It is when Elliot returns the next day after his afternoon shift that he learns her name.
He's walking into the bar when he overhears one of the girls call out for her "Livinia, we've run out of pale ciders. Didn't you say we ordered more?"
Elliot takes a seat on the barstool, the same spot he occupied yesterday. He watches Livinia hurry back behind the bar, brushing her brown curls out of her eyes as she crouches down to search for the goods.
Elliot clears his throat. "Livinia, hey?"
Livinia raises her head, blinking once, then twice. "You're back."
"You seem surprised."
She reaches for a short glass above and a bottle of scotch as she speaks. "Well, we don't usually get people returning for a drink. Same old?"
Elliot accepts the beverage and takes a chance to scan the room. The bar seems just as full as it was yesterday, with most of the lounges and barstools now occupied. Elliot recognises some of the men. "It looks like this place brings in a few regulars."
She tilts her head to the side, passing him a sarcastic look. "Come on. You know people don't come back here for the drinks."
Elliot doesn't appreciate the implication in her tone even though admittedly, it was his intentions yesterday to come here for that exact reason, a cheap hook up. Elliot follows her gaze to one man who is reaching for one of the waitress's waist as she goes to hand him his drink. "Well, that's not my scene."
She casts him a doubtful look. "Oh really? You're telling me that a married man like you came in yesterday and today, alone, for a drink?"
Elliot shrugs and takes a sip of scotch. He glances at her from above his glass. "Hey, maybe I just like the company."
She tilts her head to the side, staring at him curiously. Before she can reply, another girl calls out for her, needing her assistance. She sighs. She looks as if she is about to say something to Elliot, but then decides against it, walking off.
…
Elliot isn't sure why he came back again.
Kathy did not return any of his nine calls until this afternoon, when he was working. He
had checked his phone after his shift and was greeted by a voicemail from Kathy, expressing that she wanted space to think things through and Elliot should respect that. She made an offer for him to come by his Mother's this week to see the kids and perhaps he would like to take them out for the weekend?
Elliot had almost crushed his mobile with anger. However, he knows now that it is not his anger towards her or her decision to leave with the children that's bothering him. It's his fears that she is using this time to prepare for a divorce. So, Elliot had got into his car, planning on driving over to speak to her about this.
Yet he found himself driving back to the Pink Leopard bar, Livinia on his mind. Elliot will see his kids this weekend. Tonight, he needs the distraction.
Elliot is surprised at how comfortable and at ease he feels when he was with Livinia, drinking and chatting with her. He's a closed book. Yet she has a way of sensing his thoughts and emotions underneath the layers, gently prodding with her soft, curious gaze, until he feels himself open up.
He's three drinks in when she says, "So tell me, why have you actually been coming here these past few nights?"
Elliot blinks, taken back at the question. "What do you mean?"
She leans onto the counter and meets his eyes, speaking seriously. "I mean you're a married man who's been spending his evenings after work at a seedy bar talking to me, instead of at home with his wife. I know you care about her because you haven't tried to go home with any of the girls here, and I know they've made passes at you." Her eyes soften with her tone. "What are you trying to avoid?"
Elliot swallows back the discomfort that is rising thick in his throat. He was not expecting to talk about his marriage. Yet when he meets her gentle eyes, he feels trust and that sense of connection he has been growing between them these past few days.
"I'm not avoiding anything in my marriage. If anything, she is the one who's" Elliot stops, blowing out a long breath. The last thing he wants to do is blame his wife for his own mistakes. "She needs a break, time to think." Elliot pauses and meets Livinia's expectant eyes. He continues, "It's a long story. I only began working in construction this month. Before that, I was working for the NYPD in homicide."
Her eyes widen. She drops the cloth to the side. She's silent for a beat, then says, "Detective to construction? That's a big change."
"I had the skills and an old friend offered me the job. Working for the NYPD was…intense. We took on some complex cases. Catching murderers, serial killers who had been abducting victims and killing for years. I worked long hours at the office and wasn't there for her or Kathleen enough."
"Your daughter?"
Elliot nods. "I always convinced myself that I needed to be at work. That I had to find the killer, had to give the family justice and peace after what they've gone through."
Understanding passes the woman's eyes. She says softly, "You loved your job."
Elliot lifts his head up, her words resonating with him. "Yeah. But I loved my family more…I sure didn't show it though. The work put a strain on our marriage. We fought a lot. Eventually I resigned to focus on the family, but not before screwing it up and sleeping with my co-worker."
Livinia takes in a long breath. "When did she find out?"
"Last week. I was an idiot. I ended the affair with Dani months ago, but Kathy found messages on my phone. She moved out a few days ago."
"And that's when you dropped by for a drink?"
Elliot nods. He hesitates, then says "You were right about me. I didn't come in for a drink that night. I, ah…I wanted a distraction. I'm not proud of it."
"You didn't cheat on your wife though. You changed your mind."
Elliot thinks for a moment, then says, "Well, I guess I learned that I prefer speaking to you."
She lowers her eyes, not too sure how to take that. She meets his gaze again and asks, "So what's happening now then?"
Elliot takes another long drink, as if doing so would drown his regrets. "Right now, Kathy wants space to think about this…us. She doesn't want to see me until she's ready to talk about this. I just have to wait this out until she's ready."
Livinia studies him for a moment, silent. The grief weighing in his voice and sinking in his eyes hit her heart. "You're a good guy Elliot. We all make mistakes. It doesn't mean we don't deserve a second chance."
He breathes out a dark chuckle. "Mistake? That's saying it lightly." He lifts his head up, wincing at her. "How do you know I'm such a good guy?"
She shrugs, her lips softening into a smile. "Intuition. I'm a pretty good judge of character you know."
Elliot meets her eyes, his cheeks lifting to mirror her smile. "What about you Liv? Have you made mistakes?"
Liv blinks, startled at the newfound nickname. He says it so naturally, as if he had known her for years as Liv. When she is working at this bar, she is always Livinia.
Liv feels too close to home.
Nonetheless, Liv recovers quickly. She replies, "Too many to count."
Then she refills his drink, preparing to leave when he speaks once more.
"Do you have any kids of your own?"
She looks up, surprised at his interest. She feels a familiar pang hit her chest and creep up her throat at the question. She tries to swallow it back down, her voice a little hoarse with emotion when she replied "No."
She lowers her eyes onto the dirty cloth, waiting for the ache in her heart to ease. She can sense his eyes softening onto hers with compassion. She doesn't want his sympathy. She wants to drop the subject, yet temptation drags her gaze back up to his. "Why do you ask?"
Elliot shrugs again, thinking carefully. "Just seeing how you speak to your staff, to the younger girls…you seem so gentle, nurturing." He pauses, sensing the emotion behind her glassy eyes. "It seems out of place here, you know? It makes me wonder why you work here."
"What do you mean?"
Elliot is not too sure how to respond. He gives it some thought, then continues, his tone soft with emotion. "Just the way the customers treat you here. I hate to see kindness like that taken advantage of."
Her cheeks lift into a smile that sends warmth blossoming in his chest. Once again, he finds his eyes drawn to her dimples and the twinkle in her eye. He feels it again, that overwhelming feeling pulling towards her, making him want to reach out to her, to comfort her.
Instead, he settles for picking up his empty, shaking it in the air. "How about another one?"
Liv reaches for his glass and scoops up a few ice cubes while simultaneously reaching for the bottle. "You're really not tired of Jack Daniel's yet?"
Elliot accepts the drink. "Maybe, but only the drink."
He lifts his eyes up to hers, to check that she understands what he was meaning. Judging by the slight dip of her head and the small smile that plays on her lips, Elliot would guess that she does.
…
Thank you so much to everyone who liked, favourited and/or left a comment on this fic and the others I posted. They truly make me smile and make my day, and fuel my fire for writing more! I'm still pretty new to this fandom and writing for Bensler, so I really appreciate it. This fic is gonna be a bit of a slow burn but things will pick up soon. I've already started writing the next chapters. So please review and let me know your thoughts and what you'd like to see happen!
