"You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life in whatever way they can be." ― Bob Marley
Olivia had been lucky enough to have dinner with the President and First Lady, Governor's and their wives, Oprah and Beyonce just to name a few. She'd had dinner with everyone who was anyone, but she'd never been more nervous in her entire life. She wanted this role, she wanted it bad, it was made for her. The role of Josie Grant was made for her. She loved more than anything that he had given her character his last name; he was giving a piece of himself to her. Josie was everything that Olivia wanted to be, strong, independent, smart and successful. She wanted this role. But more than anything she wanted him, well to work with him, she had spent the last 24 hours trying to remind her brain that she was inspired by his brain and intellect, not the perfect smile he gave her without fail every time he saw her, or the feel of his rough hands on her back as he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek with the lips she could spend hours kissing, that she had once, spent hours kissing. But that was something she never thought about, never. And it was something they never talked about. Ever.
"Ughhhhhhhh." She had to stop. He was going to be her director, she needed to be professional. And not to mention the little fact that he was married, he'd never met his wife, she was in the industry as well, a producer of some sort, they had a different marriage from what she had heard over the years. She never came to any of his events; he'd sidestepped the question all those years ago when they talked about marriage, back when she was engaged. He talked about how marriage wasn't everything it was cracked up to be, that you really needed to be madly, deeply in love with the person if you wanted to make that commitment to them. Weeks later, she had broken up with Edison. She loved him. She really did. But he wasn't it for her. He wasn't and Fitz had shown her that. Her thoughts were interrupted when her curling iron started to beep, signalling it was ready. She had decided to forgo hair and make up stylists tonight, she didn't want to be red carpet Olivia, she wanted to be just her, just Liv, so she'd picked her own dress and shoes and she was doing her own hair and makeup. She'd never felt so free in her life.
Playing with her bangs, sweeping them to the left side of her face, she looked at herself in the mirror again. If she was being honest with herself, she looked good. Her white loose silk dress fell to her upper thighs, the front held up by some thin straps that met and twisted over her otherwise bare back, the back of it resting right below her lower back. Her hair was in loose soft curls, he had mentioned once he preferred it in curls, she had subconsciously plugged in the curling iron before she had even realised. Her eyes were slightly smoky, but not enough to cause any danger. Her shoes on the other hand, these were the shoes that Harrison referred to as her 'fuck me' heels. They were a soft cream colour, 5 inch that made her legs look impossibly long. She looked good and she'd done it all herself, she was happy. Her doorbell ran signally that her car was her, with one last glance she grabbed her cream clutch and was on her way.
Fitz was nervous and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Fitzgerald Grant had always been in touch with his emotions. When the unedited script had come across his desk he immediately thought of her, she was a brilliant actress, she just needed that one role to throw her over the edge and this would be it, he knew it. The role of Josie Grant was everything that he knew Olivia Pope was, the only problem was, Olivia Pope didn't think so. The movie centred around a PR team that was headed up by Olivia's character, of course the twist was, that she was sleeping with the man in charge. It was a sure thing for a blockbuster hit and she deserved it after all her hard years or work in the industry. As he waited for her at the table he thought about the situation they would be getting themselves into. They'd been fighting it for years, when she had turned up ringless and fiancé less, he thought they could have a chance, but she was too proud and too good to sleep with a married man, so they continued to play the ignore our feelings game for the next few years. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clicking heels behind him, standing up, he turned around to greet her and his chest exploded. God. She was gorgeous. It'd been a year since he'd seen her and time had done her well. She was skinnier than he remembered and those legs, he couldn't help but stare.
"Eyes up handsome." She said flashing him a beaming smile as she approached him.
"You're going to be the death of me." He said, he wasn't even hiding the fact that he was checking her out, she looked good and she should know how much it effected him.
"Hi." She said coming to a halt in front of him, half a step away, close enough to touch.
"Hi." He repeated, smiling the smile he had reserved just for her all those years ago. "God you look good." He said placing a hand on her waist pulling her into a hug, she let him, throwing her arms around his neck as he placed his head in her hair, smelling the unique smell that was Olivia Pope. They stayed for a moment, a thousand thoughts running through their hands before she pulled away placing a soft kiss on his cheek.
"So Grant, woo me." She said as she ran a hand down his chest, before he led her to her seat, pulling it out of her. "Thank you." She said as he rounded the table, taking his seat again.
"I want you." She nearly spat the water she had just swallowed out of her mouth, he chuckled. "For the role Olivia." He said.
"Why?" As grateful as she was, she wanted to know why.
"Because when I read the role of Josie. I knew it was you. I haven't seen you in a year Liv, we haven't talked, nothing. The moment I read this script, you were all I could think about." He said smiling. "It's yours if you want it." She cocked her head, thinking, taking in what he had said.
"What about us? There's a reason we haven't worked together, why we never see each other Fitz." Olivia was always thinking, her mind always going on, he knew this and he was expecting this question.
"We're professionals Liv. We'll be on set for a few months, I doubt we'll ever be alone." He said hoping he'd convinced her. "I'm still married." He said quietly and it hurt her heart.
"I know. I can't. My career Fitz." She said in broken sentences before continuing. "This movie could make my career, I can't ruin it by sleeping with my director." She said looking away.
"Hey, look at me." His voice was gentle and she wanted to throw herself in his arms because all he'd ever been was nice and sweet to her and here she was basically saying he was giving her the role to sleep with her.
"That's not what I meant. It's just, you know I have a double standard put over me. I'm a woman, and I'm a woman of colour Fitz. I didn't mean anything else by it." She said slowly smiling. "But your right, we are professionals, but we're also friends, nothing has happened between us really, why would it now?"
"Exactly." They were lying to not only each other, but themselves, refusing to talk abut the other time, the first time they had kissed. "So are you in?" He asked holding his breath. She contemplated for a moment. Months spent side by side with a man that had always had a bit of heart. God what was she thinking? There was no way she could take this role without something else happening between them.
"I'm in." she said with a beaming smile, and just like that, their story truly began.
a/n. Thank you all for your kind reviews so far, I am so happy and excited with where this story is going to go. Remember its AU olitz, anything can happen! Love M. x