Chapter 4
Elliot got in the water with Lola and lifted her high up above his head. Lola started to giggle.
"Olivia did you see it? I looked like the lady from the movie!" Liv started to laugh.
"Really good job, sweetie!" she said.
After about the tenth time of doing "the lift" with Lola, Elliot could convince her that doing something different in the pool would be way more fun. Liv and Sarah got in the pool too and they had a really great time. They did headers, tried to dive from one side of the pool to the other and played with a water ball.
Elliot had to pull himself together a few times, so he wouldn't stare at Olivia. But she looked so freaking good in her bikini and with this bright smile on her face.
"Sarah, you really should try the lift from the movie too." Lola said after Elliot lifted her up once again. Sarah just shook her head.
"No, I don't want to but what about you Liv?" Liv looked at her shocked.
"No, I really don't think that's a good idea. I am way too heavy and…" she was interrupted by Elliot.
"So you are trying to say that I can't lift you?"
She looked at him with a look that said, help me out here, but he just smiled.
"Yeah Liv, dad can easily lift you. Come on. It will look so good! Just do it!" Sarah said excitedly. After seeing her sisters excitement, Lola started to shout, "Do it! Do it! Do it!" She really didn't want to do it but the longer she waited the louder and more excited Lola's shouting became and she didn't want everyone around the pool to watch her doing "the lift", so she didn't have a choice but to agree to it before this gets out of hand.
"Okay." Liv said finally. "But only once!"
The three Stablers looked pretty happy with themselves. She moved closer to Elliot.
"I hate you." she whispered and he just laughed.
She walked to the end of the pool where the water wasn't as deep.
"Come on, Liv." Elliot said encouragingly. She shook her head, still wondering why she had agreed to do it. She walked towards El, tried to jump up a bit and suddenly she was in the air. He totally lifted her up like it was nothing. The girls cheered enthusiastically and even a few other guests around the pool cheered for them. It was really weird but also kinda funny.
Suddenly Liv saw Kathy approaching them. She could see that she was furious.
"Let me down. Kathy's here."
Liv lost her balance and Elliot was so surprised at the sudden appearance of his ex wife that he almost didn't catch her before she fell in the water.
"Sorry." he mumbled.
"I knew I shouldn't have done it!" was all she said before leaving the pool.
Elliot tried to grab her hand but she was already too far away. He hated that she left. He wanted her close again. He knew he shouldn't feel like this, she was his partner and best friend but waking up with her in his arms and being close to her like he was never before, has changed his feelings for her even more.
Olivia was walking over to the showers when Kathy approached her.
"So this is what you really do when you tell me that you will spend the day alone at the beach? Did you only say that, so I would leave? How dare you, doing something like this in front of my kids? You really have no spark of decency!" she said derogatively. Liv looked at her with big eyes.
"Excuse me?" she said disbelievingly. She couldn't say more because Elliot suddenly stood next to them.
"You heard me!" Kathy said furiously.
"You know what. I don't need to listen to this!" Liv said.
She turned around and walked away. She could hear Elliot talking to Kathy angrily. She really didn't want to act like this but Kathy was way out of line. She didn't do anything wrong! Sure, she shouldn't have agreed on doing the lift but it wasn't like she suggested it.
"I am sorry, Liv." Sarah said apologetically. Liv tried her best to smile at her but she knew it didn't look like a real smile, she was way too angry at Kathy at the moment.
"There is nothing to be sorry about, honey. I am fine."
She grabbed her stuff and walked towards the hotel to wash of the chlorine from her skin because she surely won't go back to the showers next to the pool, where Kathy was still standing.
When she walked from the bathroom to their bedroom only wrapped in a towel, she realized that Elliot was sitting on the bed. She startled.
"Geez! You scared the shit out of me!"
"I am sorry." he said feeling slightly uncomfortable.
He really didn't mean to startle her or to watch her walking around wrapped in nothing but a towel like a creep.
He got up and walked to the door to give her some privacy. She grabbed his arm.
"El! Please don't bother your head about Kathy's behaviour. I am more than capable of handling it myself. I just needed to go because I didn't know how long I could hold back anymore. And the last thing I wanna do is to give her a real reason to hate me. I try my best to be polite but sometimes I prefer to walk away before I say something I shouldn't say out loud. Give me a minute to get dressed, okay?" she said with a small smile.
He nodded and left the room.
A few minutes later she opened the door again.
"Don't look so crashed. Come on, you know I can handle her." she said while punching him slightly in his arm to lighten the mood. He started to grin a bit.
"I know you can but that still doesn't mean you should have to deal with her."
He wanted to hug her so badly, just feel her close. Show her that he was sorry for everything she had to go through with Kathy.
"I decided to come on this holiday with you although I knew she was coming too. Please don't start a fight with her after every argument she has with me. Your support will only make her hate me more."
She looked him in the eyes. There was so much guilt in them. She really wanted to hug him, just to show him that she was fine, but they didn't do things like that.
"You are fascinating, do you know that? I would have punched your ex in the face if he talked to me like this!"
She started to laugh.
"Me punching Kathy would make everything so much better, you're right. I'll do that the next time she attacks me."
He started to laugh too.
"I guess it's good that I am the one, who has to deal with the ex then and not you." she said still laughing.
At the dining hall, Liv and Elliot sat at the table waiting for the others.
"I thought you could suggest that you all spend a family day together tomorrow. You could go to the waterpark or something like this. I am sure Kathy would like it. And the kids too."
"But I don't wanna spend the day with Kathy!" I don't wanna spend a day without you, he thought to himself.
She started to grin.
"I'm sorry but it's not about you, it's for the girls and for all of us because a day without me, hopefully will make her more bearable." He looked at her with a look that said, but I don't want to, which made her laugh.
She stopped laughing immediately after seeing the others approaching them. He noticed her sudden change of mood and said, "Let me guess, my marvelous ex wife just entered the room."
She whispered a 'stop it' to him but couldn't help to smile slightly at his remark.
Everyone greeted each other except Kathy, she didn't say a word to Olivia. She didn't even look at her.
Dinner was kinda weird but at least nobody started a fight.
"Do you guys have any plans for tomorrow?" Elliot asked Kathy and Kurt. The both shook their heads.
"Well what do you think about spending a family day together at the water park?"
The girls started to cheer. Kathy looked at Olivia and then back to Elliot.
"I am going to stay here." Olivia said to Kathy.
"I didn't…" Kathy started but Elliot interrupted her.
"Of course you did. But I don't want to start a fight. So do you wanna do this or not?"
"Of course!" Kathy said indignantly.
The rest of the evening was relaxed because Kathy seemed to be pretty pleased with their plans for tomorrow.
"Well, I think I'll call it a night. Let's meet up in front of the hotel at 8am." Elliot said while getting up.
"Good night everybody." he said while kissing the girls on their heads. Liv got up too.
"Good night. And I wish you two lots of fun tomorrow." she said smiling at the girls.
"Why don't you wanna come with us?" Lola asked.
"Stop the questions. We need to go to bed now so you get enough sleep." Kathy said annoyed.
"But mom.."
"Stop it, Lola!" Kathy said sternly. Sarah just looked at Liv apologetically. Liv smiled at her and followed Elliot out of the room.
"Don't say anything. I am fine. I will enjoy tomorrow too, I swear." she said.
In the morning Elliot got up early to get ready for the trip. Liv wasn't cuddled up against his chest this morning and he caught himself being pretty disappointed.
While he was showering there was a knock on their door. Liv got up from bed and opened the door, not thinking about putting on her gown but she wished she had thought about it after seeing who was at the door.
"Kathy!" she said surprised. Kathy looked at her shocked.
"Is this Elliot's shirt?" she asked disbelievingly.
Perfect. Just perfect. Liv thought to herself.
"Um, yes it is. I needed something to wear for the night and he was kind enough to lend me his shirt." Kathy smiled at her maliciously.
"You are fucking him! I can't believe it!" Liv looked at her shocked.
"I am not! Kathy you're way out of line right now!" Liv said calmly.
"I am what?! Oh my god! I can't believe you! I am not the one who fucks a married man on a holiday with his FAMILY! You're such a fucking whore!"
"Okay, you really need to calm down now. I am not sleeping with Elliot, but Kathy you're getting divorced. You have a boyfriend. Elliot is allowed to sleep with whomsoever he wants and it's not me. You have no right to call me a whore!"
The bathroom door opened and Elliot walked out.
"What the heck is going on?" he said confused.
"Nothing." Liv said while turning around to walk back in their bedroom. She decided that she needed to get away from Kathy as fast as she could. So she put on her running gear and plugged in her earphones.
While walking out of the hotel room she wished El a nice day. He ran after her with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Hey. Wait!" he shouted. She turned around reluctantly.
"I am fine, I swear but I really need to get away from her. The urge to punch her was too strong." she said grinning. He grinned slightly too.
"You really okay?" he asked, concern still evident in his voice. She nodded and started to run towards the beach.
