The date had been made in advance. Something they both agreed to, both of them excited and nervous.

Together, they were undeniably shy.

There they were.

The two of them.

Together.

Sitting there.

Across the table from each other, both were staring intently.

Both of whom were very unsure. Two incredibly brave women—neither short of things to say, both found themselves speechless as they faced each other.

It's funny—the business of falling in love. There are so many signs—so many ways that we tell each other things without using words. What makes it so that our heartbeat races? What makes it so that your breath quickens? What is it that makes some people freeze solid while others become undeniably wet? Our pupils open, dilating so we can see everything—a feeling that left Alex feeling dizzy and Olivia exposed. All they could do was sit across from each other with shy smiles.

Across the table sat a calm cool Olivia Benson. No tells—unless you knew where to look. She sat comfortably with a poker face, a smile that gave nothing away. But if you knew—if you looked hard enough and you could see the leg shaking restlessly under the table. A deep breath caught in her throat. There was so much she wanted to say. For three hours they sat together at the table, and for three hours Olivia's leg shook uncontrollably.

She wanted to tell Alex how long she had been waiting for this date. She wanted to tell her how attractive she was. She wanted to tell her how much she meant. She wanted to look across the table and ask the other woman the only question that was relevant in her mind—"Don't you know by now? All you have to do is ask?"

Alex also could have said any number of things. It was hard for her to decide which she wasn't used to at all. She wasn't sure what to show and what to hide. She could have said that she loved books. She could have said she lived uptown and owned a cat. She could have explained how long it had been. She could have said, "I find you undeniably attractive."

But she didn't.

Instead she told Olivia about her love of the sea—walking along the shore and finding sea shells she thought were magical. Sea shells that sang the song of the sea. Olivia smiled and told her she loved the sea too.

Alex blushed, and stared down into her plate. She didn't blush. She never blushed, but here she was, across from the woman who left her mystified.

Olivia watched. There were things she could say. She could say what others had said. What are your interests? Do you have any pets? Where are you from? They were all reasonable questions, but none of them seemed right. Instead, she found her mouth moving of its own volition, going on and on, but Alex sat smiling, listening the whole time.

Alex could have said, "Would you like to be near the sea with me? And hold me close, and listen to the noises, and feel the spray, and taste the saltiness?" She could say it now, of course. Now that they were together and held each other close every night. Now that she could rely on Olivia to be with her. When everything goes right, Olivia holds her, and hears her, and tastes her. Now finally, she watches Olivia's legs move, watching as they open and close, and stretch and push.

Now sometimes Alex walks along the sea, where they had held hands, and she looks for the magical shells. She finds one—finally—and holds it up to look into it; seeing Olivia's brown eyes and her face where the shell twists into itself.

She always knew they had magic in them.