"Wait, so I thought you said they were friends." Elliot glanced over at Olivia just as Meg Ryan dropped Billy Crystal off in New York. "She's just leaving him there.

"Well, they didn't like each other at first." Olivia had been thinking about her choice of movies, and she and Elliot's partnership. This was the only part of the movie that didn't parallel her and Elliot's relationship. They had hit it off from the start. "Just keep watching."

There had been a constant barrage of comments and questions throughout the movie so far, and Olivia waffled between annoyance and laughter, keeping her answers short.

"Days of the week underpants? Is that a thing?"

"It used to be."

"And there's really no Sunday?"

"Yeah."

"So, what do you wear on Sunday?"

"Just watch the movie."

…

"Are those old couples real? Or are those stories just made up?"

"They're real stories, but those are actors."

…

"Give it to me Sheldon. He's got a point."

"That's ridiculous."

"Have you ever slept with a man named Sheldon?"

"Elliot…"

Luckily, he hadn't said a damn thing when Billy Crystal hypothesized that men and women can't be friends because sex always gets in the way. That hit a little too close to home and she wasn't sure how she would have responded to that if he'd asked her.

"So, I assume this is the romantic comedy part, where they'll bump into each other again. C'mon. Do you know what the chances of that happening in New York City are?"

Olivia pulled away from Elliot slightly. "Do you want to watch the movie or not?"

"I'm watching."

"You're talking through the whole thing."

"I'm just saying…he should have gotten her number."

"He didn't get her number because he didn't like her!"

"Ohhh…" Elliot said, dragging out the word. "He liked her." He said it in a deep, gravelly tone, grinning at Olivia as he said it.

Olivia shook her head. "Are you going to stop questioning everything and just let the story unfold?" She imagined Elliot watched a lot of action movies, and that maybe a romcom wasn't holding his attention, but he had told her to pick so…

"Yeah." He reached out and snugged her back into place next to him, wrapping his hand around her upper arm. "I'll shut up."

"I didn't tell you to shut up." Olivia argued.

Elliot smiled. "Yeah, you did. Now, rewind it back so we can see the part we missed while you were talking."

EOEOEOEO

The movie played on, and for the most part, Elliot kept his word, keeping his comments to himself, even when she could tell he had to bite back each comment that came to mind.

She, however, was having a hard time focusing on the movie. Being snuggled up against Elliot was definitely a distraction. The way their bodies were pressed together side by side, the smell of him, just everything…it was another level of intimacy that they had never shared before.

Never dared share.

It was amazing that a couple of days ago, she had thought sleeping in the same bed was crossing some pretty major boundaries. And it had been, especially now that they seemed to have started gravitating towards each other in their sleep.

They weren't sleeping now.

This was intentional, and while Billy and Meg were frolicking around New York City, pretending to be friends, she couldn't stop thinking about the way Elliot's hand traced patterns against her skin, moving lightly up and down her arm. How he played with the loose strands of her hair, twisting them between his fingers. How his thumb slipped just beneath the collar of her t-shirt as he stroked that sensitive part, where her neck and shoulder met. It seemed he was doing it unconsciously, slowly. As if it were an absent-minded gesture.

She wasn't sure if she was buying it. She wanted to make a flippant remark, but she was afraid that if she did that, he would stop.

She didn't want him to stop.

Olivia knew that was messed up. Boundaries were there for a reason, and they kept pushing that line, inch by inch. Of course, anyone that knew them would say they'd pushed thar line farther and farther with each passing year, but she knew there would be some point at which there would be no going back. That thought scared the hell out of her. She felt Elliot's hand still against her neck and she realized that she must have tensed up when she was deep in thought.

"Y'ok?" Elliot mumbled, his eyes never leaving the small screen.

"Yeah." Olivia answered quickly. "I just…" She stretched her neck slightly. "I'm fine." She pushed the quilt off her lap. "I just need to run to the bathroom." She needed a reset, some time to cool off, because she realized she'd easily missed the last 30 minutes of the movie as she had focused on each touch of his hand and every touchpoint of their bodies.

Elliot paused the DVD, watching her disappear around the corner. He heard the bathroom door close moments later and he stretched his arms. He couldn't keep from smiling, thinking about the way she had been snuggled up against him. He had expected her to say something when his hand started to wander, but when she hadn't, he figured she was okay with it. Her skin was so soft, so smooth, he'd been distracted with the thought of replacing his hand with his mouth. The thought of pushing her down on the couch and kissing her had consumed him, and now he had no idea what was even going on in the movie.

Of course, daydreaming about Olivia was nothing new. But having her body pressed against him and the new level of intimacy was certainly new. He couldn't help but let his mind wander. Unfortunately, Olivia would undoubtedly want to talk about the plotlines of the movie. He couldn't tell her that he hadn't been following because he'd been thinking about stripping off her clothes.

He glanced in the direction she had disappeared, wondering if he had enough time to rewind a little. He heard water running and decided he didn't.

Olivia washed and dried her hands and then glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was still slightly mussed from her nap since she'd never brushed it. She ran her hands through the loose waves, her fingers lingering where Elliot had been playing with it.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, wondering where this was going to go…how far she should let this go. They were only a couple of days into this trip and if things kept progressing at this pace, she'd be stripped down and in bed with Elliot within a day or two.

She felt a stirring in her abdomen, the thought of it sending a delicious shiver throughout her body.

Would it be so bad to just give in to what had simmered just beneath the surface for so long? They were two, consenting adults. Surely, they could navigate the aftermath.

The aftermath.

Olivia let out a sigh. If you had to consider the fallout, maybe it wasn't a good idea.

She was back to square one.

Olivia slammed her hands down against the countertop in frustration, harder than she intended. The glass soap dispenser jumped against the surface just enough to clatter into the sink, shattering into pieces. The noise was loud, and seconds later, she heard Elliot knocking on the door.

"Everything okay in there?"

Olivia whipped the door open. She saw the surprise on Elliot's face, and he stepped back quickly.

"I heard a crash." He peeked over her shoulder to look into the bathroom, but he couldn't see the immediate cause of the noise.

Olivia pushed against his chest, forcing him back a few more steps. "I just accidentally knocked the soap into the sink." She huffed down the hall to the kitchen to grab some paper towels and the garbage. When she got back to the bathroom, she saw that Elliot was already picking up the shattered pieces and placing them in the small basket from the bathroom. "You don't have to do that. I made the mess." She bumped his hip with hers, and he shifted a few steps to the right.

"I've got it." Elliot said, picking up the last large piece from amidst the goopy soap mess. "You must have hit that pretty hard for it to break. And how did you hit it and knock it into the sink?" He imagined if Olivia had hit it by accident, it would have gone flying off the counter and on to the floor.

"Stop being a detective." Olivia said. "That's why they call it an accident. I don't know exactly what I did." She lied. "Let me just finish this up and let's get back to the movie." She took a swipe around the sink with a wad of towels to get the last remnants of glass. Elliot handed her the basket and left her to it, and she wondered if she had sounded a bit too angry. She hoped not. It was her thoughts that were the problem, not him. Or at least, not him in that moment.

Her head was fucking mess. But unfortunately, her body wasn't. It knew exactly what it wanted. And he was sitting in the next room.

EOEOEOEO

Olivia took another moment, and then headed back out towards the living room. She heard a noise in the kitchen and turned that way. Elliot had his head in the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He turned towards her, with his arm still holding the door open.

"Want one?"

Olivia smiled. "Yes." She said emphatically. She needed to relax, calm down, whatever the right words were to take away the constant niggling in her brain. Elliot uncapped the beer and handed it to her, and she drank a third of it in one swig.

"Okay then." Elliot said.

Olivia raised a brow at the implications in his comment, but he raised his hand in a defensive gesture.

"I wasn't saying anything." He chuckled. "Let's get back to that movie." So it can be over. Romantic comedies had never been his favorite, but this one had its funny moments. He needed to get back on track with the plot though, so he was hoping he could catch up quickly. Olivia was sure to ask if he liked it.

Elliot walked over and settled back on the couch, and this time, when Olivia sat down, he noticed she left a little space in between them. "C'mon back over here. I'm not gonna bite." He patted the spot next to him. "It's easier so we can share the blanket and the ottoman." He said, giving her a plausible reason to cozy up next to him again.

Olivia couldn't argue with that logic, and she felt like that was the reason Elliot had thrown that out there, but before her mind could jump in, her body had made the decision. She got up and settled a little closer, noting that Elliot didn't put his arm around her shoulders this time. She felt a small stab of disappointment as he reached down with his right hand and pulled the blanket up over their laps, adjusting it until it covered them both. But then, to her surprise, he slipped his arm beneath the blanket and rested his hand on her thigh. It seemed innocent enough, his fingers resting lightly there, not searching, not stroking, but just the fact his hand was there, the heat from it almost searing into her skin, made her heartbeat quicken. He could slip his fingers so easily between her legs…would be so deliciously close to the seam of her underwear, so close to touching her in the most intimate of places.

Sweet Jesus.

She didn't dare glance up at him, didn't want to seem anything other than calm and collected. Of course, that couldn't be just happenstance on his part, a natural spot to rest his hand. He was teasing her, baiting her, pushing her towards something, and trying to be subtle about it.

"This okay?"

Elliot's comments roused her from her thoughts, and she glanced at him. "Yeah." She barely choked out the words. "Let's start the movie."

It wasn't two minutes later when the deli scene came on the screen. Olivia felt herself blush as Meg Ryan faked an orgasm out loud in the crowded restaurant.

"I don't understand why women fake orgasms."

Olivia almost choked on her beer, having taken a swig just as he made that comment. She recovered with a small cough but didn't respond to his comment. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to let it slide.

"Can you answer my question?"

"That wasn't a question." Olivia pointed out.

Elliot let out a harrumph. "Fine. Why do women fake orgasms? I just don't get it."

"I'm not having this conversation with you." Olivia said definitively, finishing off her beer.

"C'mon. We talk about sex all day, every day, and we can't talk about this?"

"That isn't about sex."

"Yeah, okay. You're right." Elliot shifted slightly so he could look at her more directly. "But seriously, I want to know."

Olivia saw the earnest expression on his face. He wasn't going to let it go, so she was going to try to get out of this conversation as quickly as possible. "Well, I know it's hard to believe, but not all men are great in bed. And sometimes, honestly, you just want it to be over."

"You're joking, right?"

"All men think they're wonderful when it comes to sex, but they don't know the first thing about women's bodies, or what gives them pleasure." Olivia shrugged. "But they are 100% not going to quit until you…" She shrugged her shoulders, unable to finish the sentence. "So, you just fake it, so they'll be done."

"Feeding the male ego." Elliot said, more of a statement than a question. "Seems like if you're going to have sex with someone, you should learn what gives them pleasure."

Olivia swore she could hear the innuendo in his voice, but she was trying hard not to read anything into his comments, the intensity of his stare, or the heat from his hand on her thigh. "You, of course, are assuming a long-standing relationship. Or at least one that's more than one or two nights." She saw Elliot shift and realized that thought was one that made him a little uncomfortable. A part of her was glad because he had to open his eyes a little. Not everyone had been in a 30-year relationship, and there wasn't anything wrong with that. Sometimes she wondered if it would bother Elliot if he knew how many men she had slept with in her life, but she knew that wasn't her issue. And it didn't matter because she'd never have reason to tell him. She just needed him to see things from another point of view. "Everyone has faked it Elliot, and if they say they haven't, they're lying."

He was obviously in the camp of men that probably thought no woman had ever faked an orgasm with him. But she could imagine that Kathy had just taken it on more than one occasion, when she was exhausted from dealing with kids and laundry and home life, too tired to argue about it and too disinterested to care if she enjoyed it or not. "Even with you."

Elliot let that comment slide by as he considered himself a pretty generous lover. "So, you're telling me you've faked it."

Olivia let out a sigh. This had gone much farther than she had intended to let it go. "Yes." She turned back to the small screen and resettled herself. "Now can we get back to watching the movie?" She hit play, not waiting for Elliot's response.

A few beats had gone by and the movie had started up again, when she felt Elliot squeeze her thigh. "Well, if we ever had sex, you wouldn't have to fake it."

Olivia felt wild, hot heat bloom across her entire body. It was the way he had said it, his voice quiet but low, and the way he had picked that moment to move his fingers slightly as he pressed them into her skin, and the lack of innuendo. The almost certainty. As if it was when, and not if.

It was too much. Olivia pushed herself up from the couch, flinging the quilt to the floor. She almost tripped on it in her haste to get out of the room. Her hand was at her throat, she needed some air. Some space. She grabbed her jacket from where it hung by the door, stuck her feet part way into her running shoes, and escaped out the front door, closing it definitively behind her. She was sending a message. Don't follow me. If Elliot had any sense, he'd understand.

The cold air felt like a slap against her heated skin and she bent over and braced her hands against her knees, feeling as if her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She took a few deep breaths and then stood, taking a few minutes to slip on her coat and wedge her feet more completely into her shoes. She shoved her hands in her pockets, closed her eyes, and focused on taking deep breaths.

When she opened her eyes, she realized just how dark it was outside. The rain had stopped, and the clouds had cleared, unveiling more stars that she could hope to count. The moon was barely a sliver, providing little light, but as her eyes adjusted, she just stared at the sky. This sight almost made her forget about everything. She felt like she could get lost in the depths of it, the inky darkness of the woods, the whisper of the wind in the trees, the feeling that she was the only person for miles and miles. The effect was calming, and she felt her heartbeat slow as she continued to stare up at the night sky.

Her mind drifted back to Elliot, and she wondered if he was watching her through the window. There was no way she was going to look, and she wasn't ready to go back inside. The thought that he still might follow her outside and try to talk to her spurred her into action and she started down the road. When she was out of view of the house, she stopped, wondering about the wisdom of walking through the dark woods alone at night. It wasn't the normal fears that bothered her. No, it was the thought of bears and coyotes and other wildlife. She was out of her element here, with no knowledge of their behavior and no weapon at her side. Olivia turned around to head back, but she'd only taken a few steps when she stopped.

She was slightly embarrassed about her reaction, or overreaction, to Elliot's comment. Especially if he hadn't meant anything by it. But she felt he definitely had and that just made her feel even more conflicted than she had before.

No, she wasn't going back. Not yet. She needed some time to think, and she couldn't seem to do that clearly with Elliot around. She headed back down the road, ready to brave the unknown.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot knew he'd pushed Olivia too far but fought his urge to follow her outside and apologize. She had clearly wanted some space, so he was going to give it to her. But after thirty minutes had passed, he was starting to feel uneasy. He couldn't figure out what she was doing out there in the dark, and he hated that he'd made her flee in the first place. He had been pacing in the kitchen and had downed another beer, but he headed towards the windows now. He just wanted to see her and make sure she was okay.

He cupped his hands around his eyes and peered out into the night. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust, but it only took a few seconds after that to realize that she wasn't out there. Nothing was moving, and the Jeep was right where he'd left it. The little bit of ambient light told him that she was sitting inside either and he rocked back on his heels. It only took a second for him to slip on his shoes and coat, and he opened the front door, calling her name softly as soon as it had closed behind him. There was no response, just as he'd expected, and he walked a little farther to the edge of the road. He looked to his right and to his left, but she was nowhere in sight.

The night was cold, but not freezing. He was thankful that wherever she'd gone, she had her coat. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking down the road, but he couldn't imagine she would have gone off by herself. He turned back to the cabin and circled around the side until he came to the back. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he saw the firepit and chairs, but no Olivia. "Where did you go?" He whispered it to himself, his mind whirling. He had to remind himself that this wasn't the city, and that Olivia was more than capable of defending herself if she did get into some kind of trouble.

He tried to focus his mind on anything but her, but he knew it would be useless. He would give her a little more time before he struck out searching for her. He grabbed a couple of split logs from the woodpile and placed them in the firepit. He gathered some smaller twigs, trying to find some that were somewhat dry, and got a fire going. He placed a few more logs on the fire, once he'd gotten it going, and sat down on the edge of one of the chairs, rubbing his hands back and forth to warm them a little.

Elliot glanced at his watch. He wasn't exactly sure what time he'd first come outside, but he knew that at least 15 minutes had to have passed. He was going to give her another 15…30 max…and then he was going to look for her.

He didn't have to wait that long.

The first 15 had passed, and he was arguing with himself about how long he should wait, imagining a twisted ankle or a fall down a ravine, when her heard her footsteps and a twig snap. She came around the corner of the cabin, and he let out such a sigh of relief, he knew she heard it. As she came closer to the fire, he saw that her hands were stuffed in her pockets and her cheeks were red from the cold. He stood up almost immediately and when she stopped a few feet away, he felt the ridiculous need to hug her and tell her how worried he was about her.

The look on her face stopped him. It was one of determination, or something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I just needed…" Olivia started, her carefully prepared speech vanishing into thin air. "I don't know what to do with…" She pulled her hand out of her pocket and waved it back and forth between them. "this." She could see Elliot was going to say something and she put up her hand to stop him. She had to get this out. "Sometimes, you scare the hell out of me." Her voice wasn't more than a hoarse whisper, but she knew he'd heard her. He tried to keep his face passive, but he couldn't hide his surprise "When we're back there, we know what the rules are. We may push it sometimes, but ultimately, there is an unspoken need to keep those rules in place. But up here, ever since we've left the city…it seems like we're different people." She shook her head and stared into the fire. "Or maybe, not different people but…." She swallowed hard and looked back up at him. "who we're meant to be."

Elliot shifted on his feet, wanting to reach out to her, but he knew she had more to say and he had to let her get this out.

"I thought about what you said up on that cliff. About pushing past our fears. I want…" Her voice trailed off and she felt her body start to tremble. She was about to put it all on the line here, and the bravado she'd felt on the road was all but gone.

Elliot moved a few steps closer, trailing his left hand down her arm and taking her hand in his. "Tell me what you want Liv." He whispered, taking another step closer, until there was barely a foot between them. He looked back and forth between her eyes, the firelight dancing in the darkness of them. "Tell me what you want because I'm pretty sure, I want the same thing." His eyes dropped to her mouth and then back up to her eyes. He placed his left hand on her waist, holding her in place. "Say it." He whispered.

Olivia felt Elliot squeeze her hand and a sense of inexplicable relief washed over her. "Kiss me Elliot." She reached up with her left hand, thankful his jacket was unzipped. She flattened her palm against his chest, feeling his heart beating. "Please, kiss me."

Elliot smiled and dropped her hand, bringing both of his hands to her face. He cupped her jaw, tangling the fingers of his left hand in her hair to hold it in place. He leaned forward, taking things slowly. He wanted to commit every second of this to memory…a memory he would cherish forever.

Elliot brushed his lips against hers softly, hearing a small exhale, before he kissed her more firmly. Her lips were cold, but soft, and he sucked at her upper lip before releasing her mouth again. He tilted his head slightly and then grasped her lips more firmly with his and he wanted to moan at the sensation of it…the absolute bliss at having her mouth pressed to his. Olivia had slid her hand up to his neck and he deepened the kiss, feeling Olivia matching his desire with her own.

Olivia felt weak in the knees from the way Elliot was kissing her. His mouth was demanding against hers…almost possessive…and yet, soft…careful. It was as if he was tasting her, learning her, connecting with her in an entirely different way. She felt her body aching and she clutched the material of his shirt in her hand pulling him closer. All the disagreements and downright fights, all the jealousies and biting words, all of the ridiculous rules and what ifs disappeared in an instant, and left Olivia wondering why they had waited so long. This was perfection, everything she wanted it to be.

Elliot slipped one hand down to Olivia's waist, digging his fingers into the material, then into her skin. The taste of her was exquisite, and he opened her mouth to his, wanting more. He slipped his tongue between her lips, but she was right there with him. He slid his hand around the back of her hand, holding her against him as he kissed her, feeling drunk from it all.

He wasn't sure which one of them broke the kiss first, or maybe it had been simultaneous, but they stood there like that, just breathing in each other's air and he couldn't remember when he had felt so inexplicably happy. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that."

Olivia dropped her eyes, and then looked back up at him through her lashes. "Who asked you to stop?"