Chapter 7

"How was your appointment?" Elliot asked as I climbed into our car.

"Great." I lied, and he frowned. He reached over and grabbed my hand, holding it as we drove.

"Liv, wanna talk about it?" He questioned.

"I think maybe we should get eloped." I spoke.

"What?" He questioned, and I bit my lip.

"I don't want to wait. I want to get married, now." I replied.

"Wait, like right now?" He asked.

"Right now." I stated. We drove for awhile before he spoke again.

"Liv, he told you to go back to work, didn't he?" he breathed, and I closed my eyes tightly, stopping the tears from running down my cheeks. I took slow deep breathes, and once I had calmed myself enough, I spoke.

"I can't go back, El. I can barely talk about it. I don't know." I mumbled. He pulled over, and he turned to look at me, concern in his eyes.

"If you don't want to go back, then don't. Come work with me." He replied. I bit my lip and swallowed hard.

"Do you really want to work with me? I can be hard to handle." I replied, and he chuckled, and reached out and gently caressed my cheek.

"I think if I can deal with you for the rest of our lives, I can deal with working with you." He smiled. I nodded slowly.

"Can we go home? I want to try something new for dinner tonight. Eli might like it." I replied, and Elliot didn't reply.

"What?" I asked.

"Make sure it isn't Spaghetti." He laughed and I rolled my eyes.

+++

Instead of eloping like I had wanted, Elliot and I started to work together, giving me the security that I wanted from a quick marriage. I was near him every second of every day, and I didn't get those damn flashbacks that caused so much harm to my mental health.

"Hey, Olivia, is Elliot in?" Elliot's boss, Marcus asked.

"He's on a call right now. Maureen had some news to share with him." I replied with a small smile. He nodded.

"Alright, well send him to my office when he is done? I have to discuss something with him." He replied, and I nodded slowly. Marcus looked at me for a few moments, and I felt a blush rise in my cheeks.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" I asked quietly.

"Actually, yes. Follow me to my office?" He questioned, and I nodded slowly.

I followed him to his office, and he shut the door behind me. He walked over to his desk and grabbed a few papers and walked back to me.

"Can you file these?" He asked, and I nodded slowly, confusion rising through me.

"I can, but why haven't you asked Lisa?" I replied. He stepped even closer to me, and his hand gently rubbed my arm.

"Because, I wanted to do this to you." He breathed. He leaned forward, and placed his lips to mine. I froze, unsure of what to do. I knew I didn't want this, but I didn't want to cause Elliot nor myself our jobs. I pulled away slowly, my face red from the embarrassment he had just caused me.

"Marcus, I should go file this." I breathed, tears stinging my eyes.

"Alright. Come back later." He winked, and I quickly left. 

+++

"Hey! Where were you? We were supposed to have lunch." Elliot asked as I went back to his office, an hour later than expected.

"I had to file somethings for Marcus. He also wants you to stop by his office." I breathed, and he nodded, completely oblivious to my emotions right now.

"I will. Maureen is engaged." He spoke, and I forced a smile.

"That's great, El." I spoke, halfheartedly.

"We are going out to dinner with her and Elijah tonight." He replied. I nodded and bit my lip.

"Sounds good. Um, you should go talk to Marcus." I replied. He nodded and kissed my cheek before walking out.

Once he left and I took a slow deep breath, willing myself to put it behind me and to go back to work.

+++

We went out to dinner that night with Maureen and her fiance, Elijah. Elliot had been wound for sound since his meeting with Marcus, but he wouldn't tell me what had happened.

"Liv!" Maureen beamed when we approached her table. I smiled softly.

"Hey, Maureen. Congrats." I spoke quietly, and she smiled. I stood to the side as Kathy stood up and gave me an awkward smile.

"Nice to see you, Liv. This is my husband, Sean." She spoke, and I reached my hand out to him, but instead he pulled me into his arms, and hugged me tightly.

"The kids speak about you all the time. It's nice to finally put a face to all of the good things my step children say." He smiled, and I bit my lip and nodded slowly.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sean. Kathy, you are looking good." I breathed, and she smiled.

"It's the kids. They are keeping me young." She smiled, and I nodded slowly.

It was weird being around her again. She always knew that Elliot and I were in love, even before we had admitted it to ourselves. She could see that we were meant to be together, and that had put another crack into the already unstable marriage.

We sat down and Elliot placed his hand high on my thigh. I wrapped my hand around his and took slow deep breathes.

"Are you alright?" He questioned, whispering it in my ear.

"No. I need some air. I'll be back." I breathed. He nodded slowly as I excused myself from the table, and I went outside.

I ran my hands through my hair and massaged my temples, attempting to get rid of the headache I've had since the kiss.

"Liv, are you alright?" Maureen asked, surprising me. I turned around and frowned.

"You shouldn't be out here with me. Go enjoy your dinner." I replied, trying to force a smile and trying to make it look like a real one, but it didn't.

"Liv, something is bothering you, I  can tell. You are pale and quiet. What's happening inside that head of your's?" She asked, and I let out a small chuckled.

"A lot of dark things, Maureen. I'm fine, I swear. Let's just go in." I replied, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and forcing her back inside.

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