Olivia tossed the comforter off of her body in frustration. She snatched her phone off her nightstand, and the screen lit up, taunting her with the time. 1:26 am. Sleep had evaded her for hours now, and she resigned herself to what would inevitably be another sleepless night.

She padded quietly into her kitchen, careful not to wake Noah. Insomnia had long since been a part of her life. So much so that she developed a sort of routine for her sleepless nights.

Quietly, she started some water in her electric tea kettle and pulled some chamomile tea from one of her upper cabinets.

Her mind wandered as the water began to heat. The day had been long, stressful, and exhausting. It seemed like every day was like that lately. The chief's resignation weighed heavily on her. The man made her life hell time and time again, but she was nervous about a new appointee. After all, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't, right?

Her mind drifted to their final conversation, and she tried to figure out why his simple comment stirred something deep within her soul.

"Just love her. That's more than I got."

"You turned out good."

She didn't need his approval. It wasn't that. She really didn't need the validation either. She knew who she was and didn't need anyone to tell her what she least knew. But something about his words left her with a weird sort of nostalgic longing. She couldn't quite place why.

"You turned out good."

The kettle beeped, signaling that the water had reached the proper temperature. She went through the motions of pouring the hot water and dropping the tea bag into the water to seep.

She lifted the cup from the counter, allowing the now warmed ceramic to warm her hands as she settled onto her couch.

She left the lights dimmed and the TV off. A well-worn throw blanket lay on the opposite arm of the couch. She reached for it and tucked it around herself. Her tea had begun to cool, so she took a short sip to check the temperature.

She inhaled the warm steam coming from the hot liquid. As she breathed in, a long-forgotten memory paraded through her mind.

And look how good you turned out...

Elliot. Her heart pounded at the thought of her friend and the simple sentiment he expressed long ago. He knew who she was long before anyone else did. Before she did.

She drank more of her tea, but it did nothing to slow her thoughts. She placed the half-full mug on the coffee table and burrowed deeper into the couch cushions. Her eyes closed, and rather than wallow in the everyday horrors of her job, she allowed her mind to wander to him.

Her fingers toyed with the necklace that she never took off. She thought about happiness. She thought about him.

Lead you to happiness.

She could almost hear his voice, warm and low.

I'm your partner, for better or for worse.

Blink your lights.

Maybe I just needed to hear your voice.

I love you.

She felt her breathing begin to slow, and her thoughts began to feel thick and sticky with impending sleep. Maybe she would call him in the morning. Maybe instead of wrapping herself in a blanket on sleepless nights, she could wrap herself up with him. Maybe. Just maybe.

Notes:

Not sure what this one is- might leave it- might add on- might drop it in the 101 collection.

Thoughts?