Elara paused in the doorway of Liara's room. An unusual sight laid out before her. Liara stood near the end of her bed, just shy of blocking the view to a guest sitting on the end of the bed. Elara squinted, leaning to the side to look past her friend.
"Uh, is this a bad time?" she asked, straightening.
Liara paled. "No! No… not at all. Please, come in, Shepard." She swallowed, smiling awkwardly. "Feron was just leaving."
"Right," he tittered. He stood, brushing past Liara on his way toward the exit.
Watching as he went, a sly smile curled at Elara's lips. Her eyes twinkled when she saw the heartfelt look that the drell gave her friend. She leaned her hip against the nearby desk, arms folded across her desk as she turned her smirk to Liara.
"So…"
"No." Liara huffed, turning to stalk over to her terminal. Pretending to look busy.
"But…"
"Shepard, we've been over this."
Elara felt a chuckle bubbling up, quickly clearing her throat to keep it from becoming too obvious. "Uh huh. And it's been months."
"Months in which he's been a trusted agent, far away from here." Liara countered with an exasperated sigh.
"You still have that look, Liara."
"Look? I don't have any look! He's a friend. Am I not allowed to be happy to see him?"
Elara shook her head, eyes rolling back in her head in her frustration. "Come on, Liara. It's so obvious!" She gestured toward the doorway, looking at her friend again. "You remember back on the SR-1, that look I used to give Garrus? You've got that same look."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I know you better than that, Liara."
"I…" She let out a long sigh, finally giving up her rouse and turning around to face Elara. "Is it wrong? His situation, what he's done… Shepard, I don't know." Liara began to wring her hands together, shrinking back into the myriad of monitors against the wall.
"Pretty sure he feels the same way," Elara drawled out, letting her arms drop. She stepped closer to Liara, tilting her head just a little. "What would it hurt to try?"
"I'm… he's… " Liara sighed again. "You're right."
"'Course I'm right," Elara grinned.
"And utterly insufferable." Liara shook her head, but looked wistfully toward the door of her room.
Elara pursed her lips a moment in thought, then smiled to her friend. "Look. I was going to call a staff meeting later to announce it, but Hackett's ordered us on shore leave while the Normandy gets some much needed fixes and upgrades. Why don't you spend some time with Feron on the Citadel?"
Liara hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other as she continued to twist her hands and fingers about each other. Elara gave a slight roll of her eyes, putting her hands on Liara's shoulders.
"Don't make me order you." A light-hearted threat, but one she intended to follow through on regardless.
"Fine," she relented.
"Good," Elara smiled. Releasing her grasp on the asari, she nodded her head toward the door. "Now go find him before he gets too far."
Wordlessly Liara nodded, turning to head in that direction. She stopped in her tracks, however, hesitating in thought. Elara fidgeted, wholly prepared to insist on the matter when Liara turned back to her and threw her arms around her in a hug.
"Thank you, Elara."
"Any time, Liara. You know I'm always here for you, whenever you need me."
"And I appreciate it." Liara gave her a quick squeeze before stepping back and heading out through the door.
"So did it work?" Garrus' voice crackled lightly over her comm mere moments later.
Elara grinned smugly to herself. "Of course it did." She paused, licking her lips. "And I believe that means you owe me a drink, Vakarian."