"So… what's your story?" Elliot asked as they walked from the DA's office.
Olivia had been prepared to hear this question, it's one that was almost always asked when she went out with someone. "I'm going to be quite honest here, so I'm going to warn you now, it's… it's a long story and it scares people away a lot of times."
He shrugged and reassured her, "I'm sure I can handle it. My life's been a series of long stories so, I won't be scared."
She sighed. "When I was in high school, I met this guy named Trevor. He was great… I adored him and dreamed that one day he would ask me out and then, finally, it happened. When we graduated high school, we went to college we swore that we would get married and have a big, beautiful family when we graduated. I studied law and was busy… a lot but… he found a way to make the entire thing a whole lot less stressful. When I went up to get my degree, he came out from behind the curtain and got down on one knee and it was magical." Tears began to spot her deep brown eyes as she continued to tell the story, memories of her life before losing her husband tugging at her heartstrings. "After we got married, it wasn't long until I got pregnant with Noah. He was so happy and so sweet and he was the best father to him… but when Noah was… three, the police came knocking on the door one night and I felt everything come crashing down. I knew one day he would get injured, I told him that but he wouldn't listen…" Quickly, she wiped away some of the tears that had fallen down her smooth face. "I never thought I would lose him like that… torched like he was some firewood… I had to have him cremated because I couldn't handle it…"
Elliot was silent for a moment, not sure what to say. "I'm… so sorry… That must be really hard to live with…"
"Uhm…" She cleared her throat and looked at the ground. "What about you… what's your story?"
"Well… I met my wife, Kathy, and we really hit it off. When we got married a few years later, I found out she was pregnant and I just fell in love with her even more. I would watch Katie while she worked mornings and she would watch her when I worked nights. It was hard to get by at first, having just spent a generous sum of money on a wedding, but we made it work. When Katie was two, Kathy told me she was pregnant again, but she ended up miscarrying and it just devastated us… then, a few months later, she passed because her brain cancer coming back… That was almost a year ago now… Katie doesn't seem to remember much about her mother, she was so young when it happened…"
There was a silence between them, however, it wasn't awkward, it was more comforting than anything. They continued strolling down the bustling streets of New York City, headed towards the coffee shop down the street from the daycare center.
He considered making a move after a few minutes, the urge to gently grab onto her hand was becoming overwhelming. That's when he felt her fingers reach for his hand, and he knew they were on the same page. This little action caused a well-needed smile to spread across his face like butter.
She looked up at him, her hair falling into her face on one side, adding a sense of innocence. Maybe this was her chance to start over again… She sure as hell wouldn't mind starting anew with someone like him, there was something calming about being with him.
Maybe this is moving on…
