Work Text:
His favorite part of this apartment is the small terrace that he has. It’s no balcony overlooking a 15th century palazzo, like he had in Rome, but this suits him just fine. It’s a little rough and tumble, but it’s a place where he can find solace.
Or, sometimes, he can stand here in the doorway and look out on it, inhaling the soft, sweet drops of morning dew as the sun’s rays gradually infiltrate the fog and illuminate everything around him.
He hums, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, and imagines what it would be like to have Olivia here with him.
At first, he’d thought it was because they were partners, and of course, if she wasn’t there, he’d wonder where she was. But it became more pervasive, thoughts of her being in places that there’d be no logical reason for, until it was a never-ending litany of Olivia should be here. Olivia would love this. I wonder what Olivia would think? And he could never voice any of that out loud, because it would only bolster assumptions and accusations that were only partially true.
It got worse once he left, instead of better – maybe it was the fact that he was finally traveling, like he knew she’d always wanted to do, or maybe it was the fact that he had no outlet to otherwise see her.
As far as he knew, she’d never been to Italy, but the ghost of her followed him from the Alps to the Adriatic, through all the cathedrals and sacred places that spoke to his faith that she never quite understood but still respected. And at every turn, he’d look to his side, and think Olivia should be here or I should be with Olivia.
And now that he’s back in the city that has been synonymous with Olivia since the day he realized she was more than his assigned partner – practically day one, if he was honest with himself, he feels her even stronger now.
Lithe arms slip around him from behind, warm hands meeting over his stomach, holding him close, and he lets out a soft breath.
“Hey,” her soft voice says, as she reaches up to whisper it in his ear. “Sorry, Eli let me in. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You didn’t.” He luxuriates in her pressing her chest into his back, as she nuzzles his neck. “Just – thinking, you know?”
“Everything okay?” Her concern is palpable, but unnecessary. All his thoughts are of her, and how to be the man that she deserves – the one for whom it was worth the wait, for both of them.
He turns around, so that he can embrace her properly, and says, “better now.”
The smile on her face is worth everything to him as he draws her close to him with a searing kiss.