Olivia watched Fitz roll down his window as they pulled up to Starbucks on this fine Friday morning.
She really didn't want him to buy her yet another coffee because it made her feel bad when he did. She'd tried and tried so far this first week and he wouldn't take her money. He made it seem like it literally made no difference at all whether he bought one coffee or two. And she knew that probably was the case. But she still felt bad.
So she tried a different tactic today.
"Alright, what are you feeling today?" he asked, looking over at her.
"You know, I think I'm good today, actually. I really don't need anything," she replied.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Absolutely you do."
"No, I really don't, I promise," she laughed.
"Are you sick?" he asked her, which only made her crack up more.
"No, I feel great!" she giggled. "I just don't need coffee today."
The employee asked him what he wanted and he immediately turned to the screen.
"Yeah, hi. Can I do a venti iced latte and a venti hot latte?" he asked.
Her eyes widened and she did the biggest facepalm she could do. This man!
"Okay thanks," he said casually, pulling forward.
"You did not," she said, shaking her head at him.
"I did not," he agreed, even shaking his head no.
She was laughing, and just completely in disbelief that he'd just done that. "Fitz, you're killin' me here."
"I'm sorry. I bet the coffee will help with that," he assured her.
She was laughing, shaking her head at him.
"Thank you. I truly didn't need a venti latte, but thank you so much," she said.
"It's Friday. Fridays are always venti days."
"Oh, they are?" she asked.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Good to know," she laughed.
And after they got their coffees, she asked a very important question.
"Now, will you please let me buy coffees next week?"
"Maybe," he shrugged.
"It just makes me feel bad."
"Olivia."
"Yes."
"It's coffee."
"I know. But coffee adds up! We do this every day, I just feel awful that I'm not paying for it," she said.
"It's really not a big deal, Olivia. I promise you."
She sighed, sipping on her venti latte, and looking over at him.
"And how is it?" he asked.
"Fantastic," she nodded.
He smiled, like he wanted to tell her he told her so, but he would never.
She smiled to herself, looking down at her lap.
This week had been one of the best weeks of her life. She was doing so well in school already. She felt like she fit in great, and had already met a couple of new friends. One, in particular, Huck, who she really clicked with.
She felt like all her teachers liked her a lot already, too.
And she'd been having a great time with the Grant family. To start this semester, she hadn't been fully sure if she was going to like living with a host family. And it only took her a couple days to know she'd done the right thing.
They were kind to her, and she liked all of them in their own way. Fitz and Mellie were...a bit dysfunctional. But that wasn't her concern. And none of that really affected her. All she knew was they treated her well, and their daughter loved and looked up to her already. And Karen always made Olivia smile. On top of all of that, she got constant snuggles from a cute little beagle named Hank all the time. A huge plus.
She texted her mom almost every day, and had called her a few times, too. She was curious, wanting to make sure Olivia was doing well on the East coast. But she still let her have her independence too, not wanting to go full "mom" on her.
It had really been a great week. And now it was Friday, the end of her first week of school in New York City.
She'd already grown to love her commutes with Fitz. They talked more and more each day, and he appeared to be more comfortable with her already.
There was still a ton she didn't know about him, and a ton he didn't know about her.
Some things had come up naturally in conversation throughout the week, but there were some things she wanted to know. She knew she was probably just going to have to ask him, considering he wasn't exactly the most extroverted.
So as she sipped her coffee, feeling happy, she decided there was no better time than the present, and she knew exactly what she was going to ask him first, if he let her.
"Hey Fitz," she said, looking over at him.
"Yeah," he answered.
"Can I ask you something?"
He nodded.
"What do you do at J.P. Morgan?" she asked.
He looked back at her briefly.
"I'm the Vice President of Operational Risk."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, wow."
"Why were you curious?" he asked.
"Well...I've been wanting to know why you looked this nice every day. You're in a full suit all the time, sometimes even...a three-piece—" she realized she was beginning to ramble about his clothing, so she stopped herself.
"Anyway, I knew you were important, I just wanted to know what you did to be important," she finished.
Her heart warmed when she saw his reaction to what she'd said. The pink was flushing his cheeks and he was avoiding her eyes.
"Thank you," he said.
"For what?"
"Your...thoughts, I guess. You are very kind."
She smiled. "You're welcome. And...thank you," she laughed. "So...what does being the Vice President of Operational Risk at J.P. Morgan entail?"
He turned to look at her with a slight smirk. "So many questions this morning."
Now she began to blush. Not just because she was embarrassed that she'd probably been being too curious so early in the morning, but because the smirk made her skin tingle.
"Oh—I'm sorry. I just thought...we spend a good portion of every day together, so...we could get to know each other better."
"I was just teasing you," he replied with a laugh.
Oh, thank goodness.
"So," he began. "Every company has potential risks, and every company needs to know how to prepare and manage those risks. Especially a company as big as JPM. And...I'm in charge of the framework that identifies, monitors, and ultimately governs those risks. Not only for the micro-business but the macro business. Meaning...all of the components of this business. The company, the market, the customers, everything. Strategizing, analyzing, predicting. That's a really broad description. I do...a lot of things, but...that's the overall idea."
She raised her eyebrows at all of that. Damn.
"You really do sound like an important man," she said.
The blushing returned, but he didn't say anything.
"Nothing to say to that?" she laughed.
He just shrugged. "I try to be."
She nodded. She liked the modesty. "So did you...work your way up to where you are now at J.P. Morgan or have you worked elsewhere?" she asked.
"I've been at JPM for my whole career, yes. I was hired as an investment banking analyst there right out of college," he nodded. "But...investment banking is not a long term career. It's...it's painful. But it's a good stepping stone to a lot of potential opportunities. Starting in IB is very beneficial, and fortunately, I've been able to build from there."
"Wow. You certainly proved yourself quickly then," she said. About eight years at the company and he was a big boss man now? Impressive.
"I think so, yeah," he nodded.
"Cool. Well, thanks for telling me a little more about it, Fitz. You're very impressive to me."
"Thank you," he smiled. "You're very impressive to me, too."
"Thanks," she blushed shyly. She wasn't sure how she could be impressive to someone as successful as he was, already proving himself in the big corporate world. But she didn't think he was the type to give a false compliment, and she certainly wasn't going to complain about receiving it.
He peered over at her again. "Is that...all you got for me?"
She looked back at him, and her lips began to tug upward in a smile. Now that he had given her permission, she went with the next question she had on her mind.
"Where did you go to college?" she asked, turning toward him fully. As fully as she could in a car.
"Columbia," he answered.
Her eyes widened. "Wow. That's amazing."
"Oh, good," he chuckled. "I worried you'd hold it against me, it being rivals with NYU and everything."
"No way," she shook her head. "Columbia is...very respectable."
"As is NYU," he nodded.
She nodded in agreement. Yeah, that was her dream school alright.
He looked over at her again, as if to say "what else?"
So, although she was hesitant, she got a little bit more personal.
"So, Rye is amazing. But have you ever lived in the city aside from college?"
He nodded. "Mellie and I lived there when we were younger, after college. When we got pregnant we knew we wanted to get out of the city at some point. We didn't want to raise Karen in the city her whole childhood. Not that the city is bad, I absolutely love the city, and I'd really like to move back someday. But Mellie and I both grew up in suburban areas, too. So...I think, we just knew what we knew, and...we thought it was best. We made a plan and a place like Rye was part of that plan. So when she was offered a position at the hospital here, we made the move. It's been a really fantastic place for Karen to grow up."
Olivia nodded. Seemed fair enough, and he had a point about Rye. It was a great, family-friendly town.
"Well, I think you have the best of both worlds. You get to experience the city every day, and work there. But you also get the quiet of your suburban neighborhood, too. And...all the perks of Rye. It really is a gorgeous town."
"It is," he agreed.
After his brief mention of it, she wanted to clarify.
"So where are you from?"
"Here. New York," he answered.
"Where? Would I know it?" she asked.
He scratched his head and then adjusted his hand on the steering wheel.
"Um...yeah, I...I think so," he said, almost shyly. Like he was hesitant to say.
"Okay. Hit me," she said.
"Um...Westhampton Beach."
Now her eyes really widened. "As in...The Hamptons?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"Oh my," she said. "So...where is that in The Hamptons?"
"It's a village in Southampton. My mother still lives there," he replied.
She decided not to ask about his father, afraid that that was way too personal.
"That's amazing!" Olivia exclaimed.
"Yes. It's very beautiful there. I always love going home," he nodded.
"I bet. Wow," she replied.
"Anything else you'd like to know?" he asked with a smile.
Yeah. She was dying to know this one.
"How did you meet Mellie?"
"Uh...in college. We lived in the same dorm our freshman year."
"Aww," Olivia noted. "I didn't know she went to Columbia too, that's cool."
He laughed. "Yeah."
"So...how long have you been married?"
"Nine years."
"Wow," she noted. "That's amazing that you've been married nine years already. You're so...young."
Should she have said that? Probably not.
"Yeah...we had Karen very young, and got married very young."
She already knew how young, she'd done the math. But she wanted to confirm, so she hesitantly asked.
"And...how old were you?"
"We had Karen at 20, and then...got married at 21."
She'd already kind of suspected this before, but now she thought it was more likely. She had wondered if getting pregnant wasn't exactly...their plan. And then when it happened, they did what a lot of couples thought they needed to do. Get married.
She, of course, would never say that to him. But based on what she'd seen between the two, their marriage didn't exactly seem to be...fantastic. It just felt dull. It wasn't her place to judge, she knew that. But she still noticed what she noticed.
Maybe their relationship never was fantastic. But before they knew it, they were pregnant, and felt like there was only one option.
She should probably stop internally profiling the man's relationship with his wife and respond to him.
"You don't look 30, you know."
He chuckled. "Well, thank you."
"Of course...anything else you'd like to add this morning?" she asked. "This has been an extremely informational car ride."
"Hmm," he thought. "Anything?"
"Absolutely anything," she nodded.
"Okay. Um...I really love football."
That was the most typical guy shit she'd ever heard, and yet she was still intrigued.
"Oh yeah? So what New York sports teams do you cheer for, and how on earth do you decide?"
He laughed. "That's a fair question. Sometimes it's based on location. Or what teams your family cheers for. Or honestly...just whatever teams you want. I cheer for the Giants, Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers, which I think is a pretty normal group. Usually, you cheer for that group, or you cheer for the Jets, Mets, Nets, and Islanders. But...it's not set in stone. I've heard many combinations."
"Okay, thanks. That was very valuable info, actually, I always wondered that. Now that I live here, I suppose I should actually choose. I'll choose your side."
"Cool. Great to have you," he chuckled.
"Mhm. So...did you play football?" she asked.
"Yeah. Through high school. I wasn't super great. But I loved it, and I love to watch."
"What position did you play?"
"Quarterback."
"For real?" she asked.
"Mhm," he nodded.
"And...were you the starting quarterback?"
"Yes."
She shot him a look. "So let me get this straight. You weren't very good, yet you were the starting quarterback."
He shrugged. "I was just average, trust me. I was...better at school."
"I see. So what was your favorite subject?"
"Math."
"Oh, nice. So given that and your job, I'm going to guess you majored in...finance?" she guessed.
"Double-majored in finance and accounting, yeah," he said.
"Wow. But...you loved English, too, right?" she asked, smiling at him.
"I did," he nodded back with a smile. "I've always loved to read. My mom...she used to get so mad at me because I'd stay up way past my bedtime to read as a kid. She'd keep coming in to make sure I was sleeping. Sometimes I'd hear her and then fake that I was asleep, and just go back to reading when she closed the door. I always got busted though. The dark circles under my eyes were...a bit telling."
She was laughing now. Because wow, she could relate to that.
"We sound like we were very similar children. Well...I suppose I still do that, actually," she laughed. "If you ever notice dark circles...you'll know why."
He smiled. "I like that. I think more people should be that way."
She smiled back. "Me too. Okay, so...what's your favorite book then?"
He winced at her. "I can't pick. I can never pick. You?"
"Me neither," she laughed. "No matter how hard I try, I can't. There are just too many geniuses out there and too many good pieces of work. There's no way people can pick a favorite, I don't understand."
"Yeah. There's too many. I'm pretty confident I've read over 400 books in my life, so I don't know how I could possibly choose one a favorite."
"Four-hundred?! That's impressive, you definitely have me beat. And how many have you not finished?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Absolutely none. I finish every one."
"No way."
"Way," he nodded.
"Even if you realize you don't like it much while you're reading it?" she asked.
"Even then," he nodded. "My mother always told me it's important to finish every book you start. Because...when you stop short of something, you could miss something incredible."
She looked up at him admirably.
"Well, that is going to stick with me forever. Thank you...Fitz's mom."
He chuckled. "Are you...thinking of all the books you want to finish now?"
"Yes! Gosh, there are so many. 'Jane Eyre' is one I've always wanted to finish but something always seems to come up. Either my workload at school picks up or I start something new and push it to the back burner. Always something. But I do like that one."
"You have to finish that one. It's 'Jane Eyre'," he said, like she was crazy.
"I know, I know. I'm so awful, it's a classic. But there are others I want to start, too! That's my problem, I get so intrigued by all these different books and authors. I've really been wanting to read 'The Alchemist.' And 'The Other Boleyn Girl.' And 'The Kite Runner.' And 'Reached'—"
He was chuckling now.
"What?!" she laughed.
"I see why there are books you've never finished."
"Yes. See. It's a real problem," she admitted.
"No. It isn't. But even if it were, it's a good problem to have. Nothing wrong with that. I have a couple of those, I believe. You can borrow anything of mine."
She looked at him like a kid in a candy store. "Really?"
"Of course," he nodded. "Some may be in my office library, some may be somewhere at home. I have so many, I lose track of where I put them all," he admitted with a laugh. "I'll remember those titles and find them for you. But...I'm only gonna give them to you one at a time."
Now she was laughing and blushing. She loved this.
"You know, that is a great idea. Thank you!" she giggled.
"Of course. But...on one condition."
"Okay. And what might that be?"
"You, um...you have to promise me that at some point...you'll finish 'Jane Eyre', too."
"Oh, I can definitely promise that."
"Okay. Good," he nodded.
She smiled, looking ahead and enjoying the first comfortable silence since they'd gotten in the car. The conversation had really begun to flow easier now. It made her happy.
And just as she was trying to think of another question to ask him to keep the conversation going, he brought something up himself.
"Oh, um...this is my favorite band. Or, one of my favorite bands. I have a few favorite artists."
She looked at the screen as he turned up the song, which read "Daughtry." She'd heard of the band, and remembered reading about the lead singer Chris Daughtry online somewhere. But otherwise, wasn't familiar with their music.
"Oh yeah? So...what genre is it?"
"I think it falls under a few different categories. Alternative rock, I think, describes them best."
"Nice," she smiled. "He does have a very nice voice."
"Yeah."
Although, the song was pretty close to over. And the next song that came on, she actually knew the artist.
"Best I Ever Had," by Gavin DeGraw.
"Oh! I know Gavin DeGraw. He has a nice voice, too," she noted.
"Yeah," he agreed.
"Is he also one of your favorites?"
"Yes. He has a lot of great ones, this one included."
The sound of Fitz's music had started to make her smile every time she got in the car. It was always the same kind of vibe, and her brain was now starting to associate it with him, and their drives every day.
"So, alright. You can't pick a favorite book, but I now know you're favorite music genre. So what about...TV shows? Can you pick a fav—".
"'Game of Thrones.'"
Her eyes widened. "Well you wasted no time with that one!"
"Nope. It's...the best show ever made."
"The best show ever made?" she challenged.
"Yes. Absolutely. There is no question."
"I'm questioning," she said, giving him a smile.
"Have you never seen it before?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. I think I am one of, like, ten people in the world who has not seen a single episode."
He clutched his chest, which made her laugh.
"You need to see it."
"I don't have HBO, though," she said sadly.
"We have HBO. Or...I should say I have HBO, because I don't think Mellie has used it once in her life. She thinks 'Game of Thrones' is vulgar."
"Well, is it vulgar?" she asked. She was pretty sure she already knew it was.
And he wasted no time in confirming.
"Well, yes."
"But...still good, obviously?" she laughed.
"Yes. I've actually been thinking of starting it over recently. I'd like to watch it from the beginning again. Maybe, um...maybe you'd want to watch it with me."
She smiled. "Seriously?"
"Um...yeah. But I mean, it's really...it's really not for the faint of heart. So if you can't stand gory things...then you shouldn't watch it. It will most definitely give you nightmares."
"No, that doesn't bother me much. You know one thing that bothers me, though...snakes. Any snakes in 'Game of Thrones'?"
"Not that I can remember," he chuckled. "Mostly, it's just...blood and war and...well. And just...you'll have to see."
"And...sex. Am I right?" she asked him.
This man's cheeks went red as all hell.
"Uh...yes. Yeah. A lot of sex," he replied. "Really, just...a ridiculous amount of sex."
They were both laughing pretty hard now, and probably both a little embarrassed.
"Okay. I'm ready to see if it really is the greatest show ever made. We should do it, I'm down."
"Okay," he chuckled. "It's a deal."
"What else you got for me?" she asked.
"I'm...I'm trying to think. I'm boring."
"You're not boring, Fitz," she said with a laugh. "I've learned lots of fun, not boring things already."
"Umm...okay. My...favorite movie is 'Glory'."
She gasped. "With Denzel Washington?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Great movie."
"Agreed," she nodded.
"My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving."
"Oh, good choice. Lots of great food," she replied.
"Yes. Lots of great food. My mom's food. And football."
"Oh—and pumpkin pie," she added.
"Pumpkin pie," he nodded in agreement. "Overall, a great holiday. I probably need to work out an extra two hours to make up for it. But it's always worth it," he chuckled.
"Oh yeah—do you stick pretty regularly to a routine?" she asked. "I've heard you work out in the mornings this past week."
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I've really tried to be as quiet as possible," he said.
"Oh, no, it's okay! You're very quiet, I'm just a light sleeper. I only hear you open and shut the basement and gym door. I never hear anything beyond that."
He nodded, seeming slightly relieved. "Yeah, I take weekends off. But...every morning before work I'm down there for at least an hour."
"So what time do you wake up?" she asked.
"Five."
"Oh...yikes," she said, shaking her head. "I really would like to get into the habit of working out too, now that I'm not playing sports anymore."
"Well, please feel free to use the gym whenever you want. We've got a lot of equipment in there."
"Thank you! I might start doing it later in the day, or at night. Then I won't interfere with your routine in the morning."
He shrugged. "You don't...you don't have to worry about that. I wouldn't mind."
She looked over at him. "You wouldn't?"
"No," he shook his head. "You, um…or...nevermind."
"No, what?" she asked.
He seemed hesitant, but he said it anyway.
"I was just going to say...you don't have to worry so much about bothering me or interfering with anything. I've noticed you assume that you are. And I promise you aren't."
She nodded. "I just—I know your lifestyle, especially, has changed because I'm here now, and I don't want to…overstay my welcome, so to speak."
"You could never."
"Thank you," she said, giving him a smile. "I've really enjoyed being here."
He peered over at her and smiled, before looking back at the road.
"I've enjoyed having you here," he said. "Or, we...have. All of...all of us," he added, clearing his throat.
She was smiling bigger now, as he pulled into the train station.
"Well, thanks for answering my questions," she said, as he shut off the car.
"Of course," he nodded. "So...I think it's only fair that...it's my turn now."
"Your turn to ask me questions?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Oh, absolutely, go ahead," she laughed. "I certainly bugged you enough. By all means, ask away."
He hesitated, and looked at her nervously.
"What?" she asked with a laugh.
"It's just...I think...I think it may be too personal."
Her eyes widened, and she got nervous. But she'd promised. "I asked you some personal questions too, it's okay."
He winced, and then sighed, giving her a nod.
"What's your favorite color?"
She shot him a look as if to say "seriously?" and then burst into laughter.
Okay, now things were getting out of hand. He just made a joke.
He smiled, and started to laugh at the sight of her laughing.
"Are you for real?" she laughed.
"Yeah," he chuckled.
"Light blue."
"Very specific," he nodded.
"What's yours?" she asked.
"Um..well, it's my turn at the moment, so I don't believe I can answer," he said.
"What?!" she exclaimed. "Come onnnn."
"Royal blue," he whispered.
She was laughing again, and her laughing made him laugh.
And him laughing, made her cheeks flush. She could feel it.
She took the opportunity to admire his smile. A smile she'd seen so much more as she'd gotten to know him. A smile that he seemed pretty selective about who he gave a genuine one to.
"You may downplay it mister shy guy, but you're pretty smiley, you know."
Now he was blushing, scratching his head. And the mention of him smiling only made him smile more.
And it was at that moment that she thought he was just absolutely fucking adorable. Not that she hadn't necessarily thought it before. But she'd been trying not to admit to herself any of the things she wanted to admit deep down.
He was flat out sexy as hell, and she knew it.
Not just because he was toned and muscular, or because he wore full suits on the regular. Although, those things certainly did not hurt.
But his personality was just cute. Shy and quiet, yes. But also able to warm up to someone and come out of his shell—she was already proving that.
And that smile. Man, that smile.
It was always warm, and a little bit crooked.
And it was now making her heart beat faster than normal, no matter how hard she tried to tell herself it wasn't.
To tell herself that he wasn't.
"We should uh...we should go. You know, our train."
"Oh, right yes," she nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt with a laugh. "Our train is kind of important."
"Just a little," he agreed, grabbing his coffee from the cup holder. "But...I'm not done asking questions, I don't think."
"Good. I've got a whole train ride to answer deep, personal questions like what's my favorite color," she nodded.
He chuckled lightly in response, and they made their way from the parking lot to go wait.
The entire train ride, unlike any of the prior ones, was spent entirely conversing with each other. Mostly about Olivia, but a few new things about Fitz, too, that hadn't been answered on the car ride there.
Her favorite things to eat, her favorite movie, her favorite show—she answered pretty much all of the basic questions.
She even told him about her best friend back home, Shawn, who was, to say the least, a character. And a little bit of a troublemaker. But she loved her dearly, and couldn't imagine life without her.
She then learned about his best friend, too, who was actually a woman. She was a tad surprised, but from what he disclosed about her, they'd been pretty close since college, and he was great friends with her husband, too. Abby and David. Good to know.
Overall, it was the best train ride they'd had yet, and probably the best commute in general.
She found that she was even a little bit sad, when they got to his building, where they stopped briefly outside.
"Alright. Just let me know when you get there, okay," he said, turning toward her.
"Yep, I will," she nodded.
Yesterday was the first day she'd walked to school herself, which, honestly wasn't that bad. He had an early meeting yesterday which prevented him from being able to walk her there, but he was insistent that she let him know she got there okay.
It was a big city and it was still her first week. And she found it nice that he cared like that. But she certainly didn't expect him to walk her to school every day, especially considering it was way out of the way for him.
"Will you be ready to go at 3:00 today or should I wait a bit?" she asked, referring to after school.
"I should be good, Fridays are usually quieter at the office. Plus, Mellie and I have that gala tonight, so...I'll need to get home early. I'll text you if something comes up, though."
"Okay, sounds good," she nodded, starting to back away. "Have a good day."
"Yeah, you too," he nodded, giving her a wave.
And off she went, on her brief walk to school.
She loved it. She absolutely loved it. The walk to school on the streets of New York City had also become a favorite of hers. It was pretty great.
When she got to school, she sent Fitz a quick text.
Olivia: Made it here.
He answered immediately.
Fitz: Good. Text you later.
Olivia: Okay. See you later—smiley.
Fitz found himself smiling at his phone at that text. He figured she'd probably like the fact that that nickname made him smile. He'd certainly never been called anything of the sort before. His mom had always told him he had a very contagious smile, but that was about the extent of it.
He thought it was kind of cute, and decided to hopefully make her smile back.
Fitz: :)
He slipped his phone in his pocket contently now that she was there safe.
He couldn't believe how much different things had been this week. The fact that Olivia stayed in their home wasn't really what had changed a lot. They had another person eating dinner with them. They had one more person sleeping in the house. Those things weren't really much of an adjustment.
But what had changed a lot for him was his commute to and from work. And he already knew it had changed for the better. He enjoyed it.
Before, he would often go the first three to four hours of his day without talking to a single soul, aside from ordering his morning coffee. Sometimes if Mellie had a later shift at the hospital, she wouldn't even be awake when he was getting ready. And even when she was awake, they didn't talk much. If so, it was dull and brief.
He'd talk to his little girl if he could, but she was always sleeping when he left for work. He certainly didn't chat with anyone on the train. So sometimes he would barely utter a word until he got settled in at the office.
But now, he was starting to talk more in the mornings, because he was talking to Olivia. It was really nice.
The longer she was here, the more he realized he was happy that she was. And to think, he'd been annoyed at Mellie about this whole deal. Not because of Olivia, herself, but because Mellie just decided it was happening without so much as actually discussing it with him.
Already, after a week, he didn't want to go back to how it had been before, without Olivia. Even the thought of when she eventually left to go do the amazing things he knew she was going to do, made him a little sad.
He'd begun to notice that he would think about her after they parted ways. Whether it was parting ways before work, or before bed, or wherever it may be. Those times when they weren't together, his mind would wander to her.
How she was doing. If she was happy here. Hoping she didn't hate it, and didn't desperately want to return home. Although, he was pretty sure that was the exact opposite of how she felt. Not just because she'd told him she enjoyed being here. But because he could truly see it. Her eyes lit up every time they exited Grand Central and they started to walk the streets of New York City. Her eyes lit up whenever she was in the presence of Karen. And if he wasn't mistaken, when she was with him.
The only problem was, he knew his mind shouldn't wander to her.
Because he didn't just think about how she was doing, or her being happy here—although those things were at the forefront of his mind.
He also thought about other things. Other things he felt wrong about.
Like the fact that he thought she was pretty.
And that he really liked the sound of her laugh. Especially when it was a product of something he'd said.
Or that he loved the smell of her perfume, or lotion—whatever the hell she used that smelled so good, and surrounded him when she was in his presence.
All these thoughts made him feel uneasy, because he knew he should in no way, be thinking about her like that.
There were so many ways in which it was wrong. So many he couldn't even count them all.
He wanted to hang out with her more often, but feared getting too close or making her uncomfortable.
His eyes wandered, but he panicked if he thought she had caught him looking.
He could feel himself becoming comfortable with her, yet she still made him feel more nervous and anxious and shy than he already was in general.
The entire situation was weird and complicated and confusing, and generally wasn't the best one to be in. And yet, here he was. Very much in it.
It was also a good source of distraction.
"Fitz..."
He instantly tuned back in at the sound of his name, hoping it had only been said once.
"Huh?" he asked, looking, looking up at his glass office door.
"You...alright?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, Ethan, I'm good. Uh...what's up?" Fitz asked.
"I just have the impact assessment you asked for yesterday," he said, coming in the office.
"Oh, right. Thanks," Fitz nodded, reaching for it.
"Of course. If you need anything else just let me know," Ethan said.
"Thanks, Ethan," Fitz nodded, taking a sip of his coffee and putting the papers down on his desk.
And as his eyes went from his office door, to his desk computer, he couldn't help but look over at his bookshelves and smile.
Before he dove into work for the day, he made a mental note to check his office for those books that Olivia wanted to read, just to see if he had any of them here.
The thought of knowing she'd be happy to read one of them made him smile.
Olivia's classes went by pretty quickly that day. Which, she was thankful for. She had a good week, but lots of homework to get started on over the weekend. And she was just happy to be going back to the house. And getting to sleep in tomorrow.
After saying goodbye to Huck, she made her way over to J.P. Morgan, as Fitz has texted her that they could leave right when she got done.
And another conversation-filled train ride later, they were home for the weekend. She wished they could talk more once they got home, but from the time they got home, he didn't have much time to do anything else except go upstairs and start getting ready.
He and Mellie were going to some gala for his work, and they needed to leave around 5, so he didn't have that much time.
Olivia was going to stay with Karen that night, and she was looking forward to it. Karen was sweet and always fun to be around.
Fitz, on the other hand, was not looking forward to his night. He desperately wished he could stay home. Make dinner. Relax. Have a drink. But instead, he had to rush to get ready so he could drive the two of them into the city, because god forbid Mellie ever took the train. And then talk to endless people for hours, and get home late. All after a long work week.
It wasn't ideal. But he didn't really have a choice, and he didn't have that many events and galas he needed to attend out of the year, so he figured he should just suck it up and deal with it.
As he was tying his bow tie, glancing over his appearance in the mirror, Mellie started their first conversation of the evening. Despite the fact that they'd been in the same room together for over half an hour.
"Did you leave Olivia and Karen some money for dinner?"
"Uh...no. Olivia told me she was going to make something for the two of them, herself."
"Oh, well isn't that sweet. So how has it been with Olivia? You haven't talked much about it. Not that I expected you to, I suppose, since talking isn't really your strong suit."
He glared at her in the mirror. "I don't know why you say things like that to me. It's been fine."
Hmm. That was kind of an understatement.
"That's it? It's been fine?" Mellie asked.
"Yes."
She sighed annoyedly at him, as she tried to clip her necklace. "Again, I don't know why I expected more than that."
"I really don't know what else you want me to say, Mell. It's been fine."
"Alright, Fitz," she sighed. "Are you almost ready?"
"Yes," he nodded, fixing a few flyaways hairs. "Are you?"
"Yes. Would you mind?" she asked, struggling with her necklace.
He walked over to her and clasped the necklace together as she held her hair up.
"Thanks. You're wearing the black Louboutins tonight, right?" she asked, heading to their closet.
"Yes."
She grabbed both of their shoes and handed him his. He went to go tie them without uttering another word to her, while she put hers on.
And when they headed downstairs, both of their demeanors shifted. From annoyed, to as happy as they could be. Doing what they always did.
Pretend.
Fitz reached the kitchen first, while Mellie grabbed the keys.
He saw the two of them at the table before they saw him. Olivia was next to Karen, explaining how to do something on Karen's homework, it looked like.
He smiled, watching their interaction.
"So...the answer would be...one-fourth," Karen said, looking up to Olivia for confirmation.
"Yes! Great job!" Olivia nodded.
"Awesome. Thank you, Liv," Karen said.
"You are very welcome. You're so smart," Olivia smiled.
He could see Karen looking as happy and proud as ever from where he was standing.
He started to head over there so he could say goodbye.
"There's my K," Fitz said, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek.
"Hi dad," Karen said. "Olivia's helping me with my math."
"I see that!" he nodded, looking up at Olivia. "Hey."
"Hey," she replied. "You look nice."
"Thanks," he said, smiling at her. Enjoying the smile he received back. He looked back at Karen. "Where's your pup?"
"He's taking a nap in the sunroom," Karen said contently. "I checked on him before."
"He's such a sleepy boy," Fitz chuckled. "I think we're gonna go, okay? We'll be back later. As soon as we can."
"Okay. Will I be sleeping?" Karen asked.
"Probably, honey," Fitz nodded. "But we'll see you in the morning okay? I'll make pancakes for breakfast."
Mellie gasped, entering the room with the loud clacking of her heels. "His pancakes are the best."
"They really are the best, Olivia! You have to try them," Karen said.
"Oh, well I'm so ready for the morning, then!" Olivia exclaimed, looking at Fitz.
He smiled at her.
"Alright. Have fun, you two," Fitz said.
"We'll have our phones if you need anything!" Mellie said, coming to kiss Karen's cheek.
"Sounds good!" Olivia nodded. "You both look wonderful!"
"Oh, you're too sweet!" Mellie smiled.
"Bye," Karen said, accepting a kiss from her mom.
"Bye, K. Remember to feed Hank."
"I will," Karen nodded.
"Have fun!" Olivia said.
"Oh, of course, of course," Mellie nodded happily.
And then they were out the door. Fitz in a tux and Mellie in a beautiful evening gown. And both with red-bottomed shoes.
Ha. Olivia was totally used to that...
But the image of Fitz in that tux did stay prominently in her mind, whether she wanted it to or not.
She helped Karen finish more of her math homework, and was already pretty impressed with her. It was Friday night, and here she was, at ten years old, wanting to do her homework.
But they did take a break for the night to have some dinner. Fitz had basically given her free reign over the entire kitchen, so she was faced with an overwhelmingly large number of options for dinner. She decided on making one of her favorite dishes from her mom's restaurant—a chicken Parmesan pasta. She paired it with some salad, and Karen loved it.
She considered that a win.
And while they were eating, they were chatting. And it got a little bit interesting.
"I wonder where the fancy dinner is at tonight," Karen said, chewing her pasta thoughtfully.
"I think your dad mentioned it being at The Plaza," Olivia said.
"Ohh," Karen nodded. "Yeah. I think they've been gone there before."
"I bet so. Do they go to these fancy work events a lot?" Olivia asked.
"Not that much," Karen replied. "Only...couple times. They're for my dad's work."
"Yeah," Olivia nodded. "It seems pretty fun! They certainly get very dressed up."
"Yeah," Karen said uncertainly. "I don't...think they would have that much fun, though."
Olivia tilted her head. "How come?"
Karen seemed unsure of whether or not she should continue. Looking like she'd wished she hadn't said what she said.
"Well...it's just the two of them going together," Karen said.
"Yeah..." Olivia began. "Why wouldn't that be fun?"
"They don't...they don't have that much fun together, I don't think," Karen said.
Woah.
Now Olivia was wondering where this conversation was going, and if she should try and stop it from going. She was torn between being a person Karen could trust and talk to, and not wanting to be way too nosy, knowing things she shouldn't know.
But the look on Karen's face made her sad, and she couldn't help it.
"Oh, sweetheart, of course, they do. Why would you think they don't?" Olivia asked.
"I know they don't," Karen said.
Olivia paused, putting her fork down. Oh boy.
Karen looked up at Olivia, not sadly. More just matter-of-factly.
"They think I don't notice things because I'm little," Karen said.
Now it was way too late to turn back, and Karen clearly trusted Olivia enough to tell her these things, so she continued the conversation.
"Like what?" Olivia asked.
"Like...they only talk when we are all together. When they are alone, they don't talk. If they do, it's not happy talking," Karen said. "My room is by theirs. I hear it, but they think I don't."
"Have you ever...told them this?" Olivia asked.
"No. I don't...I don't want them to be mad at me," Karen said.
Olivia was starting to put everything together. The fake smiles. What she'd thought about them having Karen so young, and maybe feeling trapped. Now, their own daughter's thoughts on it, bless her heart. Way beyond her years and thinking about things no ten-year-old should ever have to think about.
It was all beginning to make sense.
"You will see it, too. You will see what I mean," Karen said.
Olivia put a hand on Karen's assuringly. She wasn't going to tell Karen she was wrong. She didn't think she had a right to do that, she knew them way better than Olivia did, they were her parents. And honestly, Olivia was pretty sure that telling Karen she was wrong would be a lie. But she wasn't going to just downright say "hey, yep, your parents probably suck at being married. Sorry!"
So she settled on telling her what she knew was true, and would hopefully make her feel better.
"Well, you know what? They both love you lots, and just want to do what's best for you," Olivia said with a smile. "You are their number one concern, and I'm sure they just like to focus on you."
"Yeah," Karen nodded, looking down at her plate.
Olivia wanted so badly to make sure she had a good night. So she knew she needed to turn that frown upside down.
"And...I bet we could have tons of fun tonight. What do you say?" Olivia asked.
A smile began to form on Karen's face. "Okay. What will we do?"
"Oh, you'll see. But you gotta finish your dinner first, okay?"
"Mkay," Karen nodded, taking another bite of her pasta. "You cook like my dad."
Olivia couldn't help the big smile that crossed her face even if she tried. "I do?"
"Yeah," Karen nodded. "You both make good things."
"Thanks, honey," Olivia laughed. "I'm glad you like it. I'll remember that, and maybe I'll make it for you more often."
"Okay," Karen smiled. "You should make it for my dad. He would like it, I bet."
"Maybe I'll have to make it for all of you, then," Olivia said with a smile.
"Yeah," Karen nodded happily.
They finished their dinner, and Karen helped Olivia clean up the kitchen, which Olivia thought was very sweet. She was such a responsible child. Doing her homework on a Friday night, cleaning up the kitchen. Making sure Hank was fed.
Fitz and Mellie may fail at marriage but they sure as hell raised a sweet little girl.
After dinner, Olivia and Karen took Hank outside with them so he could run around while they went for an evening swim. It was still early September, and it had been a pretty hot, sunny week , so it was still perfect evening swim weather.
The backyard pool was beautiful, and very private. They didn't have neighbors in the back, and there was a fence anyway, so it felt very secluded.
Hank was very content to wander around in the grass or lay by the pool so he could see them in the water.
Olivia successfully made sure Karen had a great night. They played pool games of Karen's choice, as best they could with two people. Olivia watched her do all the tricks she could do off the diving board. And they swam for almost two hours, until Karen got pretty tired.
Olivia made sure she showered and brushed her teeth before she laid contently down in bed for the evening, Hank on her bedroom floor beside her. The sweet little beagle never failed to make Olivia smile.
Olivia sat on her bed, pulling the covers up over her. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning okay? Thanks for the fun night!"
"Yeah," Karen giggled. "See you in the morning. For pancakes."
"For pancakes," Olivia nodded. "Goodnight, K!"
"Wait—"
Olivia stopped, looking at her curiously. "What's up?"
"I just wondered..." Karen began. "I just wondered if maybe you sang."
"If I sang?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah," Karen nodded. "...Do you?"
"I do," Olivia nodded. "I was in choir for nine years back home."
Karen's eyes lit up. "Oh my goodness."
Olivia smiled. "Do you sing?"
"Sometimes," Karen nodded. "My mom and dad say my voice is pretty. But I'm too shy to sing to in front of more people."
"That's understandable," Olivia nodded. "It can be scary."
"Yeah," Karen agreed. "It's better if...if I sing with someone. I sing with my mom and dad sometimes. They are both really good."
"Are they?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah," Karen nodded. "My mom used to do solos in school a lot. She is really good. My dad is too. But...he only sings in front of me. Before bed. He's like me. He...he is shy."
Olivia smiled sweetly at Karen.
"He is a little shy," she agreed with a laugh. "Well, that is amazing, I didn't know that about you, or them. That is so cool that you all can sing!"
"Yeah," Karen nodded. "Maybe...you could sing? Only if you want."
"Sure I can," Olivia nodded, adjusting her covers. "There's a song my mom used to sing to me a lot when I was little before bed. She's a great singer, too."
Karen's eyes lit up. "Oh! What song?"
"I'll sing it, and see if you know it," Olivia said.
"Okay," she nodded, looking up at her happily.
And so Olivia began to sing "Hallelujah" for her.
She could tell Karen knew it, because she flashed her an adorable crooked smile after the first verse.
Olivia felt herself smiling as she sang the song softly, seeing Fitz's little mini-me looking up at her. A literal smiley jr.
Karen was a big fan of the song, and Olivia knew she was going to have to sing it for her more often. But for tonight, she was pretty tired, so she let her sleep.
She went downstairs and rinsed off in the shower, herself, got ready for bed, and then crawled into bed fairly early, at least for a Friday evening.
She read "A Raisin in the Sun" for a while, taking notes as she read because it was for school. But she eventually fell asleep, not waking until she heard the basement door open.
She immediately could tell whoever it was, was trying to be so quiet, opening it slowly. But she was a light sleeper, and she still heard it.
She raised her eyebrows, wondering what the hell Fitz or Mellie was doing down here at this time of night. But then decided she probably didn't have the right to even wonder, considering it was their house, and their basement.
And then she heard something by her door. She sat up, looking down at her door, where she was pretty sure she saw something slide slowly underneath. It was pitch black in her room, but her eyes were slowly adjusting, and she was pretty sure about it.
And then she heard the basement door slowly close again.
Confused, she pulled back the covers and went to the door, kneeling down and seeing that she had been right.
Because there on the floor, was a book, that had been slid underneath the opening of the door.
"The Alchemist."
A smile instantly crossed her tired face, and she picked it up. There were two post-it notes stuck to the front of the book, with sloppy handwriting on them.
It read;
Hey, I really hope this doesn't wake you up. I just thought it would make you happy, so I knew I had to get it to you asap. I didn't find any of the books you mentioned in my office, and didn't have time to look around the house before the gala. So I made sure to look as soon as I got home because I know how seriously you take your reading. As promised, here's one of them that you've been dying to read. But just one.
Don't stay up too late reading. Or do—I won't tell.
Enjoy, it's a good one.
-"Smiley"
She was laughing at his emphasis on the fact he would only give her one at a time. Smart man.
And she smiled at how he'd signed it.
She was beginning to realize, the longer she stayed here, that not only did she really love school, the location, and all the people she'd met so far.
But she was also realizing that the best parts of her days, usually involved him.
And there's your chapter 3!
What did you think?
Of course, you'll only continue to learn more about them.
Hope you enjoyed!
Read on!
~T