Triste
At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to tell him to go the hell away. That, and another drink. She had finally gotten to the point where her body had gone mercifully numb, and if she was lucky, another beer would shut off her brain completely.
Elliot slid into the stool beside her and waved off the bartender.
Ignoring him, she eyed the restroom sign, wondering if it had a big enough window for her to squeeze through. She was annoyed. If he hadn’t have shown up, she could have called a taxi, went home, and fallen into bed. She could have shown up at work the next morning good as new, walls up and mask without a crack.
Tonight was different. He would want her to talk to him. She wasn’t sure she could resist. Even worse, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to leave, she turned toward him.
“How’d you find me?”
Elliot studied her, weighing his response. He took a breath, “Had a hunch.”
She snorted, disgusted with herself, “Like mother, like daughter, huh?” Waving the beer bottle toward him as if it proved her point, she gave him an expectant look.
When he failed to answer, she lifted the bottle to her lips, tilted her head back, and drained the remainder of the amber liquid. The bottle then met the surface of the bar with a satisfying clunk.
She pinned him with a piercing gaze, “Look, I appreciate the fact that you’re trying to save me from myself, but if you’re just gonna sit there without saying a damn thing - “
“Liv,” he interrupted.
She ignored him. “You should have just saved yourself the trouble and had me committed to fucking Bellevue. That way, you wouldn’t be here in the middle of the night trying to drag away your poor, pathetic drunk of a partner. You wouldn’t have had to bother.”
Elliot didn’t rise to the bait. Olivia was spoiling for a fight, one that, if he had anything to say about it, she wasn’t going to get.
“Liv,” he said softly, “how’d it go?”
The wind left her sails immediately. Tears clouded her eyes, and for one terrifying second, he thought she’d been let go.
That thought disappeared when she lifted her head and regarded him defiantly.
“Passed the final eval with flying colors, El,” Olivia reported sarcastically, “despite you’re best efforts, I’m one-hundred percent fit for duty.”
“Bullshit,” Elliot challenged. He felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. Any two-bit shrink should have been able to tell that she was anything but stable. Now, it seemed like she’d probably just have to go ahead and kill Casey Novak before anyone else would be able to tell that there was anything wrong with her.
Olivia flashed him a miserable smile and shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m a hell of an actress, El.”
Her triumphant smirk did nothing to hide the bitterness of her tone. He wondered what the hell Huang had been thinking.
They sat together in silence for quite some time before Olivia finally looked over at Elliot with tear filled eyes. She took a shaky breath.
“I miss her.”
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Digging into his wallet, he laid enough cash on the bar to cover Olivia’s drinks. Leaning close, he took her elbow in his.
“Come on, Liv,” he whispered.
She didn’t argue.
Elliot slid into the stool beside her and waved off the bartender.
Ignoring him, she eyed the restroom sign, wondering if it had a big enough window for her to squeeze through. She was annoyed. If he hadn’t have shown up, she could have called a taxi, went home, and fallen into bed. She could have shown up at work the next morning good as new, walls up and mask without a crack.
Tonight was different. He would want her to talk to him. She wasn’t sure she could resist. Even worse, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to leave, she turned toward him.
“How’d you find me?”
Elliot studied her, weighing his response. He took a breath, “Had a hunch.”
She snorted, disgusted with herself, “Like mother, like daughter, huh?” Waving the beer bottle toward him as if it proved her point, she gave him an expectant look.
When he failed to answer, she lifted the bottle to her lips, tilted her head back, and drained the remainder of the amber liquid. The bottle then met the surface of the bar with a satisfying clunk.
She pinned him with a piercing gaze, “Look, I appreciate the fact that you’re trying to save me from myself, but if you’re just gonna sit there without saying a damn thing - “
“Liv,” he interrupted.
She ignored him. “You should have just saved yourself the trouble and had me committed to fucking Bellevue. That way, you wouldn’t be here in the middle of the night trying to drag away your poor, pathetic drunk of a partner. You wouldn’t have had to bother.”
Elliot didn’t rise to the bait. Olivia was spoiling for a fight, one that, if he had anything to say about it, she wasn’t going to get.
“Liv,” he said softly, “how’d it go?”
The wind left her sails immediately. Tears clouded her eyes, and for one terrifying second, he thought she’d been let go.
That thought disappeared when she lifted her head and regarded him defiantly.
“Passed the final eval with flying colors, El,” Olivia reported sarcastically, “despite you’re best efforts, I’m one-hundred percent fit for duty.”
“Bullshit,” Elliot challenged. He felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. Any two-bit shrink should have been able to tell that she was anything but stable. Now, it seemed like she’d probably just have to go ahead and kill Casey Novak before anyone else would be able to tell that there was anything wrong with her.
Olivia flashed him a miserable smile and shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m a hell of an actress, El.”
Her triumphant smirk did nothing to hide the bitterness of her tone. He wondered what the hell Huang had been thinking.
They sat together in silence for quite some time before Olivia finally looked over at Elliot with tear filled eyes. She took a shaky breath.
“I miss her.”
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Digging into his wallet, he laid enough cash on the bar to cover Olivia’s drinks. Leaning close, he took her elbow in his.
“Come on, Liv,” he whispered.
She didn’t argue.