Chapter Five: Amicus Curiae
n. Latin for "friend of the court." Advice formally offered to the court in a brief filed by an entity interested in, but not a party to, the case
"These things were a lot less irritating when I wasn't the center of attention," Olivia murmured, sidling up to Cyrus in a darkened corner of the large, vaulted room they were in. Gratefully, she accepted the flute of champagne he held toward her.
"These have never not been irritating," he disagreed, crossing his legs at the ankle and leaning against the white wall. "You're just unable to hide for the first time."
"Everyone wants to talk. I'm out of things to say that don't make me sound like a bitch." She took a large gulp of champagne, wincing as it burned on the way down.
"That's going to be a lovely tabloid shot."
Olivia's gaze slipped over the crowd, assessing for anyone looking in their direction with or without a camera. Failing to notice anyone taking an interest in their corner of the room, she turned her attention back to Cyrus.
"You're an ass."
"I've never claimed not to be." He raised a hand, using his index finger to beckon someone closer. Olivia groaned when Fitz began walking in their direction. "And the two of you should be spending more time together."
"We've spent plenty of time together," Olivia scoffed as Fitz strolled to a stop beside them.
"What? Arriving together?"
Fitz raised a brow, his nose and the corner of his mouth curling upward, as he took in Cyrus's incredulous expression.
"I don't actually need to be here for your arguments."
"He thinks we haven't been seen together enough." Olivia slid her now empty glass onto a passing server's tray.
"We haven't," Fitz agreed, waving that same server away as the kid loitered - no doubt looking for gossip under the guise of serving guests.
Narrowing her eyes, Olivia turned on Fitz. "I know he's right, but this has been an exhausting night and I'd like two seconds to be difficult."
"Ha." Fitz's deep laughter bubbled forth, his shoulders shaking and the skin around his eyes crinkling.
"What?"
"It surprises me that you can be funny." His smirk only grew as she huffed, closing the distance between them and wrapping her hands around his forearm.
"I can be a real freaking fount of comedy," Olivia grumbled, pulling just enough to have him moving in the direction she wanted. "Just not in a crowd of people pretending to be my friend."
"Your whole thing is publicity."
"My whole thing is telling you what to do while I hide behind the camera." Olivia chuckled, her mood quickly souring as they re-entered the bustling crowd.
"This doesn't have to be any different. You can still tell me what to do."
Olivia swallowed, her throat suddenly tight, as she glanced at him from beneath her lashes. It had almost sounded like he was flirting. Almost.
"Carte blanche? That's a first."
"Consider it a compliment." He held her hand closer to his side.
"Also a first," she quipped, swallowing once again and digging her fingers into his forearm as they stopped in the middle of the floor. She bit her lip, fighting the urge to allow her jaw to drop, as she came face to face with Ivy Mack. The pop icon was every bit as stunning as she appeared on television and, for the first time since joining Fitz's campaign, Olivia felt small - entirely out of place next to this powerhouse of a woman.
"Kenzie," Fitz greeted, dropping Olivia's hand and pressing his cheek against the brunette's.
"Governor! Boring party, as always." Unsurprisingly, her laughter was musical - light and unhurried. What brief, confusing flashes of jealousy Olivia had felt disappeared the minute the singer's attention had turned on her. "And the woman who managed to catch your eye."
Her green eyes twinkled as she made her observation and before Olivia knew it, she had thrown her arms around her. Shaking, Olivia lifted her own arms to wrap around the other woman's torso - the sequins on her gown digging into Olivia's arm.
"Be careful with him, please. His ex was a real wrecking ball," the woman whispered in Olivia's ear before letting her go - handing her back off to Fitz.
"Kenzie don't scare her off. I actually like this one." Fitz chuckled, tucking her back into his side once more.
"Why would I scare her off?" Kenzie frowned before rolling her eyes and turning her full attention on Olivia. "Are you a raving, parasitic bitch? No? She might just be safe from me, Grant."
Later, as they sat in the back of Fitz's Mercedes-Maybach, Olivia ventured to broach the topic that had been on her mind all evening.
"You and Ivy Mack seemed close." She kept her gaze forward on the back of Cyrus's head.
"Kenzie's an old friend."
Olivia nodded, hair falling out of the elaborate updo Oriel had pulled off, as a sinking feeling began in her gut. It was another unexpected emotion on this day of roller coaster emotions. Despite her suspicions where Ivy Mack was concerned, Olivia had still been rather starstruck at meeting her favorite artist. And, despite her bad mood at the start of the fundraiser, she had quickly changed her tune once she and Fitz had begun circulating the room together. He was funny and less abrasive, taking a natural lead when in the public eye.
"Oh." Even to Olivia's ear, her tone was seething with dejection.
"She dated my baby cousin for about five years. He was…" Fitz shook his head, running a hand down his face. "Well, you can make your own decisions about Michael if you meet him."
Why did the prospect of meeting his family cause butterflies in her stomach and a smile to form? She placed her hands on her stomach - the conflicting sensations quickly causing a stomach ache.
"Her biggest supporter was her mom and…she lost her about three years into her relationship with Mike. She…Kenzie doesn't have the best…She had a hard time when she was younger. Mike didn't help that. She was on a fast road to nowhere good and I…Mike and I still prefer to walk the opposite way when we see each other, but at least Kenzie got her happy ever after."
Olivia's breath caught in her throat. She still had plenty of questions, but the little voice in the back of her head told her that she probably didn't want to know the answers. Yet somehow, Fitz seemed to know exactly what she was thinking and, though he owed her nothing, continued:
"She's the baby sister, fuck, the sibling, I never had. Somehow we've both reached a point where we're part of an exclusive, very small, circle of friends who are in each other's lives because we like the person behind the persona the rest of the world sees."
"She must see a lot to go to your fundraisers," Olivia teased, a sudden lightness taking over her body. "She doesn't strike me as the Republican type."
"Ha!" Fitz's body shook with laughter and he raised his hand, using his index finger to swipe under his eye, before speaking: "She's about as Republican as you. I happen to hold the sole distinction of being the only Republican she's ever supported."
"That's…"
"Not something you would ever do, I know. She makes certain…concessions for me. If I were to ever breach one of her core values; however, those concessions would be gone. And, I hope, I would still recognize myself enough to walk away from this life."
He turned his head, his blue eyes meeting hers. Olivia inhaled slowly at the look in his eyes - she was sure she had never seen them quite this open.
"We have a lot more in common than you think, Olivia."
"Here we are," Cyrus suddenly announced, interrupting the moment between the two in the back.
Blinking, Olivia turned her gaze to the window and frowned as she saw her apartment building. The evening had been…nice. And, of course, all nice things ended sooner than one would like. Reaching for the handle, she was surprised to find the door opening and Fitz standing on the other side. When had he gotten out?
Clearing her throat, she gave a small smile as she placed her hand in his proffered one. She was surprised to note that the street in front of her building was deserted - not unusual for so late at night, but she had been expecting a paparazzo or two. Olivia was further surprised that Fitz held onto her until they were standing in front of the locked, glass door despite the lack of dark-clothed men with large cameras.
"Tonight was…"
"Better than I thought it would be," Olivia offered, smiling when Fitz nodded.
"Yes. Yes it was." He turned toward the building, looking up the tall, glass structure, before dropping her arm. Immediately, his hand was holding hers, lifting it until his soft lips were grazing the back of her hand. Olivia bit her lip, fighting the urge to shiver as he ghosted a kiss across her skin before dropping her hand.
"I'll see you on Monday."
All she could do was nod, dumbly, at the wink and crooked grin he gave her. Then he was gone, standing at the open door of his car as he watched her enter her code before entering the building. Once the door was shut behind her, Olivia turned and waved - grinning when he returned her wave.
In a daze, she rode the elevator to the twentieth floor and let herself into her apartment. Inside, she kicked her heels off and made it to the sofa - flipping over the back of the cream piece of furniture and, hair grazing the floor and feet in the air, let out the most undignified of squeals.
Tomorrow, she would deal with the fallout that came from her conflicting emotions and feelings where her boss was concerned. Tonight –
Tonight she was any other twenty-five year-old who had worn a ridiculously expensive, beautiful dress they could never dream of affording, met their idol, and been effectively, though debatably, wooed by their own Mr. Darcy.
This chapter was the biggest pain in the arse to write. Three times Google did not save what I had written. So, three times I had to start over. And I couldn't get done with this fast enough! The whole thing was beginning to feel cursed.
Notes: Olivia's fall over the back of the couch was on purpose - she's not clumsy and she's not drunk. Ivy Mack's name is a stage name and Fitz calls her 'Kenzie' because MacKenzie is her given name. I didn't want to use real people for this story. Lastly, Kenzie is not now nor will she ever be a threat to Olivia.
Until next time.
