A long pause followed.
Olivia just stared blankly at Stevie, while Stevie could barely maintain eye contact. She should have kept her mouth shut. Why couldn't she just say, no? What was the point of telling someone, who was really just a stranger, the truth? She could have lied. It would have been so much easier than having to deal with the aftermath.
"You asked, I-" Stevie began, but she didn't know what else to say. "I should have kept my mouth shut."
"No, you're right." Olivia shrugged. "I did ask." She nodded, hanging her head low. "I just... there wasn't even a single doubt in my mind that this was simply a coincidence. I didn't believe that you were the woman. I thought, you'd say no and then I could move on, but..." She swallowed uneasily, turning her head to look out the window.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Stevie said. "Lindsey and I are no longer in each other's lives. Nothing has to change."
Olivia scoffed, giving her a look. "Seriously? Do you honestly believe that I'm going to be able to live with this? With knowing that my boyfriend's ex is just around the corner?"
"We were a couple ages ago." Stevie emphasized, reaching for Olivia's hand. "Listen to me, I have no interest in him. Clearly, we weren't meant to be together."
"Right, what about that night you two spent together a few years back?"
How the hell does she know? "It was a mistake. It should have never happened. I was a married woman then still. I-" Stevie paused and shook her head. "It shouldn't have happened."
"Do you still think about him?" Olivia asked, withdrawing her hand, she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What? No." Yes.
"I think, he still thinks about you. It wouldn't have matter to Lindsey that you're single and in LA if he had forgotten about you." Olivia cast her eyes down and focused on her cup of coffee. She considered throwing it across the room and smashing it into a wall.
"Maybe he does." Stevie gulped. "But I'm sure he doesn't think about me in a romantic way. Just as an old friend." She didn't know what else to say.
"How am I supposed to know?" Olivia gave a weak shrug. "Maybe I'm just living a lie. Maybe I'm with someone, who hasn't and could never dedicate himself fully to me."
"Olivia, he was going to propose to you." Stevie brought it up and felt a pang in her heart. Lindsey was going to ask another woman to marry him. He had moved on from her.
"He was, until he found out about you."
With a heavy sigh, Stevie leaned back against the chair. "I don't know, what to tell you. There's nothing between us. We haven't seen each other in years. We've moved on with our lives."
"I, uh..." Olivia stopped, shaking her head. "I can't... be here with you anymore. I- I have to go."
Stevie tried to make her stay, but Olivia didn't listen as she grabbed her purse, rose to her feet and rushed outside. In utter disbelief, Stevie remained seated for a moment longer. Seemingly, the realization hit her just now - Lindsey was much closer than she had thought.
