Since Felicity Smoak joined Oliver Queen on Arrow last season, I’ve been fascinated with the idea of them as a couple. I realize in the comic books Oliver ends up with Laurel, but on screen Stephen Amell doesn’t have the chemistry with Katie Cassidy that he has with Emily Bett Rickards. Together Amell and Rickards make a great duo.

This may be the romance writer coming out in me, but Oliver is a great romance hero. He’s troubled by his past and that of his family. Yet, he’s determined to overcome that and make amends. In Season 1, that meant killing a lot of people who had done Starling City wrong. At the end of the season, after Tommy died, Oliver decided he couldn’t be the Hood anymore because he couldn’t live with killing people.

As Felicity did during much of Season 1, she brought Oliver back from the brink. She told him that Starling City needed him and he would have to find another way. That means, while Oliver still brings the bad guys down, he no longer kills them.

Felicity and Oliver, like many romance couples, share a common goal and work together to accomplish it. Oliver wouldn’t be able to continue his mission without Felicity, and she would still be the nerdy, IT-girl without Oliver.

Which brings me to why Felicity is a great romance heroine. Felicity is smart, independent, and she doesn’t cower from Oliver. When he is upset about something or mad at her, she is able to dish it right back. She’s very good at telling Oliver when he’s wrong or too absorbed with himself.

Like any good romance couple, they have the banter down. It’s one of my favorite things about Arrow. Felicity often lets it slip exactly what she thinks of Oliver physically. What I love about those moments is that she’s saying exactly what every woman watching the show is thinking. Oliver’s face is priceless as he graciously chooses to ignore her comments. The writers also work little innuendos into their dialogue, which makes watching Oliver and Felicity on screen more interesting.

But their relationship is about more than the common goal and physical attraction. Oliver and Felicity admire each other. Oliver can only be himself with Felicity and, while he always sees himself as the playboy who has to redeem himself for his past sins, Felicity sees a good man.

To Oliver, Felicity is more than the nerdy, IT-girl. She is his center and his heart. She is the one that makes him see reason. Of all the women on the show, Oliver knows Felicity will always have his back.

I don’t know if the writers will follow the comic books and force a relationship between Oliver and Laurel, but they have quite the dilemma on their hands because I think most fans would prefer a Felicity and Oliver romance. At this point, I don’t think anyone can see Oliver with Laurel who he has nothing in common with.

Should Oliver end up with Felicity or Laurel? Or do you think now that Laurel’s sister, Sara, is on the scene they will end up together?