We have been best friends since the first grade, I knew she had changed more then I had but when we hung out it was just like old times. Never did I think I would see the day when she would change into someone I didn't recognize or want to associate with.
It was my thirtieth birthday and I had hired out the local function room and held a party. Kathy gave the most beautiful speech about our friendship. Kathy, I and El (my partner and now Kathy's boyfriend) partied on long into the night. I had an absolute ball until Kathy and Elliot got into a massive fight.
I went to console Kathy but she wouldn't talk to me about what happened all she wanted to do was go and have more shots with the guys from the bar, against my wishes she left with the guys from the bar and ended up god knows where.
I stayed and continued to enjoy the party as much as I could, I probably drank more then I should because by the end of the night my head was spinning and everyone was rushing by, I blame El for that he was the one who insisted that we do shots and then play kings- he is a really bad influence.
As we stumbled out onto the sidewalk I realized that I wasn't ready to go home just yet and I could tell that El needed someone to talk to. "Wanna grab a bite to eat? El asked almost as if he had read my mind?" "Sure" I said linking my arm through his.
We ended up at the dingiest little diner on twenty second street but it would do and I seriously needed to get some coffee and greasy food into me if I didn't want to wake up hungover. " You have a good birthday?" El asked "The best" I said starring at him. "Im glad he said smiling at me, you looked absolutely amazing last tonight he continued I wish I was with you instead of Kathy" I knew I wasn't that drunk but did he really just say he wished he was with me instead of Kathy that's insane, Kathy would be devastated if she found out but god he looked good he always did "
"Come on we both need to get some caffeine in our systems and you need to stop talking crazy before we both say or do something we regret" I told him
"Your probably right he said as his blue eyes filled with hurt But Liv I want you to answer me honestly are you telling me you haven't felt this pull towards each other or the tingling sensation of when our arms accidentally touch, now I know you better then almost anyone and I can see that you want me as much as I want you but I know that you would never do anything to hurt Kathy but do you have feelings for me, the way I have feelings for you?"
"I…. There is no denying that I have felt the pull towards you and I want you, god El I have wanted you since the moment I meet you in the academy and then we ended up being partners in SVU but I was to nervous to make a move, I cant believe that I just said all that I'm such a bad friend. Before I knew it we were making out in the back of a cab, we made our way back to my place and spent the night together.
I woke up the next morning with his arms protectively around my waist, it felt nice and we fit together perfectly in ever way. It took me a moment to recall the events of previous nights; our various items of clothing were scattered around on the floor. Guilt suddenly washed over me I cant believe I did this with him and to my best friend none the less, what had I been thinking, that's right I hadn't been thinking I just let my desires control me.
I tried to get up, I needed to go for a walk and clear my head but as soon as I tried he tightened his grip. "Liivy where are you going? I enjoyed last night didn't you?" he asked giving me a smile that made me weak at the knees. " Last night was amazing in so many ways but that's not the point, do you realize that I have just done the worst thing possible to my best friend?" I sighed
God how did this get so screwed up I never intended to let him know how I felt. " Come here I don't regret last night at all it may not have been the right way to go about it but you satisfied me more then Kathy ever has and to be honest I haven't been all that happy with her because its you that I have wanted all along and im pretty sure she is cheating on me. He said pulling me on top of him for a repeat of last night. I'm definitely going to hell for this I thought as I got up and made coffee and breakfast.
On the other side of town Kathy was waking up next to the guy she had been secretly dating and had meet up with after leaving with the guys from the bar. "Kathy your amazing when can we go public?" her partner asked "Soon babe soon, I just have to find a way of getting rid of Elliot without him becoming suspicious of me cheating." She said simply.
At the breakfast table I decided to ask El what she meant when he said Kathy was probably cheating on him. " El what makes you think that Kathy is cheating on you?"
"Well she always complains about the job and accuses me of sleeping with Casey but lately she has been going on more frequent business trips and when the credit card bill came in there expensive restaurant charges and hotels and shopping trips" he said
I just sat their nodding Kathy had told me about these "business trips" but I never said anything to El because I didn't think it was my place and subconsciencly I think that knowing that she wasn't being faithful to El and the hurt this caused him contributed to last night.
Before we could continue our discussion my cell vibrated, it was Kathy.
"Babe I feel really bad for ditching your party last night I didn't feel very well and I would really love to make it up to can we meet up and have lunch today?" she asked
" Its ok, hope your feeling better I said and sure where do you Wanna have lunch?"
" The rose garden say 12 o'clock, oh and by the way do you know where El is he didn't come home last night?" she asked me
" 12 it is and no I have no idea maybe he crashed on one of the boys couches for the night have you tried ringing his cell?"
" Yeah you're probably right and nah I haven't yet I had some uh business to finish up if you know what I mean."
I knew exactly what she meant " call El Kathy and I will see you at 12"
No sooner had I hung up had El's cell started ringing I could hear the fake anger in her voice, I'd heard her talk to people like this for years it was her way of manipulating them
"Where are you El? Why didn't you come home last night? I bet you're with Casey"
"Calm down I am with the guys from work," he simply told her.
12 o'clock rolled around and I met Kathy at the rose garden, we had been coming here since we had our license it was our favorite restaurant. "Olivia" Kathy exclaimed giving me a massive hug "I have so much to tell you. So last night I meet up with David, omg he is amazing in everyway seriously I never been happier, I know that sounds terrible but it's the truth."
" What about El I thought you said you were really going to try and work on things" was all I could manage in response?
" Ahaha you thought I was serious god Olivia me and El are done we were never right together he belongs with someone like you, now I just have to find away to end it so he wont get suspicious, any ideas?"
" Someone like me" just kept repeating itself over and over in my head
" Nope no idea on how you should do it but seriously consider what you are about to do and be gentle, El has been nothing but kind to you" I informed her
Her cell went off, she answered it and then announced all of a sudden that she had to go something urgent had come up, with a wink she yelled out love ya babe good talking to you now don't tell El what im planning on doing" with that she was gone
Later that day I logged on to facebook to be bombarded with notifications wishing me a happy birthday from the previous day but it wasn't the amount of notifications that caught me attention it was a changed relationship status that caught me eye.
"Kathy Towner is now in a relationship with David Beteded
"Elliot Stabler went from being in a relationship to single "
"Kathy Towner went from being in a relationship to single"
Kathy posted on Elliot's wall: "Im sorry but I cant keeping being in a relationship with you, its over"
I couldn't believe what I was seeing my best friend wouldn't do this to Elliot she would at least have the decency to end things with him face to face, well at least she I thought she would have. She has changed so much a year ago she would never have cheated on her partner and never broken up with them via the Internet and she would ditch my birthday for anything and she wouldn't keep me on needs to know basis.
After finally wrapping my head around what I had seen, I logged off facebook and was about to call El when I heard a knock at the door. It was El, for four years we had been friends and three of those four years we had been partners in one of Manhattans toughest beats SVU. We knew each other like the back of our hands, I knew he was hurting; I embraced him and told him everything would be all right. To be honest I hoped whatever this was between us worked out- I had been waiting so long to be with him. That night we fell asleep together, for the next couple of weeks we began to see each other outside of work more often with frequent repeats of the events that took place in my bedroom on that fateful night. The more time we spent together the less guilty I felt Kathy had been keeping me at arms lengths since before my birthday so we hardly spoke yet I still considered her my best friend- as she did for me.
/
For eight months El and I had been dating exclusively and everyone at work knew, apparently the whole squad had taken bets on how long it would take us to get together, Cragen let us remain partners as long as we kept the PDA to a minimum. I still had heard from Kathy, which was weird we used to chat at least once a fortnight and at least three times a month when things got hectic, but nothing for months now. I decided to send her a quick facebook message
"Hey Kathy its been a while since I have seen you Wanna catch up say lunch on Thursday at the rose garden xoxo"
I got a reply two days later saying that she would meet me for a quick chat but she couldn't stay long because she was swamped at work.
Kathy was sitting at our usual table when I got there I smiled and gave her a hug and told her it had been to long since we last caught up. The icy glare she gave me sent chills down my spine. "HOW LONG?" was all she said?
"How long what Kathy?"
"Oh don't bullshit me Olivia, you know exactly what Im talking about, fine you want to hear me say it: how long have you and Elliot been together?"
"How did you?" I stammered
" How did I find out? Are you forgetting where I meet David? He is a detective from Queens I had him ask around"
"Then you know me and Elliot have only been dating for eight months, " I told her honestly
" What you couldn't find your own man so you are happy to have my sloppy seconds, I knew you were always jealous of me Olivia?" Kathy spat
" Jealous of you please, I'm not jealous of a two timing whore and as for sloppy seconds do you not remember Brain and Andy that you dated after they dumped me, pot calling the kettle black. And not to mention El is one of the most amazing guys and you treated him like shit he deserves someone who actually cares about him and is faithful to him not screwing every guy in the bar" I said fuming
" Still hung up on Brain and Andy are we? And the love you and Elliot supposedly have for one another wont last" Kathy said bitterly
" You know what Kathy I have never hated anyone more then you right at this moment now go to hell and stay out of our lives" I told her
With that I walked away, I felt like I had lost a piece of me, Kathy had been my best friend since grade one and maybe it was naive of me to think that she hadn't changed, when in reality she had changed into someone I hardly knew or wanted to associate with, I knew cutting her out of my life was the only way to move forward and be happy with El. That afternoon El and I made love several times, that night I changed my facebook status to Olivia Benson is in a relationship with Elliot Stabler and then deleted Kathy as friend, there was know way she was going ruin things between me and El, no way in hell.