Chapter 21: Kiss
The moment their lips touched, sparks ignited between the pair. Elliot couldn't believe that he was doing this, that he was actually kissing Olivia and that she hasn't pulled away yet. Elliot couldn't tell whether he was making a huge mistake here or not but the fact Olivia hadn't pulled away yet had to be a positive sign. Olivia on the other hand, felt like she was floating, her head felt completely clouded right now with thoughts and it was almost like she was having an outer body experience right now. Was she really kissing Elliot? Was she really dreaming right now or was this happening? How much wine had she really drunk tonight? Was it really just wine or had Elliot done something else to it as well? Elliot would never Olivia reprimanded herself. The thing was, Olivia really didn't want to stop, she didn't want to pull away from Elliot. She didn't want this moment to end. Once this moment was over, they would have to talk about it and the mistake would be obvious. When the need for oxygen became apparent though and only then, did they pull away.
Olivia could tell from just looking at Elliot that he was going to apologise but she didn't want him to. This was not a mistake, she had been wanting to kiss him just as much as he had.
"Sorry th-" Elliot tried to start but Olivia shook her head and pulled his head closer to hers, kissing him softly once more. She wanted to prove to him that he hadn't done anything wrong, he didn't have anything to apologise to her for. There was a clear underlying passion with the kiss and Elliot found himself wanting to hold Olivia a little closer, so he placed her his hands on her waist, hoping it wasn't overstepping.
"Um" Elliot started but he was lost for words when they pulled apart once more. Olivia just smiled at him softly as she too was lost for words as she took her wine glass from the table once more.
"That was…" Olivia was almost lost for words or understanding how to proceed in conversation.
"Yeah" Elliot replied just smiling softly at her, there was more of a conversation going on between their glances at the moment.
The conversation was awkward now, it wasn't that either of them wanted it to be but neither were really sure how to approach what had happened in terms of words. Neither were sure what it really meant either. Elliot opened and closed his mouth numerous times, trying to work out how to get them out of the awkwardness.
"Ok, I'm just going to say it…I've wanted to do that for a while and it was…better than I ever imagined" Elliot started, wanting to cringe with how awkward everything felt.
"I think it's been coming for a while" Olivia replied, hinting at the feelings between them having changed for a while.
"I have to admit, I've felt my feelings with you change in the time I've spent with you" Elliot smiled softly, he was prepared to take the next step if she was.
"So I guess my question is…where does that leave us?" Olivia asked, this was kind of what they were already talking about but someone had to verbalise it.
"I want to give us a shot. I want to see where this takes us and I really feel like we have something special here"
"I just…I don't want to ruin what we already have though, I don't want to lose this friendship. We may have come to get to know each other in a less than traditional way, considering I'm your daughters teacher and everything. I feel really strongly towards you, I think of you as one of my closest friends and I don't want to lose everything with you or make it awkward if things go wrong" Olivia voiced her concerns, it wasn't saying no to Elliot, it was just being honest and making him aware of how she felt.
"But I think we could have something so, so much better if we followed these instincts. Olivia, we can take it as slow as you want to and go with whatever you feel comfortable with but I'm promising you right now, I'm all in, you won't lose me" Elliot explained, taking Olivia's hand in his and squeezing it softly whilst looking her directly in the eyes. He was speaking from the heart here and he wanted her to see how serious about this he was.
Olivia could hear Alex in the back of her mind, she could hear Alex telling her to trust her gut, go with the feelings that she obviously has but has been too scared to act on. She valued her connection with Elliot too much, she really enjoyed spending time with him and she didn't want to act on these feelings, everything go wrong and she lose her friendship with Elliot for good. But he was here now telling her she'd never lose him, Olivia didn't understand how he could know that but he was confessing it and surely that had to mean something.
"How do you know that? How do you know that we won't ruin everything we already have…how do you know we won't end up breaking and in the process breaking your children's hearts too. If we give us a go, and it goes wrong I could lose my job or you would end up hating me and wanting to move your kids away from the school" Olivia voiced her concerns, this was why she was so scared. She had been in love and been hurt before, it was worse now as there were going to be kids involved and she couldn't be responsible for breaking their hearts too, she cared too much for them.
"I can say it because I've never felt the way I feel for you, for anyone else. When Parker called my assistant, Ashley about the attack and I knew you were there, I felt like my heart was in my throat with worry. I was concerned for my kids but I was also more concerned for you. That moment made me realise I don't want to be just friends with you anymore, I want to be more, I want to see what we can be together, and I think it will be truly magical" Elliot confessed, and Olivia knew he was really speaking from the heart now. She was scared, she didn't know if she was prepared to go with everything her heart was telling her to do, she wasn't sure if she could handle getting her heart broken again. But then again, she never thought she'd ever find a man like Elliot in this lifetime and here he was, wanting to be with her. Olivia knew that if she didn't take this chance that was being handed to her now, they may never know what could have been between them.
"I hope you're right" Olivia said as Elliot leant forward once more and took Olivia's lips in his, kissing her softly and showing her that he wasn't going to let anything happen to them. They weren't just friends anymore, they were a couple, they were going to take things slowly, but Elliot was excited for what was to come.
Olivia and Elliot spent the next few hours just wrapped up in each other, talking, kissing and just enjoying each other's company. There was plenty of wine which was consumed but neither of them got particularly intoxicated. They had agreed that they wouldn't try and hide their relationship or what had changed between them, but they would be selective as to the way they acted when in public. For example, they agreed that they would be professional when at school and when they were around the children, they would simply remain friendly for now. However, if they were alone like now or if they were in private then Elliot had already to Olivia he would seize the moment with her if he could. He would always be the proper gentleman in doing so though. Elliot had told Olivia they would take things at her pace, they would go with however comfortable she was, he just wanted her to be happy. Olivia appreciated this and was intrigued by what lay ahead for them in the future.
Olivia knew that as time continued to tick on, that she would have to leave soon and started to make the move from next to Elliot, to finding her shoes and getting her coat from by the door. Elliot followed her towards the elevator and held out her coat as she gathered her things and then graciously stepped into her coat. Elliot had already organised for the car to be waiting downstairs to take her home once again.
"Thank you for dinner" Olivia said as she turned to face Elliot after putting her coat on.
"Thank you for coming. Let me know when you get home" Elliot requested, he knew she would be fine but he wanted to know she had got home safely as he couldn't leave with her.
"I am going in your car though right? I mean surely your driver will let you know when I'm home?" Olivia asked,
"But I won't see him again tonight and I'm not just going to make him come up to tell me when he gets back. I just want to know your safely home and I'd much rather hear it all from you anyway" Elliot requested, kissing her again whilst he had the chance.
"Ok, I'll text you when I'm inside again" Olivia smiled as she placed her hand on the side of Elliot's face, brushing it softly with her thumb, she really appreciated how much he cared but it was just going to be something she had to get used to. Things weren't like this with Brian and she'd never known a man to care so much for her safety so this would be a change.
"Thank you, when can I see you again?" Elliot asked, he wanted every opportunity he could take to see her again so he was desperate to know when he could. He knew she had a friend in town and obviously a young daughter to care for, so her time was short but he wanted to make sure there was opportunities to be with her.
"I haven't even left yet and you already want to see me again?" Olivia teased him.
"well…what can I say, you're someone who I enjoy spending time with and now have all the more reason to"
"Your cute…But to answer your question, Alex, Chloe and I are going to the zoo tomorrow afternoon as Chloe wants to see the monkeys. I don't suppose you and the twins would want to come?"
"We'd love to"
"You're not even going to ask them first? Just going to accept?" Olivia queried.
"I don't have to, I already know that they would want to go. So, let me know what time and we'll come pick you all up" Elliot replied, he knew the minute he mentioned Miss Benson both twins would be on board with doing whatever he said.
"You don't need to do that, I really doubt all 6 of us and your driver would fit in your car anyway. Alex, Chloe and I will simply meet you there"
"You're never going to just let me do anything for you are you?" Elliot asked which made Olivia laugh. She really wasn't one for letting people do things for her like this. She had fought for almost everything she had when she was with Brian, she couldn't just stop now. She appreciated Elliot's attempts at chivalry and wanting to do things for her, she just had a hard time at letting him.
"Alright, now I really have to go or I'm never going to leave" Olivia changed the topic.
"There is nothing wrong with that" Elliot replied, he didn't have a problem with Olivia staying here forever, they may be brand new as a couple but he liked the idea of her staying over in the future.
"There is nothing wrong with that" Elliot teased.
"I think I have a best friend and a daughter who would disagree with you on that one. I'll text you when I get home and I can now say I'll see you tomorrow" Olivia replied as she kissed him one last time.
"Good night Olivia" Elliot said as they pulled apart once more.
"Good night Elliot" Olivia replied as she stepped into the now open elevator and Elliot waited till the doors were closed and the floor level numbers were going down, before heading upstairs.
Olivia couldn't quite believe the evening that tonight had turned into. What had started out as just dinner, had been great with the twins and then taken a massive turn after they went to bed. She had been right to think that there was something more growing between her and Elliot. There were definite feelings between them which was a large surprise to Olivia. She never would have thought that a guy like Elliot would ever be interested in someone like her. But he was, which was surprising to her. However, Olivia knew that kissing him felt better than she had ever expected it to, and it was a feeling that she knew she was going to love most. The first few kisses they shared were awkward and a little unexpected but they could get better with practice.
Olivia had to admit she had been surprised that he had automatically agreed to coming to the zoo with them all tomorrow, she hadn't expected that but she could admit she was already looking forward to seeing him again. Although Olivia had to admit she was a little bit nervous as to having Elliot close by when Alex was around, after tonight's events. She and Elliot had agreed to that when in company or around the kids, they would keep things to a minimum as everything was so new. Bu that didn't mean they wouldn't look for an opportunity to steal a kiss or something. Olivia just had to hope that Alex would be under control tomorrow and not feel the need to interrogate Elliot about anything. She also suspected that with Chloe, Elizabeth and Richard around, things would likely be drawn to them rather than to Olivia and Elliot.
As Olivia made her way inside her apartment building, she knew it was highly likely Alex would still be up. She braced herself for the interrogation over the evening from her friend and what types of questions were going to be asked. She also knew that if she told Alex about how Elliot and his kids would be joining them at the zoo tomorrow, Olivia was going to need to be on her guard all day tomorrow, as Alex would be watching. Olivia wasn't entirely sure how this was all going to move forward, especially whilst Alex was in town, but she was prepared to try it the best that she could.
Olivia: Home now, safe and sound. Thank you for a wonderful evening and I promise I'll let you know what time we are going to the zoo and where to meet tomorrow, when we've decided xx Elliot read Olivia's message as he climbed into bed for the evening. He was glad to hear Olivia was home safe but he couldn't lie, he was already counting down the hours till he could see her again tomorrow. He didn't have to hide how much he felt for Olivia anymore, he had kissed her tonight and she'd kissed him back. She was even the one to initiate the second kiss right after the first one. She was the one who had silenced him from talking with a kiss. Elliot had never felt something quite like kissing Olivia, it was better than anything else.
He wasn't trying to jinx anything with them in the future, and he cared about Olivia far too much to want to think too far ahead in the future or work on them too fast. But he really felt like in the time that he'd had getting to know her so far and all the thoughts about getting to know her more in the future, Elliot could see them being husband and wife one day. He wouldn't admit that he was in love with Olivia yet, as it was too early to say whether that was true. But he could see himself falling in love with her fast and hard, and he could see them growing old together. She really was one of a kind and he'd been completely blown away by her tonight.
Elliot: Glad you got home safe! Thank you for coming to dinner and I want you to know, I'm already counting the hours till I can see you again. Sleep well xxx Elliot quickly typed a response and sent it to her before placing his phone down for the evening. He was going to have dreams filled with a certain lady and the memories of tonight, so Elliot already knew he was going to sleep the best he had in a while and he hoped that she did too.
A/N: So there we have it, the feelings are out in the open and kisses have been shared, but where are they going to go from here? How are they going to go at the zoo? Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out!
I don't know about the rest of you but I'm so glad that they FINALLY admitted the way they feel about each other!
Also I just wanted to add a note, a lot of you have been asking about why Olivia won't just tell Elliot about her past or when she will do it. Some of you are saying that she shouldn't be hiding so much. But Olivia's past with Brian is very messy and very personal, she doesn't completely trust Elliot yet to tell him and she doesn't want him to see her differently with this, it's explained more in upcoming chapters with events that are coming (I've just written it into the upcoming chapters). I think, she will come to tell him but we will see..
Let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review! I love to read them and please, feel free to message me if you have any further questions or feedback, I'm always happy to chat with all of you lovely readers of mine!
Until Next Time :)
