The Courage To Love Him
Chapter 2
A/N: Thank you all for the amazing reviews. As you know by now YES this story is based on the movie Something New. So let's get to the next chapter.
Happy Reading!
"Excuse me." She turns around to the voice "Are you Olivia?" Her immediate responds is priceless. "Where you looking or perhaps waiting for Fitz?" She still doesn't respond instead she becomes nervous and fidgety. Not because she was on a blind date but because this man was fine. He was breath taking and his steel blue eyes were mesmerizing and everything about him made her insides tingle throughout her body. There's only one problem…he's white.
Fitz sees her hesitance and pushes forward. "Fitz…Fitz Grant." Liv stutter steps shifting from one foot to the other before she says "Why?" With his brightest smiles he answers "I'm him…I'm Fitz actually, are you Olivia?"
Liv looks at him with somewhat disbelief "Fitzpatrick Grant…blind date Fitzpatrick?"
Fitz smiles again "Fitzgerald actually…Fitz for short." Liv chuckles with slight embarrassment "Huh…huh." She says "Ohhh…wow uhh." She looks down trying to hide her blushing cheeks. Fitz chuckles as well "I'm sorry…." "Oh it's that bad huh?" Liv quickly tries to clean up her shock by stating "No…no…I uhh…" Fitz goes in for the save "Obviously you were expecting someone else."
"No umm Karen described you perfectly. She's funny."
"Well she said nothing but great things about you."
"That good shall we sit?" Liv is hesitant at first but agrees as she looks around with her head slightly down afraid someone would judge her. "Oh the seats are all taken."
"No there's one over here." Fitz notices as a couple gets up to leave. He places his hand near but not touching Liv's lower back as she walks and sits down. She's feels conflicted in this moment because she finds herself attracted to this man, but afraid that she will be judged by her peers and family because she is supposed to fall in love with a black man. So why is she turn on by Fitz who's clearly not black? This is not supposed to happen…right? As they both sit Liv continues to look around slightly covering her face with her hand.
"Uncomfortable?" Fitz askes
Liv eyes buck and she sits up strait trying to compose her posture and looks directly at Fitz as to challenge his observation of her. "No. Why would you say that?"
He smirks and shows off his crooked smiles "Well you're looking around as if you hiding from someone, and covering you face as if you don't want to be recognized." They both sip their latte at the same time from the awkwardness of it all. "So you, ever been on a blind date before?" Fitz inquires
"This is my first." Liv says as she tries to not look around but instead at him, but she can't seem to keep eye contact because the blueness of his eyes creates a feeling inside that she can't quit explain even too herself. This causes her to fidget in her seat "Why'd you do it…come on a blind date?"
She closes her eyes and drops her head as Fitz looks at her without blinking "I don't know…I…I umm promised my girlfriends I'd be more…open."
"But not this open." It was a statement posed as a question. Liv begins to feel offended and just stares at Fitz. How dare he call her out on her bullshit is what she's thinking when she notices Fitz is intensely watching her as they silently sits. Unable to take his intense stare she asks "What?"
He shakes his head and catches himself as this beautiful being sits in front of him causing him to think of how he would love to kiss her soft lips. "Nothing…" He responds dropping his eyes knowing he's been caught so he takes another sip of his latte. Liv begins to chastise herself in her head asking herself what the hell she was doing. She can't be having thoughts of sexual bliss with this man…he's white for god sakes. She opens her mouth to speak then closes it. She leans forward "You know what…it...it was really great meeting you but umm I kind of need to get going I got a crazy week coming up…and …and I got so much work to do, but really it was…" Fitz interrupts "Nice meeting me." She nods "Yes nice meeting you, yeah really." "You too." He adds watching her walk away as if something or someone was chasing her. He just chuckles and hunches his shoulders as he finishes his latte.
Little did Olivia or many people know Fitz is a self-made millionaire but yet a very humbled man. He actually owned a franchise of Grant Landscaping Inc. He is big among the most elite but he also has a passion for smaller job that he loves to do personally for smaller clients which he takes on as pro bono because of his passion for his creation even giving large discounts to those who allow him to simply make it his own. He recently just got out of a two year relationship with his ex-girlfriend Melanie Sinclair aka Mellie. She called him boring uninteresting and a tight wad because he didn't like splurging and hanging with the rich and famous dressing up in suits everyday putting on heirs or giving her access to his money. In other words he didn't flaunt his money or his success in life. She became upset after finding out from his client's son what he was paid to landscape their property because he didn't allow her access to his money whenever she wanted as if she was his wife. So she tried to punish him by publicly breaking up with him in front of his high level clients setting her sites on the client's son. Fitz was hurt and embarrassed because he really did love Mellie but she turned down his proposal last year because she wanted to see his net worth and he refused. But what she didn't know is that Fitz was a man who had no problem moving on from toxicity in his life no matter how much it hurt.
But it was something about Olivia he couldn't shake. Not only was she beautiful, but she had him feeling all kind of turned on. Never had he been so attracted to a woman, but that was her nor there she wasn't interested or was she. He figured he would never get to know and gets up and leaves.
Liv on the other hand immediately calls her girlfriends on the three-way. Once everyone is on the line she shares how Karen set her up with a white guy. She was really hoping for some validation but that would come later when she and Abby spoke alone. As expected her friends where in disbelief and told Olivia it would have never worked.
Bye the end of the week Karen's engagement party was happening and Liv along with Lisa who was the less judgmental of her other black female friends but still would give her opinion. "What was Karen thinking? She knows you are not into white men."
Liv fells slighted by that statement but she's afraid to express her true feelings so instead she says "She tried, her heart was in the right place. I wasn't offended just shocked is all."
Lisa nods when she notices the two black fines chiefs standing behind their platform doing what they do best preparing meals upon request. "Girl looky looky here twelve o'clock Liv. I love a man in an apron."
"It looks like he's looking at you too."
"Girl I'm gonna go say hi and see what's on the menu."
"No Lisa girl don't leave me alone with all these white people." But Lisa is already walking towards the two chiefs with her eyes set on the taller one who goes by the name Mark leaving Liv to wonder around the large property by herself. As she admiring the beautiful landscape she happens upon a large fountain when Karen's mother Joyce walks up to her. "I call this the fountain of life. Isn't it marvelous?"
Liv turns to her giving her air kisses on her cheeks. "It's beautiful. I really love the structural design and the landscaping is to die for."
"Thank you dear. " Joyce adds
"I just bought my first home and I can't wait to landscape it."
"Oh dear that is wonderful, you have to meet my landscaper, and he's just amazing…"
"No he probably wouldn't have time for small jobs such as my yard."
"None sense here he is now." Joyce turns and calls out to Fitz who she also invited being he was now a friend of the family "Fitz dear I want you to meet someone, she just bought a new home and needs some landscaping done." Liv breath hitches and her hand goes to her chest as Fitz approaches "No no Mrs. McAllister that won't be necessary…"
Fitz is now standing in front of Liv once again and he immediately places his hands in his pockets "Olivia yes we meet."
"Fitz I...I thought you were an architect?"
"Landscaping architect?" He answers with confidence
"Fitz Liv here was saying she needed some landscaping done to her new home can you possibly take a look if you're not too busy?"
"No actually Olivia might be the one who's too busy." Fitz states
"Well you two talk. I need to go and remind my daughter about being a lady it seems she's forgetting she due to be married soon." Joyce shares as she watches Karen dancing with a man that's not her fiancé.
"It is nice…your work here." Liv stutters out.
"Thank you." He returns the gesture and continues to watch Liv
"Listen I just have a small backyard and I don't really have a budget."
"Small is okay." He goes in his jacket pocket and pulls out a card. "Business is business no pressure. If you're ever ready (double meaning) call me." He hands her his card and walks off with a smirk on his face. He now knows for sure Liv is attracted to him but too afraid to admit it and knowing this he also knows he will see her again.
Liv is still standing now alone flustered but happy. She now has a chance to see him again without all the pomp and circumstance. She places the card in her purse and continues to enjoy the party.
Two days later Liv sits on her sofa staring at Fitz card as she debates whether or not to call him. She decides to call Abby first she needed someone to talk to about her feelings. "Hey Abs."
"Hey Liv I heard your blind date didn't go so well."
"Yeah umm that's what I want to talk to you about."
"O…kay what's up?"
"He was cute…no I take that back he was fine…and sexy…and I…I don't know what to do."
"Why not? Is he jobless or something?"
"No he's actually a landscaping architect with strong muscular arms, thick curly hair, beautiful blue eyes…"
"Wait…wait…wait blue eyes? Dam I've never seen a black man with blue eyes he sounds sexy as hell so what's the problem?"
"Well he's umm…umm…he's white." Abby pause as she drinks her juice slowly placing her glass on the kitchen counter "Really? And you like him…don't you?"
"Yes but what would everyone think if I step out of my blackness and start dating a white man I will be scrutinized and ostracized and my black card will be forever cancelled."
"Liv are you hearing yourself right now? You sound so stupid and conflicted for no damn reason. Who cares what people think and how the hell can you lose your so called black card when you're black. It's not like you can change your skin color. Come on now. As far as friends and family go you have to teach people to love you for you and respect your life choices or you will forever be living for everyone but yourself, and I promise you there is no happiness in that. You can't let what everyone else thinks is best for you, dictate your life. You never know Liv he may be the man of your dreams and you're going to miss out because of a so called black card or blackness that says it a violation in life to date someone outside of your race. Ugg I'm so irritated right now."
"Abby calm down, I get it I swear I do. That's why I called you. I needed some encouragement."
"So you're going to call him?"
"Yes but not like a date but to landscape my yard so I can spend some time watching him and if something develops from there…who knows."
"Really…landscaping your yard?"
"Yeah then I can get to know him without the pressure of dating." Liv says biting her lower lip.
"Well it's a start at least you're trying."
"I am. So let me get off this phone so I can call him and set up a visit." They say there goodbye and Liv dials Fitz and waits
"Hello."
"Hi…umm this is Olivia."
"Hi."
"Hi."
A/N: So it starts. A new chapter is already in process.