Olivia blinked, unsure if she’d seen right. But as Alex moved her hand again, the light caught it perfectly — an unmistakable mark of someone’s grip around her wrist. Olivia felt a rush of concern bloom in her chest. Who had grabbed Alex like that? Had someone hurt her?

“Alex,” Olivia said quietly, careful not to alarm her, “what happened to your wrist?”

Alex froze, her train of thought cut off. She blinked in confusion, her gaze following Olivia’s to her exposed wrist. For a split second, she didn’t seem to understand. Then her eyes widened slightly, realizing what Olivia was seeing. She tugged her sleeve down, a small flush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.

“Oh,” she said, her voice a little awkward, her reaction clearly showing she hadn’t meant to reveal that. She looked away briefly, biting her lip. “That… um, I forgot about it.”

Olivia didn’t miss the way Alex’s cheeks colored. It wasn’t like Alex to be this flustered. A woman so in control, so measured, she rarely let things slip. But this was different. Olivia’s heart pounded with concern, her mind already leaping to the worst scenarios. “Alex, those are finger marks.”

Alex swallowed, shifting in her seat, clearly not eager to talk about it. But seeing the genuine worry etched on Olivia’s face, she seemed to realize she couldn’t just brush it off. She glanced around, making sure no one was within earshot, then leaned back slightly, her voice softer.

“Look, it’s not what you think,” Alex began, still a bit hesitant. She wasn’t someone who shared the details of her personal life, much less her sex life, but in this case, she knew she had to say something to put Olivia at ease. “It’s from Casey.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “Casey?” She felt a jolt of shock, trying to wrap her head around it. Casey Novak? The idea of Casey hurting Alex, leaving those marks, twisted something in her gut. She had no idea what to make of this. It just didn`t made sense.

Seeing the immediate concern on Olivia’s face, Alex quickly added, “No, no — it’s not like that. It’s consensual, Olivia.”

Olivia stared at her, still trying to process. “Consensual?” Her voice was filled with disbelief, and her eyes darted again to Alex’s wrist.

Alex sighed, a bit reluctantly, knowing she had to explain more than she normally would if she wanted Olivia to understand. She glanced away for a moment, clearly trying to figure out how to put it into words. “Casey and I… we’re together.” A pause, her cheeks flushing a little deeper. “And sometimes things get… rough.”

Olivia blinked, the information hitting her all at once. “You and Casey…?” She trailed off, struggling to make sense of this new revelation. Her gaze dropped to the bruise again, and the shape of fingers around Alex’s wrist seemed to take on a whole new meaning.

Alex could tell Olivia was still reeling. Her voice softened, her tone reassuring. “I like it, Liv. The pain. The Control. It’s something I want.” She swallowed, knowing this was probably a lot for Olivia to process, but she needed her friend to understand. “Casey didn’t hurt me in a way I didn’t want. It’s just... sometimes things get a little intense. We didn’t mean for it to leave a mark so visual but... well we probably got carrie away a bit.”

Olivia sat back in her chair, her mind whirling. The idea of Alex, someone she’d always seen as composed and buttoned-up, enjoying this kind of dynamic — and with Casey, of all people — was difficult to wrap her head around. But the way Alex spoke, the calmness in her voice, made it clear that this was not something she needed to worry about. It was something that Alex had chosen, something she was comfortable with, something she liked.

“Okay,” Olivia said slowly, her voice softening as she finally started to understand. “As long as you’re sure… and it’s what you want.”

Alex gave her a small, genuine smile, her blush fading as she saw that Olivia was starting to relax. “It is. Trust me.”

Olivia fell silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. She was relieved, but still, it was a lot to process. Finally, a grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “So... You and Casey, huh?”

Alex laughed, rolling her eyes as she straightened the papers in front of her. “Don’t start, Benson.”

“Oh, I’m starting,” Olivia teased, her grin widening. “This is big news.”

Alex shook her head, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. “Just don’t make it weird, okay?”