Blind: An Arrow Fanfic

Chapter 27

Dear Readers,

Finally, the final Olicity chapter is complete! Thank you to all the readers who reviewed and followed this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. You will notice that I used elements of dialogue, etc from their actual date even though the rest of it is not related at all.

To those who are interested, I will complete the Alicity component of this story shortly. There should be about 2-3 chapters which I hope to finish within the next 2 weeks, work and personal life permitting.

Regards, 

LadyG

Oliver tugged nervously at the knot of his tie as he stared at Felicity's front door. He was nervous; a feeling he wasn't entirely used to experiencing around women. Usually he was the cool and collected one, his effortless charm the perfect go-to in any situation. As he'd come to realize lately, with Felicity it was different; every experience was new to him, every emotion a first. The truth was, she knew him too well and with her there was nowhere to hide. Interestingly enough, he wasn't even trying to anymore. He wanted her to know him, truly know him in a way he'd never allowed anyone to in a very long time. Anxiously running his hand down the front of his grey suit jacket once more, he couldn't help hoping that tonight would be the start of something he'd never dared to dream was possible.

Taking a minute to reflect, he thought about everything that had lead him to that exact moment: His decision to take Sara aboard the Queen's Gambit, the storm and the boat's ultimate demise, his father's death, the years of suffering and sacrifices he'd made, the harsh lessons he'd learned, his return to Starling City and the birth of The Hood. Those five years away from his family, his friends, his life, had been so devastating that at times he'd almost drowned in despair, but he couldn't deny that the man he now was was as a result of all that hardship and struggle. He didn't have a crystal ball or a time machine, he had no way of knowing how his life would have turned out if he'd never stepped on board his family's boat that fateful night so many years ago, but one thing was certain: He would probably never have met Felicity Smoak.

Who might he have been without knowing her? Everything he'd been through had shaped him and changed him into a man who was able to see the worth in other people. Someone who was driven by the need to make a difference in the world, someone who placed the needs of others ahead of his own, someone who'd very recently leant that love was a precious gift, one that was earned and when you were lucky enough to find it, you didn't allow fear to hold you back. He was ashamed to admit that the old Oliver would most likely never have paid Felicity much attention. He'd certainly never have been interested in getting to know her. He'd been too consumed with parties, popular people, drink and generally partaking in reckless and irresponsible behaviour to care much about anyone who didn't contribute to the playboy lifestyle. In retrospect it all seemed so pointless and he couldn't even remember what the appeal had been. A life of idle wastefulness had once been his dream. Now that could not be further from his reality. What a fool he'd been and may still have been had fate not had a very different destiny in mind for him.

Subconsciously, his mind cast back to the first time he'd met Felicity. In the bowels of the IT Department at Queen Consolidated, he'd thought to pull the wool over the eyes of some young novice who'd be so eager to impress the boss that they'd help him without asking any questions. Instead, what he'd received was a somewhat quirky woman, whose brilliant mind was linked to a mouth that tended to babble adorably while her keen sense of observation pierced through his bullshit without having to openly pry. Even now, he couldn't help smiling at the image of her, head cocked to the side, a red pen caught between bright pink lips, her gaze direct with a hint of incredulity as she listened to his ridiculous assertion that a spilled latte had been the reason he needed her help with his laptop rather than the glaring bullet holes that had littered it's surface.