Afire Love

Chapter 3

She couldn't deny, the irony in the moment was more than present. He walked in her office, catching her with a red pen in her mouth and said her name just to make her aware of his presence. She would have stared with astonishment for a long time, believing it was just her imagination playing tricks on her, but the question he said next made that beautiful nostalgic moment to shatter to pieces and then she panicked.

What was he doing here? He was supposed to be in Thea's care and under John's protection at the loft, away from the wreckage his memory loss caused. She looked behind the glass wall, hoping to see either one of them, but the hall was empty.

Oliver managed to somehow get rid of the two well trained soldiers and to come here, God knows for what reason. She realized then, he wouldn't have needed the five years on the island to make himself unseen and escape unpleasant situations, his playboy life did a very good job with that long before the half decade of torture.

He looked at her, waiting for an answer that in her opinion would never have come. His eyes were cold and suspicious and he looked at her in a way he never did. Felicity felt for a second that she couldn't breathe. Watching the man she loved while he looked at her with hatred, was too much, so she broke the eye contact. It was something to avoid him, and another thing to ignore the way he looked at her. She couldn't do that, even if she tried. For the last three days she struggled so hard to avoid him, being afraid of any question he would ask her and her reaction to them. But she hadn't given any thought to his feelings towards her. It was past her concern. Oliver from eight years ago would've never fallen for her.

And now he was here, in front of her, and the only thing that ran through her mind was how could she say anything without risking his mental health. Or hers.

The doctors didn't say anything about the way they should talk to Oliver that was better for him, but Felicity saw enough movies with the same story to know that there was no good way of telling someone, who had memory loss, what those memories were about.

"You were an IT girl, during my mother's leading. After she went to jail, and I received half of the company together with Isabel Rochev, you were my personal assistant" he started talking, taking her by surprise. She kept her eyes down, not daring to look at him. It was obvious that all the information he had was from the media, but it still stunned her that he knew all that stuff about her. Why did he care?

"And then my mother died, and I had to convince the board that I was the right person to own the company, but they gave it to Ray Palmer and you became vice president. Interesting evolution, but why are you now in the CEO's office?" His voice grew louder with every word and now she had no idea if it was better to answer him or to shut up, hoping he will eventually leave. But he was never the type to leave unfinished business, and she knew that.

"Two months ago- she started speaking, with her eyes fixing the window glass behind him, measuring her every word and thinking it five times- Ray Palmer signed everything on my name, making me the CEO and him the vice president."

"Why?" he asked, taking a step closer to her desk.

"You should ask him that because the answer he gave me wasn't actually the most appropriate one."

Oliver didn't say anything. He just looked at her and narrowed his eyes, making it obvious of the way he interpreted what she just said.

She cursed herself wishing she could, for once in her life, be careful of what she was saying. Raising her eyes, she saw his features changing and a shadow of sadness passed his face before it could return to the dark cold gaze. But it was not the same anyway. His eyes were filled with more than just coldness. There was confusing and betrayal and even a little bit of regret, but before Felicity could think or say anything, he looked away.