Yay! Another chapter just one day after the previous one. I'm on a roll again ... Enjoy!
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17. 10th Avenue
It's mid December and the holidays are approaching. They are supposed to look at four apartments today and they hope they'll find something soon, so they will be able to move in January. Olivia still feels fit and would like to move before the pregnancy gets too advanced for her to enjoy decorating the new place. Elliot tells Olivia that they can stop the viewings at any time if she gets tired today but she waves it off.
"I'm 22 weeks along El. It's not like I'm an out-of-breath whale just yet."
Elliot looks at her from head to toe.
"No, you're not," he agrees and she sees the appreciation in his eyes. "Now we're meeting Murray the real estate agent at the first address so I thought we'd take a cab, and then tag along in his car from there."
Focusing on the task at hand, Olivia agrees,
"Sounds good. Let's go."
They have agreed on the apartments they want to look at, and they even found a four bedroom place that they might be able to afford. When they get there, they are both disappointed. The apartment is cramped and the bedrooms are all too small for their liking.
Murray is a nice young man that seems eager to close a deal. He tries to make conversation and, gesturing at Olivia's belly, he asks them if this will be their first baby. Elliot responds without blinking, telling the man,
"I have kids from my first marriage. That's why we need the extra room or rooms."
"Aha."
Murray nods understandingly and Olivia raises an eyebrow when Elliot grins at her. He stands closer to her and puts a hand on her back, and Olivia knows he is going to enjoy playing a couple for the rest of the day. They are good at that when the job requires it, like during short undercover stints, but this is real life, and Olivia finds herself needing to get used to doing this with Elliot. There is no need to tell the agent they're not a couple so she'll roll with it, but she wonders just how much fun Elliot plans to have. Right now, he's rubbing her back gently while they listen to Murray as he explains the pros of the neighborhood to them once more. Elliot assures him that the place is too cramped for them, regardless of the neighborhood, and that they'd like to look at the next apartment on their list.
Elliot holds the passenger door open gallantly for his 'wife' before climbing in the backseat of Murray's car. Murray chats happily about all the pros of the second apartment during the drive over and Olivia looks outside and watches the busy streets of New York pass her by. They are actually driving past her own street at one point, from Upper Manhattan down to Hell's Kitchen.
"You've chosen two places in Hell's Kitchen. You will be pleased to know that everything you will need is at walking distance from both apartments. Mere minutes away. Both apartments have three bedrooms and they are light and spacious. A perfect place for a baby to grow up."
They nod and hum politely, although Murray isn't telling them anything new. The second apartment on their list has two bathrooms and three bedrooms, and Olivia had hoped it would feel right. She needs to use the bathroom more often these days, so having two would be nice. But she feels a little disappointed again. She doesn't like the view, which consists of a grim-looking building with a lot of fire escapes, and the entrance of the building isn't very tidy. She glances at Elliot, who is looking at her for a reaction. She shakes her head ever so slightly and she can see by the look in his eyes, that he knows this won't be their new place. It just doesn't feel right.
Murray is undeterred and takes them to the third apartment, which is on 10th Avenue. Olivia grins when they get out of the car, and points at the donut shop across the street. Elliot smiles and in turn, points at the sports bar next to the apartment building they are headed for, and the steak house next to that. Olivia then spots and Italian restaurant down the road. First impressions of the neighborhood are good, and Olivia smiles when Elliot grabs her hand as they follow Murray into the 5 floor building. There is room for a store on the first floor, but it's currently unoccupied, and Murray leads them to the stairway.
"There's a laundry room in the basement and the super lives across the hall from the apartment we're going to see," Murray tells them happily before they climb the stairs to the second floor where the apartment is. He unlocks the door and as soon as it swings open, it strikes Olivia how bright the place is. It's completely empty but the warm color of the wooden floor combined with the bright white walls make her feel at home instantly. Elliot squeezes her hand and she looks up at him. He is smiling happily as well. Could they really have found their new home on their first day looking?
Murray shows them the kitchen, which isn't huge but has everything they need, including an oven, a dishwasher and a nice fridge. There is also a door that opens to a modest terrace and Olivia's smile grows.
"You can sit here if you want or dry your laundry, or just open the door for some fresh air. It faces the south, southwest, so you'll have lots of sunshine here," Murray tells them proudly.
"And the bar next door?" Olivia asks, looking down at the neighboring buildings from the terrace. "Any complaints about noise?"
"It's a sports bar," Murray tells them. "No rowdy crowds coming out of there in the middle of the night, if that's what you're worried about."
There are two King size bedrooms side by side, both doors facing each other in a small hallway that's only as deep as the doors. The third bedroom, tucked away between one of the big bedrooms, the spacious living room and the kitchen, is a bit smaller. The bathroom isn't very big but it has everything they need: a toilet, a sink with cabinets above and below, and a bath plus shower.
"Everything looks so new," Olivia muses, tracing the edge of the kitchen counter after they've seen everything.
Murray clears his throat and suddenly seems a little hesitant.
"Yes, ehm … this entire apartment was recently given a complete makeover. If you decide to take this place, you're going to hear it from the neighbors anyway so I guess I should tell you why."
Both Detectives raise an eyebrow and glance at each other before looking at the now slightly uncomfortable real estate agent again.
"Truth is, someone died in here."
Olivia bites her lip to keep herself from laughing. They are kind of used to death, which might be a bit morbid to some people, but it's the nature of their job.
"That's okay Murray. Not a problem for us," Elliot tells him, managing to keep a perfectly straight face.
Murray is visibly relieved.
"Well, they soiled the place and uh … the body was found after quite a while so … the entire place was thoroughly cleaned and then repainted. Even the ceilings. It was fitted with a brand new hardwood floor and both the kitchen and bathroom were renewed as well."
"I'm surprised it's still available then," Olivia muses, looking around her once more.
The apartment is spacious and light and it's so clean and neat that they will be able to move in immediately. It's much bigger than her current one-bedroom place so the only thing left to do will be to go shopping for new furniture.
"Yes. Well, there's the traffic of course. Not everyone likes to live in a busy street," Murray explains. "And I guess some people prefer a place without such a history," he adds a little sheepishly.
"A history they know of," Elliot adds and Murray's eyes widen a bit.
"Uh … yes. I … I guess that's correct. You never really know, right?"
"What do you think, dear?" Elliot asks, standing close to Olivia in the kitchen and grabbing her hand again.
He is enjoying this far too much, Olivia thinks, but she can't exactly push him away and so she gives him a sweet smile.
"I like it."
"Me too."
"We can scratch the viewing of place number four, not a problem," Murray interjects hopefully but the two Detectives are now focused on each other.
"Can you see us living here and raising our kids together?" Elliot asks, his eyes sparkling with amusement, but with tenderness in them as well.
"I can," Olivia replies, intentionally making her voice sound a little husky.
"Perhaps making a few more?" Elliot asks her softly, suggestively.
He's pushing it, but two can play that game and Olivia inches even closer to him until her breath hits his chin.
"Definitely."
The shock in Elliot's eyes is her reward and she bites her lip to keep from grinning too widely. But Elliot recovers quickly and lowers his head until his mouth is only an inch from hers, his hands now resting on her hips.
"Let's seal it with a kiss then."
Olivia groans involuntarily, her stomach doing a backflip but before she can even think about it, Elliot's lips already ghost over hers. Her brain short-circuits then and her body takes over when she responds by kissing Elliot back. His hold on her tightens a little and she holds on to his biceps as they kiss each other, softly, for no longer than a second. Murray is watching them, after all. Elliot looks a little dazed when he pulls back and Olivia looks away quickly. She isn't ready to see her own reaction to that kiss reflected back to her in Elliot's eyes. They shouldn't be doing this. It will only complicate things.
Murray asks happily if congratulations are in order, and when they both confirm that they won't need to see the fourth place, he pulls out a small stack of papers.
"I can send these to you digitally, but if you're ready to sign, we can do it right now," he tells them.
The two Detectives look at each other again and they agree silently. 10th Avenue it is.
...
A/N: More soon. I loved walking the streets of New York digitally to find these two a new place :)