AN: I know I can't keep apologizing for the delays, but I truly am sorry. I hate long delays when I'm waiting for an update! I'll try to do better. Thanks for reading!

EOEOEOEO

Olivia had snagged Elliot's truck keys out of his head as they had headed towards his Jeep. Elliot wasn't drunk, but she hadn't had anything to drink, so she was the safer bet. Now, she was listening as Elliot, half turned in the passenger seat, and Sam, discussed the merits of various members of the Mets. Elliot had tried to engage her in the beginning, but she couldn't name one member of the team and told him so, so she focused his attention on Sam.

Traffic was a mess heading out of Manhattan, and Olivia focused on the road and tuned both men out. She thought about Sam's apology, and pondered the look she had seen on Elliot's face as he had walked back from the bathroom in the bar. His demeanor had changed…almost as if he was angry with her…or with Sam. She wondered if he had seen Sam and her arguing, or if somehow, he knew that something had happened between the two of them.

She hoped not…but maybe she wasn't as good at hiding her feelings as she thought she was. Which didn't make any sense, because she thought she'd done a damn good job over the past several years. She should get an Oscar for her performance.

Olivia let out a heavy sigh, and Elliot stopped talking.

"What?" He asked, swiveling to look at the road ahead.

Olivia glanced over at him and then back at the road. "Nothing."

"Are we boring you?" He asked, chuckling slightly.

"Not at all." Olivia said quickly. "Get it out of your system."

Elliot twisted in his seat again and resumed his discussion with Sam. Olivia realized that there was no evidence of whatever had been bothering him earlier. He was talking with Sam normally now. Hopefully it would stay that way. But she knew she had a role to play here. If they were going to make it through this afternoon, she was going to have to do a better job of keeping her emotions and her body language in check.

Elliot couldn't find out about the events of last night.

She just had to make it through the afternoon, and then she could escape to her apartment.

Sam would leave town and take their secret with him.

Elliot would never know, and she would never have to see Sam again.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot looked over at Olivia, who was seated on his left, and saw she had her face tilted up towards the sun with her eyes closed. "You're not even watching the game."

"I don't like baseball." She said, never even opening her eyes.

Elliot was about to ask her why the hell she'd bothered to come, but then he remembered that he had pushed her into coming with them. He glanced down at her…noticing the fit of her t-shirt and how her shorts rode up, highlighting the length and tone of her legs as she propped her feet on the back of the empty seat in front of her. His eyes roamed back up her body, until he reached her face again, and he felt like a shit because now her eyes were open. She didn't say anything…just cocked an eyebrow at him…and he glanced over at Sam.

Thankfully, Sam was engrossed in the game. Which meant he wasn't watching Olivia, and he hadn't caught Elliot staring at her. Elliot had made certain that he sat between the two of them, but now he was questioning what he thought he knew. There had been little to no interaction between them since they'd arrived, and he wondered if they were purposefully trying to be lowkey for his benefit, or if he'd really made a bad assumption. A part of him was dying to know, but the other part of him did not.

"I'm going to hit the head and get another beer." Elliot said, elbowing Sam to get his attention. "Come with me."

Sam laughed and shook his head and made a snide comment about Elliot needing companionship to go to the bathroom. "I'm fine right here."

Elliot looked over at Olivia, but she was ignoring both of them as she checked her phone, so he knew she wasn't going to walk up with him. He debated about leaving them alone together, but then he realized it may be a good test. "OK then." He stood up. "Liv, you want anything?"

Olivia shook her head, never looking up from her phone, and Elliot sighed. He had really wanted this to be a fun afternoon, and now it felt so disjointed. He was annoyed by all of it, and he let out a sigh as he headed off in search of the bathrooms and a beer.

Olivia lifted her head as Elliot huffed off, realizing he was annoyed. He had been pointed in sitting between them; she assumed he was trying to be sensitive to the situation and wanted to create space for them. She felt a little bad because she knew he didn't understand why there was tension between her and Sam, and why she didn't really want to be here, but it wasn't her fault. Still, she had resolved to try a little harder to keep him from being suspicious, and she knew she really hadn't kept up her promise to herself to do so.

No sooner had the thought entered her mind, when she saw Sam get up from his seat and plop down next to her in Elliot's seat.

"Hey." Sam cocked his head slightly. "Do you really hate baseball that much or do you hate me that much?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow as she looked over at him, wondering about the genesis of the question. Sam had obviously picked up on Elliot's annoyance too. She thought about Sam's statement. She knew there had to be a lot of good in the man because he had Elliot's gratitude and trust. She had heard the banter and the stories and knew that the two of them had been through some tough situations together. Sam had covered Elliot's back, much like she did now, and vice versa. "I don't hate you." Olivia said. "I just hate your poor judgment and your aggressive behavior."

Sam nodded. "I know. And I apologized."

Olivia pressed her lips together. An apology was nice, but it wasn't a pass, and she was tired of men thinking they could do whatever they wanted as long as they apologized. Even if it was sincere. But now wasn't the time or place to have that type of discussion. "And that makes it ok?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying…"

Olivia tensed. It had only been a few hours since they'd had this conversation and she didn't feel the need to repeat it. "Listen…we just have to get through this afternoon and then we never have to see each other again."

"But that's what I'm saying. I don't want to end things." Sam said, using air quotes when he said end things.

Olivia furrowed her brows and looked at him quizzically. "You can't possibly think that you and I are going to be friends."

"Well, actually…"

Olivia saw the sheepish expression on his face and saw his eyes drop down before he locked in on hers again. "I hope you're not thinking what I think you are."

"Listen…" Sam started. "We had a lot of fun when we were out, and I made a bad decision, but I'd like to prove to you that I'm not a bad guy. You said trust is earned. So, you have to give me a chance to show you what a great guy I am."

Olivia couldn't believe the cojones on this guy, nor the big grin and puppy dog eyes he was throwing her way. He obviously thought his natural charm would work on her, but he didn't know she was immune. What Sam didn't know is that it took a long time to earn her trust once violated, and that she had absolutely no interest in even trying. Not even for Elliot's sake. She was trying to be civil, but he had pushed her too far. "I can't believe you." Olivia stood up abruptly, forcing Sam to sit back quickly. "You're delusional."

Olivia brushed past Sam, but then felt his hand on her arm.

"Hey…c'mon. You're really going to hold a grudge?"

Olivia looked down at him and then at his hand on her arm, and then back at him. If looks could kill, he'd be a dead man right now. To his credit, he dropped his hand quickly, so she knew he wasn't a complete idiot. Still, he didn't seem to get it. Olivia leaned in slightly, adopting her most intimidating expression and tone of voice. "If you EVER touch me again…ever…" She emphasized. "You'll be drinking from a straw and crying over your lost manhood." She made a move towards his crotch with her hand and Sam visibly flinched, and his reaction almost made her smile. It meant he believed her, and he should.

Olivia stood up. "Are we clear?"

Sam looked defeated and he nodded grudgingly.

Olivia started to turn away and then she turned back to him. She took a deep breath. "I wish things hadn't worked out this way. I really do." She meant it. "But you're the one that fucked things up." She saw Sam wasn't going to argue. "Like I told you before, this is between you and me…so Elliot doesn't have to know. But after this game…" She left her sentence unfinished, as Sam put up his hands in a defensive gesture.

"Message received."

Olivia nodded, and headed towards the stairs.

Elliot stood at the top of the stairs, watching the interaction between Olivia and Sam. He had noticed right away that Sam has taken his seat, and it irked him. He had almost started down the stairs, when he saw Olivia get up. Then Sam grabbed her arm, and Olivia stopped. Then…she was leaning over Sam, her hair falling over her face, and she was talking. But he couldn't see or hear what was going on…just that her face was dangerously close to Sam's. If she kissed him, he was going to die. Then he saw her hand move towards his junk, and he did a double-take. The Olivia he knew wasn't one for public displays of affection, and she was going to touch him right here? In the middle of the stadium? But then she stood up, and he sighed, relieved that she hadn't kissed him or touched him. She didn't look happy but then her expression softened, and she was saying something to him, and he was nodding, and Elliot knew he'd give anything in that moment to know what they were discussing. A possible tryst later on? We're they talking about how to get rid of him, the 3rd wheel, so they could hook up again? He bit down hard, feeling the muscles in his jaw twitching as he tried to keep his anger in check.

Then he realized that Olivia was walking up the stairs, and it would be moments before she spotted him. He took a few steps back quickly, so he was out of sight, and then turned and walked a few more steps into the promenade. He turned just in time to see her reach the top, and then she was walking in his general direction. A few seconds later she spotted him and gave him a half-hearted smile.

"Is this game almost over?" She asked as she stopped in front of him.

"Got hot plans?" Elliot asked, before he could stop himself.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "No plans. It's just…you know I'm not the biggest fan."

"As you've said. Numerous times." He heard the gruffness in his voice, and he saw Olivia react to it as well. "Yeah…there's just a couple of innings left." Frankly, he'd lost all interest in the game. He had been so excited for today, and now it was just painful. "But we can leave if you want."

Olivia shook her head. "It's fine. I'm just going to use the bathroom and get some water. I'll meet you back inside."

Olivia took off before Elliot could even say anything, and he watched her walk away from him. He couldn't help himself, as he watched the way she moved as she walked away. That ass…those legs. She was working those shorts without even trying. He couldn't help but notice she had captured the eyes of a few other admirers as well, and he knew he shouldn't be surprised or jealous. He'd fallen for a beautiful woman; he had to pay the price.

EOEOEOEOEO

The ride back into the city was relatively quiet, but as they drew closer, Elliot asked Olivia and Sam about plans for the evening, offering up dinner and drinks at his apartment. Olivia begged off first, stating she was tired and just wanted to be home after a long night the night before, followed by a long day.

"Looks like it's just the boys." Olivia said.

Elliot was surprised by her comment, because he'd expected Sam to bail on him right away as well. Those two were acting too oddly, and he knew they had plans to meet up.

"Nah. I'm tired too." Sam said. "Maybe we could meet up tomorrow Elliot."

There it was.

Confirmation.

They were definitely hooking up, and he knew he had no right to be angry, but he was seeing red. He didn't even respond, and he saw Olivia glancing at him from the passenger seat. He choked out a response, but he kept it brief because he knew both of them would pick up on the tone of his voice. Olivia was already picking up on his body language.

She reached out and put a hand lightly on his arm. "Are you OK?" She asked. "Maybe I should have driven."

Elliot shook his head. Did she really think he was drunk? Didn't she know he could see right through their pathetic act? "It's fine." He said through clenched teeth. He offered up the excuse of traffic and knuckle-head drivers and he saw Olivia relax beside him.

She thought her secret was safe.

But he knew.

He knew.