Author Note: My apologies for writing such a short first chapter. Hopefully subsequent chapters will be longer. Reviews are appreciated!
Mellie and Olivia sat on the couches in the newly renovated oval, reading briefs.
"Ftiz and Marcus are coming to the state dinner." Olivia threw out casually.
Mellie didn't even look up from her brief, trying to appear blasé. "And you are informing me of this because…"
"I simply wanted to make sure that you didn't have an issue with their being here," Olivia explained.
Mellie dropped her brief on the coffee table and cocked her head towards Olivia. "Because they're my exes? Why on God's green earth would I have an issue with you inviting the living reminders of the havoc you have wreaked on my personal life to the state dinner, Olivia?"
Olivia opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"And I say living because, well…" Mellie let out a low chuckle.
"Mellie I-"
Mellie raised her hand to stop Olivia. "Let's get back to something that actually matters, okay?" The hard edge on Mellie's voice, coupled with her forced, saccharine smile, made it very clear that she was telling Olivia what they were doing, not asking her.
"Right." Olivia nodded as both she and Mellie picked up their briefs again. "Where were we?"
Mellie sat in bed that night, lost in thought. She felt a bit bad about snapping at Olivia. She and Olivia had actually been on good terms, but Mellie was beginning to feel that Olivia had complete control of her administration. She hadn't expected it to be this way since she was no longer under Peus and Samantha's thumbs, but apparently she had been wrong. She had been forced to compromise with Olivia a thousand times, and even though she pretended it didn't bother her, it did. She was the president, after all, not Olivia. Mellie's bottled up anger had finally exploded when Olivia mentioned Fitz and Marcus. She's probably more than happy that Fitz is coming after that stunt she pulled on the South Lawn, Mellie mused, rolling her eyes. Mellie honestly had no issue with seeing Fitz, but seeing Fitz with Olivia was another story. Not because Fitz was her ex-husband, but because Olivia couldn't be more hypocritical if she tried. She gets to have her cake and eat it too, but heaven forbid I have something that even resembles a happy relationship.
That thought brought her mind to the place she had refused to let it venture since her inauguration: Marcus. A pang shot through her chest. This was precisely why she couldn't afford to think about him: It hurt too much. She couldn't believe that she had so foolishly asked him to work for her, that she had actually believed he would choose her. His rejection had reminded her, all too painfully, of why she had trained herself never to get her hopes up.
So yes, she did mind that Olivia had invited Marcus to the state dinner, but she would never let Olivia, or anyone else, know that. On the outside, she would be fine. On the inside, she would be numb, because otherwise the pain would consume her. This was nothing new; she had learned long ago that numb and fine have to be the same, and that there are things far more important than love.