Only once the cold night air hit them did Olivia remember they had left their coats at the table. As she turned to head back into the restaurant to retrieve them, Mr. Giorgio met her at the door, coats in hand. She gave him an apologetic look and thanked him. By the time she had turned back around, Kathy and Greg were getting into a cab and Elliot was nowhere to be seen.
Two hours later, Olivia was curled up on her couch trying to sleep. She finally turned off the television and rolled to face the back of the couch when she heard a key in her lock. She stiffened and turned over on her back just in time to glimpse Elliot move into her kitchen. She lay watching him, breathing shallowly so he wouldn't hear. Elliot never used his key without permission, not that she minded, but she wondered exactly what was going through his mind right now.
As she watched him, he placed both hands on the counter and lowered his head, breathing harshly. She debated whether she should pretend to be asleep. She knew Elliot would never want her to see him upset. He kept a strong wall around his heart especially when it came to his marriage. Sometimes, his wall was even stronger than hers if that was possible.
And then she heard it. Elliot shuddered and let out a sob. Elliot didn't cry. He got angry, threw chairs, punched walls, cursed, and broke things, but he didn't cry. Yet here he was, standing in her darkened kitchen, assuming she was asleep in her bedroom with tears streaming down his face and glistening in the moonlight.
Olivia didn't need any more convincing. She rose immediately and went to him, placing her left hand on his shoulder. He flinched. Undeterred, Olivia placed her right hand on top of his and squeezed. He gave a faint effort into pulling his arm away but she held on and he gave in.
Olivia moved her hand from his bicep, slid it around his upper back and pulled him just a little closer. "El, I was so worried." She started quietly, not wanting to stir any of his emotions. "Where did you go?"
"Home." He shuddered after a few moments of silence. "I packed a suitcase and then waited for Kathy to come home. I thought maybe she would at least want to talk. She never showed."
Olivia sighed and straightened to look him in the eye. "El, I don't know what to say. I'm not even sure I understand completely what is going on. Unless you two got divorced without me knowing, I'm pretty sure she can't marry another man."
Elliot pulled away suddenly and walked to the couch, his shoulders stiff and his hands running roughly through his short hair. He sat down and put his elbows on his knees. "I don't want to talk about it, Liv. I can't talk about it. Not tonight. I just…can I crash on your couch for a few hours?"
"Um, sure. Yeah, of course you can, Elliot. You don't even need to ask. That couch is always yours. I'll be in my bedroom, if you want to talk." And with that, a very confused Olivia walked to her bedroom and quietly closed the door.
Elliot walked to Olivia's linen closet and grabbed an extra blanket. He padded back to the couch, unbuckled his black leather belt and slid his work pants down. He carefully folded his pants and set them on the coffee table with his belt. He did the same with his white button down shirt and blue striped tie that Kathleen had given him a couple Father's Days ago. As he settled back on Olivia's couch, he inhaled the scent of her shampoo that lingered on the plush, white pillow, and he let another tear fall down his cheek. If only she knew what he had never been brave enough tell her, how much he had given up in his life.
The sun came all too early for Olivia who had spent the past few hours staring at the ceiling and listening for any movement out in her living room. She had finally settled her mind enough to sleep when her alarm rang and startled her from her half-asleep state. She must have forgotten to turn it off yesterday. She pushed the silk sheets down her body and lifted her arms above her head as she pointed her toes and stretched out her muscles. Her body ached with exhaustion and her head was pounding. She slipped her tank top over her head as she walked towards the bathroom for a long shower.
Olivia slipped her black sweatpants down her long and muscular legs and walked to turn on the water. As she waited for the water to warm, she studied her face in the mirror. The circles under her eyes would need to be covered with more attention than usual today as they seemed to have grown exponentially in the last few hours. She sighed and let her eyes wander over her high cheek bones, perfect lips and back up to her eyes. She had never seen her eyes so dull before and she certainly lacked the motivation to give herself a pep talk this morning. Most mornings, the wall that she had built to protect herself from Elliot stood firmly in place and she was able to find the confidence to do her job without being affected by him. Last night though, well, last night just plain confused her and the fact that he didn't want to talk to her about it made things worse. She desperately wanted to wrap her arms around her best friend, the only man who knew her and understood her, and tell him that she would fix it. She wanted to console him not unlike a mother would a child and tell him that it would all be okay, but she wasn't sure that it would be. Elliot seemed so broken, so lost, and by the time he arrived at her apartment, all of the fight that he had shown at Giorgio's was gone. He was empty and therefore, so was she.
A noise rattled Olivia from her reverie. She quickly shut off the water and slipped into her navy blue knee length satin robe. As she opened her bathroom door, she could hear yelling from the living room. One voice clearly belonged to her partner, the other clearly belonged to a woman but she didn't recognize it immediately. Olivia opened her bedroom door just as a crystal vase flew into the wall beside her, narrowly missing her head.
"What the hell?!" Olivia yelled. Kathy spun around from her position in front of the couch and glared at Olivia.
"I thought you said she wasn't here!?" Kathy screamed and shoved both of her hands into Elliot's chest. He stumbled backwards slightly, his face showing no signs of engagement in this argument.
"Kathy," He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "she lives here. Of course she's here."
"What the fuck, Elliot?!" Kathy screamed. "I knew it. I knew you two were sleeping together! You promised me you weren't having an affair! You fucking promised but apparently I was right not to believe you. How long as this been going on?! How long have you been sleeping with your partner?" Her head snapped back to Olivia, blond curls slapping her face as she did so. "I trusted you, Olivia! I trusted you to watch his back, not destroy his family!"
"Kathy, I have no idea what you're talking about and you seem to have done a pretty good job of destroying things yourself." Olivia stated, calmly while tightening the knot of her robe. She folded her arms across her chest, popped her hip slightly and glared at the woman, trying to at least physically assert her dominance. This was her home after all.
"What do you want, Kathy? Why are you here?" Elliot asked with an eerie calmness in his voice that only Olivia would recognize as his last emotion before rage. Unconsciously, Olivia moved towards Elliot's side, ready to jump in if he reached his breaking point. She understood him only in the way that a partner who spent 12 years watching your every move could: fully and completely.
"I thought you said you wanted to talk, so here I am. Let's talk." Kathy stated her eyes intense and fiery and still focused on Olivia.
"Not here. Not right now." Elliot replied. "Last night, yes, I did want to talk but right now is not a good time." Olivia knew he needed time to calm down before a civil conversation with his wife was possible so she moved towards the door in an attempt to usher Kathy out.
Kathy, knowing she was not going to get anywhere with a two against one scenario, picked up her purse, pulled her coat tighter across her chest and barreled towards the door. Olivia opened it for her and gently shut it behind fuming Kathy who didn't bother to turn around to close it herself.
Olivia paused to take a breath before turning around to look at Elliot. Elliot had sat down on the couch and was staring straight ahead at a blank spot on the wall, completely emotionless. She padded across her wood floor and sat on the opposite side of the couch with one leg tucked up underneath her. She focused on the spot on his neck where she could see his pulse throbbing underneath his skin until he turned his head and found her eyes with his.
" I'm sorry." The utter sincerity in his eyes sent a bolt straight to her heart and it broke a little for him in that moment. "She had no right to barge in here like that. But, all the same, I should probably explain some things to you, Liv. All I ask is that you wait until I'm done explaining to kick me out.