Tis the Season of Second Chances

by remusslupinn

One shot: Olivia and Fitz's breakup over a year ago didn't end well, and they haven't spoken in person since. They run into each other at a bar on a cold, December night, and are faced head-on with their unresolved, complicated feelings.

Hello friends, please note that this all takes place either before or after the pandemic (whichever you'd like), which is why there are no COVID-19 safety precautions taken. Just wanted to make that clear :)

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays.

---

Olivia looked out the window in her beautiful Chicago office, seeing the snow fall.

She was instantly brought back to one of her favorite years — the year it felt like it was nonstop snowing the entire month of December.

She'd been particularly annoyed about it that year at the time. The commutes to and from work took longer. And while it looked beautiful coming down, the gross slush in the city streets wasn't exactly pleasing to look at.

But that was also the year she cherished most now, looking back on it. Her last good Christmas. With the man she loved beside her.

And thinking about it now — she almost had to laugh at how dramatic she'd been about all the snow that year. Even with its downsides — she couldn't deny the happiness that grew inside her every time it snowed. It reminded her of the holiday season — and that was usually a cheerful, wonderful time.

Usually.

Not last Christmas — that was for sure. Last Christmas had been bad. A couple months after a breakup. A bad breakup. With the man she truly thought she'd marry someday. The man who had once been her everything. Her rock.

The breakup hurt, but it had felt inevitable at the time. Little fights here and there, and those added up. They weren't always about stupid things either, like some fights admittedly were. A good handful were about substantial things, and when they'd escalate, both of them had tended to say things they'd later come to regret. Things that they didn't mean, but things that hurt. Sometimes they'd leave off so pissed at each other they couldn't sleep in the same room, or look at each other the next day.

It was why they'd ended things. It had seemed like it was for the better. It really had.

Both had moved on now. Or at least, he had, and she'd been trying to. But she knew she wasn't over him. She didn't know if she ever would be, really. She always kind of thought he was the one. And somehow, even after everything they'd been through, part of her still thought that.

She thought that because after all this time, she hadn't healed. She was still broken. Still pissed at him, but was tired of being pissed at him. Still didn't want to look at him, yet wanted to see him at the same time.

Because she still missed him. Wanted him. Thought about him constantly.

And still loved him.

That's why it was hard to truly move on — when he had been such an important person in her life. She could fuck around with other guys, and it would just be meaningless. She could think about him with his girlfriend now, and still be jealous, and mad. Particularly, because she was someone Olivia had always been jealous of. Someone that she had never particularly liked —and Fitz had known it. This woman had been the cause of their biggest fight that ended their relationship, after all.

And although she knew in her heart he had never cheated on her, the fact that this woman was who Fitz had started dating after they broke up, made her even more pissed. It had eaten at her for over a year.

And through all of this, she had seen Fitz once. Just once. Out with her. The woman who now shared his bed.

Lillian.

She was intelligent. And she was pretty. Olivia couldn't deny that; it was something she'd noticed immediately. She had a good job — she'd worked with Fitz up until a couple months ago, when she'd switched companies. Olivia had learned that detail from one of her and Fitz's mutual friends, Mellie.

Mellie was in a bit of an odd spot, because she truly was a friend to both Olivia and Fitz. But now, it was awkward. They didn't all hang out together anymore. They didn't go on double dates together anymore, with her and her husband Marcus.

Now Mellie was somewhat caught in between. Olivia tried not to talk much to her about Fitz; she didn't really want to, and she knew it wouldn't exactly be fun for Mellie, either. And whether or not Fitz asked Mellie about Olivia — Olivia didn't know. She was afraid to ask Mellie that for fear that...he hadn't asked about her. But, Olivia did take a lot of comfort in the fact that Mellie had made it very clear that she didn't like Lillian either. She hadn't given Olivia a solid reason other than the fact that it was clearly just a shitty situation — one in which she wasn't too impressed with Fitz. But Olivia knew there was another reason too.

Mellie couldn't stand to see either Olivia or Fitz with anyone else but each other. Mellie hadn't particularly liked any of the guys Olivia had seen since her breakup with Fitz, either. Not even the best of them, whom Olivia had actually liked a little bit — Russell.

He hadn't driven her nuts. He hadn't made her mad, or annoyed her. He should have been a perfect fit, in theory.

But he also hadn't made her feel anything. He hadn't made her skin tingle. He hadn't made her heart race just at the thought of him. He hadn't sent a rush of excitement through her body every time he kissed her, or touched her.

He hadn't been Fitz. Nobody would ever be Fitz.

And a part of her knew Fitz felt the same. She had no proof of that. She just...knew it. She knew that nobody would ever be her.

She'd gathered this from when they'd seen each other out and about that one single time — at the restaurant they used to go to together.

She'd seen his eyes, flickering over to her table. She'd seen the smile he gave Lillian. Not quite fake, but not quite genuine either. Not the smile he used to give to Olivia. She'd seen how he looked at Lillian. Contently. But not the way he used to look at her.

This had all been at their old restaurant, of course, which had felt like another punch to the gut. Even going there with her girlfriends for a night out had been difficult. But she did love the food, drinks, and environment, so she'd agreed.

And seeing him there — with this other woman she'd always kind of despised. That hurt. But perhaps his clear, lingering interest in Olivia, even after all that time, had made it feel a little less awful.

The problem was their stubbornness, and their pride. And at least for Olivia — the fear of going back to something that seemingly didn't work, and wouldn't work ever.

That could be insanity — to do the same thing again and expect a different outcome.

Or...it could just be another chance.

She didn't know. But she did know that because she still had unresolved feelings toward him, and about him, that it was all really difficult. It was difficult to think about facing him, and even forgiving him, when she still felt a certain way. He'd said some despicable things to her. Some he couldn't and wouldn't ever be able to take back. Things that still made her face red with fury when she thought about them.

But she'd said some things, too. She'd said a lot of things — even before he'd gone and gotten involved with Lillian. And if she had to bet — he probably felt the same unresolved anger toward her as well. He probably felt a lot of the things that she felt.

So, it was pride. But fear, too. Fear to try again, knowing how it ended last time. Fear to reach out, even.

She hadn't even talked to him, really. Not since they'd gone their separate ways. Since their breakup, the only thing they'd done was wish each other a happy birthday through text. A quick message followed by a quick response, both times. And that had been it.

And despite her anger toward him, she would never try to get in the middle of his relationship with another woman. She sure as hell was jealous of her. But that was all she'd ever let it be.

So it remained this cycle. Gracious, but very few interactions between the two. And a lingering interest in each other — potentially on both sides.

It was rough. And she worried that she truly wouldn't ever get over him. She worried that time would never do what it was supposed to do, so she could heal.

All she could do was go about her days, and hope that she would. Distract herself with work and friends, and family, and other guys — because right now, she didn't know what else she was supposed to do about it.

---

It was a chilly December Friday night, and Olivia wasn't feeling staying in. She wasn't feeling going out either, really, but she decided to anyway.

It was always nice to go out with Mellie and grab a few drinks. Especially when she didn't have much else to do. She did debate calling the guy she was casually seeing currently — Jake. But she didn't. She wasn't up for faking it with him tonight.

Clearly she wasn't sure what she was up for. Didn't want to stay in — didn't want to go out. Didn't want to be alone, didn't want to be with people either.

Everything just seemed much more dreary during the holiday season when she wasn't actually feeling cheerful inside.

But, she was definitely up for drinking. That, she knew for sure. A couple martinis at her favorite bar just down the street from her place — that was always a win.

So, she got dressed up. Felt pretty cute, actually, looking in her mirror. Mellie confirmed that, when they met at the bar.

"Well hot damn," Mellie said, nodding at Olivia's tight black dress and stilettos. "You really brought it tonight. Not that you don't always — but damn."

"Thanks," Olivia laughed. "I don't know why. Honestly...this was the first dress I saw. Seemed easy."

"Well it is working, Liv," Mellie said. "You going to see Jake later?"

"No. I thought about it, though. But...I think I'm bored of him," Olivia said, sighing.

Mellie nodded. "Well thank God — me too."

Olivia giggled. "Okay, well you haven't liked him since the start."

"Nope. I don't care how good he is in bed — I got...boring, not-right-for-you vibes from him," Mellie shrugged.

"Yeah," Olivia said, swirling around her drink. "He was a good screw. I think that's the only reason I call him. Which is...so sad. Jesus."

"It's not sad, Liv," Mellie said. "We all need it sometimes. He's been your casual booty call for a couple months. We've all been there."

"Yeah, well. I should really try to...look, I guess. It's my fault for not trying. I shouldn't keep settling for...hookups, and guys that I know aren't right for me. But I keep doing it anyway because I'm sad and lonely, and...pissed off that I'm sad and lonely."

"Well, you haven't married any of these men yet, have you?" Mellie asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"God no," Olivia laughed.

"Right. So you haven't settled. You've just been...looking. And you have every right to feel all those things, by the way. So you do whatever you want to do, Liv. That's what's most important."

Olivia nodded in agreement, giving her friend a genuine look and raising her glass.

Mellie smiled and clinked her glass with her own. "Cheers. Here's to hoping this Holiday season is the best one."

Olivia flashed a smile back, even though she didn't feel that happy inside. But she wasn't about to say so. She didn't need to drag this night down with negativity. So she moved on, and took a big sip of her martini.

"Whew. Happy Holidays," she nodded, wincing at the stiff drink going down.

"Thatta girl," Mellie replied, taking a big drink as well. "So how's work been?"

"It's been good. Busy — lots of clients. The usual during this time," Olivia said. "How about you?"

"Pretty good. For me, it's slowed down a bit lately, so it's been easy going. Which can be nice. But, yeah, it's been good," Mellie said.

"Good. And Marcus? How's he been doing?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, he's been good! He's actually been busier with work lately too, like you. He's working on a big case right now, and...hoping a promotion is in the works soon."

"Oh, that's so awesome!" Olivia said. "If anyone deserves it, it's him. He's such a hard worker. You found a good one, Mell."

Mellie put her hand to her heart, giving Olivia a smile.

"That's very sweet of you, I sure like to think so."

"What's he up to tonight, anyway? Night out with the guys?" Olivia asked.

"Night in, actually. He's having some people over for the Bull's game tonight," Mellie responded.

"Ahhh. Well that'll be a great time," Olivia nodded. "Kind of jealous, actually!"

Mellie laughed. "Oh, you want to go crash his guy's night and watch the Bulls? We certainly can — you know I love a good basketball game."

"No, that's okay," Olivia said, laughing. "A night out with you at our favorite bar? Come on. Could it get any better than that?"

Mellie smiled, but was immediately caught off guard as she glanced into the distance behind Olivia.

Olivia didn't pay much attention to it at first, thinking she was just studying the people around them. But her demeanor grew way too nervous and weird for it to just be that.

"No, but it could get worse," Mellie whispered, looking back at Olivia.

"Oh, God. What? Is someone here?" Olivia whispered, afraid to look.

Mellie nodded, looking down at the tabletop. "It's him, he's here. He's here."

"Him? As in...him?" Olivia whisper-yelled.

"Yes," Mellie whisper-yelled back.

"Alone? With friends? With...her?" Olivia asked.

Mellie cleared her throat, seemingly trying to act normal. She was friends with both of them — if she'd been with anyone other than Olivia right now she would have gotten up to greet Fitz. But circumstances made it a bit weird, and Olivia could tell Mellie was desperately holding on to every last bit of time they had before he noticed the two women.

"Alone. I think," Mellie whispered.

Part of Olivia felt relief. A little curiosity, too, at the fact that he was alone.

"Fuck, fuck, he saw me," Mellie whispered, smiling and nodding at Fitz.

Olivia sure as hell wasn't going to look.

"Oh God," Olivia whispered, thanking the heavens she had her back turned. "This is not what I needed tonight."

"Do you...want to leave?" Mellie asked. "We seriously can go watch the game at my place if you'd rather just not deal with this right now."

Olivia sighed, shaking her head. "No, I don't want to be that person. I assume he saw me already, and knows it's me."

Mellie nodded. "I think so. He...kind of did a double-take and then stared. He still keeps looking over here."

"Great," Olivia replied.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Mellie asked.

"Nothing. I just...want to have a good night out with you," Olivia said quietly. "You can by all means say hello, though. Please don't refrain because of me. I don't want that."

"I'm not going to go out of my way to. If I go to the restroom — maybe I will on the way back briefly. I don't...I don't know. I don't want to make things tense," Mellie said worriedly.

"Oh, Mell. You could never — we did that all on our own. We're the reason we're in the position we are now," Olivia shook her head. "I'll probably do the same, though, if I need to use the restroom. I want to be civil, and since he's alone I feel like...I should, I don't know. It would be different if he was with someone, then I wouldn't want to interrupt."

"Yeah, he probably doesn't want to interrupt us, either. But...listen, it might be good for you guys, honestly. To talk, since...you're both here. Maybe it could help settle some things, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Olivia agreed. "It's probably long overdue. We need to just...get over ourselves. Both of us."

"I agree — respectfully," Mellie nodded with a smile. "You two are such great people; the best I know. Well, aside from Fitz's stupid ass decisions in the past year. But...there's no reason you two should feel this unsettling...unresolved thing between you. I know bad things went down. But that doesn't always mean things can't be somewhat settled and resolved."

Olivia nodded in agreement, but then raised an eyebrow.

"In what way?"

Mellie grew red in the cheeks and shrugged.

"Well. Obviously I miss you two together. I miss you guys. But...I don't necessarily mean it that way, not if it's not what you both want. I just think you two were such good friends — even before you started dating. And I think best friends like that shouldn't feel the way you two do. It's just always made me sad for you two. You know that."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. Me...too."

Mellie sighed, giving her an encouraging look.

Olivia tried to act nonchalant about this — but felt a little embarrassed even as she started asking the question.

"Well — I mean since you're saying this. And...he's alone. You don't...know anything do you? About, you know. Him and Lillian."

Olivia looked down at the bartop, focusing on her martini glass because she could feel herself blushing with embarrassment that she was even asking. She didn't ask Mellie about him. She really tried not to. But here he was — at the restaurant with them, alone. And she was reading into it.

"No, not that he's told me, at least. But...he doesn't usually talk to me about her, either, so I don't know that I'm the first person he would talk to. He would probably feel embarrassed to tell me, honestly. He knows I'm not a fan, and I think he just knows...that was a shitty move he pulled. But I can tell you that I definitely think it's odd that he's alone. Unless he's waiting for her or his buddies to meet him — I think it's odd," Mellie admitted.

"That's kind of what I thought," Olivia said. "I'm sure he's just waiting for her. Or...Andrew and Edison, or something. But whatever. It's not important."

She shrugged, looking off in the distance nonchalantly, realizing she wished that she was in Mellie's position now. She wanted to see him. She wanted to so badly now, but her back was to him.

And almost like Mellie read her mind — or more likely — she just knew her friend well — Mellie eyed him again.

"He's just been...looking down at his drink, and occasionally...looking over here," Mellie informed her. "He's drinking...scotch, I think."

Olivia looked worriedly at Mellie. "Oh no. That's never good."

They both knew what that meant. Scotch was usually reserved for special occasions for him. But not good special occasions. Usually — it was what he drank when something was wrong, and he needed something stronger than beer or even vodka.

"Not usually, no," Mellie said.

"Well. I hope everything's alright," Olivia said. Trying to show support, but not too much interest in the situation.

She was somewhat interested, though. But she also felt that she didn't really have a right to be, either. It wasn't her business, and everyone had shit days. It could have easily been no big deal, or a simple bad day at work. Either way — it wasn't her place anymore to wonder.

So, the conversation that night with Mellie gradually shifted away from Fitz again — thank Goodness. He wasn't really what Olivia wanted to talk about anyway. She was undeniably taken aback and a little intrigued that he was at the same bar, sitting just a ways down from them. But for her own sake and her own sanity — it was just easier to try and let that go. Even if it did cause some butterflies in her stomach — having him so near, because that wasn't the norm at all anymore. It hadn't been for so long.

Eventually, Olivia truly did have to pee. She honestly kind of wished Mellie could come with her to ease some of the tension when she stopped and talked to Fitz afterward — but they couldn't leave their things unattended, so she went alone, receiving lots of good luck wishes from Mellie.

She casually walked up to him after returning from the bathroom, seeing him turn at the sight of someone walking up to him.

His eyes did a quick once over — she'd seen it. But he smiled immediately.

"Olivia."

Oh God, part of it hurt. Part of it hurt not to hear "Livvie" like she always used to. And the other part of her was astonished they were even speaking to each other right now. In person.

"Fitz...hi. I just thought I'd stop by and say hi, quickly," she said, giving him a smile.

"Well that was nice of you, thank you! Yeah, I did a double-take as soon as I saw Mellie. I thought that was you. It's been...forever, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, over a year, I think," Olivia nodded.

About 15 months, but who was counting.

"Wow. Time has really flown," he said.

"It...really has," she agreed.

"Yeah, so um...how've you been? You been doing well?" he asked. "You look...fantastic."

"Well thank you, you look great too!" she said politely. She'd enjoyed a nice once over of him, too. He did look really good, which was even more annoying. Really good.

He was in a suit still, from work. He'd removed his jacket, though, and loosened his tie a bit. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. A look that used to make her weak in the knees. Frankly, it still did.

"I've been really well, though, thanks. Busy at work, which, as you know...I don't mind," she replied.

"Right, right."

"But yeah, everything's good. How about you?" she asked.

"Pretty good. It's been...yeah. It's alright. Thanks," he nodded.

She nodded along with him, not knowing how long she really wanted this conversation to last. But he spoke up again, so the conversation went on.

"So outside of work then. How is everyone doing. Your parents? Your brother?" he asked.

"Oh, they're...they're really good, thanks!" Olivia nodded. "My parents are always really happy during this time of year, with...all the family time and everything."

"Mhm, of course. I remember," he smiled.

"Yeah. And EJ, he's good. He actually just started a new job a couple weeks ago. And...got engaged two months ago," Olivia said.

"Oh, wow! That's so awesome, give him my best," Fitz nodded.

"I will do that, thank you," Olivia said. "How about you then? How's your family?"

"They're good, too. My dad is...well, my dad," he began.

"Yeah," Olivia laughed. She certainly knew how his dad could be. He was a good father, but he was very stiff, and usually just a bit scary, honestly. He loved his children a lot, nonetheless, though.

"And my siblings are even more spread out around the country these days," he added.

"Oh, really? Where are they all at now?" Olivia asked. She couldn't help herself now.

She snuck a peek over at Mellie, who was already looking at her. Looking at her curiously, but in a good way.

"Well, Joey's still in Boston. Dan's in Seattle now — he got relocated for work. And...Nora's in Colorado. She got into med school there," he said proudly.

Olivia smiled. "Oh — she did? God, that's amazing. I'm so happy for her!"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Yeah, she's doing great, we're all so proud of her."

"Yeah, that's...wow. Please congratulate her for me...I was always rooting for her. Ever since she was just a little freshman in college."

He smiled at her, studying her face.

"I know you were."

She stared back, almost staring too long before she forced herself to say something else.

"And...and your brothers — that's great too. Sounds like everyone's doing well," Olivia added.

He cleared his throat, looking down at his drink. "Uh...yeah. Yeah. We're all good."

She actually wondered if he was lying. Not about his siblings — but about himself being good. He was alone in this bar, still, and by now, she didn't think anyone was coming to meet him. And that was definitely a little odd. But she didn't want to ask.

"Well, good. So...anyway, I didn't want to take up too much of your time. Just...figured I'd come say hi. It was nice to talk to you," Olivia said politely.

"Oh, yeah. For sure — you weren't taking up my time at all. As you can see," he said, gesturing around him with a chuckle. "I'm not exactly busy. Thanks for...coming to say hello. It was...really great to see you, and talk."

"Yeah," she said, giving him a smile. "Alright. Well, I'm going to get back to Mellie. I think she was going to come say hi, too, we just didn't want to leave our stuff unattended."

"Yeah, right. Okay. Um...I'll see you. Thanks again for saying hi," he said.

"Mhm. See you," she nodded, giving him a brief wave.

And then she was gone — turning away from him and letting out a sigh of relief.

A sigh of relief that the conversation was over. Partially because it felt a tiny bit awkward. It had been over a year since the last time they'd talked in person — which had not ended well. But also partially — because despite the slight tension, she found herself growing more interested. More interested in the things they were talking about. More interested in how he was. And more interested in him in general. And she wasn't necessarily expecting that.

Good Lord.

She was met with a surprised, but smiling Mellie sitting there at the bar, swirling her drink.

"Hey," Olivia greeted, sitting back down.

Mellie stared her down. "Hey? Hey?"

"What?" Olivia asked, drinking the rest of her martini.

"Well Jesus — how did it go?!" Mellie asked. "You talked to him for way longer than I expected."

"Yeah, I know. I...wasn't expecting that, either," Olivia said. "It was...good. We just caught up briefly."

"And?" Mellie asked.

"And...it was fine. A little awkward, but...it was good. It was nice to talk to him," she admitted.

"I'd say. It looked like he was the happiest I've seen him all night, talking to you," Mellie replied. "And...you looked the same, for that matter."

"Oh, I don't know," Olivia laughed. "That was just us being civil adults. It was still a little forced, I think."

"Well, sure. But that doesn't mean you weren't happy, either," Mellie said, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "It was...better than I thought it would be."

"Well, good. I'm just glad you two got to talk a little bit. And I'm glad you're back, because now I have to pee," she said.

Olivia laughed. "Yeah, I told him you were going to stop and say hi, too."

"Perfect. Well, I'll be back, okay?" Mellie asked.

"Alright. Sounds good," Olivia nodded.

Mellie headed to the bathroom and Olivia ordered another drink. She was still facing away from Fitz, so she definitely didn't want to turn around and look.

But she didn't even deny to herself, anymore, that she wanted to. She was realizing now, that not having talked to him in so long, made that conversation they just had feel so good — even if it was awkward.

Even if she was still mad at him in some ways, and even if he felt the same way toward her. Even if it was just for the sake of being civil adults and nothing more. It had still felt good.

But since she didn't want to turn around and look, it felt like an eternity that Mellie was talking to him after using the restroom. It wasn't, really. She talked to him for less time than Olivia had even talked to him.

When Mellie returned, Olivia's second martini was already half gone, and she felt buzzed. Martinis were strong — and they tended to hit her fast.

"I'm back," Mellie announced, sitting back down.

Olivia smiled in relief. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"Good," Mellie nodded. "I did find out...why he's alone, too."

"Why?" Olivia asked, a little too curiously.

Mellie leaned in — giving her a small smile. "He and Lillian. They're done. I don't know how recent it is. But...they're done, regardless."

The leap Olivia's heart just did in her chest...Lord. About a million things raced through her mind, but she pushed them away and tried not to show it on her face.

"Oh...wow. Really? That's...that's too bad," Olivia nodded.

"Too bad? Excuse me? No. That, my friend, is wonderful," Mellie said.

Agreed. But still.

"Mellie," Olivia said, giving her a look.

"What? You can't blame me for cheering a little inside," she whispered. "He was an asshole for doing what he did with her. Plus, you know how I felt about her, and you know how I feel about the two of you guys. And...the fact that you're both here tonight, and you finally talked to each other? Don't you think that's...I don't know. Doesn't that make you happy, or...think about things? Doesn't it make you wonder if this is an opportunity?"

"Of course it makes me think about things," Olivia admitted. "I've been thinking about things since we broke up, Mell. That's the truth. But...how am I supposed to expect it would ever end any differently than it did the first time. In a...ball of flames."

"Because that's what second chances are for. You try again," Mellie said. "You don't know until you try...again."

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. "Or we do know, because we tried once and we both got hurt. I don't want to get hurt again. No matter...what I may still feel for him. Because...that was the worse pain I've ever felt in my life. And look at me. It's been over a year and I'm still...ridiculous enough to feel hurt about it. I don't want to do this again, Mellie. I literally cannot go through this again. I'm still trying to...get over the first time."

Mellie sighed sadly, but nodded understandingly. "I know, honey. I know. I'm sorry, you're right. I don't want that either. I'm so sorry."

"You have no reason to apologize," Olivia said. "You've always been there. For both of us. I know you mean well. And I know you just miss us. And you know what? I do too, Mellie. I miss us too. I'm just...afraid."

"I understand," Mellie agreed. "We don't have to talk about it anymore — I know you don't like to, and Jesus, we've talked more about him tonight than we have in a year. So..."

"Yes, we really have," she agreed with a laugh. "So. Onto something else."

"Absolutely."

---

"Absolutely not."

"I'll be fine, Mell," Olivia assured her with a laugh. "I just want to finish this drink, and then I'll walk home. It will literally take me three minutes to get home — and I'll text you when I get there. As always."

Mellie eyed her and nodded slowly. "Hmm. Okay. Only if you text me. Promise?"

"Promise," Olivia nodded. "I'll be safe."

"Okay. Well, have a good rest of your night then, and I will be expecting a text from you."

"Okay," Olivia agreed. "You have a good night, too. Maybe we can have dinner next week or something?"

"Yes please!" Mellie nodded, leaning in for a hug. "Love you, Liv."

"Love you," Olivia said, kissing her cheek. "Say hi to Marc for me."

"Always. Bye!"

"Bye, Mell."

She looked down at her drink — about half of it left. She wasn't too drunk by any means. But she definitely wasn't sober, either.

Now that she was alone, and her buzzed thoughts were roaming around in her head — she immediately began to think about Fitz again.

She didn't want to look. She didn't want to look.

Yes she did.

She wanted to know if he was still here. And Mellie wasn't here to let her know, so she decided she was just going to have to adjust her seat to play it off — and be able to look, herself.

She nonchalantly stood up and adjusted her chair so that it faced straightforward — allowing her to look to her left and right if she wanted to.

In doing so, she looked to her left casually, and realized he wasn't there anymore. His glass was still there — as if he had only recently left. But his jacket was gone, too.

Surprisingly — Olivia didn't feel relief. After initially worrying about it and letting it make her anxious tonight — she figured she'd feel relieved about it. But really, she just felt...a little sad about it.

She just didn't have too much time to feel sad — because in the midst of the still decently busy bar, someone sat down next to her where Mellie had been sitting.

A man. A handsome man, actually. And Mellie's glass was still there — so he was really taking a chance, at the risk he was sitting in someone else's spot.

He didn't seem to care though. He reeked of confidence. And although Olivia was not feeling talking to some random guy right now, especially when she was planning on leaving soon, he had every right to feel confident. Damn.

Olivia looked around, watching him smile at her.

"Hey there."

"Um...hey," Olivia greeted.

"I hope this seat wasn't taken," he said, eyeing her up and down.

"Uh..." Olivia began, checking him out in return. "Actually, sorry, um...I was just about to head out, so."

"Whaaat? Come on. Your drink's not even gone," he reasoned, flashing her a smile.

She looked back down at her drink, and nodded. "Yeah. You're right. I guess what I meant to say is...thanks, but no thanks."

He raised an eyebrow. "I've given you no reason to thank me yet, baby, but believe me, I can if you want to."

Ooookay dude.

She actually let out a laugh. This guy really was confident.

But that didn't change the fact that she just wasn't interested, or feeling it.

She was just about to say as much — but she didn't get the chance.

"Excuse me," a voice spoke up.

Both Olivia and the man turned, seeing another man standing by them now, jacket hanging on his arm.

A handsome man, yet again. Only this one, she recognized.

"Fitz?" she asked.

"You know this guy?" the other man asked.

"She does. Actually just came to have another round with her, if you don't mind," Fitz nodded, gesturing to the seat the man was now sitting in.

He kind of scoffed, looking over at Olivia for confirmation. He clearly smelled bullshit, considering Olivia had just told him she was going to leave soon, not stay for another round. But he couldn't exactly call them out on it with no actual proof.

So Olivia gave him the closest thing he'd get to proof, even if it wasn't entirely believable.

She nodded at him, and then looked to Fitz again. "Yeah, I was...waiting for you."

Fitz smiled back and cleared his throat, waiting for the guy to get up. There was even a little sass in Fitz's body language, which was amusing.

"Well, alright then I guess," the guy said, getting up and giving Fitz a look.

Fitz just smiled back, and it almost made Olivia laugh.

But she didn't. She gave a polite nod to the guy as he walked away — who was clearly not feeling happy enough now to nod back.

"That was exciting," Fitz remarked, setting his coat down in an open seat.

But she was sitting there waiting for at least some sort of explanation for what he'd done. She'd thought he was gone for Christ's sake — but here he was. Budging in on some handsome, but clearly arrogant man's flirting game.

But then he spoke up.

"I can leave as soon as he's out of sight," Fitz said.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What did you even...do that for? I didn't know you were still here."

"I was on my way back from the bathroom and I saw him talking to you. I could tell you weren't into it, which...I know isn't my business. But...next thing I knew I was walking over here. I'm sorry. I know you don't need saving, and you can handle yourself. I just thought I could...help."

"I definitely don't need saving. But thanks," she nodded. "Why did you think...I wasn't into it?"

"You were…leaning back in your chair. Fiddling with your hands in your lap," he answered, not meeting her eyes.

She realized she was no longer doing any of those things. Actually, her hands were resting on the bar top now, and she was leaning into the conversation with Fitz already.

Had her demeanor really changed that much already, from when she'd been talking to a random guy to now, with Fitz?

"I see. So...even after all this time, you can just...tell something like that, huh?" she asked.

He finally looked up at her, giving her half a smile. "I've known you for a long time. Just because we don't talk anymore doesn't mean I can't still read your body language."

She shrugged and nodded, but didn't say anything back.

"But I do have to admit — that was a good looking dude. So...although this isn't my business either, I am a little curious as to why you weren't feeling it," he said nonchalantly.

She laughed, but nodded. "You're right. That is none of your business."

He nodded in agreement. "Sorry."

"I'm kidding. I guess I'm just…not feeling up to much these days," she admitted, letting the alcohol in her system expose things she maybe wouldn't if she were sober.

But he just nodded in response. "Yeah. You know what — I feel the exact same way."

"Hm," she replied, taking a big sip of her martini. "Yeah. I think I…heard about that before."

"Ah. From Mellie," he guessed.

"Mhm. I'm sorry to hear about your breakup," she said.

He shrugged. "Yeah. Uh...thanks."

"I'm sure...things will work out how they're supposed to. They always seem to," Olivia shrugged. "Well. At least that's what people always tell me, I don't know."

He sighed. "Yeah. People always seem to tell me that, too. I'm not sure things will do it themselves, though. I think it's only up to me to...work out what I need to work out."

Olivia nodded. "Well, all the best of luck to you on that one."

"Thanks," he replied. "So…what about you then. Why are you here alone?"

"Well, Mellie was tired so she went home. And…I just wanted to finish my drink before I left. Then that guy showed up, and...now you're here," she explained.

"Oh, right. Yeah. I can leave now I suppose. I don't see him anymore," he nodded.

"Oh, yeah. Okay," Olivia replied. "I didn't…mean that you had to, though."

He paused, studying her. "I'm sure you're…leaving soon, anyway. You're almost gone there," he said, gesturing to her drink.

"Yeah, that's true," she agreed, analyzing her glass.

"I mean, unless you wanted to…catch up for real, over another round," he suggested.

She turned to him with a laugh. "Oh, you mean we didn't catch up earlier tonight?"

He chuckled. "God no. That was…robotic, and embarrassing. Do you think we did?"

"I don't know. I mean, it was nice to talk to you, but it did feel kind of…forced, in a way."

"Ah, so you didn't really want to stop and say hi to me?" he challenged.

"No, I…did," she replied. "I'm glad I did."

"I'm glad you did, too," he said, making eye contact with her.

She met his eyes, and then looked away with a slight smile toward her drink.

"What do you say then? You want to have a real conversation?" he asked.

She shrugged, gesturing to the seat next to her. "Alright."

He waved the bartender over and sat down, ordering another scotch for himself, and another martini for her.

"Oh, thanks. You didn't have to do that," Olivia said.

"My pleasure," he nodded, taking out his wallet. "So."

"…So," she laughed.

"How have you really been?" he asked. "It's been…forever, seriously."

"I wasn't really lying, I guess. I've been good," she nodded.

Eh…was that really the whole truth? Not entirely.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Mhm," she nodded. "How about you? Were you lying?"

He sighed. "Actually...a little bit, yeah."

"How come?" she asked.

He laughed. "To be honest…because I didn't want you to think I wasn't doing well. I wanted you to think...I was great. Which…is stupid, and childish, I know. But the truth."

"Oh. Well, thank you for...being honest, then. I'm sorry to hear you're not doing well, though," she answered.

"It's alright. But…I'm glad to hear you're doing well for real," he nodded.

Hmm…

"Well. I guess I may have…embellished a bit, too," she admitted.

He tilted his head at her.

"You told two little white lies then?" he teased.

She laughed quietly. "Sorry. I didn't tell you the whole truth, no. For the same reasons you didn't."

"I don't blame you. It's…you and me. We've had our issues. So…to be honest, the fact that we're even talking right now, honest or not, is…impressive," he said.

"I agree," she replied.

"Long overdue, too," he added.

"Yeah. I don't think...leaving off how we left off and then never speaking again in person was...healthy," she said.

"Probably not," he said, clearing his throat. "I uh...I know, when we...when we ended things, I was a dick. I know that. And I really want to apologize for that."

She nodded slowly, looking over at him. The conversation had undeniably been much more informal this go around, and she wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. Or neither?

"Wow. Are we...really doing this right now?"

"Doing what?" he asked.

"Getting into this?" she laughed.

He shrugged. "I just wanted to apologize, I guess. I should have before now, and...I didn't. Which was another dick move. So basically, I'm just...a dick."

She nodded, seeing him start to chuckle, which made her laugh too.

"Well. I won't speak to that. But...thanks for the apology. I suppose I should apologize, too," she said. "Since we're talking about dicks, I was also a dick."

"I wouldn't have used that word for you," he said. "But...thanks."

"Well, you seemed to have many choice names for me back then," she pointed out.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh — what was it you were saying before about getting into this?"

She laughed. "Touché. Sorry."

"I'm kidding. I agree with you a hundred percent," he shrugged. "I'll own up to everything I ever did, and said."

"Wow. You will, huh?" she asked.

He scoffed. "You think that little of me — that I wouldn't?"

"I don't think little of you," she replied, shaking her head.

He appeared to let out a sigh of relief, taking a sip of his fresh glass of scotch.

"You're the last person I would ever want to think that way about me," he admitted.

Now she was a little taken aback and confused, but admittedly, intrigued.

"Hmm. And what about Lillian?" Olivia asked, taking a sip of her drink too.

She could feel herself becoming gradually braver, and she could give credit to the alcohol for that. Martinis were particularly dangerous for her, and she wasn't used to having this many in one sitting. She was genuinely drunk now, and from their conversation already, she could tell he was too. Not in the sense that their words were slurring or they'd be stumbling. But just to the point where they were acting like close friends, chatting over their weekly drink.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. But clearly, I'm the issue when it comes to dating — because she definitely thinks little of me now."

"Hmm. Well, maybe you just need some time," Olivia suggested hesitantly.

The fact that she was even giving him advice on another woman still made her feel somewhat sick.

"Yeah. Uh...I don't know. Maybe," he replied, uninterested.

"I have no doubt everything will work out for you."

"Well, thanks, I guess," he replied. "And you? Did you...turn that guy down earlier because you're already...with someone?"

She shook her head. "First of all — I think you turned that guy down, not me."

He chuckled at her. "Oh, should I go grab him then? I can — I think he went and sat somewhere around the corner. Seriously — "

He started to get up, acting as if he was actually going to find this guy again.

Olivia was laughing, shaking her head.

"No, no, no —" she said, grabbing his hand with a laugh.

He was smiling back at her now, pointing to the other end of the bar.

"Are you sure? I can...I can go find him, it's really no big deal," he offered.

He pulled on her hand, so that she'd pull back. And she did, still shaking her head and laughing.

"No, no, don't do that," she said, squeezing his hand.

"Hmm, okay," he chuckled, adjusting his hand in hers.

He sat back down, still holding on, smiling at her laugh.

"Okay, yes, I would have turned him down," she admitted. "But not because of that. I have been seeing someone...very casually. He's just not...why I would have turned that guy down. I just wasn't feeling it."

"Ahh. Got it," Fitz nodded, glancing down at their hands, still connected loosely on the bar top.

She hadn't even noticed — she'd been too busy trying to figure out how to say she had a fuck buddy without really saying she had one. And apparently — holding onto his hand felt normal, almost. So normal she'd tuned it out.

Only now she wasn't. Now, she was looking at their hands awkwardly along with him.

She cleared her throat and pulled it away, hoping to God they could just play that off. And they did.

"So...who's the lucky guy, then?" he asked, sitting back in his chair casually.

"You wouldn't know him. His name is Jake," Olivia answered.

"Hmm. I don't like his name," Fitz stated.

Olivia scoffed. "Well, I have a feeling he wouldn't care too much about that."

"No, probably not," Fitz chuckled. "Well. As long as you're...happy."

She nodded solemnly, almost wanting to tell him she wasn't. Her drunken state almost let her.

But she still had some good judgment left in her. Maybe. And she held it in. Because she didn't know what would make her happy, in all reality. So she kept it to herself.

"I hope...you are, too," she nodded in return.

He flashed her a smile and nodded back.

And then they changed the subject, and truly caught up after they'd only exchanged "happy birthday" texts over the last 15 months.

And it was nice. It felt much more normal than their first chat earlier this evening. More relaxed, as they started to grow comfortable with one another again. As they started to remember what it was like to talk to each other and not be entirely pissed off.

And it went on for a long time, actually. They didn't have any more to drink — which was probably a good thing. Both were liquored up just fine. Not too much, but definitely enough to help their conversation feel easier and smoother.

So smooth that it wasn't just a "catching up" conversation anymore. It eventually turned into a conversation about them. About when they'd been together.

Fitz was laughing, shaking his head at her.

"I still can't believe that actually happened."

"What? That we crashed a wedding or that we got away with it?" she asked.

"That we got away with it, obviously," he turned to her, laughing. "Us crashing a wedding is not surprising at all."

"No, it's really not," she agreed with a laugh. "That cake was really good..."

"Oh God — and the open bar?" he asked, smirking at her.

They both just about burst into laughter, shaking their heads.

"We were so dumb," she said.

"We were young, cut us a little slack," he chuckled.

"We were 22, we weren't that young," she laughed.

"Okay true. But that was still a great night," he pointed out.

"Oh it definitely was," she agreed. "I particularly enjoyed that drunk groomsman thinking you were some guy named Brian the whole night."

Fitz cracked up, shaking his head. "Man. We had some...fun adventures together."

"Yeah. We did," she agreed.

It was fun — remembering all their fun times. All of the magic, frankly, that had existed in her life when she'd been with him.

He sighed, resting his face in his palm, with his elbow on the bar top.

"And then we really just fucked it all up," he nodded, studying her.

She studied him back, and then nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's pretty accurate."

"Why'd we do that?" he asked quietly, looking at her.

She stared, seeing the genuine look in his eyes. But she was remembering, now, how she felt back then when things had ended. Him bringing it up was bringing it back.

So she sighed and shook her head. "Because we were just...not good together."

He looked at her like a hurt puppy, almost. "Wow. You said that with such a straight face, I almost...believed you."

"You think I'm wrong?" she challenged.

"I don't know. You really think you're right?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she asked. "We fought...so much. That wasn't healthy."

"Couples fight. It happens," he said. "Look at me now — it's still been happening to me."

"Well, I hope you and her can find a solution. Because if you don't, you'll end up just like you and I ended up. Done for good," she said.

He looked like he was about to roll his eyes, but then he just stared at her. Almost angrily, but not quite.

"We were good together."

"Sorry, are we talking about you and her now, or are we still talking about you and me?" she asked.

He scoffed, looking away.

"Come on. Don't do that," he said.

"Don't do what?" she asked. "I thought it was a genuine question."

"Get jealous. Like you always do," he said.

"I'm not jealous, Fitz. I have nothing to be jealous of. And don't presume to know me anymore — just because you think you do."

"I do. I absolutely do. And you know me. Don't act like you don't," he replied.

"I don't have to act like I don't. I don't. It's been over a year, Fitz, we're...different people now than we were then," she replied.

"Really? So you can just...forget, like that?" he asked.

She actually had to laugh. "You're kidding, right? We haven't talked since we broke up, Fitz. And neither of us made any effort to. So don't sit here and talk to me, asking me how I can 'forget.' You're fucking right I'm trying to forget. You broke my heart."

"And you broke mine," he said, turning to face her.

She glared back at him and they both met each other's eyes. Seeing the hurt — prominent in both of them. But what was this going to do? Fighting in a bar with too much alcohol in their systems probably wouldn't solve anything.

She sighed, starting to get out of her chair.

He grabbed her hand.

"No, no. Wait, please. Please...don't go," he said.

She pulled her hand away, shaking her head at him. "Fitz, this was inevitable. We can try to…catch up, and be as civil as we want, but clearly we have a lot that's unresolved between us, and I'm not going to expose everyone else here to our mess."

"Fine, then…let's go somewhere else. Away from here, or something," he suggested.

"Why? What's the point, after all this time?" she asked.

"I don't know, Olivia, maybe because it could actually help…fucking resolve things?" he asked. "Unless you think that's somehow a bad thing. I don't know how it's been for you the past year, trying to deal with this, but it's been a living hell for me. I'm tired of it."

That, she could agree with.

But still. Would this really help anything? She certainly wasn't going to have this conversation here. Clearly, that would end badly. Her place on the other hand, was close and private, so it made sense. But did she really want him back in her apartment now too? Jesus.

She struggled internally with what to do, but she decided that maybe he had a point. Maybe they could actually talk about this, and it would provide some closure. Maybe it would finally be what she needed in order to start healing.

"Fine," she muttered. "Let's go."

The walk back to her apartment, while short, was awkward.

"I didn't...mean for us to come here. I'm sure you don't want me here," he finally said, as they approached the elevator in her building.

"No, I don't, Fitz, but where else are we going to go that's private?" she asked. "My place was close. It's fine."

"Well, we could have gone to my place. Or…I don't know, the park for all I care."

"Yes, let's freeze our asses off in the park, in the snow, while we reopen our wounds, shall we?" she asked.

He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You're right. Maybe this is a shitty idea," he muttered, as they walked down her hallway.

"Oh, it has very high potential to be a shitty idea," she nodded, approaching her front door.

She heard him let out a frustrated sigh as he stood close to her, watching her open her door.

Thank goodness her apartment was pretty clean. That was a positive in all of this, at least.

She flipped on one of the light switches as they both walked in, seeing all of her Christmas lights in her living room turn on. They were all plugged into one of the outlets that was wired to that specific light switch, so she tended to just turn that on sometimes. It was festive and provided nice low lighting that wasn't so bright. Only now, since it was dark outside, it almost felt a little like mood lighting…

Olivia headed to the kitchen and pulled out her phone; she had to at least let Mellie know she was home now to fulfill her promise, especially after being out for longer than initially planned. She wasn't, however, going to inform her about who came home with her. Not yet — because she had no idea how this night was going to end and didn't want to go into explaining all of this to her just yet.

Fitz couldn't help but smile to himself at her beautiful Christmas tree, and all of the decorations she had around her elegant apartment. So cute and festive, and so Olivia.

"Your place looks…nice," he said quietly, but awkwardly. "I see some…new decorations."

"Mhm," she agreed, taking off her jacket. "Do you want…anything to drink. Water, or something?"

"No, I'm fine," he answered, taking off his jacket, too.

He draped it over her couch, looking at her sadly.

They just stood there now, staring at one another.

"Why? Why can't we even…do this?" he asked.

"Do what, Fitz?" she asked with a sigh.

"Why can't we even…talk about you and me without getting…I don't know. Snippy," he said.

She shrugged, looking at him from the start of her hallway. He was still standing in the living room, by the couch.

She leaned against the wall, putting her hands to her face in frustration now, too.

"I don't…I don't know. Probably because we should have had this conversation…13 months ago instead of today," she sighed sadly.

He nodded in agreement. "Well, that's probably true, yeah."

"At this point, it just feels like…if we haven't tried after all this time, I don't know what the point is now. Especially given the fact you're trying to work things out with someone else, and I'm not…interested."

Eh, debatable.

He looked a little hurt as he stared down at the couch, but didn't address what she said.

"I'm sorry for what I said and did to you. I'm…fucking sorry, Olivia," he said quietly.

"Which part?" she asked.

"All of it," he said immediately. "For…being an asshole. For leaving you hanging, and ignoring your calls after our last fight. For…letting my pride get in the way of being a decent human being. I'm fucking sorry. I wish…I just wish you knew how sorry I was. I mean it."

She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall.

"I know you probably don't believe me. I just…want to make that clear. I regret all of that," he replied. "I hurt you. And that was…the stupidest thing I've ever done."

She wasn't really sure what to say. She did believe him, though. She really did.

She didn't say anything for a while. They stood in silence as she processed the genuine apology she hadn't ever received before now. And then it was her turn. Because while she hadn't received a true apology herself, she also hadn't given one, either.

"Thanks," she said. "I'm…sorry too. I'm sorry."

He nodded slowly at her. "Thank you."

"I know…I can get jealous. Really jealous. I know that…I can project things onto people. And I did that to you. I know I accused you of things. And I know I also said a lot of things that weren't…fair, and things I didn't mean. I regret that, too," she said.

He nodded. "I know, Liv."

Her heart fluttered a little bit, at the nickname. And her skin tingled. Having him this near, and having this conversation with him. Something she never would have imagined, waking up today. Something she didn't think would ever happen.

But here they were.

"I never wanted this to…happen. I never wanted us to end, and…even after we did, I never wanted us to completely cut each other off," he said.

"Well, back then, we both made it pretty damn clear that we wanted nothing to do with each other," she replied.

"Yeah, well back then I was a fucking dumbass, Olivia," he shot back. "I don't know how you feel, but…I'm telling you, I…if I got a redo, I would do things differently."

"What would you do differently?" she asked.

"I don't know, I...wouldn't have left. I would have…shut up, instead of…saying things I couldn't take back," he replied.

"And would you have still gone and immediately started sleeping with the one woman I was insecure about? Would you have literally gone and proved my point again?" she asked.

He sighed, shaking his head in frustration, and shame.

"That's right. You would have, wouldn't you? You just couldn't help yourself," Olivia nodded.

"Seriously? We apologize for all of five seconds and now we're back to this again?" he asked.

"Are you kidding me, Fitz? You wanted to have a conversation, but now you can't handle what that actually entails?" she asked.

"I can handle it just fine. Clearly, I'm standing here telling you I fucking regret...everything I did, I just can't believe it's going to come back to her. Again," he said.

She rolled her eyes, now growing angry again. God, it was all rushing back again, too. Just like it did briefly at the bar. She could almost feel the tears coming now, which she tried so hard to push away. She didn't need to add those to the mix as she yelled at him in response.

"Of course it's going to!" Olivia exclaimed. "Why did you think it wouldn't? You're trying to apologize for everything you did, but you still won't own up to that, for God's sake?"

"Because I didn't do anything wrong!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, Jesus. So I had no reason to think the things I did, huh? No reason to be insecure? No reason to accuse you of anything?" she asked. "I am sorry for it. I didn't have proof and I shouldn't have accused you of anything. But you have to admit, we break up and she's who I hear you go after. Really, Fitz? How do you think that felt? For all I know, you did go behind my back with her. How would I really know, anymore? Seriously — "

Now he was walking toward her, pointing at her angrily. "I never…I never did that," he said angrily, looking at her. He was now standing in front of her by the hallway wall, and she looked back at him angrily, too.

"You know that. You know me," he said, studying her eyes. He could barely get his words out now, because he was so angry, and she'd done it yet again. She'd accused him of something that he didn't do. Would never do. And it pissed him off and hurt him at the same time.

"You really seem to think we still know each other, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, because it's true," he said, standing his ground. "I never went behind your back. Ever. She was…my friend. She was…she was there for me, after you and I ended things. I didn't intend —"

"Oh save it, good God," she interrupted.

"Just — Fucking Christ, listen to me!" he exclaimed.

She looked at him angrily, but didn't say anything back. She gave him a small window, and he eagerly took it.

"She was…there. She…was my fucking friend. And we didn't mean for it to…be anything more. It just…happened, and…" he sighed, putting his hands to his face in frustration. "I was just…I was sad, and stupid, and…too pissed off at you and proud to…to call you, and it escalated with her…"

"Mhm," Olivia nodded along, feeling the absolute gut-punch of the truth. And it made her madder. It hurt, so much. She could have a big jealous side, clearly. But, for a reason. And that side, mixed with pain, and alcohol, was not a good combination. Because it was rearing its ugly head now all over again.

"I'm sure it felt good — pissing me off more and getting your dick wet at the same time, huh," Olivia nodded. "And I'm sure she feels special. I bet you're real sweet with her," she said.

He slammed his hands against the wall, shaking his head. He'd unintentionally trapped her there between his arms, so now they were closer than ever, with the anger radiating off both of them.

"Stop."

"Stop what?" she asked.

"I fucked up, okay? Just…I fucked up," he admitted. "It was wrong. It was…I fucked up."

"Yeah, you know, I fucked up too, Fitz. I was too proud and too pissed off to call you, too. I regret things, too. But I didn't go and start fucking some guy I knew you hated afterward as a nice cherry on top, did I?"

"I know," he nodded. "I know, okay?" he exclaimed.

"But you're still trying to make things right with her, aren't you?" Olivia asked, nodding at him.

He shook his head, frustrated. "No. I…no. I only...alluded to that because Mellie had...had mentioned other guys before. Guys for...you. I figured you were seeing people, and I…I panicked. I wasn't expecting to see you tonight and I didn't want you to think I was...fucking pathetic. Okay?"

"Why would I think you're pathetic?" she asked.

"Because!" he yelled.

"Because why?" she asked.

"Because I'm the one that went and…fucked shit up so badly, and…I'm the one that's not okay because of it. I don't go a damn day without…thinking about you for fuck's sake. I dug myself this hole that I don't know how to get out of, while you're moving on and…seeing other people, and…"

"Oh, you've been dating another woman this whole time for God's sake, and I'm the one moving on just because I casually see other guys?" she asked. "Jesus, Fitz. You think I'm okay? You think I don't think about you every day?"

He looked a little confused and surprised, genuinely not expecting to hear that from her. He leaned his forehead down against hers with a sigh.

"No. I didn't…I didn't know that," he said regretfully. "That's never...what I gathered— whenever Mellie and I talked."

"Of course not — you think I would mope and whine to our mutual friend, Fitz? You were the one talking about not wanting me to think you're pathetic — did you do that?" she asked.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"No. I...no. I didn't," he admitted quietly.

She nodded at him, shrugging. "Well, there you go."

He looked at her solemnly, but also like he had something to tell her.

"I haven't been with her in months," he began. "We've been done. I want you to know that. It shouldn't have ever happened in the first place. I wish it didn't."

"Oh, yeah, I really buy that," Olivia replied. "How long did it take to get in bed with her after we were broken up?"

"Will you fucking stop?" he shook his head.

"Why? If we're being honest, why not just let it all out?" she asked, leaning closer to him. "Like how you...take her out to our old restaurant. Or how about...midnight sex, on every birthday and anniversary, is that your guys' thing now, too? Oh, in fact — you know what I really wanna know?"

He bit his lip, looking down at her perfect lips as she closed the distance between them. Remembering all of their things.

"I want to know if...you think about me, when you kiss her. When you fuck her," Olivia whispered.

He winced and looked at her almost painfully.

"Olivia, stop," he whispered back.

"Why? You don't want to admit it?" she asked.

"Would you want to admit something like that?" he shot back, glancing between her eyes and lips. "Huh? How does it feel to be asked that question? With all the guys you're casually fucking these days— do you think about me?"

"Mmm…I bet you'd love it if I said yes, wouldn't you?" she whispered, looking at his lips now.

He licked his lips as he listened to her, and she soon felt his breath against her lips as she talked.

He moved his body even closer to hers, studying her facial expression. And she tried to ignore the fact that their bodies were pressed together now against the wall, and that her clit was throbbing because of him. She tried to ignore the fact that he was in the position of dominance right now — and there was a part of her that wanted him to act on it.

He was almost panting against her lips now, and she could feel him. She could feel him against her. Apparently, she wasn't the only one turned on by the other's voice, and how close they were.

"Wouldn't you," she said again.

He let out a shaky breath, swallowing hard.

"Don't act like you wouldn't," he whispered.

She hadn't needed him to confirm for her. She already knew the answer to both of the questions she'd asked him.

They both knew the answers to those questions, for both Fitz and for Olivia.

He was pressing her against the wall, moving his hands from the wall to her body slowly.

"You say you're not interested," he said. "...You sure about that?"

She stared back at him, eyeing him up and down. Oh, fuck.

"'Cause that's not the vibe I'm getting right now," he added. "Doesn't look like it in the slightest."

He was right. Completely right. But being her stubborn self — she tried to fight what was clearly beginning to happen. What they both wanted to happen.

"Get your hands off me," she whispered.

He studied her eyes, then looked down at her lips.

But he did what she'd asked. He pulled his hands off of her, watching her facial expression. She looked longingly at him, studying his lips.

So he leaned in closer, eyes going from her big brown ones, to her lips. He stayed there, with their faces about a hair away from touching. He gave her an opportunity to push him away. But she didn't take it.

So he gently touched his lips to hers, seeing how she would react.

He kept his hands off her, as she'd asked. But when she lightly kissed him back, he took it as a sign that it was okay. That she wanted it.

His mouth opened against hers, and their tongues instantly collided desperately. So naturally, his hands then began to roam again, and he pressed himself into her once more.

She'd reacted extremely eagerly to the move he'd made. So he pulled away, a little reluctantly, but only to start undressing himself. He wanted this so badly, and he'd seen enough to know she did, too.

He reached for his tie and started loosening it, looking her up and down with the most sexual look she thought she'd ever seen. And she finally found her words.

"Wait. No," she said, shaking her head. "This isn't…you…have to go."

"Hm," he murmured, tossing his now unraveled tie to the ground and unbuttoning his shirt. "Is that what you really want?"

She breathed fast, looking at him longingly as he undressed. No. The answer was no, that wasn't what she really wanted.

She knew the struggle was visible on her face as she pondered what the fuck to say back to him right now. She closed her eyes, feeling herself throbbing. Longing for him, but knowing this was not exactly something they could take back after they went there. She didn't know what this would cause, or lead to. And frankly, she was nervous about that. But she also wanted him right now, and she had a feeling that was going to win out.

"Tell me to go again and I will," he assured her, removing his shirt, and revealing his chiseled, strong abdomen and chest. He tossed it to the ground and went for his belt now, starting to unbuckle it.

"Tell me to stop, Olivia," he said, continuing to undo his pants. "Tell me...you don't want this. Tell me."

Her eyes then went to the bulge in his dress pants. Oh God, she could not think straight — and she certainly didn't want to tell him no to any of those things. She was absolutely done for, as he neared her again, with no shirt and his pants undone.

"I need a verbal 'yes' now," he said, closing the distance between them. "I need to hear it first, so I can give you what you want."

She was panting. Breathless. And at this point, helpless. She'd actually held a lot of the control in the conversation prior to this. It was clear now, just how much of an effect he had on her.

There she leaned, against the wall, her eyes giving away her answer before she truly answered him.

"Yes," she whimpered, completely and utterly done for.

He wasted no time after her verbal consent, and immediately picked her up in his arms. He wasn't gentle about it, either. But their lips connected once again — and it was even more desperate than the first time.

He carried her down the hallway. The hallway he'd carried her down many times before — just not in forever.

That didn't stop him, though; he remembered. His eyes were closed while he made out with her, but he knew exactly when to turn into her bedroom.

He turned, and her bedroom, along with the hallway, was pitch black — so it was a lot of feeling rather than seeing. A lot of fumbling, and panting in the darkness.

He turned with her in his arms and closed the door with her body, pushing her against it.

She moaned as her back hit the wood, and his hands went underneath her dress. He set her down on her feet and pulled her underwear down. She was still wearing her high heels — and those didn't come off. All that came off were her panties, which, she was pretty sure he ripped.

Her eyes were closed most of the time, since he was kissing her most of the time. But even if he hadn't been, she doubted she would have been able to see anything anyway — in her dark room with the curtains drawn.

But she somewhat knew when to prepare herself, because she heard his belt buckle jingling in the darkness as he pulled himself out of his pants.

The next thing she knew, he was inside of her.

He thrust hard, and she let out a loud, abrupt moan. He gave her a second, moaning at the feeling, too. The feeling of her again.

He could feel her adjusting to him, and slowly pulled out, only to thrust back in harder.

She gripped his shoulder with one hand, and the back of his head with her other.

One of his hands was on the door, and one was keeping her leg lifted so he had access. But he moved them constantly.

One of them wandered up and down her body as they settled in on a fast pace, and it stopped when it reached her chin. He gripped her jaw, leaning in for another kiss, which briefly silenced her steady moaning.

But he pulled back not long after, meeting her eyes now that they had begun to adjust to the dark room.

"Nobody is ever…going to be you. And nobody is…ever going to be me," he panted, before kissing her with her jaw still in his grip.

She sighed against his lips, capturing them in another kiss.

"Never," she murmured against his mouth.

His hand moved down her body again, stopping just where she needed it to.

The second his fingers touched her clit, she about screamed in pleasure. That combined with his hard thrusts was...a lot.

His two fingers moved in such gentle circles in comparison to how hard he was fucking her. And it was so perfect. It was going to get her there, and get her there fast, and she welcomed that feeling.

And so, they both grew closer, and closer.

"I want to hear you," he said, breathing fast. "I need to hear you."

Her eyes were closed again, and her head was leaning back against the door. So many different parts of her body were connected hard with the door with each of his thrusts — she wouldn't be surprised if her entire floor knew she was getting absolutely railed.

"I'm there. I'm...I'm almost there," she moaned, feeling her body stiffen even more in anticipation.

"Can I come...inside you?" he whispered, burying his head in her shoulder. He wondered whether she was still on birth control or not.

She would have given him props for double-checking, but she didn't have the energy.

She nodded slightly, but tried so hard to find her words in the midst of her building orgasm.

"Yes — yes."

He clenched his teeth, trying so fucking hard to hold off for her.

Lucky for him, she was there.

Her moans were building and growing louder, and he recognized that sound. Not just the sound of her regular moans, but the way they grew more constant, and their pitch grew higher. The way she tensed in his arms, and the pleasure written on her face.

"Oh, Fitz...Fitz," she moaned loudly. "Yes — yes."

His moans matched hers as she rode out her orgasm, and he let himself feel his own, finally. He pumped in and out, feeling the mess they were making, and not stopping.

He bit his lip, finally starting to slow down. He realized the one hand that wasn't rubbing her clit right now was on her leg, his fingers wrapped tightly around her thigh. He immediately pulled that hand away, hoping he hadn't hurt her.

She was actively trying to get a hold of her breaths as he slowed his fingers to a stop against her swollen clit. His breathing was out of control, too.

Looking down, he eased himself out of her and she put her leg down gingerly.

He swallowed, continuing to pant as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"I may need to use your...washer or something, because…I think there's cum on my pants," he whispered.

She couldn't hold it in, and started to laugh. Which made him laugh, too.

"Potentially..." he began, looking down. "Potentially on your dress, too."

"I assumed," she whispered back.

He caught his breath and nodded. "Here."

She'd been looking into his eyes before. But then his face disappeared as he knelt down, and freed them both of anything that was messy, or could get messy before they cleaned up. For him, it was the remainder of his clothing.

For her, it may have just been the inside of her dress, but he started taking off everything anyway. Her dress, first, followed by her pantyhose.

Her pantyhose were thigh-high pantyhose that pulled up under her dress — clinging tightly to her skin to stay in place.

His fingers gently peeled back the lace band at the top, and pulled them down her legs — one at a time.

He was much more gentle now — removing her clothing — than he had been just moments ago, spilling inside her and fucking her hard against the door.

Thankfully her heels had stayed cum-free, but he removed those for her, too, setting them aside in her bedroom.

And since she was left just in her bra then, he stood up, completely naked, and his fingers instantly reached for the clasp.

And she let him. So much of her energy had been sucked right out of her after all that, so she just stood there, looking at him contently and relaxed, while he undressed her.

After dropping her bra to the ground — joining the rest of their clothes and shoes in a nice pile — he studied her body appreciatively in the dark room. Thankfully, more was visible to them now.

He let out a deep sigh, looking her up and down as if her naked body was comforting to him.

He reached a hand out to her chest, cupping her breast gently before leaning in to kiss her there.

It didn't take her long to feel his tongue against her nipple. A relaxed sigh escaped her lips, and she looked down at him, intrigued. Her hands found their way to his hair, and she started massaging his scalp while he made his mark on her chest. Becoming acquainted with her all over again — and tasting her skin once more.

It had been too long since the last time they'd been together. And not just in a sexual sense — although that much had been extremely clear. But in a physical sense in general.

He eventually grabbed her hand and led her to her bed, where he laid her down.

With the help of the box of tissues on her nightstand, they were able to clean up a little bit. Whether or not they would stay clean for the remainder of the night was in question.

They hadn't said anything else since they'd finished. But he climbed on top of her again, looking down at her beautiful face. He'd missed seeing it so much. Her eyes. Her cute nose. Her kissable lips. All of her was perfect.

He studied those eyes, seeing the pain that still lied beneath them. The pain that he'd caused.

She'd caused him some pain, too. But he was so ready to be done. He was so ready to move on from it, and start fresh. He just didn't want to start fresh with anyone else. He wanted it to be with her.

And he wasn't sure if she wanted the same thing. But for right now — she was relaxed. Content, beneath him. And he was sure as hell going to cherish that.

So he leaned down and kissed her again. Because he'd been dying to kiss her again for a year. And because they'd skipped too much of that earlier, and went straight to sex.

He pulled her upper lip gently into his mouth, waiting for her to then pull on his in return. The way she always used to.

He disconnected their lips, and sure enough, she went back in for more, playfully biting his upper lip.

He smiled against her mouth, rolling her over so that she rested on top of him, instead.

He gripped her ass, pressing her against him as they began to make out. He didn't want anything more in that moment — he just wanted to kiss her.

She breathed his air, and tasted the alcohol on his lips. She had no doubt he could taste it on her too.

She slowly began to feel him against her again — his erection grew.

But neither of them stopped kissing each other. It had been so long. She was feeling nostalgic — with his naked body beneath her and his lips on hers.

And she didn't want it to stop. She wanted more. She couldn't push away the anger she still felt toward him, so she just didn't think about it. She just focused on him — because she had missed him. No matter what — she'd missed him like crazy, and here he was.

Still, they hadn't said a word. For a long time now, they hadn't spoken. Granted, their mouths had been busy for a while — but still.

Even when they pulled away for breath, the room remained quiet, save for their panting before they returned to each other's lips.

And soon, he didn't return to her lips. Instead, he started kissing his way down.

She lifted her head now, watching him work his way down her body.

Making up for what he'd missed before — when he'd gone straight to fucking the hell out of her.

She hadn't complained about that then, but she certainly wasn't complaining now either.

She laid her head back down, feeling his tongue on her still-swollen clit.

"Ohhhh," she whispered. "Mm."

Her body relaxed, and she started opening her legs for him.

He helped her, pushing her legs apart along with her.

He spread them, and held them open comfortably with his hands wrapped around her thighs.

She bent her legs at her knees, arching her back against her bed and gripping her duvet. Probably another thing she was now going to need to wash after this — but she didn't care right now.

She could see his raging erection between his legs while he knelt there, eating her out. It only turned her on more. Along with the fact he'd already had sex with her and was now down there with his mouth.

He looked about as relaxed as she felt. It looked like he was finally tasting something he'd been craving for a long time.

And that's exactly how he felt.

His lips were covered in her own wetness, and he was living for it. He didn't stop — not until he had her shaking again.

Not until she moaned his name again. Not until her tense muscles started to relax once more.

She laid her previously arched back down flat on the bed, and she flinched at the contact with her sensitive clit.

So he pulled away, but gave her plenty of kisses down there and started to work his way back up her exhausted body.

He felt better now. He felt accomplished, seeing what he'd done to her. Just what he told her he would do. Give her what she wanted.

He planted a wet kiss on her lips again, which she accepted, and then he got off her.

He laid down right next to her, allowing her to finally just relax.

He needed to, as well. He was also extremely aroused right now which he wasn't sure would be taken care of at the moment, so he either needed to do it himself, attempt to wait it out, or hope she wanted more.

He didn't even have a chance to debate between his options before she was climbing back on top of him, still panting from her own orgasm.

His eyes opened suddenly and he saw her holding his tip steady, sinking down on top of him.

He groaned, reaching for her hand.

"Oh — fuck," he whispered, interlocking their fingers as she leaned forward, and started to ride him.

She pushed his hands into the sheets, picking up her pace. He focused on how good she felt all over again.

Oh, God. Yes.

He watched in pleasure as the love of his life rode him with such urgency. He saw the way her body moved. Her hips. Her breasts, swinging back and forth.

It made it all even better when she leaned forward, pressing her cheek to his and her lips to his ear.

"How's it feel?" she whispered, slowing her pace a bit. Just a little, to make him want it more. "How's it feel for me to…really fuck you again— instead of…just thinking about it?"

He moaned, started to move his body beneath her desperately.

"I didn't hear you," she whispered again.

He groaned in pleasure, nodding eagerly.

"So…good. So…fucking good, Olivia," he moaned.

That made her smirk to herself.

Partly because it just felt nice, knowing that she could make him feel so good.

But also, partly, because she wanted him. She wanted him back, and she wanted him to herself.

She had to admit — she was spent, because he'd tired her out. So she was pretty hell-bent on tiring him out, too. Plus — she couldn't leave him with a raging erection and no second orgasm.

She got him there easy. She practically had him in the palm of her hand. And not just while he was moaning, holding onto her as he came inside her again. But afterward, too. Afterward, when she rolled off him to let him catch his breath, and he rolled right back on his stomach next to her. He laid his head immediately on her chest, and she had to admit, it was sweet.

He wrapped his arm around her and calmed himself after all of that. She could see the expression on his face when he turned his head up to look at her.

She could see the shame, and the apologetic eyes.

He laid there with his head on her chest, silently begging. Begging to be forgiven.

Until he wasn't silent anymore.

"I want you," he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow down at him, still playing with his curls.

"Did you not just get enough five minutes ago?" she asked.

"No — " he said, laughing a little. "I mean, yes. But…that's not what I meant."

She let out a content sigh, but didn't say anything back. She gave him a window to explain further, and he took it.

"I want you back," he whispered. "I fucking want you back, more than anything else, Olivia. This past year...it's been hell. It's been...worse than hell."

Yeah. She could definitely agree with that.

"I'm still…in love with you. I'm, like…really fucking in love with you," he said. "I'm...lost without you, and...and I know I'm a fucking asshole. I know I did...stupid things, and said them, too. I regret everything so much. And I know I have...a lot to make up for, and I would spend...the rest of my fucking life trying if you let me. I just...I want to try again, Olivia. I want another chance. We deserve that. We're worth that."

She played with his hair, studying his apologetic and genuine eyes. She knew he meant it. She did. But there was a lot of uncertainty. There was a lot they had to think about.

"Fitz. We don't even know it will work," she whispered. "If it didn't work the first time, why should we expect the second time will be any different?"

"Because. Because it will be," he said immediately. "We know what didn't work. We know...each other. We know each other better than anyone. How can...how can we not make this work for real? How is that even possible? It's you and me. Us. We wasted a year apart, and for what? Because...we were too proud and…we both wanted to be right? Because we said shit we didn't even mean?"

"Okay, it was 15 months, and you were the absolute worst, I'd like to point out," she nodded.

"Fuck — I know. I know," he nodded, stressed. "How do I...how do I prove to you that I didn't mean to be? How do I...show you that you're what I want. You're the only thing I want and...I'm fucking sorry. How can I do that? Can you please...can I try? Can I try to show you?"

She sighed, shrugging at him. "I can't get hurt again, Fitz. You broke my heart. And I know I'm not innocent in this at all. I know that, and I know I broke yours, too. But what you did after all that — with her. It broke me. I can't go through that again. I can't. And I'm sure you can't either. So...do you understand why I'm hesitant? We cannot go through that again."

"I know. I know that, and you're right," he nodded. "But it will be different this time. I want to do this. I'm all in. I'm...I want you back, Olivia. I just fucking want you back again. You...you are my life. You are it. I just...want you. I was an idiot. I was a...fucking idiot."

"Yes. You were," Olivia nodded in agreement, holding his cheek with a hand. "And I was, too. A big one."

He intertwined their fingers together, listening to her talk now.

"And we both paid the price for that, clearly. It's been...so hard. It's been such a hard time for me, too, Fitz. I can't even...I can't even begin to explain to you..." she said, starting to sniffle. She couldn't stop the tears this time around.

He looked at her regrettably, and she could tell he was feeling it all too.

"You don't know how…Jesus, nobody knows," she said, the tears coming out. "Nobody knows how badly I've been hurting, because I don't tell anyone. Which cannot be good."

He put his head down, and sniffled into her chest.

It was barely audible, so it took her a few more moments to realize he was crying now, too.

"I'm so sorry, Olivia," he said, voice muffled.

She sniffled, and urged him to look at her. So he did. A tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away quickly and embarrassedly, trying immediately to hide his face again, but she stopped him. She'd seen him cry a total of one time in the many, many years she'd known him, after the death of his mother.

This was the second time. And given its rarity — she knew the extent of how he was feeling.

"I'm sorry too," she nodded, looking into the bright blue eyes, that now held tears.

"I'm sorry...for the pain I caused you, too."

"I'm so sorry," he responded, sniffling hard. "I'm so fucking sorry."

"Okay, okay," she nodded, wiping his face gently. "Okay."

He laid his head back down on her chest, both of them sniffling. Both of them genuinely and finally, accepting apologies from the other.

They may have a ways to go yet, but they'd already taken some pretty important steps tonight.

"Just when I thought I would never…cry after sex," he murmured into her chest.

They both held it in — trying hard. But then they burst into laughter — which ultimately made more tears come out. A nice cry-laugh.

"Oh my God," Olivia laughed, wiping her face. "Yeah, damn. Pull it together, Fitz."

"I know, I'm...I'm trying. It won't stop," he sniffled. "Now your...chest is all wet. Jesus, I'm just...a mess. This isn't helping my chances."

She was still laughing and crying, looking down at him.

"Yeah. And getting cum all over my 500 dollar duvet doesn't help your chances either," she pointed out.

He looked down, instantly regretting that he was lying on his stomach right now.

"Fuck," he said. "Okay. I'm going to start with...washing, or...dry cleaning? Dry cleaning your...500 dollar duvet. Fuck. Can you even do that? Do I need to...write you a 500 dollar check, instead? 'Cause I can...I'll do that."

They were both laughing now, the tears having stopped.

"I'm sure we can figure something out," Olivia nodded. "Together."

He let out a sigh of relief, resting his head back down against her chest again. Feeling like that was her confirmation. That was her agreeing to another chance.

She wrapped an arm around him, returning her hand to his curly hair lazily.

"I love you," he said again. "I love you so much."

There was a brief silence between them, before she admitted to him what she rarely even admitted to herself.

"I love you too," she replied.

He practically breathed another sigh of relief. Hearing it back — it was always a blessing.

"I just...love you more than anything," he whispered again. "I should have...I should have reached out to you. I shouldn't have waited this long. I got lucky. Tonight was…lucky. If tonight hadn't happened...I don't know how long I would have gone. I don't know how long I would have been stupid, and…scared."

"You can't only blame yourself for that. I did the same thing as you. I was scared too, and mad, and I didn't reach out, either," she replied.

"You thought...I was with her, though. I understand why you didn't," he said quietly.

"Well, you were also under the impression I had moved on too, so," she pointed out.

Look at that — defending each other.

"None of that matters now, anyway," she added quietly. "Because...we're here now, tonight."

He sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Yes. I am…I am so thankful for tonight."

"Me too. What were you even…doing at the bar tonight, anyway?" she asked.

"Well, I was supposed to meet Edison there, but he bailed because he had to work late. So. I stayed anyway, because I like their scotch. And more importantly, because…I saw you there. I was too excited to leave, knowing you were there."

"Oh," Olivia said, smiling at him. "That's so cute."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he chuckled, blushing.

"So, is that the only reason you were drinking scotch tonight, because they have a good selection? Or…was something else wrong, too?"

He smiled at her lightly. "Look at you, analyzing my drink choice. That's so cute."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "You know I have a good memory."

He nodded. "I've pretty much been drinking scotch for…15 months, Olivia."

"Oh," she said again, understanding.

Well damn.

"Yeah," he replied. "Only thing strong enough to make me forget for a while."

She looked at him sadly. "So...we're going to stop drinking scotch now, then, okay?"

"Yes, I think…that's a good idea," he chuckled in agreement.

"So what would you have done, then, if…mister good-looking hadn't come up to me at the bar tonight? Were you actually going to leave, otherwise?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, hell no. I was convinced right away, that tonight was…some sort of sign for us. Edison couldn't make it. Mellie left, eventually. And like I said, I was...way too excited and happy to leave — thinking...this was my shot. It was right there in front of me, so I had to just...go for it. I at least had to make things right, if nothing else. I was getting ready to come talk to you, right after Mellie left. But I got nervous, so...I had to pee," he admitted, which had her laughing. "When I got back — imagine my surprise. To see how quickly some…model-looking dude swooped in. And that just…pissed me right off."

Olivia gasped, laughing at him. "Ah, so that's why you came to save me," she nodded. "You were jealous. Look how the tables have turned."

He shook his head. "No. Well, I mean, yes, of course I was jealous. But I really could tell that you weren't into it. That part was true. I just…maybe hoped that I could swoop in afterward, too, and we could talk," he admitted. "And thankfully, you said yes to that, otherwise...I don't know what I would have done. I really just…got lucky tonight."

She raised an eyebrow at him, and then he realized how he'd worded that.

"Oh, shit. I didn't mean it like that, but…that too," he chuckled.

"That too," she agreed with a laugh. "I think you might have been on to something, though. There were a lot of things that had to go a certain way for tonight to happen the way it did. Maybe everything...was a sign."

"I know," he agreed. "What's the date today? We need to…remember this day for the future — when we're married."

"Oh, when we're married?" she challenged.

"Yes, when we're married, what's the date today?" he asked again.

She was giggling now. "The eighteenth."

"The eighteenth," he nodded. "Shit. We haven't been very festive tonight, considering it's almost Christmas."

"Yeah, tell me about it. This is normally my favorite time of year. But it hasn't been — for two Christmases now."

"Oh, no, no, no. This Christmas...this Christmas will be your best one yet," he assured her.

"Oh, really, and how might that be?" she asked curiously.

"Because. I'm making sure of it," he nodded, getting up from the bed.

"What are you...doing?" she asked, watching him get up from her bed, still completely naked. He cleaned himself up briefly, looking around her bedroom.

"Fitz," she said, again, laughing.

"Give me a second," he replied, taking note of her elegant bedroom Christmas decor. He did know it was her favorite time of year. He knew better than anyone how all out she went. The decorations made her feel happy. And he knew just where she kept them.

He knelt down and started looking for the red and green plastic container — the big one that she kept under her bed. It held her bedroom decor and trinkets for Christmas only. Because Christmas beat out every other holiday when it came to decor in her household.

"Are you kidding?" she asked. "First time back in my apartment in ages, and you manage to seduce me and start rummaging through my things? What have I done."

"Okay, I know, I know — but just wait. This will be worth it. And don't even act like you didn't like my seducing," he said, digging through the box.

She rolled her eyes, letting out a little laugh as she laid there on her bed, still naked, too.

He found what he was looking for pretty quickly. He couldn't see very well, but he could feel.

He pulled them out and put one of them on, standing up and giving her a big smile.

She put her hands up to her mouth and burst into laughter — seeing him don a Santa hat while the rest of him donned nothing.

"What do you think? Is this festive enough for the eighteenth of December?" he asked, crawling into bed with hers in his hand.

"Oh my God, Fitzgerald," she laughed, smiling at his current appearance.

"I know — see, I told you. Worth it. Now come here, let me put yours on," he said.

She sat up and he fit it snuggly over her messy hair, and smiled.

"Perfect," he nodded, satisfied.

"You are kidding right now," she laughed.

He frowned. "Does it look like I'm kidding? I told you, this is going to be the best Christmas you've ever had. And it starts now. With you and me, and these Santa hats."

"Oh, it does, huh?" she asked.

"Yep," he nodded. "And...no clothes. Yes. I think that's...that's good, too."

She shook her head, laying back down in bed with a smile that she knew wasn't going to leave her face for the rest of the night. Because that was the effect he had on her. Well — one of the effects he had on her.

He was going on and on now, about everything they were going to do for Christmas. The Christmas that apparently — started tonight, according to him.

She hadn't even made plans for Christmas, really. Aside from dinner on Christmas Eve with her family. The rest — she'd normally always spent with him. Just not last year. And she'd assumed she never would again.

But from the looks of it — her plans had changed tonight.

From the looks of it — the course of her whole life was going to change after tonight.

And she didn't know if it was her growing Christmas spirit, or Fitz's hopeful attitude that was rubbing off on her...

but she had a good feeling that everything was going to change for the better.

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