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Natalia and Olivia touched often. A hand at the small of the back or an arm, sometimes a leg; fingers brushing strands of hair out of faces; hands linked together as they walked; occasional foreheads resting together as they comforted each other. The touches could pass for intimate but Frank didn't worry. He was certain it wasn't out of the ordinary for women to interact this way.
Frank was equally unworried every time he saw them with their faces close together as they spoke in low voices. Natalia never shared these conversations with him but he didn't mind. The women had been through such a difficult year it was easy to understand how they could have inside jokes and gossipy secrets between them. They were likely telling the latest story about Blake or Doris. Gossip was what women did, even pious women such as Natalia. They may have bonded over Gus' heart but surely Natalia knew better than trust Olivia with anything too sensitive. So, Frank wasn't bothered by their hushed voices and nearly touching foreheads.
There were glances between the women that should have made Frank uncomfortable. He wouldn't be as tolerant with a man looking at Natalia in the same manner as Olivia. Frank did accept it though, because Olivia had a long list of male lovers and Natalia was only slightly less devout than the Pope. The affection conveyed in their eyes was undoubtedly born from sympathy for each other. Natalia did save Olivia's life after all.
Natalia loved him, he was confident of that. Despite the touches, whispers, and glances the women shared he never once doubted that Natalia would put Olivia in her place, which was behind him and their marriage. Rafe would also be important, of course. He was perfectly content with taking Rafe as part of the Natalia package. Olivia however, would have to take a step back after Natalia shared her home with Frank.
As secure as Frank was in these beliefs, they waivered the day before the wedding. He intended to surprise Natalia with a romantic pre-wedding lunch. Or, as romantic as an hour could be. The Beacon's front desk employee smiled when she saw his approach. He noticed it was strained, but he knew customer service wasn't always an enjoyable job. The morning must have brought in some unpleasant guests. She hesitated before telling him she wasn't sure where Natalia was. Olivia was due from her meeting at any moment, and would likely have a better answer. As Frank agreed to wait he spotted Olivia taking long strides across the lobby. She was too far away for him to tactfully call her name so he made an attempt to catch up, following her around the lobby corner and down a short hallway to the housekeeping wing.
The moment Natalia emerged from a storage closet and stepped into Olivia's embrace Frank knew he had been all wrong. Nothing was innocent between them. The two women separated, Olivia cupping Natalia's face with her left hand and rubbing a tear off Natalia's cheek with the other. Frank wasn't sure why Natalia was crying, just as he wasn't sure why Olivia was able to find her when the receptionist wasn't. The one thing he was sure of was that friends didn't touch their lips together. It may have been brief, but it was undeniably beyond friendly. He watched them speak to one another, voices too low for him to overhear, Olivia caressing Natalia's face, Natalia leaning into the contact.
It would be easy to blame Olivia, accuse her of stealing Natalia, twisting her naive mind into thinking Olivia cared about her. Easy as it may be, he could tell by Natalia's face that it wasn't so. Natalia never looked at him with that expression. Not when he complimented her, not when he brought Rafe home, not when he gave Rafe Gus' badge, not even when he proposed. Never once had Natalia looked at him with love. The touches and glances that he had so willingly brushed off as friendly were clearly not. The realization angered him. Natalia had never been the naive one in their relationship, it had been him.
Frank moved closer, deliberately making his steps loud enough to startle the women and force space between them. They both offered greetings, Natalia wiping her eyes, neither looking him directly in the face. He realized the three of them had been in this position before but he had blissfully been ignorant to the situation. How many times had he interrupted their intimate moments in the past?
"I came to ask Natalia to lunch." The calmness in his voice surprised him. "I was hoping we could go over some last minute wedding details."
Natalia had plastered a smile on her face, one that Frank now recognized as fake. She briefly looked at Olivia. Five minutes ago he would have thought she was asking her boss for permission to go to lunch. Now he could only see it as a silent request of approval from her lover. Olivia said of course Natalia should go, but her smile wasn't as convincing, and he could hear the barely disguised hurt in her voice. She had yet to look at him. All the pieces were falling together for him. The tones, the smiles, the failure to meet his eyes. He knew then why the receptionist had hesitated. She must have known about this.
"How long?" His question wasn't answered. Olivia took a deep breath. Natalia looked genuinely confused. "How long have the two of you been together?"
"Frank, look, we're not together. " Olivia spoke up, protectively side stepping in front of Natalia. His anger was radiating, despite his attempt to appear calm.
"That's a lie." He spoke evenly, firmly, but not loudly. He wanted to yell, but some part of him still couldn't hurt Natalia. Not while she looked so completely confused. Had he been wrong? No. She was holding Olivia's arm, and it was definitely the way she should hold his arm but never had.
"We're not. I don't know what you think you-" Olivia was cut off by Natalia "Why would you think we're together?" She had stepped to the side of Olivia, the two of them creating a united front against him.
"You just kissed each other." They looked at each other, eyes crinkled and mouths drawn down at the corners, clearly not aware of any kiss. Olivia responded that they hadn't.
They didn't know. They were in a relationship and didn't even know. The absurdity of it hit Frank harder than the betrayal had. He laughed then, a mixture of foolishness and heartbreak. They may not know, but he did. He couldn't marry Natalia. She would become aware of her attraction to Olivia, leaving her trapped in a marriage to him. He wanted to spend his life with Natalia more than anything, but not at the expense of her regret.
"Natalia, we can't get married." She objected, but he saw the relief on her face. He saw her hand grip tighter to Olivia's arm. The way Olivia put her hand on top of Natalia's wasn't meant to be reassuring. It was contentment and possession. Natalia was clearly the only one truly unaware of their feelings. "You two need to talk. This isn't a friendship." He paused, giving them the opportunity to deny. For Natalia to profess her love and beg him to change his mind. It didn't happen. Nothing at all happened. The women stood in silence, no longer looking at each other, but still touching.
Frank replayed that moment in his mind often. The way they let him walk away, never speaking a word to him or each other. It simultaneously broke his heart and angered him, but he knew he did the right thing. After that he avoided the women, which was not an easy task in such a small town. He had successfully navigated around all possible sightings, and had shut down all gossip in his presence. Knowing whether they had finally acknowledged their feelings or were still going along in their ignorant manner wouldn't make him feel better. Losing Natalia hurt, but losing her to a deviant like Olivia hurt more. It hurt his heart and his pride.
In his elaborate attempt to not cross their paths, Frank had taken to grocery shopping late at night, after Emma's bedtime. As such, it startled him one Saturday to see them exiting the market after ten. He stayed in the car and watched them walk to Olivia's car. Olivia was holding their one grocery bag, dangling it from her wrist, her other hand holding Natalia's. Emma wasn't with them, which indicated a date night. They must have picked something up on their way home. The home they undoubtedly still shared. Frank considered approaching them, being courteous and greeting them. It had been three months, he couldn't avoid them forever. As he opened the door, Natalia looked at Olivia, laughter carrying through the silence, and stinging him. She was happy. They were happy together. He wasn't, not without her, but as they got into the car he knew that it was right. He was right to not stand in their way.