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He sees the two of them together through the window of the coffee shop near her apartment. The lingering touches to her arm. The smiles of shared history and 25 years of memories. He didn’t even know the other man was back in the city. He keeps walking.
That evening he calls to see if she’s home. He says they need to talk.
“I’ll be here, unless I get a call. Noah just went to bed.”
Half an hour later, he knocks gently on the door of her apartment, and she opens it wide to let him in. She offers him a drink, but he declines. Says he can’t stay long.
“I never stood a chance, did I?” He looks at her, his eyes full of hurt.
She’s a little taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“I saw you. With Stabler. Why didn’t you tell me he was back in town?”
“Ed, we were just catching up. He’s - he was my partner. We’re friends.”
“Come on, Olivia. I’ve never seen you as happy as you looked this morning in that cafe. You’ve certainly never looked like that on one of our dates.”
“It wasn’t a date, Ed. I swear it wasn’t.” She feels the tears on her cheeks. She really does love Ed. Maybe she isn’t as in love with him as he is with her, but she does love him.
He sighs. “But you wanted it to be.”
He gives her a sad smile and a quick peck on her forehead. “You deserve happiness, Olivia Benson.”
He leaves, and she moves to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine, letting her tears flow freely. As she settles into the corner of her couch with her wine and a fuzzy blanket, she picks up her phone, shooting off a quick text: “Can you come over?”
In Long Island City, his phone lights up, and he’s in the car 15 minutes later, headed for Manhattan.