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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 1:12:08 GMT
Parker Blye was pleased with himself. Work was going well and it looked as though his position in Manhattan was going to stay permanent, so he'd spent the morning looking for more permanent residences with a broker that had been a friend of his father's and then phoned Olivia to ask her to meet him for lunch at the hotel, thinking he'd order them up some room service and they could talk.
Since breaking up with Madison, Parker had done his best to make sure that he was going slowly with Olivia. Partially because he knew they had a lot to catch up on, and partially because despite the breakup, he still respected Maddy a great deal and didn't want to plaster the gossip columns with photos of he and Liv. So he'd been very stern with Liv about how he wanted to take things. To a degree, it was a bit like old times - just without plotting for ways to destroy the people around them and without taking her to bed. He imagined that she was getting pretty sick of it, but he'd been made acutely aware that the Olivia Warren he'd come home to wasn't the same one that he'd left behind - and while he knew that she had feelings for him, he knew that he'd changed and wanted to be certain that she was sure of all of those changes and that they still suited her fancies.
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Post by Olivia Warren-Blye on Aug 22, 2015 2:10:12 GMT
Olivia was growing bored with constantly waiting for Parker to be "ready". As far as she was concerned, they had already established the ground rules of their relationship and all of this waiting was just over-exaggerated foreplay. She would never admit it to his face, nor anyone else's, but she had been infinitely relieved when he had called her and fundamentally told her that he chose her over that other woman. As much as she hated to admit it, even to him, she loved him a great deal and wasn't sure that she would have been able to tolerate him turnign his back on him once again.
She knocked on his door patiently and sighed, pushing her hair over her shoulder and tucking a strand of it behind her ear. She wasn't sure that she was ever going to get used to being someone's girlfriend instead of their plaything, but she supposed that for Parker, she was willing to give it a try.
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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 2:32:50 GMT
Parker opened the door with a grin. "You're here, fantastic," he kissed her on the cheek, reaching for her hand and tugging her inside. "I ordered some food," he explained, waving his hand dismissively. He'd known her long enough to know what she liked to eat. "I went to go look for a place to live today," he told her offhandedly. "I figured, when I travel for work I spend enough time in hotel rooms, I don't need to live in one when I'm supposed to be home as well. Found one I'm quite fond of, actually. Maybe you can come with me next time, tell me what you think before I make an offer."
"Drink?" he asked her. "I've some wine, and those little hotel sized bottles," he explained with a charming smile. "Or I could just call back down and order something."
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Post by Olivia Warren-Blye on Aug 22, 2015 19:10:47 GMT
His grin was contagious and she couldn't help but grin back at him. Regardless of anything that had happened in the past or recently, she was still having a hard time adjusting to the idea that they were suddenly meant to be a "normal" couple, whatever that meant. "Wine would be lovely," she let him know, setting her bag down and kicking her shoes off, making herself comfortable already. She had mused on that thought a lot lately - being comfortable - and realized that despite the fact that she had assumed that she had already become ridiculously comfortable in her own life, there were still some things that she hadn't thought would require much adjustment. Olivia had established a routine for herself after college and had been perfectly content to continue that routine even now, years after graduation. Parker's reappearance in her life had shaken up her routine, and she admitted quite hesitantly, it had probably been a good thing.
"I'm sure if you like it then I'll like it," she nodded. "I'm not the one that's going to have to live there - though, if you want my opinion about the bedroom, that I'll be more than happy to give."
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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 20:12:57 GMT
Parker chuckled as he moved to pour her a glass of wine and grabbed a few of the very tiny liquor bottles to pour himself something to drink. He'd found his time with Liv so far remarkably refreshing. Part of it reminded him of being young, his parents overseas and him over his apartment almost endlessly. He'd liked it quite a bit. "Well, I could use your opinion on that, certainly," he nodded. "I like it quite a bit, something more permanent, something of my own."
"There's an event coming up for work, by the way, a bit of a launch party. Anyway, we're inviting everyone we've been trying to partner with - Finn Industries, Benson, Harper Collins. I'd like you to come with me," he began. "But it's a very important event for work, Olivia."
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Post by Olivia Warren-Blye on Aug 22, 2015 20:27:58 GMT
It almost sounded like he was warning her to play nice, and while on some level it amused her that he knew her so well, she was a little annoyed by his assumption that she would purposely cause drama for the sake of causing drama. Though, perhaps he did know her a little too well. It was maybe less that he was assuming that she would prove to be problematic company for the evening, however, and more that she knew that the invitation of Harper Collins assuredly meant the presence of Madison Walker.
"So what you're saying is that you're going to have to put me on a leash if I agree to go with you?" She hadn't meant to sound so angry about it, but she had almost expected him to think more highly of her at this point. "Do you really think that I would say something to that poor girl you sympathy dated? Or to the rest of that lot?" The truth was, she may not have if he hadn't said something about it. But now she was thinking about it, and now she was tempted to say something to all of them - just out of spite. If he didn't trust her to be an adult in an important public outing, then she wasn't sure what the appropriate response was.
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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 20:45:01 GMT
Parker winced, knowing that he could have likely phrased his invitation much more delicately. But he wouldn't pretend that Olivia was a delicate flower that needed protecting. Actually, he was a bit more of the opinion that the rest of the world needed protecting from Liv, and it was something he had and, frankly, still did, enjoy about her.
"Olivia, I'm simply saying it's a very important event and, yes, I need it to go smoothly. This is the biggest event we've put together for the company, my fingerprints are all over it. I've got half a dozen members of the press coming to write about it. And I want the story to be how flawless the evening went and the beautiful woman on my arm, not the scene that exploded because half a dozen of us in the same room seems to always take year off of my damn life. And it's not just you, it's everyone. But you're the one I'd like to bring with me to the damn thing."
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Post by Olivia Warren-Blye on Aug 22, 2015 20:57:19 GMT
It was probably the fact that she was trying to ensure that she followed through on her promise to attempt a true relationship with him, but she felt herself calming down at his explanation. Olivia still wasn't fond of the fact that he had immediately jumped into warning her about starting any sort of drama, but his inclusion of the rest of their unfortunate social circle into the blame made it much easier for her to tolerate. She sighed, sipping at the glass of wine he had poured for her. "I'm still not fond of the idea," she admitted. "I truly can't help it that certain people seem to have a way of getting under my skin."
Between those who had slept with her for the sake of not being alone, those who simply drove her mad, and those who had dated Parker, she couldn't be entirely blamed for any of the drama that had seemed to erupt when she was in the room with them. "Though, I do suppose that I could try. But I'm not making any promises."
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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 21:17:41 GMT
Parker flashed a grin at Liv, shaking his head. "I'm really only asking that you try, Liv. And as for people getting under your skin, I do maintain that they're incredibly stupid as you could make an Olympic Sport of doing it in return and better than they can," he teased. "But for my sake, you know I'll have your back if any of them cross the line first," he assured her.
Taking a sip of his drink, he glanced up when room service knocked at the door, standing up to let them in and direct them where to leave the cart. He tipped them well and thanked them before showing them out. "As I was saying," he cleared his throat. "For as long as I could remember, it's been you and I against the world, Liv. But I need you on my side at this thing. It's everything I've been working towards for the past ten years, that's all. I just want us on the same page since we've spent so many years in completely different chapters."
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Post by Olivia Warren-Blye on Aug 22, 2015 21:33:32 GMT
She watched him as he moved about the room. It was strange to think that with everything they had both experienced separately over the span of the last decade, that they eventually found themselves right back where she had always hoped they would be. There had been a while where she had been convinced that she was going to need to eventually move on and accept the fact that he had left for a reason and that he had met someone else and been happy without her. But that hadn't been the case after all, at least not entirely.
Olivia smiled at him and nodded, "Sure. I promise to be on my absolute best behavior. But you'd probably going to have to owe me one after the exhaustion of making nice with everyone."
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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 21:54:12 GMT
Parker grinned at her, grabbing the sandwich he'd ordered for himself and gesturing for her to help herself to lunch. Dropping back into his chair, he grinned at her when he was done taking a bite. "That's all I ask, love. And you know, I am all for rewarding good behavior. Positive reinforcement, I think that's what they call it," he teased. "Any ideas what you'd like, or will a gold star sticker suffice?" He was almost surprised how easy it had been to fall into certain old habits with her, including the flirting. But then again, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by it much at all.
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Post by Olivia Warren-Blye on Aug 22, 2015 22:10:07 GMT
Olivia smirked, "I'm really quite easy to please." She gave a small shrug. "Perhaps we start with you and a bed and see where it goes from there?" Regardless of how much she appreciated having him back in her life she was having a hard time putting aside the conversation they had had the last time that she had been in his hotel room. If she needed to prove that she had grown and was doing something more with her life, then she was going to try and play nice as he asked. The problem, she knew, was going to lie in how much she let other people get to her. Especially bubbly brunettes and fashion-forward blondes. The thought of it was already making her feel like it was going to be a very tall order.
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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 23:06:22 GMT
Flashing a bright grin at her, Parker nodded. "That might be able to be arranged," he agreed slowly. He knew that, even though he actually did believe Olivia was going to do her best, that putting everyone he knew on the guest list in a room together was like putting combustible elements into a chamber with an open flame and just hoping to God nothing went wrong. He'd meant it when he'd said everyone would be a factor. "Anyway, I think you should come see the new place with me soon, I'd like your opinion in the very least before I commit to it."
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Post by Olivia Warren-Blye on Aug 22, 2015 23:19:57 GMT
A small part of her questioned why he would even bother with his own apartment, considering the fact that she was more than willing to let him, stay with her whenever he wasn't out of town for work. Though she reasoned that it probably went against his own thoughts of taking their new relationship slowly. And quite frankly, she wasn't sure she wanted to sacrifice her own space to share her home with someone else. She had gotten far too accustomed to having her own home in her parents' absence. "And what happens if I hate it? Are you really going to pass on something you're fond of because of my opinion?" she teased.
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Post by Parker Blye on Aug 22, 2015 23:25:40 GMT
Parker grinned at her, "Olivia Warren, I daresay that your opinion has always mattered in some shape or form. And I trust your brutal honesty to point something out to me that perhaps I might have missed, that's all. And perhaps I expect to have you over frequently and would like, if at all possible, for you to be comfortable there when you do." He flashed a smile at her before taking another drink from his glass.
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