Olivia was always someone who would capitalize on a vacation, relieved to partake in consecutive days of no makeup, outfits that did not include dresses and pantyhose, and to rise after the sun. Any time to get a break was appreciated and desired.

But this time around was different, surprisingly. She was actually excited about her work — in a place where she thrived — as the cohost of a fairly new and successful morning show. Along with that title, she received perks she believed she deserved. Local endorsements, potential speaking engagements, invitations to specific circles, and being a face for the vibrant community.

Things were good and there was no stress. Back home, Olivia was always on the defensive, wanting to prove to herself that she had what it took. Now In Washington, there was an adjustment and expectations were high. But in her mind, it was the best kind of change.

She couldn't deny the slight addition of being romantically interested in her co-worker. It had been so long since she had butterflies about someone. Wanting for that person to look her way, reach out, and touch her, ever so tenderly.

It had been two weeks. Excrucatingly long. As far as she knew, she wasn't confused about her feelings for Fitz. However, she was unsure about how to have a healthy relationship without messing up her career. For some reason, she thought she could not have both.

Olivia was always thinking. No matter what, she had to have a plan. Or the makings of one. She was meticulous, pondering all the options: diversion, mischief, acting out sneaky plans. Even to the point of denial and rebellion.

Her goal? To keep everything separate. If it wasn't work related, it didn't need to be discussed. That was the struggle. Slowly, she was getting closer to some of her co-workers. Happy hours, brunches, and group text messages were involved, and everyone decided to share what they wanted.

But the elephant was moving towards the room Olivia wanted to remain empty.

How does one keep a secret, just that — a secret?

As much as she liked attention, getting noticed and recognized, Olivia did treasure her privacy. That would include tightening the narrative surrounding her love life, or lack thereof. Everyone knew she was single, but not interested.

The lies she told and they believed.

If word actually got out that she was involved with the one and only Fitz Grant, there would be a lot of explaining to do.

But would that really be a problem?

Olivia was overwhelmed with him. She had been counting down the days until she'd see him without using technology. In person. Hearing all the promises he'd made once he had her in his arms. Telling him where she'd like to have him.

The thirst, desire, and hunger was real.

January 5th was the first day back. Olivia waited until the last minute to return from Charleston, because she had a strong feeling her schedule wouldn't allow returning for a while. During her visit, she crossed paths with Edison, which was awkward to say the least. He still did not apologize for being rude, but he wanted details on her new job. She chose to not divulge; there was no point.

She returned very late the night before, and did not want to disturb Fitz. But during a text exchange when she landed at National, they agreed to meet before work. Their texting habits had gone up by about 150 percent. Always sending random notes with humorous and adorable emojis. The typical "still new to this" boyfriend / girlfriend stuff.

On the way to the station, Olivia met Fitz at the nearby coffee shop. It would have been more convenient to see each other at home, since there was only a hallway separating them. But Olivia did not enjoy using the gym at the complex. There was another gym five minutes away from WWTK, and it benefitted her. Getting up by 5, starting the workout at 6, looking over emails during breaks, so she could get to her office by 7:15. But she started her routine earlier, and was able to finish by 6:30, so they could have a good hour together.

It had been a while since she visited this particular shop, and she was sporting a new hairstyle, so maybe no one would judge her wearing an oversized sweatshirt, dark vest, leggings, and sneakers. But then again, she looked like most ladies in the District. Gym / yoga apparel was the trendy uniform.

Her heart became full when she found Fitz, sitting in the corner, on his phone. He looked up, immediately smiling back, shot up from his chair, made a beeline to her.

"Hi."

"Hi," she greeted, with a big smile.

"Good morning."

Letting down her guard, Olivia wrapped her arms around Fitz's waist. He kissed her cheek.

"Fuck," she whispered, "I've missed you." She caught a whiff of his cologne, and she had no shame admitting how her body responded to it.

Sighing, he agreed, "Me too."

On cue, they returned to their signature friendly banter, to offset the intimate reunion. Everything was subtle while they waited in line. Light pinky touches. Communicating through eye contact. A soft sigh here and there. They missed of all of this. It was easy to exchange these sweet gestures under the guise of being partners on-screen. Their work personalities were viewed as infectious and they could to get to know each other better, learning the opposite's nuances, without spoiling anything.

The café was empty, so there was no hesitation in discussing candidly in the far corner of the space.

"What do you think she wants?"

"Who knows," Olivia answered, stirring her coffee. "Probably scheming to highlight our playful social media life."

Fitz set his mug down, incredulously replying, "Please, you're the one who started all of this. You're the one who got us into this mess."

Olivia closed her eyes, sipping the dark roast she ordered. "We shall see."

"You're cute."

"Hmm, okay, buddy," she retorted. "Way to divert. And the answer is nope."

"What? Giving me lip? In your delectable Southern accent," he quipped, with his ocean blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

Waving him off, Olivia continued to enjoy and finish her coffee. One of her pet peeves growing up was catching flak about how she talked, but she did admire Fitz's attentiveness. He knew when she switched gears. The beauty of spending down hours with the cohost. They both noticed all the small things. She could tell when he was tired by how his hand gestures would slow down. His ears would reddened whenever he was turned on. When he was bashful, he'd sometimes fumble over his words, which was rare, because he was usually so eloquent.

Her eyes met his and her cheeks rose. A bold tell that she was not angry. She watched him zone in on her pouty mauve lips. It made her heart skip.

"Finish up, so we can get out of here."

"And do what?"

"You."

Fitz's eyebrows rose, feigning surprise. "Me?"

"Yes," she quietly stated, batting her eyes above the oversized mug. "Do. You."

"In the office?"

Slowly nodding, Olivia stated, "Instead of where? We can't go home."

"We need to see Annalise first."

"Ahh, yes, work calls. But… I'm eager to have you."

"Two weeks, Pope."

"I know… how did we ever get through it?"

Fitz touched his chest, pretending to be injured. "Cheeky, you are. It hurts."

"You know you've missed me."

"I did."

"Ditto."

"Oh my God! Hi!"

Interrupted by the high-pitched voice, the duo's heads lifted sharply, finding a young woman enthusiastically smiling at them.

"I'm sorry, but I have to tell you that I love your show! It's so much fun. You guys are the best."

"Thank you," they graciously responded, in tandem.

"Are you doing a segment here?"

Olivia pleasantly answered, "Not today, but we will talk to our boss about it."

In smooth fashion, Fitz segued into asking, "Would you like to take a picture with us?"

The woman's face lit up; "That would be amazing. Only if that works for you."

Fitz glanced over to Olivia, wanting to make sure she'd be fine. Thankfully, she agreed.

"Of course! Let's do this."

The two stood on either side of the woman, framing the viewer; all three cheesing. Fitz stretched his arm out to take four quick shots. When they were done

"Thank you! I hope you have a great day."

After the woman left, Olivia mumbled, "That was nice. I hope she wasn't listening too closely."

"Hmm. What if she was?"

Scoffing, she lowly reprimanded. "Fitz…"

"I jest. But seriously...what if she did?"

A bit flustered, Olivia rummaged through her purse. "I don't want to think about it."

"Eventually, we're going to have to talk about it."

Olivia nudged his shin with her boot, wanting him to move on. "I know... Annalise would give us the business if she found out later than others. Can we talk about this after work?"

Fitz bit his lip, taking in her mannerisms and uneasieness. "Of course."

"Can you take a few pictures of me?"

Olivia had changed into her outfit for the morning, a magenta sweater and red skirt, with pink heels, mic in place, and back in the saddle.

"Sure," Fitz replied, taking her phone.

Standing off to the side of the show's logo and background, Olivia posed, giving a few looks. As Fitz snapped away, she pivoted, beveled, and added a hip pop. Aftewards, she selected her favorite, posting on IG to give her followers something new to see.

Hey, y'all! Did you miss me? We're back and ready to share what's going on in our area. Join us at 9am! #morninglivedc

"You?"

Fitz took a step back, grinning as he slid his hands into his front pockets. "No thanks. I'll take a picture of the set or something."

"Fine," she relented, beginning to strut away. "But you know you'll get more likes when you show your face."

Another successful show in the books, full of laughs and engaging segments. It was a testament to the strong leadership of Annalise and Cyrus, to trust Fitz and Olivia. With only four months in the making, Morning Live had taken off, and brought in glorious ratings. First in the essential demographics for the area, for the 9am hour, which made everyone in the office happy.

But after the group meeting, the two had their own briefing with Annalise. Outside of the delightful text on Christmas, they had no clue of the subject matter.

Obviously, they'd be waiting because Annalise was a booked and busy woman. Olivia perused emails, and snuck a peek at whoever tagged her on social media. Fitz hummed to himself, swinging his leg over the other, trying to stay calm.

The beautiful executive director strutted in, all smiles.

"Hello again, you two. Sorry for being late. How are you two doing?"

Olivia shot her gaze at Fitz, amused by the cheery disposition.

He started by answered, "I'm well, how about you, Liv?"

"Likewise. Everything is going well."

"That's wonderful." Annalise paused, to observe them. "Oh, come on. Don't look like you're going to shit yourselves. Nothing to fear. All good news."

Feeling a bit silly, Olivia pulled at the bottom of her red skirt, while Fitz audibly gave a sigh of relief.

"I am quite thrilled by your progress with this show. You click and it is so evident on camera. Which is why I'd love for you to do a little more press. Potentially a monthly bit during the noonday broadcast. Also, I'm getting word that some of your social media posts has reached all over the country. Olivia, ten thousand views? Connor brought it to my attention. That's amazing. And with your charming self, Fitz, you're hard to miss with our audience."

That was the keyword for You're hot, you know it, and the ladies are here for it.

The two shared a glance, then returned the focus to their boss.

With a smile, Annalise proposed, "I think this could bring in more viewership. We love it! No, I love it! Whatever you're doing, keep it up."

If only she knew what they were doing…

"So, if we can schedule a meeting next week, we can determine how we can further our efforts in this next quarter."

Fitz nodded, while Olivia clasped her hands on her lap.

"That would be excellent."

Revealing her thousand-watt smile that was rarely seen, because she was either never around, or needed to lay down the law, Annalise exclaimed, "Brilliant! Wow, you guys are the reason why I'm beginning to love my job again. I picked good apples. Alright! Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you soon."

After saying their goodbyes, Olivia and Fitz left, journeying towards their offices. They moved so well together, side by side, even with the height difference.

"Wow."

With a chuckle, Fitz added, "That was a close call. I thought she'd chew us out."

Olivia leaned in, while they passed the conference room, "If you keep looking at me, we'll be toast."

Fitz lightly touched her arm, making her stop. "I can't observe the beauty and wisdom of my cohost? All these rules, Miss Pope. It's so hard to keep track."

Without letting him finish, Olivia started walking again. They arrived at Fitz's office first, and he welcomed her in.

"How much do you have left?"

Taking off his jacket, Fitz said, "I have to make a few calls and then I'll be done."

Olivia was glad with the response, as she sat down. "Okay. After that, we should head out. If that's okay with you."

Fitz laughed, "You don't have to tell me twice."

"I was thinking."

"What?"

Swaying in the chair, Olivia delicately spoke, "Well... I booked a room downtown for a few days. You should join me."

"What?"

Lifting her right shoulder ever so slightly, she continued, "Mmhmm. A little room service. A little TV. A lot of knowing you better."

The smirk Fitz was prone to showing every time he was amused, was present. Olivia loved that. He must have liked the suggestion.

"I think that sounds like a great idea. But aren't you tired of sleeping in a room that's not your own?"

Olivia let out a sigh. "Don't worry about that, Mr. Grant. What's important right now is that I capitalize on every chance I get to spend time with you."

"Hey!"

They both jumped. Marcus Walker, one of their friends, who hosted the early morning broadcast, appeared, most likely unaware of the conversation.

"Maggiano's is downstairs. Y'all should stop by, before the noon crew devour everything."

Olivia chuckled, swinging the chair around to face Marcus, doing her best to mask her disappointment. "Why should we be rushin'? They just got here. We've been here since 8."

"Who knows and who cares? Hey, we're getting drinks tonight. Either of you interested?"

This time, Olivia did not move. She didn't want Marcus to think she needed approval from Fitz, or hint at the decision to make joint plans. Some of the interns had affectionately called them the new "work husband and work wife".

"Umm, I'll think about it. With the first day back, I need to get back into my routine. But I'll let you know by 3."

Marcus nodded, "That's cool, man. How about you, O?"

Olivia politely declined; "Let me know when the next one is."

"No problem."

Marcus backed out of the room. Once the coast was clear, Fitz closed the door, leaning against it, giving Olivia a knowing look.

"What are you doing?"

"What I wanted to do a few minutes ago?"

Olivia tucked her right foot behind the other, hands on her lap. "And what's that?"

"Hush, girl."

Fitz took a few steps forward, to the chair and tipped Olivia's chin upwards. She smiled as their lips met. Nothing fancy or scandalous, just a long, warm kiss. The one they wanted to share a few hours earlier, but time was not on their side. Perks of being top tier employees — their office "windows" were opaque, and hard to look into. So they could sneak in a kiss or two.

But it was never just one kiss. Or two.

Fitz pulled her to standing, so they could be more comfortable. Olivia opened her mouth slightly, encouraging him to keep going. And he did. Her skin flushed, reacting to how the tips of their noses brushed in between kisses, and his hands wandering up and down her body.

To give him a surprise, her left hand hovered over his dick, gradually rubbing over the fabric, while her right hand was behind his head, carefully moving her fingers through his hair.

"Shit," he hissed.

They had a running joke about who would relunctantly pull away first.

A minute in, she lost. There was no surprise.

"Mmhmm," he said, "I knew it. I never lose."

"Shut up. You know you'll get more later."

Fitz adjusted himself, while Olivia wiped a little bit of lipstick off with her thumb.

"I really like these post-show meetings."

"Get the fuck..."

Olivia giggled, always the teaser. "You know you love them. I'll text you the room number, okay?"

"See ya," Fitz waved, returning to his desk. "Leave the door open."

She had all afternoon to get ready for their evening, packing two days worth of clothes and essentials, including a pair of lingerie that would send Fitz over the moon.

After she checked in, Olivia sent Fitz the info.

St. Regis. Room 1385. 5?

Don't be late.

It wasn't until she opened her phone again, thirty minutes later, that she added one little expression at the end of the text.

xo

I know it's been a while. Take care of yourselves, stay safe. xo