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Oliver was bored. No scratch that. Crumple it up and throw it away. Oliver was tired out of his fucking mind and was about to ring the neck of his manager, no matter how talented or how right she was about everything.
"You have to make sure to smile."
"Brooding to a minimum."
"Just 5 stops for photos like we agreed, Ollie."
This was his career. Oliver Queen, Hollywood's heartthrob and part of an acting dynasty going back generations. This premiere was one of many that his agent had arranged to clean up his image after the notorious break up last year with Helena Bertenelli.
It had been his first relationship to last more than a couple weeks and the media flew into a frenzy thinking that Oliver had found her, his soulmate. Oliver never denied it or acknowledged if she was because Laurel, his iron clad agent, advised him to let them speculate. Let them think that he had followed the old as time soulmate tradition where you met the other half of you and the world exploded into color. When he and Helena had broken up it confirmed that all the Queens had a soulmate except him.
Shades of white and black were his only companions.
"Are you listening?" Laurel asked, interrupting his 'brooding' thoughts as his sister so lovingly called them.
Oliver blinked and shook his head, straightening in his seat. He obviously hadn't been paying attention. Well not complete attention.
He saw her open her mouth, revving up for another lecture, so he did the one thing that always shut her up since they were kids. He poked her neck. She looked like a stack of cards that got knocked over, laughter erupting from her.
"Rude," she huffed when she straightened. A smile tugged at her lips and Oliver shrugged.
"You were getting ready for another lecture. I'll be fine Laurel. You and Tommy have done a great job with lining these premieres up. They're different. Different crowds."
"And definitely somewhere Helena won't be at?"
Oliver nodded eagerly. He had Laurel pick different premieres precisely for that reason, "Exactly."
Laurel's brow furrowed, "You sure you're ok?"
"Yeah why?"
Laurel’s face twisted and Oliver knew what was about to spill from her lips. He’d had this conversation with every member of his family lately. "You know why. You're about to turn 30 and you still haven't found her. Or him. No discrimination."
Oliver gave her a look from across the limo. He didn’t want to talk about this now.
"Its definitely a her. It's nothing to worry about Laurel. If it happens I'll be grateful. If it doesn't then..."
His words came to a halt and he swallowed. He'd never really contemplated not finding his other half. Or at least buried it so deep inside himself that he forgot about it. Most people found their intended in their late teens or early twenties. Some people even found them in their early thirties. And the unlucky few...never found their other half and settled for what they could find.
He feared he might be the latter.
"Stop it. Whatever’s going on in your head stop it," Laurel sharply said, nudging her foot with his. The limo started slowing down. Any second now they would come to a complete stop and be among hundreds of screaming fans, photographers and posing celebrities.
"Laurel..."
"You're one of my best friends Ollie. Tommy and I know you will find her. So no more moping. Unless you want me to tell your mother."
Oliver's shoulders relaxed, he hadn’t even noticed that he’d tensed up, and he held up his hands in surrender, "All right. No need to go to my mother. She's just as bad as Thea about my apparent brooding."
The door next to Oliver opened and he helped his manager out into the blinding lights and cheering of the crowd, "By the way, who taught you to use the mother card? That's new."
She wasn't even ashamed, grinning at him, "That's Sara's doing." Laurel gave him one last once over to make sure he was ready for the press before heading inside to do manager things.
Chuckling he turned to the crowd and gave his wonderful fans a dazzling smile, spreading his arms in greeting. Time to get to work.
*
He was just turning the corner of the long and overwhelming red carpet, getting ready for the agreed upon 3rd stop for photos, when he caught sight of her.
She was a bit away from him, mixed in with the crowd of photographers, fans and interviewers alike. She was wearing a long sparkling blue dress. Back completely exposed from her shoulders to right above the swell of her bottom. Her skin looked smooth to the touch. Something he wouldn't mind doing if the opportunity ever came.
Her head was turned away from him, long pale neck exposed to his wandering eyes because of her simple updo. He edged forward.
There was just something there. Something deep inside of him that peaked his interest and made him want to draw near. He ignored the call of the photographers to look their way and gave into the need.
When the mysterious woman turned, looking over her shoulder to the cameras poised nearby, everything stopped. She wasn't looking at them. Her eyes had swept her surroundings for a second and stopped.
She was looking at him.
He took a deep shuddering breath when the enormity of the situation hit him. Her dress was blue.
He could see the color; mind instantly picking out the name as if he'd always had it. As if he'd always known the color. Fuck, her dress was blue. Her skin was milky white, painted lips pulled into a dazzling smile and the most stunning blue eyes he'd ever seen.
The only blue eyes he'd ever seen.
This wondrous woman was his soulmate and she knew it as well. The smile on her face was for him. The flickers of surprise, confusion, wonder, and joy were for him. The way that she abandoned her spot to come towards him, the tail of her dress in her hand to help in her haste, was for him.
Oliver quickened his pace towards her.
He'd read that it would be like this. This euphoric feeling like you'd never felt before that started at your fingertips and toes before traveling up and over your body; leaving your skin tingling and warm. He thought it was movie propaganda where you couldn't stop smiling because it felt so right. Where everything felt bright and your worries faded away. And he'd been wrong because that's exactly how he felt right now.
They finally met up, only a couple feet separating them. And she was even more stunning up close. Breath-taking really. They were so enraptured with each other, with what they were seeing that they didn't even grasp onto the fact that the crowd around them was going wild and that all other actors on the carpet had parted for them.
The wildly known smooth talking Oliver fumbled for words and she noticed. All he could manage at the end was, "Hi."
She smiled in amusement, biting her bottom lip. She had the cutest of smiles and the slightest hint of bunny teeth. "Hi."
Oliver's smile broadened and he shuffled a little closer, hands itching to bring her closer and drown himself in the feeling of happiness he felt just being near her. "I'm Oliver Queen."
She stepped closer to him in return. Her hands dropped her dress and she curled her fingers together. She looked like she wanted to lean into his touch as much as he did, "I'm Felicity Smoak."
Oliver recognized the name. He'd only glanced at the name of the premiere event. The lead was an up and coming actress who had multiple Film Festivals all abuzz because of her stellar talent, "Oh, this is your movie."
"Yeah, it is. Well technically the directors and my co-stars. I'm the female lead. Unexpected role really and...I'm talking too much and not about what's happening here," she said in a slight ramble, hands gesturing a bit nervously before she caught herself and her shoulders relaxed, looking at him timidly, "Because your eyes are blue and your hair is this sandy dark blonde and you have stubble that is totally working for you and...I...didn't expect this. To see…you. To feel this."
"Neither did I. Your dress is blue. And your lips are red," he replied. He couldn't stop cataloging every fraction of her. They would get to know each other after this, get to know who the other was and how fate had chosen the other to walk this world with forever. But this moment he wanted to sear to his mind, "Would you..."
Sound had just finally come back to him and the steady noise and flashing of lights was getting insane.
"Yes?" she answered eagerly.
He tipped his head down to reach her, Felicity's heels still making her about a head shorter than him, "Would you like me escort you inside, Ms. Smoak?"
Felicity bit her lip again and he swore that it was already driving him insane. She reached out to him, hand trailing down his sleeve before finding his. Her hold was sure, "That sounds like a fantastic idea, Mr. Queen."
He laced his fingers with hers, intention clear. He was no longer alone with her there. Felicity felt like a shining beacon of light in this bright new world around them, "Mr. Queen is my father. Call me Oliver."
Felicity tugged him forward and through the parting crowd of onlookers without so much as a glance at the frothing public. Her eyes caught his over her shoulder, eyes teasing, "Call me Felicity."
**
The following day every magazine and news site would have the same story covering their front pages; the images of Hollywood's heart throb meeting the new starlet Felicity Smoak.
His soulmate.
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