Unrequited

Chapter 24

"Noah five more minutes honey and then it's time for bed," Olivia yells from the kitchen dropping the last dish into the dishwasher from dinner. Elliot shifts off the couch to sit closer to the little boy and help him put his last block in place. "We only have a little time left so we have to hurry buddy. Let's put this here," he says picking up a yellow square piece and placing it on top of the tower.

Yawning, he scrubs his hand down his face trying to brush off all signs of exhaustion.

The last few days had been somewhat of a whirlwind leaving him little time for a proper night's sleep. At the park, he, Noah and Olivia had a great time. There were uncomfortable moments where he made sure he wasn't overbearing and to give them their time alone together. They took turns pushing Noah on the swings and he stood on the sidelines and watched while she got on one of the jungle gyms with him. He spent the next two days at his house because he had Eli, Dick had come over to watch the football game with him and he also wanted to give her some space. It was a delicate dance they were doing, something he figured happened at the beginning of all relationships. He was careful not to crowd her and still handle his responsibilities but he had waited a long time to be with Olivia. It was hard to hold back sometimes. And now that Eli was back with Kathy he didn't want to spend his time in his apartment alone, shuffling through mindless TV with a beer and takeout. Instinctively he felt drawn back to her home and wanted to spend every moment he could with her and Noah.

"Got it, look!" Noah shouts, pointing to the tower he successfully built that stands a little taller than him.

"You did a great job. High five."

Noah high fives him with a giggle.

"Now what do you say we tear the tower down?", Elliot whispers riling him up.

"Yes!"

Together they send the mass of plastic tumbling to the floor. Any blocks that remain standing, his little hand swipes them over and Elliot joins in to spread them out. The bigger the mess, the more Noah giggles and Elliot can't help but laugh in return.

"Noah no!" Olivia fusses wiping her hand on the dishcloth and tossing it over her shoulder. "Now remember what we talked about. You make a mess you have to clean it up."

Her tone is gentle but firm and the toddler pokes out his bottom lip sneaking a glance over at Elliot as if he's looking for backup. Olivia's stare burns a hole in the side of his face. He knows the game all too well and quickly makes his position known. "Mommy's right, come on let's clean up our mess."

Olivia heads back to the kitchen and a piece of paper falls off the coffee table landing at Elliot's foot as he walks with Noah to pick up his toys. He glances at it and sees it's a work order from the building. "What's this?"

Curious, she leans over and glances at the paper before shrugging it off. "Oh it's my maintenance order to fix the sink. It was leaking a little bit."

He's still staring down at the paper when she turns to walk out the room with Noah in her arms. "Let me put him down. I'll be right back."

Letting out a deep breath, Elliot drops one more toy of Noah's into the toy box, a shy smile on his face. He had really grown fond of him in such a small amount of time and was grateful for quiet nights like tonight..

Exhausted, he settles himself on the left end of the sofa where the paper he was holding in his hand is staring back at him. It was a simple thing. She had her building super fix her leaky sink. But in the back of his mind it bothered him because she didn't think to ask him or bring it to his attention. Whenever she needed something she shouldn't have to rely on her building super or anyone else. He wanted to meet all of her needs.