Thank you for the awesome reviews! I am so happy that everybody is enjoying the story so far. Here is Part 2


Forward—Beyoncé/James Blake

Forward
Best foot first just in case
When we made our way 'til now
It's time to listen, it's time to fight
Forward


TWO MONTHS LATER

Edison finished up his lunch before putting his hard hat back on and leaving the breakroom. His assistant, Matt, quickly approached him.

"Mr. Davis, the reporter from the Globe is here for the profile."

"What?"

"The article, remember? You signed off on it, and we set it up for today."

"I don't remember but okay. What do I need to talk about?"

"Just the plans and our firm. Very basic stuff."

"Gotcha. Where is she?"

"Over there." Matt pointed to a petite woman wearing white pants and a white parka coat facing the other way. He looked down to her heels and shook his head. She obviously isn't dressed for the job. Edison thought. He grabbed an extra hard hat and walked over to her. She turned around when she heard him approaching

"Olivia Pope, Boston Globe."

"So let me get this straight." He extended his hand to hers, "You are the Olivia Pope that wrote that investigative piece about the Mayor's office last year."

"Guilty as charged." Olivia couldn't help but blush. He noticed how beautiful her smile was.

"Wow. The Globe doesn't play around. Edison Davis."

She let his large hand encompass hers in a warm handshake. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Just so I'm sure, you are here to do a fluff piece, right? I'm not secretly being investigated. Because I can assure you our tax record is clean, and we have no tie to any corrupt politicians or mobsters."

"I promise that I am not out to get you." Olivia laughed.

"You are going to need one of these." Edison took the hardhat and took the liberty of positioning it on her head. "Safety first." He winked.

Olivia flipped her recorder on. "Everything from now on will be on the record, okay?"

"Proceed."

"Let's start with you, since you are the golden boy of this site. You grew up in Brooklyn, but went down to Davidson College for a degree in Classics, is that right?"

"Yes."

"Why Classics, and why a small liberal arts college in the South?"

"I wanted to be a high school teacher—don't laugh—and I had some romanticized notion of a quiet and humble living."

"I myself am from North Carolina."

"No way. Charlotte area?"

"Durham. My father was a professor and I graduated from Duke."

"I thought I detected a Southern Accent."

"You are lying. I buried that thing ages ago."

"I guess I'm attentive."

"Back to the article." Olivia picked an imaginary piece of lint off of her coat. "What made you want to be an architect?"

"I took the hard way. I graduated, realized that teaching wasn't going to pay my student debt, so I did the smart thing and enrolled in more school."

"At M.I.T. Not too shabby."

"I took an art class in my undergrad that sort of piqued my interest. At that point, I didn't have anything else, so I figured why not."

"And you've been in love ever since?"

"Well, if you want to get all sentimental on me." He joked.

"This is the biggest project that you have attempted. All eyes are on you. Do you feel the pressure more so?"

"There is pressure involved in every project. You have to straddle the line between art and practicality. On top of that, you have millions of dollars, a board of directors, the city's oversight, and a whole team of workers and contractors that you can't disappoint. But then, you just have this irreplaceable reward at the end."

"Tell me more about the reward." Olivia saw this enigmatic spark in his eyes that she wanted to explore.

"My first project was in Cambridge. Right near Harvard's campus. Are you familiar with the area?"

"Yes, actually, I am finishing my graduate degree right now."

"Fantastic. So you know the WestCreek Apartments about ten minutes off of campus?"

"Oh my…" Olivia laughed in disbelief. "Did you design those?"

"Well, I was a junior associate at the time, so I didn't have the final say, but there are these window seats—"

"In the bedroom." Olivia giggled at his surprise. "This is crazy, but I live there right now."

"No way."

"Yeah. It is weird we have so many crazy connections." Olivia tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and adjusted her hard hat. "So back to the story about your first project."

"Ah, yes. Well, even with something like that, which I didn't direct, it still means a lot to me. If I ever drive by it, I just think about how I made something with my personal flair and artistry, and people are using it for themselves. It sounds awfully dorky now that I say it, but I think like that."

"The Artist. I like it."

A deep chuckle came out of his chest. "You flatter me."

"Tell me about the children's hospital, and why you were drawn to this."

"This project was very appealing to me. It allows for more imagination than a regular hospital. These children have medical conditions that steal some of their childhood. I viewed this project as a way to brighten their experience."

"And how are you doing that?"

"We are just adding a funky touch to the building. There is a lot of asymmetrical structures. We are basically removing traditional aspects and the sterile aspect of hospitals. Our goal is to remove the scary feel of a hospital."

"Once the building is complete, how involved are you with the hospital?"

"Once an architect builds a building, they move on to the next building."

"So not at all?"

He let his warm laugh come through again. "I do like to follow up and see what the owners do with the interior decorating. I will probably visit once it is in business and see the children."

"The Man, The Artist, The Heart. I like this." Olivia winked, extending her business card. "If you don't mind, could you have your office email me the technical dimensions and figures for construction? You know, all of the boring stuff."

"Of course. So you have enough?"

"Yes. Thank you. It was a pleasure to pick your brain." She removed her hard hat handing it back to him.

"Ms. Pope—is it okay if I call you Olivia?"

"Yes." She smiled. "As long as I can call you Edison."

Wow, Olivia. Quit being such a goddamn flirt. She thought to herself.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Olivia. But I feel like I would be a fool to let you leave and not ask if I could see you again."

"That would be a conflict of interest for my article." Olivia felt herself blushing and looking at her feet. He had such a gentlemanly air to him that was innately attractive.

"When is the article due?"

"Friday at noon. You can find it in Monday's paper."

"So, Friday at 7:00 you will be free and there will be no conflict of interest."

Olivia patted her hair down, wondering if the hard hat messed anything up. "You are very persistent."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes." Olivia looked at her recorder, which was still blinking red. "Shit. I forgot to turn this off."

"Hold on, don't turn it off yet." He took it from her and held it up to her lips. "My number is 617-382-9924. Unless you call me telling me otherwise, I will be waiting outside of WestCreek apartments on Friday night at 7:00." He turned her recorder off and handed it back to her. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

/

"I don't know." Olivia pulled a pair of sweatpants on.

"You say that you don't know, but your hair is curled and your makeup is done."

"I can't. I don't think I am ready."

"It has been two months." Abbey sat on the edge of Olivia's bed. "Plus, it is 6:15 and it would be rude to cancel now."

"Maybe you are right."

"I am. And that black dress hanging in the back of your closet is also right."

"I can't wear that. That is the dress I wore on my first date with—"

"Don't say his name." Abbey cut her off, seeing where she was going.

"I can't wear that dress."

"Then wear the white one. You always looked best in white."

Olivia took a big breath. "Okay. I will wear the white one. And I will go, only because it is too late to cancel."

"Good girl." Abbey left Olivia to get dressed. Forty five minutes later, a Lexus SUV pulled out in front of the apartment building. Edison got out of his car and waited on the passenger side. He felt a little awkward, because he only had her work email, and had no idea of whether she would come out, but she did. Dressed in a white trench coat and a white dress peeking out underneath, She exited her apartment building.

"Olivia, you look beautiful." He pulled her in for a friendly hug.

"Thank you." She smiled as he opened her car door and helped her inside of the warm vehicle.

"How was the article?" Edison asked as he pulled the car back onto the road. "You didn't villainize me, did you?"

"No, I actually think it came out pretty flattering."

"Can I read it?"

"In Monday's paper for $2."

"That is a steep price."

"The newspaper business is dying. We have to hustle to get by." Olivia winked.

And the date began.

Throughout the fine dining experience and long drive home, Olivia couldn't help but compare him to Fitz. There was no suggestive kisses at the restaurant, no sense of danger, no thrill… but it was nice. She needed to take things slow. She found Edison very attractive, but in a more calculated way. He was safe. He was the type of boy she would have been proud to bring to Church back in North Carolina and have all of the old ladies in the church fawn over after the sermon. He was marriage in two years with a down payment on a townhome in Southend. He was a steady 9-5 with the company's Christmas Party being their idea of fun. He was a dog purchased conveniently right after their marriage like a test run for a baby.

And maybe she needed that. He was warm, funny, had a sexy deep voice. His hand on her back, leading her out of the restaurant did not incite fireworks, but it was welcomed.

Olivia found herself questioning her mental sanity. Why couldn't she be excited with Edison? They had chemistry, they just didn't have chemistry. Was she hell bent on the downward spiral of an adrenaline junkie?

When he pulled up to her apartment building, her got out to walk her to the door.

"I had a great time." Olivia stopped at the door. She could see their breath mingling in the frigid air.

"I would like to see you again, Olivia."

"I would like that too."

And then, as to be expected, her put a hand on her hip and pulled her closer. His other hand cupped her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. He was a good kisser, she couldn't deny. He softly kissed her lips four times, and for the first time that night, Olivia didn't have Fitz on her mind.

When he pulled back, Olivia had a soft smile on her face.

"Well, I look forward to doing that a lot more in the future."

"Can't wait." Olivia kissed his cheek and then exited into her apartment.

/

And just like that, Olivia started dating again. Fitz slowly faded from her mind. She had a great internship, a great GPA, a great TA job, and a great relationship with a loving man. Olivia made love with Edison after their seventh date. On the fifth date, he tried, but she told him she wasn't ready, and he was okay with that.

She discovered many facets to his personality. Despite living in Boston, one of the most fanatic sports cities, he was a Yankees and Nets fan to the core. He had compromised with the New England Patriots, admitting that Tom Brady was the man.

His parents were alive and well, now retired in Connecticut. He had great relationships with them, and visited often. He surprised her with flowers every now and then, and she dropped lunch by his office just as frequently.

After three months, Edison told her that he loved her. He also told her not to be freaked out—he didn't expect her to tell him the same. She didn't in fact feel the same way. Once again, she couldn't help but want to compare him to Fitz. She loved Fitz fiercely, but maybe all love wasn't meant to be that strong? Maybe the quiet safety of Edison's arms were what love really was. Two weeks after he told her, she repeated the phrase back, much to his satisfaction.

Then he took her to visit his parents in Connecticut, and she felt so welcomed there. It was like a Norman Rockwell-Thanksgivings Every Night type of deal. On April 19th, Edison took Olivia to the first post-season matchup of the NBA Playoffs between the Celtics and the Nets. Olivia didn't necessarily care about sports, but she enjoyed supporting Edison's teams, and the energy of the games.

He had scored great seats, a couple rows back from courtside. His reasoning for the splurge was that the Nets would probably never make it to the Playoffs again. Also, because there was this sizable diamond ring in his pocket. He knew it was early in their relationship, but to him it felt so right.

"What do you want to drink?" Olivia asked, once the first quarter ended. "My treat."

"I'll have a beer." He kissed Olivia's cheek. "Thanks, Liv."

/

According to the ratio of Greater Boston Area residents to fans attending the stadium that day, there was a 0.003% chance that she would end up there, two people in front of her in the line. Fitz did a double take, wondering if the petite woman in front of him could actually be Olivia. She was the same height, same hair (although a little shorter), and the same demeanor. She was wearing a Nets jersey, so it obviously wasn't her. She couldn't care less about sports. He dismissed it, until she pulled her phone out to check a message. He stepped out of line a bit to look over her shoulder. He had to overlook, as he saw that it was from Abbey.

Abbey: When are you going to be home?

Olivia: Probably around 1 depending on traffic.

Olivia: Don't wait up.

Shit. He thought. He knew he had to say something.

"Hello, Olivia."

Olivia's heart stopped. She knew the voice, the deep vibrations through her body. She slowly turned around to see the one person she prayed wasn't there. Yet, there he was. In a green sweater and khakis.