Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, sadly. Well Melanie came from my own head...
Rated: M
My very first fic ever, PLEASE be kind, I'm sorry if it sucks.
Summary: Alex heads out to a bar at the behest of her best friend. Her life will never be the same.
Notes: Thanks for putting up with the lag time between chapters, my work has picked up dramatically so I don't have as much time to write as I wish. I am REALLY sorry this one took so darn long. I hope you enjoy it. I know you guys want smut and I do too but I don't want to rush them. I hope you'll bear with me. As always, drop me a review to let me know how I'm doing. Happy reviews make me want to write faster... ;) LOL Shamelessly bartering my writing soul for reviews. ;) Seriously, enjoy, let me know what you think!
Alex's POV
The rest of my weekend was quiet, filled with the usual files and cases. Fortunately for me, my concentration seemed to be back to normal, mostly. I was able to make it through a few files at least without being too distracted by thoughts of Olivia and our lunch yesterday. Of course when I did think about yesterday's lunch I was unable to focus on anything but that. Lunch had not been like anything I expected, though truth be told, I'm not sure what I expected. I knew Olivia and I could be friends and get along well outside of work, I just didn't realize exactly how easy it is to be me with her. It makes me want to spend more time with her which is a rare feeling for me. Usually when I'm free from work I just want to spend my time alone which is why Melanie is forced to drag me out places with her, for my own good she always says. But after lunch with Olivia I find myself wondering how long it'll be until she and I can do something else together.
As the work week progressed, the unit caught a few cases that had me popping in for interrogations and them over for warrants. Unfortunately that didn't leave me much time for chatting with Olivia, not that "at work" chatting would have been the same as "weekend" chatting but I still wanted an opportunity to say more than, "cut him loose" or "arrest him." Particularly I wanted a chance to see when she and I might have an opportunity to get together again. When Friday afternoon rolled around and I still hadn't had a chance to talk to Olivia I decided I'd take matters into my own hands and give her a call.
"Special Victims Unit, this is Benson."
"Still chained to your desk I assume?" I answer with a smile. I find myself happier than I expected to be to have caught her before she left for the night. "You gonna be stuck there all night?"
"Hey Alex," I swear I can hear her smile as she speaks. "I'm just finishing up some 5s from this week so that next week when our ADA goes to court she won't yell at me for not having finished my paperwork."
"Oh good idea, the word around the water cooler here is that she's a major hard-ass, you wouldn't want to get on her bad side."
"Don't believe EVERYTHING you hear, her bark's worse than her bite. She has a redeeming quality or two, you just have to know how to handle her," she teases back.
"Oh really?" I respond. "And what if she's just letting you handle her but is really handling you?" Did I just flirt a little?
"She can handle me anytime she wants," she says back. Did her voice just get a little deeper? I'm glad this conversation is being held over the phone because I know I'm blushing uncontrollably right now. I've momentarily lost any thoughts I might have had, I can't come up with a response to that. I hear her clear her throat, "So what can I do for you Alex?"
"I wanted to know what you were up to this weekend, if you had some free time or if you were on call all weekend."
"I'm about as on call this weekend as you are. So far we're mostly caught up on things so Munch and Finn are primary this weekend and El and I are hoping nothing major happens. Why what's up?"
"Well as you pointed out, unless something major happens I'm pretty caught up for the weekend so I thought I might attempt something I rarely do. I am going to attempt to have a life, sort of. Anyway I thought I'd see if you were up to attempting a social life with me."
"I would love to, what did you have in mind?"
"Truthfully? I have no idea, I so rarely get a chance to do anything and when I do it's usually Melanie who has made all plans and just drags me out of my apartment. Perhaps we could start with lunch tomorrow and then see what we feel like doing after?"
"That sounds like a great plan. How about I pick you up from your apartment around noon tomorrow and we can go wherever you'd like."
"Okay, great, I'll figure out where we should go."
"Perfect, I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow Olivia." And with that I hang up. As I pack up to head home I realize that I'm really looking forward to tomorrow.
Olivia's POV
I hang up the phone with a huge smile on my face. Alex called to ask me to hang out with her. I feel a little like I'm in middle school and I've just been asked out by my crush which isn't that far from the truth. I have just been asked to hang out with my crush. I look up and see Elliot grinning at me.
"Good conversation?" he says as he grins at me.
"Shut up."
"So I guess I don't really need to ask what YOUR plans are this weekend..."
"Shut up."
"Will you be handling our ADA?"
"Shut up," I repeat but I can't hide the smile that graces my face at the idea of handling Alex. I'll happily handle her. I only ponder the idea for a moment before I force the thought from my mind, it's lunch, just lunch I tell myself. Elliot breaks through my thoughts.
"So where are you girls going to go for lunch, I'd LOVE to stop in a say hi," he says just before barking out a loud laugh. This time I just stare at him. When he finally stops laughing I look at the clock and down at my mostly empty desk.
"Elliot," I tell him as I stand up, "it's nearly 6:30, I'm leaving you to amuse yourself. Or better yet, go home. You getting home before dark ought to amuse Kathy and if you're lucky maybe she'll amuse you."
"Maybe if you're lucky Alex will..." I throw a pencil at him which stops his sentence enough for me to tell him good night as I walk out from behind my desk and towards the doors. I hear him shouting back at me.
"Get some rest tonight Olivia, you never know what you might be doing tomorrow!"
I roll my eyes at no one in particular as I push the button to call the elevator. Sometimes having Elliot around is like having the little brother I never knew I never wanted. But like a little brother, if he was mine I'd still love him regardless of his complete immaturity.
After arriving home and throwing together a salad with what was left in my fridge I finally settled onto my couch with the tv on in the background. I felt a little like a kid on Christmas eve I wished I could be asleep so that it could be tomorrow but I was far too awake for sleep. I tried to focus on some comedy that was playing on the tv but my mind kept wandering back to tomorrow and all the possibilities of how the day could go. Try as I might I couldn't quite control my mind from turning tomorrow's lunch with a friend into a date. In my head I had visions of walking down the streets with Alex holding her hand. Putting my arms around her waist and holding her as we watched the world pass us by. I had visions of taking her home at the end of the day and having her lean into me and kiss me goodnight. I was able to stop my mind from taking a simple kiss and turning it into a night of passion between the two of us but it wasn't easy. I had to convince myself that inserting Alex into my day dreams when they weren't exactly family friendly was an inappropriate action. I wasn't nearly as lucky at convincing my unconscious.
That night I dreamt of Alex and I. In my dream we'd gone to dinner and a movie together, only in my dream we were a couple. Our dinner was peppered with sweet kisses. During our movie Alex would reach out and grab my hand to hold it. When she wasn't holding my hand she would rub my leg unconsciously as she watched the movie. By the end of our dream date Alex's tender touches and kisses had me wanting much more.
I walked her to her apartment expecting to say goodnight to her on the street but she asked me up. When we get inside her apartment she doesn't hesitate long before pinning me against the door. Her kiss left me breathless. She pressed her entire body against mine and broke the kiss to tell me she needed me. She reached her hand down to press between my legs as she whispered to me. Her hands attacked my clothes. She tore my shirt from my body and only took a moment to grab my breasts before she unzipped my pants and pushed them as far down as she could without moving away from me. Her mouth attacked my neck before she worked her way down my chest, down my stomach until she reached the top of my underwear. When she knelt in front of me I had to close my eyes for a moment to keep from coming from the image. She nuzzled through my panties before looking up and making eyes contact with me as she pulled my panties slowly down my legs. She looked back at my newly uncovered flesh and leaned in making a soft humming sound as she did. She grabbed the back of my left leg and threw it over her right shoulder. I waited as patiently as I could for her to lean in to touch me. She looked up at me as she leaned in. She was millimeters away from where I wanted her to be. I saw her tongue peek out from between her gorgeous lush lips.
The first thing I notice as I wake up is the ache between my legs. The next thing I hear is a car alarm which as I come fully to consciousness I realize was the reason I'm not awake. I swear to myself and force my eyes closed, I so desperately want to finish my dream. But I only lay there for a moment before I give up. I know I won't be able to finish my dream because I won't allow myself to dream about Alex that way if I can keep myself from doing so. Plus I'm so worked up it's hard to focus on anything but the throbbing between my legs. I desperately want to take care of myself but I know I wouldn't be able to look Alex in the face later today if I touched myself with her face in my mind. I quickly rub my hands over my face and resign myself to a cold shower.
After my very long, very cold shower I make my way to the kitchen to make some coffee and and a small bite to eat, I not usually one for breakfast but I figure I've got the time this morning and there's actually something I can eat, a bagel. So I pop it into the toaster and wait rather impatiently for the coffee to finish brewing. Right now I feel like that kid on Christmas morning waiting for my parents to wake up so I can start opening presents. I have so many variations of how today could go running through my mind and I have to keep reminding myself that today is a lunch date and that any future between Alex and I, friends or more, is completely at her discretion. While I would love for our lunch to go any number of ways that my imagination has taken it, I know that no matter what, nothing will happen unless I know Alex fully wants it to happen. The ball, as they say, is in her court.
Alex's POV
It's so nice to wake up in the morning the the light and not some blaring alarm, I always feel so much more refreshed when I wake on my own. This morning was no exception. After waking with the light I get up to make some coffee. I allow myself one cup of coffee and a banana before I change into my running clothes and head out to run through the city. It's a cool morning, a sign of fall making it's way to us and I know there's won't be too many more mornings that will be the right balance of cool and warm which is perfect for running outdoors, so this morning I take full advantage of it. By the time I make it back home I realize I ran for nearly an hour getting lost in the twists and turns of the city. I jump into the shower as soon as I arrive home and wash the sweat and dirt off me from my run.
It's nearly ten by the time I'm done with my shower. I grab another banana and slather it with peanut butter to replace some of the nutrients that I worked off during my run and to hold me over until lunch. I grab another cup of coffee and toss it into the microwave to warm it up. I decide that while I've got sometime I should probably look over a file or two so I grab a few files from my briefcase by the door as I wait for the microwave to finish warming my coffee. Once it's finished I grab a cup and take it with me to the sofa where I settle with my coffee and files. On my third trip to the coffee maker for more coffee I realize it's nearly 11:30 and Olivia will be here shortly so I grab my coffee and bring it with me to the bathroom to get ready. I quickly run a brush through my hair to tame it before throwing on some light and casual make up, nothing too major, it's the weekend after all. Makeup and hair put together I head to my closet for a pair of jeans and a simple button down blouse. I opt for one of my favorite 3/4 length sleeve button downs, it's perfect for the cooler weather but won't roast me should it get warmer today than expected. I take a quick glance in the mirror and satisfied that I'm acceptable for public viewing I head back to the couch to read over more files until Olivia gets here.
It's not too long before the house phone rings and I'm told that I've got a visitor downstairs. I ask the doorman to let her know I'll be down in a minute and hang up. I quickly grab my files and set them back into my briefcase. Grabbing my keys from the table by the door I make a quick mental check that the coffeemaker is off and that I can an ID, a credit card and some cash. Once I'm sure things are good I head out, locking the door before walking to the elevator and hitting the down button. As I ride down in the elevator I think about how I'm really looking forward to spending time with Olivia again today. As I ride down there's a small part of me that seems to be a little nervous and I can't quite pinpoint why but it's there. I try my best to ignore it as I step out of the elevator and down the hall to the front lobby. Standing there chatting with the doorman is Olivia, looking as causal and light as I've ever seen here. I take a moment to regard her while she's not looking at me. Her body language is so different standing here in my lobby than it is when she's at the precinct. It's slightly carefree and relaxed. It's a great look on her. The doorman says something to her and she laughs, that same full laugh that I heard last weekend and I can't help but smile as I hear it. I walk the remaining way to Olivia and step in beside her nudging her with my shoulder.
"Am I interrupting" I ask her with a slight smile.
"Hey Alex," she says as she turns to me smiling. "I doubt you'd ever be interrupting."
"Good afternoon Ms. Cabot," Larry the weekend doorman says to me. No matter how many times I tell him to call me Alex he refuses so I've just given up telling him. He's in his 60s and has a very distinguished and polished look about him, probably one of the reasons he was hired, keeping up appearances and all. Well that and his 40 or so years of military service. I can't imagine him ever needing to use that experience but there's a comfort in knowing he's there with his experience if necessary. Perhaps that's the post WPP in me speaking.
"Hi Larry. How has the day been so far?"
"Very slow Ms. Cabot, but thankfully your guest showed up and entertained this old man for a few minutes."
"Wanna keep her?" I ask Larry before turning and winking at Olivia to ensure she knows I'm kidding.
"Absolutely not Ms. Cabot, you so rarely have company, if ever, I would never take your company but she's always welcome to chat with me," he says with a smile. "Now you two stop distracting me, I can only be a gentleman for so long. It's a slippery slope between gentleman and old lecherous man," he says with his own wink for us. We both laugh and bid him goodbye.
As we step out onto the sidewalk Olivia looks at me. "You look great," she tells me. I can't help but feel my face get a little warm from the compliment.
"So do you," I return. She smiles back and asks me where we are heading.
"Would it be terrible if I asked you if we could go back to Eggheads?" I ask somewhat sheepishly. I do really like Eggheads though deep down inside there's a small part of me that wants to return to a place where we had such a nice time, a just-in-case of sorts.
"Anywhere you want Alex."
I turn down the street and start walking as she steps in right beside me. Our footsteps match up and I can't help but laugh lightly.
"What," she asks.
"Nothing, just a old silly thing from when I was a kid," I tell her.
"Well do you care to share?"
"Oh it's stupid. When I was a kid I was always amused when two people's strides matched up. I don't know why exactly. I used to see old people who stepped together and I'd think that they must have been together for so long that they match steps too. Even when I was a kid and it was just me and friends if we matched up I couldn't help but laugh. It's like being tickled, there's no complete reason why, but it always makes me giggle a little."
"Hmm so you're ticklish are you?" she says to me with a gleam in her eye.
"Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm a kicker when I get tickled," I warn her.
"Noted," she says as she raises her hands in mock surrender.
The walk to the restaurant is quick and when we arrive she holds the door open for me as I step through. We're seated instantly back towards the back of the restaurant. When we reach our table Olivia pulls my chair our for me and holds it. I'm not sure she even knows she's doing it, it's as though being a gentleman for lack of a better term comes naturally to her. I take my seat and wait until she sits down in her own before thanking her. She just smiles and hands me a menu. I only take a moment to glance at it, already knowing what I'd like. Olivia seems to know what she'd like too as she's already looked over the menu and has set it down. Our server shows up and takes our full order, food and drinks before leaving us. We chat about the week briefly before moving away from work topics. Somehow we seem to get onto the topic of baseball and Olivia seems shocked that I've never been to a baseball game here in New York.
"How is that even possible Alex?"
"I don't know, no one I now has ever asked me to go to a game and I'm not going to take the day and go alone," I tell her as I shrug.
"Alex, it's America's favorite pastime," she says with a smile. I just shrug and watch as she pulls out her phone and starts poking the screen with her thumbs. I'm suddenly worried that she's going to have to leave and go into work. She pokes around on her phone for another moment before looking back up to me and smiling. "We're going to a game today."
"What?" I ask, slightly started by her statement, so she doesn't have to go to work?
"A baseball game Alex. The Yankees are playing today so we're going to go. I mean, well, do you want to? I know you said we'd have lunch and figure whatever else out but you know, maybe you had other plans... We don't have..."
"That would be great Olivia. My plans for the day we were to hang out with you. I just thought you were poking around on your phone because maybe you'd been sent some work stuff. I'd be happy to go to a game." I smile to reassure her.
"Oh, okay. You're sure?"
"I am."
"Okay," she says as our food arrives. "Well you better eat up Ms. Cabot because with baseball comes lots of beer."
With the smell of my food wafting to my nose I realize how hungry I am. "No need to tell me twice," I say before I dig in.
Olivia's POV
I watch for a moment as Alex digs into her meal. I was worried for a moment that my assumption that she'd still want to do something with me after lunch was wrong. But I'd been so excited when I realized there might be a game playing today so I'd taken a moment to check and confirm. Once I was sure of it, I got myself excited to take Alex to her first baseball game here in New York. I'm not a huge baseball fan but I am a small fan and to me there's something incredibly fun about going to a baseball game. I wanted to share that with Alex. I'm glad she said okay. Taking my own advice I dig into my food. It's just as good as I remember it being from last weekend.
We eat in silence not needing to fill the quiet. By the time we finish lunch it's nearly game time. Alex and I have a short argument over who should pay and eventually I give in knowing that I've already bought tickets for the game and there's no way she'll let me get away with buying everything today. We hop into a cab and I tell him to take us to the stadium. I'm so excited about taking Alex to the game that I absentmindedly grab her hand as though it's the most natural thing in the world for us. When I realize what I've done I apologize and go to pull my hand away, but she surprises me by closing her fist around mine and telling me it's okay. My heart soars when she looks at me and smiles before looking back to the window and watching the city fly by. I feel like it's the first time I've ever held someone's hand. I try to keep my heart rate at a reasonable level but holding onto Alex's hand is like holding onto a live wire. I couldn't slow my heart rate if my life depended on it. We arrive at the baseball stadium far too quickly for my liking and I reluctantly let go of her hand. Grabbing money from my pocket I pay the cabbie before she can argue with me and then gently nudge her to signal her to get out.
I lead the way to the ticket taker and flash him the electronic tickets on my phone. He quickly scans them and lets us through the gates. We enter the stadium into the usual game day insanity, I want to reach out and grab Alex's hand but somehow I doubt she'd be as comfortable as she was in the car. Instead I guide her with my hand on her back like I usually do in a crowd. I lead her to a concession stand and we order two beers and again get into a short small argument. I let her win this one on the condition that I buy the next round as I assure her there will be another round. We grab our drinks and make our way to our seats. I was lucky enough to find two last minute seats a few rows up near third base. As we take our seats I watch Alex take everything in. She's probably deny it if asked but she looks just like I expected. She has the same joy-filled face that some of the younger kids have who are seated near us. It's the same look of amazement and it's beautiful on her. As I look at her, it occurs to me how light she is, she's going to be a lobster at the end of the day if she's not careful. I excuse myself from her claiming to need the restroom though not before making sure she doesn't need it as well. When she responds in the negative I head off on my mission.
I'm not gone too long and the game has still yet to start when I return gift in hand. As I sit down next to her I pull the small gift I ran off to get from behind my back and place it on her head. She regards me with momentary shock before picking the hat off her head to inspect it. While I didn't have a ton of options I picked a hat that I thought would look cute on Alex. It's a simple Yankee blue hat with a very simple embroidered "NY" across the the front. Stitched into the back is a small "Yankees" in cursive writing. It's a fitted, "one size fits all hat" and I'm thrilled to find out it fit's Alex's head perfectly. After thoroughly inspecting it she looks at me and smiles.
"What's this for?"
"For you," I tell her as I take it and gently put it back on her head. "It's to keep the sun off your face and a small souvenir of your first baseball game."
She adjusts the hat before looking me directly in the eyes, "Thank you. It's a great souvenir but thank you for getting me something to protect my face." She leans in and hugs me over the armrest. I take the brief opportunity to revel in the feel of her in my arms, even if it is slightly awkward due to the armrest.
"You're welcome," I whisper into her ear. If she only knew the lengths I'd go to to protect every inch of her mind, body and soul.
As we release each other a young girl takes the field as the announcer tells us that she is from "Make-A-Wish" and has always wanted to sing the National Anthem. The entire stadium rises and listens as she makes her wish come true. I sneak a peek over at Alex as the song ends and I see her wiping away a tear and I too am touched by the little girl singing her heart out but also at the woman standing next to me. One would have to be blind to look at Alex and not see the passion pouring out of her eyes as she watches the little girl leave the field. The crowd continues to cheer the young girl on for a few seconds after she has left the field. Alex cheers along with them. After the cheering dies down the Yankees take the field. More cheering ensues. Alex however, is oblivious to what's going on on the field. She places her hand on my arm to grab my attention.
"Did you know that my family donates money to Make-A Wish?" she asks me.
"No."
"Well we do. I'd never been able to witness one of the wishes coming true. It was beautiful to watch it happen. I'm sure you didn't know that was going to happen but thank you regardless. Because you thought to bring me here I got to witness something good that my family is able to take part in. It was amazing. Thank you."
In a perfect world I'd kiss her, right here, right now. Not only does she look beautiful, she always does, but right now it's like I'm soaking up her emotions and I can't say much. I know if I kissed her she'd know what I wanted to convey but I can't so I place my hand atop hers and give it a quick squeeze before removing it and grabbing my beer.
We focus primarily on the game for the next few hours, at least I assume Alex did. It was hard to sit right next to her and not watch her. Everything was a first experience for her and it showed in her face, in the smiles she shared. The laughs she let out, the small cringes she made when someone leapt high in the air to catch a ball. And on a less baseball game related note it was hard to keep my eyes off her in that hat I bought her. I never would have guessed she's be so damned adorable in a baseball hat but she was. And the hat, with the blue, brought out her eyes even more than usual. Between her facial expressions and how cute she looked with her hat on I barely caught much of the game. I was lucky enough however, to be paying attention when a foul ball headed our way. It was as though the ball was hit directly to us. All I had to do was reach my arm up and pluck it out of the sky disappointing the little boy seated next to Alex. I looked at Alex and then to the little boy and as though I'd said something to her, she nodded answering my silent question. I reach across her and hand it to the little boy who received it with eyes wide. Unable to contain his excitement he leapt from his seat, over Alex's leg and right into my arm chanting thank you over and over again. Neither Alex nor I could help but laugh out loud at the little boy's reaction. His father finally convinced him to sit down so we could all continue watching the game and with one more thank you he was back in his seat inspecting his new ball like it was made of gold and showing it to his father explaining everything about the ball. I make eye contact with Alex and she just smiles and tells me she already has her souvenir. God, could this woman be any more perfect?
About an hour later the game has finally finished and we're pouring out of the stadium at a snail's pace with the rest of the crowd. As usual I'm guiding Alex through the crowd with my hand. When we finally make it outside the stadium I suggest we walk a few blocks away in the hopes of catching a cab rather than trying to catch one with fifty thousand of our best friends from the game. She agrees that it's a good idea and we walk down the street side by side.
"Olivia, I really had a wonderful time at the game. Thank you so much for suggesting it and taking me. I will most certainly remember my first baseball game. And should I happen to forget the National Anthem, or the little boy whose day you made, I'll always have my hat and I couldn't ever forget that you took me to my first game."
"I'm really happy you enjoyed yourself Alex. That's what summer's in this city is all about. I think sometime's with our jobs, we don't get to remember that too often, so I'm glad we could remember that together." I see an empty cab headed our way and so I raise my arm to signal them to stop. When they stop I open the door for Alex to get in first. "Can I see you home?" I ask her before getting into the cab with her.
"I'd like that," she tells me so I slide into the back with her. She quickly gives the driver her address.
Alex's POV
Today has been an amazing day. I never would have guessed this morning that my lunch with Olivia would turn into nearly an entire day or a baseball game. I wasn't lying to her when I told her I'd remember my first game. I'm not sure I'll ever forget it. I feel silly for being so excited but she bought me a hat. I'm sure I'm just excited because no one I've ever dated before would have ever thought to take my skin and the sun into consideration but she did.
Wait. Did I just say dated? I mean, she and I aren't dating though I suppose if I were with a guy this would have been a date. We did hold hands earlier, that was a shock to me. We'd just been riding along and I felt her hand on mine. She apologized almost as quickly as it happened and went to pull away but surprising even myself I closed my hand around hers and told her it was okay. It was such a simple thing but it made me feel warm and though it sounds cheesy, I felt soft and fuzzy inside. I was sad to let go of her when we got out of the cab but I'm hardly a hand holding type of girl to begin with much less with a woman and in plain view of everyone. So she guided me with her hand on my back like she usually does. Even in a huge crowd having her hand on my back made me feel safe, it's strange how she does that to me.
All day long Olivia did this wonderful things for me, the hat, protecting me in the crowds, sharing something with me, for me. As we ride in the cab I don't really want the day to end. I think of all the things that should be done today, or could be done today and contemplate what exactly I'd like to do about all that. Before I know it we've arrived at my apartment. I grab some money and hand it to the cab driver before looking at Olivia. Oh what the hell, my files aren't going anywhere.
"Want to come up and grab some dinner with me?" I ask.
"I don't want to intrude, I'm sure you have things to do," she says.
"There's always something to do, let me repay your kindness and at least feed you."
"Again?"
"A girl's gotta eat right?" I say with a wink.
"Good point," she says and moves to get out of the cab. Smiling to myself I follow her out of the cab and we head into my building. We give Larry a quick hello and a short summary of our day and the game before heading up to my apartment.
Once inside I tell her to make herself at home as I head to the kitchen to survey my provisions. She follows behind me and takes a place on a barstool.
"Beer?" I offer her.
"I might be a little beered out right now, I don't suppose I could just have a glass of water?" she asks.
"Absolutely," I say as I grab two bottles of water from the fridge. I pour one into a glass before setting it in front of her and then turn back to repeat the action for myself. I take a long drink not realizing until the water hits my throat exactly how parched I was. After guzzling nearly half the glass I turn back and open the fridge again. "I can do a light pasta dish with veggies and chicken," I tell her.
"Don't go out of your way Alex, I'm fine with anything you want."
"Well I'd probably be making this even if you weren't here so I suppose that means it's not out of my way at all."
"Okay, then that sounds perfect. Can I help you with anything?"
"Nope," I say as I start to pull things from the fridge. "You can keep me company though while I make it though if you'd like."
"Okay then."
And she does. As I chop the vegetables and set everything on the stove to cook she chats with me, telling me about the first baseball game she ever went to. Her grandfather took her when she was about 7. It was the first and only time she'd gone to a game with him as he died a few weeks after due to a heart attack but she remembered every detail about that day with him. It's a sweet story and without knowing it, she's shown me a completely different side of her, a very personal deep side. I don't say anything for fear of her stepping back and putting that wall back up but I'm honored she feels comfortable enough to share with me.
She barely finishes her story as the meal finishes. I plate two plates for us and take them to the bar setting one in front of Olivia and one in front of my own seat. We dig in and she compliments my cooking. I'm glad she likes it, I'd hate to have disappointed her. When we finish she offers to clean up telling me that the cook doesn't clean. She shoos me to the living room and I reluctantly let her. I sit back on the couch and turn the tv on. I flip around until I find some old Esther Williams movie. No one knows this about me but I'm a bit of an old musicals fan so I will happily watch pretty much any old musical.
"A musical huh?" I hear Olivia say as she enters the living room and sits on the couch next to me.
"Don't make fun of me," I warn her.
"I would never," she responds, "I just never thought of you as a musicals kind of girl."
"I'm sure there's lots of stuff about me you don't know."
"I would bet there is," she replies before focusing on the tv.
We both quietly watch the movie and when it ends we are informed by the tv host that it's an Esther Williams marathon. Olivia tells me she doesn't mind watching another and so we do. I must have fallen asleep during the movie because the next thing I realize is that the movie is over and somehow I'm curled up on the couch with my head lying on Olivia's shoulder and her arm is resting around my back cuddling me into her. I'm unable to fight the instinct to settle in even closer before dozing off again. When I wake up again I'm fitted nicely into Olivia's side and the clock on the cable box reads 11:48pm. I lift my head to look over to Olivia about to apologize for falling asleep on her when I see that she too is asleep. I carefully extract myself from her and sit up to turn the tv off. I lean over to Olivia and gently shake her.
"Olivia, wake up," I say quietly in an effort to not jar her awake. She makes a soft mutter before snuggling deeper into the sofa. "Olivia, come on wake up," I repeat.
"Comfy," she mutters.
"I know, but you won't be tomorrow, come on let's go." I shake her slightly harder and I see her eyes flutter open.
"Alex?"
"Hey, come on, bedtime," I tell her.
She takes a moment to process, "Oh, yeah, sorry, I better get going."
"No way, it's too late for you to go roaming around the city," I tell her. "You'll sleep here."
"Then why'd you wake me?" she asks.
"Because you're not sleeping on the couch."
"Where..."
"Come on, we'll share my bed. It's a California King, we'll each have our own time zones," I say with a smile.
"No I can sleep out here."
"Absolutely not," I tell her as I stand up. I extend my hand out to her, "let's go, I have something you can change into." And with that I grab her arm and drag her off the couch, with help from her of course.
When we get to the bedroom I head to my drawers and grab her a t-shirt and shorts before leading her to the bathroom. I dig through the drawers in the bathroom and pull out an unused, brand new toothbrush. I hand everything to her and tell her to change and use anything she needs in here. I close the door as I walk of out the bathroom and find myself something to sleep in. Usually I sleep in a pair of boy shorts but tonight a full outfit seems more appropriate. I find my own clothes and listen for Olivia, she's clearly brushing her teeth and so I take the moment to change into my night gear. A few minutes later Olivia exits the bathroom.
"Any particular side," she asks me.
"I generally sleep closest to the window, but whatever makes you most comfortable is fine with me," I tell her.
"Okay," she says as she climbs into the side furthest from the window.
"I'll be out in a few," I tell her as I close the bathroom door. Once my nightly routine is finished I step out of the bathroom and walk over to my side of the bed. Olivia is so quiet I'm sure she's fallen back asleep already. It isn't until I turn off the light and close my eyes do I hear a soft, "good night Alex" come from her side of the bed.
"Good night Olivia, thank you for today."
"Anytime," she mumbles before I hear her breathing slow. It isn't long before she's out like a light with me following quickly behind.