The reminder alarm beeped again, this time finally rousing Olivia. She rubbed her bleary eyes and sat up, disoriented. The throbbing in her skull and the narrowness of the couch reminded her of the events from the previous night. Her confusion over Abbie… her conversation with Casey… mass quantities of beer… And there was that damned beep again. Liv stumbled to her cell phone to silence the annoying sound and saw the missed call ID. Abbie. Her stomach twisted and she dropped the phone, sprinting to the bathroom.

Later, while lying on the cool bathroom floor Olivia wondered what the hell she was thinking. Her aching head made clarity difficult, but she was able to reason out that she had missed Abbie, she loved Casey, and she definitely shouldn't drink so much in one sitting. She pondered her inability to maintain long relationships. Was it self-sabotage? Did she really want to be with Abbie, or was this just another excuse to break things off with Casey?

She groaned and sat up, reaching to turn on the shower. Filling a glass with water, she popped open the Excedrin bottle and shook out two white tablets. 'Maybe a shower will help me face Abbie's message,' she thought grimly.

Abbie lay in bed watching the sun rise, pondering her own conversation from last night. There was definitely chemistry with Catherine, and Abbie was curious how deep it might go. Maybe Jack was right. Holding onto the ghost of a relationship just causes people to grow old and bitter. 'He should know,' Abbie thought, grinning. Maybe she and Olivia could just clear the air once and for all, realize there was just a memory between them, and call it a day. Closure, that's what they needed.

Abbie felt as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She climbed out of bed and grabbed some clothes for an invigorating run. Clarity, thanks to Jack, made the world seem brighter. She was almost out the door when the phone rang. Seeing the number on caller ID, she felt her moment of clarity grow hazy.

"Hey Liv!" She forced her voice to sound light.

"Hey…" There was an uncomfortable pause until Liv finally continued, "Got your message. Are you free now?"

"Sure, I was just heading out for a run, but…" she let the statement fall, waiting and unable to gauge Olivia's mood.

"Wanna meet at the coffee shop near the park? Should give you a nice run, right?" Olivia replied, sounding almost relieved to delay the meeting, even if only by fifteen minutes.

"Sounds good. See you in a bit." Abbie closed the phone, noticing her hand shaking slightly. Maybe Jack wasn't so right after all.

The jog over helped ease some of Abbie's tension, but it returned full force the moment she saw Olivia heading into the coffee shop. 'Now or never baby!' she thought, attempting to boost her courage slightly. "Hey there stranger!" she exclaimed with false bravado. Olivia stood up, and the two hugged awkwardly before sliding into opposite sides of the booth.

"So…" Olivia began.

Abbie looked up expectantly, and then realized that Liv wasn't going to continue. "So…" she replied. "I was thinking…"

"How y'all doin' this mornin'?" interrupted the waitress. "Our specials today… Hey now, wait just a minute! Abigail Carmichael! You didn't tell me you were back in town. And here with your beautiful, er, friend…" she trailed off lamely. Trying again, she commented, "Honey, look at you all skinny. Don't you eat in Texas?" and suddenly the waitress was scooping Abbie up in a big bear hug, smothering Abbie's response.

"Hey now Vera, you're liable to break something," Abbie joked feebly, pulling back. "Yup, back in town. Didn't expect to see you working today though. I'd have thought being the boss you'd have weekends off," Abbie stammered, shooting a helpless look in Olivia's direction.

"Well, Hank fired the weekend girl, so I'm filling in. I'll bring y'all coffee and let you girls have some privacy." Vera turned and headed to the kitchen, having remembered that Abbie and Olivia hadn't exactly parted on friendly terms.

"Sorry 'bout that," Abbie mumbled, moving her silverware nervously. "I forgot…"

"Don't worry. Seems like she's getting the message. Anyway, where were we?"

Abbie dived right in. "I've been thinking about us. I don't know what I expected when I moved back. Maybe I thought you'd have waited. Maybe I'd have gotten over you. I don't know. Jack says to let it go. He says your girlfriend, Casey, is wonderful. And I've been seeing someone too. Well, just one date, but… I don't know," Abbie rambled, hands gesturing erratically. At the pause, her hands dropped to the table.

Olivia reached over, placing her hands on top of Abbie's. "I understand." She looked into Abbie's brown eyes and felt that familiar pull of desire. She remembered this woman, her laughter, her moans, the feel of her skin, holding her. The conflict inside her grew and she pulled her hands away.

"Maybe a walk would be better," she whispered hoarsely.

Abbie stood up, grabbing Olivia's hand and shouting, "Vera, hold the coffee! We'll try it some other time!" Together they walked quickly out the door and onto the crowded sidewalk. They didn't get very far before Abbie pushed Olivia into a doorway, leaning up against her.

"Liv…" she sighed, running her hands up Olivia's arms, feeling her strong shoulders, caressing her jaw line before pulling her for a kiss. It was electric; familiar and new simultaneously. Abbie's mind registered only one thought, 'Oh shit, now I've done it.'