A/N: thanks to a lot of positivity and instance the original prompter prompted me for a continuation (I won't say specifically what she asked because I don't want to spoil it BUT do know what happens was NOT her choice it was mine, she just chose the location and a few details)... I'm just saying I've been in a weird mood lately so this fic was my outlet... I'm sorry but so I hope you enjoy!

So he waited, and waited. The night seemed never ending as he spoke to person after person. He kept stealing glances at Felicity, unable to stop that feeling of nervousness trickling down his spine. Finally people started to leave but he did his duty and bided them all a good night.

The last few people stepped up to leave. "Wonderful evening Oliver," Bruce said shaking his hand. "Miss Smoak is an absolute delight."

"She's got something about her," Selina added giving Bruce a coy smile, like they were sharing a private moment.

"She is remarkable," Oliver stated plainly.

"Thank you for inviting us," the pair said shaking his hand.

"Of course." He nodded as they stepped out.

"Mr Queen. You're a very lucky man to have Miss Smoak as part of all this," Mr Fox said stepping closer. "It's very obvious she is fiercely loyal to you."

"And I to her," Oliver added.

"She's a wonder, and if I'm honest so are you Mr Queen, the marvellous things you have done for this City. Your parents would be proud of you." And Oliver couldn't help but feel a lump form in his throat as he shook his hand.

"Thank you."

He nodded. "Mr Wayne and Wayne Enterprises will be happy to offer their support Mr Queen," Mr Fox said with one more nod as he walked away. Oliver looked up taking a shaky breath.

"He's right you know." Felicity's voice caught him completely off guard. "They'd all be proud of you. Robert, Moira, Tommy, Laurel..." He nodded unable to find the words as he looked at her. "So would Thea and Diggle if they were here too because I'm proud of you Oliver."

"Felicity..." Her name came out as barely a whisper as he tried to find the words and she took a step closer.

"The events over, and I promised we'd talk, so is now okay?"

His throat constricted as he felt a rush of uncertainty as to what would happen. "Yeh but not here." He held his hand out to her. She briefly looked at it before looking at his face. She took it. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he felt her soft warm palm against his skin before he lead her out.

They sat opposite each other in the booth, both with a shake, fries and burger in front of them. Felicity heels were abandoned on the floor in a heap as she sat hunched up on the chair. Oliver had removed his jacket and bow tie placing them beside him in the booth. He'd taken his cufflinks out too so he could roll his sleeves up his arms. He watched as she devoured her burger in front of his eyes then picked at her fries.

"I do miss coming here, we haven't been here in what feels like forever," she mumbled.

"We eat Big Belly all the time," Oliver commented.

"Yeh but not actually in the restaurant." She sighed shifting in her seat.

"You okay?" he asked when she winced slightly.

"Yeh, yeh," she said brushing it off and he just stared at her until she sighed. "Just my feet, the curse of heels." She gestured to her throbbing soles. He glanced down then and without thought bent down grasping her ankle. "Oliver! What are you-" the words died on her lips when he brought her foot into his lap and pressed his thumbs into her foot massaging it.

"I remember how much your feet used to ache after working at Palmer Tech with the heels," he simply stated staring at her foot. He marvelled how her toes stretched, how they moved with his simple ministrations. He was marvelled at how well the chip in her spine was working, this was the closest he'd come with her since she literally walked out his life.

She swallowed, stifling a moan that caused him to look up. "God I've missed this," she whispered staring at him.

"I miss you," he answered truthfully his hand not stopping.

"I..." She bit into her lower lip searching his face. "Truthfully I miss you too-"

"But?" he asked because he knew it was coming, knew that she was going to give some reason.

"I... I..." She pulled her foot away from him. "I can't think when you're doing stuff like that."

He pulled his hands from under the table placing them on it instead. "Sorry," he said genuinely. "I want to talk Felicity, I meant that."

"Go on then," she said softly watching him.

"I know a lot has happened, and I know that these are only words. I can say all day long that I can change, that I won't lie to you again, that I will include you in every decision that I make but the truth is that I can't know that for certain. I will try my damn best not to be that man that was alone on the island. I will try every day to make you believe in me again, to look at me with that joy and happiness that you used to and not that sadness or regret I see flickering there..."

"Oliver," she whimpered her bottom lip trembling.

"I messed up Felicity, I know I did, and I will try damn hard to prove to everyone but especially you that I'm worth all this... That I'm better than that man on the island."

"I believe in you Oliver, I always have before we were ever a couple and that will never change," she rushed it out and he froze. "You aren't that man on the island, I was in a bad place, I was hurt and in pain, and I said some horrible things to you, things you didn't deserve to hear. You are already so much more than you were on that island, already a better man and you just get stronger and stronger."

"Felicity..."

"No Oliver let me get all this out."

"Okay," he whispered never looking away.

"I... I love you, I can't deny that. But right now, I'm... I need more time, and I won't ask you to wait for me." His mouth hung open in shock as her words hit him, but before he could speak she continued. "I don't expect you to, I just want you to be so happy and if we decided to try again now I'm afraid I won't make you happy."

"You can't know th-"

"Maybe I can make you happy, but it won't last Oliver, just like Ivy Town it'll be a delusion because I... God this is so hard." She looked down at her hands squeezing her own fingers as Oliver's hands had fisted on the table. "I thought we could find ourselves in each other, and maybe, maybe we can do that but right now... I still have stuff to figure out."

"I can help with that," he blurted out, his hand stretching across the table. "I can help you just like you did me."

"Maybe you can Oliver, but not as a couple. Maybe as partners, maybe working together we'll get back to how we were. But I need to deal with some things, my dad, my mom, Havenrock." Her shoulders slumped.

"Havenrock wasn't your fault, you saved a lot of people-"

"But a lot of people still died, I killed a town Oliver and maybe you can forgive me of that but right now I can't-"

"So you're saying we can't work out because you don't think you deserve me."

"No, I'm not saying that."

"I can help you, I can be here for you-"

"Yes you can as my friend, Oliver. I can't complicate things, my heads... I love you I do, but I can't..." She shook her head trying to stop the tears looking away from him.

"The truth is Felicity I love you, I love you with all my life, deep in my bones and no matter what I can't shake that," he whispered. "But I know that gives me no right to be anything more to you and so I'll be whatever you need me to be, partner, friend, anything." She glanced up then her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I will give you the time and space you need, I'll be there if you want me to be, I'll be whatever you want, without expectation."

"I can't ask that of you Oliver, you have your own life. You should move on, date other women and be happ-"

"You make me happy, you being a part of my life in any capacity makes me happy." He stared into her eyes speaking the words as she let out a breath.

"I can't ask you to wait Oliver, I might... I might never be ready to try again."

"You aren't asking Felicity, and that's fine because I'm not going anywhere."

"I wish so much that we could go back, that I didn't leave you or the team... things might have been so different, Laurel might-"

"Don't do that to yourself."

"But I didn't fight for us." She let out a small sob. "After all those fears of being abandoned by my dad, I left you and for that I'm truly sorry." She reached out for his hand then taking it as her comfort, allowing that small piece between them.

"You don't need to apologise-"

"I do, so many people have left you, not always by choice and I just... I up and left the team, I did to you what I thought my dad did to me-"

"Hey, you stayed when it mattered," he answered. "You're here now." He couldn't pull his eyes away from her as her lip trembled.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

"I hurt you."

"And I hurt you too," he replied. "We both made mistakes, both said a lot of things and made some promises but what I said to you, those vows, even if that wedding was fake, they weren't."

"I'm so sorry Oliver."

"Stop apologising," he answered squeezing her hand a little. "We've both said sorry a lot, we're both still here for each other... This is what matters now."

"I just, I don't want to get your hopes up."

His head dropped for a second before he looked back at her meaning everything from deep in his heart. "Felicity, how about we stop thinking of our future together as whatever that might be and just see how it goes. I'm your friend, and I'll be whatever else you want me to be, whenever, and no matter what you say or what happens I'm always going to love you. So how about we concentrate on figuring out how to live right now?"

She looked at him, stared right into his eyes and he hoped she saw it, saw that he was sorry, that he meant everything he had said. He'd wait for her, he always would and he'd be whatever she needed him to be and if that meant they weren't together right now, or in years, or at all then he'd be okay because her just being here with him would be enough.

"Okay," she whispered giving him a half hearted smile.

"We have to try right? We owe it to ourselves to try," he said squeezing her hand then. She looked up to meet his eyes.

"Yeh, you're right," she answered. "We'll try." She gave his hand one last squeeze before she pulled back eating her fries once more.

An easy silence fell over them and Oliver couldn't deny his heart ached to be closer to her, to love her wholly and completely like he wanted to but he couldn't. So he'd be content with Felicity being his partner, being his friend and maybe one day things would work out. He'd hold onto that hope for the rest of his life, keep it stored in a part of his heart away from everything hoping one day it might see the light of day. But right now being this, being a part of her life would be enough.