Finding Forever
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Post Season 3. When Ephram left Everwood for London the last thing he expected to find was the person who would be his forever…
Ephram crossed the street and looked at Big Ben in the distance. He had been in London for two weeks, and was thinking about heading up to Scotland in a few days. And for the first time in a long time he felt free and like a weight had been lifted off of him.
He shifted is backpack from one shoulder to the other, wishing he had left the laptop in his hotel room. Walking down the street he noticed a coffeehouse advertising Internet access, and realized that he hadn't checked in at home in a few days. His dad had finally agreed that some time away might be for the best, on the condition that Ephram check in by either phone or email every couple of days. Thus he had insisted that Ephram bring his laptop.
Ephram entered the coffeehouse and sat at one of the tables, and looked around. He took out the laptop and ordered a cup of coffee. While waiting for his coffee he typed up a couple of quick emails to his dad and Delia before checking his email. There were a couple from Bright and Hannah, as well as one from Amy and, surprisingly, another from Madison, neither of which was he ready to respond to.
Looking around the near empty coffeehouse again, he decided to order another coffee to go and see if he could get to the Tower of London before it closed. He packed up the laptop, grabbed is coffee, and walked out the door…right into a girl his age coming into the coffeehouse. Books, papers, and coffee went flying.
"Damn," she whispered, as she looked at all the papers that had scattered, and then kneeled down to gather them up.
"I'm sorry," Ephram apologized, kneeling down to help her.
"It's okay," she replied with a faint British accent. "I wasn't paying attention."
Ephram looked up at her for the first time, stunned. She was beautiful. Her blue eyes were so pale they were almost colorless. And on anybody else the long black curly hair would have looked out of place with here eyes, but looking at her it was the only possible combination. "Me either," he finally responded. He looked down at the papers in his hand and was surprised to discover that it was sheet music. "Are you a musician?"
"Singer," she answered as she stood up. "I'm Olivia…Olivia Perry."
"Ephram Brown," he replied as he reached down and picked up his now empty coffee cup.
She looked at the empty cup, feeling guilty. "Why don't you come back inside? I'll get you another cup," she offered.
"No, that's okay."
Olivia cocked her head to the side and smiled. "On the house."
Ephram glanced at his watch out of habit, before realizing that he was on his own, and didn't need to be anywhere. He could do whatever he wanted. "Okay," he agreed, smiling. He took a step and held the door open for Olivia. As they entered the coffeehouse Ephram noticed for the first time that she was wearing the same black shirt and skirt that the waitress inside had been wearing. After entering the coffeehouse Ephram took a seat at the counter, as Olivia poured him another cup of coffee.
Olivia watched him as he stirred cream and sugar into his coffee. He was kind of cute… He was the first guy that she thought was cute in a long time. She turned to set the coffee pot down, and remembered his reaction to her sheet music. "So, are you a musician?" she asked as she tied her apron around her waist.
Ephram looked down at his coffee and smiled sadly. "I…uh…I used to play the piano."
"Yeah? Were you any good?" she asked, sounding genuinely interested.
"I had an audition at Julliard," he answered, looking up at her again. He could tell from the expression on her face that she was truly impressed.
"Wow, did you get in?"
"I didn't actually go into the audition."
"Why the hell not?" Was he completely crazy? she thought. He had actually gotten an audition at Julliard and he didn't go through with it?
Ephram glanced back down at his coffee, and was quiet for a few minutes. "It's a long story," he finally answered quietly.
Olivia looked around the empty coffeehouse and then back at Ephram, and shrugged. "I've got time," she offered.
Ephram looked around as well, thinking. The only people he had talked to were the ones involved. Maybe it would be good for him to talk about it with someone who didn't know everyone involved. And even though he had just met Olivia he felt like he could talk to her, and she seemed genuinely interested.
"When I was New York for the audition, I ran into my ex-girlfriend…"
000000000000000
An hour later Ephram finished his story, and Olivia stared at him in silent amazement. This was not the story she had been expecting.
"I hate when people do that!" she exclaimed suddenly.
Ephram looked at her confused. "Do you think it happens that often?" he asked thinking about all the lies his father, Madison, and Amy had told him.
Olivia shook her head. "I mean make decisions about your life, just because they think they know what's best."
"You sound like you're talking from experience." Ephram raised an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly. "So…what happened to you?"
Olivia shrugged and looked down at the napkin she was shredding. "My ex-boyfriend spent the better part of a year cheating on me. Apparently everybody knew…but me, of course…and no one wanted to tell me because they thought I was better off not knowing," she explained. She only had one friend left from before that. Thankfully, her best friend hadn't known. It probably helped that she went to a different school. Olivia looked back up at Ephram. "And because walking in on him shagging Marcy Webster was a much better way to find out," she finished sarcastically.
"What'd you do?"
"I guess you could say I shut down…for a few weeks. Then I decided that I needed a change. I graduated early. I moved out of my parents' house, and got my own flat. I got this glamorous job," she said rolling her eyes. "And I started taking classes at the music conservatory. So…what about you?"
Ephram looked at her and smiled before answering. "I ran away to London."
Olivia laughed. Yep, definitely cute. "Good plan."
And in that moment Ephram knew that Olivia Perry would be a part of his life for a very long time.
0000000000000
One Week Later…
"Where are you from?"
"Huh?" Olivia responded, confused. She set down their coffee and sat next to him on the couch. They were hanging out at the coffeehouse, like they had every afternoon since they had met a week earlier.
"Sometimes you sound American, sometimes you sound English," he explained. "Which is it?"
"Both, actually. My mother is American, and my father's British. We lived in New York City until I was 12; then we moved here."
Ephram was quiet for a minute before returning to a topic they had avoided since the day they had met. "So, I've told you all about Amy and Madison…tell me about you're ex-boyfriend."
Olivia took a deep breath before responding. "His name is Michael. He's a year older than us, but we were in the same grade. I met him at school right after we moved here."
"Did you start dating him then?"
She shook her head. "I was 15."
"So, you were together for…two years?" he asked. "When did it happen?"
"Last fall," she answered.
They were both quiet for a minute. "Do you miss him?" he asked quietly.
Olivia shook her head again. "Not really. Do you miss Amy?"
Ephram thought about it for a moment before answered. "I miss my friend Amy. But my girlfriend Amy?" He shrugged. "I think I miss the idea of her more than I actually miss her." He paused for a moment and looked down at his coffee cup and smiled sadly. "When we moved to Everwood she was the girl of my dreams."
"What happened?"
"I don't know." He shook his head. "I loved her, but…I'm not sure I was actually in love with her…she wasn't…forever. The problem was she thought I was hers."
"What about Madison? Did you think she was forever?"
"I thought so," he whispered before looking up at Olivia and smiling sadly again. "She wasn't the person I thought she was. The person I was in love with never would've been able to lie to me like that."
Olivia reached over, took his hand, and gently squeezed it. Ephram looked at her and smiled, glad that he had someone to talk to.
0000000000000000
Over the next few weeks they quickly became close friends. Olivia probably knew him better than anyone else. Ephram started hanging out with Olivia and her friends from school, and soon they were his friends as well. She had dragged him to a few of her classes, and even convinced him to sign up for a couple on his own. Ephram was playing the piano again, going to school, and living on his own. He had friends who were also musicians, and had even gotten a job at a music store down the street from the coffeehouse…and he was happier than he had been in a long time; maybe happier than he had ever been.
Unfortunately, the only person in Everwood who knew about his new life was Bright. His father thought that he just hadn't moved on yet, and Amy…Amy he talked to as little as possible. He heard it in her voice every time he talked to her. That hop that he would get over it, come home, and everything would go back to normal. He didn't have the heart to tell her that the longer he stayed away, the better he felt about his decision.
0000000000000
It was a sunny August afternoon, and Ephram had officially been in London for two months, and he and Olivia had decided to play hooky from their afternoon classes. They were wandering around Hyde Park eating ice cream, and attempting to settle a bet.
"Come on, Liv." Ephram nudged her shoulder as they walked.
"Cut it out!" she laughed. She cleared her throat a couple of times, attempting to be serious. "Okay, I've got it. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?" She finished and looked at him proudly, and held out her hand to him. "I believe you owe ten pounds."
Ephram reached into his pocket, laughing. "That was worth it for the half hour it took you to say it," he said as he handed her the money.
"Jerk," she replied, shoving him.
He laughed again as he straightened up, and they continued walking. After a few minutes he put his hand in his pocket and she looped her arm through his.
"I talked to Mark this morning," Liv said after a few minutes of silence. "He said he was thinking that everyone could meet at the pub tomorrow night. Then he wants us all to go back to his place for a 'game night,'" she explained using air quotes.
"'Game night?'"
"I don't know," she replied rolling her eyes. "You wanna go?"
Ephram tossed the rest of his ice cream cone in a trash can as they passed and shrugged. "Who all's going?"
"The usual. You and me, Mark, David, Nick, Maggie, Sara, and Annie."
"Yeah, okay." He nodded. "Pick you up at 7?"
"Okay."
00000000000000
Saturday Night…
Mark looked around the room at the group of friends gathered there. "Ok, my turn. Um…Liv…Truth or Dare?"
Liv groaned. She couldn't believe they were actually sitting here playing Truth or Dare, but with a twist, "Truth."
David coughed, saying 'wimp' under his breath, making everyone laugh.
"Oh, really," Liv replied, looking at David. "I noticed you have taken any of his dares."
"Okay…okay…" Mark interrupted. "Okay, truth. Have you ever faked it?"
"Faked what?" Sara asked innocently. They all looked at her in disbelief, and waited for her to get it. "Oh."
Everyone shook their hands and looked at Liv, waiting for her answer. Liv looked around the room and smiled before taking a shot glass from Mark, and downing it.
"Oh, I think that's a yes," Nick joked.
Liv set the shot glass down on the coffee table, and scanned the room, trying to decide who the next victim would be. "All right, my turn. Uh…let's see…Maggie," she said as her eyes settled on her best friend. "Truth of Dare?"
"Dare," Maggie answered quickly, not even thinking about it.
"Okay," Liv looked around the room for inspiration and thought for a minute. "You have to go down to the street and flash the first guy you see. And it can't be anybody here."
Maggie thought about it for a minute before standing up and taking her bra off under her shirt. The guys hooted and whistled, making the girls laugh. When Maggie started going down the stairs everyone ran to the window to watch. She stood on the sidewalk waiting for someone to walk by, and they watched as an older man started walking past her.
"She's not gonna do it," Mark whispered, as he watched his girlfriend.
At the last minute Maggie stepped in front of the man and lifted up her shirt, then quickly turned around and ran back upstairs. As she entered the apartment they all applauded; and she took a bow before sitting back down.
"Let's see…" Maggie looked around the room and smiled mischievously as her eyes stopped on Ephram. "Ephram…Truth or Dare?"
Ephram thought for a moment before replying, "Dare."
Maggie looked from Ephram to Liv, and back to Ephram again and smiled smugly. "You and Liv have to go into the closet and play Seven Minutes in Heaven."
"What are you, 12?" Liv exclaimed. "And since when do dares include other players?"
Maggie shrugged. "Payback."
"You know the rules…either you do the dare or Ephram has to drink three shots," Mark reminded her.
Having turned down a dare earlier, Ephram really didn't want to have to take another three shots. He glanced at Liv and caught her eyes; he raised an eyebrow and shrugged, silently asking her what she wanted to do. She shrugged back so slightly that he was probably the only one who noticed. Getting up, he walked over to her and held out his hand to help her up. She took his hand, walked over to the closet door, and looked at Maggie.
Maggie looked at her watch, noting the time. "Okay, seven minutes starting now."
Ephram opened the door, and gestured for Liv to enter. He followed, shutting the door behind them. Liv shook her head in disbelief. First Truth or Dare, and then Seven Minutes in Heaven. Why had their friends suddenly decided to revert to a junior high mentality? Liv's eyes skimmed over the contents of the closet, surprised by how empty it was. Then she glanced at Ephram. There was just enough light coming from underneath the door for them to see each other. Ephram's eyes met hers, and suddenly both were very much aware of how awkward the situation was.
"We don't have to do it," Ephram whispered. "We can just stand here, they'll never know." Liv smiled at him and nodded as Ephram looked around the closet as well. "So, how was your day?" he joked, breaking the tension.
Liv laughed and took a step back, losing her balance. Ephram quickly grabbed her arms, straightening her up. As he released her, she gazed into his eyes, and wondered how she had never noticed that they were almost eye level with each other. Ephram returned her gaze and stepped closer to her, before gently kissing her on the lips, and pulling away. Their eyes locked for a moment before leaning in and kissing again.
Ephram gently ran his tongue across her lips, and she opened her mouth for him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as their tongues explored the other's mouth. Liv ran her hands up Ephram's arms to his face, and ran her fingers through his hair. And suddenly, it was like someone had flipped a switch and they couldn't get enough of each other.
Liv ran her hands down Ephram's back to his waist, and under his shirt so she touch bare skin, running her hands over his chest, back, and stomach. Ephram ran his hand under her tank top and moved from her mouth to her neck and collarbone. He gently ran a thumb over her breast, making her gasp when he started kneading it. Liv moved the hand that had been resting on his lower back to his stomach, and then moved it lower, gently running her hand over the length of him through his jeans. Ephram gasped and pulled away from her, and Liv took the opportunity to lower her head and kiss his chest. He ran his hands down her sides, slowly pulling her knee-length skirt up as he ran his hands along her legs. Liv moved her hands to his belt buckle, and started to undo it…
Knock! Knock!
They quickly pulled away from each other, fighting to catch their breath. They heard Maggie yell through the door, telling them their time was up. Liv shook her head as if to clear away the fog. Ephram looked at her, not really sure what had just happened. Or what had almost happened. He reached down and buckled his belt, while Liv straightened up her skirt and shirt. They both ran their fingers through their hair to straighten it out, before leaving the closet.
With one last glance at each other, both returned to their previous seats. Ephram looked around the room trying to act normal. "My turn, right? Um…Annie…Truth or Dare?"
0000000000000
After another awkward hour of Truth or Dare, Liv decided to call it a night. Ephram, feeling just as uncomfortable and desperate to leave, offered to walk her home. Lost in their own thoughts the three-block walk felt more like 300. Neither had any idea what had happened. One minute they were talking and laughing like normal, and the next they couldn't keep their hands off each other.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at Liv's apartment building, and walked up to her third floor studio apartment; the door had been unlocked, and the lights turned on. Ephram leaned in the doorway and watched as she dropped her purse on the floor and took off her sandals, unsure of whether he should enter or not. His eyes followed her as she checked the answering machine, realizing that she had avoided looking at him or standing too close to him. It was only then that he realized Liv hadn't linked her arm with his on the walk back to her place like she usually did.
Ephram stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. "Liv?" he said questioningly as he walked up behind her. She turned around and their eyes locked on each other's again. Ephram reached out and took her hand. Suddenly, they were in each other's arms again, kissing frantically.
Ephram reached down and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He took a few steps forward bumping into the kitchen table and set her down. He ran his hand up and down her leg as he moved from her mouth to her neck. Liv reached down and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping in on the floor and ran her hands over his back and chest, needing to feel skin again.
"Ephram," she moaned as he slid a hand under her shirt. She ran her fingers through his hair, and said his name again. Ephram pulled away from her breathing heavily and met her eyes. Nodding towards the other side of the room, she said one word, "bed."
Ephram glanced over his shoulder at the bed, and then quickly looked back at Liv. "Good idea," he said nodding.
Their mouths met again as he picked her up and made his way across the room towards the bed, bumping into furniture along the way. They tumbled onto the bed, and Ephram ran his hand along her stomach underneath the tank top she wore. Liv pushed him off of her and pulled her shirt over her head and threw it over the side of the bed, before pulling him back down to her. He kissed his way down her neck to her chest, focusing on the skin that was just revealed. Ephram ran his hand down her side and leg, pushing her skirt up again. He lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist. She felt him harden against her as she ran a hand in between their bodies, and unbuckled his belt, then moved to unbutton and unzip his jeans…
Suddenly, they heard Mozart begin to play. They quickly pulled apart and looked around trying to identify the source of the sound. Ephram realized that it was his cell phone and reached into his pocket to pull it out, looking at the caller ID.
"It's Amy," he said, trying to catch his breath.
Liv looked at him and unwrapped her leg from his waist. "You should answer it."
Without taking his eyes off of hers he hit the talk button. "Hello?…Can you hold on a second?" He lowered the phone and hit the mute button.
Liv climbed out from underneath him and picked up their shirts, handing him his. "You should probably go."
Ephram nodded and took his shirt. "I'll call you tomorrow." He leaned over and quickly kissed her on the lips before leaving the apartment. He walked down the first flight of stairs and stopped on the landing, hitting the button to un-mute the phone.
"Amy…Can I call you back?…No, nothing's wrong." He looked up towards Liv's apartment. "I'll call you back in little bit…bye."
Ephram snapped the phone closed and put it back in his pocket. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he held his shirt in his mouth as he re-buckled his belt, and then put his shirt back on. He walked down the rest of the stairs and out onto the street, stopping to look up at the light in Liv's window. He had just taken a step back towards the building when her light turned off. Ephram took another deep breath and stared at the dark window before turning and walking towards his hotel.
00000000000000
Ephram unlocked the door to his hotel room and tossed his keys on the small table next to the door. Walking over to the kitchenette, he pulled a plate of leftover pizza out of the small refrigerator built into the lower cabinets, and then stopped when he realized the pizza was on a cobalt blue plate. It was Liv's plate.
He put the pizza back in the fridge and sat on the edge of his bed, then laid down and rubbed his eyes. It had been two days since that night and he still hadn't called Liv…or seen her. He had worked double shifts at the music store and avoided thinking about what had happened.
Ephram felt something vibrating in his pocket, and pulled his cell phone out, looking at the caller ID. It was Amy again. He tossed the phone across the bed and waited for it to stop vibrating. He had been avoiding her calls since he had talked to her on Saturday.
When had things gotten so complicated? He had almost slept with his best friend. She understood him better than anyone; probably because they were a lot alike. And he didn't want to ruin that.
Ephram turned his head and focused on the bulletin board next to the door, and the photos that were pinned to it. He's gaze swept over the photos of himself with all of his London friends sitting around a table at the pub they liked, and the ones of all of them at Maggie and Nick's birthday dinners the previous month. His eyes finally settled on a strip of pictures from one of those photo booths. The pictures were of him and Liv taken at the street fair they had all gone to for his birthday a little over a week ago. In the first two pictures they were making faces at the camera and at each other. In the third one they were laughing. But the last one was his favorite; he had his arm around her shoulder, Liv's head was resting on his shoulder, and his head was resting on hers, and they were both smiling.
Ephram got up and took the strip of photos off the bulletin board, and sat at the small kitchen table. Liv was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen…And he had to admit that he had wondered what it would be like if they were together. But the more he thought about it the more he realized that he wasn't ready for another relationship. Especially after everything that had happened with Madison and Amy. Ephram sighed and pinned the pictures to the board again. What he really needed was a friend…
000000000000
Tuesday Afternoon…
Ephram entered the coffeehouse and looked around for Liv. Seeing her with a customer, he sat at the counter to wait for her.
Liv turned and walked towards the counter, surprised to see Ephram sitting there. "Hey," she greeted as she stood in front of him.
"Hey," Ephram replied, and then waited for Liv to finish pouring him a cup of coffee before continuing. "What happened the other night? One minute we were fine, then we couldn't keep our hands off each other?"
Liv shook her head, not really sure what happened either. "It's all Maggie's fault…and that stupid game." Ephram laughed, and she looked at him and smiled. "Although, I guess it really isn't, is it?" She glanced down at her hands resting on the counter. "I mean…I've…I've thought about it. Haven't you?" she asked returning her eyes to his.
"Yeah," he whispered as he reached over and took her hands in his. "I'm not ready, Liv. I don't…I don't think I'm ready for a serious relationship yet, and…"
"…And with us, it would be serious," she finished.
"Yeah," Ephram agreed. "You're my best friend; the best one I ever had. Can…can we just be that for now?"
Liv nodded. "I think I can live with that."
"Good." He smiled and squeezed her hands before releasing them. "So…I was thinking…maybe we could have a movie night tonight. Rent some movies, order a pizza…we haven't done that in a while."
Liv smiled, too. "Sounds perfect."
"Yeah? Ok…you get the movies, I'll get the pizza and we'll meet back at your place after my class. Around six?"
"Sounds good. What time is your class?"
Ephram looked down at his watch, surprised by the time. "Oh, crap. I gotta go," he said as he pulled a few pounds out of his wallet for the coffee. Then he got up and headed for the door. "What do you want on the pizza?"
Liv shrugged. "Surprise me."
Ephram nodded and left the coffeehouse.
0000000000000
"I think I did something stupid," Ephram said to Bright as he walked to the pizza place after his class.
"What?"
"I almost slept with Olivia. Twice," Ephram answered.
"Almost?" Bright asked. "How do you almost sleep with someone?"
Ephram sighed. "We were playing Truth or Dare with some friends and they dared us to play Seven Minutes in Heaven…and I don't know…it was like someone hit a switch and suddenly we couldn't keep our hands off each other."
"So, what happened?"
"Our time was up. Then we went back to her place and it almost happened again."
"What stopped you the second time?"
"Amy called," he answered.
Bright laughed. "Okay…next time turn your cell phone off."
Ephram sighed again. "Bright…I can't sleep with her."
"Why not? Dude, I'm seen her picture. She's hot!"
"Yes, she is," Ephram agreed. "She's also my best friend…and we're having a movie night tonight.
Bright took a deep breath. "Ephram…look, man…if it's meant to be it'll happen. If not, then you've got nothing to worry about."
Ephram was quiet for a minute. "What about Amy?" he finally asked quietly.
"What about Amy?" Bright exclaimed. "You broke up with her, remember? You have every right to meet someone."
"Yeah, but…" Ephram paused. "You don't hear her, Bright. It doesn't matter how many ways I say it, she still thinks that I'm going to get over this running away thing, come back, and we'll be the happy little couple again. I've already broken her heart. I really don't want to keep doing it."
"Do you want to get back together with Amy?"
"No…I'm not…I don't love her like that."
"Could you love Olivia like that? Do you love her like that?" Bright asked.
"I…I don't know."
"Well, don't you think you owe it to yourself to find out?"
Ephram laughed. "When did you get so smart?"
"I've been hanging out with Hannah a lot," Bright explained.
"That explains it." Ephram looked up, realizing he was at the pizza place. "I gotta go."
"Call me later. I wanna know how movie night goes."
0000000000000000
Olivia sat on her bed against the headboard, watching Ephram more than the movie. She had changed from her uniform into sweats and a tank top, and Ephram arrived shortly after she did with the pizza, which they had already eaten. Ephram had just put in the second move, and was lying next to Liv on his stomach, with his head by her feet.
Ephram glanced at Liv over his shoulder, and quickly turned back around as he noticed her gaze begin to shift. After a few minutes of refraining from looking at her again, he slowly turned to look at her again. Their eyes met, and held on each other for a few moments. Without breaking eye contact he pushed himself up on his knees, and slowly started moving across the bed towards her. Liv reached for the remote and turned the TV off just as Ephram reached her.
Ephram hovered over Liv for a few moments, before leaning down and gently kissing her. Liv rested her hands on Ephram's waist, and slid down the bed, lying down. She deepened the kiss and Ephram moved on top of her, tangling their legs together. She reached down and pulled his shirt over his head, and tossing it on the floor. Ephram reached down and pulled her shirt off, too, surprised to see that she wasn't wearing a bra. His lips quickly skimmed over the skin that was just exposed, finding a sensitive spot between her breasts. Liv gasped and dug her nails into his back…
Once again they were interrupted by the sound of Mozart from the nightstand where Ephram had set his cell phone earlier. He reached for it and looked at the caller ID, seeing it was Amy. He looked down at Liv, who was still underneath him, then hit the button to turn the ringer off and tossed it back on the nightstand. Liv smiled, and he leaned down to kiss her again.
0000000000000000
The next morning…
Ephram stirred and slowly woke up. He looked down at Liv's head on his chest, and gently ran his hand along her back, smiling. Feeling his hand move, Liv woke up as well, and turned her head to look at him.
"Morning," she replied, taking her hand out of his, and tracing little circles on his chest. Ephram turned to lie on his side, facing her and wrapped his arms around her waist, lacing his fingers together. "So, I think it might be safe to say that we just got serious," Liv said, placing a light kiss on his lips.
Ephram laughed. "Yeah…Do you have to work today?"
Liv shook her head. "Nope, what about you?"
Ephram shook his head, too. "Class?"
"Nope. You?"
"Nope. So…" He ran his hands along her back. "What do you want to do today?"
"Oh, I don't know…but I'm sure we can think of something." Liv kissed his chest and made her way up to his mouth. Ephram wrapped his arms around her waist again and rolled them over.
0000000000000
The next time Ephram woke up he was alone. He looked at the clock, surprised to see that it was 1:00 p.m. As he reached down to pick up his boxers he heard the shower running. As he put his boxers on the blinking message light on his cell phone caught his attention. Shocked to discover that he had five new messages he checked the missed calls list while searching the kitchen for something to eat. He groaned when he saw Amy's number three times, as well as one call from Bright, and another from Hannah. Looking at the phone for a minute he debated whether or not he should actually listen to the messages, before deciding to do it.
Message 1 – from Amy: "Hi, it's me. Just calling to check in. Haven't heard from you in a couple of days. Call me back. Bye."
Message 2 – from Bright: "Dude, just calling to see how movie night went. I want all the details."
Message 3 – from Amy: "Hi, it's me again. Just checking in. Call me back…I miss you."
Message 4 – from Hannah: "Hey, it's Hannah. Would you please call Amy? She's driving me nuts! Talk to you later. Bye."
Message 5 – from Amy: "Okay, is something wrong? You haven't returned my calls in days. Are you mad at me? Please call me back."
Ephram sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. He hadn't talked to Amy since Saturday night, and she had called him many times since. He didn't know what he could possibly say to her, when he couldn't stop thinking about Liv. Ephram looked up when he heard the bathroom door open, and saw Liv standing in the doorway wearing a short, fuzzy, pale blue robe; her hair still wet. He set the phone down on the counter, walked over to her, and rested his hands on her hips.
"Anything important?" she asked.
Ephram looked at her confused. "Huh?"
"Your messages? Anything important?"
Ephram leaned over and kissed her. "Not really." He leaned over and kissed her again, and walked her backwards toward the bed. Reaching it, Liv fell backward with Ephram on top of her.
"You do realize that we will have to leave this bed eventually, right?" she asked when Ephram moved to her neck.
Ephram groaned and raised himself above her. "Do we really have to? Can't we just stay here forever?"
Liv reached up and pushed his hair out of his eyes before answering. "I would love to, but I have to go to work eventually so I can pay to stay here."
He groaned again, and buried his face in her neck. "Can we stay here for the rest of the day?" he asked raising his head again.
Liv smiled and put her hands on the back of his neck, pulling him back down to her.
000000000000000
Once again they were lying in bed. Liv was resting her head on Ephram's chest, listening to his heartbeat. She shifted her head and looked towards the kitchen, and saw the light on his cell phone blinking again. "Wow, you're popular today."
Ephram looked over at his cell phone and groaned. "Lucky me. You know on any other day my cell phone wouldn't ring that much. Of course, the only person I'm interested in talking to is in this bed with me."
Liv smiled. "Me, too."
"And just thin, if I had gone into another coffeehouse two months ago we never would've met," Ephram added, running his fingers through her hair.
Liv smiled and moved up so that she could kiss him. Ephram wrapped his arms around her waist, and rolled onto his side so that they were facing each other and continued kissing.
Liv's stomach growled and she pulled away from him, laughing. "Okay, we need to eat something."
Ephram agreed and they got out of bed and grabbed clothes off the floor. Ephram put on his boxers, while Liv put on his t-shirt, and walked into the kitchen and started opening cabinets, looking for something to eat. Ephram grabbed his cell phone, and was surprised to discover that he had three new messages. Instead of listening to the messages, he checked the missed calls list: one from his dad and two more from Amy.
"Amy has called five times since last night!" Ephram exclaimed.
Liv stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. "Bloody hell…why does she keep calling?'
Ephram sighed. "Probably because I've been avoiding her calls since I talked to her on Saturday."
"You have?"
Ephram shrugged. "I didn't know what to say to her." He sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and started picking at the edge of the table. "All I could think about was you. When I left Saturday night I stood on the street and watched your light turn off, and…" He looked up and was surprised to see her standing directly in front of him. He raised his hands and rested them on her hips. "All I wanted to do was come back up here, finish what we started, and never leave."
Liv looked down at him and thought back to what he had said in the coffeehouse yesterday…about not wanting a relationship…about just wanted to be friends… "Then why…"
Ephram shook his head. "Because I was scared. We've only known each other for two months, and I can't imagine my life without you." He tightened his arms around her waist, and rested his head against her stomach. She raised her hand and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "I love you," he whispered against her stomach, before pulling back and raising his eyes to hers. "And that scares the hell out of me."
"I love you, too," Liv whispered after of moment of silence. "You should call Amy."
"I don't want to talk to her," Ephram said shaking his head. "I don't know what to say to her."
"Call her back and check in," she explained. "Maybe she'll leave you along for a few days until you do figure out what to say to her."
Liv took a step back and Ephram released her and picked up his phone. Taking a deep breath he dialed Amy's number, while Liv went into the bathroom to give him some privacy. When she came out five minutes late he was staring at his phone.
"So?" she asked.
"She thought I would be coming back for school," he replied before glancing up at her. "You know what I just realized? I don't think of Everwood or New York as home anymore…I think of London as home."
Liv walked back over to him and sat down on his lap. Ephram placed a quick kiss on her shoulder, and sat and thought for a few minutes. "Get dressed."
"Huh?"
"Get dressed. Let's go out to eat," he explained.
Liv looked at him questioningly. "Like on a date?"
"Yeah." Ephram smiled. "Like on a date. We kind of skipped dating. We went straight from being friends to sleeping together. So, let's get dressed and go out to dinner."
"Okay." She stood up and walked over to her closet. "We should probably stop by your hotel so you can change clothes."
"Sounds good."
Liv finished getting dressed, and handed Ephram his t-shirt. He put on his shirt and jeans, and then looked around for his shoes. After finding them, they left the apartment and walked out onto the street. Ephram reached out and took Liv's hand, lacing their fingers together as they walked towards his hotel.
000000000000
October…
"We're going to be late!" Liv yelled from the bathroom. "Annie's going to kill us."
"We'll be fine," Ephram yelled back. He finished buttoning his shirt, looked in the mirror, and shook his head. He couldn't even remember the last time he had worn a suit.
They were on their way to a concert for the school's string quartet, for which Annie played the violin. And if they hadn't gotten…distracted…in the shower, then they wouldn't be running late. Unfortunately, they got distracted fairly easily, and after two months together that really hadn't changed.
"Have you seen my tie?" Ephram yelled.
"What?" Liv opened the bathroom door and stepped out.
Ephram looked over at her, stunned, trying to remember what he had asked her…or his name… She looked amazing in a simple sleeveless, black knee-length dress. Her hair was pulled up with a few curls floating around her face, and the only piece of jewelry she wore was a simple silver necklace with a sapphire pendant that he had gotten her for their one-month anniversary. He reached up to unbutton his top button, trying to breathe again. What had he asked her about?
"Where's your tie?" Liv asked after looking him over.
Tie? Oh, right. "Have you seen it?" he asked, finally regaining his voice.
Liv shook her head in frustration and walked over to the bed and began looking for it. "Did you bring it with you?" she asked as she moved the covers around.
"I think so," he replied from the floor where he was looking under the bed. Ephram got up, walked over to the dresser, and started opening drawers.
"This is ridiculous," Liv exclaimed sounding frustrated as she shook out the bed covers. "Half you stuff is here, and half is at your hotel."
Ephram shut the dresser drawer and turned to look at Liv. At the same time, Liv dropped the bed covers and looked towards him Their eyes locked and they took a step closer to each other as the same thought occurred to them.
"It would be easier if all my stuff was in one place," Ephram said as he took another step closer to her.
"True," Liv agreed, taking another step. "And I can't even remember the last time you slept at your place."
Ephram reached out and rested his hands on her hips. "So…"
"So…" Liv gently ran her hands up and down his arms. "Maybe you should…just move in here." She stopped rubbing his arms and met his eyes. "I mean, you're here all the time anyway," she finished.
Ephram smiled and thought about it for a moment. "It does seem silly to pay for a place where I'm not even living," he agreed.
"It does," she said, nodding. "Maybe we could even find a bigger place…" She looked down and noticed Ephram's tie on the floor. She moved out of his arms and bent to pick it up. Placing the tie around his neck and tying it, Liv quickly kissed him. "We're going to be late."
Ephram smiled and kissed her again before straightening his tie.
000000000000
November…
Ring! Ring!
Liv felt Ephram's arm tighten around her waist as she looked at the clock. Who would be calling at this hour?
"Hello?" she said sleepily after picking up the phone.
"Olivia?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
"Yeah?"
"This is Bright Abbott. Is Ephram there?"
"Yeah, just a second." She set the phone down and rubbed Ephram's arm. "Ephram? Love?"
"Hmmm…" Ephram moaned.
"Phone. It's Bright."
Ephram opened his eyes and looked at the clock before reaching over her and picking up the phone. "Bright, it's three o'clock in the morning."
"My mom died," Bright blurted out.
"What?" Ephram sat up, fully awake. "When?"
"This morning. The funeral's Thursday."
"I'll be there."
"Thanks, man."
"I'll call you when I book a flight. And Bright…I'm sorry." He hung up the phone.
"Bright's mom?" Liv asked.
"Yeah." Ephram got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, and over to the laptop sitting on the kitchen table. "The funeral is on Thursday."
Liv got out of bed and followed him. Ephram sat at the computer and began searching for plane tickets. She stood behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. "Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, knowing how hard it would be for him to go back to Everwood.
Ephram leaned back and reached up to take one of her hands. "Yes," he finally answered, "but you probably shouldn't. I probably shouldn't bring my current girlfriend to my ex-girlfriend's mother's funeral." He turned his head to smile at her. "Besides, I'll only be gone for a few days."
000000000
Ephram stood in the corner and looked around at all the people in the Abbott's living room, feeling very out of place. Bright was sitting on the couch with Hannah, holding her hand. They had been dating for three months, but Ephram was still surprised to see the evidence of it. Amy was rushing around the room, playing hostess; making sure no one's plate or glass was ever empty. Dr. Abbott was sitting in a chair near Bright and Hannah staring into space. He hadn't said a word all day. Ephram knew his dad and Delia were around somewhere, but he hadn't seen either one since the funeral.
Ephram sighed as he set his glass down and glanced around the room again before slipping out the front door. The only one to see him leave was Amy. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket he checked the time in London, and sat down on the top step. Then hit one of the speed dial buttons, calling home. He smiled when he heard Liv's voice, as she answered the phone.
"Hey."
"Hi. So, how's it going?" Liv asked quietly.
"Strange," he answered. "I've been gone for almost six months, and I don't think anything's really changed…except for me." He paused and shook his head even though she couldn't see him. "This isn't home anymore…I'm going to tell my dad everything. Delia, too. I was thinking maybe she could come visit us sometime."
"Sure," Liv replied. "We even have someplace for her to sleep now." They had officially moved in together two weeks earlier, and had even found a bigger apartment in the same neighborhood. "I miss you," she whispered.
"I miss you, too," Ephram replied. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
"I should probably get back inside. I'll call you later, okay? Bye." Ephram hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket as he stood up. When he turned around he saw Amy standing by the front door, and wondered how long she had been there. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, and turned to go back into the house. Apparently, she had been there long enough.
0000000000000
Later that night…
Ephram closed the front door behind him and looked around the neighborhood that had been his home for almost three years. He had hoped that his father would be understanding, and even happy for him. Of course, he wasn't. After yelling at each other for 15 minutes, Ephram had had enough and left. He didn't live there anymore and he didn't have to stay.
Pulling his coat closed, he looked around for a moment debating what to do before walking towards the park that was a few blocks away. As he approached the swings he discovered that someone had beaten him there. When he realized it was Amy he almost turned around and went back to his father's house, but then he heard her speak.
"Who is she?" Amy asked quietly…sadly.
Well, that answered the question of whether or not she had overheard his conversation with Liv. Ephram sighed and sat down in the empty swing next to Amy, collecting his thoughts. Today was the last day he wanted to have this conversation with her. The day of her mother's funeral was not the day he wanted to tell Amy that he had fallen in love with someone else…
"Her name's Olivia," he finally answered, and then proceeded to tell her the basics of their relationship: how and when they met, when they started dating, and what Liv was like. He left out the game of Truth or Dare, what she had interrupted, and the fact that they were living together. When he finished he glanced over at Amy for the first time, and noticed the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her, but…I didn't know how. Every time we talked you asked when I was coming home." He stopped and shrugged. "I didn't know how to tell you that I was already home."
Amy was quiet for a few minutes before asking if he had a picture of her. For some reason she desperately needed to see what his girlfriend looked like. As if that would make her more real.
Actually, he had three pictures of her in his wallet, Ephram thought. Taking a deep breath, he stood and pulled out his wallet. After opening it to a picture of Liv by herself, he handed it to Amy.
Amy looked at the picture in disbelief. Until that moment she had hoped that she had imagined both conversation with Ephram, but now the evidence was right in front of her. She flipped the picture over and stared at the next two pictures, and felt the tears that were threatening to fall. Both were of Ephram…and his girlfriend, and he looked happier than she had ever seen him. In the first one they were sitting next to each other. Ephram had his arm around her and appeared to be whispering something in her ear. Both were smiling and didn't seem to be aware that someone was taking their picture. In the second picture they were standing in a living room. Ephram was standing behind his girlfriend with his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. Her hands were resting on his and they were both smiling at the camera. She closed the wallet and handed it back to him as she wiped the tears away from her eyes.
"I'm not coming back, Amy," Ephram stated as he put his wallet back in his pocket. "London is my home now," He sat back down on the swing and was silent for a few minutes. "She's my forever," he whispered, smiling to himself. Ephram stood up and looked at Amy. "I'm sorry," he whispered before walking away from Amy and his old life. It was time to return to his new life.
0000000000000
Heathrow Airport, London…
Ephram left customs and searched the airport for Liv. She had insisted on meeting him at the airport, even though they would have to take the train home.
"Ephram!"
He looked to his right and saw Liv running towards him. He dropped his bags and swept her up into a big hug, spinning her around. Setting her down, he leaned in to kiss her.
"Hi,"
"Hey, how was your flight?"
Ephram met her eyes and smiled. "Great." He reached down and picked up one of his bags, while she grabbed the other one. "Come on, let's go home." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, and then kissed her on the forehead as they left the airport.