Mine (feat. Drake)—Beyoncé
Stop making a big deal out of the little things
'Cause I got big deals and I got little things
I got everything I'm asking for but you
Stop making a big deal out of the little things, let's get carried away
Come right now, you know where I stay
I just wanna say, you're mine, you're mine
I just wanna say, you're mine, you're mine
Fuck what you heard, you're mine, you're mine
"Babe, I love you, but I have to go."
"No, you don't."
"I don't?"
"You don't"
"Fi—uh"
Olivia lost her train of thought as Fitz's lips closed around hers. He slid his tongue along her lips, requesting access. Before she knew it, he was pulling her away from the door. She forgot that she had her purse and a script in her hand. She forgot that she had a call to the makeup trailer in twenty minutes. All her mind could focus on was his hands wandering down her body and his bare chest pressed up against hers.
"FITZ." She put her hands on his chest and pushed him an arm's length away. He had a childish smirk on his face.
"What?"
"I'm serious." She was trying to be firm with him. "Today is my last day on set. Then, you can distract me all weekend. Just let me finish this film without being fired."
Fitz sighed, as he held his hands up in surrender, "Fine. Go. As long as you promise I will have you to myself all weekend."
"I promise." Olivia leaned on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck, "All weekend to ourselves, then I get to show you off to the world Sunday."
"Then go get 'em, tiger." Fitz playfully pinched her ass.
Olivia rolled her eyes as she kissed him again and walked out of her house. She sped to the set, hoping to get there before anybody could notice she was late. She loved working on this film, but she was really relieved that it was ending. She was learning her limits as a professional, and she now knew that the last couple of weeks had been stretching her too thin.
She thought about her weekend. Her and Fitz were doing nothing but recuperating Saturday. Sunday, Fitz would be Olivia's date to the Grammy's, which she was honored with the job of presenting an award. Olivia wasn't sure how she managed to get invited to every single major awards show this year, but she wasn't going to protest it. She got to wear beautiful dresses and party with some of her idols. Plus, Sunday would be a great image opportunity with her and Fitz as a public couple.
The work day ended a little late, and Olivia was so anxious to see Fitz, she didn't go home to shower. Olivia figured it wouldn't hurt to shower at Fitz's place… With him. When she pulled into his parking garage, she noticed Mellie's car was parked there. She didn't think much of it as she went up to his apartment.
She entered to find Mellie sitting on his couch, and Fitz standing by the fireplace with an empty glass of scotch. That worried Olivia. Fitz had drinking problems in the past. Mellie told her that it got really bad whenever they broke up. Now, he only stuck to an occasional glass of wine with Olivia. When he had scotch, something had to be really wrong.
"Hey, Mellie." Olivia greeted her warmly. Something was definitely wrong. She went over and kissed Fitz. His lips were short and barely responsive and tasting distinctly of alcohol. "What's the matter? Why have you been drinking?"
"Uh, we have something to tell you. You might want to sit down." Fitz gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before sitting down on the couch with her. Nobody was really saying anything. An awkward silence fell.
"Liv, do you want anything to drink?" Mellie offered, reaching for a glass.
"No." Olivia felt her temper rise out of fear, "I want you two to tell me what is going on."
"Okay, okay." Fitz interjected. He reached and took Olivia's hand in his, clasping it between his two hands. "Cyrus Beene is really pissed about our relationship. He's out for blood. He will do anything to break us apart. He sees us as a threat to his empire." Fitz went to reach for his glass, and Olivia didn't stop him. She just wanted to know what point he was getting to. "Well, Mellie had a friend look into it, and he has a tech guy that specializes in voting fraud."
"Voting fraud? How would that even…"
"The Oscars."
"Oh." Olivia felt a tidal wave of emotion as she realized the direction of the conversation. Cyrus was plotting to ruin them by ruining her chance at success. "I see."
Mellie interjected, "The good news is, we know what he is doing. We have solid proof. My computer guy has hacked Cyrus's guy's software, and has the coding for it and everything. The bad news is that the proof is illegally obtained. We can't use it without sending my guy off to federal prison for twenty five years. So, we have to catch him on tape or on paper."
"Ballots open next week. We only have two weeks until the Oscars."
"Yeah, that's the problem." Fitz bowed his head, then finished his glass of scotch. "If we don't figure something out by then, you lose."
Olivia nodded vaguely as she rested her head in her hands in deep thought. "Can I have that drink you offered earlier?" Mellie poured her a drink. Olivia hated scotch, but he burning liquid calmed her nerves. "So what's the plan?"
Mellie spoke up, "I'm going to go to Cyrus and tell him I know about his plan. But, I'm going to tell him I support it. I'll play Fitz's scorned lover, or something like that. I'll pretend that I'm eaten alive with jealousy of you. I'll be wearing a wire the entire time. All we need is for Cyrus to admit his plan on record, and we can get a warrant to obtain the evidence of the software under legal standards. The L.A. District Attorney is a friend of mine, so he will assist us in bringing Cyrus to justice."
"It's that simple?" Olivia questioned.
"Hopefully." Fitz mumbled, "There is the possibility that Cyrus won't incriminate himself. He's smart. He has a lot at stake here."
Olivia took another mouthful of scotch, fully analyzing the situation. It was a lot to process. Fitz reached for the bottle to pour himself another glass, but Olivia intercepted his hand and placed the bottle further away.
"Fitz, don't. You'll regret it in the morning." She whispered. Her eyes pleaded with his. Even though her world was crumbling, she still had his interests in mind. She wasn't sure what demons came out when he drank, but tonight was not the time to find out.
Eventually, Mellie had to leave to attend a dinner. She hugged Olivia and promised that they would catch him. Her words meant great comfort to Olivia. She left, leaving Olivia and Fitz alone.
"So much for our romantic weekend." Fitz mused, attempting to make light.
Olivia didn't reply. She sat there with her chin in her hand, staring silently at the corner of the room.
"Liv." Fitz slid closer on the couch and set his hand on her back. "We are going to handle this."
"How long have you known about this?" Olivia turned her head to look at Fitz.
"Just today. Mellie just told me an hour before you came home."
"You two didn't talk about this at all before? So this is all as big of a surprise to you as it is to me?"
Fitz sighed. His hand fell from her back to the couch, then to his lap. "Mellie came to me early last week and told me she had suspicions. It was a hunch."
Olivia stood up and paced to the other side of the room. "I can't believe it."
"What?"
"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" Her voice dripped of acid and hurt.
"You are mad because I didn't tell you?"
"Damn right, I am. What part of transparency did you not understand? Or is it only transparent with Mellie?"
"You are jealous that I talked to Mellie about this before you? Liv, Mellie is a friend. We have been friends for far longer than you and I have been lovers."
"No." Olivia yelled incredulously, "I am not jealous about you and Mellie that is ridiculous. I'm furious that you didn't tell me."
Fitz threw his hands up in disbelief and stood. "You have had a lot on your plate. We didn't think that is was a big deal at first. I had no idea Cyrus would try to pull something this sick and twisted on us."
"So I am too naïve for the dirty side of this industry? I'm the new little starlet with no dirt under her nails and no stomach for the reality of Hollywood? So instead, you just told me some bullshit about securing financers whenever I asked. Fuck you."
"What? No. Liv, stop it." Fitz stepped towards Olivia in an attempt to placate her. She jerked away and held her hand up.
"How the fuck am I supposed to trust you like this?" Despite her best efforts, her voice cracked.
"Don't act like this is some big act of betrayal."
"But it is." Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try to compose herself. She was a second from either bursting into tears or punching the first thing her fist would make contact with. "Why can't you see that? You hurt me once before, and the only way I let you back into my life, is because you promised me transparency. You promised me. You didn't promise me that you would tell me shit when it only got to a certain level of threat. You promised 100% honesty. But you fucked that up."
"Livvie—" Fitz made another advance towards her.
"No." Olivia backed away and dared him with the deadliest stare to try it again. She grabbed her purse and her jacket. "I'm going to leave now."
"Don't go." Fitz pleaded. "I'm sorry."
"Goodbye, Fitz." Olivia turned her back to him to wipe a tear before it could escape from her eye. She didn't even look over her shoulder as she closed the door quietly behind her.
Fitz stared at the door for a solid five minutes. Finally, he slunk back into the couch and poured himself a generous glass of scotch. He cursed himself over and over as he drank the rest of the bottle. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have fucked up this bad?
/
Olivia drove straight home. She tried not to think about what happened. She wanted space, but space meant her mind wandering without limits. Fitz keeping secrets from her ripped the band-aid of their previous troubles off way too fast. It stung. She was being taken back to four years ago, sitting on the plane to NYC, silently sobbing and trying to breathe.
Olivia didn't doubt that Fitz's intentions were in the right place. She knew that he would never intentionally hurt her. It was the fact that he didn't think it would. He thought it was okay to leave her in the dark. It was mistakes like that that terrified her. They were treading in treacherous waters, being a couple in Hollywood under intense media scrutiny, that wouldn't take much to crumble.
When she got to her house, she purposefully walked passed her wine cabinet. As much as her lips craved the taste of her favorite bottle coupled with the blissful numbness, she was afraid of her actions if she did have a glass or two. Instead, she slipped into her pajamas and turned on the news. She watched the news stories repeat themselves at the top of each hour until her eyes drooped. The weight of her exhaustive week finally forced her into a deep sleep with the television still on.
Olivia woke up eight hours later—more sleep than she was ever used to—in a groggy state. She flipped the television off and rolled out of bed. She debated checking her phone, staring at the black screen for a solid minute. Finally, she powered it up.
She predictably had one message.
Fitz: I am sorry. Call me when you are ready to talk about it
She plugged her phone in to charge and sighed. She wasn't ready yet. She felt gross and dehydrated, like she was in need of twenty showers. She made a goal of the day to recuperate on her own terms. She took a glorious shower, then put on a comfortable cashmere sweater and leggings. Olivia turned on some music to play throughout her house and spent hours cleaning her apartment that had been left in neglect from her extended work hours. The weather was nice and warm outside, so she slid open her back door to let the ocean breeze come through her house.
Around mid-afternoon, her doorbell rang. She set her tea down to answer it.
"Ms. Pope?" A pimply, teenage boy was waiting with a dodgers cap on his head and a vase full of calla lilies.
"Yes?"
"I have a delivery for you." He awkwardly handed over the vase and backed away.
"Uh, thanks."
"No problem." He called over his shoulder as he walked back to his van with a florist shop's logo on the side.
Olivia watched him drive down the street. She turned her attention to the calla lilies in her arms. It was a beautifully modern arrangement with a card. She set the vase on her kitchen counter and read the note.
I'm not perfect, but I will never stop loving you
~Fitz
She put the card in her bedside table drawer to keep for later.
Olivia just couldn't stay mad at Fitz. He hurt her, but she knew that trying to hurt him back was just toxic energy that she couldn't afford to cultivate. She would have to forgive him and move on with him so that mistakes like that would never happen again. She pulled her phone out to call him but then set it back down. She would just wait to see him until tomorrow. She sent him a quick text.
Olivia:We are still on for tomorrow, right? I'll be ready at 3
He immediately responded with:
Fitz: Of course!
Olivia hesitated for a second, and then sent.
Olivia: Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.
/
Fitz checked his watch and his appearance in the mirror for the twentieth time. His tuxedo fit perfectly, thanks to Tom Ford. He got ready an hour early, just because he was too anxious about seeing Olivia again. Her texts thanking him for the flowers allayed some of his fears, but he just wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss his apologies onto her lips.
He decided to head to her house anyways. He took the long, scenic route that dipped along the coast to waste some time. He arrived to have her stylist answer the door.
"Come on in." She welcomed him in, "Liv is just getting her makeup finished, she said to wait down here until she is ready. She should be down in about fifteen minutes."
Fitz took a seat on the couch as the stylist scurried off to attend to Olivia. One thing that Olivia always insisted on was that Fitz couldn't see her until her entire look was put together. She wouldn't even let him peek at the dress before it was on her. Fitz saw the flowers he bought her sitting on the table. They complimented the style of her apartment beautifully.
Eventually, Olivia descended the staircase. She was wearing a turquoise dress with a bright African pattern of magenta and yellow across it. The dress had cutouts along her hips. Olivia's hair was down with a slight wave. She stopped on the last step and bit her lip expectantly. "What do you think? It is a step outside of my comfort zone."
"You look amazing." Fitz stammered as he went over to her and pulled her closer to him. "You are amazing. I love it." He carefully kissed her, not to mess with her makeup. With her heels on and the added height of the step, she was almost the same height as Fitz.
Olivia smoothed over the lapels of his tuxedo with her fingers. "I forgive you for not telling me about Cyrus. Just don't let it happen again. I'm an equal. We are in this together, remember."
Fitz looked her in the eyes and smiled, "I don't deserve you. And I swear, it will never happen again."
"Okay."
"Okay."
They shared an intimate giggle.
"We should probably go."
"Yeah."
She took his arm as he led her out to the car. Because of the incident at the SAG awards, Olivia hired a body guard for events. He drove them silently to the Staples Center. The drive was full of stolen glances and smiles. When the car pulled up to the entrance of the red carpet, Fitz kissed her hand. "Let's do this."
The red carpet was as hectic and nerve wracking as usual, but with Fitz's arm wrapped firmly around her waist, and Hal in the corner of her eye, she felt safe. They started out greeting fans and taking pictures with them, until Hal cleared his throat and motioned them on to the actual carpet area.
The camera men were loud and abrasive. Olivia! Look here! Ms. Pope! Twirl! Give us an over-the-shoulder! You look amazing! Olivia! Can we see the back of the dress? Olivia! Could you look over here? Fitz! Can we get you two together? Great! Mr. Grant! Olivia! Over here! Awesome. Over here! Olivia! Can you give her a kiss? Olivia! Fitz!
Fitz was sure to always sure to be in contact with her at all times. Whether it was his hand clasped around hers, or his arm pulling her against him for a photo, they were inseparable. Every time he let his hand wander lower on her waist to her ass, he would get a slight nudge and a playful side-eye. She was still a little uncomfortable with displaying their relationship publicly, but when he planted a kiss on her cheek for the demanding cameras, she met his eyes with unwavering love and pride. He was so proud to have her on his arm.
Finally, they moved on to the crowded section where interviews were taking place. Anna met up with them and directed them through the various reporters. Before they entered the building, Olivia's eyes bulged out of her head, and her mouth formed a perfect little "o".
"What?" Fitz asked, becoming concerned.
"Okay, don't turn around, but Beyoncé is standing right behind you." Olivia whispered, blushing.
Fitz smiled at her cute star-struck attitude. "Why don't you go say 'hi'?"
"I can't just go say hi to her! That's insane." Olivia took a deep breath.
"Oh, come on, Liv." Fitz looked over his shoulder, and indeed, Beyoncé was finishing an interview with Ryan Seacrest, and joining Jay Z off the platform. "They are coming right by us."
Olivia's eyes got even wider, causing Fitz to burst into laughter.
"I'll call them over." Fitz raised his arm.
"NO!" Olivia latched to his arm, pulling it down to her side. Her cheeks were flushed with natural blush, "I swear to God. Forget about it, let's go find our seats."
"Okay, babe. Whatever you want." Fitz joked. They waited for the power couple to enter the building before entering behind them.
They stopped by the bar in the lobby for a glass of champagne. Olivia and Fitz mingled with some of the other celebrities before they decided to take their seats. An usher boy led them to their seats. Olivia was surprised to find them on the front row, but she wouldn't complain.
In the middle of a conversation with Fitz, he got a devilish smile on his face as he looked past Olivia.
"What?" Olivia looked over her shoulder to find an usher showing Beyoncé and Jay Z to their seats, which happened to be right next to Olivia. Her head snapped back around as a look of panic crossed her face. "What do I do?"
Fitz grabbed her hand and squeezed it encouragingly, "It'll be fine."
Olivia took a big breath and stood up to face her idol. "Hi." She awkwardly whispered, unable to find words.
"Hello, Jay and I saw Underground Kings just the other day, and you were amazing in it." Beyoncé's low, calming voice soothed Olivia's nerves. Beyoncé pulled Olivia into a warm embrace. Fitz shook Jay Z's hand. Olivia's head was swimming in the best way possible.
"Thank you. That means so much." Olivia surprised herself with how collected she was. On the inside she was screaming. "I hope you win tonight. Your visual album is brilliant." A photographer came up and asked to take their picture together. After he scurried off to find another celebrity interaction, they sat down. Beyoncé was surprisingly chill and very down to earth. Jay Z was cracking jokes.
It was finally time for Olivia to present the award for Best New Artist. Fitz was standing with her backstage as she was being announced. He brought her chin to his and locked her lips in a lingering kiss. "I love you. Now, go get 'em."
Olivia nodded and stepped out into the bright lights and applause.
Afterwards, they decided to attend an after party. Olivia danced with Fitz on the dance floor. The DJ played classics and Olivia was sure she had never laughed as hard as she did that night. After they exhausted their feet, Fitz and Olivia settled into a round booth with some others. Olivia kicked her heels off and laid her legs across Fitz's lap.
They relaxed, sipping cognac and champagne. Olivia would occasionally plant a kiss on Fitz's jaw or neck. The party was low key enough, but there were still columnists from major blogs and magazine photographers going around and taking occasional photos. The lights were dim, and Olivia was sure that the photographers were too busy snapping pictures of the drunken stars dancing vivaciously on the dance floor to worry about them nestled away in their corner. She was beginning to not care about their image and PR. She loved him unconditionally and she didn't care who knew. Plus, his hand slipping in and out of the cutouts on her dress urged her on.
The DJ slowed down the mood to "Earned It" by The Weeknd.
"Oh, I love this song." Olivia whispered into his ear, placing a delicate kiss on his earlobe. "Let's dance."
Fitz helped her up as they took to the dancefloor again. They danced amongst couples, twirling and kissing. Olivia laid her head on his chest and he kissed her hair. When the song ended, Fitz whispered into her ear, "Do you want to get out of here?"
She nodded, stepping back and kissing him briefly. They motioned for Hal, who was standing along the wall the entire time, to go get the car. Olivia and Fitz said goodbye to some of their friends and exited the club venue.
When they were buckled in, Hal pulled onto the highway to Olivia's house.
"Come here." Fitz whispered in the backseat. Olivia unbuckled her seat belt and slid across the seat to lean against him.
"I love you, you know." She whispered as she kissed his knuckles.
"I know."
Olivia was asleep by the time they reached her house. Fitz carried her upstairs, despite her sleepy protests, zipped her out of her dress and jewelry, and tucked her in.