"Hey, I was looking for you,"

Olivia let out a small sigh, bracing her hands around the railing and squeezing some as she turned her head, Elliot standing not far behind her with his hands in his pockets.

"And Fin told you I ducked out?" She said, laughing lightly at the little shrug he gave. The music playing at the reception could still be heard loud and clear even with how far they were from the party. It was some romantic slow song now, and that was the very reason she ducked out. Not that she'd admit it if anyone asked.

Elliot motioned next to her with his head and she scooted over some, looking back out at the water as she felt him walk up to fill the empty space. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms on the balcony railing, just a few inches from where her hands were resting. She expected him to say something, anything- but a beat of silence passed. Followed by another, and another. And another.

"Did you just come track me down to look at the water?" She finally said when she couldn't stand it anymore, her tone more bitey than she had intended it to be. He sucked in a small shaky breathe that sounded almost nervous, looking at her for a moment before averting his eyes back onto the water.

"It's nice, with the city lights." He said and she took advantage of the fact that he wasn't looking at her, but at some far off building, to roll her eyes.

"El," She started and turned her head towards him, Elliot's shaky expression morphing into one that was bordering on surprise, his mouth open like he wanted to say say something but didn't know where to start. The nickname had gotten his attention. Hell- it hadn't gotten hers too, when she realized it hadn't left her mouth in almost ten full years. She hummed under her breath, shifting her eyes away again as Elliot found his voice.

"I need you to know Liv, I meant what I said,"

She quickly moved her gaze back to him, taking a moment before quirking her eyebrows in mock confusion. Of course she knew exactly what he was driving at, but stringing him along wouldn't do any harm.

"When?"

It was Elliot who rolled his eyes to that, scoffing. "C'mon, you know what I'm talking about." He said, his voice faltering.

"Maybe," She said, biting the inside of her check.

"That's it?"

Elliot turned off from his position on the balcony, fully facing her with just one arm propped up on the railing. He looked smug, though she knew she had walked herself into that by playing coy. And he was glancing between her eyes and her lips and before she could hesitate about it any longer than she had for the better part of the past two decades, she moved off of the railing and towards him- a breath away when Elliot beat her to punch. Their lips met and she gasped silently against his mouth as his hand found it's way around her waist and onto her upper back, deepening the kiss. Dragging her hand down from the side of his neck, she pulled back when her palm met his chest, her face flushed. She couldn't make herself look him directly in the face, but could see his smile in her peripheral vision, his hands caressing where they had come to rest on her back.

"You wanna give Fin our well wishes and get out of here?" He said after a beat and she lifted her head, giving a small nod and a mumbled "Yeah, let's do that."

When they turned from the balcony to walk back to the party she felt Elliot's hand brush the side of hers, averting her gaze down in time to watch him grab it and lock their fingers together. And if Carisi noticed, and whistled drunkenly as they passed him- if Fin's eyebrows raised almost all the way off of his face, well then she'd take it in stride. Nothing was going to take the way she felt away, not now, or ever again.