In Too Deep

(Chapter Twenty Six: A New Beginning)

Elliot spent most of the next day comforting Olivia through a hang over. They laid curled up in bed together as he watched television and she tried to sleep it off. Around noon Elliot slipped out from under her in the bed and moved into his kitchen to cook something for them to eat.

He had made her favorite pancakes, but the first couple of bites brought on nausea. Olivia settled for another glass of water and a handful of saltine crackers before she passed out once more. She laid with her forehead resting against Elliot's side and her face buried between him and the mattress.

Elliot looked down at her wearing nothing but a tee shirt and a pair of boxers. Her hair was all messy and she reeked of the bar. Still somehow, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Elliot wrapped his arm around her waist and raised her head a little to lay more comfortably against his chest. He reached down and pulled the blanket up around her more tucking it behind her in the bed. He watched her as she slept so peacefully in his arms.

Olivia moaned a little and stirred in his arms. Elliot gently kissed the top of her head and rubbed his hand in circles against her back above the tee shirt. She shivered only for a second as a chill ran through her body and goose bumps appeared over her skin. Elliot moved his hand up to cup the side of her face and brushed her hair back with his thumb. He placed a soft kiss against her forehead as Olivia drew her arms in against her chest and curled into him again. Elliot closed his arms around her as he felt her forehead nestle in against the side of his neck. Over these last few months of sleeping alone, he had forgotten how wonderful it felt to hold her.

A few hours later Elliot turned out the lights for the night. Olivia had successfully slept through the entire day. But if that kept her from feeling sick, then Elliot was okay with it. Besides, his day had turned out pretty wonderful as well. He had gotten to spend the entire day in bed holding the woman he loved. Not bad, he thought. Not bad at all.

Elliot awoke a few hours later as he felt her climb back into the bed beside him. She must have gotten up to use the bathroom, he thought as he rolled over and raised his arm for her to slip back under.

"Everything okay?" He asked looking at her in the dark.

"Yes," she replied softly. "I went to pee and get some water."

"Oh," he said with a smile.

"Hey, you asked."

Olivia laid across his chest and stared up at him.

Elliot reached down and twisted a strand of her hair in his fingers as Olivia smiled at him.

"How do you feel?"

"Much better, now."

"Good. I hate seeing you sick."

She smiled again as she laid her head down on his chest and looked up at him.

"Yes, but I slept all day and now I can't sleep."

"Oh. Well, we could do something else."

Olivia smiled at him resisting a chuckle as Elliot handed her the remote control.

"Dirty mind," he said with a smile.

Olivia laughed softly and pulled the remote from his hand.

"Wishful thinking," she remarked shooting a playful glare over her shoulder at him as she changed the channels in the dark.

"Give me that," he said tackling her for the remote control.

Olivia laughed and smiled and Elliot kissed her. He pulled back and stared into her eyes for a moment. She laid back against the pillow on her side of the bed and cocked her head to stare at him. Elliot exhaled and sunk into his pillow as he returned his attention to the television and continued to flip through the channels.

"I was thinking we could pick out a movie on pay per view," he said quickly changing the subject.

"Sure," she said softly unsure of what exactly had just happened between them.

They picked out a movie and laid in bed watching it together. Elliot made popcorn and after about an hour Olivia had curled back into him and fallen asleep once more.

The next morning Elliot fixed them breakfast. They sat down together and enjoyed their meal at the kitchen table then Olivia gathered her things to head home. It was around noon and she was beginning to wonder if her had decided against asking her out all together.

"Thank you," she said softly pulling her purse strap over her shoulder.

"No problem. But next time, it might be a good idea to lay off the tequila."

Olivia laughed.

"Yeah. I don't drink it much."

She leaned against the wall and stared into the cool blue eyes in front of her aching for him to lean forward and press his mouth to hers. Her breaths were deep and sharp and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest so hard she was sure he could hear it from where he stood.

"I should go," she said after several long moments of awkward moments of silence.

"Olivia," he started as she stopped and looked up at him. "I'm glad that…..I mean I….I…." she just stared at him. Spit it out Elliot, he thought to himself. "I missed you," he said softly/

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

She smiled a warm smile and her eyes lit up.

"I missed you too, El. I missed us."

"I was thinking, maybe if you were not too busy later…..maybe I could take you to dinner."

She smiled again.

"I'd like that."

"I was thinking, I could make a reservation for someplace nice. We could dress up and have a little dinner and maybe do a little dancing. Someplace romantic and quiet. And just spend a little quality time with my girlfriend."

She smiled and laughed a little as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Really?"

"Well yes, assuming that you still want to spend your time with a jerk like me."

"There is no one else I would rather spend my time with, Elliot. And you are not always a jerk."

"No, but I have been lately and I am sorry. I miss you and I do love you, very much. I want us to start over and I promise you that I am going to do better this time. Because this time I am not going to let you go."

"Good. Because there will not be a next time. I want this Elliot and I want it with you. But I cant keep standing here and letting you break my heart the way that you do. I need something real, something I can count on, someone I can depend on. I want that to be you, but if it isn't, then I need to move on. I am giving you everything that I have. All of my faith and all of my love. My heart is in the palm of your hand. But if you break it again, I don't think I could mend it anymore."

"I love you Olivia. And I want to take this chance and prove it to you. This thing between us is real. And I don't want to screw things up and lose you again."

"I love you too," she said softly as she leaned in and kissed him.

Elliot pressed his forehead to hers and stared into her eyes.

"Then I will pick you up around eight?"

"Make it seven," she said with a smile, "we both have to work in the morning."

"Okay, then I will pick you up at seven. Liv, you wont regret this, I promise."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

"I'll see you tonight," she said softly.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile and she walked out the door.