So here's my latest, an attempt at a multi-chapter fic. Inspired by the prompt 'things you said I wasn't meant to hear'. Let me know what you think!
Olivia approached Barba's office slowly, focusing on sending a text to Dodds and trying not to run into anything. She stopped just outside the door, still typing. At first she didn't pay any attention to the rumbling of voices through the door, but when she slid her phone in her pocket and reached out to knock, she heard her own name.
She paused, wondering who exactly Barba was meeting with that they were discussing her. Curiosity getting the best of her, she strained to hear the conversation.
"Look, I won't pretend to know what exactly the nature of your relationship is with Lieutenant Benson, but I know you Rafael- and I know what you want it to be. I've known you for a very long time and I can see it written all over your face whenever she's around," a female voice is saying. "Don't try to lie to me. I could tell when we were eighteen and I can tell now."
Olivia can hear Rafael's groan of frustration. "Rita- leave it."
Rita? Calhoun?
"No, Rafael. You're miserable. You've cut yourself off from basically everyone we went to school with, you rarely go out socially anymore, and I can tell this thing with Olivia is compounding your stress levels. When was the last time you were able to sleep without drugging yourself?"
"I don't- I didn't cut myself off- I just went to Steve's wedding for gods sake!"
"Rafael that was a year ago. And you spent half the time in St Barth's on the phone consulting on cases with SVU!"
Rafael's reply is too low to be heard from her position outside the door, but from his tone she can tell he's annoyed.
Rita's voice can be heard clearly, however. "Stop lying to yourself and tell her how you feel. You will regret it for the rest of your life if you don't."
Olivia can't understand all of his words but 'Tucker' and 'too late' can be heard clearly. Her stomach drops.
"Yes, I heard about IAB Tucker. The gossip mill extends to defense council too, you know. But Rafael- it's not too late until she has a ring on her finger. Remember that."
Olivia hears shuffling and the sound of footsteps approaching the door but she can't move and when Rita opens the door it is to see the Lieutenant frozen in shock, hand still poised to knock.
"Oh- Olivia!"
Embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping, Olivia flushes, and lowers her hand. "I, um..."
Upon hearing their exchange, Rafael looks up from the papers on his desk and can tell immediately by the look on her face that Olivia overheard their conversation.
Olivia and Rafael lock eyes, and Rita excuses herself, a satisfied smirk on her face. 'At least they can't ignore it anymore,' she thinks.
After almost a minute Olivia steps into the office, carefully closing the door behind her.
Rafael stays seated at his desk, and indicates the chairs facing him, inviting her to sit.
Silence stretches on for another minute, until Rafael can't stand it any longer. He decides to just lay it all out there. He has nothing to lose at this point, even his pride is out the window.
"So- from your reaction, I'm assuming you heard at least part of my conversation with Rita?"
Olivia shakes her head to snap out of the stunned fog she's in. "Um- yeah. I didn't realize you two had such a long history. Eighteen? What, did you meet on your first day at Harvard?"
Rafael stares blankly at Olivia. "That's what you're going to focus on?"
Olivia scoffs. "What do you want me to say, Barba? That your apparently lifelong friend is worried about you and thinks that I'm the solution to your problems? That your feelings for me are written all over your face whenever I'm around? That you're a workaholic who's going to work himself into an early grave? Which part should I focus on?!"
Rafael rubs his temples, willing away the migraine he can feel brewing. "I don't know, Liv," he replies softly. "Maybe we should just ignore it and move on. Or maybe we should just lay it all out there. Maybe then I'd be able to sleep."
She just stares at him.
Realizing this was probably the last thing she expected to deal with this afternoon, Rafael backtracks. "Sorry, I shouldn't have put this on you. Let's deal with the matter at hand, shall we?" he says, then shuffles files around on his desk looking for the case they are prepping for trial in a few days.
The sound of Olivia's phone ringing breaks the awkward silence.
"Benson." Her voice is a little unsteady.
Rafael tunes out the conversation, having found the file he was looking for, and starts making notes of the last minute prep that needs to be done.
A minute later Liv clears her throat and Barba flickers his eyes up at her to indicate he's listening but doesn't stop his scribbling.
"Um, I gotta go. There's something going on at the precinct that needs my attention apparently."
He nods, not sure if he should feel relieved or not that they won't need to address the elephant in the room. At least for now.
Olivia hasn't moved, mind racing with what to say before she leaves so that she doesn't ruin her friendship with this man.
"Liv? You were going back to the precinct." Keeping his head down he raises his eyes to look at her.
She sighs. "Yeah," she breathes out, forcing her feet into action and slowly makes her way to the door.
Just before she reaches the threshold she stops. "Lucy can't stay late tonight so I've got to be home but maybe you could join Noah and I for dinner?"
Rafael sits back in his chair, taking in her tentative body language. He nods slowly. It's been months since he's been to her apartment. "Yeah, I should finish up here around six."
She smiles in relief. "Great. See you tonight," she says, and exits the office.
When the door clicks shut behind her they let out twin sighs of relief, both happy and a little nervous about their pending dinner.