Lingering touches, eye contact that was either intense or endearingly casual, loud laughs and ducked smiles-- Amanda noticed it all.
She had always been fond of Olivia, and they had been close for years. Their work relationship turned to friendship, and the two of them just clicked. But over the past few months, Amanda started to realize that some things might not be as casual as Olivia acts like they are.
Amanda had to admit to herself that she has had feelings for Olivia for a while now. For a long while. So, naturally, Amanda always wanted to be there for her. She always wanted to talk to her, and she always wanted to touch Olivia casually, just to test the waters a bit. But Olivia looking down at the touch was a new development. And Amanda always tried to make Olivia laugh, or at least smile, especially if the older woman was feeling down. But Olivia has been laughing a lot lately. Not with Fin, though. Just with her. It reminded her of how she used to act with Rafael. Amanda almost wanted to shut that thought down before she could really think about its implications. And it wasn't just the laughing, either. Amanda found Olivia smiling at her much more often, much to Amanda's delight. And nothing made Amanda smile like when Olivia would duck her head and smile after something Amanda had said. It was a beautiful sight, sure, but was it-- dare she even think-- flirting?
Amanda physically shook her head to dismiss the thought and went back to her work. She tried not to get her hopes up, but she did take note of everything that happened. And she was fairly sure she was being unbiased in her judgement that Olivia's actions were bordering flirting.
It was all she could think about while sitting on the couch next to Olivia, the two sipping red wine. Olivia had invited Jesse and Billie over for a sleepover with Noah, which wasn't totally unusual. They both loved seeing their kids happily interact with each other, and Amanda admittedly loved having that break. A mother of two young ones, she tended to be exhausted. But she didn't feel tired sitting next to Olivia, because instead of Olivia saying goodbye to Amanda after the kids went to sleep and telling her to get some rest, she quickly went for the wine bottle and asked Amanda to stay.
Olivia was definitely enjoying the wine, and Amanda smiled at the fact that Olivia was getting a little tipsy, laughing at much of what Amanda said. Amanda started to wonder if this could be a time to further test the waters, push the boundaries just a tiny bit. This had to mean something, right?
Olivia laughed at something Amanda said and lightly set her hand on Amanda's shoulder. Amanda stared intently as Olivia's hand descended towards the couch in between them, her fingertips brushing the back of Amanda's resting hand. Amanda's heart beat flew. All she could do was continue to stare as Olivia, seemingly thinking hard, lifted her hand a bit before changing her mind and putting it back down, covering Amanda's entirely. Amanda watched Olivia's reaction while she reciprocated the touch, intertwining their fingers together. She was rewarded with a duck of the head and a smile. Her heart fluttered. What was this woman doing to her?
Amanda didn't know what to do next, so she just picked something to try. She might as well take a stab at it, and if it didn't work, she could try something else. Olivia's guard was down a bit, after all.
"Liv, can I ask you something?" Amanda said.
"Of course," Olivia smiled slightly.
"Are you seeing anyone?"
Olivia paused. "Uh. Not- not really. I mean, no. Why?'
"Well," Amanda laughed lightly, but Olivia cut her off.
"Is it time for girl talk?" Olivia asked. "Or are you trying to set me up?"
Oh. "No," Amanda laughed nervously. "I'm not. I was just wondering. You've seemed happier at work recently."
