Barba.
He's here, sitting on the stool beside mine, staring at me with an expression I'm either too tired or too drunk to decipher.
I've only had one glass of scotch, and already, I feel drunk off my ass. I'd normally need at least three glasses to reach this level of intoxication, but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised with this outcome. After all, my body is running on no sleep, no food, and a ridiculous amount of precinct coffee. Clearly, I'm not the invincible woman I would've hoped to be.
Maybe that explains the fleeting giggle that escapes my mouth.
"More like rough few weeks," I say, releasing a heavy sigh. Suddenly, I'm not finding the humor in this situation - though, I don't think I really did to begin with. Shaking my head, I meet his probing gaze - once mine regains focus, that is. "What about you? What brings our favorite ADA to this bar at," I glance at my watch, "something-o'clock at night."
"I'm your favorite ADA?"
"Are you deflecting?" I narrow my eyes.
He smirks. "Are you?"
"No." I blink. "You're the ADA for SVU. I'm a detective for SVU. That means you're my ADA, which makes you my favorite - for now, anyway," I mutter the last few words to myself.
Apparently, I wasn't as quiet as I thought.
"For now?" He quirks a brow. "Already planning your next transfer?"
The lightness of his tone indicates he's joking, but his question - regardless of whether it was in jest - hits a little too close to home.
"Nope." I look away, playing with my empty glass. "Just letting you know I'm not an easy girl to pin down."
"I didn't think you were."
Our eyes lock, and once again, I'm not sure what it is exactly that passes between us.
"Well, I should get going," I say, breaking our silent connection.
Are my words slurring?
"I should, too."
Nodding, I slide off my stool.
Bad mistake.
The room tilts and spins, and I would've fallen flat on my face if it weren't for the strong grip around my arms holding me up straight.
At least, I think this is me standing up straight.
"Ellie? Are you alright?"
Vaguely, I hear Barba ask the bartender how many drinks I've had. I'm about to answer for myself, but before I can utter a single word, my jaw goes slack, my eyes close shut, and the world fades to a darkness I didn't know I missed.
A/N: OMG. Update post hiatus! It's fairly short, but short is better than nothing (I hope)!
Truly, this chapter is 100% thanks to those who left a comment after my little writer's contemplation. Seriously, thank you guys. I truly appreciate your comments/opinions/feedback/reviews.