It Happened One Night [COMPLETED]

Chapter 14 - "I got a question for you."

The sleek black car pulled up in front of Liv's office building and she pressed her face close to the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the thirty-second floor. The car service was completely unnecessary, but her parents had insisted. It had actually been one of the many conditions they had insisted on before they let her return to the city and her job.

After Ezra had left for the hospital, she had called them. Her ticket had been booked within ten minutes and she had been walking off the plane into her home town four hours later. Her father had been dressed in his cop blues, wrapping her into a fierce hug the moment she stepped from the plane.

The next ten days, they had doted on her until they drove her crazy. She had enjoyed the extra rest the first few days, but by a week, she was ready for life to get back to normal. Her parents weren't. They tried every form of argument to make her stay longer.

She didn't let them win, but they did get her to agree to a list of terms for her return to work, and the car had been one of them. Even that she had argued her dad down from a police escort to a car service. It felt silly when an Uber would have completed the same task for a quarter of the money, but she also knew the whole incident had scared her parents. If getting driven to work in a fancy car gave them a little peace of mind, she would suffer through it.

"Thanks," she told the driver as she opened her door and grabbed her bag.

It was the first time in a week and a half she had worn professional clothes, and she had actually been excited to put her heels on. She shut the door and squared her shoulders as she faced the building. She had received several updates from Burkstrom and Hale about the renovations on the office, and just yesterday they had happily announced the work complete.

Something began to flutter in her stomach as she looked up at the tall building and remembered exactly what she had gone through the last time she had been in it. But before the feeling could fully settle, someone called to her.

She looked around and found Ezra walking towards her.

The fluttering in her stomach changed it's tone as a smile spread across his face. She hadn't seen or talk to him since their parting kiss ten days earlier. Seeing him again, she felt a calm wash over her.

He looked different. Nothing extreme, but there was something about the slope of his shoulders and the gait of his walk that was more relaxed, and the smile on his face hadn't gone away.

"Good morning," he said, offering her a coffee cup.

"Good morning to you," she said, accepting the cup.

She took a hesitant sip, unsure what taste she would discover and found the coffee exactly to her liking.

He watched her, a pleased look on his face when she looked at him in amazement.

"I asked around about how you like your coffee?" he admitted.

She smiled. She didn't know what she found more entertaining: the fact that Ezra had taken the time to learn her coffee order or the rumors that must have created.

"It's perfect. Thanks," she said, raising her cup to him. "How long have you been back to work?"

"I came back to the office two days ago, but..."

"You never stopped working?" she guessed.

He gave her a knowing smile. She wasn't surprised. He had been in the middle of three cases when their eventful night had happened. Millionaires didn't want to hear you were postponing their billion-dollar litigation, even if you had been through a traumatic event.