Hey," he said gently as he leaned into her office door frame.

She sighed. Apparently word of their bullshit of a case found its way to the OCCB office. "I don't want to talk about it." Her eyes dropped to the paperwork on her desk. It was all frustratingly obsolete now.

He smirked. "I didn't ask if you did?"

She wasn't in the mood. "What do you want El?"

He didn't seem deterred. "Can I buy you dinner?" He asked casually.

The invitation may have seemed simple, but nothing was ever simple between her and Elliot.

She stood, and pushed her chair back. "Yeah, but something low key. I'm not in the mood to deal with people right now." That was true, but she also didn't want this to feel too date like. If she was going to go on a date with Elliot it would have much more ceremony than this. Plus, she was nowhere near in the mood for the pressure of a date tonight.

His eager smile, made her smile despite her crappy mood. He held her jacket out for her and she snagged her bag from the corner of her desk.

Once in his car he asked, "do you have any place in mind? Or do you want to go to my place or your place and I can just cook or something?"

She felt wary of going to either of their places, feeling like either place would feel too intimate. However, her desire to avoid people was stronger than her stupid fears about their relationship. "Let's just go to your place. I'm not ready to go home yet. I don't want to bring this day home with me, and I seriously can't interact with other people right now."

He seemed genuinely surprised at her answer and she knew it was because she rejected nearly any attempt he made to be alone with her. She still felt the pressure from that night in the kitchen, and she still hadn't processed any of the thing that were implied that night.

They took his car and she spent most of the ride silently staring out the window. Thankfully, he embraced the quiet and let her decompress, without pressured conversation, the entire drive to his apartment.

The thick silence continued even after entering his apartment. She tossed her coat and bag on to one of the kitchen barstools and began looking through his cabinets.

He let out a nervous chuckle, speaking for the first time in an hour, "What are you looking for?"

She answered him without turning. "Wine glasses," she opened another cabinet, "and ideally some wine."

He walked up behind her and reached his hand just above hers so he could gain access to the upper cabinet. For a moment she felt paralyzed by his body lightly pressing into her back.

He pulled down two wine glasses and set them next to her on the counter and when he withdrew, he's arm brushed against hers, and she swore it was deliberate, but he already stepped away in favor of looking for a couple pans. "Wine is in the cooler. I have no idea what's in there though." His head now poked into the refrigerator and she found an acceptable wine, not that she was at all picky about her wine tonight.

She poured herself a glass and sipped at it aimlessly while watching him gather ingredients for what looked like some sort of pasta. It made sense. Of course he knew Italian dishes.

She meandered over to one of the stools, and sat down, placing her glass of wine in front of her. He cooked and she all but stared at him the entire time. Watching him took her mind off her day, however it also allowed her mind to wander to other less wholesome places.

What the hell am I waiting for? Standing right in front of her was a man who loved her deeply. Their history was long and complicated, but who's wasn't? She knew for a fact that she was not the only damaged person in the world, or even in this room. She was not perfect and Elliot wasn't either, but at some point she needed to let this go so she could move on.

She drank her wine, and he seemed content to let her sit and just be. There was something touching about the fact that he was happy just because she was here.

Once she downed most of her wine she made a choice.

He was turned away from her, stirring a sauce on the stove. She quietly snuck behind him. He startled a little when she placed her hand on his back. She reached around him and pushed the sauce off the burner. The last thing they needed was his apartment to burn down while she did this.

He turned to her in surprise. Her eyes searched his, and she was nervous. He seemed confused but hopeful, which was an adorable look on him and she couldn't help herself when she leaned in and kissed his lips softly.

His stunned face was so damn cute that she couldn't help kissing him again. And again. And again…