

Felicity let Oliver plant a deep, passionate kiss on her before she pulled away and pushed on his chest. "Come on, let's go!"

When Oliver did finally climb out of bed and pulled some clothes on, he found Felicity rummaging through his fridge. As he watched her, he was suddenly struck by how it looked as if Felicity belonged there, in his apartment, wearing his clothes, and cooking in his kitchen.

Oliver didn't really know how Felicity Smoak—the girl next door—had suddenly become such an important part of his life. But he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

xviii.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Shut up, Felicity. You look great. Now put on the shoes and let's get going."

Felicity lifted the skirt of her long skirt of her gown and slid the strappy heels onto her feet. "Seriously, Thea! I can't let you give me another expensive gown."

Thea turned to the side as she checked her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a red, slinky dress and her hair was pinned up. "You look fantastic. Of course I can give you this dress. Now shut up and let's go downstairs. My brother is going to flip out when he sees you."

Felicity remembered the last time Thea said something similar. She couldn't admit to herself just how deep her feelings for Oliver ran, but now she could. It made Felicity smile, and she had to admit that she was excited for the party tonight.

Not because of the fancy clothes, or the stuffy music and expensive food. Felicity was excited because she was going to get to hang out with her friends and spend the night dancing and bitching about how much her feet hurt in her mile-high shoes.

And she had to admit, her dress was pretty amazing, too. It was the lightest of pinks and embellished with gold and silver beading. It was beautiful and she kind of felt like a princess in it. Her hair was swept up into a fancy twist and pinned up with a gold pin. Thea had worked her magic once again with the clothes, and Felicity knew that tonight was going to be amazing.

When Felicity made her way down the stairs, Oliver was waiting. And just like that last time, he looked amazing in his tuxedo. This time, Oliver held out his hand and linked their fingers together. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, and Felicity knew that her cheeks were bright pink.

"You're so beautiful," Oliver murmured before he slid his other arm around her waist and pulled her close to kiss her. Felicity heard the clicking of a camera, but she simply smiled against Oliver's lips. She was used to it at this point, and she actually thought it was kind of funny. She had no idea that so many people were so interested in her love life. Felicity was just the IT girl who babbled too much.

When she pulled away from Oliver, Felicity was surprised to see Laurel and Tommy entering the ballroom. Instinctively, she tightened her fingers around Oliver's hand in a silent show of support. Oliver's brow furrowed in confusion, but then he looked up and saw who Felicity was seeing.

When Felicity felt Oliver relax next to her, she couldn't have been more proud of him. And when he smiled, she was amazed at his strength. Oliver pulled her over towards Laurel and Tommy, and Felicity felt some small sense of satisfaction when the couple looked like they wanted to run away. After what they put Oliver through, she figured they kind of deserved it.

"Tommy, Laurel," Oliver said pleasantly. "Have you met my girlfriend Felicity?"

Once those introductions were over, Felicity wrapped her fingers around the lapels of Oliver's jacket and pulled him off to the side. "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

Oliver's face lit up like never before. "Really?"

They had been dating for a few months now, but Felicity knew that without a doubt, she was completely and totally in love with Oliver Queen.

"Yes, really."

Oliver pressed her against the wall and kissed her until Felicity forgot how to breathe. And then he pulled away and said, "I love you too."

xix.

Felicity shook her head in disbelief. "We can't just knock down a whole wall!"

"Yes we can." Oliver had been insisting the same thing for the past half an hour. "We just knock the wall between our apartments down. That way, you won't be the girl next door."

Felicity sat herself down in her boyfriend's lap and slid her arms around his neck. "But I'm not the girl next door anymore. I'm the girl that lives in your apartment."

Oliver kissed her soundly. "Did you and Thea get all of your crap moved in yet?" he asked teasingly. "Because I need her out of here so we can start christening our apartment."

Felicity jumped up from Oliver's lap. She was immediately giddy at Oliver's use of the words "our apartment," but she had a serious matter she needed to address first.

"It is not crap!" Felicity exclaimed. "You knew when you started dating me that I'm an IT nerd! I need all of those computers!"

Laughing, Oliver stood up and wrapped his arms around Felicity's waist, pulling her against him. "I think you might be one of the only girls that considers all of that tech gear a necessity over nice clothes and shoes."

"Well, I wouldn't say no to nice clothes and shoes, either." Felicity slid her arms around Oliver's neck. "I mean, if we knocked down the wall between our apartments, we could just use all of that for closest space."

"You're hilarious," Oliver stated dryly.

Felicity stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed Oliver. "Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"I do," Oliver agreed. "On a serious note, though. We're definitely knocking this wall down. I have big plans for this apartment, you know?"

"Oh yeah?" Felicity asked. She slowly began to move down the hallway to what was now their bedroom. As she went, she began stripping off her clothes. She was definitely on board with the whole christening the apartment idea.

"Yeah." Grinning, Oliver followed her. "We're going to have to add some extra bedrooms onto this place. You know, for the kids."

"That's right," Felicity agreed. "For the kids." She watched as Oliver pulled his shirt over his head. "Should we start practicing now, or…?"

Felicity trailed off suggestively and then squealed when Oliver lifted her into his arms and then turned to press her against the wall. After he kissed her, they made their way into their bedroom, laughing the entire time. From that moment on, Felicity knew that life would never be dull with Oliver Queen. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

This was just something that I've had on my mind for a while, and I felt like being cute. Thanks for reading!