Chapter 3
~oOo~
Olivia Benson had always been a beautiful woman. Ed thought she continued to age like the finest wine. He'd spent over a year trying to convince her that he'd changed.
He wasn't just an asshole out to get her. Somehow they'd gone from openly hostile to almost friendly. He'd started to think maybe the attraction he felt was mutual.
But he hadn't pushed. He'd waited her out. They stayed friendly; he tried to be less aggressively hostile towards her.
So, when he saw her in his favourite cop bar, he figured it was time to ask her to have a drink. Not a full date. Not dinner. Just a drink at a bar like all the other cops around them.
He had hope. Maybe she'd say yes. He was her type—a blue-eyed Irish Catholic.
"Sergeant, we gotta stop meeting like this." Ed was encouraged when she smiled.
"Amaro has no interest in protecting his father. He's not trying to fix this." Olivia leaned in closer so they could hear each other over the din of the crowded bar.
"All right, so much for the small talk. But since you're asking, I would hate to be him right now." Ed reminded himself to show empathy. It was something that Olivia would appreciate. "He either testifies against his father, which is barbaric, or he looks like he's conspiring to cover up a crime. Almost feel sorry for him."
"Wow. Getting soft in your old age."
"Maybe." Ed grinned. He was pleased when she responded with an answering smile. "So, you gonna just stand her talking about Amaro, or can I buy you a drink?"
"I…." Olivia held a hand up when he went to quantify his invitation. "Just give me one second."
Before Ed could respond, Olivia had disappeared into the crowd. He decided to wait her out. She hadn't said a firm no, so maybe it was a tentative yes.
Grabbing his glass of bourbon off the counter, Ed took a sip. He turned when someone cleared their throat loudly behind him. He sighed, expecting to see a co-worker only to find an unpleasant ghost from his past.
"Stabler. What sewer did you drag yourself out of? I thought you were out of the country." Ed hadn't kept up with the gossip about Stabler since he left the force.
"I'm back in town visiting my fiancée."
"Your fiancée?" Ed had thought the man was married.
"I got divorced about three years ago. Moved on. Found the love of my life."
"Well, good for you." Ed sneered. "Was there something you wanted?"
"You've got balls, you know, trying to ask her out when you arrested her for murder. Oh, and threw her therapy into her face and were cavalier about sexual assault." Stabler held a glass of wine in each hand, making Ed wonder where this fiancée might be. It didn't take a genius to figure out who he was talking about. "Balls but not much else if you think you've got a snowball's chance in hell of her saying yes."
"Did you want something? How is this any of your business?"
Stabler's scowl morphed into a smile. "Liv. Got the wine. You find somewhere to sit?"
Olivia stepped around Ed and up to Stabler. She slid a hand up his chest, leaning in for a kiss before taking one of the glasses of wine. "Thanks, baby. It's a little crowded. Why don't we finish these and find somewhere else to eat?"
Stabler's gaze remained on Ed, smirking the whole time. "Why don't we pick something up to eat and head home? Put Noah to bed and have some time to ourselves."
Ed shoved down the jealousy burning a hole in his gut. "You're engaged."
"We are." Stabler reached out to lift her hand to show the ring that Ed had missed. "Happily."
Ed took a swig of bourbon, letting it wash away the first retort in his mind. "Congratulations. You deserve each other."
"Thank you. Enjoy your bourbon." Olivia smiled before taking her fiance's hand and dragging him away
Ed watched them leave. He wanted to say a million things but decided to drown his sorrows in another drink. Fucking prick.
