Paola nodded frowning lightly, she found the whole mystery of the town quite confusing. "Yeah think I've heard of those things. My kid was discussing them with his classmates. Sounds like something from a supernatural tv-show right?" she smiled.
Fox shook his head chuckling, "My sister's...," he paused unsure what to call Yoel. "One of her friends got a kid too, convinced it might work like Super Mario and launch us out somewhere good." It still felt surreal this was the topic of conversation lately. "You and your kid doing alright with all this?" he asked making a vague hand motion.
"i fear i've been cutting loose a little too much lately, but it helps get me through my day." sare admitted, one hand lifting to scratch idly at her temple. she'd been under the influence more often than not,usually waking up next to somebody in bed and feeling like it was enough to get her by. but when your two remaining family members seemed incapable of reconciling, it was hard to feel like you could always be sober. "sounds to me like you have the perfect family dynamic in terms of how siblings act. if i was ever mean to spencer, they'd start crying and then i'd feel terrible. then again, i think of them as my baby."
Fox's brow furrowed wondering if he should ask Trixie or Lance to check in on Sare, or at least run it by them for some tips. He hesitated before slowly nodding, "I've been there," he admitted, drinking had been something he'd avoided before Huntsville but thinking he'd never see his sisters again had sent him spiralling. "This from job stress or life stress?" he asked. Cracking a small smile he shook his head, "I miss calling them that, but little hard to still think of em that way when they showed up as grown women. Took a while to figure out what kind of big brother they wanted now."
Paola frowned at the explanation then let out a laugh, "It probably did, I'm still unsure what'dya mean by that" she shook her head. "But a portal sounds fun, mind updating me where does this one lead?" she was vaguely aware of the whole portal thing in town, quite frankly Paola didn't pay much attention when it came to that stuff, constantly keeping busy with all the repairs town was constantly in because of it was enough for her, who knew supernatural events can be profitable if you're in handwork business.
"Far as I know it doesn't lead anywhere, there's a cave in the woods that leads into it. Some reporters were exploring and popped out into the lake. Think they still got copies of the story down there," Fox explained shaking his head a bit at how insane it all sounded out loud.
"if it helps, i can make sure the fruity drink doesn't have any alcohol in it so you can continue to be a responsible human. i, however, am too many margaritas deep already so i fear there's no hope left." sare chuckled as they walked, glancing at fox's legs. "they're not that bad. your sisters are just mean."
Fox chuckled and shook his head, making a mental note to make sure Sare didn't stumble into anything if the margaritas started hitting too hard. "Hey you deserve a chance to cut loose, and sure you can be our taste tester. Would suck if someone needed help and I was too buzzed to swim." Glancing at his own legs he gave a shrug and laughed, "Eh I'm just as mean to them, 3 of us got thick skins and a messed up love language, but it works for us."
Paola was having a great time at the lake event, this was exactly what she and Alessandro needed now and she was happy he gets to burn off some energy running around and playing games by the lake with his friends. Letting him run off Paola went over to the lake, she didn't come here often so the buoys put around were something unfamiliar to her, "Do you know what's up with that?" she pointed towards that way with her head then turn to the person next to her.
Fox had been walking around the edge of the lake, volunteering as lifeguard had so far just been making sure no one brought glass near the lake. He'd been glancing around making sure his people were all accounted for when the person next to him spoke up. Following her gaze he nodded, "Mayor had us block off the portal and keep people from poking around," before he shook his head and let out an exasperated chuckle, "I'm sorry that made more sense during the briefing then it does saying out loud now."
"am i allowed to say both?" sare grumbled. there was a smattering of freckles across her nose from where she'd already laid in the sun for too long. it wasn't until the heat exhaustion set in that she realized she needed to get out of the sun for a few minutes. "what're you getting for a drink? something fruity, i hope. nothing is more satisfying than knowing a big tough person like a fruity drink."
"Considering I'm paler than ya, yeah you can. My sisters making fun of my legs saying they look like beacons," Fox grumbled shaking his head. He gave small shrug before nodding, "I was gonna grab water for me and Leila, they have us on lifeguard duty. Honestly a fruity drink sounds better than plain water, lead the way."
Fox had given Leila a nod before heading out to grab them some drinks, it wasn't technically a date, but it also wasn't just work. Heading over to the drink stands he gave a small wave when he spotted Sare in line. "Hey stranger, working on a tan or already tired of the heat?" he asked a small grin on his face.
SUMMARY:
Sometimes, when you're on a second date with your best friend, you ask a question that you're not entirely prepared to hear the answer to. Continued from here.
FOX felt that flush come back to his cheeks, taking a longer sip of wine, it wasn't like she'd never winked at him before. Though now it was different, it wasn't playful flirting, it was actual flirting while on a date. "You ever going to let me have any secrets from you?" he quipped back, even if he was grinning at her. At least until she asked that, suddenly more interested in the food. Which came with its own feelings over how much effort she was putting into this, "This is really good," he mumbled even if he knew trying to compliment wasn't going to get her off the subject. He debated what to say for a brief second, maybe a much smaller number that didn't make him look quite as pathetic as he felt. He was fiddling with his fork when he said, "You know it was rough at the beginning not having them here, and you were here for me. Can't really blame a guy for falling hard right?" He gave a nervous chuckle before taking a long sip of his wine.
"Nope," LEILA replied happily, grinning back at him before having another sip of her wine. She had been anxious about the meal, and she appreciated him complimenting it, but she knew Ollie well enough to know that he was stalling answering her question. She didn't really know why, but she didn't mind waiting for him to work out what he wanted to say, leaning back in her seat and slowly sipping her wine. It was a small miracle that she didn't do a spit take upon hearing his answer. "I—what?" She set the glass down on the table and stared at him. "Ollie, we've known each other for ten years. Are you telling me it's been ten years?" She blinked in disbelief. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
FOX had been running this thumb over the bottom of his wine glass. His gaze on the way the light was hitting the wine. His eyes flickered to look of disbelief on her face, maybe any other day he would have laughed, today though it made his stomach churn. Everyone had said he wasn't subtle, though his sisters were a recent addition, maybe he'd gotten more direct over time or they just knew him well enough even after all those years. Though a small voice in the back of his head piped up that she never noticed because she hadn't wanted to notice.
He gave a sheepish shrug, another nervous chuckle slipping out. "Timing just never seemed to work out," he mumbled fiddling with his cutlery, "Wasn't looking to be a home wrecker," he's trying to joke and keep his voice light, but the nervousness is back in full force.
LEILA blinked again. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that it had been a decade, a decade of him having feelings for her and her not knowing about it, a decade that they could have been together if she had only looked up and actually seen him. And if she hadn't been so stubborn about staying with Tricky. "That's fair," she admitted, reaching out to take his hand. "It does make a lot more sense to me now. Why you freaked out the way that you did when we first talked about it." She paused. "I don't... I don't know why I didn't see it. But I guess I couldn't even see how I felt. I think... I think I've had feelings for you a lot longer than I've been aware of them. Not ten years, but still." She shrugged. "I've been jealous, you know. I was incredibly jealous of Celia. I didn't know why then but I do now."
FOX almost jumped out of his seat when she grabbed his hand, he'd been getting lost in a swirl of his own thoughts when she got his attention. Giving her hand a light squeeze he grimaced before pouting slightly, "I didn't freak...I just...had a very normal surprised reaction to the topic." He was rubbing slow circles on the back of her hand, unsure of how to feel over the idea of her having feelings for him, it was hard not to feel like he'd gone cliff diving while she'd hopped down off a rock. It wasn't completely fair and he knew that, but his own insecurities were swinging around making it hard to think. Glancing up at her his brow furrowed, "Wait you were jealous of Celia?" Even saying it out loud has him blinking blankly, "We didn't even really date."
LEILA felt a small smile tug at her lips when he argued that he had not freaked out. She could point out that, at the time, he literally told her that he was freaking out, but she decided against it. Instead, she squeezed his hand back and shrugged. "Yeah, I was," she admitted. "At first, I told myself it was because I was off with Tricky at the time and I was feeling vulnerable and needed to spend time with my best friend. But then Tricky and I got back together, and you kept seeing Celia, and... I don't know. I felt relieved when you said it wasn't serious, which should have been my second hint, but that jealous feeling never really went away. I still feel that way sometimes." She paused. "It's not because I think you secretly want her back. I just... The two of you have a way of speaking that shows how deeply familiar you are with each other. She even calls you Olexi."
FOX had been idly rubbing her hand as he listened to her. He'd spent so long trying to hide his own jealousy he'd never stopped to consider Leila has felt similar at times. "Only when I'm in trouble," he mumbled giving a small shrug, which wasn't untrue. Different thoughts were racing through his head, though it felt like he was trying to snag a cab in a busy intersection and failing miserably. Chewing on his lip as he looked at their hands, "I was jealous when she got married, but like you said not cause I want her back. Just jealous she found that with someone, you know?" He glanced up to meet her gaze again, "Mo and Chandler are close, kind of just made sense to stay friendly...that and she was aware from the beginning why it was never gonna be serious," squeezing her hand again he gave another shrug, "Think it's the only reason we lasted as long as we did. She knew I wasn't going to fall in love with her."
A small smile tugged at LEILA's lips. "That's true, she does use her mom voice on you sometimes," she replied, dropping her own gaze to the table and focusing on how warm his hand felt in hers as opposed to how vulnerable she felt in that moment. She didn't know how to feel about the fact that seemingly everybody but her had known how Ollie felt about her. There was a part of her that was... Flattered wasn't quite the right word, but something in that ballpark, that he'd held a torch for her for that long. But there was also a part of her that felt some type of way about everyone knowing something about him that she didn't. "I'm sorry, I'm—I understand why you didn't tell me," she explained, looking back up at him. "I'm just kind of reckoning with the fact that there was this big, important thing I didn't know about you. It's silly, but... I've always taken pride in being the person you told everything."
FOX wondered idly if she could hear how fast his heart was racing, the sound drowning almost everything else out for him. He tried not to cringe, gaze dropping as he fiddled with her hand in his. "I mean....I don't know it wasn't that important. You knew I cared about you and we were-are best friends," he said glancing back up slowly. He gave another small shrug, "That's always been more than enough for me Leila."
LEILA tilted her head to the side as she observed Ollie. She knew that this conversation was probably not over, and that they would probably have similar conversations like this in the future, but that was a challenge that she was willing to navigate. "Ollie," she sighed. "Being your best friend has always been enough for me too. But if we can be more than that?" She shrugged. "Of course I want a shot at that. It's not like I haven't been aware that I'm attracted to you. I have eyes."
FOX felt his cheeks flush and a nervous chuckle slipping out, finally taking another sip of his wine. It was something to do and also helped take care of his dry mouth. "I love you," he said softly giving her hand a small squeeze, "Just still hard to wrap my head around this actually happening now." He wasn't sure when it would fully sink in that this real, even a little worried what his own reaction would be when it did.
LEILA squeezed his hand back before slowly letting go and getting back to her food. "I love you too," she replied easily, and it was easy for her to say, because of course she loved Ollie. She was just gradually learning exactly how much she loved him. "It's hard for me too. But... I'm not in a rush, you know? We don't have to define what this is yet. I'm happy for us to just see where it goes. As long as we both agree that it's going somewhere."
FOX had let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she leaned back. Stuck somewhere between disappointed she was far away and relieved that he could think again. He gave her a tentative smile as they both went back to their meals, "Yeah I can agree with that," there was a nagging voice still ever present not to get his hopes up over this, but he tried to shove it aside and focus on the way she was looking at him like he was actually worth trying for. "That lake party's coming up, know we're both likely to get stuck on duty but could at least be stuck on duty together?"
LEILA picked up her glass of wine and had another sip. Briefly, she had the thought that she had spent almost twenty years giving Tricky second chances. She didn't mind waiting for Ollie to accept that she was giving him his first. "Yeah, I'd like that," she replied, picking up the bottle to refill both of their glasses. "I feel like a lot of our future dates are going to be us stuck on duty together. But I don't really mind that. I'm happy as long as I get to spend time with you."
FOX gave her a grateful nod before taking a long sip of his wine, he still felt jittery but was slowly relaxing again with the topic change. "Well least the departments small enough they can't really split us up, and doubt HR is going to give a fuck. Pretty sure that guy is too busy paying DJ's kid in leaves," he said shaking his head. He hesitated before reaching to take one of her hands in his, "I'm happy when it's the two of us, too," he said squeezing her hand.
Leila closed her eyes when he kissed her again, a soft, serene sigh slipping from her lips as she reluctantly let him pull away. She couldn't help the bright, giddy smile on her face as she watched Ollie pour wine into the glasses, feeling for all the world like a lovestruck teenager and not like a woman almost in her forties. "I haven't talked to them yet," she said, accepting the glass and having a sip from it. "But I'm planning to. We have our weekly coffee catchup coming up, but... I wanted to see how tonight goes before I go around telling people about it." She let out a soft chuckle as she set the glass down and started serving herself as well. "What are your sisters saying?"
Fox had taken a sip from his own glass nodding, even if he felt a small flush on his cheeks. "Yeah that's probably a good idea, practical and all that jazz," he said waving his hand in some form of a vague gesture. Still the fact she had been thinking about, he know important Addison was to her after all these years. "Um, other than a bunch of jokes that make a sailor blush, the usual it's about time and finally comments," he said shrugging.
Leila raised her eyebrows when Ollie tossed the napkin onto the table, but before she could ask what he was doing or where he was going, his hands were on her face and he was kissing her. She kissed him back slowly, a soft, contented hum slipping out as he pulled back. "Never say sorry for that," she replied with a smile on her lips, feeling her nerves settling somewhat as she looked up at him. "I like when you kiss me."
She reached up, placing her hand on his neck and pulling him down for another kiss, before releasing him with a soft sigh. "Well, I feel a lot less frazzled and nervous now, so that's a good sign," she said, dropping her hand to his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm still going to pour myself a glass of wine, though. Do you want one?"
Fox chuckled, as nervous as he felt there was also a feeling of excitement at her words. "I'll keep that in mind," he mumbled against her lips when she pulled him back down. He was brushing slowly circles on her cheeks with his thumbs, "Yeah I could go for a glass," he said leaning down for one last kiss. "Though I'm already up, I can pour it," he said reluctantly pulling away to grab the wine bottle she had left out. Pouring them each a glass and handing her hers, before returning to his seat. "You get a chance to talk to Addison about this?" he asked as he started serving himself from the various plates.
Leila gave him a slow once-over before catching his gaze again. "Well, you look very handsome," she said sincerely, quickly followed by an awkward chuckle. When they were just friends, she had never hesitated to compliment Ollie on anything, but it felt different now. Looking at him and knowing he was attractive was very different from looking at him and knowing that she was attracted to him. Clearing her throat, she stopped her mind from wandering too far and looked down at the bouquet, feeling her cheeks heating up. "Oh, thank you," she replied, bringing it up to her face to smell the flowers. "They're beautiful. Uhm, I'm gonna go put these in water, and also check on dessert. Why don't you sit down in the meantime? Or not, you know, it's up to you."
She turned around, grimacing at how awkward she was being as she retreated to the kitchen, taking a moment to compose herself before walking back out with a vase and setting it on the coffee table. "Are you as nervous as I am?" Leila asked, taking a seat and straightening out the cutlery. "I didn't think I would be this nervous, but I'm totally out of my element and I really, really want this to go well. I don't think I'm supposed to admit that to you, but... You're kind of the person I talk to about these things."
Fox felt his face flush, trying to keep from fidgeting with his jacket or shirt when she looked at him. "I can sit," he said managing to keep his voice even as he watched her, there was still a small part of him afraid to show just how much affection he had for her. He glanced at the table again letting out a shaky breath when she was out of ear shot. He'd been fiddling with a fork when she came back, blinking in surprise before chuckling. "Yeah guess you are usually who I talk about these with to, I mean other than my sisters and that's just me getting roasted," he said shaking his head.
Swallowing he glanced down at his plate then back at her, mentally debating his next move. Sighing he tossed his napkin back on the table and walked over to her. Putting his hands on her face, he tilted her face up and pressed his lips to her kissing her slowly. Pulling back he chuckled nervously, "Sorry just...really just couldn't think about anything else."
WHERE: Leila's Apartment
WHO: Ollie Vos ( @officerfox )
"Hey," Leila said with a small smile, hesitating before leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. For their first date, the circumstances surrounding it and the fact that Trixie and Lance had been there had helped ease her nerves somewhat, but that was not true now. Now it was her and Ollie, one on one, having a candlelit dinner at her apartment that she had cooked for him from scratch. "Come on in. I hope you're hungry."
She stepped to the side to let him in, taking the time to smooth out her dress and hair, realising how long it had been since she had been on a second date. "I may have gone slightly overboard," she said with a slight chuckle, gesturing the table she had set up in the living room. "I haven't planned a date in, like, years. It's not too much, is it?"
Fox had almost backed out of coming over, sitting on the couch in his house staring at the clock, he'd been dressed for over an hour before he even needed to leave. One look from his sisters had him knowing that if he didn't go over he'd never hear the end of it. After wanting this for so long he was convinced he was going to say or do the one thing that would cause it all to come crashing down.
"Uh...yeah I am," he'd managed to get out, half distracted by how she was dressed, "Feel like I'm underdressed now," he joked. He'd been following her to the table caught off guard by just how much she'd done for this. "Um..no it's..it's great, seriously don't think anyone's ever done this much for me," he said, nervously chuckling before remembering what he'd brought. "Oh..uh, I got these for you," there was a flush on his face as he held out a small bouquet. Flowers for date was still a thing right? Hoping he didn't look at awkward as he felt over it.
Leila's expression shifted from confused, to surprised, to amused, a smile tugging on her lips when he admitted the truth. "Oh," she replied, her smile slowly widening as she continued stroking his cheek. "So, we're not chaperoning them. They're chaperoning us." She didn't seem the least bit upset about the revelation, instead shuffling closer and brushing her lips against his, waiting for a moment to see if he wanted to pull away before kissing him softly. "Well, we'll see if that's still true at the end of the night. My money is on it turning into more of a double date than either of your sisters planned." She paused. "Well, Chandler might have planned it, actually. She has the brains for it."
She let out a soft chuckle and eventually dropped her hands from his face, taking a moment to simply look at him before settling back on the couch, her body nestled comfortably against his. It wasn't like it was the first time they had ever cuddled, but it did feel different now, given everything that had happened. "I'm not in a rush, you know," she said softly. "I'm happy to take things one day at a time. And if you need to freak out about it, as I know you Vosses have a tendency to do, that's okay." Leila looked up at him with a smile. "I'll still be here. I'm not going anywhere, Ollie."
Fox bit back a groan, because, well, she wasn't wrong. The whole point of Trixie coming with Lance was to make sure Fox didn't back out of it. Before he could ramble more she's kissing him again and he's focused on that instead, barely registering the double date comment. Rolling his eyes, a huff of a laugh slipped out, "Don't let her hear you say that, got a big enough head already."
He stiffened when she shifted, hands frozen at his sides before slowly wrapping around her. Almost unsure of where he's supposed to be placing them before finally relaxing slightly. Chuckling he pressed the side of his face against her head and shrugged. He wants to argue but he knows he is likely to freak out over it all. "Ok, neither am I, Lulu," he mumbled softly.
Leila had meant it when she said that she would be fine with any outcome of their conversation. But still, when he started by saying she was his best friend, she felt her heart rapidly sinking in her chest—the tiny bit of hope that she had gathered against her better judgement deflating, until she suddenly felt his lips on hers. Her surprise quickly gave way to reciprocation, and she kissed him back eagerly, one hand moving from his cheek to rest against the back of his neck as she pushed herself closer to him.
"It's not," she mumbled breathlessly, pulling back slowly while still trying to process what was happening between them. "I understand why you're worried, but it really is over this time, and it has been for a while. Honestly, it was over before it ended." She let out a soft chuckle. "Ollie, I didn't... I didn't know you were even an option. I don't know why I didn't realise that sooner. But I've finally caught up and I'm here now. I don't expect us to jump into something immediately. I don't know if either of us want that. But I want you to at least know how I feel and hear that you feel the same way."
Fox wonders how he can actually hear her over the pounding of his own heartbeat, wonders how she's able to act so normal still and not be as hyper aware of it as he is. "I lied," he mumbled before wincing over how that sounds, "The date I mean...or not lied. Trixie does have some weird thing with Lance, Chandler probably knows more cause I mean...I mean shit like she knows everything." Pausing he'd have shaken his head if his face wasn't still in her hands, "Don't tell her I said that," he grumbled before sighing, "We were eating together and we made a joke bet. That if Lance and Trixie slept together...I'd...I'd ask you on a date. Honestly I figured Trixie would be too much of a Vos about it and that wouldn't happen but...yeah."
He can feel his face burning and wants to lean back, caught between enjoying her hands on his face and needing the space. Bringing one of his own hands up over hers and brushing his thumb along her palm. "I do feel the same...and want this just...trying to wrap my head around this actually being real now."
Leila was being very cavalier about the whole thing, but the truth was that she was as nervous and scared as Ollie looked, she was simply putting on a brave face. But her bravado faltered slightly when he trailed off and dropped his gaze. Keeping her hands on his face, she idly brushed his cheeks with her thumbs, swallowing hard as she was faced with the fact that she might never get a clear answer out of him. "Okay," she said quietly, looking away as she tried to pull herself together enough to form a response. "I know you love me, but I can't force you to tell me in what way if you don't want to. And I can't force you to take a chance on us no matter how much I disagree with what you think you are or are not built for. And that's okay." She looked back at him and smiled sadly. "I told you. You're not going to lose me. You're my best friend first. So, if that's what you need me to be, then that's what I am." She took a deep breath. "But for the record, I think we'd be good together. You and me. I think we could really work."
It felt like Fox's brain was buzzing, the only thing managing to keep him clear and level headed was her hands on his face. Focusing on the feeling of her thumbs rubbing at his cheeks. He'd glanced up when she started speaking gazed locked with hers. He hates the way she's smiling at him, wants to say he agrees, but he's spent over a decade biting back those words. She hadn't chosen him back then, maybe she is now, but he can't help but wonder if they hadn't actually called it quits and this was just a break if she still would chose him. It's that gnawing insecurity that's kept him from ever saying anything. "You're my best friend," he mumbled softly, "And I love you too." Then he's closing the gap between them because he's equal parts stupid and impulsive, and if he's about to blow everything up he might as well do the one thing he's always wanted to. "Everyone keeps telling me you've been single for months but I...I don't want...I don't want this to be something you're settling for."
Feeling the sheer panic coming from him made Leila's chest ache. She hadn't meant to come on as headstrong as she had, but she'd had a decade's worth of feelings she had never acknowledged suddenly dumped in her lap, and she was trying really hard to work through them. Still, Ollie's anxiety had her immediately shifting to sit right next to him again, both hands coming up to gently hold his face. "Hey, Ollie," she said, warm but firm in her tone as she looked him in the eyes. "Look at me. You're not going to lose me. I love you, okay? I love you as a person, I love you as my best friend, and I love you in ways that I'm still trying to wrap my head around, but that I'm pretty sure means you're more than a friend to me." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "But you haven't actually told me how you feel about me. So, please, just... Be honest with me. Tell me how you feel. I promise you're not gonna lose me regardless of what you say."
Fox was chewing on the inside of his cheek, feeling like he was one more turn from popping out like a jack in a box. Vaguely he realized he could taste copper, the thought slipping when suddenly Leila's hands were back on his face. Swallowing hard as he met her gaze, it wasn't like they'd never said I love you before, but she also never looked at him like that when she said. Nervously licked his lips as she continued, managing to keep his gaze on her, "I um...it's not that easy...I do love you...just admitting how much..." He almost wants to sigh in frustration, eyes flickering down, "You know how much I hate how Chandler describes us? But I hate it more that she's right...not sure Vos are really built for this. Might be mostly my fault, haven't exactly been the best example for either of them to not act like a rabid sheltered dog or skittish alley cat."
