Amanda looked at her phone as it buzzed and then looked at the clock. She rolled her eyes and answered it.
"Liv, you should be well into physically undressing Barba right now. Why are you calling me?" She paused. "Was that a car horn?"
"This is dumb" Olivia replied, just staring at the door to his building, standing on the sidewalk like a statue. "I'm coming back to get Noah."
"I won't open the door."
"Amanda…" Amanda had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud as Olivia Benson actually whined. "I can't do this. What the hell am I even supposed to say to him?"
"Why not try the truth?"
"I don't even know what that is" Olivia said, running her hand through her hair.
"Yes, Liv. You do."
"Amanda… it's just… so scary" she said, almost at a whisper.
"No shit, Liv. But is living like this, just ignoring and pretending any better?"
"No" she said, shaking her head. "But Amanda…"
"Olivia Benson, get your ass in that building now."
"And say what? Hey Barba, mind if I come in and take your clothes off?"
"Only if I get to repay the favor" she heard from right behind her. She froze, eyes wide. Amanda started to laugh hysterically on the other end of the line. Perfect.
"You two always did have impeccable timing. Bye Liv" she said, hanging up the phone.
Liv just stared at the piece of plastic in her hand, like it had just betrayed her.
"Liv" she heard quietly. "Liv, can you turn around?"
"I would rather not. Kind of waiting for a hole to open up in the ground here. Should be any minute now." She heard him chuckle. She took a deep breath and slowly turned. And there he stood, hand in his pocket, a small grin on his face, those stupidly amazing green eyes dancing with laughter and… something else.
"Olivia" he said, nodding slightly.
"How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough"
"Of course," she said, looking up at the sky. "I'm going to kill Amanda." She looked back at him. "Can you please stop smiling at me like that?"
"I'm not sure I can right now. Sorry." He looked her up and down, glancing at her lips for a split second longer than seemed appropriate before meeting her eyes again. She was frozen, like a kid who had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. For the first time in a very long time, she had no idea what to do. She silently cursed Amanda in her head.
"So, we just gonna stand here on the street or are you coming up?" he asked, nodding his head toward his building. She just nodded and felt herself relax a bit when he placed his hand on her back, guiding her inside.
