Ninety-Seven

As he approached her bedroom door, he slowed his steps and relaxed his demeanor. The last thing he wanted was to appear threatening and domineering; so far, none of those stances had worked with her. Putting her on the defensive brought nothing but headaches and frustration.

He found her at her desk, writing away. So engrossed was she in the activity that she did not notice he was there until he called out.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

Her head snapped up, followed by a frown once she saw it was him. Clearly, the last few days of alienation and the last months of tiresome conflict had done nothing to settle the scores. Olivia could still not withstand his guts.

"What do you want, Titan?" Olivia asked perfunctorily, with her eyes and her mind squarely on her letter.

"That's how you greet a person who saved your life?" He asked. "Why exactly have you stayed here, holed up in the last few days?"

Olivia was surprised he noticed and was almost touched. But acting like she did not care