Disclaimer, I do not own Scandal nor its characters.
1. "Can we do that again?"
August 2016, Colorado
She ran through the grass, letting her hands scratch the surface of the high straws, slowly lowering her tempo almost to a stop, to fully embrace the beautiful landscape she had in front of her. She paced up again, past the park where a soccer tournament was in full tow, increased the tempo, not stopping to catch her breath until she reached the pond. Climbed the high rocks, carful to slip on the wet surface and took a deep breath as she sat down. She pulled her book out of her backpack and slowly lowered her glance down to it and started to read.
"Do you know how much a polar bear weigh?", the deep voice behind startled her.
She probably looked clueless because he decided to give her the answer. "Enough to break the ice. I'm Fitz", he held his hand out for her to accept.
"Corny", she replied with a smirk on her face and grabbed his hand in a handshake, "Olivia, but most people call me Liv." She confidently added, "You do know you shouldn't talk to strangers by a deserted pond right? I could be a serial killer for all you know." She recognised him from her 1:01 Algebra class, two benches behind her and slightly to the right, always glued to a red haired girl.
Fitz let out a quiet laugh, "I wouldn't call anyone who you have to suffer 6 hours of algebra with Mr Beene every week a stranger, we just simply haven't been formally introduced until now."
He is charming, she will give him that. And cute.
"Plus you kind of are in my spot-"
"Your spot? As far as I am concerned this area belongs to the campus." she interrupted, getting annoyed with him. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze and lost any argument she could have come up with. His blue-grey eyes starting back at her throw her off her for words she said the first thing that came to mind, "Which means that anyone who attends University of Boulder have the right to be here."
Once again he let out a quiet chuckle. "I must say I'm a bit disappointed, I have been told that you are the best debater this school have ever had and all I got was a 'It's a free world argument'. I expected more from you Liv."
One use of her nickname and she was a goner.
"Fiiiiitzy, there you are!", she shouted happily at her best friend with probably one or two too many shots in her system. He looked handsome in his well washed blue jeans and casual dress shirt which he had left outside of his pants instead of tucking it in.
He embraced Olivia in a hug, and pulled her down in his lap, "You are drunk.", he accused with a playful banter. "Lucky for me, because I like drunk Livvie." His arms went around her waist pulling her in tighter to his body, resting his head on her shoulder. "What do you say about ditching this party and continuing having our own at our spot?"
Before she had the chance to answer they were interrupted. "You do know that there is plenty of free seats right? You don't have to sit, literally, on each other.", the redhead said with a grin on her face. She offered Olivia a sip of her drink and sat down next to them on the sofa. The very same redhead who in less than a year went from being the person glued to Fitz in Algebra class to one of Olivia's best friends, Abby. People had started calling them ´The three Musketeers´since whenever you saw one of them the other two where never far behind. It had been that way since Fitz introduced Liv to Abby the day after they first met at the pond almost a year ago.
"Hey Liv, wait up." She turned around and saw Fitz waving for her to come over in the cafeteria. "Abby this is Liv, the girl I met at the lake the other day, you remember I told you about her? Right?"
Abby, never one for small talking, simply smiled, "You mean the girl you won't shut up about? Nice to meet you Liv. Fitz here hasn't stopped talking about you." Gesturing with her hand at Fitz whose cheeks had turned bright red. "Would you do us the honour of joining us deadly for a lunch?"
Olivia looked confused at the two, as if she had missed a joke, but sat down, "Deadly?"
Both Abby and Fitz broke out in a short laugh, "Don't say you haven't heard it yet?
"Heard what?"
"Mr Beene praised you today in Algebra Class", Abby took a short break to catch her breath, "he called you immortal since you scored 98 on his test and then he went on a rant saying how that shouldn't be possible, that you have to be from a different planet or something. I think I lost him somewhere there because he wouldn't stop blabbering. So everyone is referring to you as the un-deadly now, you better get used to it. He was blown away and wouldn't stop talking about it. He was so disappointed by your absence from class today since he wanted to give you credit in person, where were you by the way?" Since that lunch it had been the three of them.
It was the annual 'Partner in crime' theme party at campus and in honour of our nickname they had dressed up as Athos, Porthos and Aramis, The three original musketeers from the book with the same name. Probably not the sexiest outfit they could have come up with but it was the only one all three of them could agree on. Well sort of agree on.
"I refuse, I'm not going to dress up as a man. Forget it Fitz." Abby ranted.
"Un-deadly one, what do you say? Up for the challenge? Olivia looked unsurely at Fitz, she didn't want to let either of them down but they were getting nowhere with the decision of their costumes and she badly wanted to go home and curl into the couch watching a bad chick-flick. "You can even get to chose which person you want to dress up as first.", Fitz added.
"That seals the deal. Two against one Abby, sorry but we are going as 'The three musketeers'." Hearing that, Fitz picked her up and spun her around in happiness. "Did you hear that Abby?" he mocked, kissing Liv's head, "You are the best." Receiving a death glare from Abby was definitely worth Fitz's reaction.
"Fitz? The beer pong master?", a blonde girl said looking at them, unsure if she had the right guy or not. Her voice pulled Olivia out of her thoughts, and she noticed how the girl leaned in to say something in Fitz's ear since the music was so loud.
Before he had a chance to answer Olivia quickly stood up, not wanting to see Fitz's response to the girls obvious flirtation. He wasn't hers, but that didn't mean anyone else could have him either. She knew they more acted like a couple than only best friends but that was the way their friendship worked. And to be completely honest she had always hoped they would end up together eventually but he never indicated he felt anything more than friendship so she never pushed the issue. She liked their friendship way to much.
"I am going to go and get myself a drink, Abby do you wanna come with me?", pleading with her eyes for company. The two of them walked away leaving Fitz alone to deal with the blonde girl who had now sat down next to him. Awfully close to Olivia's liking.
Olivia glanced across the kitchen as she entered unable to see were the drinking stash, that had been on the counter before, had gone while Abby started taking to a guy she had every intention of brining home that evening.
"Looking for this?" Jake, her former boyfriend, said and held out a cheap bottle of red wine towards her. "If I don't remember it wrong this was your favourite bottle of 'Gossips Sweet Lips' wine."
She read the bottle's label quickly and sure enough it was the 'Syrah and Dolcetto' one, snatching it from his hand she poured them both a glass each. "Cheers", and in two quick sips she emptied the glass.
Jake smiled at her, she was exactly the same from when they were dating, not bothering to actually enjoy the drink whenever they were partying together of the privilege to get drunk quicker. Or well, not sure if that information actually was true or not but at least that is what she used to tell him whenever he called her out on it. "Wanna dance?" he asked and grabbed her hand in his, leading them away from the kitchen towards the living room, which also worked as the dance floor this evening. Trying to move through the crowd of students he put his hands on her hips as they swayed together to the music, him pulling her as close as possible and she moving against his body, grinding, hoping to forget about Fitz and the girl in the other room.
As they were dancing together suddenly a voice yelled for everyone to get out as a siren was heard. Within seconds, the before stocked, living room was emptied out and students were running as fast as they could not wanting to get caught for underage drinking. As the cop cars seemed to get closer, Olivia lost Jake in the mass of people and hastily decided to run to the one place she knew she had be safe of the cops. Their place. She climbed the high rocks, which in her drunken state was a bit harder than normally and the dark definitely didn't help.
"Livvie?"
Of course he was there as well, really what had she expected. Since the day they first met at this very same pond it had been their spot, if something was bothering them or if they wanted an uninterrupted moment this was where they went. It was dark but she could still see the contours of his body, he was standing up with his arm resting against a fallen tree. Just the sight of him made her want to walk over there and kiss him until she forgot her own name.
"So I see you managed to escape the cops," she said with a playful tone. Still a bit upset about him and the blonde girl at the party she shortly added, "What happened with the girl? Not that much of a gentleman move to leave her behind."
He let out a laugh, "Didn't wanna give the news channels a new scandal to talk about so I ran as fast as I could, wouldn't want to get caught for underaged drinking now would we? Imagine the headlines 'Father like son' or 'Fitzgerald Grant III follows his fathers footstep'. Plus she was only interested in having me on her beer pong team.", he gave her a wicked smile to ease the tension.
She knew it hurt him more than he was letting on that his father had been arrested earlier this year for fraud, but she played along with his joke. "Hey, they journalists have to make a living as well, see it as your way giving back to the society by giving them a headline every now and then. And on the bright side, only two more week until you are of legal drinking age."
Instead of answering he started to climb up the fallen tree dunk to find a good spot to sit and she followed his lead, resting her legs next to his, close enough that they touched. "I'm hurt Liv, you and Jake together again? I saw you dancing, looked pretty cozy to me.."
"Would you be jealous if I said yes?" she teased.
He gave her a scoff. "I just thought you were done with him after all the shit he pulled, that's all." He straighten the edge of his dress shirt. Changing the subject, "Look what I managed to grab before hurrying out," Fitz said proudly and pointed to inside his bag, flashing a bottle of red wine, "and it is only fair we continue the party here since it the cops so rudely shut the other one down."
"21 questions with a twist?" She countered. Their twist being that both of them had to answer the question asked instead of waiting for their turn in the next round.
"It is on. And only because I like you a little bit and I will even give you the privilege of asking first." Knowing that she liked to set the standard for the questions and from there he would only follow her lead. "Hit me with the first one!"
She twirled her hair around her finger and looked shyly, as if she couldn't decide whether to ask the question or not. "How nice of you.", she sarcastically stated to buy herself some time. "Hmm… First one always have to be easy. That is just common game rules, so if you could time travel, would you go back in time or visit the future?"
"You are always so deep when you are drunk Livvie", he said and grinned, before he answered he took a sip straight out of the wine bottle and passed it on to her, "I guess I would go back in time, not to change anything but I had like to re-live some of the memories I have with my mom before she died. Plus I think it is kind of exciting not knowing what the future holds. You?"
"Future. Definitely. With out a doubt."
He liked the way she was so sure, like she had spent days weighing pro's and con's on the matter. "My turn, something you find overrated but everyone else likes?" He felt her shivering and pulled her closer to his body, letting his arm rest around her back. .
She thought for a good second before she let an answer out, "Frappuccinos from Starbucks maybe, I don't dislike them I just never understood the hype. Your turn."
"You already know the answer to this one Liv, I just wanted to know yours since you know mine."
"You still have to say it out loud because I don't believe you. Seriously Fitz, it is inhuman not to love them." She said poking at him annoyingly with her finger as if to prove a point.
"Hey, stop with your finger it is annoying. And it kind of tickles. " In his drunken state he wasn't amused by her trying to tease him and grabbed her hand in an attempt to make her stop.
"At least I'm not the one not liking disney movies…" she playfully bantered back and intertwined their fingers. "My go right?" It was rhetorical, while thinking she took three big gulps of wine, "I know! First kiss, age, name and where please."
"Third grade, Amelia Holland, behind the school." Still holding her hand he started to draw small circles on the back of it.
"Fifth grade, with Charlie, I actually don't remember his last name, but it happened while we were playing 'Post Office'. I had a crush on him so I didn't mind the least, it was an awful kiss though. Next!"
"Continuing with the same theme, best kiss?"
"I would have to say Jake but honestly, I don't think I have ever had a great, toe-curling kiss. Never like they are described like in the movies, with the girls lifting their leg and everything around them disappears. But with the ones I have had it stands between Jake and the guy I kissed under the Misteltoe, at the Christmas party last year. You remember? Henry.. Harry, no wait Harrison! "
Fitz remembered him well, they had only know each other for a few months at the time and he wanted nothing more than to call her his, but he valued her to much as a friend to every say something. Then when he finally has mustered the courage after a pep talk from Abby he saw her kissing another boy.
"You haven't had one great, earth shattering kiss in almost twenty one years? Fitz looked at her in disbelief.
Slightly embarrassed she looked back at him, "Maybe I am the problem, what if I just simply suck at kissing?" Her voice sounded defeated, as if she seriously considered herself the problem.
He wanted to tell her wrong, but how would he know? The had never actually kissed. "Close your eyes Livvie." She gave a confused look but did as he said. Feeling bold thanks to the large amount of wine he had drunk he took the opportunity and slowly tilted his head down towards hers and let their lips meet carefully, his hands on her cheeks, as he kissed her softly at first just letting them taste each other. When she answered back, nibbling his lip he took it as a okay to continue and more intensely crashed his lips to hers. Giving her a few pecks before licking the contour of her plumb, perfect, lips waiting for her to open her mouth, and when she did he slipped his tongue in. Taking his time, he devoured her mouth, his tongue caressing hers, gently, as he felt her hands go around his neck to play with his nape hair. Pulling apart for a breath he teasingly stroke his thumb over her swollen lower lip, before he once again brushed his lips against hers, easing his way into every kiss, before leaning in for a finale peck. As he did she realised that just like her he had been wanting to do that for a while. "Was that toe-curling enough?", he cheekily asked.
Breathless she tried to compose herself, even the thought of the kiss made her shiver. She finally understood the movies. She leaned in to him, with her lips hovering over his, "Can we do that again?" she whispered as he reconnected their mouths. Both falling harder for each other than they had ever intended, and the game was simply forgotten.
A/N Note
This is the first thing I have ever written (and actually finished) so please bear with me while I try to figure this whole writing thing out! If you have any tips on how to improve my writing, please please please let me know.