Brian and Elliot consider talking
I don't own the characters, and this is with no Beta.
It had now been a month since he'd stopped following her. He followed her for two weeks after they found her, it was his own way of protecting her. Being near her, without actually reaching out. It felt terrible, he felt like a stalker and so he found himself only following her home. Never during the day, never waiting until morning. Only enough to know she had someone, even though it wasn't him. He followed her to what he assumed was Cassidy's, and he only followed her when he wasn't with her. When she went home by herself, he waited until Cassidy came home. After the second week, he found it easier to stay away, knowing that she had someone, that and it was going to become a problem if he kept seeing Cassidy kiss her. It wasn't helping this whole New Elliot resolution he had going on if one day he walked out of his car and sucker punched him for kissing her. That's not how he wanted their first encounter in years to be.
It had been an accident, and he cursed himself for being so careless. He went to their favorite diner, what else was he expecting. He almost wondered if it was his subconscious that had brought him here, so close to her. He grabbed his coffee and froze because he could feel her behind him. She laughed, carelessly and he felt a thud. He almost thought she'd hit him, until he heard her laughing lightly,
You definitely owe me a million trips to a million museums now.
He stepped aside and heard her sharp inhale, he froze knowing he'd been caught. As he began his turn, he clutched his coffee cup and almost split the Styrofoam. He caught her from the corner of his eye, and saw Cassidy move her aside from the line, away from him.
Hey baby, it's okay.He heard Cassidy whisper to her and embrace her fully. As he turned he found himself facing Cassidy across a row of people, unable to comprehend what happened. With narrow eyes, Cassidy stared him down for a brief second before he closed his eyes and continued to hug Olivia in a tight embrace. Elliot felt a panic wash over him before he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding in, and slowly made his way out of the diner.
He stopped outside and dropped the coffee into the trash, gripping onto the edge of the metal trash can for support, his knuckles turning white. He felt his head spinning, and suddenly his ache for her is seemed too much to bear. It's one thing to see them across the street, the metal of his car a buffer between them. Between Olivia's scent, her sound and Cassidy invading her personal space, a space that took him years to creep into without scaring her away, he'd lost control.
He felt betrayed, and he wasn't sure if it was just male pride. He needed to reevaluate what he was doing.
It honestly surprises him, it shouldn't or maybe it should but he's not so sure anymore. Cassidy sits across from him, doesn't wait for an invitation and doesn't look like he's about to play nice. Serious adult face, it suits him, and it catches Elliot off-guard. He's done some growing, and Elliot finds himself wondering how everything went to wrong.
Cassidy sighs heavily, puts his hands on the table and starts to talk, his words slow and clearly tempered.
She uh, she's doing good. She's strong, but uh, you know that. So there's no real need to worry. We're uh, uh well we're moving past it.
We huh, Elliot should expect it. It's a blow, a slow hurt that he knows will linger. It shouldn't matter, but it does, and it annoys him. He can see him struggling to form words, and Elliot understands that his silence is the only thing he's got over Cassidy right now, so he sits in silence.
Brian pauses, carefully spacing his words, almost as if it's become a threat.
We're going to move past this, together.
Elliot flinches, and Cassidy smirks. It's not a subtle move, but nothing with him ever was. His need to be near Olivia, his lack of subtly over what he wanted with her, what he thought they were. He feels his anger rise, and then slowly subside and he remembers that he and Olivia have 12 years, while she and Cassidy can barely string two or three, put together over the years.
Elliot gets up, he throws some cash on the table and in the same swift motion, grabs his coat. As he's slinging his coat over his right shoulder, moving past Cassidy, he feels him get up. He doesn't turn, but simply begins to move out of the diner, his way of telling Cassidy that he's done with this conversation. Out in the parking lot he's putting his key in the door when he hears him running, standing behind him, as he goes to unlock his door, Cassidy steps to his right, peripherally he can see him, and he's just about had it. His jaw locks, and he's brimming with an insult as he turns to face him.
We're moving in together, a place we can start fresh. So, stop following her because I'm pretty sure that if I ask, she wouldn't want you to know where our new place is.
This time it's not a slow burn, it's a sharp pain and he realizes that it isn't internal. Suddenly he's swinging, and he misses the first time, but he goes to swing again and hears the contact that his fist makes with Cassidy's jaw. He see's blood and steps back, and in his anger, he's confused about what's going on. Cassidy is moving back, arms up in a defensive pose, but he's laughing. He clenches his jaw, and squares up, ready to fight. Cassidy lets out another hearty laugh, one that comes straight from his stomach, one that doesn't match the situation. Elliot steps forward, and Cassidy drops his arms. He turns to walk away, chuckling and grabs his keys as he gets into his own car.
I'm serious, if she wanted to talk to you, she would have called. Would have made any sort of mention, but it wasn't your name she said in the hospital. It was mine, mine.
Elliot stands there, not trusting himself to move. He stands there for a while, after Cassidy gets into his car and drives, he stands there as it begins to drizzle, and he finally gets in and puts his car into drive. He finds himself circling the precinct block, and for the first time in a long while, he feels his heart hurt.