It Happened One Night [COMPLETED]

Chapter 1 - "Obviously!"

Liv's high-heels lay discarded beside her desk. Her feet had begun to revolt against their confinement that afternoon, but she hadn't released them from their prison until five that evening when all her co-workers had gone home for the day.

Now, almost five hours later, and the high heels were just a faint memory. Her toes enjoyed the thick, padded carpet as she grabbed a stack of files from her desk and returned them to their drawer.

Her shirt had also come un-tucked when she lost the shoes. Her high bun had followed an hour after. She didn't mind the professional attire that was required for all Burkstrom and Hale employees, but one of the joys of working late meant you didn't have to worry about how you looked.

She slowly gathered the last of the files and let out a long yawn. She added a stretch, trying to shake the sleepiness out of her system long enough for her to get home. She glanced at the clock. It was just past ten. At this hour she was setting a new personal record. Even Stan, the building's night cleaner, had already come and gone.

When he had come through, Liv had lifted her feet up as he had vacuumed under her chair and he paused for a moment to say hello. It had been a while since Liv had worked late enough to run into him. They had exchanged a few sentences before he had moved on, and she had returned to the pages of facts that lay before her.

Burkstromw and Hale was a large law firm that took up several floors of the building. During the day, the floor Liv worked on was a bright space filled with action and discussions. But at night it was dim and quiet.

After five most of the lights were off and the walkways were lit by emergency baseboard lights. There was a bright light over the table Liv had been working at, and as she walked from the file cabinet back to her table she noticed light coming from down the hallway. Maybe she wasn't the only one working late.

She grabbed all her things that had slowly taken over the table the last couple of hours: laptop, phone, headphones, empty take-out container, water bottle, and extra files. She managed to carry all of it, plus her discarded shoes back to her desk.

Now that home and her bed were not just a hopeful fantasy, but something she would soon be able to enjoy, she moved with an eager energy packing up her things. She slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her shoes. They could remain off until she reached the lobby.

Her bare feet didn't make any noise as she walked to the elevator. The ding of the call button rang throughout the floor, a last reminder of the late hour. She stepped on and the elevator doors were sliding closed when Liv heard someone call out. She started in surprise as a hand shot out to stop the doors from closing.

The doors opened again and revealed Ezra Lexington.

As he entered the elevator, Liv observed that his attire was as equally relaxed as hers. His suit jacket was slung over the arm holding his briefcase, the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and he had undone the top few buttons of his shirt. His usual slick, dark hair was a disheveled mess. He moved to the other side of the elevator without a word and the doors slid shut.

There was no greeting and the late hour wasn't to blame. Ezra was one of the firm's top lawyers, and all the stereotypes about big-shot lawyers seemed to be true for him. She hadn't experienced his spiky personality first-hand, there were several layers of people between top lawyers and simple fact-checkers like herself, but word had gotten around. Liv didn't find it surprising. You don't get to the top of a law firm without knocking some people down.

She kept her eyes forward but she could see him taking her in. His gaze stopped on her hands and he made a sharp huffing noise. Liv wasn't well-versed in the subtle noises of lawyers but the sound couldn't be mistaken for anything other than displeasure.