IT STARTED WITH A WHISPER, Elizabeth Olsen

Cheers

Trigger warning(s): Alcohol, throwing up.

Brie text me at 7.25pm saying she was parked outside, waiting for me. I made sure I had everything I needed before stepping out and locking the front door. Brie's car looked fuller than I expected. Scarlett was sitting on the passenger seat, waving at me as I approached the vehicle while Lizzie sat in the backseat, leaning to open the door for me. I thanked her as I sat next to her, catching Scarlett's amused expression in the rear-view mirror.

"Baby girl, I hope you're ready, because tonight is going to be the best night you've ever had" Brie almost shouted as she started the car, making Scarlett laugh.

"You do realise how dirty that sounded, right?" I chuckled, earning an eyeroll from the blonde who focused her whole attention on the road, feigning an innocent look. Scarlett kept laughing and Lizzie joined her with a much quieter chuckle that I hadn't heard in years...

As expected, Brie drove us to her favourite bar which also happened to be my favourite bar. We'd gotten pretty friendly with the owner over the years as we spent a lot of time there before she got casted to play Captain Marvel. We got a first round of drinks as soon as we got there, settling around a table in the corner of the room. Scarlett held her cup, looking at me like she was about to make a toast.

"Don't. Please, don't" I begged as I hated the idea of being the centre of attention. Surprisingly, she didn't push it and simply brought the cup to her lips, taking a sip before putting it back on the table. I relaxed a little as she did so.

"Then, I will" Lizzie spoke up as she raised her drink. "To Y/n and her new job. I'm glad we'll get to spend time together again" she smiled, her emerald, green eyes meeting mine as she brought her glass closer to mine. "Cheers."

"Again?" Brie whispered in my ear in a questioning tone. We shared pretty much everything, she knew a lot about my life but the chapter that included Lizzie was one she'd never heard.

"I'll tell you about it later" I whispered back, taking a sip of my drink to avoid any other question. After a few drinks, Brie took my hand and dragged me to the dance floor. She swayed her hips to the rhythm of the music, blonde hair falling messily around her face.

"So, "again"? What was that about?" she asked, leaning closer to my face so I could hear her.

"Can't we just dance right now?" I tried to avoid the topic, earning another eyeroll. Thankfully, our song started playing before she could ask any other question. Brie's eyes met mines and we started singing, well yelling the lyrics as loud as we physically could. We didn't care about the people around us shooting us weird looks, we danced until we couldn't even breathe anymore. Scarlett and Lizzie joined us and danced. I'd missed seeing Lizzie like this, happy, laughing, smiling. If I had to be completely honest, I'd admit I'd just missed seeing her.

"I'm getting myself another drink, does anyone want anything?" I shouted, trying to get the girl's attention. They all shook their heads before Scarlett gave me a proper answer.

"We're all good darling, thanks" she replied. To be fair, Brie was a few drinks ahead of me. Scarlett and Lizzie had been drinking at our table while Brie and I were dancing, so they were definitely drunker than I was. I made my way through the crowd and leaned against the bar, ordering a Tequila Sunrise, my usual.

"I can't believe you still order this drink. I thought you'd grow out of it someday... I was wrong. I bet it's still your favourite, isn't it?" my ex-girlfriend Sarah spoke up from behind me. I hesitantly turned around to face her, I hadn't seen her in a long time.

"I didn't know you were still hanging out her" I said, trying to come up with a better conversation starter but obviously failing. I really didn't know what else to say to her.

"And I didn't know you and Lizzie were seeing each other again" she teased, nodding her head towards the brunette.

"We're not! We just... we work together" I corrected her. Not that I owed her that information, but I didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"Of course, remember when we used to "just" work together?" she raised an eyebrow, chuckling as I rolled my eyes at her. "You know, it's a funny coincidence to run into you, I've been meaning to call you" she cleared her throat, shifting her weight from one feet to the other.

"Really, why? I mean, is everything alright?" I asked with a slight hint of worry. Sarah and I definitely weren't as close as we used to be, but I still cared deeply about her.

"Oh, yes. Everything is perfect, actually. Holland and I are getting married and I... I wanted to invite you" she explained hesitantly, impatiently waiting for my reaction.

"Oh. Oh, my god, that's fantastic news! I knew you two would get married someday, I'm so happy for you!" I said as I wrapped my arms around her shoulder, pulling her into a short embrace as a wave of genuine happiness washed over me. "I'd be very happy to be there" I nodded softly as I stepped back.

We kept talking for a little while, having a lot to catch up on. Sarah and I stayed together for a few years before I broke it up, but we managed to stay friends although we didn't always have time to talk and update each other on the current events of our lives. Truth is, I always knew we didn't belong together and it was confirmed when she met Holland. We were still together at the time when they started working together, but from the way she talked about her, I knew. I knew she belonged with her. I also knew she wouldn't leave, she wouldn't cheat on me either and I loved her too much to watch her do that to herself, so I solved the problem. Breaking up with her was not easy, it was painful but it was the right thing to do.

When I went back to the others, Scarlett and Brie were sitting at the table, fresh drinks in hand, laughing about something. However, Lizzie was nowhere to be seen. I placed my hand on Scarlett's shoulder, squeezing it gently to catch her attention. When she looked up at me, I asked, "Where's Lizzie?"

"I think she went to the bathroom" she shrugged, nodding her head towards a door which I assumed was the bathroom's.

"Alright, I'll go check on her, I'll be right back" I smiled at the pair before making my way to the bathroom. When I opened the door and walked in the smaller room, I found a sick Lizzie leaning over the toilet. I sighed as I stood behind her and gently gathered her hair in my hand while the other soothingly rubbed her back.

"How are you still such a lightweight? I thought after all these years you'd learn how to hold alcohol..." I teased, earning an unamused glance from the brunette.

"Shut up" she mumbled as I helped her up and guided her towards the sink. She rinsed her mouth and wiped her face with a shameful expression. I couldn't help but laugh. She looked like a toddler who'd just ate a whole pack of candy before dinner and couldn't understand why she'd gotten sick. She was tired, I could see it in her eyes and it had nothing to do with the alcohol or the getting sick thing. There was something else going on.

"Are you alright?" I whispered, hand lingering on her back. Her eyes met mines and for a second she seemed hesitant, as if the words were right there on the tip of her tongue and she didn't know whether to let them out or not.

"Could you just... take me home, please?" she asked with a weak smile as we walked out of the bathroom.

"Damn Olsen, you move fast..." I chuckled, earning a playful nudge to the side.

"You're an idiot" she mumbled although she was definitely amused. Her lips curled into a soft smile as our eyes met again. It was odd just how natural and familiar it felt.

"Well, I might be an idiot but I'm not the one who still gets sick because she can't handle a few shots" I defended myself, playfully mocking her again. She gave me a dramatic eyeroll as she tried to free herself from my grip but nearly collapsed on the sticky floor. I helped her steady herself again and we made it back to the table where Brie and Scarlett were still sitting.

Brie drove us home despite the fact that she had a couple drinks. She dropped off Scarlett first, then Lizzie before heading towards my place. She parked in my driveway and gave me a look I knew well, perhaps a little too well. She had questions, questions she was about to ask, questions I wasn't really ready to answer...

(Originally published on Mon. Aug. 16, 2021, rewritten on Tue. Feb. 11, 2025).