"It's nice to meet you." Olivia heard herself utter the ingrained response with a smile while hiding her shock at the announcement.
"Mellie, if you wouldn't mind waiting in the lobby…" Fitz started but was interrupted.
"Oh Fitz, don't be silly! I'm sure Olivia doesn't mind if I join you. Who knows, I might be able to give some perspective." Mellie looked innocently at Fitz while Olivia could see his hand clench beneath the table.
"It's no problem Mr. Grant. We were wrapping up at any point. Mellie, I'm sure you be a great addition to the conversation with the other two prospective students with sessions later today." Fitz looked in surprise and humor at Olivia's statement.
He turned his gaze back to their unexpected visitor. "Mellie, feel free to grab some breakfast while I walk Ms. Pope out." Pushing his seat back, he locked eyes with brown orbs before holding out his hand in assistance and feeling the heat of her palm all the way to his core. Releasing her hand as she stood, he let out a deep breath as he walked slowly behind her toward the bank of elevators.
"I'm sorry Olivia," Fitz uttered in a deep, solemn tone.
"Don't be. There's nothing to be sorry for. You treated me to breakfast, gave me a glimmer of insight into you experience and now your future. Best of luck to you both." Olivia smiled brightly before turning to jab the elevator button.
"Don't do that." Fitz fought the urge to grab her arm.
"Do what?" Olivia looked back at him, fighting to squash the emotion she felt rising within her.
He let out a sound of distress. "Don't act like you don't feel this… this… connection between us. Look, Mellie and I are dating not engaged. And frankly, I didn't expect to meet you."
She locked eyes with him as the elevator dinged open, before stepping inside.
"We need to talk about this," Fitz implored as Olivia turned and walked onto the elevator. "Goodbye Fitz." They stared at each other while the elevator remained opened for a pregnant, both felt the incredible pull build between them until the closing elevators broke the connection.
There's no way I'm letting that be the end. This changes everything; She changes everything. Fitz thought as he stood for a moment still staring at the elevator before walking back to the restaurant and a much-needed conversation with Mellie.
Walking back to the table, Fitz sat before looking at Mellie calmly. "Mel, this isn't working. I've been fighting the feeling that you and I have just been making the most of an arrangement."
"What are you talking about Fitz? You and I make a great team. We will be so much more with the network that we form at Harvard." Mellie took his hand in hers and put it on the table between them. "Besides, we care deeply for each other which is why I know this relationship is moving to the next level."
"I want more than for us to just care deeply for one another Mellie. Don't you? I want to wake up 10, 20 years from now still feeling like my partner is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I want to feel like I'd be lost without you, incomplete without you. I just don't feel that between us." Fitz gave her hand a gentle squeeze before removed his hand from beneath hers.
Mellie scoffed. "Does that even exist? Be realistic here Fitz. You and I are destined to do great things. Don't throw that away for the novelty of how your feeling at the moment or want to feel. That's a fantasy. What we've been building is real!" she finished in an angered whisper.
Picking up his coffee, Fitz polished off his cup before setting it down with a resounding clink. "I don't want to hurt you, but I meant what I said Mellie. You should go home. I need to finish what I came here to do."
Waving a waiter over, Fitz informed him to include whatever Mellie ordered before rising from his chair. He bussed an impersonal kiss on her cheek before walking to the bank of elevators in the lobby. A shellshocked Mellie sat stunned at the turn of their conversation. She already knew that she and Fitz made a great team. We are meant to do great things. I just have to help him see that. She quickly gathered her wits and began to plan…
…
Fitz exited the elevator and after a quick glance at the panel, turned right. He released a deep breath and quickly knocked on the door. A surprised Olivia opened the door to a nervous Fitz.
"Hi…"
"Hi," he responded, looking into her eyes. "I don't like how we ended things downstairs." He held up his hand to halt the interruption ripe on her lips. "I meant what I said before. I didn't expect to meet you. This changes everything, you change everything. I broke up with Mellie."
"I don't know what to say," Olivia breathed. "You… I… this chance meeting… your relationship. This is all so much." She twisted the watch on her wrist nervously. "I don't know what you want me to say."
He broke their intense eye contact to stare down at his shoes. "I don't expect anything. I know we just met but, it sure as hell doesn't feel like it. I realize this is crazy; we are in completely different places in our lives, but in a way, we are both on paths of discovery." He rocked once on his feet before meeting her eyes again. "I don't have all the answers, but I know I can never be sorry for having met you." He smiled a shy, warm smile that she returned.
As he turned to leave, she hesitantly called out, "Fitz?"
He turned to face her again. "Yeah Liv?"
"If you meant what you said, about everything, then we might both be crazy. But I'd like it if we could get to know each other from our different places and paths of discovery." She smiled and grabbed a pen and paper from the side desk. Quickly she jotted down something that he couldn't see before folding it and handing it to him.
"Write to me," Olivia said confidently as her eyes sparkled. He felt hope bloom within him and returned her confident gaze. "Ok."
Whew ok. I decided to make this a separate story, per your requests. Don't worry, this will be a slow build as I hear those of you concerned about her age. I promise that will be treated appropriately. :) And for context, this is pre cell phones and email that didn't really become a thing until the mid-late 90s so that's with the old school letters haha. Let me know your thoughts. Please review!