Chapter 37

Chapter Rating: PG

I wonder how this whole 'You come to me' thing is going to work?

This was almost the first thought on Olivia's mind after she hit the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was preceded only by 'When was the last time I actually got to wake up naturally?' and was almost tied with 'Oh yay, rain!'

An intermittent drizzle had turned into a brief downpour just before she had opened her eyes. Every so often the wind would blow the heavy drops into the window pane at the other end of the bedroom, creating almost an oceanic sound of waves crashing against a rocky shore. A picture-less memory washed over her; a sense of nostalgia that she could not quite place, but that nearly soothed her back into slumber.

She let out a deep breath and rolled onto her back. In the middle of the bed now, she stretched her arms out and up to tuck her hands under each of the plush pillows on either side of her head. She watched her thoughts play out above the bed; watched different scenarios being displayed on the off-white backdrop of the ceiling.

How will this whole thing go down? she wondered. Should she even contact me today, that is...

All that Olivia had asked for was one day. An entire day away from each other. Somehow, whether it was subconscious or intentional, the two women seemed to crash into each other’s orbits when they should actually be far enough away to take a moment to calm down and regroup. They had both needed time to themselves. To pause and try to think clearly about what had happened thus far, as well as what might occur in the future should they decide to continue traveling down the winding road that they were already barreling down. She herself had demanded the time and space. And yet, as thankful as she was for it and as beneficial as it had been for her, she wanted to go to Natalia.

And that was all she saw on the ceiling for a few moments. That was all she felt. The need to go to her. 'Why?' and 'What for?' seemed inconsequential. She had no idea what she would even say to her when they saw each other again. But just to see her... that was all.

Just to see her.

She shoved the pillow under her left hand over her face and moaned an emotionally pained sigh.

How do 'normal' people walk around living their daily lives when they are constantly being tormented by 'feelings'? The pillow came off of her face and her eyes went back to the ceiling. It wasn't showing her anything. Thanks for the help, normally over-active Imagination!! She took a long breath and expelled it exaggeratedly.

"Okay, let's start off small. If she decides to come and see you today..."

Olivia saw the two of them 'bumping into each other' in the hallway, or coincidentally, sharing an elevator again.

"NO!" She actually yelled at the ceiling. No elevators right now... counter-productive. Better to have an honest discussion or at least lay out some more ground rules first. Every battle has its 'rules of engagement'.

No more ceiling scenes.

Are we going to continue to do battle with each other? she wondered.

She now saw the two of them in another yelling match over one of their favourite 'differences of opinion'. This was not how she wanted their meeting to go.

"Okay... so far I see this going the way it's always gone... fighting, or sex!" She rolled her eyes at herself. Isn't this why I took some time yesterday? To think about how to change things? Gain some common ground?

The previous day had shown her much about their current situation... thanks to one slimy house-pet. She now had a little more of an understanding as to why Natalia might be running away and, also, that she had to try and be a little less aggressive in trying to bring Natalia out of her 'shell'. She had no idea, though, about how to pursue the issue now. Only that it needed to be pursued.

Her brain took a quick break and she lay there, listening to the 'waves' hit the window, shifting to a new spot in the bed that hadn't been warmed by her body-heat, her skin enjoying the momentary coolness of the sheets. Her cell phone suddenly went off.

Normally, Olivia Spencer would answer the phone for no one unless she had already partaken in, at the very least, half of her first morning coffee. This morning, however, the 'What if it's her?' excitement level of a kid waiting for Santa kicked her ass out of the bed and moved her over to the purse pocket that housed her phone. Reading the name on the display caused a smirk.

Score one for child-like enthusiasm. She pressed the talk button.

"Couldn't wait to hear the sound of my voice again, could you?"

"Your voice grates on my nerves, actually."

"What?! It's downright melodic! Like a choir of heavenly angels."

"Grates them until they are shredded raw."

"Chorus of little birdies?"

"Gaggle of Geese."

Olivia sighed. "Fine! If it's not my sultry and seductive voice you called for..." She could have sworn she actually heard Natalia smile. She reached for a pair of jeans and maneuvered herself into them whilst keeping the small phone to her ear with her shoulder.

"Well, it has been over an entire day since you've had the pleasure of hearing mine, so I thought I wouldn't deprive you of it any longer." Natalia joked.

"Awww, how sweet of you. I think it's super adorable when you tell me you've missed me."

"Keep talking, Spencer, really... I can pretend that you amuse me for at least another six minutes."

Olivia smiled and grabbed a t-shirt from her wardrobe. "Six whole minutes? Your annoyance threshold is increasing these days, Rivera. I knew I'd rub off on you eventually..."

Silence.

Shit!! Olivia closed her eyes tightly and chided herself. Shit, shit, SHIT!

"Unintentional pun, please disregard." The truth was all Olivia could offer up as a cover.

"Relax, Spencer. You're actually a lot funnier when you don't try."

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief.

"But, since we've not so lightly merged into that line of discussion... Is there any room in that hectic schedule of yours for us to get together today and talk?"

"Hold on," Olivia set the phone down and threw the t-shirt over her head. She opened the drawer and searched for a pair of socks before picking the phone back up. "Sorry. Had to check the day's busy agenda."

"You're frantically getting dressed, aren't you?" Natalia said with a chuckle. "You think I want to see you right away, don't you?"

Olivia stopped what she was doing, which at that moment was trying to find a brush with which to comb out her disheveled mop of bed-head. Natalia was right. She hated when Natalia was right.

"No!" she denied, over-emphatically.

"Wow... Eagerness, for the win!"

Olivia huffed. "Whatever... You're the one who is calling me at 8 a.m."

Natalia paused. "Good point. So, how does it look for that civil conversation... in a neutral environment, today?"

"I have a few conditions I would like to cover before I answer that..."

"Ooofff course you do..."

"Hey! I may be 'eager'... but I'm not irrational. History tells us that you and I need restrictions and guidelines. Will you play along?... Or should I just hang up now and we can forget about all of this?"

Pause.

"Go ahead."

Olivia let out the breath she had been holding while hoping Natalia would tell her to continue.

"Okay..." She walked into the en-suite bathroom and grabbed a facecloth from one of the racks. "We are still under the 'You come to me' clause. You have some amends to make, and I need to know that you are serious... the effort will help prove this to me."

"Agreed."

"You can meet me here when you are ready. Emma and I will be going out to lunch today and then shopping for a while before coming back for dinner at around six-ish."

"Meet there... after 'six-ish'... got it."

"My daughter will be here. Her movements around this suite will not be restricted. Therefore, we won't have to worry your overwhelming sexual urges getting the better of you."

Both women silently smirked at this.

"Right. My urges... no touching... check."

"And lastly..." Olivia had run the facecloth under warm water and began to wring it out. "If you do decide to meet me here today, I want to know that you've at least done some thinking yesterday. I want you to have a general idea about what you are coming here to say."

There was yet another pause, so Olivia continued.

"Can you abide by this last guideline? Have you done some reflecting?... Do you know what you want, Natalia?"

"Do I know what I want?... No." Natalia answered honestly. "Do I know what I want to say?... Yes."

Natalia washed her face while Natalia spoke.

"I'm not interested in making this any more complicated than it already is, Spencer. So yes... I am prepared. Well... as prepared as one can be for one of our infamous 'discussions'."

Olivia left the bathroom and made her way to the living-room. "Okay, then. So when should I expect you? Tonight… ish?"

"Not sure if I will be available tonight." She heard Olivia starting the coffee-maker. "Do you even have any make-up on yet, slow-poke?"

"Just got out of bed, soooo, nope."

Natalia laughed. "Awesome!"

Suddenly the line went dead.

"Helllooo?... Natalia?" Olivia looked at the phone and soon after she heard three knocks at her door. If anyone had been there to witness it, they would have seen Olivia grinning like a smitten school-girl. "You little... " She went over to the door and opened it to find Natalia leaning on the outside of the doorframe. She, too, looked as though she had just gotten out of bed.

Olivia smirked at her. " 'Eagerness for the win', huh Rivera?" she laughed. 

Natalia held Olivia's eyes with her own and flashed a warm smile.

"Hi," she said quietly.

Olivia's eyes went to the dimpled cheeks and then to the smile itself before returning to the beautiful brown eyes.

"Hi."