Diamonds and Promises

Olivia waited for Elliot to leave before taking out the ring.

Slowly she opened the box and smiled. Carefully, she extracted the ring and held it in her hands. She twisted it and turned it. She looked at it from every angle and read the inscription. She ran her fingers over the words inscribed in the gold, "Forever, Alex." She watched the diamond sparkle in the light. She held close, slipped it on her finger, took it off, put it back on, and flipped it over. She weighed it in her hand, and clasped it holding it tight into her chest.

She really liked it. She had never felt such an emotional tie to an object before.

In her mind she could see it shine on Alex's finger and she liked the symbol. She could imagine promising Alex her undying love. She could see them, warm sunshine in Alex's hair, Alex promising to love her. She could see herself lean in and kiss her. She liked the idea that everyone would know that she was spoken for.

She absolutely hated it when men hung on Alex's every word with their tongues hanging out. It wasn't quite jealousy. Okay, yes it was. It was 100% bona fide jealousy. She didn't mark her territory or anything, and she trusted Alex with all her heart, but she couldn't stop her face from burning when a guy would flirt with Alex right in front of her.

Once, a guy had asked Alex out, slipping his phone number to her while Olivia was right there. Alex had turned it down, reached for Olivia holding her close, and told him that she couldn't possibly be more satisfied. Of course, she couldn't help but love it, but it still drove her mad. But nothing put her more at ease than the way Alex looked at her, the intensity of her blue eyes when she said "I love you." The thought of it sent shivers up her spine.

When she was sure she had examined the ring from every possible angle, she slipped it back into the box and stared at it from there. She looked at it praying to remember the day she bought it. She prayed to remember the conversation with Elliot. She thought she remembered parts of it. Maybe. She thought that she remembered her internal debate. She could almost feel the sureness she had felt when she made the decision in the first place.

Elliot had told her the whole story. He reminded her of the way Alex made her feel. He helped her focus on her feelings, something neither of them were particularly good at. He didn't want her to rush into anything. He was sweet sometimes. She smiled wistfully. Too bad sometimes he was such a dick.

She didn't have to search her heart for her love for Alexandra Cabot. It wasn't just about marking her as taken. The love for Alex had bubbled right to the surface the minute she had woken up. Opening her eyes to the blonde hair blue eyed woman had made her feel calm. It wasn't another nightmare.

And after waking up to Elliot's face one too many times, it was a nice change to have someone there for her. She was happy to have someone who was there not out of a mix of obligation and fidelity, but someone who was there for nothing more than a deep respectful love.

She knew that she loved Alex Cabot. She loved her more than she had ever loved anyone before. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. She sounded like a stupid teenager, but the love was different. It wasn't just a mutual attraction, not just sex, or great conversation. They seemed to complement each other in strange ways. Sometimes Olivia felt like Alex was the other half of her soul, and she wondered how she had made it so far in life without her.

This ring.

This promise.

She could do this. She could ask Alex to do this. She could make the promise.

She thought about what it would be like to propose. She looked down at the splint on her knee, and could feel the tenderness of her stitches. So she wasn't getting on her knee anytime soon, she sighed. Traditional was out. She thought, though, that Alex might say yes. There might be something there.

Maybe she should try.