Uh-oh spaghetti-oh. I think this is becoming a long term fic because I have far too many ideas...we'll see.
Thanks for the feedback on my last chapter :) NOW... what do we think of drunken disorderly Olivia? HEHEHEEHEHE.
Forgive any mistakes you might find, I wrote a lot of this after midnight last weekend, so ... yeah. lol.
"This is really nice," Olivia dug her fork in to the shrimp linguine and twisted the pasta on to it. "I could live on pasta for the rest of my life…"
"I do love pasta," Jen replied, "but I'm more of a red meat kinda girl, I love steak, and it has to be a good one too," she added. "This is absolutely perfect…" the medium rare steak did look pretty good, Olivia had to admit, but she didn't regret her shrimp linguine for a second.
"You know, Trevor and I decided we were gonna stop eating any pork products because of how much he loves those friggin' pigs," she smiled.
"Oh jeez, are you serious? I don't think I'll be telling Joe about that, he'll never live it down," Jen gave a chuckle.
"I mean, I like bacon," Olivia laughed, "but the animal life means a lot to him and it's something that I can see he struggles with, so I think it's the right thing to do to support him… it won't hurt me to not eat bacon again…"
"You are a good woman, Liv, I don't think I could give up bacon for Joe."
She laughed, "I am sure you could and you would." She finished her mouthful of food and sipped the vodka and soda she had ordered.
"So… Joe told me that Noah corrected him last night when he referred to Trevor."
Olivia nodded, a wry smile crossing her mouth. She shrugged. "I think its okay — for all those reasons we talked about, I just watch Trev with him and I melt and then there's that clucky side of me that's like, 'Olivia, you better have more babies with this man!'
Jen grinned at her, "Oh please, I've always wanted to be an auntie and it's so lovely to have Noah and Oliver getting along so beautifully. He's also really patient with the girls and in turn, it's making Oliver more patient with them."
"I don't know," Olivia shrugged, "I don't know if I can even get pregnant, if I can … that'd be great, but if not, it might be a long road and by that stage Noah might be older and too set in his ways…"
"Liv, you both look like you've been together forever, you're so in tune with what the other wants and needs and you said the sex is really good. I mean, that may have just been best foot forward-type situation, but-"
Olivia laughed, watching Jen talking a-mile-a-minute with such excitement over her sex life. "No, no, it wasn't just first time best-foot-forward thing," she told her, "we have now had sex more than once and it was equally as wonderful."
Jen's grin was so wide that Olivia couldn't help but to let out a peel of laughter, "You are so funny, if that grin gets any bigger, you are going to start looking evil."
"I guess its just really nice, you think that sex is going to be so earth shattering with that man every single time and when you're back in regular life, Noah will be cock blocking and when you get that beautiful little baby, you'll never let him get near you again."
"Lies! You know how I call bullshit on that?" Olivia asked. Jen rose her eyebrow cheekily, waiting for her new friend to challenge her. "I know because you needed a second before we left the house so you could grab your husbands ass and kiss him stupid so that when you get home tonight he'll want to take you right up there to bed and you know that he is going to make sure those kids are good and exhausted."
She giggled and Olivia realised that Jen was a little drunk already.
"See, I'm right. I can tell and I can tell that you are drunk."
Jen laughed in spite of herself, she grinned sloppily at her new friend. She held her pointer finger and her thumb just inches apart, "maybe just a little bit."
"I think I'm gonna order you some garlic bread to soak up some of that alcohol, you can't peak early on me, Jen, I am in need of an adventure."
She laughed, "okay."
Olivia signalled to a waitress and asked for a serve of garlic bread.
"Can I ask a question? And know that when I ask it, its totally without judgment and I mean nothing by it, its purely curiosity."
Jen's smile dispersed and she nodded, taking it seriously, sipping her Long Island Ice Tea.
"Before kids, what did you do? Did you work? Or have you always been happy working on the farm and stuff with Joey?"
Jen seemed to tighten up a little and Olivia immediately felt bad. "I'm only asking because I guess, I want to get to know you and what your life was like before kids. I don't care if you stayed home as a kept woman-"
"I wasn't a kept woman," Jen smirked, "I would have suffered severe depression, I have no friends, its not like I could just go and catch up with the local lunching ladies," she chuckled. "I studied to be an accountant. I did book keeping for a few years and then Oliver came and I had a little post-partum and I found everything to be super overwhelming so Joey just suggested I take a year off and then I enjoyed being home so much with the baby and having Joey around taking care of us…" she shrugged, "it just kinda worked."
"I think that's nice," Olivia said. "I wish I had of been able to have that experience like you — the getting married and finding someone younger. Of course, it might have changed things a lot, maybe I wouldn't be still doing what I'm doing now."
"That's true, but our path is our path for a reason and I think you've met Trevor at a perfect time."
Olivia shrugged. "I dunno, maybe if we had of had our shit together ten years ago, I'd have the big family that I always dreamed of…. Growing up as an only child with no other relatives, it's… its a different kind of lonely. I know you can relate to that."
"I sure can," Jen replied. She watched her new friend take a long sip of her drink, thoughtful about where her life was currently at.
"Don't dwell on it, Liv, I think if you live with regrets it'll chew you up and spit you out…"
"You're right," she agreed, giving her a smile. "I am so happy with things. I hope when we get back to Manhattan nothing will cool off."
"I am sure it won't. I'll be sad to see you go back to life. I won't get to have my daily catch up."
Olivia smiled at her, "Yeah we will, it'll just be by text or phone call or face time… and I'm hopeful that Trevor will want to hang out at my apartment a lot more than he does."
"Does he come often?," she wondered.
Olivia pushed the remaining pasta around on her plate as the garlic bread arrived. She and Jen both helped themselves to a slice each.
"Well… once a week for dinner and when Noah wasn't home and I was off he used to drop in for coffee but it was kind of formal. We … had to have a lot of discussions because the feelings were there but he was so worried to take things further based on bits and pieces of my past that I'd shared…"
"Ooooh," Jen murmured slowly. "When you told me the other day you hadn't had sex I was kind of surprised because of how in to each other you were… and how you'd been dating for so long."
"Yeah… I don't really get in to it, but I had a situation with work … about 6 years back, its kind of about the time I started realising I had a friend in Trevor. He defended me in court against an assailant when no one else would," she explained.
Jen sipped her drink and took another mouthful of steak. "What happened?," she paused, "wait, sorry, you said you don't want to get in to it."
"I mean…" she paused and took a few mouthfuls of her drink until it was empty and laughed out of discomfort. "I want to have friendships where I can be myself and be honest, the way I can't be with my detectives," she was trying to be tactful but also honest, letting down her guard without re-traumatising herself, "I have a friend who I work with, she and I are close, but there's a disconnect because essentially she's a lower rank, so I have to try to keep myself from being too vulnerable, you know?"
"You don't have to worry about that with me, Liv. You can share as little or as much as you like and I won't judge."
"I know… it's just difficult to get in to—" she finished the last of her plate and Jen watched as her new friend struggled, she could see her considering how she might say what she wanted to say.
"Its okay, Liv, we don't have to talk about it."
She swallowed her food and put her knife and fork down, finishing. "No, I mean… I want to try. For .. you know, the sake of friendship."
Jen smiled. "I know," she said gently, "but you don't have to tell your friends every bit of your soul."
"Oh," Liv smiled, "even if I wanted to, I don't think I'm that good at exposing myself so deeply." She folded her hands over the table, pushing her all but empty plate out of the way. "We were investigating a flasher and one of the witnesses pointed him out in a line up, so he turned up to her home and did some unspeakable things to her… so we interrogated him for about 12 hours and he really got off on trying to piss me off. Just an absolute psychopath. He broke in to my apartment and waited for me to get home and caught me off guard and…"
"Oh fuck, Liv…" Jen's eyes widened. She clapped her mouth over her hand in shock.
"Yeah…" she breathed a little air. "It was bad, it … it was a bad experience."
"You got out of it okay though…"
"Mmmm, I was kidnapped for three days and… he did some awful things. He promised me that at first I would be begging for my life but in the end I'd beg him to take my life and he wasn't wrong about that. I still have physical scars… I managed to overpower him at some point and I just…got lost in my rage … and Trevor had to defend the damage that I caused him."
"Liv I'm so sorry…" Jen's eyes had filled with tears and immediately Olivia's did too. She laughed at how stupid the situation felt.
"Jen… don't, don't cry, it's fine. I'm sorry, I feel like that was a lot to just lay bare, I'm really sorry."
"No! Why should you be sorry!?," she said quickly, "you are crazy, don't you dare be sorry that some psychopath kidnapped and abused you."
Olivia laughed again as she dabbed her eyes, "I don't know why I'm laughing, it's all just so fucking stupid and absurd, right?… who would read about it." She paused and giggled awkwardly, "actually probably the entire city of New York, there was a statewide search for me."
"Oh Liv… I can see why Trevor maybe was a bit hesitant."
"I know but it was too much like that. He's not a silly man, he saw me at my worst after that piece of shit, he knows how damaged I was — am," she corrected herself. "My boyfriend at the time it happened… he totally changed with me. He couldn't look at me the same, he didn't want to sleep with me, he was constantly furious and when I had bad dreams or moments of PTSD, he used to leave the apartment in fury and it turned so…. Toxic."
"I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that either."
"I think… all the things that I shared with Trevor about that situation and my last boyfriend — he really wanted to make sure he was taking care of my heart first and foremost and not pushing me and letting it all come together in my own time but… if it was up to me and me alone, we'd still be dancing this awkward dance," she smiled. "But… I had enough of he slow burn," she told her, "and I know Trevor is a very good man, I don't have to constantly be on guard with him or feel worried that he's just gonna flip one day and start treating me and Noah like we don't matter."
"He would never…" Jen confirmed. "Knowing what he does, he will always be extra careful to be gentle, that's the way he's built."
Liv smiled. "Thanks Jen, for letting me tell you that. I've honestly not told a single soul that much detail since Trevor… I wish I could tell you everything but its a bit sick and it's not really something that anyone should hear."
"But you can if you need to talk, Liv."
"Thanks," she replied. "But if you're curious, because most people are, you could probably look it up online."
"I wouldn't do that. That would feel like such an invasion of your privacy. You tell me what you need to tell me whenever you need to tell it to me."
Olivia was very much stricken by Jen's warmth and kindness. She had not encountered that in another female before, not even Rollins. Amanda could be abrasive at times and sometimes straight-up mean — but Olivia understood it was all a defence, she did it too, just in different ways.
"Thank you…"
Olivia drew in a deep breath and let it out slow. "Did you want dessert, or do you just wanna go to the bar?"
Jen smiled at her and shrugged. "Nah, I'm okay to skip dessert."
"Okay, well… I'll get the check. It's my treat by the way," she told her.
"It definitely is not," Jen laughed.
"It definitely is," Olivia argued, "and you can't argue with me, I'm a cop."
Jen started to laugh. "Liv, this isn't a cheap dinner, I can pay, I'm not poor."
"I never said you were, I just said it was my treat and I don't care what you say, I'm paying."
"Okay then I am buying drinks for us."
Olivia shrugged, "Yeah, yeah whatever… I hope you're ready to leave with that purse a whole lot lighter because after that conversation, I'm going to need shots to wash it away."
/
The bar was disappointing at best. It was overpriced, low-lit to the point of reminding Olivia of a strip bar she would have visited for no other reason but to collect DNA. It was trying too hard to be fancy and the very few patrons that filled it seems a little miserable and stuffy.
"Wow, I didn't expect this…" Jen murmured as they neared the bar, ready to order a drink. "A little disappointing."
She was glad that Jen had voiced her concern. Olivia looked around and saw a woman darting toward them. She felt instantly on guard. "Oh! Jenna Langan!"
Jen turned around to face a short woman with long dark hair who was decked out in a suit that looked just a little too big for her. She was holding a wine in her hand. She looked back over her shoulder to another three women seated at a booth. She tossed her hair and smiled back at the two women who were considering whether or not they wanted to stay.
"Oh, hey Michelle," Jen smiled. Olivia glanced at her friend and could tell immediately that this woman was not a friend by any stretch of the imagination. "How are you?"
"I'm good, I'm good, do you have a rare night off from the uh.. the kids?," she smiled so broadly that Olivia knew that the woman was being facetious. "I don't think I've ever seen you out on the town."
Jen just shrugged, "I'm normally a homebody," she replied. She turned to Liv, "this is my friend Olivia. Olivia, this is Michelle," she pointed behind her toward a bunch of other women in the booth, "and they're some old school mates."
"Hi," Olivia replied dismissively. She didn't like the tone the woman was taking with Jen, it seemed a little tormenting.
"Hi Olivia, lovely to meet you. You don't look like you're from around here."
"I live in Manhattan," she replied. "So, no, I'm not."
"Well, it's nice to see you out, anyone would think Joe doesn't let you leave the house," she chuckled as if Jen would even see the funny side of it. "Just busy churning out baby after baby like it's your life's mission," she laughed at her own comment again.
With Olivia standing slightly behind her, Jen felt a little bolder than usual, a little less likely to allow the woman before her to feel any kind of hurt or embarrassment. "No, it's not that, it's just that sex with Joe is so good neither of us can resist leaving the other for too long. Hence all the babies," she smiled angelically.
She heard Olivia snort.
"Joe and I were thinking of starting our own school on the farm, we'll need to if we keep having little oopsies."
Michelle rose an eyebrow and laughed too like she was part of the joke. "Oh, you've always been so… funny," she added.
"Yeah, you too… super … funny."
"Jen, can we get outta here and find somewhere else? This bar is shitty and everyone is so… stuffy," Olivia made a face, "surely there's somewhere where worthwhile locals hang out," she added as if she had no idea she was handing out a backhanded insult.
Michelle glared at Olivia. "Maybe Manhattan is where you need to be for fun, we like our town quiet and distinguished."
Olivia smiled at the woman who she and Jen both towered over, "Maybe," she shrugged, "but I'm sure we passed a more down-to-earth bar when my partner dropped us in earlier."
"Oh yeah, the Outpost," Jen remembered, "it's probably more our scene."
Michelle scoffed, "It's a dive."
Olivia shrugged again, "I'm sure I can hold my own and I'm sure Jen can too."
"I don't know," Michelle cocked her head, "I don't think Joe would like the men in there all over his wife and her … friend."
"Firstly," Olivia began a little more seriously, "Jen isn't a child and secondly, I'm a cop in sex crimes, I am sure we will be just fine so you don't need to worry about us."
A look of surprise crossed the woman's face. "Oh…"
"Let's get going," Jen suggested, "nice to see you again Michelle. Say hi to the girls for me…" They turned to leave, leaving the woman stuck in high-school behind her.
"Bye Jenna, say hi to Trevor for me if you see him," she added almost desperately.
"I'll let Liv tell him hi, she'll see her lover-boy before I will…" Jen couldn't help but to add over her shoulder.
"Sure I'll tell him!" Liv called out without looking back as they reached the door. "After I fuck him later…" she added in a soft voice. The two women let out peels of laughter; Jen taken by the shock of Olivia's crass comment that she had not been banking on.
/
"Now this is more my style…" Olivia told her friend as they walked in to the far more casual bar. It was very country-themed right down to the mechanical bull and the loud country and western music playing.
There were people everywhere, some dancing, some at booths eating dinner and some standing around small round wooden barrels that had been repurposed for cocktail tables. "I've never been here…" Jen admitted. "Joe used to come here sometimes when he worked with the cattle farmers but it was more just a beer after work and then straight home to us."
Olivia grinned at her, "well babe, it's you and I, alcohol and a bit of dancing, maybe some bar snacks too, actually."
"I am down for that," Jen smiled as they headed straight for the bar and waited behind some patrons before they were able to surge forward to the front. "What are you drinking, Liv? I'm paying remember."
Olivia stared at her for a moment and decided to give in. "Tennessee Whisky and a lil club soda, one ice cube."
Jen ordered their drinks. She ordered the same for herself and Olivia couldn't help but to feel a little proud when her new friend didn't automatically deflect a compliment on how beautiful she was from the cutie behind the bar.
"Look at you, just makin' friends everywhere…" Liv teased her as they walked away with a drink each, looking around for somewhere to park.
"Oh don't be silly, Michelle Shields hated me allllll through high school and the only time she wanted to ever try to be my friend was when she was trying her damndest to get in to Trevor's pants in our senior year."
Olivia laughed, "was she successful?"
"Ew, no. He couldn't stand her. He never had time for girls like her… he always wanted a girl who wasn't a sheep, who was strong enough to have opinions of her own rather than trying to fit in."
Olivia couldn't help but to smile with satisfaction. She noticed that there was a man before them, waving his arms trying to get her attention.
"Hi…" she acknowledged him.
"Hey ladies, would you like our table?" A tall man, still not as tall as Trevor or Joe, waved them over. He had sandy blond hair that peeped out of a cowboy hat. He wore a red gingham pattern shirt with dirty old jeans and boots. The stereotypical cowboys that littered the bar were a little comical to Olivia, but she didn't let it show, she didn't want anyone to feel offended.
"You don't want it?" Liv asked.
He shook his head, "we're gonna go give that bull over there a run for it's money," he nodded at the mechanical bull that had not yet been fired up. "Just saw ya'll looking around for a table."
"Thanks," Jen smiled.
He nodded and he and his friend left them alone. "Well … that was nice," Olivia told her, "a little less hostile than the other friend I made back at the cocktail bar," she joked.
"Tell me more about her what was her deal."
Jen shrugged. "I dunno, they're the ones who are in that crowd that think they're better because they work and raise children and live in town. I know they think we have a junk yard farm or something horribly hillbilly going on, but I just …" she shrugged, "I just stopped caring, I had to. Their judgment used to eat me alive."
"Why? She gave off bad vibes. You are so sweet and warm and kind so fuck them and fuck what they think. People like her don't deserve your kindness and its wasted on them and the best thing about it, Jen, is that I can almost guarantee that the only thing that she hates more than her own life is the fact that you are happy and in love and content with the life that you have."
"Do you really believe that?" Jen sipped her drink.
"Well, look me in the eye and tell me that you aren't happy and in love and love your children so much to the point that you want to give up employment to be around them."
"It sounds so lame…"
Olivia shook her head. "Jen, what you are doing for the kids is invaluable. I used to see Moms who stayed home to wait on their kids when I was a kid and think it was this fairytale… I used to get home from school, clean my mum up and go to bed, and I don't know how I knew, but I would climb behind her and roll her on her side so she didn't aspirate if she vomited… and then I'd go to bed and dream about being in another family, one as dreamy as yours…"
"Thanks Liv… I mean, its not always rainbows and butterflies… there are some days I want to punch Joe in the nuts or get in the car and drive away on my own for a few days…"
Liv flashed her a smile, "I understand that feeling and in those moments, you can drive your ass to Manhattan now and come and hang out with me for a night or two."
"I can, I really would do that if you're serious."
"Absolutely I am serious… we need respite, its what keeps us going and loving our family so hard."
Olivia was surprised to see Jen had finished her liquor already. Not wanting to be outdone, Olivia took two mouthfuls and finished hers too. "Let me get us another drink… what do you want?"
Jen was buzzed and forgot that she was paying. She shrugged, giving Olivia a crooked smile. "Surprise me."
Olivia grinned at her. "Don't talk to strangers…" she warned her and made her way back to the bar.
"Hey miss, haven't see you around these haunts before," a younger man remarked. He looked nice with a blue button down top, a pair of jeans and some black shoes. He had a beard, not as wonderful as Trevor's but he was somewhat attractive.
Olivia appraised him and smiled. "I'm not from around here," she shrugged, "that'll be why you haven't seen me."
The bartender came to her, taking her attention from the man, "I'll take another two whiskies, light on the soda, one ice cube each and 2 tequila shots," she requested with a smile, handing her card over.
"Wow, a girl who can hold her liquor, hot…" the man next to her remarked.
"I'm a woman who can hold her liquor," Olivia corrected him.
"Would you like to join my friends over at our booth?" He pointed behind him with his thumb to a table full of men wearing casual-smart outfits.
"No thanks, my friend and I are having a girls night, you know, no-boys-allowed," she winked, taking her drinks and heading back to Jen without another word. She made a face when she could see Jen being uncomfortably polite to a guy who stood by her chatting. He was the man who had given up his table earlier.
She placed the glasses down on the top of the table. Jen caught her eye. Olivia looked at the man with the hat on and smiled kindly. "Hey, how'd the bull go?," she asked him.
"Ya'll didn't see?," he asked, seeming genuinely shocked
"Nah, we're talkin' girl stuff, you know, having babies, gossiping about our workmates and all that sort of stuff, didn't even look up actually!," she laughed a little dizzily, trying to sound a little ditzy, trying to ward off his interest.
"Well, we all failed miserably," he laughed. "I was gonna ask if I could buy your beautiful friend here a drink…"
Olivia flashed Jen a grin. "That's really kind of you, but I dunno… we're kinda set."
"You can always have another," he winked at Jen.
Jen smiled tightly. "Thank you so much, I'm flattered, but I'm married."
"Married!?," the man exclaimed. He looked around as if he had missed something, "I mean, I don't see him here…"
Jen chuckled, "No, no… its just us but… I appreciate the offer but I'll pass, thank you though, genuinely."
Olivia could immediately tell the man was irritated. "Well I guess I'll go fuck myself," he remarked, holding both hands up in surrender, as if he was greatly offended.
"Hey," Olivia spoke loudly and firmly, "she said thanks but no thanks," Olivia told him firmly, "don't be a douche, she's grateful and she thinks you're especially kind but she's married and she respects her husband."
"Fuck, sounds like you should be her husband. What are you, her keeper?"
"No, I'm her friend and I'm telling you to just back off. Thank you, but no thank you," she repeated.
Someone came and grabbed him, "Sorry guys," the guy said with an uncomfortable laugh, "Come on Colin, leave the ladies alone, they're just trying to enjoy their night and no one's trying to get themselves kicked out here…"
"Thank you," Olivia replied kindly to the man who stepped in, doing the right thing.
The man in that glared at both women. Olivia shook her head and rolled her eyes, turning back to Jen. "Fucking men," she muttered, "some of them are just such fucking fragile little bitches," she ranted.
Jen let a little smirk cross her mouth. "I'm so glad you're here, I would not have known what to do in that situation if you weren't here…"
"That's the problem though, in that kind of situation, you could go either way and both ways you still lose. If you ignore that kind of a man they escalate and if you are polite and nice they take it as a come-on and still escalate…"
"Fuck him," Jen shrugged it off, "thanks for having my back. You got shots…"
"I did," Olivia grinned. "Tequila. Wanna film us doing it and send it to Trev and Joe?"
"Yes, I absolutely do."
They set the phone up upon a napkin holder and hit record and on the count of three they both downed their shot and sucked the wedge of lemon with the look of disgust crossing both their faces. As it passed, they both laughed, feeling the alcohol immediately hit. "Wow!" Olivia widened her eyes, "that was … a lot," she giggled. She looked at the phone, "Joeeeeeey, Jen is hoping for a special surprise laterrrrrr" she hit send before Jen could do anything about it and they both burst in to laughter.
It felt fun, silly, frivolous and very, very good.
Olivia hadn't been able to enjoy silliness to that degree since college parties.
Jen took the phone that belonged to Olivia who was busy drinking her fresh whisky.
Trevor Langan I love you with everything inside of me and I hope that when I get home and Im just on the good side of drunk you will hit it hard from behind with so much vigour that you might possibly put my back out. It means you'll have to deal with Noah cos I wont be able to lift him but it'll be worth it. Love you." Jen was snickering away to herself and put the phone down when Olivia finally realised that she had sent something.
"What the fuck did you just do?" Her mouth fell open as she saw her text chain with Trevor open and a long message that only seemed to take her a moment to type.
Jen could barely speak through her laughter. Olivia picked up the phone and read what Jen had written. Her mouth dropped open with shock. "Oh my goodness!"
They both laughed. Olivia quickly tapped out a message, "Sweetheart I am so sorry about that message, that was all Jen, I do not want you to put my back out… Please don't do that…omg Hahahahaa. But, I do love you, she wasn't wrong about that. I love you so much. I love you always and I hope that nothing bad will ever happen between us and that you'll always love me too and you'll never leave me despite how stupid I may become. I love you I love you I love you my absolute number one man…. How are you so good looking? How did I manage to end up with you… I am the luckiest…I love you."
She released as she sluggishly hit send that she was all of a sudden very drunk.
"Jen…" she slurred, looking at her friend, taking her hand. "That shot hit me, how are you feeling?"
Jen giggled, "Okay, not quite wrecked, but I can feel it… but you, you my friend are a little fucking wrecked."
"I'm gonna stop drinking til I sober up just a tiny bit."
"Good idea."
Olivia heard a text come through and picked up her phone and read it.
"Oh, sweetheart… you sound very, very drunk. I want you to know that I love you infinitely and there is nothing that you could ever do that would make me walk away from you. I know that you're still scared deep down in the abyss of your wonderful, warm and kind heart, but you have absolutely nothing to worry about, I promise. Noah and I are here with the other kids and Joe having a great time. Stay safe."
A small, adoring smile crossed her mouth. Jen looked at her own phone before passing it to Olivia. She read a message from Joe.
"You both look so beautiful. I don't say it enough, but I adore you and I adore everything you do for me and the kids, Jenna. Doesn't matter how many years pass, you will never not be everything I've ever wanted. I love you. And if you really want, I'll give you whatever special surprise you want, ha ha. I'll bet that'll just mean a sleep in until midday. Either way, I'm here for you and I'm so glad you have made a great friend in Olivia. Have a great night, baby."
Olivia grinned and passed the phone back. "That's so sweet, Jen. By the way, how did I not know your name was Jenna until today. I assumed Jennifer."
"Nope, its Jenna. I was Jenna Ivanovich, what a mouthful, right?"
Olivia smiled. "Langan is a little easier to get your mouth around, I guess."
"Did Trevor reply?" Jen asked.
Olivia smiled and showed her the phone.
Jen smiled too as she read it. "I'm so happy you two gentle bastards found each other… you're both so sweet and so kind to one another, I love watching it grow…"
Liv laughed and took a sip of her whisky. "I am hook, line and sinker for that man, I'm not even trying to hold it back anymore," she chuckled, putting her phone away. "I want to marry him, I want to have his babies…"
"I want you to have his babies too! I want you and Noah and Trevor to have a kid to add to your family and I wanna see you both get married and I want my kids to have the best friendships with their cousins."
Olivia grinned. "Okay, my cheeks are hurting from smiling like a goon, stop it."
"It'll happen, Liv, I know these things," Jen smiled, "you don't love each other like you both do and end up with less than five babies," she joked.
"Listen, when Noah was a baby, it was hard enough dealing with one. Don't wish that on me."
"Twins run in the Langan family, you know that right?," she giggled. "I mean, its a predominant gene… look at all my kids, they all have their Dad and Uncle's perfect green eyes, mine didn't even get a look in."
"And my kid isn't even biologically Trevor's and he still looks more like Trevor," Liv started to laugh as she continued on with her drink.
Jen turned to the sound of a scratchy microphone being tapped against a hand. A man stood down toward the front of a stage area close to the mechanical bull. "Ladies and Gentleman, it's time for our friday night bull ride competition — it'll be taking place at 9pm, come and put your name down if you'd like to give 'er a spin. As usual, the person who stays on top the longest without getting bucked off will win a $100 gift voucher to be spent here at the bar."
Jen turned back to Olivia with a little twinkle in her eye. "Let's put our names down and have a go,"
Olivia started to laugh but was just enough drunk to be talked in to almost anything. "I don't know… I feel like I'll get hurt," she chuckled.
"Nah, you'll just get thrown off, it'll be a bit of fun. We used to do this bull thing all the time when we were younger… Trust me. Also, look, there's an axe throwing thing on the other side of the bar," she pointed to a doorway that had a sign announcing the axe throwing pit. "People watch the game and place bets and stupid shit in there and they probably replaced the dart throwing game with axes, lots of angry fools in this town, I guess."
Olivia started to laugh, "What the fuck is this town, anyway?"
They both laughed. Liv finished her whisky and drew in a deep breath, "Okay, let's go put our names down and if I get hurt Jen, Trevor will come for you."
She giggled, "Trevor doesn't scare me. Id be more scared of you coming for me, but you'll be injured so I'm not that worried."
Olivia grinned at her as they went to the bar together, disbanding their table and leaving their name on the list.
"Gonna get on and ride that bull like you wish you ride our husband, huh?," a gruff voice spoke behind them. Olivia turned around and came face-to-face with the jerk who had made a scene earlier.
"Do you ever just take a hint and fuck off?" Olivia asked him, "my friend and I are minding our own business, why can't you do the same?"
"Fuckin' whore," he spat the words quietly. Jen heard too, she whirled around and took a step back, a little intimidated. She grabbed Olivia's arm as she stepped closer to him.
"If you say some stupid shit like that one more time," she looked up in to his face, "I will bring you to your fucking knees so fast you'll be begging for one of your friends to save you like the fragile little bitch that you are."
"Oh, stop it, you're making my dick hard," his face hovered just inches from hers and Olivia was just about to give in to the urge to incapacitate him, but an arm dragged the wannabe cowboy away. He glanced at Olivia, "I'm so sorry, Colin, I told you to leave them alone, they don't wanna be bothered. Go and sit your ass down or we're taking you home."
"Sounds like a good idea," Olivia told the friend. A second person from his party escorted him back to the booth. She could tell he was drunk, his footing was off and he stumbled a little.
"I'm sorry, he's just had a bad week, it's no excuse though, I'm sorry. I promise he won't bother either of you again."
"If he bothers my friend again, I promise you he won't be able to use the bathroom for a week," Olivia told him seriously. "No means no and it's a complete fucking sentence and your friend needs to respect it."
The man held up his hands in surrender, "I promise I won't let him, we're just trying to convince him that its time to go, he honestly is just having a bit of a rough time."
"I don't really give a fuck about his hard time," Jen spoke up, finding her confidence with Olivia on her side. "I have had a rough time too, but I didn't insult strangers and harass people for no fucking reason to the point of making them feel uncomfortable."
"No, no, you're right, I'm sorry, we'll get him home."
"Thanks…" Liv replied, "thanks for being so understanding."
The guy left them alone and Olivia turned to Jen. "Good for you, honey, fuck that guy, what a pig. I hate it when men have every excuse in their book for their gross behaviour."
"Me too. I heard enough of that bullshit growing up, I'd want my daughters to have the balls to call that behaviour out — shit, I want my boy to call out that behaviour when he sees it. There's no fucking excuse good enough for abusing another woman."
Olivia let a smile cross her lips. "Jenna Langan all fired up, I am here for it."
They went back to the bar and did another shot each, spurred on by a group of people, a mix of men and women who were also on the right side of drunk, cheering them.
"Ya'll wanna join us? We're gonna dance…"
"Yeah but we're not in to any weird shit, we're just hanging out…" Jen announced with a laugh as she sipped her vodka and soda that she had ordered for both herself and Olivia.
Olivia let out a burst of laughter at Jen's bluntness.
Their new friends found humour in her outburst too. Jen linked her arm through Olivia's and they made their way to the dance floor. "When were you last this wasted at 8:45pm?" Jen asked Liv.
"I don't even remember," she laughed, "but I know I'm probably going to regret it in the morning."
They laughed.
They danced with the group of two guys and a girl, roughly a similar age with them. Olivia detected that one of the men was definitely gay, if not the other too, but it was harder to get a read on him. They were fun and welcoming and ordered a jug of beer and invited them to sit with them at a booth.
"Heeeey, you know what, you're very familiar…" one of the guys said to Jen, his name was Gavin, the one that Liv had picked as being gay. "Are you married to one of the Langan brothers?"
Slowly Jen rose an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah… Joseph."
"Oh!" The other girl grinned, "Oh my goodness, Joey Langan, I used to have such a huge crush on him! I was friends with his sister Ange in high school."
Olivia smirked at Jen.
"We went to school together," Gavin told her, "you probably don't remember me, I was the kid who used to hide so I didn't get beat up by the jocks."
Jen laughed, "I am shocked anyone remembers me, I used to keep to myself, but I was really close with Joey's brother, Trevor and I met Joe through him a bit later."
"Oh yeah, that's why I knew you were with one of them, all the girls were soooo jealous of you when they heard you were dating Joe after he finished senior year… I was a quiet admirer of your husbands," he chuckled.
The others laughed.
Jen smiled. "I was a giant dork at school, I can't imagine anyone ever being jealous of me at all."
"They were —," the other guy told her. Olivia had been introduced but she only remembered that the girl's name was Steph. "Did you go to East Hills too?," he asked turning to Liv.
"No, born and raised in Manhattan here."
"Olivia is my sister-in-law, she and Trevor are visiting from the city with their little boy."
Olivia smiled, loving how idyllic Jen made it all sound. She finished her drink and started feeling a little dizzy.
"Lucky you… curious to see pics of them now, is that weird?" Gavin asked.
"A little," Jen giggled but she pulled out her phone and showed them some photos.
"Holy shit… they just got better with age. Actually, I feel like I've seen Joey around… do they still have that farm out at the end of Bolder Creek Rd?"
"Yeah…. Huge farm, it's family property I don't think either Joe, Trev or Angela will ever sell it."
Interrupting them was an emcee calling the start of the mechanical bull competition.
"Oh man, I don't think I can do this now," Olivia laughed, "I might barf."
"Oh, you put your name down?" Gavin asked her with a little chuckle, "ever ridden one before?"
Olivia gave him a hard blink. "No, I'm a city girl, Jen talked me in to it… I am going to get hurt… I hope nothing falls out of my top."
They all laughed. The other guy poured them all new beers. Olivia drank hers fast, needing a little more courage than she was feeling to be the focus of the entire bar's attention.
"Jen… I don't think I can do this," she hissed.
"Liv, its just a bit of fun, you'll be fine, promise."
They moved from their table to the area closer to the bull riding and watched a few people get bucked off within seconds; Olivia suddenly didn't feel so bad.
"Got a few wipeouts guys, nothing promising yet, the longest time held at the moment is 34.2 seconds… let's see if…" he looked down at his clipboard and back up and Olivia knew it was her turn, "Olivia can beat the record…"
"Olivia is not beating the record," she muttered to Jen.
"The trick is to relax and go with the bull, don't tense up, it'll just make it harder…" Steph told her quickly as she headed up, ignoring how nervous she was with many sets of eyes staring at her.
She climbed on the bull and glanced forward at Jen who gave her a thumbs up. Jen let out a piercing wolf-whistle at her while their new accomplices cheered for her.
Slowly the bull began to rock and Olivia held on tightly, remembering Steph's advice to go with it. She counted in her head slowly, trying to figure out how long she had been on it - she got as far as 20 seconds before the bull started rocking with more force, almost flipping her forward. It dipped to the left and jerked hard backwards. Olivia held on, her palms sweaty, letting her hips do the job for the rest of her body, moving as best as she could with as much grace as possible with the force that she was being thrust with.
She could hear Jen yelling and clapping and knew immediately that she had beat the record. "Don't let go, Liv!," one of the guys yelled at her, but she could feel her clammy hands slipping on the handles and with one backward jerk of the bull, she fell off.
She landed flat on her back on a soft mat. The room swirled around her a little due to how drunk she felt. An extended hand helped her up. She got to her feet a little unsteadily and grinned with drunken confidence.
"We now have miss Olivia in the lead with 45 and a half seconds!"
Olivia pranced her way back to her friend. "Wow! No wonder Trevor loves you so much," Jen winked, "those hips don't lie."
"Shut up…" Liv laughed.
They excused themselves to get a round of shots.
"Nice riding, bitch," someone muttered from behind her as she turned around with the tray of shots. She knew exactly who it was. She glanced at Jen who didn't hear. Olivia decided to ignore it. She rolled her eyes and together they took the shots back to the table and did one each before chasing it with another beer each.
"I took a video and sent it to Trevor…" Jen told her.
Olivia's mouth dropped open in shock and laughter. "I am going to kill you," she promised.
"I can't wait to see you have a turn at this," Olivia told her.
Jen hid a smile, "I will be so bad at it, I am so drunk I have basically no balance left."
The alcohol was coming hard and fast from their three new friends. "Let's take some photos and send them to Ange," she told Olivia, "she texted me asking about you last night."
"Noooo, I don't want to meet Trevor's sister while I'm this drunk," Liv giggled. "She will think I'm some ditzy piece of shit that's trying to get rich off her big time lawyer brother."
Jen burst out laughing, "Shut up, Olivia, Angela is going to love you, she will love that her brother fell in love with a city girl and you might end up seeing her before me. She is going to love you, I promise."
Jen forced her in to taking a selfie and texted it off to her sister-in-law who was on London time. Olivia watched the others on the bull. Steph put her name down last minute too and Olivia cheered her on while Jen texted quietly with a drink in her hand. Steph wiped out Liv's time by 25 entire seconds, holding the record for 1 minute and 10 seconds.
Olivia raised her arms, cheering for the girl who as it turned out was only two years younger than herself. "Hey…" Liv began, "I think I just realised, you are actually three years older than me…"
Jen laughed, "I feel like you're the older and more protective sister. I didn't realise you were younger than Trev…"
"I am," Liv replied, "I'm 37, Trevor is 40… but I'm almost 38… how scary."
"Shut up, kid," Jen snapped jokingly.
They both laughed as a reply came through from Angela. "Aww look," she showed Olivia her phone. A beautiful blond girl with the signature Langan green eyes and a smile that looked like she'd never had to visit a dentist in her entire life. "Hi guys! I am jealous you're out drinking without me! I can't wait to see you and meet Olivia. I have news, I'll face time when I wake up tomorrow and hopefully you'll both be over your hang overs. Love you! Pass on my love to my two douche bag brothers. Xo"
"Wow, she is … stunning," Olivia was taken by how gorgeous the young woman was. "What water-well is this family drinking from? I need to start sipping from it."
"Don't be cute, Liv, you are fucking hot."
"And you are too, little miss long legs…"
They both laughed. Olivia put an arm around her new sister-in-law and kissed her temple. An affectionate drunken side of her was starting to show and Jen didn't mind. They watched the others on the bull until finally Jen was called up.
She quickly bottomed the rest of her drink and looked over at Olivia pointing at her. "You're the second last contestant, you think you can do it?" The emcee asked her.
Jen giggled, "we'll see…"
She climbed on to the bull and sat casually, not bothering to hold on as it rocked around a little, not phasing her in the slightest. Olivia couldn't believe her casualness.
"Oh, I see we have a little expert here…" the emcee commented. Jen rose both her arms up in the air, squeezing her thighs around the haunches of the mechanical bull.
"Get it!" Olivia yelled out, taking video of her friend, moving closer with Steph hot on her trail. "Do it for that hot ass husband of yours!"
"Pretend you're riding Joey!" Olivia yelled, causing Jen to crack up along with some of the people that couldn't help but witness the drunken interactions.
The bull started charging to-and-fro and Jen grabbed on to the handle in front of her with one hand, the other still out stretched. Someone ran up and handed her their cowboy hat which she wielded in the air, shrieking. Olivia burst out laughing knowing that Jen would have never acted so loudly had she not been so drunk.
"She's been on that thing for 40 seconds," Gavin remarked from behind Olivia and Steph. "I think she'll be hard pressed to fly off, look at her," Olivia replied, "all the confidence in the world. She's a shark, I bet she's done this before."
With the confidence of someone skilled at bull-riding, Jen let her body go everywhere that the mechanics of the thing took her. She bucked back and forward, not even once coming close to toppling off. With the longer time spent, the more faster and jerkier the movements became. People became excited, cheering and clapping her everywhere. The only tell-tale sign that it was becoming harder to manage was her plopping the cowboy hat on her head and taking the handle with her second hand.
"Annnnnnnnd we have a winner ladies and gentlemen! And wait… she's still going!"
Jen began to laugh happily, exhausted by how hard she had to work her muscles to stay upright. When the machine jerked to the left, she let herself tumble off and lay on the soft mat giggling giddily and catching her breath until someone helped her up.
The emcee grabbed her arm and raised it in to the air, "With a time of 1 minute and 54 seconds you are tonight's winner, here's your bar tab!" He handed her a little envelope. Jen grinned, thanking him. She knew that in the morning all of her muscles would be aching. She made her way back to Olivia and her new friends. "Come on guys, tequila shots on me…"
/
Olivia could feel her legs go to jelly just as it was hitting midnight, she'd had a lot of vodka, a lot of tequila and a lot of fun. Jen was drunk too and they took their turns having a leisurely turn on the mechanical bull with Jen showing Liv her technique. She was excited to have made some very old school friends too, exchanging instagram accounts and other social media contacts — it was beyond Olivia that that's how people connected. She was still a little old fashioned, she didn't have Instagram or other socials because of her job.
"What time does this place close, anyway?" Jen asked, as Olivia fell off the bull for the last time.
"3 in the morning," the second guy, Rowan informed them. Finally the puzzle had been completed when she demanded to know, brazenly if Rowan and Gavin were a couple — they were. And Steph was Gavin's sister. It all seemed to make more sense.
"I don't know that I won't be kicked out for drunkenness before then," Olivia slurred.
Jen giggled and grabbed for Olivia's hand. "Come on, let's go for a little round of axe throwing."
"Axe throwing!" Olivia yelled a little too loudly, "I can barely walk, Jenna Langan, I love Jenna as a name," she meandered off on her own stream of thoughts, she turned to her and wrapped her arms around her, "why don't you get called Jenna? It's soooooo pretty," she wagged her fingers in Jen's face. "I would make people call me Jenna if I were you!"
Jen couldn't help but to laugh at Olivia's drunken rambling. "Oh honey, I think we better get you some water…"
"Mmm h2o, hydration! It's my f-f- fa-frieeeend."
Jen put helped Olivia to a table and sat her down with Steph while they went to the bar to get her some iced water and ordered a round of some cheese bread and nacho fries.
"How are you not drunk?" Gavin asked Jen at the bar.
Jen shrugged, "Who knew that I had a higher tolerance for alcohol than the sexy Manhattan detective."
"What!? She's a detective, fuck, I've got weed in my back pocket."
Jen laughed, "She probably wouldn't care…." Jen paused and realised she had no idea Olivia's stance on recreational drugs, "actually maybe don't mention that."
They both laughed and took their drinks back to the table and waited for the waitress to drop off their bar snacks.
"Okay no more alcohol and no axe throwing til we have some snacks so you can sober up a little, Liv."
"Hey… what do you do for work, Olivia?" Rowan asked her.
She looked up from her phone, her mouth hanging open, looking just a little sleepy. "Huh?"
"What do you do for work?"
"Oh… I'm a cop."
Rowan and Gavin began to laugh. "You are not at all how I expect a cop to look or act. You're far too hot to be a cop."
"Not just any cop, but I'm heading for commanding officer if I play my cards right," she slurred, "so no crazy shit about me online, okay? I gotta be squeaky clean."
"Got it, what division, am I allowed to ask?" Steph questioned her.
"Special Victims, homicides, sex crimes and child/family violence… I've been there for…" she counted, 13 years… maybe more."
"Wow, that's a big job…that's so… admirable. Do you fight for women?"
"Yes…" Olivia looked at Steph through squinted eyes, "Yes, women and children mostly, but gender-based violence is gender-based violence, it doesn't matter what the sex, if someone doesn't consent, that's rape."
"You're my new hero," Steph grinned at her.
"Mine too," Jen added, giving Olivia's shoulder a squeeze just as food arrived. She pushed the water in front of Olivia, "drink up, love, we can't have you passing out on us."
Olivia made the decision not to have anymore alcohol for awhile.
"Can one of you guys just walk me outside so I can call Trev?" She asked.
"I'll come with you," Steph opted and both Olivia and Jen were glad — although they had made new friends, they only trusted each other with the other person's drinks and food. While it all seemed innocent, both of them had been around the traps long enough to know when not to trust someone just because they seemed fun and nice.
Olivia was smacked in the face by the cool air which suddenly made her feel drunker. She looked at her phone, her fine motor skills taking a little longer to catch up with her brain. She finally managed to hit call.
It took a few rings before Trevor answered. "Hello baby…"
"Hi baby," she greeted him softly.
He smiled on his end of the phone, she sounded so sweet and he detected a little bit of a slur. "How are you? Are you guys doing okay?"
"Jen is…" Olivia murmured with a little chuckle. "I miss you but I'm having a really good time…"
"Good baby," he replied, "do you need me to pick you guys up or you gonna stay out a bit longer?"
"A little longer, I think… I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you how much I love you."
"Aww, angel, I love you too," he replied, "you sound so incredibly drunk, Liv, are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah," she smiled in to the phone, "I'm alright, I just needed a lil Trevor Langan top up to get me through… we've made some friends," she flicked her eyes up to share a smile with Steph. "They knew you at school, one of them was friends with your little sister."
Trevor laughed, "that's nice, Olivia do you want me to come down there and hang out with you guys until you're ready to leave? I'm worried, you're very, very drunk. Is Jen more or less drunk than you?"
"No, Jen is acting like she hasn't had a drink at all…"
Trevor laughed. "Want me to come?"
Olivia considered it. "No, no… I don't want to ruin girls night."
"Okay sweetheart. Noah is in bed asleep, the kids are camped out in the living room in sleeping bags and we had such a nice night…"
"Good," she replied. "I just wanted to say that I love you, I really want to marry you and have your babies…"
Trevor laughed. "I want that too…Go hang out with Jen, stay safe and call me the second that you need me, k?"
"Yeah… we're about to eat some nacho fries cos I'm trying to sober up a little cos they wanna throw some axes or some weird hillbilly shit."
Trevor groaned, "Oh boy, Olivia be careful, k?"
"I will, I promise."
"I love you baby."
/
"Dude, I think I'm gonna head in to town. They're at the Outpost from as far as I can tell. Apparently they've made friends and Olivia sounds borderline pass out drunk…." Trevor relayed back to his brother.
"Jen sounds pretty sober in her messages," Joey replied. "Here I was thinking Jen was gonna be the mess."
"Me too…" Trevor laughed. He opened his texts and messaged Jen. "Hey J, Liv just called, I'm worried about how drunk she is. I just told Joey I might head down and hang out with you guys until you're ready to leave. Be honest if that's gonna upset the night, I am just worried about you guys." He hit send.
"I just texted Jen, if she's cool with me coming down, I'll go in if you're okay to let me leave Noah with you for a few hours."
Joe shrugged. "All good with me. Honestly I'd probably feel better if you head down there. The Outpost can be rough as shit… do you remember from when we used to sneak in there before we were 21?"
Trevor laughed, "Yeah… that fucking bull."
"You should go, just make sure they're safe."
Trevor agreed.
/
Trevor locked the car and headed in to the Outpost bar. It was lively and the music was pumping. He looked around and couldn't seem to find Olivia and Jen. He slowly walked through and saw the sign that pointed to the Axe throwing. He briefly remembered Jen mentioning that was on the cards.
He smiled to finally see them. Olivia stood facing a wall with an axe held high over her head. She flung it with all of her might until it hit just above the bullseye. He laughed to himself as he saw her jump up and down giddily. He wasn't used to seeing her so animated.
"Heeeey guys!" He greeted them, shoving his keys in to his pocket as Olivia whirled around, recognising his voice immediately. She raised her arms up and flung herself at him.
He started to laugh and engulfed her. "Hey there, beautiful," he turned his head, kissing her. "Thought I better come and check on you guys, you did good with the axe…"
"Oh nooo, Jen I'm sorry, I didn't tell him to come, I didn't want him to ruin our girls night," Olivia said quickly, letting go of him.
"Oh, Liv, its okay," Jen smiled at her, realising she seemed genuinely worried that it was a set-up. "I told Trev to come," Olivia let go of Trevor and wrapped her arms round Jen. She grinned at Trevor over Olivia's shoulder, "its okay, Trev is welcome to hang out with us."
"No, but he's gonna make us go home."
"No he's not," Trevor replied, "I'm here for as long as you ladies want to stay or until Joe calls and says that he needs me to come help with the kids."
Jen introduced Trevor to Gavin and Rowan and Steph. "Steph was friends with Angie at school," she told him.
"Ohhh! Nice! Nice to meet you guys!," he smiled politely as he put an arm around Olivia and drew her close to him. "How are you feeling love? Did you get your bar snacks?"
She nodded, "Yeah…"
"Well…" Steph changed the subject, "its my go, Liv is in the lead, so… unless I can knock that axe off…"
"I might steal this one for a moment is that okay?" Trevor asked, glancing at Jen. She smiled and gave him a wink.
"You can steal her, but bring her back and bring me back a vodka and soda…"
Trevor took orders from Jen and her new friends and threaded his fingers through Liv's and made their way back through the main bar. "How are you doing, baby? Tell me for real, do you want to go?"
She shook her head, "I wanna keep drinking but I need to wait for awhile, I'm too drunk and I'm still really hungry."
"Okay, let's get you something," he smiled and pulled her toward the bar. He waited with great patience for the someone to tend to them. He stared at Olivia the whole time who yawned a few times. He pressed his lips against her temple. He felt her wrap both arms around his waist. "Love you, baby," he murmured.
She glanced up at him with doe-eyes and smiled sloppily. "I love you too. I love Jen…"
He grinned at her, "Good. That makes me super happy. I love that you guys made some friends, that's some pretty cute shit."
The bar tender came toward him, he glanced at Olivia, "Dude if she falls asleep, you guys have to go."
Trevor laughed, "Believe me, I know… she's okay for the moment. Could I get a coca cola and your biggest glass of water with ice." He glanced at the bar snacks menu, "and could we get the chicken wings," he turned to Liv, "what about more bread, do you think you could eat some cheese bread."
She nodded.
"And a serve of cheese bread."
The bar tender took their order and they went to a table. He texted Jen to let her know what they were doing. He set down her drink. Olivia grabbed his coca cola and had a few mouthfuls before working on her water.
Once the wings had arrived she started burning through them while Trevor picked at them, still a little full from dinner.
The cheese bread came out next and he and Olivia both ate it. It was warm and delicious. She sipped her water and didn't say much til the food was done. "I feel bad that we left Jen out with those other guys…"
"You stay put here, I'll go get Jen…" Trevor told her, "do you want more cheese bread?"
She shook her head.
Olivia looked around the bar at everyone having a good night as she ate a few bread sticks that were complimentary with their other snacks. She was feeling a little better after the glass of water, food and coca cola. She was feeling less like she was unable to walk or talk.
Trevor returned a few moments later with Jen and and the others. "You won the axe throwing," Jen told her, coming up from behind, wrapping her arms around her.
Olivia nearly jumped out of her skin, shocking Jen in to jumping back. "Sorry," Olivia quickly apologised, "sorry, come here…"
"Shit, sorry babe, I didn't mean to sneak up on you."
"Its okay," Olivia replied. Despite how long ago it was, she still wasn't keen on the idea of her back to a doorway or people coming up behind her unannounced.
Olivia reached back up for her. "Hug me," she demanded.
Jen exchanged a knowing glance with Trevor. "Jen and I were thinking that it might be time to head home, how do you feel about that?"
Olivia glanced over her shoulder at her and then back to her man, "Aww nooooo," her expression was as though she'd just been delivered terrible news.
Jen smiled and stroked Olivia's hair. "You are white girl wasted and we just did two shots out there and I think I just lost half of my brain cells…"
Olivia squinted at her phone, "Its okay one o'clock…"
"That's okay, we're old now, 1 in the morning is like 4am grown-up time," Trevor told her with a gentle smile.
"Wait, can we just dance, just for ten minutes?" Olivia asked, looking at Trevor. He glanced up at Jen who grinned.
"Okay, go have your dance with your lover-boy…" Jen relented, replacing Olivia in her seat while Trevor guided her out to the dance floor.
Olivia slid her arms around him. "I'm glad you've had fun, baby," he kissed her temple. He rocked her side-to-side. She knew she would fall asleep the second that she got in the car. She yawned.
"Thanks for letting me have a girls night, for taking care of Noah."
"Anytime. We had a great time with the girls and Olly and Joe…. We made s'mores around Joey's fire and taught the kids the chorus to Don't Stop Dreaming" Trevor laughed.
Olivia chuckled too at the thought of them being silly.
Trevor lifted her chin to see in to her eyes. They were a little glassy from the alcohol but she was in better condition than when he'd arrived. "You look beautiful in this outfit…" he told her, running his hand over the side of her white silk camisole.
"Thanks…" murmured, "you always say the nicest things."
He leaned over and kissed her lips. She stopped moving and leaned in to it, sliding her tongue in to his mouth, feeling his locked on to hers as she gave zero regard for everyone else. She wanted to make out with her man and didn't give a shit what anyone else thought about it.
She felt his hands at her back, pulling her in tightly. He chuckled, as she kissed him hungrily. He had the good sense to know when it needed to stop. "Easy, sweetheart," he chuckled again, breaking the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, "easy… we're in public."
"I don't care…"
"I know but… you can't kiss me like that and expect me not to have a reaction," he flicked his eyes down to his own waist so that she got the picture. She breathed a little sigh and pulled away from him.
He kissed her a few more times before Olivia accepted that it was time to go. Trevor walked her back to the table where Rowan and Steph argued about who was going to call the uber and Gavin and Jen were doing one last tequila shot for the road.
"Okay, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom and then we'll go," Trevor announced.
They said their goodbyes to their friends who left as soon as their uber arrived leaving Jen and Olivia standing up, waiting for Trevor. Olivia looked through the doorway that led to the restrooms. She could see Trevor's back to them, waiting in a short line talking on the phone.
"Congrats on winning that bull ride, whore…" someone muttered just as Olivia watched Trevor disappear in to the bathroom. She was a little slow to react, but Jen glanced up at the guy who should have left hours earlier.
"Oh you again," Olivia muttered, glancing up at him. "Why don't you collect your friends and fuck off."
"Fuck you, I'm not talking to you."
"Don't fucking talk to me either, I don't want to hear your bullshit," Jen snapped.
"You fucking whore," he took a step toward Jen and instantly Olivia found it sobering. "You're a fucking bitch, you know that? You think you're so hot with your titties out, too good for anyone else but you-"
Jen took a step back as he took another step closer.
"Get out of her fucking face," Olivia stepped in front of Jen, cutting through the middle.
He put a hand on Olivia's shoulder to shove her out of the way. She used a quick skill she'd learned to incapacitate the man that was clearly a lot bigger than her. She used his outstretched arm as leverage to twist it so that he had no choice but to move his whole body in the direction that she led. She pushed the back of his head face first in to the repurposed wine barrel. "I told you to get the fuck away from her," she spat the words at him.
Jen was shocked at how quickly Olivia had him powerless.
"Whore!" He spat with vitriol, trying to grab at her with his free hand. She kneed him in the lower stomach until he dropped completely.
"Liv!," she heard Trevor gasp, bolting from the exit of the rest room, grabbing her and pulling her away as staff ran to check on the guy on the floor. Olivia went to kick him just as Trevor dragged her back.
"Fuck you!," she spat at the drunk, "who's the bitch now." Trevor glanced at Jen who's jaw was on the floor with surprise.
"I think that's our cue to go…" Trevor said gently as the bouncer came toward them. "We're going, we're going…" Trevor told him, "I'm taking them home, I'm sorry."
"I'm not sorry!" Olivia snapped, "he repeatedly harassed her all fucking night and got in her face just now, threatening her, he's lucky I didn't break his nose." She pulled her pocket book from her purse and flashed her badge at the bouncer. "I could charge him for assault." She glanced at the man who glowered at her furiously. She showed him her pocket book, "Do you hear that?," she told him, "I could charge you, you were lucky incapacitating you is all that happened."
She shoved it back in her purse while Trevor glared at the man, "You're lucky I didn't fucking see you get in my sister's face," he told him, "Cos I wouldn't have been smart enough to let someone pull me away. I hope I don't see your face around town, you heap of shit."
He put an arm around Jen and followed Olivia outside.
/
"Are you guys okay?" Trevor asked as they got outside, "Liv?"
She nodded. "He had it coming all fucking night," she grumbled.
Jen was excited, "Olivia that was low key the hottest thing I've ever seen… I've never seen a man brought to his knees by a woman that fast for all the wrong reasons! You have to teach me everything you know!"
Trevor was thankful that Olivia was able to laugh; that her mood didn't just instantly sour.
"Both of you are going to feeling very sorry for yourselves in the morning," Trevor remarked as they got to the car. "Does anyone need anything before we drive back?"
"Mmmm," Olivia smiled as Jen insisted she get in to the passenger side beside Trevor. "Is there like…. McDonalds or something? I really want some nuggets…"
"OH!" Jen exclaimed, "yeah! Can we get some nuggets…"
"Wow, I'm really just driving around two big kids," he shook his head with a laugh as he backed out of the parking spot.
"Yeah but you didn't answer the question," Liv said, ignoring his comment or at least not registering it. "I want nuggets…"
"Okay, I'll get you both some nuggets…" he agreed, doing a u-turn back in the other direction to one of the only two fast-food outlets in the nearby town. Olivia wound down the window and turned the radio up. "Oh look!" She exclaimed loudly over the top of the music, "Don't stop believing!," she giggled, referring back to the song that Trevor had told her the kids had listened to.
Trevor grinned. Olivia made a face and switched the station. "I hope my kid doesn't start singing that, I hate that song…" finally she found a song she liked.
"Oh this is a good one!," she announced, "haven't heard this for years!"
Trevor winced as she set the volume up louder than he liked. He glanced in the back at Jen who had her eyes closed and was swaying around, blissing out to the soft rock song that came out of the speakers.
He tried not to laugh, they were both so obliterated.
"Ya know I didn't meeeeean, what I said…." Olivia more yelled than sang over the top of the band, "But my God woke up on the wrong side of his beddddd! And it just don't matter now!"
He pressed his lips hard together, trying so hard not to burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of his girlfriend yelling the song out of the car window and in to the quiet streets of the night.
"Cos little by little… we gave you everything you ever dreamed of … and little by little the wheels of your life have slowly fallen off… Little by little you have to it all in all of your life and all the time I just ask myself why you're really hereee…."
Her pitchy, off-key singing proved to be a little too much. He reached over and turned the music down. "Love, that's a bit loud, let's not upset the town."
Olivia sank back in the passenger side and glanced at him. "I like that song."
"I know, but you don't have to like it at that volume… it's just a bit loud to be blaring with the windows down at this time," he told her gently, not wanting her to feel like she was being told off.
Finally he got them both a pack of chicken nuggets and some plum sauce. They ate quietly and he felt a little more relaxed as they headed out of town. "Jen, how are you going back there?," he called.
"Gooooooood, but I'm gonna need to hurl when we get home."
"Just like that?" Trevor asked with a laugh, "you don't need me to stop?"
"Nope! I can hold it," she replied, still eating her nuggets.
He laughed. "And what about you, are you doing okay?"
She nodded, happily eating her nuggets. "I can't wait to get home and chase this with one last whisky and go to sleep…"
"You're cut off, love, no more alcohol for you, I think you should maybe just take a shower and get in to bed."
She turned to him and rose an eyebrow. "I think you better mind your own business when it comes to when I'm cut off, Mr Bossy Pants."
Trevor heard Jen snickering to herself in the backseat.
"Wow, you are lucky you are so fucking cute when you're this far wasted…" he replied.
Olivia said nothing and went back to her food. "I wish we got fries too…" she sighed regretfully.
"I'm not going back," he said quickly.
"No… I know, I couldn't ask that of you, I know you would if I asked you…" she said softly.
He laughed, feeling her greasy nugget hand creeping over to his leg, resting on his knee. He glanced down at it and then back at her. "Liv, I'm not going back for fries, we're halfway home and Jen needs to barf."
"Its true," she replied, "I do need to barf."
"She can hold it…" Olivia replied, showing no regard for her friend.
"No she can't, not for that long," Jen piped up again.
Olivia sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll starve."
"STARVE!" Jen humphed, "Just before Trevor arrived, you are nacho fries and cheese bread and we shared potato skins earlier and then those guys bought us something else… I don't know what but we ate it, and then Trevor arrived and you got more cheese bread and then wings! And now nuggets! Where are you hiding it!?" Jen was incredulous.
Trevor was laughing, not even trying to hide it anymore.
"No need to be so snippy," Olivia put her wrappers in the bag and put it on the floor beside her feet. She crossed her arms.
"I'm sorry Liv, I didn't mean to snap. I love you, forgive me…" Jen grabbed on to Olivia's shoulders from the backseat. "I just need to barf… but you did eat a lot."
Olivia giggled, "your hands are greasy…. Get 'em off me."
Jen laughed too and sat back.
Trevor had to admit how relieved he was to return back to the farm. He looked at Liv. "You wait here, I'll get Jen inside and grab Noah and we'll go home."
Completely ignoring him, Olivia flung open the passenger door right as Jen flung hers open. The second her feet hit the ground, she doubled over and began vomiting. Olivia jumped back out of the way and grabbed her friend, holding back her long, blond hair that was dangerously close to getting in the way of her sick.
She gathered her hair and held it back, laughing at the stupidity of her sister-in-law eating the nuggets despite knowing she was going to vomit. "Jenna Langan, why did you eat those nuggets!," she exclaimed, ordinarily she would have been disgusted and she would have felt nauseated but as she saw the half formed nuggets fly forth out of her mouth she couldn't stop laughing.
Her laughter caused Jen to laugh too, yelling at Olivia to shut up as she continued puking up all the hard liquor they'd consumed along with just about every bit of food they'd spent money on.
"What in the fuck…" Joe asked, appearing out the door, glancing at his brother and then at the two women laughing raucously. "What's going on, Jen, you okay?"
"Jen is just bringing up all of her dinner and the 82 drinks she had tonight and for whatever reason, it's hilarious…"
Joe made his way over to his wife and found himself laughing at both of the women.
Finally Jen was done. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up straight. "Oooft, that was gross," she mumbled, her throat burning with the alcohol that she had just brought up.
"Aww, I don't even know what you've been eating and I don't want to know… but I do think you might need bed."
Jen nodded. She turned to Liv and smiled sloppily, "Aw Liv, you held my hair," she told her, throwing an arm around her waist, "you're the nicest woman I've ever met, thanks for beating that guy for me, you're my real life hero, I hope you know that."
Olivia seemed stricken by her words. Joe's eyebrow was raised, wondering what the fuck had gone on. She wrapped her arms around her friend. "Oh you are such a sweet heart. I am so happy to have met you and I'm so happy we had such an amazing niiiight, I will kick the ass of anyone who ever harms a hair on your precious head, I swear to god I'll do time, Trevor will get me off…"
"Trevor gonna get you off in about 15 minutes…." Jen said slowly.
Both Olivia and Jen burst in to screams of laughter.
"Oh, fuck…" Joey muttered.
"Liv gonna get laii-aiiiid," Jen sang as she stepped over her own vomit as if it hadn't just happened. "Liv gonna gettttt laa-id," she turned back to her husband and her friend, "Sing it with meee!"
Olivia grabbed her hands and together they danced in a waltz, singing loudly, "Liv is gonna get la-aiiiiidd!"
"Guys shhhh!" Trevor hushed them. Joey couldn't stop chuckling at how drunk his wife and Olivia were. Trevor tried to calm Noah who had awoken from the loudness of his mother and Jen. "You're going to wake Noah."
Olivia pressed her pointer to her lips and looked at Jen seriously "SHHHH!" She hushed her so loudly that there she betrayed the idea of quiet.
They both snorted and tried to stifle their loud and hysterical snickering.
"Okay, Liv, I need you to get in the car…" Trev told her as he closed the door after putting Noah in. "We should go so we can get Noah to bed, its almost 2am."
"Buttholes!," she sighed.
Trevor did a double take.
"Don't worry you're getting la-aaiiiid," Jen sang to her.
"No she is not, she's going to drink some water and we're going to lay down and go to sleep because you guys are going to be feeling very sorry for yourselves in the morning."
"I dunno, its kind of fun to watch these two…" Joe stood with his hands on his hips and a big grin on his face.
Trevor ignored his brother and came to Olivia's side. "Come on, honey, I know you think you're not ready for bed, but trust me, you are…"
She sighed. "Okay," she sighed reluctantly. "I love you, Jenna! I'm gonna call you Jenna because its such a great name. Just like you booboo!"
Jen grinned at her as she allowed Trevor to help her back in to the car. They waved frantically as if they wouldn't be seeing each other for weeks.
Trevor just shook his head at Joe who seemed amused.
/
Trevor sighed as he came back downstairs to find Olivia sipping on a very heavy-handed vodka as she twirled around the living room to some music she'd put on. He hadn't expected that she would be such a handful. Back at the bar she had looked like she would fall asleep in his arms in a second, but now she'd had her second wind.
"Honey, I genuinely don't think you should drink anymore…" he told her gently.
She stopped dancing and opened her eyes and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she pouted, "I didn't mean to annoy you…"
"You're not annoying me," he insisted, "I just don't want you to feel sick tomorrow."
She took a big mouthful of her drink and sat it down on the coffee table. She took a few steps toward him and gave him a little smile. "Kiss me?"
He took her waist in his large hands and kissed her mouth softly. "I really want you…" she, purred softly, breaking away. She flicked her eyes up to meet his briefly. Despite being drunk, Trevor knew that she was aware of exactly what she was doing.
"Baby, you're too drunk…"
She took a step back and smiled at him, a little glint of mischief returning to her eyes. She pulled her white silk top from her jeans where it was slightly tucked in on one side. She lifted it over her head exposing the new white, sheer bra she had bought a few days earlier.
"Fuck, Liv…" he sighed.
She grinned at him and kicked off her shoes and laid back on the couch, horizontal, resting her head on the cushion. "I can't…" he told her, "you are too drunk, it would feel wrong-"
She ignored him and undone the top button of her jeans and shimmied them down her legs until she kicked them off. "Trevor, you're my boyfriend and hopefully more… I consent. This is my consent. You can stand there and not join me, but either way, I'm going to come in about 15 minutes… 10 if things are done right."
Trevor tipped his head back and started to laugh. "Olivia benson… you are too much."
He went to join her on the couch as her hand disappeared beneath the fabric of her underwear, putting on a show, making it too hard for him to resist. She smiled at him, her grin wearing off to a slight, cheeky, inviting smirk. She halted him, "you can't join me unless you're naked…"
He wasn't about to be asked twice.
