"Hey Liv," Elliot calls, knocking on the door, no, not knocking, pounding. I sigh and look into the mirror one more time, running my fingers through my hair and pushing it back away from my eyes. It's finally growing—just long enough to hang in my eyes and just short enough to not be able to pull it back. Frustrated, I try to get it to tuck behind my ear. I was hoping to call you before we had to leave, but there's no way I can pretend I don't hear Elliot's persisting pounding. I look at my cell phone and then at the door and sigh. If Elliot's in here, staring me down, I know that my end of any conversation we have will be reduced to monosyllabic grunts because if there's one thing Elliot can't take, it's you and I talking about love in the morning.
"Yeah, yeah" I say, opening the door to him and letting him in the room. "You don't have to break it down." I mutter as I pull the door open. He stalks in, frustrated that he was forced to wait for longer than a second. He lets his eyes wander around the room.
"You ready?" He asks.
I look around the room and see the same things I know that he sees. My things scattered haphazardly on the dresser, the bed covered with clothes, my bad open and half filled. For a Detective El? I turn back to him and cock my eyebrow. "Does it look like I'm ready?" I ask with a sigh.
"Using my detective skills?" He says, and takes a dramatic look around. "No."
"Slick, graduated top of your class," I grumble, as I turn around and start throwing things into my open bag.
He takes that as his cue to make himself comfortable. Flopping down on the bed, he leans back and stares at me while I try to arrange too much in a bag that's too small. "I'm starving," he says, stretching and rubbing the back of his head.
"Shocking," I laugh at him.
"I need to eat. I'm gonna go down and grab something. You're obviously going to be awhile," he says, looking around, "And it's not often we get an expense account." He stands up and walks towards the door. "Do you want me to wait for you?"
I look around the room and catch my cell phone in my view. "No, I'm just going to stay here and pack the rest of this up. You go."
"Whatever," he mutters.
The moment the door latches behind him, I pick up my phone and sit on the bed. I smile like a fool as I flip through the phone book to your name and picture of you fills the screen. I stare at your face for a second, before hitting the call button. I hear it trill and I flood my brain with the image of you stretched out in our bed. I can see the way you look in your sleep, the way you curl up during the night. The way that no matter how we start out, I always wake up with nothing on top of me and you wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. I can imagine you fumbling for your phone, tapping the screen with a sleepy familiarity.
"Hey," I hear your voice whisper. You're still half asleep, fighting to come to your senses, and I can tell my call woke you.
"Good morning, beautiful," I smile into the phone.
"Mmmm," you mumble into the phone. I can hear you turning over. "What time is it?"
"About seven," I say, looking over at the clock.
"What time are you leaving?" you ask.
"Soon," I tell you. If I were there with you, you'd be sprawled on me. Our bodies would meld together and in each other arms, both of us would still be in a happy sleepy haze. Instead, Elliot and I got shipped out to a continuing education seminar—total bullshit, but Cragen has been on us to get our continuing education credits in before the end of the year so it won't be a repeat of last year when all of scurried to find whatever we could as time ran out and we risked suspension. So this morning, I woke up in a double bed, searching for you, waking to realize that like the last four nights, you aren't here.
"Where's Elliot," you ask, sleepily.
"He just knocked and said he's going to get breakfast. He wanted me to be ready when he got back. The way he eats, I probably have an hour."
"And you called me?" You ask.
"Uh huh," I smile.
"You're sweet. You should eat too, though." You say, all in the same beat.
"You offering yourself up for breakfast?" I ask.
"Cute." You laugh. "Not what I meant." You clarify.
"I'll grab something on the way out."
"From the food pyramid?" You ask.
"Yes, dear." I say, letting my voice fade. "Alex?" I ask.
"Mmhm," you mumble.
"I miss you." I tell you, feeling silly.
"I miss you too."
"And I love you."
"Love you too," you say lazily.
"So, whatcha wearing?" I say with a grin.
You pause for a second appraising my request, "Your blue t-shirt with the hole in it, you know, the one I keep throwing out and you keep rescuing?"
"Please don't throw it out," I nearly panic. I've had that shirt for almost ten years, and it's like comfort food. When I slip it on my body, I feel like it knows me. The thought of you in it is sexy as hell.
"I won't," you sigh.
"What else?" I whisper.
"Those green and yellow striped flannel pants with the cute little frogs on them that I got you but you refuse to wear. And socks, which I'm pretty sure don't match." You add, "Because someone who lives here forgot to fold the socks."
"No one folds socks, Alex." I complain, rolling my eyes.
"People do fold socks, Olivia. And if you really loved me you'd be concerned that I could wander out of the house with two pieces of non-matching footwear."
"Alex," I whine.
"What?"
"I don't care about your socks."
"I'm fully aware of that, Olivia." You say, prepared to go into the rest of your sock folding diatribe.
"No, Alex, I mean. God."
"What?" you ask, unaware.
"It wasn't supposed to be, you weren't supposed to actually tell me what you were wearing."
"Ohhhh, you wanted me to say that I was totally naked, lying here, thinking of you, sans socks?"
"Something like that." I mumble.
"So, is it too late for me to tell you that?"
"I think so." I sigh. "The mental image of you in unmatched socks and frog pants is pretty much seared into my brain."
"That's really too bad…" you giggle
"You're telling me."
"They are cute." You tell me.
"I don't do cute." I mumble.
"Yes you do, you just haven't accepted that part of yourself yet."
"Right."
"You know, I was thinking about you last night." You tell me.
"You were." I ask the smile returning to my face.
"Mmhmm." You say, and I can hear the sex slowly coming to your voice as you start to understand. I can imagine you stretching out, your long lean frame flexing and then relaxing next to mine.
"What were you thinking about?" I ask.
"I was actually thinking about tonight."
"Tonight?" I swallow hard. "What about tonight?" I ask.
"I have some plans for you detective." You say seductively.
"What kind of plans?" I ask, swallowing.
"I was thinking we could go down to the law library, study for awhile. I hear there's some new case law on…"
"Alex," I moan.
"Naked plans," you say, interrupting my irritation.
"I like that kind." I swallow.
"You have been gone a whole week." You complain, "and you've left me here all alone."
"I know. I didn't want to." I say with intensity in my voice I'm surprised to hear.
"I don't think we've ever been apart this long since we got together," you remind me, as though I haven't been counting down the minutes.
"I know," I tell you.
"I'm not used to going this long without you…"
"Really?" I ask, a smile growing on my face.
"Do you really miss me?" You ask seductively.
"You know I do." I swallow. "So, you were thinking?" I ask.
"I was thinking about all the things I'm going to do to you when I get you back here alone."
"Like?"
"Like?" You parrot. "You don't want to be surprised?"
"Just tell me a little." I say, lying back on the bed, my arm tucked behind my head.
"Like how I'm going to kiss you. How I'm going to bring you to our bed and take off your clothes one piece at a time. How I'm going to kiss every inch of your body."
I moan in spite of myself, crossing my legs on the bed.
"Keep going," I manage without sounding ridiculous.
"Detective Benson, I believe you're trying to get me to engage in phone sex."
"Maybe a little." I smirk.
"Detective." You laugh, with feigned shock in your voice.
"It's not funny, Alex." I sigh.
"Horny baby?" You ask me, trying harder to suppress the laugh in your voice.
"Um, yeah."
"Why?"
"Because..." I feel myself blush.
"Because?"
"Because I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with Elliot and I'm used to being stuck there…with you…in our bed."
"You're driving him nuts, aren't you?" You ask.
"Maybe." I admit, knowing that Elliot has told me more than once that he can't wait until this week is over so I can get back to you. I can't help it. Without you, I'm hopeless.
"What do you want me to do," you say, and I can hear the smile in your voice.
"Alex, just talk to me."
"About how when you walk in the door I'm going to press you up against the wall and kiss you so hard it'll take your breath away? How I'm going to run my hands up and down your body and kiss my way down to your collarbone? How I'm going to pull off your clothes and rub against you till you beg me to take you?"
"Yeah, about that."
"About how I'll slip my hands down your body and…Liv?" you ask.
"Hmmm," I say, horniness clouding my mind.
"What are you doing?"
"Listening to you."
"And?"
"And?" I ask.
"Are you wet?"
"Do you really need to ask that?" I sigh, shifting my hips uncomfortably.
"I want to hear you say it."
"Alex." I scold, feeling myself blush.
"So about the law library," you say quickly.
"Alex, I'm wet for you." I spit out all in one second.
"That's so much better." I can hear the smile in your voice.
"So are you helping?"
"Am I?" It takes a second for me to figure out what
you're talking about, even though it should be obvious.
"Oh, no, I'm, no."
"You don't want to?" You ask in your sultry voice.
"No, no, I do. I really, really do."
"Then why don't you?"
"You want me to?" I ask, my eyebrow raising.
"Um, I think it's hot."
It doesn't take me a second to pull at my belt and slip my hand into my pants. My fingers make contact with my skin and I feel the passion already built there and the moan the escapes my lips is accidental but when I hear you return it, I do it again.
"What are you?" You ask me. I can hear the hitch in your voice.
"I'm slowly rubbing my fingers down your body," I tell you. "I'm kissing you, kissing you behind your ear like you like," I say, and hear your breathing change again as your excitement grows.
"I want to taste you," you mumble, which makes me moan.
"I want you to," I say, images of your face between my thighs spurring me on.
"God Liv, fuck me."
"God, baby," I moan, listening to your breathing, feeling myself coming closer as you whisper in my ear exactly how many positions you think you can get me into and how hard you're going to make me come.
I close my eyes and I feel my back arch, starting to clamp down. My thighs shake. Neither of us are talking anymore besides an occasional gasp of each others names. I think I hear a knock, but I refuse to acknowledge it. I'm so close and your ragged breath in my ear is driving me insane. You whisper to me how close you are…
"Liv, open the damn door, I brought you some coffee," I hear, Elliot banging from outside.
"Fuck." I say, scrambling to stand up. "Hold on," I yell at the door.
"What happened?" You ask, hearing my words but not being part of my world as I rush into the bathroom to fix myself so I can open the door.
"Elliot," I hiss. That sends you into hysterics. "I'm glad you think it's so god damn funny." Elliot knocks again.
"Did you… finish?" You ask.
"No," I almost cry. The pounding between my legs reminds me of how close I was.
"Liv, come on," he shouts loudly.
"I'm coming Elliot." I yell back, throwing the rest of my clothes into my bag, and checking myself in the mirror one final time looking to make sure I'm all right before
I open the door.
"You almost were," you whisper in my ear.
"Alex," I whine, not needing to be reminded.
"I really feel bad for him now." You giggle.
I swing the door open for him, and immediately turn on my heel and walk away from him.
"So, I'll see you later?" I ask you, not wanting to give your last comment a response.
"Think about me, lying here, naked, waiting for you." You say.
"Not a problem." I assure you, biting my tongue.
"I love you, especially when you're screaming my name," you tell me. I turn and look at Elliot feeling my face go red; he sets food out on the desk for me and doesn't seem to notice.
"Tell Alex I said hi," Elliot interrupts as I turn my back to him.
"Elliot says hi," I parrot to you.
"Tell him I said he should get you home quick so I can strip you naked and…"
"I'll tell him," I say, cutting you off, "She says hi," I say to Elliot.
"That's not what I said." You pout. "You're quoting me inaccurately."
"So I'll see you later?"
"You don't want to hear how I'm going to finish you off?" you laugh.
"Later."
"It will be exquisite."
"I have no doubt." I swallow. "I love you," I tell you quietly, wishing I was there with you.
"Love you too," You sigh happily. "I'll see you tonight. Be ready." You warn.
"Bye," I tell you and I wait for the line to go dead before I disconnect.
"How's Alex?" He asks me, while he hands me some coffee.
"You didn't have to do all this," I tell you, taking the coffee from your hand.
"Eh, it was free, figured you'll just drag me back there unless I feed you now."
"I appreciate it, but I'm ready to go." I say eagerly.
"You guys have plans for tonight?" He asks me with a wry smile.
"What?" I ask, thinking somehow my face gave away what I was thinking about.
"Plans?"
"Oh, no, nothing, official, really," I mumble.
He raises his eyebrow at me and laughs. "Kathy and I were going to go out, do you think you and Alex would like to…"
Before he can finish, I interrupt him, "Uh, no thanks El. We're probably going to stay in. Watch a movie or something."
"Really? That sounds so…boring."
"I think we'll find something to do." I say.
"Yeah, I bet you will. That 'or something'," Elliot laughs.
"That's, that's not what I meant." I say, feeling myself turn red.
"I understand; you're still in your honeymoon phase."
"Can we please not have this conversation?" I ask him.
"What? We're adults. I know that you and Alex, you know. I'm sure you've thought about Kathy and…"
"See, El, that's where you're totally wrong. Never once have I thought about that. And if you want to leave this room with your manhood intact you will not help me try to summon the image." I warn.
"Come on," he laughs.
"Sorry, El, under those pants I like to think of you as a Ken doll with the underwear stapled on."
"Ouch."
I shrug at you and grab the coffee off the table.
"I envy you, Liv," he says shaking his head.
"Why?" I ask, looking at him.
"Besides the obvious?" he laughs.
"Have you always been such a pig or is that a new personality trait?"
"I choose to not dignify that with an answer." He responds with a smirk.
"If the shoe fits?" I ask, casually.
"I was talking about your relationship. You've got a good thing."
"I know," I say, leaning back in my chair with a smile on my face, thinking about all the things I have to look forward to when I get back home to you. "Speaking of that, El, we really need to get going. If we leave now, we could be back..."
"In about three hours." He supplies.
"Not if I drive."