Chapter Text
Annalise was nervous. She didn’t know why. Okay, she did know why. Olivia Pope was coming to Philadelphia. And Annalise was a mess. Yes, she won her case, Lahey vs. The State of Pennsylvania. But life was still hectic. She was still living in a hotel. She was still unemployed. She took cases here and there. But her mind still wasn’t right. Yes, Laurel had her baby. And that had been a joy. But she could tell that something was off about her. She can’t help but think back to that night when Laurel went to visit her mother. She came back with scratches on her arm…
But Annalise was too overwhelmed to deal with any of that mess. Right now she was trying to stay focused on being a host to Olivia. She was standing in the lobby of Olivia’s hotel waiting for her to come down.
Annalise paced, stomach in knots. Her nervous energy was so contagious that passersby stared at her out the sides of their eyes. She couldn’t stand still. Why was she like this? She had never been this nervous around Olivia before. Maybe it was because Olivia was used to nice things, and right now Annalise didn’t have nice things to offer.
“Annalise!” Olivia was all of a sudden right next to her.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t notice you. In my thoughts…” Annalise stuttered.
“No worries. How are you?” Olivia seemed more animated than usual.
“Oh, I’m alright.” Annalise let out a nervous chuckle as Olivia swung her arms over her shoulders and brought her in for a brief hug. A gesture that was a little out of character for Olivia.
“So, I was thinking that we could get some dinner and relax tonight, and then we could start working first thing tomorrow,” Olivia said. The official reason Olivia was here was to follow up on Annalise’s case. As well as talk about Annalise’s career… or rather lack of one.
But that was all just negative talk inside her head. “Yeah, dinner would be great. I know this great Burmese place in Chinatown, 9th and Arch. It’s called Rangoon.”
“Sounds great.”
“I have my car.”
“Let’s walk. We don’t need to worry about parking and traffic.”
“Agreed, let’s go!” Annalise said cheerfully. “Honestly, I wouldn’t peg you as the type that likes to walk places.”
“You’d be surprised,” Olivia said, a subtle smile flashing across her lips.
The two women walked in silence. Annalise would give a shy glance over to Olivia, and Olivia would smile back briefly before both women turned the other way.
They arrived at the restaurant. The interior was decorated with traditional Burmese art. Olivia said something to the hostess that Annalise couldn’t make out. The hostess, an elderly Asian lady in her 60s, led them to a booth in the back.
The hostess poured them water. Olivia said something else as the hostess handed them their menus. The woman smiled at both of them and walked back towards the front.
“You speak Burmese,” Annalise said, registering what was happening.
“Not well,” Olivia said. “But I know a few key phrases. My Dad made sure that I knew at least a phrase or two in almost every language.”
“Wow, here I was thinking I was taking you on an adventure by getting Burmese, but you already speak the language!”
“Don’t worry, I’ve never had the cuisine before. I appreciate you taking me here,” Olivia said, her eyes softening.
In that moment, Annalise reached her hand across the table and grazed Olivia’s. Both women were gazing deeply into each other’s eyes when the waiter came.
Olivia ordered for both of them in Burmese. She’s a bit of a showoff, Annalise thought to herself. But she’s a cute showoff.
“So, a lot of these plaintiffs are getting new court dates,” Olivia started.
“Yeah, but the funding for the Public Defenders has been delayed. The state claims they don’t have the money. But they’re building private prisons. So that has to be a lie.”
“Local DC activists supported by the Grant Foundation are reaching out across the nation on this very issue,” Olivia said, pausing to stare at Annalise’s hand, which remained in its spot lightly brushing against Olivia’s.
“I’m glad to hear it. But I’m going to be taking on some of these cases that were covered by Lahey. And if this funding doesn’t go through, then there’s going to be a whole lot more mess in the courts, and that’s going to affect my ability to do my job well.”
“I understand,” Olivia said calmly. “We will get to the bottom of this.”
“Will we?” As soon as the words left Annalise’s mouth, she regretted it. She didn’t want to sound like she was doubting Olivia’s abilities.
But Olivia didn’t miss a beat. “Don’t worry, there’s some bite behind this bark. Trust and believe. I can be a real bitch when I want to be,” Olivia said as she sipped her wine.
“Hey, no arguments to the contrary here,” Annalise replied.
Both women laughed. Olivia stared at her wine glass pensively. “Does it bother you that I ordered wine?”
“Heavens, no! Enjoy yourself. I’m responsible for my own alcoholism at the end of the day. Besides, I’m really the wine type.”
“Well, I’m glad that I’m not bringing you back to a bad place,” Olivia said taking another sip. “You know, I’d like to drink less....” Olivia’s voice drifted off and Annalise could see that she went somewhere else in her head.
Annalise was shocked by Olivia’s candor, but empathized greatly. The two sat in silence for the rest of the meal.