Eighteen months

Verdant had only been open for three months, but it had swiftly become one of the most popular restaurants in all of Starling City.

Sure, the initial drive for business probably had something to do with the fact that three billionaire scions were behind the idea and concept, but at most John expected that the combined Merlyn-Queen starpower had only brought in about a month's worth of business.

The rest of it, he was absolutely certain, was thanks to the hard work all four partners had put into the restaurant. Tommy and Thea had created a gorgeous dining room and dining experience out in the front of the house. John was responsible for what one Yelper had called "the most addictive cocktails on the West Coast."

And then there was Oliver. No one in the city had really expected his food to be any good, but when everyone found out just how good it was, they couldn't get enough.

All in all, they were on track to turn a profit at the end of the year, which was far better than all of their projections. And John had scarcely been prouder of any other enterprise he had ever undertaken.

He had just finished clearing all the tickets that came his way near the end of the dinner rush when he heard someone climb onto the barstool behind him.

"Be right with you," he called.

"No worries, Digg, it's just me."

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Felicity shrugging off her coat. When he was finished with his task he turned toward her.

"Hey, baby girl," he greeted her with a smile. "You want anything?"

"I'll take a glass of Merlot," she answered.

That made John frown almost immediately. Being a bartender and also Felicity's friend meant he could tell her moods based on what drink she ordered. Merlot was her sad and/or pensive drink.

"You want to talk about it?" he said as he pulled a glass from underneath the bar and started pouring.

She sighed, then plopped her head on the arms she rested on the bar. She stayed like that for a long time before finally answering, "I got offered a promotion today."

John's mouth widened into a smile. "Felicity, that's great news! Congratulations!"

She grunted. "The thing is, I don't know if I'll take it."

His frown returned once he realized that her reaction was way less than what he had expected. "OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but you were always complaining about how your talent is wasted on the job you have now. Why are you acting so glum? Isn't this what you wanted?"

She lifted her head and dragged the glass of wine closer to her. "It is what I wanted," she muttered as she took a sip. "This is supposed to be a dream come true."

"Then what's the problem?"

Felicity ran her fingertip over the rim of her glass as she contemplated her answer. Then, just as she opened her mouth to give her reply, the kitchen doors burst open.

"There she is!" Oliver shouted as he pointed at her, a huge smile lighting up his face. "Diggle, you are looking at the newest projects director of the Applied Sciences division of Queen Consolidated!"

Felicity's eyes widened in shock behind her glasses. "H-How did you hear about it?" she stuttered.

With a jubilant laugh, the chef ran around the bar to his roommate and gave her a big hug. "My mom called to tell me. Congratulations, Felicity! I'm so proud of you!"

John watched as the poor girl stiffened in her roommate's embrace before reluctantly reaching up to return the hug. Something also clouded over in her eyes and it made him wonder just why she wasn't as excited about this promotion as Oliver was.

"But I haven't accepted yet," she protested.

Oliver pulled away from the embrace and waved away her words. "But you will! And when you do, we're going to celebrate. Do you want to throw a party? We could throw it here. Or we could have a dinner party on Sunday. Or if you're as tired of this place as I am, we could go to Table Salt."

Felicity's jaw went slack in slight horror. "Oh, we don't have to do any of that," she insisted hurriedly. "Really, Oliver, it's not that big a deal."

"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "This is a huge deal! You're finally going to be doing a job that's worthy of your skillset. You're finally going to get paid at least a fraction of what you're worth! This is the first step to you finally taking over the whole Applied Sciences division, like you've always dreamed! And that deserves a celebration!"

John snorted under his breath. Not that he didn't disagree with anything Oliver had said — he was just baffled that he hadn't won the damn bet yet.

She tried again. "Oliver, I really don't think — "

But she didn't get the chance to finish what she thought, because at that moment, Roy stuck his head out of the kitchen door. "Yo, boss! We need you in here!"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second!" Then Oliver turned back to his roommate, his face still excited. "Don't leave, OK? We're closing in a few hours, and afterward we can sit down and plan your celebration."

Felicity closed her eyes in exhaustion, like it was killing her to even be sitting there. But when she opened her eyes again, she had pasted a big smile to her face and nodded.

"Sure. I'll stay."

Oliver grinned back at her and gave her one last hug before turning to go back to the kitchen.

Once he was gone, her smile immediately fell as she turned back to the bar and her glass of merlot. "Well this is just great," she muttered to herself.

John frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Felicity, what's the matter? Why are you so bummed about this promotion?"

She reached up to pull her glasses off her face and pinch the bridge over her nose between her eyes. "They want me to lead the projects team based in Coast City. Meaning if I took the job, I'd have to leave Starling."

John's froze at Felicity's news. As he struggled to process the words that came out of her mouth, she grabbed her wineglass and chugged its contents.

"Are you serious?" he demanded.

She nodded miserably as she set down the empty glass. "Oliver's mom was the one who suggested it. She said the Coast City team needs a cyber security expert, and I would be perfect. If I took the job, I'd start by the end of next month, which should give me 'sufficient time to find adequate living arrangements.'"

The thought of Felicity leaving Starling was about as welcome to John as an emergency root canal. He'd only known the woman for little more than a year, but in that time she'd become one of his closest friends, and she'd been there to support all four of them in their restaurant endeavors, Oliver most especially. If it hadn't been for her, John doubted Oliver would have gone through with the thing at all.

He automatically reached for the bottle of wine and refilled Felicity's glass.

"So what are you going to do?" he finally asked.

"I don't know," she whispered. "On the one hand, this promotion could mean big things for my career. But…"

"But you don't want to leave," he finished for her.

She nodded miserably. "I love it here. I have friends here. I have a life here. This is...this is the first place I feel like I've ever really belonged."

John didn't know what else to say. He wasn't under any delusions: Felicity had always been very focused on her career. If it came right down to the wire, he didn't have any doubts that she'd pick the promotion over staying in Starling City.

But it didn't mean that it wouldn't be painful for everyone else to watch her go.

And God, he couldn't even imagine what Oliver was going to do. The boy was so head over heels in love with his roommate that he knew it would crush his friend, far more than anything else in the world had the power to do.

Eventually, a group of new tickets came to the bar and John was once again swept up in the pace of his work. But every muscle in his body tensed with the tick of the clock, knowing that once Verdant's doors were closed, he would have to watch a bomb drop.

By ten o'clock, the kitchen had shut down for the night, and Felicity had downed three glasses of merlot. She was swaying in her stool a little and John was keeping a close eye on her.

Once the staff had finished cleaning everything, Oliver emerged from the double doors and took the stool next to his roommate.

"So?" he asked. "Have you given anymore thought about the party?"

John, who had been wiping down the counters, flinched at his friend's words. Now that he knew why Felicity was so reticent to celebrate this promotion, Oliver's enthusiasm just felt like some cruel, ironic joke.

Before she could answer, Tommy and Thea chose that moment to come out of office.

"Party?" Tommy called as he approached the bar. "Is someone reserving the restaurant for a function?"

"No, the party's for Felicity," Oliver beamed.

Tommy quirked an eyebrow. "Didn't we already celebrate your birthday a couple months ago? I might not remember a lot from that night, but I remember that much, at least."

"It's to celebrate her promotion," Oliver explained. "She's finally getting recognized for her work, and I figure that's as good an excuse as any for us to have a party."

John's jaw clenched as he tried to keep himself from frowning. God, this was excruciating — waiting for the other shoe to drop was killing him.

He watched as Felicity tried once again to explain herself, her face a little redder than it was before (though John suspected that was partly thanks to the alcohol). But yet again, she was interrupted before she could even get the words out.

"So you're taking it?" Thea squealed with excitement as she rushed forward to give the other woman a hug. "Oh, this is so exciting! I'll take next weekend off to go up with you and look for apartments. I haven't been to Coast City in ages."

Felicity froze in Thea's embrace, and John stilled at the implication of Thea's words.

She knew.

And immediately, John was suspicious. If she knew and she was excited about her brother's roommate moving to another city, then surely she was up to something.

Oliver, on the other hand, was still confused. "What in the world are you talking about? Why are you going to Coast City?"

Felicity's eyes were glassy behind her glasses as she turned back to her roommate. "That's where the job is," she said quietly.

John watched the shock freeze on Oliver's face, and a wave of pity overtook him.

"Wait a minute," Tommy interjected, pointing a suspicious finger at Thea. "How did you know about it?"

"Mom told me when we had lunch today," she shrugged. Then she turned back to Felicity. "So? What do you say? We'll have a girl's day in Coast City. We'll go to all the hot spots after we finish apartment hunting. It'll be so much fun, I promise!"

Felicity, who was still looking at Oliver with a searching expression, simply nodded. "Um, sure. That would be great."

An awkward silence descended on all of them. John avoided the glances Oliver and Felicity were sending each other by straightening the bottles of liquor behind him.

Finally, Felicity broke the quiet.

"I should...I should get going. I called for an Uber a few minutes ago and it says he'll be here any minute, so…"

"I could give you a ride home, if you want," Oliver offered quietly.

She shook her head. "No. Um, thanks though. I just need some time. Alone. With my thoughts. I'll see you when you come home, OK?"

And with one last reassuring pat on his shoulder, she slid off the barstool and walked out of the restaurant.

Another long silence stretched over them as they listened to the clicking of Felicity's heels fade away into the distance. It was a testament to the strength of her personality that they could all still feel her presence after she had walked away.

"I have to check on something in the kitchen," Oliver murmured, before turning around and heading through the double doors next to the bar.

The minute he was gone, Tommy rounded on Thea. "And just what game are you playing here?" he demanded.

"Game?" she repeated innocently. "I'm not playing any game!"

"Bullshit," John shot back, his gigantic arms crossed over his broad chest. "You're up to something with this. I can tell. No way are you this excited for Felicity to move away to another city."

Thea just smirked at the two of them before shrugging on her sweater. "Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see, won't you?" And with that she turned on her heel and disappeared, the same way Felicity left.

Tommy shook his head after the younger Queen disappeared. "This is some kind of joke, right? Like we'll wake up tomorrow and realize that none of this is actually happening."

John didn't say anything in response. Instead, he dropped his arms and made long strides toward the kitchen, throwing open the swinging double doors to see Oliver standing in the middle of a spotless room of stainless steel cooking equipment, looking completely lost.

"She's leaving," he said. "Felicity's leaving."

He'd never seen his friend like this. Sure, Oliver had his moments of uncertainty, just like everyone else. But this...this was hopelessness. And John hated it.

"Oliver, man, now it's more important than ever," he said, his voice slightly urgent. "You have to tell her how you feel about her."

The chef turned his head to stare blankly at his friend, like he could hardly register what John had just said. Like the thought was completely foreign to him in that moment.

"Listen to me," he said, closing the distance between the two of them and clapping a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "I know you were worried about making it weird between the two of you, but this is the last chance you have."

It wasn't even about the bet anymore. John knew Oliver, and he knew that if he just let her go without at least telling her, he'd regret it forever. And though he was convinced that Felicity didn't feel anything for Oliver in return, John was also convinced that his friend had to take this chance.

"I...I don't know if I can just put myself out there like that," he whispered.

"What have you got to lose? If she doesn't feel the same way, she'll move to Coast City. If she does feel the same way, she might stay."

"But this is her dream! I can't be the one to keep her from that!"

John wasn't convinced. "You can find a million excuses not to tell her how you really feel, but you only need one reason to bite the bullet and do it. And that reason is that you don't want to live your life with any regrets. This might just be your biggest one."

Oliver rubbed his calloused hands over his face. When they fell away, John noticed a tiny glint of something in his eyes. It looked a little like determination.

"I think you're right," he said quietly.

"I know I am," John grinned. "Come on, man. I'll pour you a scotch before I take you home."

Oliver closed his eyes as John led him back to the bar. "Home. It's only home when she's there. Without her, it's just an empty apartment."

John nodded. "I suggest you lead with that."

Two days later

It was in the middle of the dinner rush at Verdant, but Tommy was safely ensconced in the office on the second floor. He could hear the dull thrum of dining room chatter that had, in the few months they'd been open, become a soothing sound for him.

Never would he have guessed that he would consider this restaurant his second home.

As Tommy pored over the spreadsheets, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called.

The doorknob turned and he saw Felicity walking in, looking absolutely exhausted.

"Hey," she greeted with a tired smile. "Thea asked me to come over to update the restaurant's system. Is that OK?"

Tommy looked bewildered at her rumpled state, but he got up from his seat anyway. "Yeah, of course. You're the expert. Besides, it'll probably be the last time we get some free IT support for a while, right?"

A shadow fell over her eyes and Tommy realized belatedly that it was probably the wrong thing to say.

"Thanks," she said as she took the seat he vacated and turned to the computer.

As she worked, he plopped down on the couch across from the desk. Of all the furniture in the entire restaurant, it was by far the grungiest, but mostly because Oliver used it as a place to grab a quick nap in between prep time and meal services.

"So," Tommy began after a few minutes. "You wanna tell me why you look like crap?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's hard to believe that you were once voted Starling City's Most Charming."

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just saying. You don't look like your usual, put-together self. Instead you look like that morning after New Year's when Thea dragged us all out to celebrate with Roy."

Felicity let out a sigh. "It's just...stress. From work and stuff."

He clucked his tongue. "Would 'stuff' also be code for 'Ollie?'"

She flinched at his name and Tommy knew he hit the nail on the head.

Absentmindedly, he picked at the loose threads of the throw pillows. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't say anything for a long time and for a moment, he thought that was his answer. But then finally she spoke.

"To be honest, I thought I'd talk about it with Oliver first, not you," she murmured as she clicked around on the monitors in front of her. "But he's been avoiding me ever since he found out about the promotion being in Coast City and now...now I don't know what to do."

He nodded. "Not to sound too...shrink-like, but how does that make you feel?"

To Tommy's utter horror, tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes. She swiped them away before they got the chance to escape.

"He's supposed to be my friend," she whispered. "Even though I know he doesn't feel the same way I do, I thought he'd at least be a little sad that I had to move away. But now he won't talk to me, he won't look at me. He looks for excuses not to be in the same space as me. It's like I don't exist anymore and it just...it hurts."

Despite what some of Tommy's ex flings might have said, he had a heart, and it was aching as he watched his friend cry over his best friend.

He got up from the couch and started rubbing circles over Felicity's shoulders in what he hoped was a reassuring motion. "Hey, it's going to be OK. You know that, right?"

She sniffed. "It doesn't feel like it."

He waited a little while for her tears to subside. Then he started again.

"You know what I think you should do before you leave?"

"What?"

"I think you should tell him how you feel. Tell him that you're in love with him."

She scoffed as she wiped her eyes again. "Are you kidding? That sounds like the worst idea in the world. If he's ignoring me now, can you imagine how much worse it'll be if I tell him?"

He wasn't even thinking about the bet anymore. In that instant, all he cared about was helping his friend come into her own.

"Lis, you can't leave Starling City without telling him," Tommy insisted. "He deserves to know. And you deserve the chance to tell him how you feel. To get it off your chest. You have to let it go before you can move on."

She sniffed again as she considered his words.

"How do you figure it'll help me move on?"

"Because you'll get closure. If he feels the same way as you do, then great. But if he doesn't, then you'll know you did everything you could. And you won't be hanging onto what-ifs for the rest of your life."

She looked up at him with something that looked like surprise lighting in her eyes. "When did you get so smart?"

He chuckled. "I've always been smart. People were just always underestimating me."

That made her laugh a little, but the grin disappeared as quickly as it came.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "I'm scared to tell him."

He could totally see where she was coming from. If he were in her shoes, he'd be scared shitless and would be running in the other direction.

But Felicity was stronger than he was.

"I know. That's only normal."

She sighed and leaned back in the chair to stare up at the ceiling. "You're right though. The worst that could happen is he doesn't feel the same way, and I move to Coast City. What do I have to lose?"

"Nothing."

She closed her eyes and inhaled. Then, in a move so fast it almost made him a little dizzy, she stood from the chair and straightened her back, like she was getting ready to go into battle.

"I'm going to do it."

Tommy's innards clenched in excitement. "Good!" he encouraged.

Then she grabbed his arm as she walked toward the door. "You're coming with me."

And just like that, Tommy's smile immediately fell away.

Sure, he wanted Felicity to tell Ollie how she felt. But he didn't want to be there to witness the heartbreak. "Wait, you're going to tell him now? Here? While he's working?"

"If I tell him here, then he can't run away from me," she said as she dragged him out of the office and down the stairs. "I'm not going to give him the opportunity to walk away from me this time. He's going to hear what I have to say whether he likes it or not."

Tommy grimaced. While her logic was sound, it still didn't make him want to stick around to watch her inevitable humiliation.

It was still early in the service, so there weren't many people in the dining room watching as Felicity dragged Tommy by the arm through the entire restaurant. But the few people who were there watched in surprise as the tiny blonde tramped through the serene room with a look of pure determination on her face.

"Felicity, please," Tommy begged. "I really don't think this is a good idea."

She turned to glare at him. "It was your idea in the first place."

"My idea was to tell him you love him, not hold him hostage with you feelings in his restaurant during the middle of dinner service!" he hissed.

She ignored him as she ventured on.

Once they reached the bar, Digg greeted them with a pair of raised eyebrows. "Hey, guys. Are you OK?"

"We're fine, Digg. We just want to see Oliver. He in the kitchen?"

"Yeah," he answered slowly. "We're about to hit a dinner rush, though."

"It won't take long," she said, and it made Tommy grimace.

She walked around the bar toward the swinging double doors and pushed her way through. But the minutes he was on the other side, she froze, forcing Tommy to bump into her from behind.

The kitchen looked like it always did in the middle of a dinner service. The kitchen staff swooped around the expansive room, tossing things in searing hot pans and tending to cooking meat on the grill. They yelled over the din of cooking sounds, demanding one thing or another or warning of something hot coming up right behind them.

But in the midst of all this chaos, Oliver stood in the center, bending over a prep table with a look of concentration on his face as he dressed the plates getting ready to go out to the dining room. If anyone had ever doubted he belonged in a kitchen, all they had to do was see him in one. It was his natural habitat as he handled delicate plates, squeezed tiny, controlled droplets of some sauce from a bottle.

His name denoted royalty, and that kitchen was his kingdom.

When Tommy realized that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, he tapped Felicity lightly on her stiff shoulder.

"Felicity? You OK?" he asked her.

Oliver heard his voice, and he looked up from the plate he was dressing. Then he froze when he saw Tommy and Felicity in his kitchen.

"Hey," he said in breathless surprise.

Tommy heard her swallow. "Hi," she answered in a raspy voice.

In an instant, Oliver left his station and wiped his hands on the towel tied to his waist. "Uh, Felicity, I — "

Her name must have shaken her out of her stupor, because she pulled herself together and steeled her spine as she looked up at her roommate. "I need to talk to you," she said in a voice that left no room for compromise.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, I need to talk to you too."

And just like that, she was thrown off again.

"You...you do?" she said after a long pause.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I have to tell you something important. But, um...I can't do it here, OK? I was thinking we could talk about it when I get home?"

Felicity blinked a few times, and Tommy could tell she was torn between blurting it out right then and there or waiting until she got home to hear what he had to say.

"You're really going to talk to me?" she said with a suspicious tone. "You're not going to avoid me or ignore me or pretend like I don't exist?"

He shook his head. "I promise."

Tommy frowned at the intensity in his best friend's eyes. There weren't a lot of things outside of a kitchen that could make Ollie look like that, and it made him wonder just what exactly he wanted to say to Felicity.

She chewed on her lip as she considered his words. Then, she took a deep breath and nodded. "OK. We'll talk when you get home."

The tension seeped out of Tommy the minute she agreed. He wouldn't have to watch her heart get broken after all. What a massive relief.

"Great," Ollie smiled. "Then...well, I have to get back to work. But I should be home by midnight."

"I'll wait up for you," she promised.

He reached forward and quickly grasped her hand with his. With one last grin in her direction, he turned around and went back to work. Tommy and Felicity watched for a few minutes as he re-immersed himself in his cooking, then walked back out through the swinging double doors.

"What do you think he wants to tell you?" Tommy asked the minute the kitchen doors swung closed behind them.

"I don't know," Felicity sighed, her brow furrowed a little in concern. "But it can't be bad, right?"

With the nervous way Ollie had been smiling, Tommy was pretty sure it was supposed to be something good. But then again, his definition of good news was sometimes a little skewed.

"I hope so," Tommy answered. "But whatever it is, good or bad, I think you'll be OK."

She nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right. I guess I better go, though. If I'm going to tell him how I feel, I think it'll be easier after I've had a couple of glasses of cabernet, first."

"Hey, whatever you need to make it through. I believe in you, Smoak."

She smiled at him, then leaned up to press a kiss against his cheek. "Thanks, Merlyn. I owe you one."

He grinned back. "Any time."

Once she left, Tommy took up the empty stool at the end of the bar, and Digg slid a tumbler of scotch in front of him. "And what was that?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," Tommy answered as he smirked at his friend over the rim of his glass. "Just me winning the bet is all."

Digg snorted. "Oh really?"

"Really."

He just shook his head. "We'll see about that."

The next day

Thea Queen pulled into the underground parking structure of her brother's apartment building, right next to Tommy's Mercedes. They waved at each other before climbing out of their respective cars.

"You have any idea what this is about?" Tommy asked.

Felicity had texted Tommy, John and Thea at ten o'clock that morning, asking them to come to the apartment because she had a big announcement. Considering that everyone already knew about the promotion, her news must have been something different, and Thea had an inkling about what it might be.

But then again, she was never the kind of person to get ahead of herself.

"Nope," she answered with a hint of a smile.

The two of them walked to the elevator together and rode it all the way to Ollie's floor. But by when they got to the apartment, they saw Digg standing outside the door with a brow furrowed in confusion.

"Hey," Tommy called to Digg as they approached. "What are you doing just standing out here?"

"I've been knocking on their door for ten minutes now, and they still haven't answered," he replied with a frown. "And I don't hear any noises coming from inside. I don't even know if they're home."

Thea pursed her lips in thought. "Huh. Well, there's only one way to find out."

She pulled her keys out of her purse and singled out the spare key Oliver had given her when he first moved in.

"I thought that was for emergencies only," Tommy reminded her.

"This is an emergency," Thea answered. "They could be in serious trouble. We have to make sure neither one of them are hurt."

She unlocked the door and the three of them walked into the apartment. Thea heard a rustling noise coming from the kitchen, so she slowly made her way toward the room.

The sight that greeted her, though unsurprising, was something she wished she'd never had to see. Ever.

Felicity was perched on the edge of the island counter, while Oliver was pressed up against her, standing between her legs. His hands were splayed across her bottom and his mouth was on hers, like he was practically glued there.

"Oh my God," Tommy gasped.

At the sound of someone else in the apartment, the two of them sprang apart.

"Well I guess neither of them are hurt," Thea said in slight amusement.

Felicity blushed as she hopped down from the counter and Oliver looked down sheepishly as he straightened his rumpled shirt.

Tommy and Digg, on the other hand, were frozen in complete shock.

"So, uh...wanna explain what's going on here?" Thea asked.

Oliver and Felicity exchanged loaded glances. Then she reached forward and took his hand in hers, their fingers laced together.

Thea couldn't help but smirk at the sight.

"I'm staying here in Starling City after all," Felicity announced. "When I told Moira that I didn't want to move to Coast City, she told me that there was an opening for a projects manager position for the team in Starling and she offered it to me."

"Is that all you wanted to tell us?" Thea asked with raised eyebrows.

Felicity coughed. "No," she blushed, and Oliver chuckled.

"We've also...we've also decided to start a relationship," he added.

Tommy and Digg were still both speechless, but Thea — who saw the whole thing coming from a mile away — stepped forward to give her big brother a hug.

"That's really great news," she beamed at him. When she released him, she turned to Felicity for another hug. "I'm so happy for the two of you."

"Thanks, Thea," Felicity grinned back. "We were a little nervous about telling you guys, but I'm glad you approve."

Oliver, however, was still anxiously watching Tommy and Digg's shocked reactions. "Guys, I know this is kind of big and we sort of sprung this on you, but I promise, this is a good thing. We're both really happy."

Digg finally shook off his surprise and gave him a shaky smile. "Uh, yeah. Good for you, man. If you're happy then we're happy. This is really fantastic news."

He nudged Tommy in the side with his elbow and the other man nodded dumbly.

"Great," Felicity grinned. "So then let's go out to lunch celebrate? It's on me."

The three of them agreed and with that, Oliver and Felicity went back to their rooms to change and get ready to go out. Once they were alone, Thea turned a smirk to both of her friends.

"I do believe this means I won the bet," she crowed.

Tommy narrowed his eyes. "You had this whole thing planned, didn't you? You and Moira. That Coast City job was a ruse the whole time."

"Don't hate the player, hate the game," Thea sniffed.

Digg scoffed. "You haven't won yet."

"Yes I have!" she protested. "They're together! They're in a relationship! That means I won and now you both owe me two hundred dollars!"

"No," Digg shot back. "Your bet was that they'd both realize they had feelings for each other — "

"Exactly! So I won!"

Digg continued like he hadn't been interrupted. "And that they would live happily ever after! If they break up, then you still lose!"

Thea narrowed her eyes. "You dirty cheat."

"Takes one to know one."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Digg. "Fine. But the minute they get engaged, I win."

"Assuming they even make it that far," Digg smirked.

Thea rolled her eyes. If they wanted to play the long game, then that was fine. She could wait as long as they wanted, because she knew her brother better than anyone. And she knew for a fact that he was in love with Felicity Smoak, and that would never, ever change.

Three years later

All of Starling City's elite was gathered in the dining room at Verdant. All but one.

Thea Queen was holed up in the office on the second floor, furiously scribbling on the sheets of paper in front of her.

In fact, she was so focused that she didn't even look up when the door to the office opened.

"Babe?" Roy called from the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to finish this," she muttered, her tongue caught between her teeth. "Don't worry, I'll be down there in a second."

Roy stepped forward from the doorway and walked behind the desk to press a kiss on the top of his girlfriend's head. "You're not worried, are you? You're going to be great."

She frowned as she crossed out a huge line of text. "It's not just enough to be great, Roy. I want this to be perfect."

"I'm sure it will be," he said soothingly. "Don't beat yourself up over this."

She sighed before finally looking up from her paper. "Look, I'm almost done, OK? Just go back down there. I'll be right behind you."

He chuckled and pecked her on the lips. "Whatever you say, babe." And with that he left her alone to finish her speech.

Once she was alone, Thea looked back down on what she had already written. She ran a frustrated hand through her brown hair as she read and reread every line. Was it big enough? Was it important enough? Did it convey exactly what she wanted to convey?

She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She knew that this event wasn't for her: it was for her brother and Felicity. But she wanted to make sure that her speech was the perfect balance of funny and sentimental. She wanted to make sure that it was worthy for both of them, two of the people she loved most in the world.

They deserved that much.

Twenty minutes later, she folded up the sheafs of paper and tucked it into the pocket of her lacy green cocktail dress. Then she descended the stairs to join the festivities.

The decorations were grander than any other event Verdant had ever put on. The ceiling was swathed in large bolts of silver and royal blue fabric. The centerpieces at every table were huge towers of white roses on deep blue tablecloths. And the candles that lined the space added to the intimacy of the lighting, making the whole place glow with warmth.

Moira walked up to her daughter once she spotted her and tucked her arm in hers. "Darling, have you seen your brother?" she asked.

Thea shook her head. "He's probably in the kitchen yelling at the catering staff," she joked.

Moira chuckled. "Very well. I'll just have one of the serving staff drag him away."

Just as the Queen matriarch said that, the double doors that led to the kitchen swung open and Oliver stumbled through, followed closely by a scowling Felicity.

"I was just trying to — " he started, but she cut him off.

"I don't care what you were trying to do," she said firmly. "You're supposed to be the celebrant tonight, not the caterer. Let them do their jobs."

"But — "

"Oliver, if I have to drag you out of that kitchen one more time, you will be sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week."

He muttered something under his breath as he glared at her mutinously, but Felicity returned his look with the sternest look she could muster. Then, he rolled his eyes and took her hand, and together they ventured into the crowd.

Moira turned to her daughter with an amused grin. "I should have known Felicity would take care of it."

Thea laughed at that.

The cocktail hour went by without further incident, and soon all the guests were seated at their tables for the dinner. Thea sat at the center table with her parents Roy and Ollie and Felicity. They all made pleasant conversation, and much to everyone's surprise, Oliver didn't have a single bad thing to say about the food.

Once the entrees were cleared out and the waiting staff was refilling everyone's water, Thea took that as her cue.

With a deep breath, she stood from her seat and made her way to the front of the room on the small dais where the jazz band was seated. The conductor handed her the microphone and she pulled out the sheets of paper from her pocket.

"Good evening, everyone," she greeted. "I want to thank you all for coming tonight, to help us celebrate my brother's engagement to his lovely fiancee, Felicity Smoak."

Everyone turned to clap politely in the couple's direction. Oliver grinned at Felicity and the two of them leaned forward for a soft kiss.

"As you all know, I am Thea Queen, and I have known Ollie my entire life. He has been my protector, my mentor and one of my best friends, and I couldn't have asked for a better brother in the world."

The room made the appropriate aww-ing noises and Oliver sent a soft smile at his sister.

"I've always been Ollie's biggest fan, and because of this, I never really thought that there was anyone worthy of him. While the rest of the world believed he was nothing but an irresponsible playboy, I knew better. I knew that he was kind and generous, and he would do anything for the people he loved. I also knew that it would take a special woman to deserve that kind of dedication, and I was almost halfway convinced that she didn't exist.

"That is, until I met Felicity Smoak."

Felicity blushed and ducked her head as Oliver chuckled.

"When I first met Felicity, she was nothing like I expected. She was just some blonde nerd who agreed to be my brother's roommate. But in their first six months of living together, she fought him over boxes of instant mac 'n' cheese and she yelled at him for tossing his wet towels all over the bathroom. In fact, Tommy, John and I even had a bet going to see how long it would take for her to get fed up with my brother and move out."

Everyone chuckled.

"But the more I got to know Felicity, the more I realized that she was tougher than anyone I'd ever met before. And that was when I realized that she might actually be the one to deserve him.

"I came to this realization one night, here at Verdant, before it even was Verdant. John, Tommy and I were all stressed out about all the millions of decisions we had to make and Ollie even more so. He'd been snapping at everyone for weeks, but the minute Felicity came in, calmed him down. He was at peace in her presence, and that was when I knew that they were in love."

Thea saw tears well up in Felicity's eyes and she reached up to quickly wipe them away. Oliver smiled down at her with the most tender expression and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"My brother is one of the best people I know, but knowing Felicity made him even better. And now they're going to spend the rest of their lives together."

She folded up her speech and stuck it back in her pocket. Then she raised her glass of champagne.

"So please, join me in raising a glass to Oliver and Felicity. May you two live happily ever after."

She emphasized the last three words of her toast and everyone else repeated it.

She glanced at Tommy and Digg out of the corner of her eye to see them both scowling at her, but she hid her smirk by lifting the flute to her lips.

Everyone applauded politely after the toast and she walked back to her table to give the happy couple a hug.

"Thank you, Speedy," Ollie whispered in her ear.

"You're the best sister-in-law a girl could ever ask for," Felicity murmured.

She grinned back at them and pressed a kiss on both their cheeks before walking over to Tommy and Digg's table.

"So," she said imperiously, her hand out. "Fork it over, losers."

They exchanged mutinous glances, but then reached into their pockets for their wallets.

"Face it, Thea, you just got lucky," Tommy muttered under his breath.

She smirked. "Haven't you learned by now, Tommy? I'm always right."