Honey, nothing, nothing can ever change this love I have for you

"I love you."

"I love you too, Bri. Always will."

Those three sentences were all Olivia could think about lately. For the past two weeks, she played that scene over and over again in her head. She thought about Brian constantly. She longed for him more and more each and every day. She would never forget the memories they shared. The one-night-stand in '99. The way Brian would attempt to impress her in the best way he knew how. How even after Brian left, thirteen years later when they met again, it was as if no time had passed between them, but too much time as well. After all that time, they still had feelings for each other. No matter how much they changed or what happened to them in between their long break, they still held a connection.

The last two years Olivia had with Brian brought back bitter-sweet memories. He was always there for her. He stood by her every step of the way after the Lewis incident and during the trial. Maybe not everyone else saw it, but she felt it. Brian had a certain way of doing things and she was okay with that. She understood him; they understood each other. Unfortunately, even with all the understanding, they did not want the same things. It was as if the roles had switched. Brian no longer yearned for starting a family. Now it was Olivia who yearned. She wanted someone to grow old with and start a family with, but Brian on the other hand did not see himself growing old at all. She chuckled at the thought of his sense of humor. He always knew how to ease the mood of a tender moment. That specific tender moment was the last memory she had with him. She smiled as she thought of the way he kissed her forehead before they walked off arm-in-arm. That was the last time she had seen him… And it killed her.

Olivia strolled through the grocery store isles, looking for something to cook for dinner. Things had been light at the precinct lately so she took advantage of the fact that she had a lot more time on her hands to cook and eat a decent meal rather than eating out of the usual, greasy takeout box. She turned the corner with her cart only to crash into another cart. She immediately went to apologize when she realized whose cart she hit. Her heart nearly jumped out of its cavity but she only let a small smile crack. Trying to play it cool, she said, "Of all the asses who don't know how to control their cart, I run into you." Brian chuckled at the on-running "ass" joke Olivia loved to play on him. Even after all that had happened, she still felt comfortable with him.

"Hey, did you ever think about calling me, oh, I don't know, Brian? 'Hey, Ass,' isn't exactly the ideal greeting."

"No. I think 'Ass' is the perfect greeting. It suits you."

"Ha. Ha. You think you're so funny. Well, how've you been? I haven't seen or heard from you since… You know.

Olivia smiled tightly and let out a small forced laugh.

"Yeah. I know. But, I've been good. Fine. And you?"

"Good, good."

"That's… Good." She stifled out another small, forced laugh.

"Yeah… Oh. Well, how's that baby? You know, the one baby?" He shifted awkwardly.

"You mean Noah? Yeah. He's great. Actually, he's mine now. Well, for the time being. They awarded me custody of him for a year. If no one wants him after the year is up, I have the option to adopt him."

Olivia spoke with a smile in her voice and happiness in her eyes. Noah was the best thing that could have happened to her given the year's events. He was exactly what she needed.

"Wow. That's great, Liv. I'm happy for you. I really am."

"Thanks, Bri. Me too."

"Well, where is he?"

"Oh. He's at home with the babysitter. I just got off work before coming here."

"Ah. I see."

"Yeah…"

The awkwardness lingered. She began to open her mouth when an elderly woman interrupted. The woman slowly lifted a shaky head to look at them and said, "Excuse me. Would two love birds be so kind as to let me by?" Brian and Olivia's eyes both flew open at the words "love birds." They apologized and let the woman through. Olivia awkwardly ran her fingers through her hair.

"Well, I guess I better going now."

"Yeah. It was nice seeing you, Liv."

"You too, Bri. You too."

Once again, Olivia had let the man she loved walk away.

Two hours later, Olivia stood in front of the kitchen sink, washing the dishes from her and Noah's mess. Instead of using the groceries she bought to cook something, she ended up playing with Noah and sharing his Cheerios. She dried the dishes and put them away. She went to check on Noah and surprisingly, her sweet boy was sound asleep. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, she made her way over to the couch and got ready to settle into a nice book when she heard her phone ding. She picked up her phone and her heart jumped out of its cavity for the second time that night; it was Brian.

Hey, Liv. It's Brian. It was great running into you this evening. I was thinking, do you wanna meet up somewhere tomorrow so we can catch up?

Olivia's heart fluttered at the thought going out with Brian. Even if it was just a casual outing. She waited a few minutes so she didn't seem too eager.

Yeah. That would be nice. When and where do you want to meet?

Not even leaving a beat in between, Brian replied.

How about Central Park? 1:00?

Sounds great. I'll see you then.

The next day, Olivia got dressed with a smile on her face and a thrilling sensation in her heart. She put on her slightly distressed jeans, her loose-fitted, grey sweatshirt, tied her hair back in a half ponytail, and put on a dab of mascara. Not only was it perfect for a crisp, fall day, but it was also the way Brian loved to see her; casual and relaxed.

Olivia and Brian met at their usual bench. He greeted her with a hug and what seemed to be a slight peck on her temple. They traced around the park for what seemed like a lifetime but at the same time, it only felt like ten minutes had gone by. They talked and talked about what had happened in their lives since the breakup. She laughed at his jokes and he smiled at her comebacks. It was almost as if no time had passed between them. Suddenly, Brian stopped and turned to face her. "Aren't getting tired of going around in circles?"

Olivia tilted her head in confusion. Her heart raced. Was he talking about their relationship? Or something else? Not wanting to jump to conclusions, she let a moment to pass to allow Brian to clarify himself.

"I mean, we've been walking around this damn park for what seems like a millennium. You wanna go somewhere else?

Olivia's felt a sense of relief but also a slight sense of disappointment. She cracked a smile and let out a small laugh.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure. Where to?"

"Well, it is Sunday. How about the museum?"

Olivia's heart warmed. He remembered. "Yeah. Let's go."

Brian and Olivia had spent all day together and Olivia loved every moment of it. The connection between them was still strong. Brian lightly cracked jokes on all the art work at the museum. He would always be an ass. He would always be her ass, even if she was the only one that knew it and felt that way. They went out to dinner and reminisced on old times and talked more about the new memories each of them had been making over the past few months. It was like being on one of their usual dates again minus the hand holding across the table and the kissing. They even dabbled in a small game of Footsy while they waited for their food. Olivia felt her heart melt more and more as the evening went on. Unfortunately, the evening was almost over. Brian brought Olivia back home around 10:00 and they stood in front of Olivia's open doorway, with Olivia on the inside and Brian on the outside.

"I had a great time with you today, Liv."

"Same with you, Bri. Thanks for showing me a great time. We should do it again someday."

"Yeah, yeah. That would be nice."

"Great."

Brian peered past Olivia's shoulder. Olivia turned to see what he was looking at. She never cleaned up her and Noah's playtime mess. She was too happy this morning to even think about it. She heard Brian give out a small laugh behind her.

"Cute. Where is the little guy anyways?"

"Oh. The sitter couldn't make it today because I called her on such short notice. I called around and Fin offered to take him for the night so he's over there."

Brian let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Fin? With a baby?"

"I know, I know. But Noah likes him. And I think Fin likes him too. He just won't admit it. They get along nicely."

"Yeah. Whatever you say, Liv. I'll believe when I see it."

A small, slightly awkward beat passed between them. Brian nervously ran his hands through his hair.

"Well, I guess I better get going then. Night, Liv."

"Goodnight, Brian."

With that, Brian leaned in to give Olivia a small peck on the cheek and Olivia kissed him back. Then, he moved from her cheek to her lips. It took Olivia by surprise. At first she did not know what to do, but then she gave in. All of the day's pent up passion had burst open with that kiss. The passion flowed through their bodies as they fiercely latched on to each other's lips and held on tightly to each other's faces. Just before things got too heated, Brian released his mouth's hold from Olivia's. They looked endlessly into each other's eyes. Both of them questioning "What now?" through a small tilt in their heads and the gleaming emotions from their pupils. Brian took a deep breath.

"Well, I really should be going now. I'll see you later, Liv." With that, he took a sharp turn on his heel and quickly walked down the hall.

Olivia couldn't even muster up a "goodbye." She was too stunned. Too shocked. Too breathless. She traced her lips with her ring finger, longing for another kiss. She slowly shut the door. She stood with her back against the door, staring into nothing. She then let out a small, heart-broken sigh as one lone tear shed from her eye. She slid down onto the floor. Her knees were crouched into her body and she buried her face into her palms. The one person she's always wanted had walked away from her again, and all she could do was weep.