Olivia cried on the way home, cried out of rage, out of impotence, upset that the night she planned couldn't have been further from the reality that had just transpired. She hadn't meant to get worked up, but Fitz as always knew exactly which buttons to push. She didn't go in there wanting to be cruel, and she didn't think she'd been particularly cruel, but she knew Fitz well enough that telling him the ugly truth was going to be hurtful the minute he began to sit alone with his thoughts.
She replayed their conversation over and over in her mind as she drove, trying to find the trigger point for the conversation's decline. By the time she made it back home all she wanted was a scorching hot shower to wash away the night. Her phone buzzed and she dreaded it being anything from Fitz—sure enough he had sent her a text asking if she'd made it home safely. Out of courtesy and unwilling to add any more fuel to the fire she responded that she had.
Olivia knew that she needed to try her best and get some rest tonight because Abby was coming into town the next day. If she knew her friend like she thought she did then she knew she'd be having a fun-filled weekend with very little sleep. Once she showered she put on her silk teddy and texted Abby letting her know she was excited for her arrival. She was grateful she'd be occupied with her beloved guest so she could avoid thinking of Fitz and all that had transpired. She took a deep, calming breath and let sleep take over; the last thing on her mind were her hopes that he wouldn't haunt her in her dreams.
Fitz on the other hand was feeling very overwhelmed on his own, thinking it had done more harm than good to have met in person. He was slowly coming to the conclusion that his one-track mind had taken over, startled Olivia and ruined their night. It hadn't been his intention to tell her what he truly thought of her disappearance, at least not so early in their rendezvous, but now he felt like it was too late.
Their relationship felt beyond remedy, he felt as if there was nothing he could say or do to get her to understand that they were more than two people in their own little bubble. They'd loved each other into oblivion and now it felt to him as if she'd reduced and compartmentalized them to a tawdry affair. Feeling the frustration bubbling up inside of him he decided to change into workout clothes and go for a run to clear his head. He'd have an appointment to discuss this with Cyrus soon, but until then he didn't want this night to take up permanent residence in his head. Working his body to the point of exhaustion seemed like a feasible choice if he wanted to make it through the night sober; he laced up his running shoes and decided not to stop until he was bone tired.
Friday morning rolled around and Olivia couldn't be bothered to get up from bed. She'd texted Harrison that she needed some peace and quiet and that they wouldn't be working on their project today. He'd asked if she was ok and if this had anything to do with Fitz but she simply replied that she'd explain in person eventually. The less she thought of last night the better, so that she could easily pretend it hadn't spiraled out of control. She didn't mean to snap on him but her temper got the best of her. Her judgment clouded by his intentions to apologize only to be put on the spot for making a decision that she felt was well within her right. She had to admit she felt a tiny bit uncomfortable with the fact that she'd been so curt in the end by getting up swiftly and stating that they were done, but maybe it was for the best. They hadn't seen each other in almost two years, tensions were bound to escalate and erupt at some point.
Olivia was in no mood to host Abby for the next few days as she was in town for a conference. At first it had seemed like a good idea, but now she simply wanted to be alone. Of course, cancelling on her was out of the question seeing as to how she was in town for "work" and she was flying in earlier to take advantage and hang out with Liv. Olivia's thoughts of dread were interrupted by her phone ringing—it was Abby. "Oooh maybe she's calling to cancel," Olivia thought to herself with glee. She was wrong, this was the complete opposite…
"Hi Liv!" Abby yelled on the other side of the phone.
"Hi Abby. Are you calling to cancel on me?" she asked.
"Cancel? I think not! Where are we going tonight? Are we painting the town red?" said Abby.
"I was thinking maybe we could just stay in. You'll be tired from your flight by the time you get in and we have the whole weekend ahead of us. We can rest up and paint the town red tomorrow night," Olivia said.
"REST? Do you hear yourself? It's Friday night, we will have plenty of time to rest when we are dead. You have from now until I get there to plan a sexy outfit. We're going dancing I've decided since I have to make all the decisions around here," she said.
Olivia had no valid excuse that she could give her to make her change their plans, lest she wanted to confess to being a little miffed about an old flame. Then she'd have to explain the whole story from start to finish all over again and she'd had enough of doing that lately.
"Fine, let's go dancing," she conceded.
"Yes! My flight lands at 7, I should be at your house by 8 the latest so that we can get ready. I'll see you then love," she said before hanging up.
Olivia felt like a cannonball filled with dread had just landed on her stomach. She had been in no mood to even get up from her bed that morning, the idea of having to get dressed to go out dancing and enduring god knows how many hours partying until Abby got tired was not what she wanted. The lazy day she had conjured up in her head had just undergone a major alteration but she realized she had until about 6 to lounge in her bed and do absolutely nothing.
By the time that 6 rolled around Olivia dragged her feet but figured now was a good time as any to look in her closet for something to wear. She decided on an off-white mid-length dress with long sleeves and a deep v shape in the front that dipped almost to her navel. With all of the things floating in her head, especially the Fitz situation, she figured that Abby's suggestion to paint the town red was not a bad idea after all.
She opted to leave her blow-dried hair loose, with a single dainty diamond on a gold chain calling attention to her décolletage and a fiery orange-red lip for a little added danger, as if her dress wasn't tantalizing enough already. Abby arrived shortly after, happy to see her friend and eager to get their night started. Liv ordered takeout while Abby showered, figuring they were going to need a good meal to preempt whatever Abby had planned for them. As soon as they finished dinner they ordered an Uber to take them to their destination, an upscale dance club with a rooftop bar.
Once they arrived Abby got the party going almost instantaneously as they passed the bouncer at the door by making a beeline for the bar and asking for two martinis and two shots of gin. She had noticed that Olivia was missing the usual mischievous glint in her eye and she was determined to help her forget whatever was bothering her. She, like Harrison, knew that Liv treasured her privacy and that she'd come to her on her own like she'd done many times in the past if she felt the need for it.
Not ready to jump headfirst into dancing the night away, Abby and Liv opted to sit by a corner table as they people-watched. Eventually, Abby decided they needed a second round of drinks and made her way towards the bar again. In typical Abby fashion, she exchanged glances with a handsome stranger, a silver fox, who then followed her to the bar and introduced himself. He said his name was Peter, that he was there with a friend, and that he would love to know more about her. Abby gleefully shook hands with Peter, letting him pay for this round of drinks and asking him to bring his friend along back to her table.
Olivia wasn't shocked when Abby, who had left to collect their drinks on her own, returned to their nook with more than a plus one. Olivia should've known this would happen, in fact Abby did tell her she wanted to paint the town red and she had refused to take no for an answer. This was the hazard of going out with Abby time and time again; she would always attract someone, almost immediately, and she'd take them up on their offers. In this occasion Olivia, wouldn't be third-wheeling, but now she was forced to be a victim of Abby's matchmaker games.
Pleasantries were exchanged, and Olivia felt forced to put on her best face otherwise she risked Abby's wrath later for "having been a bitter party pooper" as Abby had labeled her on occasion. Abby being Abby opted to test out her new dance partner, leaving Olivia alone with Peter's friend.
"Hi, you said your name was Olivia?" he asked.
"Yes, my name's Olivia," she answered.
"Do you want to go upstairs? I'm not much for dancing, but we can continue our conversation up there if you'd like," he mentioned with a little bit of hope in his tone.
"Sure, let's go," she said. She grabbed her clutch and her drink and followed him up the dimly lit stairs. Once they made it up there it was like a completely different atmosphere. This she liked; the small bar in the middle, the tiny twinkling string lights strewn everywhere, the abundance of plants and relaxed outdoor furniture made it all much more inviting. She was focused on not being a party pooper as Abby often referred to her as, and she didn't mind sharing a conversation with a member of the opposite sex. She'd shared one the night before with Fitz but that was something she wanted to forget, and this seemed like a good opportunity.
"So, Daniel, is it?" she asked.
"Yup. Daniel, that's me," he said.
"And what exactly is it that you do, Daniel?" said Olivia.
She felt like playing twenty-one questions suddenly to make up for what she thought were her terrible flirting skills. She'd only ever seriously been with Fitz, other than her teenage boyfriends but she felt like they didn't count, and she somewhat felt like Fitz didn't count either since they'd had an affair, but she would try to navigate this interaction as best she could. She hyped herself up and decided she'd hold up her end of the bargain to at least have a good night like she'd discussed with Abby.
"I'm an artist, a photographer," replied Daniel.
"Really? And what do you photograph? Any nude photoshoots?" she asked.
Woah, ease up on the throttle Olivia, she thought to herself trying hard not to cringe.
"Sadly no, I don't photograph any nudes," he said as he chuckled. He continued, "I actually am working on a project right now about immigrants. I go into their communities, like to photograph where they live, where they work. I think it's important to document that, like in the olden days. I'm sort of a nostalgic romantic if you will," he answered wistfully.
Suddenly she felt very stupid, the heat rising to her cheeks for making assumptions that he was out there taking vapid photographs; when it was quite the contrary.
"That's unexpected, but a very beautiful concept nonetheless. How'd you get into that if you don't mind me asking?" she asked, his profession having piqued her interest.
"Well, I'm an immigrant. I moved here when I was ten from Korea with my mom. My dad was American, he was stationed there, met my mom, they had me, but then they divorced and he was soon stationed here. Long story short we moved because my mom couldn't bear to be without me those long summer months when I'd come visit my dad. Anyway, I don't just do it because I'm an immigrant myself, I believe in keeping records of the experience, and I feel like on some level, perhaps maybe in the future, this will be deemed as important work. I didn't know if it was work anyone was doing, all I knew was that I could take matters into my own hands and do it myself. Enough about me though, what do you do, inquisitive Olivia?" he asked in return.
"You'd be surprised, but I do something adjacent to what you do. I have what some would call a boutique agency, started it with a few friends eight years ago, and we focus on making content and PSAs for different non-profits. Commercials, graphics, videos, short films. I like to think my work is important in helping get the word out there for those who need it most. Like you I get to be creative and make an impact at the same time, it's very rewarding, even if I butt heads with my colleagues every single day. We are a tightknit group and there's no other people I'd rather do this with," she answered with a smile.
She truly did love what she did for a living, and she was proud of it being entirely of her own conception. She was happy to be able to have the freedom to do what she loved, and beyond that she was grateful, she knew she had crafted her and her staff a world of creative privilege that they were obliged to use wisely.
"That's really lovely Olivia. And let's see, what does Olivia do for fun when she's not out making the world a better place?" he teased.
She flashed him a shy smile as she felt nervous about giving a non-boring answer.
"Hmmm, let me see. I love to travel. I travel a lot for both business and leisure. Sometimes I spontaneously leave for the weekend just because an unplanned adventure sounds terrific. I like to play hostess for my friends here and there, I love a good night wasted on watching YouTube videos. Skincare routine videos are my shit! I like going out kayaking when the weather permits, going on hikes. I like sports, concerts, the ballet, the opera, whatever it is, if it's the arts, I'm there. This concludes the what-does-Olivia-do-for-fun tour. Your turn," she quipped.
"How am I supposed to top all of that?! I'm a foodie and I'm always on the hunt for the weirdest or newest hole in the wall. It's almost an art to find a good secret food place, and I like to impress people by taking them there. I love sports; a bit of a fanatic. Other than that, I'm mostly a homebody if I'm not taking or developing photos. I want to publish series of books on different neighborhoods, especially with all the gentrification that's happening now. Preservation is important and right now it's what occupies most of my time," he answered.
"Yeah, I understand what you mean. Our work is personal, and it has the tendency to take over other parts of your life without you realizing. I've been making a conscious effort to take more time for the personal parts of my life lately. Honestly, this is like my second week back from what was a very long and very extended vacation. My colleague is very glad to have me back, he's also my best friend so he's a little selfish too," she joked.
"With a woman like you, as a friend, as a colleague, or a girlfriend it's hard to not be selfish, so I understand him," he told her.
She had no answer for him, she didn't mind the attention he was showing her, but she didn't know what she was doing, she wished Abby hadn't left her alone. Almost like magic her phone buzzed and it was Abby wanting to know where she and Daniel had gone. She let her know they were up on the rooftop bar.
"Sorry, it's Abby. She thought I ran away when she went off to dance. Her and Peter are coming up now," she said.
"That's great. It was as if Peter was struck by lightning when he saw her by the way; redheads are his weakness. Anyway, before they make it up here—I just wanted to tell you that I'd be an idiot to not ask you for your phone number," he said.
She hoped her facial expression didn't betray her and display that she was unsure of what to make of his request. She figured she'd give him her number and by the time Abby made it up there they'd be interrupted and she wouldn't be forced to ask for his. It was as if she timed it perfectly and that was exactly how it panned out, by the time she was typing the last digit of her phone number on his phone Abby and Peter materialized.
She noticed Abby was radiating a weird vibe, she figured Peter had done or said something that had turned her off and knowing Abby she was probably dying to go home. They said their goodbyes, Daniel letting Olivia know he'd be in touch before they turned around and made their way down the stairs. Once they got home they got in bed and went over the details of their night out as if they were at a teenage sleepover. Abby told her that Peter got increasingly creepy as the night progressed, getting carried away while they were dancing, groping her inappropriately and that she'd texted Liv to make an exit as soon as she handed his ass to him. He could play grab ass with some other woman once she left. Abby wasn't interested.
"So, what about Daniel? Did you end up with the good and decent friend tonight?" Abby asked.
Liv just laughed because she knew exactly what Abby was up to; she was fishing for details.
"He seems nice, I guess. He's very passionate about his work, he's a photographer, it was refreshing to hear him talk about it," she answered.
"Refreshing? I bet it was since you gave him your phone number from what I heard," she said as she raised her eyebrows.
"I did, but I didn't ask for his. I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do or the rude thing to do…" she said.
"I don't think it's rude, men love the chase, and you my darling, you're worth the chase," she told her.
"Abby! That's such a caveman thing to say! Not all men love the chase, that's antiquated! I just didn't ask for his number because I wasn't sure of what I wanted at that very moment. If he calls cool, and if he doesn't that's cool too," she said, trying to drive the point across that Abby was making this a bigger deal than it had to be.
"It may be antiquated but we all want something that's hard to get, women included. I hope he calls, so you can do something other than work all the time. I know I tell you this often but it won't hurt you to hear it again: You're a catch and you need to put yourself out there. It won't hurt you to go on one date with this guy, you may even get laid. Shocking, I know!" Abby said.
"Ok Abby, relax. I'm working on devoting more time to my personal life, it was only a matter of time until I had to contemplate dating. I'll keep your words in mind," said Olivia as she hugged her friend.
Soon Abby said goodnight and left Olivia alone in her room with her thoughts, only for her to be interrupted by a text from Daniel.
It read: "You said you liked sports. How does Tuesday's ballgame sound?"
Here it was, the true test. Was she willing to work on her personal life like she said? What was the worst that could happen? If she didn't like him she wasn't forced to see him again.
"It sounds fantastic!" she replied.
"Perfect, I'll see you then :)" he texted back.
Tuesday rolled around and Liv was at the mall planning the perfect outfit for her upcoming date. She laughed to herself as she realized she'd been giving her outfits more thoughts than usual lately, first with her meeting with Fitz, then her dancing night with Abby, and now here she was picking out an outfit for her date with Daniel. She settled on a white jersey with some skinny jeans and her "lucky" blue Boston Red Sox cap, all very fitting for the occasion.
Daniel picked her up a while later and they traded stories about their first baseball game. Liv had been introduced to baseball by her beloved dad when she was little, and Daniel was bit by the baseball bug during his summers spent visiting his father. For both of them baseball was a special experience connecting them to their childhoods, and they'd rejoiced at sharing similar experiences once again.
Once they got to the stadium they did the cliché thing, they each ordered a hot dog and a beer and went off to find their seats. Among the other cliché things that they'd chosen to do for the night was to take a selfie; their beer glasses toasting between them with his arm around her. The arm which he didn't move during the entirety of the game, the arm which she didn't want him to move. She'd forgotten what it was like to go out with someone you had chemistry with. She kept Abby's positive attitude in mind about working on her personal life when getting ready for tonight and she wasn't going to stop now. The game ended and he helped her navigate the crowds with his hand placed firmly on the small of her back all the way until they made it back to his car. The car ride home carried over the energy from the game, mixed with anticipation and excitement.
Daniel walked her to their front door, reaching the inevitably awkward part of first dates. Daniel leaned down to hug her goodbye but was met with her doe eyes looking at him expectantly in the silence of the humid night, he put his thumb on her chin, closed his eyes and leaned further for a peck. Once they pulled away from one another she smiled and thanked him for a great time as he turned around and headed back towards his car.
Olivia felt proud of herself, she'd done something normal, she'd gone on a date and she hadn't had a bad time. Riding her wave of positivity, she opened Instagram to post a picture to recap her night; her cup of beer with the baseball diamond in the background. She captioned it "About Tonight" with an upside down smiley face emoji to go with it. Liv got into bed and opened Instagram again when she saw Daniel had left her a comment on her last post, a simple wink emoji.
She laughed and kept scrolling until she came across a picture of Fitz, she guessed it was his first post. There he was she thought, as handsome as ever out boating in a chambray button down with khaki shorts. A messy head of curls with a pair of aviators obscuring his bright blue eyes and his crooked smile. She couldn't resist and took a screenshot of it in case he deleted it later, she had no pictures of him, and anyway who the hell was going to know she'd kept this one?
Turns out that wasn't the only thing Fitz had posted, as she scrolled some more she came across another post. It was Fitz and Gerry at one of his soccer practices and the caption read: "My little love, not a day goes by that I don't think about you. That I don't miss you being here with me. Thinking of all the wonderful times we shared during your time here on Earth helps to keep me going. Love, Your Daddy."
She took a screenshot of this one too as it made her sentimental. She'd told him there was nothing she could possibly do to ease the pain of losing his son, and she'd meant it, but seeing this post brought out a little of that raw emotion she tried to so often suppress. She felt a little to see his life so conflicted as it was reflected in those pictures. As if he was living between two worlds, one world of fun like the picture of him boating and another world filled with grief about his son. She huffed in frustration as she dug her face into her pillow because she'd let Fitz interrupt the good vibe she was on. It wasn't intentional but the universe always managed to sneak him in.
At the same time, she got a text from Daniel that read: "Thanks for a great date. Is tomorrow too soon to do it again?"
Vowing to work on her personal life, and hoping to get her thoughts far away from the universe's latest Fitz-terruption she quickly answered: "Not too soon at all."
She kept repeating to herself how she had vowed to work on the personal parts of her life, but she couldn't help but realize that perhaps she sounded like she was forcibly trying to convince herself.
Author's Note: I want you to know I have no interest in writing a love triangle. There's a purpose, trust the story to get to where it needs to go for Olitz.