Chapter Fourteen

"All I ever Asked"

When Olivia found Abby in a sea of drunken students she was not a happy camper, being ditched by her best friend for Fitz Grant was not how she'd imagined the night going. Abby hated the girl Olivia was when it came to him.

It seemed like all roads lead to him and she didn't think straight. But Abby was done stepping in front of the bus of red flags for Olivia. This time she'd have to make her own choices.

Shocked, Olivia had anticipated a fight or at least a disapproving look and folded arms. But all she got was a hug and told to get home safe. Though she'd felt better about leaving because Quinn and Harrison were there if Abby got too drunk.

"Let's go," Olivia said once she got back to Fitz.

Truthfully she felt crazy just two weeks ago, she was watching his engagement announcement on Tv and now he was walking her home.

Stupid

Desperate

I can at least hear him out.

It doesn't have to be anything more.

"Everything okay?" Fitz asked, glancing at Olivia.

"Yes, no. I don't know." Olivia sighs "Doesn't this feel crazy to you? How are we back to normal after everything?"

"We're not, but we can get there." He says, "Look, Liv as your friend. I owe you some explanations. But as someone who deeply cares for you emotionally, I owe you much more than a conversation. So let's just get you home so that I know you're not out at some frat house getting drunk with Abby."

"Okay."

The new dorm was a contrast to the old one, it was much bigger- the absence of a roommate will do that, Fitz thought.

"Home sweet home," Olivia says as she kicks off her shoes and switches on the lamp. She sat down, tucking her legs under her butt. But Fitz didn't join her on her bed, he sat on the empty mattress across from her.

Olivia's brows dropped into a frown at the distance he put between them. Still, her head was whirling in conflict, fighting inner battles. She didn't know how to be around him anymore. When they were friends there was a certain lightness when sharing the same space. But now they had kissed. Everything was different

However, now they were in a weird place between not-quite friends and not-quite lovers.

"So I guess you can go first."

Fitz smiled a weak smile, struggling to make sense of the words about to come out of his mouth. "We can't be together… not yet at least."

"I need time to figure stuff out. I would be a coward if I didn't do this for myself, and for you because I desperately want to be with you, but the right way."

"Are you upset?" Fitz asked after a long beat of silence.

"I'm not mad, I just feel like a toy, something you can pick up and put down whenever you want."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. Before I was afraid of what we had mostly because I kept tricking myself into believing that Mellie was the love of my life."

"I don't think you know how it feels to be lied to and played with and still have all these emotions that fill your chest like a balloon just to stick a pin in it. Fitz, I'm not saying you need to drop down on your knees and propose. But you have to give me more or I will walk away and no matter how much it hurts. I'll keep my distance." Olivia swiped away the tear rolling down her face, taking in a long breath.

"I have nothing to offer you right now. Do you really want a broken man? I am being honest with you but you don't see that because everything needs to be easy. Well, this isn't easy for me."

Olivia sucked in the air as her eyes stung with more tears. This felt like a couples fight but she knew better than to trick herself into false realities. She wasn't equipped to handle this, this wasn't her territory.

Run

"Then I can't do this," Olivia says. "You can't ambush me in the hospital and declare that you have feelings for me, you can't be engaged but confused and you can't play me anymore. I'm not a little girl, I know what I want."

"So goodbye Fitz" Olivia pushed off the bed and went for the door. "Please, go"

Fitz walked out his head down, heart on his sleeve. "I'm trying to tell you what I want, you just aren't listening."

"I heard you: you're not ready for marriage or a relationship, that's fine. I know that I have to move on."

"Liv that's not-"

Fitz started but Olivia couldn't hear him over the door meeting the frame with a hard slam.

Santa Barbara, Saturday Morning

His mother was expecting him, he'd called her the same night he pitifully left Olivia's dorm.

Was he a coward and just hiding under false pretenses because he was scared to love her? Or was he truly broken and didn't want to cut her with jagged edges? Fitz tossed and turned until it was time to go to the airport, he'd have better luck getting sleep on the plane than he would in his apartment, alone with his thoughts. Mummerings of a sad man who didn't have the balls to make the tough decisions.

No. I broke off the engagement.

I saved Mellie, I saved myself.

And I'm saving Olivia.

The plane had begun boarding and one thing became clear to Fitz, he couldn't keep holding on to her egg; eventually, he'd have to give it back even if that meant it would be the last time he'd ever see her again.

Fitz arrived in Santa Barbara that afternoon. The California air seemed drier than before, or maybe he just wasn't breathing before noticing how depleted it was. He knocked twice and then heard subtle shuffling, then the door swung open fast and a fist swung at him faster, connecting with his jaw. Fitz hit the porch hard, landing on his back the air knocked out of his lungs.

"You got something to say about me or mom, say it to my face." Marcus stood over him yelling.

"That's enough of that." Catherine held her youngest back, putting herself between the boys as Fitz pushed off the wood, cupping his face.

"What?" He asked when his ears stopped ringing.

"Dad told us about your low blow," Andrew said, stepping onto the porch. Marcus retreated inside, steam practically blowing out of his ears.

"Are you gonna hit me next?" Fitz asked, tightening his jaw, prepared this time.

"No, but you should get some ice, it looks swollen." Andrew slid past his mom and brother and was down the driveway in seconds. Probably off to cast another bet.

Catherine leaned back into the frame shaking her head and sighing. How was it possible her family was coming apart at the seams?

"Hi, mom."

"Come inside, let's get you some ice." Catherine patted his back which was feeling tender. Marcus had a mean right hook that quite literally knocked him on his ass.

"I deserved that." Pressing the ice pack to his face, Fitz muttered. "I'm sorry mom…for what I said in Jersey, it wasn't fair to you."

"You weren't wrong, your father and I did play a bit of tit-for-tat and cheated on each other. When heaven knows we should have been divorced. But that didn't involve you, Fitzgerald, we never wanted you boys to know-"

"How could we not, Marcus is Black, after all, it was either he's adopted or someone cheated. I was 4, not colorblind.

Catherine rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind you, I just wanted us to be a family, so you need to apologize to Marcus because it isn't his fault how he got here."

"Is he gonna apologize for sucker punching me?" Fitz frowned.

"You just agreed that it was deserved." Catherine pushed off the sofa, padding to the kitchen. "You try apologizing first and maybe he'll feel inspired." Her voice echoed.

As Fitz came around to the back of the house he spotted Marcus sunbathing as if nothing ever happened. He didn't understand that about his family. Something big would happen and then after an hour or so, it was as though nothing happened. He feared that Olivia had that unusual trait, but he wasn't wired that way. Things had to make sense for him.

"Hey man, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you up in my bullshit."

Marcus sat up, removing his sunglasses. "It's whatever I'm not that broke up about it, but that was fucked up to use against mom." He said.

"Yeah but you're my brother, so I'm apologizing."

Fitz held his hand out and Marcus slapped it hard, pulling Fitz into a tight embrace.

"You're still a bitch, though. What? You sucker punched me." Fitz cracked a smile as Marcus stood up. Quick, Marcus extended his arm and dotted Fitz's eye in one blow, sending his big brother back a few steps.

"You had to see that one coming." Marcus chided playfully.

Fitz recovered fast and uppercut Marcus and then jabbed him in the gut.

"Stop! What's the matter with you two?" Catherine says horrified, but the boy bursts into a fit of laughter. Taunting the scared expression on their mother's face.

"We're just getting even," Marcus said as he spits out some blood, a wry grin plastered across his face.

Catherine found her breath, but all she could do was shake her head at the foolishness of her sons. She walked back into the house, yelling over her shoulder for the boys to get cleaned up for dinner.

...

Catherine rolled her eyes as Fitz and Marcus entered the dining, having the audacity to be smiling with their matching bruised faces. It only took a few minutes for Fitz's eye to welt and change color into a dark purple shade and Marcus's lip swelled and his jaw was bruised a bright red. What had gotten into them, she didn't remember them being so rough as young boys. But that's what a testosterone boost will do.

"This looks great, mom," Fitz said.

"Yeah."

Collectively they ignored the empty chair next to Catherine where their father likely would've sat. But coincidently Big Gerry had to go out of town the very weekend that Fitz planned to come to visit. He was making it clear that he wasn't going to get off this Mellie train, for whatever reason- Fitz it didn't bother. He was fine with not acknowledging it.

"What are your plans for the summer?" Catherine asked

"I'm thinking about joining Andy and Marc in Europe, a boy's trip if you will," Fitz responds. "I'm still thinking about it of course."

"I think that would be great, since you've been away at school you boys haven't had any real bonding moments." His mother smiled.

Dinner wrapped shortly after that conversation.

Fitz met his mother upstairs in her bedroom. As he sat down Catherine tossed a ring box into his lap.

"You were supposed to give it to your fiance," she said, and Fitz raised his brow because he knew that was the last thing his mother would have approved of- giving her grandmother's most valuable jewel to a girl she hated.

"To the right girl of course."

Opening the ring box Fitz lifted the gold infinity band to the light, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Can I use the jet? I need to go home tonight." Fitz said.

The first thing he did when the Jet landed was called Olivia who was still awake despite the time being nearly 2 a.m. She said yes to him coming over so he knew she wasn't too upset with him. After all, he hoped this meant she was ready to listen to what he had to say.

She wanted to rush and he wanted to take baby steps. This. Olivia. He couldn't afford to ruin her.

He popped into his apartment for less than thirty minutes so he could shower the day off him and grabbed the golden egg.

…

Fitz knocked twice before the door opened softly, Olivia's head poked from behind the door and as he stepped inside he realized why. She wasn't asleep but she has already dressed in her pajamas: a pair of cotton shorts and a black cami. And when she sat down on the bed the shorts nearly disappeared on her. She frowned when the light hit his face, immediately noticing his bruised cheek and eye.

"Hi."

"hi," Olivia replied dryly. She didn't look unhappy to see him but he could sense her reservations.

"How are you?"

"Fine," She shrugged softly. "Starting to pack, it seems like the semester just started."

"With the right person, time doesn't exist, does it?"

"I guess not." Olivia stroked her arm trying to rid her skin of the goosebumps that just popped up. "What are we doing?"

"Talking, but I have something to give you also. And then we are going to sort each other out because I can't deny myself you any more than I can deny you me."

Olivia tried not to smile at his mix of words but she couldn't help herself. She'd had all of last night and today to be mad at him- hell she had three weeks to hate him and still, she couldn't. There was something about him and she'd spend time trying to figure it out.

He's forgiven.

"What'd you bring me?" A smile curved her lips up.

"Don't be angry," Fitz said and just as quickly he pulled the brown wooden box out of his bed and sat it on the bed. She hesitated at first as if she thought a spider would jump out but then she flipped the lid open and her eyes widened.

"Fitz." Tears filled her eyes. Anger was the last thing on her mind. "You've had it this whole time- why?" Her features creased but it still wasn't anger.

"Listen." He popped the egg open and the lullaby flooded out. Olivia lifted the egg to her ear smiling as tears slid down her face. The last time she'd heard the melody her sister was still alive. Hearing it felt like September was sitting right next to her.

"C'mere" He wrapped her in his arms and she fully climbed into his lap, reopening the egg to let the tune play over.

After a while, Fitz looked down and Olivia was just quietly fumbling with a button on his shirt. "My mama said you probably took it and I said no Fitz wouldn't do that but I'm glad you stole it."

"I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to fix it because I knew how important it was to you."

"I'm surprised" Her big brown eyes, glazed with tears of joy gazed up at him. "And grateful, and happy and…"

Breathlessly Olivia covered his lips with hers, instantly scrambling his brain. Shocked but warmed by her initiation, Fitz allows her to push him on his back as she positions her knees on either side of his thighs. Her tongue flickered in his mouth, as his hands found purchase on her ass, kneading like it was dough. He lost his mind, relishing at this moment high off the way she nipped at his bottom before taking his tongue into her mouth sucking hard while she ground her hips harder into him, giving life to his dick. They were sharing air at this point, one inhaling as the other exhaled.

"Mmm…mmm," Fitz moaned the moment he felt her hands in his hair tugging at his curls. "Wait" he panted out using his hands to still her bucking hips. Shifting her so that she was sitting on his thighs and not his rising erection.

Fitz laid still, catching his breath. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Black ring box and sat it on his chest. Olivia's eyes widened and she started to push off his lap just for him to grab her and hold her there.

"This isn't a proposal." He said. "It's a promise. To do this the right way."

"The right way." Olivia smiled, picking up the box. She gasped at the gold-designed infinity band, sitting slightly back only enough to maintain balance while still sitting on top of Fitz.

"It was my grandmother's, she got it at her debutante ball, and I want you to have it."

Olivia slipped the band on her index finger and held her hand out so she could see it. "It's beautiful." She leaned down and pecked his lips softly, before sliding off his lap. The clock on her table read: 2:14 a.m. She sighed.

"Do you have to go?"

"No, I can stay a while longer."

So he did. Fitz kicked off his shoes and curled up in bed with Olivia. After she came down from her high of getting her sister's egg back and gaining a family heirloom via Fitz, she asks about his eye. Which he humorously regaled, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close.

This was the closest they'd ever been without there being a Jake or Mellie to come between them. And Just because those two were out of the picture Fitz still wanted to do everything he could to express to Olivia how much he wanted them to work.

"Livvie, we can't kiss anymore…at least until after our first date." He cleaned up, because by her expression that was not what she wanted to hear out of his mouth.

"Date?" Her nose scrunched and her eyes read: confused.

"Will you go on a date with me tomorrow night?"

"It feels like we've already been on a million dates," Olivia says.

"Not like this, that was friendship, I want to take you on a date and get to know you as my girlfriend."

"I'm not your girlfriend. Yet. You have to earn that." She smirked, bringing her nimble fingers up, tracing his perfect jaw.

"Oh, I will, which is why we can't kiss, grope, or give each other boners." Fitz brought his pinky out from under the duvet. "Promise."

Olivia hooked her pinky around his "Promise."

She yawned and not soon after was she fast asleep, snoring softly.

I am running around crazily trying to get prepared for my trip, but here's something to hold yall over until I get more time.

Still more to come!

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