A/N: Hey, everyone! This is my first attempt at writing a multi-chapter fic for Olicity, so I'll appreciate any and all feedback that is given to me. I have a pretty good idea of how I want this story to play out. Since this is the prologue, I decided to post it separately from the first chapter. That means that if I get a good response to this, I will be posting the first chapter very soon after. By the way, I plan on making my chapters much longer than this. Enjoy!

Prologue

It wasn't supposed to mean anything. The invitation was just an out of the blue decision he made while shuffling some papers around on his desk. They had been working at the office since the early hours of the morning, when he realized they had never hung out outside of work before. So, when he was on his way out of his office, he stopped mid-walk to address her.

"Hey, Felicity," he started, watching as her head snapped up from her computer screen. "Want to grab a drink? I'll buy."

"Do you even have to ask?" she replied, immediately switching off her computer.

He waited quietly for her to get her things together, smiling politely when she met him by the elevator. They got down to the parking lot, noticing that their cars were parked near each other.

"So, where are we going?" she asked, waiting for him to tell her the name of the bar.

"I was thinking that we could try out Verdant," he suggested. "I've never been, and I'm curious to see if it has potential."

She nodded, knowing exactly which bar he was talking about. It was near her house, and she usually drove past it on her way to work. They took off in their cars, reaching Verdant at nearly the same time. They parked next to each other - deliberately this time - and he paused by the door until she had scurried to his side.

Verdant was no bigger than the average sports bar. Inside were pool tables, dart boards, and arcade games towards the back. There was a counter signifying the bar, with leather stools lining it. Flat screen televisions hung in every corner of the room, a different game on each one. Tables littered the space, covered in half-spilled beer and surrounded by chatting people.

A pair of drunken older men pushed past them on their way out of the bar. They lingered slightly by Felicity, obviously checking her out. Oliver felt Felicity scoot closer to him, and he reached forward to slide her over to his other side, blocking her from their sight. He set the men with a stern smile, sending them back on their way outside. She smiled gratefully up at him. Oliver glanced down at her quickly before searching the bar. Along the right side of the bar were two empty stools. Taking her arm, he lead her over to them. They sat down, thrilled that they had found a spot so easily. The bartender approached them, taking their orders.

Three pints of beer later, they were a laughing mess. She didn't even know what they were talking about anymore. He wasn't so sure either. Despite that, she couldn't settle her laughter. Grinning, he watched as she covered her face. His expression straightened out of nowhere, sending waves of worry through her instantly. His head tilted to the side, eyebrows furrowing.

"What is it?" she questioned, her laughter coming to a halt.

His eyes had a far away look to them. "Do you want to dance?"

She scoffed, realizing he was being serious. "Oliver, I can barely hear the music. Plus, no one else is dancing," she pointed out.

He glanced around, shrugging his shoulders. "So? I can hear the music. All you have to do is follow my lead."

"Why do you want to dance so bad?"

"Why don't you want to dance so bad?" he countered.

She didn't have a comeback, and he smiled triumphantly. He stood up, taking her hand as she hopped off the stool. Surprisingly, she didn't protest as he led her into the back of the restaurant where the speakers softly slurred the music. The lighting was horrible, but most people were too drunk to notice them anyways. His hand gripped hers tightly, supporting her in case she fell over. The last time he had seen her drink had been at some company function. Sure, it had been wine at the time, but that didn't mean beer couldn't have the same affect on her.

"Are you a music person, Felicity?" he asked, zoning everyone who wasn't her out.

"Of course," she responded, trying to steady her wobbly legs. "I like records."

He nodded his head out of respect, the ends up his lips curling upwards. "I have a record player at my house. Not many people appreciate vinyl anymore."

"Most of the music I like is easy to find a record for."

His head jut out in the direction of the black speakers. "What about this? Do you like this kind of music?"

She stared at the speaker, straining to hear the music over the sounds of people shouting and the clatter of pool balls knocking into each other. When she could make out the song a little more, she smiled slowly. The beat was soft, the voice even softer. The lyrics spoke of people in love, though they knew they could only remain friends.

"Yeah, it's beautiful."

"I like it, too."

They smiled at each other, her stepping closer to him so that she was now out of his line of vision. The more time they spent swaying to the song, the clearer the music became to her. She could actually understand some of the lyrics, and it only made her more sure of her opinion towards the song. Two minutes later, the song ended, followed by some obnoxious rap one. Oliver let her go instantly, wanting to get away from those speakers as soon as possible.

She smiled because that had been her same reaction as well. Back in their stools, they began a discussion about music. It turned out, their tastes were pretty much identical. He was familiar with a lot of the bands she was, and vice versa. They disagreed on some things, but respected each other's music choices overall. The atmosphere was great, and he wanted to know if she felt the same way.

"So, what do you think of the bar? I was nervous about trying something new out."

"I like it," she decided, smiling at him. "You did good, Queen."

That was exactly the response he wanted.

Time slipped away from them until the alcohol had completely worn off. He couldn't remember a time where his sides had hurt from laughing too much. People had started clearing from the bar, the noise dying down as well. The music became more audible, though the songs weren't that great. At some point - and neither of them knew when that point was - they had moved so close to each other that their faces were only inches apart.

His eyes kept falling to her lips, thoughts of kissing her becoming more persistent. Once, he had to actually close his eyes to stop himself from going through with it. He tried justifying it with the alcohol, but he knew it had worn off already, and he hadn't even had a lot to begin with. Her hand fell onto his arm, and that was it.

She seemed to have sensed what he was going to do by the look in his eyes, because she straightened visibly. However, her head stayed right where it was, not refraining from his touch. She wasn't saying no. Slowly, so that she had time to back away if necessary, he inched his face towards her. A loud ringing drew him back, startling him away from her to the point where he knew his opportunity had been missed.

He pulled out his phone, checking the caller ID. It was Laurel. Cursing under his breath, he swiped the green button on his phone screen.

"Hello?" he grit out, hearing a slight exhale of breath from Felicity.

"Ollie?" came the response from the other end.

"Laurel, what is it?"

He hadn't meant to sound as harsh as he did. He was just frustrated. And maybe a little relieved. He couldn't imagine what he would have done had they kissed. It would definitely cause questions to rise about their friendship, and that was the last thing he wanted.

"I got into a fight with my dad. I just don't want to be alone right now. Can you come over please?"

She sounded as if she'd been crying. Or maybe she still was. It was a little hard to focus when what had almost just happened replayed in his mind, along with the alternative of if his phone had never rung.

"Laurel, I'm kind of busy right now," he murmured, turning to the opposite side of Felicity so that she wouldn't hear.

"Please, Ollie," she urged, and he heard the tears this time.

Closing his eyes, he nodded his head. "Yeah, fine. I'll be right there."

"Thank you."

He hung up without a goodbye, turning to Felicity with regret in his eyes. He saw that she already had her things together, and his frustration with Laurel only lengthened.

"I'm sorry. That was Laurel and... I have to go," he told her, watching as she stood up.

"It's fine, Oliver. It was about time I head out anyway. Thank you for tonight. I really do like it here. Good choice."

He exhaled, letting a smile shadow across his features. His eyes followed her out of the bar, him slamming a heavy fist onto the counter once she had gone. The bartender glanced his way but said nothing. Oliver paid his tab, standing up and heading for the doors. With one glance back, he looked at the stools where his missed opportunity had occurred.

"Probably for the best," he grumbled, stalking off towards his car and beginning the drive over to Laurel's house.

That night wasn't supposed to mean anything, so why did it?

A/N: I know this doesn't seem important now, but this will be referenced again later on in the story. This was also a little preview of what the Oliver and Felicity friendship will look like in this story. This does take place two years before the actual story does, so their friendship will have grown much more since this. The summary for this story does not really match with this prologue, and that was done on purpose. Leave me a review letting me know if you liked it or if you think I should continue with it. Thank you! :)