Addressing a few things...

I was asked why I changed the title: because when I first wrote this It was going to be a one shot of the friendship between Liv and Melinda but the thoughts I had on Elliot coming back made me feel sad for Liv; most of those around her who she wasnt halfway as close to now know her better than Elliot did. It got a song stuck in my head called "I Dont Know You Anymore" by Savage Garden which kind of relates to that situation if you are interested in listening.

Also, a few little niggly "not-so-nice"comments so; if you are an EO shipper that's great, I am too. I like to imagine different scenarios with different characters as people in general are multi-faceted so I like to my fictional characters. This is an EO returns type story, but my story is developing as I go and its not immediately obvious how he will be woven in to it. There are thousands (literally) of Elliot stories where it hits the ground running, so, I don't feel bad about this being a slow burn.

Aside from that, thank you guys for leaving such amazing comments! I wish FF allowed me to reply without DMing you all.. its really encouraging, you're all the best :)

Olivia figured she'd want some time to herself to rest for half an hour and then dress herself up a little nicer than she felt in her jeans and t-shirt. She wanted to at least put some make up on and give Trevor an idea of how she scrubbed up. So far he'd seen her casually without much make up and with zero attention to what she had thrown on, clothes-wise.

As they drew close to the hotel, Olivia told him she'd changed her mind, that she'd check in on her own and then catch an Uber to his hotel once she was settled in. He'd been put out, thinking she was going to back out of their plans, as though she scared herself in to having a change of heart.

She realized as he got her luggage out of the taxi for her, that he was a bit put-out but she wasn't sure exactly how to address it. She wasn't even sure how to refer to their later encounter, she wasn't great at that type of thing.

Awkwardly she just smiled and thanked him and told him she'd see him shortly, but as he drove off in the passenger seat, the smile was gone from his face and it made her feel terrible.

Once inside the lobby, she picked up her phone and texted him, too shy to tell him that she was looking forward to their date in person. "I just needed some time to get changed and shower and find something a little more appealing to put on than jeans and a t-shirt… but, I'm really looking forward to hanging out with you tonight. Is it going to be casual or should I find one of my tie-dyed potato sacks to wear?"

She pressed send and put her phone down on the check-in desk. She greeted the younger-ish female concierge and gave her the hotel reservation and credit card over for a security deposit.

Olivia instantly received a message on her phone and smiled to herself as she opened it up.

"I didn't realize your hotel issued you formal-wear as well… ha ha. Well since we've established that this is, in fact, a date of sorts, I will show you to some really great little places. Wear something comfortable, it'll be smart-casual, how's that?"

Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed. The concierge looked at her with amusement.

"Smart-casual," she said to small woman with an accent who had just given her a security key for the door. "What does that even mean when someone tells you to dress smart-casual?"

The woman laughed. "Hmm, it's kind of open to interpretation, isn't it? I think it means something cute but not overly formal?" she offered as her own take on it.

"Hmmm… men are so mysterious aren't they?" she asked sarcastically. Both of the women laughed. Olivia thanked her and made her way past the lobby to the lift. It wasn't a bad hotel, for all of their joking, it was quite nice but fairly standard.

She was happy with it.

She put her bags down and immediately got her things out to hang up so that her outfit for the conference didn't get crumpled. She picked up her phone and called Lucy, hitting speaker while she moved around the room.

She pulled out all of her clothes and surveyed them carefully, looking for something that would be suitable to wear while she had an update on Noah.

"Oh!" she said outloud, interrupting Lucy's story about Noah's dinnertime antics. "Sorry," she said quickly, "I just found something I was looking for – so how long did he carry on with that?" she asked.

"Oh not too long, he's been really good and he's so excited about the art show."

Olivia smiled as she took the leather pencil skirt from her suit case and found a t-shirt that she bought from the time she saw The Book of Mormon for the 85th time. She wondered if that would fit the smart-casual brief.

She finished off her conversation with Lucy and spoke with Fin – everything was fine back at the precinct.

She found a pair of black heels that she was planning on wearing all day at the conference, but she figured since she had brought a pair of wide-leg pants, she could put it with her ankle boots with them instead.

She retrieved her make up bag from her over-night bag that Trevor had carried for her and headed in to the bathroom to figure out how she wanted to look.

Trevor paced his hotel room, hating that he was so nervous all of a sudden. He held his phone in his hand poised to make a phone call. "Fuck it," he muttered, hitting the call button and bringing the speaker to his ear.

"Hey…" a familiar voice picked up. "How are you going?"

"Hi Len…" his voice trailed off. She instantly knew something was going on, in all their years of being together and their subsequent friendship post-marriage, Helena knew when he was off.

"Hi honey, what's wrong?" she asked. She knew her ex-husband to be a sensitive soul, prone to anxiety in new situations and at times he didn't cope well with change. She knew his recent promotion was making him more tense than usual.

He chuckled immediately at his predictability. "I need some advice…" he murmured, "do you have five minutes." He knew his ex could sense his vibe and was thankful that she didn't ever try to fob him off. It was the one plus of their failed marriage; the friendship that endured.

She laughed, "Of course, what is it?"

He sat down on the California King Size bed in the middle of the sparse room. His clothes were strewn all over the place and he was about to refold them all after he found the right outfit.

"I may have met someone-"

"OooooOooh," she teased, "who is it? Tell me everything!"

"Len," he warned her, "let me finish."

"Okay, okay…" she laughed, "sorry, right," she cleared her throat, smiling with excitement for him. He definitely deserved to be happy. "Right so you met someone, what's the problem?"

"I asked her on a date tonight and she agreed and I got back here to my hotel and I've lost my nerve—I'm not this person, I'm never a nervous or a self-conscious person," he ranted. "I like her but I really don't like this feeling!"

Helena laughed for a moment and then gave a resolute sigh, "Trev, I think you got the late edition, honey, you are a nervous person but you hide it well. And you are nervous about her because you like her and you don't want to mess it up. Is she from Chicago?"

"No," he answered, "I know her through work and I've helped her out with some stuff, actually we've known each other for 18 years but… I guess we never looked each other's way like that and we just kind of hit it off yesterday and I want to know more and see her more…"

"Do I know her?" Helena asked, dubious. A strange sense of being put out fell over her.

"Maybe, but she's always thought I was the scum of the earth for being a public defender and I think I changed her mind."

"Wouldn't be hard to do that, you're a good person, Trevor," she told him sincerely, "and just don't let this woman be cruel to you… I'll get protective."

He didn't register her joke for the anxiety that he felt, "she's not, she's a good person too, probably even too good for me," he remarked honestly, "but I'm just so nervous, trying to pick out what to wear…"

"Okay honey, where are you taking her and what are your choices?" Helena replied, figuring that it was just best to try to get him through the motions, the way she did when they were married.

"So I'm thinking for deep dish pizza at Al's or if she doesn't like pizza there's Big Bird fried Chicken which is the best fried chicken in the nation," he said, "and then we can go to a cute little low-lit Jazz club on Broadway avenue and have some drinks and dessert."

"Sounds romantic," Helena replied, "I think she'll love it. Are you planning on bring her back to your room or…?"

He laughed at the thought despite how easy it was and how non-stressful it was to have had her in his bed the night before. He decided to keep that to himself, "I dunno about that, it's been a long time Helena, there's only been one woman since you," he thought about it as he corrected himself, "it's probably not the right thing to do for a first real date…"

She laughed again, "You need to just calm down, sleeping with someone on the first date doesn't mean you can't have a second date. Not every relationship has to move at the glacial speed ours did… each relationship has its own timeline, just keep that in mind and do what feels right for the both of you."

"Thanks Len, I appreciate it…" he sighed, "it's nice to be able to talk to you about stuff like this, you're a good woman for putting up with my shit."

She smiled to herself, "You're a good man, don't sell yourself short. Go and have a fantastic night."

Trevor had just finished putting away all of his things and set up his hotel room for the night when Olivia arrived.

He was a meticulous man in some ways. He liked things to look neat and tidy and paid a lot of attention to detail and spent a lot of time preparing and organizing for different situations; it was probably his biggest cause of anxiety.

Law school hadn't been easy and he was told from early on that if he continued to underprepare and procrastinate, he would fail miserably; it came after he failed a prominent exam that almost set the tone for whether or not he would be able to continue at Harvard.

Thankfully, he'd had a kind mentor who went to bat for him and as a result he sometimes had to work hard to fight his way back up to the high marks that came so easily to him when he put in effort.

From that experience, he'd developed a a constant state of anxiety about not being ready for something that he had no control over. There were certain times where the anxiety fell away and he was a lot better at batting it away than when he was younger, but it was still there niggling at him as he looked around to make sure everything looked nice and neat. He didn't want Olivia to think he was sloppy or messy; he hated the stereotype that men were messy and not domesticated around the house.

He opened the door to find her standing before him in the doorway looking a sight. He didn't mean to be so brazen but his eyes fell over her shamelessly. She looked hot. He'd never seen her outside of her office attire, some days her outfits were nicer than others but mostly it was just general smart-professional.

She stood before him in a pencil skirt that fell just below her knees with a Broadway musical t-shirt tucked in to it accentuating the natural curves of her body and showing off her lightly tanned and shapely legs.

"Wow…" he murmured with a smile. Her hair was pulled in to a half-up-do and held together at the back of her head with a clip. Her make up masked those beautiful freckles he'd seen smattered ever-so-lightly upon her cheeks earlier that morning but he didn't mind. Her deep brown eyes popped with just a little bit of smokiness upon her eyelids, finished off with some mascara.

"Wow yourself," she smiled, a little embarrassed. She could barely concentrate on much as she became engulfed by the scent of his masculine cologne. There were notes of spice and some subtle woodsy scents. His attractive smell was incredibly enticing to her.

Then, she noticed how cool and effortlessly casual he looked. Yet, still dressed nicely enough to be invited in to an upscale restaurant.

He was wearing a pair of jeans which she thought may have been the ones he'd had on earlier, this time he wore a plain white v-neck t-shirt under a navy blue sports jacket. He was wearing his glasses too, the clear frames just adding a little something sexy to that chiseled, handsome face of his.

"You look … really beautiful," he told her bluntly; the words fell out of his mouth and he realized he was staring. "I'm sorry," he caught himself, "come in…"

"Thank you," she said, a little embarrassed by the way he had been drinking her in with his eyes.

"Did you uh…." he tried to collect his thoughts but it was hard to think when he saw her from behind. He loved her curves, her thick thighs and her round backside. "Did you speak to Lucy?" he asked, having met Noah's nanny a few times for adoption related check-ins."

"Yeah, everything is fine but I might get a call from Noah after dinner, just to warn you."

"Of course, I actually have to call Eloise at 6 before she goes to bed. I've set an alarm on my phone so that I remember," he smiled, trying to calm himself down.

"So, nice room…" Olivia looked around, "you're like me, unpacked for two nights like you're going to be living here for a month," she flashed him a smile. She went over to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out, "your view is far better than mine."

"It is, isn't it…" he couldn't help but to remark slyly, letting his eyes linger over her. She didn't get his joke immediately but as she peeled her eyes away from the late afternoon skyline, she realized he was talking about her.

"Stop it," she said, wrinkling her nose, but really she loved the attention he was giving to her. He took a step closer to her and reached for her hand. He towered over her, bowing down to look directly in to her face. She felt herself quiet inside for a moment as she looked up at him, holding his gaze as he drew as close to her as he could without their bodies touching.

She wondered if he was going to kiss her but he didn't make any advance to do so. "Are you ready to go?" he wondered, his voice low, almost as if their proximity had intoxicated him; at least that's what had happened to her. Her head began to get a little foggy and she felt butterflies in her tummy – a feeling she had long forgotten with many years since she'd felt so instantly attracted to someone.

She'd thought the previous night that it'd just been physical, but after their banter and his morning conversation, she was more convinced that he was more like her than she could have imagined. Now there was pressure, she thought with a little trepidation.

She nodded, "yeah… let's go…"

A smile tugged his lip upwards and he pulled himself away from her, breaking their intense gaze; the spell was over but the chemistry between them felt electric. Olivia was happy that she'd brought nicer underwear with her. She didn't know why, she hadn't expected a chance encounter but after being caught off-guard by period underwear once, she'd always resolved to ensure she had a nice set of panties with her.

"You smell good, did I say that already? Forgive me if I did…"

Olivia laughed, "no but I was actually thinking you smell good too."

"Are you kidding?" he laughed with her, "you smell like a frigging meadow."

They both were able to dispel some of the tension in the air with their laughter.

Trevor loved her smile especially when she found something very funny, her laughter was loud and came from the joyous part of her heart that he could tell that she shared only with those of whom she considered close to her.

Trevor grabbed his wallet and his phone and waited for Olivia to join him as they went straight back out in to the hallway.

"So where are we headed?" Liv asked curiously as they walked toward the lift together side-by-side with an air of awkwardness between them. Perhaps it was just with her, and all in her head. He seemed at ease with her and even more importantly, at ease with himself.

Trevor hit the down button and waited with her, "well, it totally depends on what you're in to – I can take you to my favorite Chicago deep dish pizza place, I know a great fried chicken place or… if that's a little too casual for you, there's a great little Italian restaurant, but its on the finer dining side – it's ladies choice."

"Am I too dressed up for pizza and beer?" she wondered, looking down, almost regretful of her clothing choices. Maybe she should have gone with the jeans instead? She wondered if she looked stupid, fuck, she thought, her hands were tingling with nerves.

He couldn't help but to let his eyes sweep over her again, giving her another once over. "No," he shook his head, "not at all… you look great." He could tell she was nervous and self-aware and he felt a little relieved that it wasn't just him. It was enough to allow him the ability to relax slightly.

"Cool, I'm not really a fine-dining type of woman, I like pizza and beer – is that a little trashy?" she asked, as if she knew she shouldn't have said admitted it out loud.

Trevor laughed as the doors dinged and they opened to let them on. "I think it's hot," he replied with honesty as the elevator doors closed behind them.

She tried not to look at herself in the mirror of the lift but she couldn't help it. He stared awkwardly at his feet as she let herself admire his broad frame and just how much he towered over her even with her heels on. "You really are so tall…" she remarked slowly.

He turned to her beside him and gave a half-amused shrug. "I'm sorry…"

"No, it's fine…" she replied, "I like your size, I'm tall for a woman, it's nice to meet a guy who still dwarfs me in size. It's…." she almost said the word sexy but she stifled it, "speaking of hot," she quipped.

Trevor's hand found hers and she was totally at ease with him threading his fingers through hers. She gave his hand a squeeze. He squeezed back. It seemed to already have become a silent way of communicating feelings that they weren't sure about saying out loud.

They got to the ground floor and he didn't let go.

Olivia loved how chivalrous he was. He checked to make sure she was happy to walk and hailed a cab for them when she was starting to get a little flustered with the walking. She tried to bat it away, but she was anxious about sweating off her make up or messing up her hair and the heels weren't exactly good for the exercise.

She was grateful when he pulled rank, insisting on getting a cab. He slid in first and reaching out to help Liv get in as gracefully as possible. Trevor gave the directions to the driver as they headed to Al's Pizza.

"Oh my goodness," Olivia laughed when their pizza arrived on the table. "This does not look healthy. This is going straight to my ass…"

Trevor raised an eyebrow, "don't be silly, you're beautiful and one Chicago deep dish isn't going to change that."

Before she could say another word or even thank him for his blunt compliment, he picked up his beer to make a toast. "Cheers Olivia, to us for going out on a date rather than killing each other over our preconceived ideas."

A smile spread across her lips as she lifted her beer bottle and clinked it with his. "Cheers…" she repeated. "I hope you know this is my first date since … maybe two years."

"Since Ed Tucker?"

She made a face and laughed. "Yeah…"

"Oh wow, so you must have been really gettin' kinda desperate, right?" he teased her. She loved it when he teased her, he didn't seem to worry that she could get offended and she appreciated his humor.

"Yeah, that's why I was like, oh my goodness are you asking me out on a date, girl gotta eat, you know?" she retorted, amused.

He started to laugh and nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "To be honest, I was wondering what a gal like you would be doing with me, the cold, black-heart of the law department."

Olivia shrugged and took a sip of her own, "Black-heart? Nah, I've heard you get called worse than that…evil creature of the night, maybe an evil vampire? "

"And that was only just what you called me…" he joked, taking control and breaking the slices of the pizza apart.

They both laughed together. "Excuse my fingers…" he said, serving a slice on to her plate. He took the other for himself and popped his thumb in to his mouth, biting off a piece of sticky cheese. Olivia watched him, daunted by how sexy he looked.

She hadn't expected it; she hadn't expected him to be so loose and casual. He had always seemed so uptight and serious and here he was, drinking beer, wearing jeans and a sports jacket and … those fucking glasses, she thought, exhausted by what they were doing to her hormones.

She looked down at the pizza and wasn't sure she wasn't going to spill it, but she just decided to do as he did. "I miss Chicago…" he remarked, taking his first bite with great abandon, washing the mouthful down with his beer.

He glanced at her and realized she was hesitating. "Don't be scared of it, Liv, it's just pizza, jump right in….enjoy it."

She chuckled and took a bite, a little more gingerly than he had. "There you go…" he encouraged her. She was laughing, feeling silly and scared of being covered in marinara sauce. "Good?" he questioned as she swallowed her first bite.

"So good!" she agreed.

He took another bite of his slice and held his hand up his free hand above his shoulder, the hand that was least covered in grease and marinara sauce. It was suspended in mid-air as if he was about to raise it to ask a question.

She chuckled again, realizing he wanted to hi-five her.

She obliged him, hi-fiving his hand weakly with a big smile on her face.

"Jeez, I thought you were gonna just leave me hanging," he chuckled. "This is the shit…" he told her, "hot girl, good beer and even better pizza," he laughed in spite of himself.

She loved how unintentionally complimentary he was, how he continued to flood her with flattery. It made her feel so good inside and so confident, far more confident than she had been when she left her hotel.

She'd been unsure of herself and didn't feel as good in her outfit when she left the hotel as she did now that she was sitting with him and he continued to tell her how good she looked not only with his words, but also with his eyes.

"You're really sweet… this is great, everything a date should be…"

"I'd grab your hand," he told her, "but my fingers are greasy, sorry."

She found herself laughing at him. She didn't care that he was just swallowing a mouthful, she leaned over and waited for him to get the hint. He met her halfway. She pressed her lips against his just briefly, long enough to feel the reverberations of him chuckling, closed mouthed.

She drew away and went back to her beer.

He let out a content sigh. "I was really nervous about tonight," he admitted, wiping his hands on a napkin before going for a drink. "I haven't been out properly with anyone for so long…"

"I'm glad you said that," she told him, with a nod, "cos I was really starting to second guess myself…"

He smiled. "Why? You have absolutely no reason to be worried, look at you," he motioned toward her with his hand before pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "You are confident, successful, charming and so beautiful… men find that so sexy!"

She laughed bashfully. "You are wrong though," she challenged him, "Men very do not find success and confidence sexy, let me assure you of that, Trevor…" she nursed her beer in both of her hands, leaning her elbows on the tabletop, closer toward him.

"Well… maybe I should rephrase, confident men who are at ease with themselves find successful and confident women sexy."

"Thanks… nice to know there is still some of you out there…" she remarked, thankful for his honesty.

He rested his arms on the table too. "Do you think maybe your job just makes it hard to allow yourself to be vulnerable around other people? Because while I find everything I said to be incredibly sexy, I find it equally sexy when women are cool to let men be men in a traditional sense…"

"You mean like, you wanna go hunt for dinner while your other half is in the kitchen making her man a sandwich?" she asked, her eyes showing a playful glint; he knew she was just kidding.

"No, I just mean, letting me carry your bags, springing for dinner, taking you out and being a person who can make you feel comfortable enough to go to when something is wrong instead of holding it inside…"

She was thoughtful now. "I guess a lot of women feel like they can't accept that without feeling like we are indebt to a man, it makes it easier for them to guilt us or accuse us of stupid things," she replied thoughtfully. "Me personally though?… it's not just my job, I've got a situation at the moment and I dunno how I feel about it and it's not something that's happened but it's going to happen…"

Trevor noticed she had averted her eyes and he felt his stomach lurch. "Elliot…" his voice trailed off.

Her eyes widened in shock as they met with his. "H-h-how do you know that?" she stammered, he could almost immediately see her wall going up.

"I thought it was common knowledge," Trevor replied, trying not to be irate that Elliot's name alone was enough to set the tone.

"To everyone but me," she resolved, looking away again, back to her beer.

He was surprised that she didn't know, that she hadn't spoken to him yet. "So wait, you had no idea about him coming back?" he wondered.

"Not until a week ago, Melinda Warner had the courtesy of letting me know so I didn't look foolish when it happened and no one had bothered to let me in on the alleged secret," she admitted.

"I'm really sorry that happened, must be a pretty shitty shock to find out they all kept it from you," he replied thoughtfully. She was thankful that he didn't automatically get weird and defensive about her ex-partner like all of the other men in her life had.

"It's okay," she shrugged, "I know they were trying to protect me, but… it's a bit of a kick in the gut."

"So, is there something there? Some unfinished business or…?" he wanted to know, "is that why they're worried about you knowing?"

Olivia shrugged but eventually shook her head. "I don't think so… you know how the first person you fall in love with will always hurt and despite the fact that you've moved on, hearing about them still… hits different."

He nodded, listening, serious and attentive. He wondered if she was telling him because Elliot was a contender for her heart too.

"I dunno, I guess I was never really let down by anyone punctuating the end of whatever it was that was between us, he just left and I think that is what I never got over."

He felt for her, he knew it probably accounted for her inability to let anyone penetrate the surface of getting to know her. "I couldn't imagine falling in love with someone and being so close to them for so long and then having them do something like that," Trevor reflected, "that must have been a really hard time."

"Yeah but I got through it thanks to Fin and Melinda and I'm kinda just angry that he's gonna waltz on in again like nothing happened. I just don't think its forgivable, but at the same time, I want closure."

"I get it," he said softly. He watched her set her beer down and look up at him. He gave her a weak smile.

"How's that for being vulnerable? I just told you how I felt about something that I've never really shared with anyone…"

Trevor smiled at her, "Still a little bit sexy," he gave her a wink. He reached for her hand that loosely touched the base of her beer bottle, "but listen," he started, "I'm not about standing in someone's way, if you feel another kind of way for Elliot, it's totally fine, no hard feelings."

"No," she said firmly, hating that she killed the vibe, "no, no, no, Elliot isn't going to steal this date from me," she smiled at him, "he doesn't get to make me feel the same way he did when I was in my baby detective years… I want to be here with you, quite frankly you know me better than Elliot does, and you are who I'm happy hanging out with."

She felt that her own words were honest but she felt a tiny mustard seed of doubt that she would feel that way when she saw Elliot's face again.

She reminded herself of Melinda's mantra again. Don't overthink it, Liv.

Olivia finished off her beer and set down the empty bottle.

"I'm glad to hear that, you were making me kind of nervous again but in a different way…" he flashed her a smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to kill the vibe. Watch you run for the check…" she laughed.

"Nah, not my style, I'd say I was going to use the bathroom and I'd run out the door, the check would be all yours…" she pushed him as they both laughed together.

"Afterwards," he began, "if you're up for it, there's a cool little moody jazz club that I'd love to take you to. We can have a drink or two and I'm pretty sure they serve dessert."

"Sounds good," Olivia smiled at him.

She loved the feel of his hand on the small of her back as he gently guided her toward the small red, velour couch that was in the corner of the very dimly lit room. The lighting had an orange-ish glow to it and a jazz band played at the stage, setting a romantic mood. Olivia was very aware of herself and her feelings as they were seated.

She half-expected him to sit opposite her in an armchair, but he didn't he sat beside her closely. Their legs touched and he smiled and thanked the server after enquiring about a dessert and drink menu.

Trevor sat so close to Olivia that he kept getting treated to wafts of her perfume. It smelled expensive and sexy – he wondered if it was her signature scent and couldn't help but hope that he'd find out.

"What do you feel like to drink?" he asked her after a menu was dropped off to them.

"Something strong to kill my marinara breath," she chuckled.

He smiled, "I've got marinara breath too, it's fine," he replied.

"It's also garlick-y," she added with a playful smile, "the sauce was just too full of flavor," she replied, looking at him. Her eyes searched the lines of his face, noticing how the lines became deeper when his smile got larger, reaching his beautiful pale blue eyes.

"Mmmm…." his voice was low and his eyes held her gaze. "Your breath is probably something I'll have to decide as to whether or not I'm willing to put up with it…" he said slowly and quietly.

"Yeah?" she challenged him, "I'm trying to throw you a lifeline here, like, you don't have to kiss me on this date if you don't want to…" she told him, her voice getting lower as her eyes lingered over his lips, showing him that she really wanted to feel them against hers; probably other places too.

"Oh yeah," he nodded, a playful smile dancing its way across his mouth, "kissing you would be the worst, thanks for not making it an obligation, it's been on my mind…how to get out of it…" he added, their mouths getting closer and closer. He reached up, taking her cheek in his large palm, their foreheads almost touching as his words were spoken almost against her lips.

Olivia's heart was pounding so hard, forcing herself not to make the first move; she wanted Trevor to do it, she wanted his arms around her and she wanted him to kiss her the way he had the night before – with gentleness but also with passion and urgency.

She tried to calm her breathing but as he turned his body more toward her, he rested his free hand on her knee over the top of the material of her skirt. Slight skin-to-skin contact alighted her senses as his last few fingers grazed her thigh at the hem.

"I think you better just kiss me... fuck the garlic breath."

He chuckled, "better not, nothing worse than garlic… didn't you call me a vampire before?" he reminded her in a way that was teasing but also incredibly sexy. The way his eyes were all over face, his hand holding her cheek, stroking the soft area of skin with his finger tips just behind her ear.

"I didn't mean it, I meant to say you are the sexiest new addition to the DA's office." she said softly.

He took the cue and knew exactly when to stop joking.

His hand at her knee slid just slightly up the inside of her thigh, making her shiver. He pressed his mouth against hers and kissed her softly and lingeringly.

He broke it just for a moment but then leaned back in again, parting his mouth slightly. His hand glided to her nape and further into the baby hairs at the back of her neck, grazing his fingers against her skin. Her back arched with pleasure ever-so-slightly; but it the motion wasn't lost on him.

Goosebumps rose to the surface of her skin. She felt the tip of his tongue taste hers and his hand at her knee rise a little further up, giving the flesh just above it a little squeeze. She almost moaned in to his mouth.

It had been a long time, she thought. She encircled an arm beneath his, placing her hand on his strong, broad back, drawing him closer. He continued to kiss her softly and passionately, his tongue against hers, not giving too much, just knowing the right amount of pressure without any of the saliva.

He was good, she thought, but she knew that from the previous night. It flashed through her head, how his hands had been on her breasts and his mouth had covered her skin and she'd been unsure and self-conscious and worried about how he might think of her body, but this time she was sure.

This time she felt confident that he liked her and wasn't second guessing a thing.

He closed his lips, breaking their kiss ever-so-slowly as if he didn't want it to end. He was reluctant but satisfied as he saw her eyes remained closed. He couldn't help himself, he let his lips meet hers for another lingering, moist kiss before finalizing it, drawing away with a little grin.

Trevor watched her eyes open almost regretfully.

"You are … something else, Olivia Benson…" he told her breathing out.

She smiled, her arm still around him. Her head was cloudy with feeling and probably lust and headiness, something that had been a very long time coming.

She loved the way he smiled at her adoringly, she couldn't remember a time anyone had looked at her that way.

She slipped her hand down to his waist as he kissed her shamelessly one more time.

She chuckled against his mouth, feeling the tension slowly leave her body. That was the kiss she had been thinking about before she left her hotel, the kind of kiss she wanted to have.

"It's been awhile since I've liked someone enough to want to put on a public display of affection," he informed her adjusting his glasses, his hand leaving her knee.

"You like me, Mr Langan?" she asked, a little impish smile forming.

He chuckled and shrugged, "you're okay I guess…"

She shoved him in the chest, "That's cool, I don't like you that much. You're actually the worst," she told him.

"I know, I know… I'm basically Lucifer… the fallen angel."

"Oh please," she laughed, "as if you were ever any kind of angel."

He just smiled at her and there was a tiny part of her that felt guilty for her harshness, wondering if it really did get to him.

He didn't mind though, he loved their playful banter. He knew if she meant it, she wouldn't be with him, they would have had sex the night before and she wouldn't have stuck around afterwards.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, still not averting his eyes from hers.

She said nothing and removed her arm from around him and picked up the laminated menu from the low table before them. They held it together, both surveying the drinks. "I'm going to get the Old Fashioned…" he announced, "what can I get you?"

"You paid for dinner, let me pay for drinks," she offered.

"Absolutely not. Remember… I'm the guy that's in to being a traditionalist," he reminded her, "now please let me buy you a drink…"

Olivia smiled, "Okay, I'll have the Manhattan, just because it's commercial," she winked at him.

"Would you like a dessert?" he wondered, turning the menu over to the back.

She shook her head, "not right now…" her voice trailed off. He wondered if there was some meaning behind her words, but he didn't question her.

"Alright, sit tight, I'll go make the order," he withdrew his contact from her and stood up, letting his hand brush her shoulder softly as he made his way out to the large circular bar in the middle of the large bar.

Olivia took out her phone and texted Melinda, feeling excited and happy that everything was going so well. "Hi Mel, I'm on a date in Chicago with Trevor. Holy shit, who would have thought… he's such a gentleman and so… wow. Even talked about E. Thanks for letting me chat to you about it earlier. I don't know why I'm so weird about it all… I'll catch you up after the conference tomorrow."

She locked her phone and glanced up to see Trevor glancing at her from the bar. He flashed her his prince-charming smile as he waited patiently for their drinks.

She felt her phone vibrate only a minute or so after she'd sent her text to Melinda. Smiling, she pulled it back out and read the message. "I'm so happy you've gone on an actual date! You like him? It sounds like you like him. I'm interested to hear how E came up. Can't wait for your call, have fun!"

She put her phone away without answering realizing that Trevor was coming back with two drinks.

"Who are you texting away to? Noah?"

Olivia took her drink as he handed it to her. "Thanks," she said gratefully, taking the cocktail from him, "no, I was just texting a friend who asked if I was in Chicago yet…"

"Did you tell her to go away cos you were busy on a date?" he asked, raising his eyebrow playfully.

Olivia laughed. "Absolutely did not," she replied, fibbing. "I was telling her Chicago was the worst, haven't left the hotel... and so boring."

He laughed, "You are so…." he shook his head, amused with their weird off-the-cuff flirting.

"Amazing?" she quipped, flashing him her most dazzling smile.

"Yeah…" he agreed, seriously, "you are amazing, Olivia Benson. But you're good at deflecting your feelings, you certainly keep me on my toes."

"I'm an officer of the law, we use dark, self-deprecating humor as a means of coping," she told him, oddly honest yet still amused.

"I know that's not even a joke," he replied, taking a sip.

"In seriousness," she started, deciding that she could open up to him because he was far enough removed from her life that it wouldn't matter, "I'm actually not good at the emotional stuff," she told him bluntly.

"I hope you won't take this the wrong way when I say that I have noticed that you don't seem comfortable with expressing yourself in a vulnerable way," he spoke carefully as if he was worried about offending her.

She glanced at him and gave him a weak smile. She took a long sip of her drink. "Whew…" she winced and gave a little cough, "that is strong," she remarked, "another one of these and I'll probably tell you all of my deep, dark secrets."

"I'll remember that," he replied, realizing that she had just circumvented a response to his astute observation of her aversion to talking feelings. Bringing up Elliot earlier was the most brutally honest about her feelings she'd been with him to date.

Surprising him, Olivia took another sip, "But anyway, I guess that could be a fair judgment of me,"

"It wasn't a judgment," he interrupted, "just what I've picked up from our conversations, but it's fine, it's not like we have known each other closely before, why would I expect you to open up to me."

"It's not that," she shook her head, "I dunno, it just doesn't come easily to me… some people are wonderful communicators, I am probably just not one of those people, eventually it's what drives people away," she admitted sardonically.

He looked at her seriously, taken a-back by her to-the-point approach. He knew he needed to respond thoughtfully or else her walls would assemble again almost before his eyes. "I think when you connect with the right person, being vulnerable comes a little more naturally."

She knew already that he was a lot better at reaching his emotions than she was and it intrigued her. "How do you do that, though?" she asked, "I mean, that seems like a stupid question but people use that kind of stuff against you and manipulate you or hurt you with all of that feeling."

He considered her innocent question with compassion, feeling for her that she clearly held so much inside in fear. "Yes," he nodded seriously, "that could happen, of course, but you know it could also bring you closer to someone and it could allow you to experience unconditional love…"

She smiled at the idea but it seemed to pass just as quickly. She drained her glass and he knew she was trying to summon up the courage to be real with him. "What's that like," she asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"It's the best," he replied simply. "It's wonderful and crazy and dizzying and at times overwhelming," he wanted to be as honest as possible because despite her sarcasm and her facetiousness, he could also tell her questions were serious. "At best, it's knowing that you have someone who centers you and who you can truly just be your authentic self with at all times with. At worst it's angering and frustrating that the person you have given your entire self to can shatter your heart."

"Wow…" Olivia remarked. "That sounds like too much."

He smiled.

"Is that what happened to you? You had your heart broken by Helena?" she dared to wonder out loud.

He went to shake his head 'no' but then he shrugged. "I think love goes through a lot of different transitions," he explained, "sometimes its crazy and sexy and passionate and then you calm down and that's where the real stuff happens, you find that little part of the other person that makes you think, 'wow! This is my fucking person!'" he cursed and Olivia laughed, for whatever reason, cursing sounded foreign coming from his mouth.

"Yeah?"

"But I guess over time you either grow together and stay happy through those transitions or you grow apart and some people stay and get past it until they sync up again but other people just don't have that staying power and start to resent the other person. Helena and I had to call it quits before she resented me to the point where hatred grew…"

"Ouch…" Olivia remarked, finishing her drink.

"Yeah," it was his time to chuckle a little to relieve the tension as he took a mouthful of his Old Fashioned, catching up to Liv.

"What kind of things did she take issue with?" she was curious and she enjoyed his candor and sense of honesty. "I mean, if it's not too personal."

"Everything," he laughed a little more genuinely. "She thought I wasn't making enough money – she hated moving to New York because she found it hard to make friends. She hated my job as a public defender – the hours were too long, the pay was too low," he shrugged, "that was just the beginning… I'm an affectionate person by nature, I like hugging and touching and you know, just having contact, to me its comfort but it's also my love language," he explained openly, "and even that was annoying to her in the end... it was also just making me even worse because of how my heart was breaking and I just wanted her to comfort me… and I guess to reassure me that our marriage wasn't falling apart."

"Oof…" she remarked, wincing as if she'd been hurt. "See that, that just makes me want to run away from any guy who I think has potential."

"Yeah but the point is, Liv, I got over it and in hindsight I can tell that I wasn't the perfect angel in this scenario either, I know that might be hard to believe," he cracked a smile.

"Not so much," she said, giving him a gentle whack with the back of her hand.

He grabbed her hand and held it in his. "I got over it and I think you're still nursing your heartbreak because you never got closure and that raw pain is kind of all-consuming so you're scared and I totally get that." She wondered how he managed to have it so spot on.

She regarded him with a look of recognition for his astuteness. He spoke so carefully as if he was afraid of offending her, but she wasn't offended, she was touched that someone could actually articulate her feelings in a way that didn't feel intrusive or rude. He wasn't picking her apart, he was simply verbalizing things that she could not.

"Shit," Trevor continued, "I'm nervous as hell right now…" he took a mouthful of his drink and set down the empty glass as Olivia had. "And this is just one date, so you're not on your own."

"Really?" she asked, "cos you seem so cool, calm and collected."

He smiled at her fondly and gave her hand a squeeze, "Sweetheart, I was so nervous before this date, honestly, I called Helena for a pep talk…"

Olivia was able to laugh. "You seriously called your ex wife for a pep talk? How is she okay with that?"

"We are friends," he said simply, "after getting past the initial hurt and the custody arguments, we just decided to be friends and our relationship is pretty great. She's engaged, I'm supportive, I just want her to be happy and she just wants the same for me, so she's helpful when it comes to this kind of stuff. There's another close friend I have from college, but I'd never ask for his advice…"

Olivia laughed, "I'm glad, as I said before, that I wasn't alone."

"Well, I'm not asking for anything from you, I'm just happy to be hanging out with such a smoking hot woman in the middle of what is arguably, the coolest city in America."

"Oooh," she murmured, "don't you disparage New York like that!"

He laughed. "I would never…" his voice trailed off. "New York just got a little bit more interesting to me," he added with a gleam in his piercing eyes.

"Has anyone told you," she asked, turning her body inward toward him, "that you have the most beautiful eyes…" she reached up, stroking his face with her forefingers, feeling the soft bristle of his greying stubble. She hadn't been able to see it until she was up close. Physical contact she could initiate without any reservation, it came natural to her, but the talking, she thought, it was a lot harder than it he seemed to make it look.

"Not by you…" he kissed her lips and pulled away, feeling a little woozy by the idea of her wrapped around him in the bedroom again. He couldn't help where his brain was taking him.

"You do have beautiful eyes…" she confirmed it as if it were a fact. "You actually just have a nice face."

She felt his hand stroking hers by her knee again.

"Another drink?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Want to leave? Go back to my hotel and have wine on the balcony?" he asked, trying to remain casual. "Order room service?"

She let a grin spread across her mouth. "It's like you already know me…"

It was a sobering thought to Trevor, because he felt as though he really did already know her. She had told him so much about herself without using words and he had grown to know about her for almost 20 years. He was sure he had some idea of who she was based on what she represented.

"Okay," he said, kissing her mouth softly, "let's get out of here…" he got up and grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet. He waited for her to adjust her skirt before he put his hand on her waist and guided her out of the club.