Home: An Arrow Fanfic

Chapter 11

The day passed in a blur. Felicity had been working on trying to determine where The Archer had disappeared to after he'd fled the houses of Croft and Grayson but she wasn't having much luck. Apart from there being virtually no clues to help her along, she was also completely distracted.

She wasn't sure if it had been excitement or terror at the upcoming Gala that had prevented her from getting a decent night's sleep. Perhaps a mixture of both. She'd never attended anything as glitzy before and if the office gossip was anything to go by, everyone who was anyone was going to be there.

She glanced at the time at the bottom of her tablet screen. 02:45pm. She'd promised Carly that she'd leave by 03:00pm so that she'd have some time to relax before getting ready. As though relaxing was even a thing she could do. Her nerves were wound tighter than a two dollar watch – which was ridiculous – this was not a date.

She hadn't seen Oliver since he'd dropped off the invitation. He'd called her a few times to discuss her progress on The Archer investigation, but it wasn't the same. She missed seeing him. The one time she'd popped by the foundry, he'd been wrapped up in club business and so she'd left without ever laying eyes on him. Much to her disappointment.

She glanced at the time again. 2.47pm. Shaking her head in annoyance she logged off and packed up for the weekend. There was no point in sitting there when her mind was clearly elsewhere.

Nervously Felicity turned from her bedroom mirror to face Carly. "Well, what do you think?" Her face was covered in trepidation as she waited for the verdict.

Carly gasped, her hands reaching up to cover her heart. "Oh Felicity… you look amazing!"

She made her turn in a full circle. "Yip, I knew this was your colour the second I saw you yesterday. Trust me, he's not gonna know what hit him," Carly said as she admired her handiwork.

"That's not the point," Felicity said, rolling her eyes in response.

"That's the whole point. Of course it's equally important that you like the way you look and that you feel comfortable and confident? That's more than half the battle won," she said, starting to gather her things. She'd popped around to help Felicity with her hair and make-up.

Turning back to the mirror, Felicity nodded. She looked different, but not in a way that made her feel like she was someone else. The reflection staring back at her was the person she knew herself to be, albeit a more glammed up version.

She smoothed her hands over her waist to give them something to do. It was almost time. Oliver would be there at any at any minute.

"I gotta go," Carly said as she grabbed her bag and other paraphernalia. "Almost time for Cinderella to go to the ball," she teased, stuffing her curling iron into a backpack.

"Let's hope I don't turn into a pumpkin at midnight."

Carly walked over, her bags slung over one arm. Giving Felicity a side hug she smiled brightly, "You look radiant, so stop worrying. Go and have a good time."

With her gone, there was nothing left to do but wait for Oliver to arrive.

"Do I look alright?" Oliver asked from the back seat of the new BMW he'd purchased for Diggle's use.

Meeting his eyes in the rear-view mirror, Diggle seemed amused. "That's the third time you've ask me that and it's the third time I'm telling you that you look fine."

He couldn't stop fidgeting, his fingers drumming restlessly on his thighs. He felt nervous, something that had been completely foreign to him before he met a certain IT girl.Relax, almost there.