Chapter 4: Don't Let Another Day Begin
Summary: Olivia and Rafael adapt their orbits around each other until a little accident pulls them closer together.
Rafael followed the same pattern the next morning, his internal clock unwilling to reset to New York time. Olivia was still in her bed when he returned with coffees, and he left hers on the small table inside the yurt while he settled into what he now considered his Adirondack chair on the deck.
A short while later, she slid into the seat next to him and sipped her coffee with a contented sigh. Without looking at him, she spoke quietly. "Thank you for the coffee. I'm surprised that you still remember how I take mine." As if he could or would forget anything about her, even if he wanted to.
Following her lead, Rafael kept his eyes on the brightening sky when he murmured, "You're welcome." They lapsed into silence once again though it wasn't uncomfortable. The sun was up by the time they finished their coffees, yet they remained seated enjoying the serenity of a quiet morning.
Finally, when other visitors began to emerge from their yurts, the pair of them glanced at each other. Olivia's expression was open, and Rafael took a chance.
"Would you like to join me for breakfast in the lodge?" He kept his own face and tone neutral knowing that his eyes could be far too expressive sometimes. Though they gained a bit of ground yesterday, everything still seemed so fragile, like it could all come crumbling down with the slightest misstep.
She gazed back at him for long moments, a multitude of emotions crossing her face, before something close to hopeful resignation settled in her deep brown eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of the contradictory emotions, but he felt a swell of relief when she finally replied. "Sure."
Thirty minutes later, they joined quite a few other guests in the lodge, settling at a small table by a window. They ordered more coffee and omelets with rye toast before slipping into silence again. Rafael couldn't keep his eyes off Olivia, taking in the caramel highlights in her dark hair, the gleam in her chocolate eyes, the fine lines settling near her eyes and mouth, the shape of her lips… he took it all in, one glance at a time, not wanting her to catch him staring. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop himself from stealing glances. He didn't realize that she was doing the same thing each time he looked away.
Their breakfast arrived a short while later and they finally settled into snippets of conversation as they ate.
"How is Noah?" Rafael asked, suddenly missing his pint-sized friend. The smile that spread across her pink lips at the mention of her son made his heart knock around in his chest.
"He's doing so well. He's taking dance classes, growing more confident, and he confessed to me that he's bisexual not that long ago." She stabbed her fork into a piece of the omelet and took a bite.
"Really?" Rafael couldn't help his surprise. "That's incredibly self-aware for such a young boy. What is he, 8 or 9? Then again, it makes sense given the open-minded and supportive environment and family you created for him. I wish I would have been that self-assured and aware at even thrice his age."
He watched as Olivia's icy edges softened further and she shot him a grateful quirk of her lips. Noah was a safe topic, and he was happy to hear about the boy, especially knowing that they had something in common in being bisexual. It wasn't an easy path to walk, he knew from experience.
His hand itched to reach across the table to grasp hers, but he knew that would not be well-received. Instead, he settled for meeting her eyes with sincerity. "Please let him know that he is always welcome to come to me for advice or if he has any questions. I'm always happy to hear from him."
The edges rounded a little more and Olivia's mouth relaxed into a warm smile. They were making progress, albeit slowly. "I appreciate that. I know he would love to talk to his Uncle Rafa about any and everything. He's missed you, a lot." She paused briefly, glancing at the tabletop. There was sadness and regret in her eyes when she looked up at him again. "He has been mad at me since we've had our… falling out. He thought he would see you more when you returned to the city, and he blames me for you not coming around anymore. I can't say he's wrong."
Rafael sat, various emotions washing over him as he struggled for something to say in response. His keen green eyes searched her face for a sign of how far they should take this conversation, but he could read nothing. She shut herself off, tipping her head forward and allowing her long locks to hang over and hide part of her face. For every step forward, he thought.
"Liv…" he started, uncertainly. He cleared his throat and tried again, her eyes on him this time. "I miss Noah, too. So much. I'm sorry that he's mad at you. I could talk to him, if you'd like, to help him understand. Though I do hope that you and I can work things out between us."
A staff member came by to clear their table and ask if they wanted more coffee. They both declined and the server reminded them everything was covered under the card on file. Rafael still slipped a few bills out of his pocket for a tip.
"I hope we can too, Raf. It's why I gave in to this charade without much of a fight." She laughed nervously. "I wouldn't be here if I really didn't want to be. I just don't know where to start."
Rafael could not help the hopeful, lop-sided grin that crossed his lips. "I think this is a great start, both knowing that we don't want things to be like this anymore. We have much of the week ahead of us to work through things, together."
Olivia nodded and they both stood from the table feeling lighter than they had in months.
Two hours later, Olivia and Rafael found themselves joining a small group of guests for a guided hike through the redwood forest. They were slowly feeling more comfortable with each other, and the outdoor activity was good for them mentally and physically. They made small talk with the other guests before the hike started. After that, they kept to themselves as they followed the guide along the trail.
The redwood trees were enormously tall, the green leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. Once they were encased in the shadow of the forest, Olivia stopped Rafael to pull her sweater from the small backpack he carried. She slipped it on to fend off the chill and they quickly caught up to the group.
The guide prattled on about various fauna and flora native to the redwood forest along with the history of the area. It was interesting and they listened intently for the first hour or so. At one point, the group stopped to rest and sip at their water.
"I have to… you know," Olivia whispered after taking a few sips of water. When Rafael just arched an eyebrow at her, she rolled her eyes. "Pee. I have to pee, Raf."
"Oh, me too." Rafael chuckled and they ducked off the trail into the forest, searching for somewhat more private places to do their business. When they felt they were deep enough into the brush to block them from sight of the other hikers, they split in two separate directions.
It was times like this that Olivia really hated being a woman. Pulling a tissue from her pocket, she unzipped her pants and hiked them down along with her underwear before leaning back in a squat against a sturdy tree. She had a lot of coffee and water so far that day and her need to urinate was overwhelming.
Hearing the crunch of someone or something stepping on the dried leaves on the ground as she finished, Olivia rushed to wipe and tug her garments back into place. She had just buttoned and zipped her pants when Rafael appeared in her line of sight. Flustered, she rushed forward to meet him, not seeing the thick roots sticking up from the ground in front of her.
Her left foot tangled in the curve of a particularly poorly placed root and her momentum pitched her forward. She heard Rafael yell as her hands came down to break her fall, but it was drowned out by her own squeal when her ankle twisted.
"Oh, shit!" Rafael was already at her side having sprinted the distance between. "Is it broken? Can I take a look?" The normally calm and collected man turned into a nervous wreck whenever Olivia was hurt or in danger.
"Raf, it's ok," she grunted through the pain. "I think it's just sprained. It twisted in that damned root when I fell."
Bending down, Rafael gently tugged the hem of her pants up her calf to reveal her ankle. Neither of them being avid outdoor people, they were not equipped with proper hiking boots. She was wearing a simple pair of running shoes which offered no ankle support for the uneven terrain. His long fingers softly poked at the offended limb, already seeing the swelling around the bone.
"Can you move it at all?" Rafael asked. "I just want to make sure it's not broken."
"Did you get your medical degree during the time we weren't speaking?" she griped, slowly rolling her left foot despite the pain.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased. He knew she was in pain. "Can you put any weight on it?"
"Help me up and we'll see." She held her hands out when he stood up, and he grasped them to pull her to her feet. Once Olivia was upright, her weight on her uninjured right foot, she placed her left foot on the ground and eased some weight on it. She cried out immediately and lifted that foot from the ground. "That would be a hard no."
"Shit." Rafael ran a hand through his hair, thinking of a plan of action. "Can you lean against this tree for a moment? I'll go back to the trail and get help from the guide and some of the guests."
She nodded, leaning back against a large redwood, fighting back frustrated tears. She counted to 60 seven times before she heard Rafael's feet crunching through the woods again.
"They're gone." His face was white as a sheet when he made it back to her.
"What?"
"I couldn't find anyone. They must have continued on without us. I didn't wander too far down the path to see though since I didn't want to lose track of where you were, Liv."
They stared at each other, Rafael's expression panicked, and Olivia's pained. "I don't know what to do. Do you want some water?" That caused Olivia to laugh through her pain.
"You always offer me something to drink when you're nervous," she said, recalling past times when Rafael had been there for her during her breakdowns.
A smile warred with concern as he shrugged. "It's important to stay hydrated," he mumbled, causing Olivia to giggle harder.
Rafael kept running a hand through his hair and it was starting to stand up at weird angles. She watched him pace, her own fingers itching to run through the thick locks and smooth them back into place. He seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion and halted mid-stride before her.
"I'm going to carry you back to the resort," he said. Olivia started to protest, but his voice was firm when he continued. "I see no other option since I refuse to leave you behind."
"Rafael, you cannot be serious! I'm too heavy, you'll hurt yourself."
He waved off her concerns and adjusted the pack on his back before scooping her up, one arm around her back and the other under the bend of her knees. "We'll take breaks if needed. I'm more concerned about getting you some ice for your ankle."
Their faces were so close. She could breathe in the citrusy scent of him without needing an excuse and it felt amazing to be cradled against his hard chest. She felt heat creeping up her neck on its way to her cheeks at the thought. "Fine. Don't you dare drop me." She deflected.
"I wouldn't dream of it," he replied.
It took forever and he was sweating from the effort, but he got them back to the resort no worse for wear. The trailhead ended near the lodge and Rafael carried Olivia toward the building as resort staff emerged through the doors.
"My goodness! There you are! The rest of the hikers just returned and finally realized they were missing you two. I am so sorry no one was there to help you!" A woman named Jamie said excitedly as she approached them. "Let's get you both inside."
Rafael followed Jamie into the lodge and around the corner to a room with a sign on the door that read "Medical", and he set Olivia down on a cushioned table against the far wall.
"We have an EMT on staff who will be here shortly," the Jamie said. Rafael took off Olivia's sneaker and sock while they waited, and the woman handed him an ice pack to place on the swelling.
The EMT arrived within minutes and assessed Olivia's ankle. "It appears to be a sprain, but I can't rule out a hairline fracture without an X-ray. You would need to go to the hospital for that," the man explained.
Olivia glanced at Rafael before replying with an emphatic "No, thank you."
The EMT chuckled. "Ok then. I can wrap it for you and offer you a pair of crutches we have lying around. I would recommend you stay off of that foot as much as possible though. Allow it time to heal. If it gets worse or doesn't feel at least a little better in a few days, you will definitely want to get it X-rayed."
"We can offer you a golf cart for the rest of your stay to get you around the resort," Jamie chimed in while the EMT dug around in a closet for the crutches.
Olivia was on the verge of declining when Rafael beat her to the punch. "That would be very helpful, thank you." She glared at him but there was no real bite to it.
"Ok, here we go." Once the EMT adjusted the crutches appropriately, Rafael helped her ease off of the table. She wriggled the crutches around under her armpits until they were in a somewhat less uncomfortable position. Jamie handed Rafael a small cooler filled with ice packs for her ankle and sent them on their way.
By the time Olivia hobbled to the door, there was a golf cart waiting for them in front of the lodge, keys already in the ignition. Rafael helped her into the passenger seat before slipping behind the wheel. It was a quick trip back to their yurt.
"Well, there goes the rest of the fun adventures for the week," she complained once they made it up the stairs and inside the yurt. "There's not even a TV to keep me entertained."
It was nearing late afternoon and it had been hours since they ate anything. Making sure she was settled on the couch; Rafael grabbed the keys to the golf cart. "I have an idea. Will you be okay for a bit while I run out to grab a shower and get some things from the lodge? I'll be right back."
"Make sure you bring food!" Olivia called behind him.
Thirty-five minutes later, Rafael returned, freshly showered, with dinner, two bottles of wine, dessert and other snacks, a deck of cards, and some board games. Olivia's eyes widened as he unloaded each item from a large canvas bag. "Where did you get all of this?"
"The lodge," he replied simply. "The staff took pity on us and loaded me up with things to keep you entertained."
She laughed and gestured toward the wine. "Well, let's start with the important stuff first. Food and wine. After that, we can play something." After she said it, Olivia realized that maybe Rafael didn't want to be stuck in the yurt the rest of the evening. He wasn't injured, after all. "I don't want to keep you from anything you wanted to do, though."
His green eyes snapped to hers, trying to read her. There was a moment of doubt and hesitation that crossed his face before his expression softened into a bright smile. "I can think of nowhere I'd rather be right now."
And just like that, more of the iciness melted away as they spent the evening being competitive and laughing. Although no serious discussions had taken place yet, they were becoming more and more comfortable with each other again.
TBC