Toxic

Awkward Mistakes

"Something going on there that I should know about?" she asked, pointing towards the door.

"No, nothing at all," Draco said, though he swore his voice went a pitch higher. Olivia's eyebrows rose.

"Actually-"

Draco slammed the door shut just as Blaise attempted to walk back in, glaring at him through the frosted glass. There was silence a few moments and then suddenly, Draco heard a chuckle. He looked over, seeing Olivia grinning and then full-on laughing.

"God, what's wrong with us," she said, holding her sides. Draco wondered for a moment if she was losing it, but then found himself starting to laugh as well. In a second, it was as if some sort of ice broke and he realized just how ridiculous the two of them had been acting the last few days. "He knows, doesn't he? About that night?" Olivia asked.

"I'm sorry," Draco said. "I told him the next day, but I didn't tell him it was you when I found out. He, unfortunately, figured that all out on his own. But he won't tell anyone." Olivia continued chuckling, completely surprising Draco. He was sure she'd be beyond pissed.

"It's fine, I guess. I mean... I told Katie," she said, a blush coming over her cheeks. "About... everything." Draco's eyes widened.

"About that night... and..." he stopped speaking, looking down at his feet.

"This is stupid. We're adults," Olivia said. He looked back up at her. "We gotta get over this if we're going to work together."

"You're right," he said. "It's... I'm sorry." He wanted to be more specific – to say that he was sorry for putting them in an awkward position in the first place. For nearly kissing her. For pushing the boundaries that she had so clearly set for them. For... everything.

But the look in her eyes told him that she understood. Though he couldn't say anything more than those two words in the office, she knew what he was saying to her.

"Me too," she replied, finally calming down. "Think we could get back to real work today?" Draco nodded, eager to get into the lab. "Good. I'll probably have to work a bit late - got some reports to file, but we can head over to the lab after I've finished, if that's okay. Oh, and... I've got a good lead on the Night Heather."

Draco's eyes widened in surprise. She certainly had been busy the last few days.

"Wait, how?" he asked, dropping his voice slightly in case it was something slightly less than legal. Olivia just chuckled as she stepped over to his office door and pulled it open. Blaise was still standing there with a frown on his face, though she deftly stepped around him.

"Relax, it'll be fine," she said, easily returning to her old self.

"Why do I feel those are famous last words?" Draco called after her. Blaise looked after Olivia and then back at Draco in confusion.

"Trust me, Draco!" came the response.

"What are you-"

"Later, Blaise," Draco said, shutting the door to his office.

A smile played across his lips as he walked back to his desk, and picked up a pile of notes, going over them in preparation for going to Olivia's lab that night. In an instant, they were back to something comfortable. What's more, she had a lead on Night Heather – finally.

He still wasn't sure how he was going to handle everything going forward, but for the time being, he would focus on the fact that at least they could work together.

Perhaps over time he would get to a point where it didn't hurt as much – watching her in a relationship with someone else. That he could be around her without his heart racing or the urge to wrap his arms around her.