Dating Dilemma: The Thin Line Between Friends and Lovers

"You shouldn't be here." Olivia said as she continued to back away from him until what appeared to be a chasm of space was between them.

"I know."

"Why are you here? I told you not to come."

"I know." There was sadness in his voice, a sort of quiet torment, as if his heart and mind were in conflict and he didn't yet know how to decide.

"How did you get here before me?"

"I took Tommy's car and sped through several traffic signals," a brief smirk floated across his face. When she left in a cab it only took seconds for him to realize the mistake he made and before he could think about it he was racing through the streets in Tommy's Porsche Boxster.

Olivia was groping for rational thought; she was tired of being manipulated by her own emotions. She wanted to speak in clarity, allowing reason to rule. She watched him from across the room, regarding his stance and hunched shoulders; he was full of regret but it was unnecessary.

"I told you on the phone that I understand and I accept your apology. You are forgiven." The note of finality in her voice was not lost on Fitz. She was trying to dismiss him; end the evening for both of them. But he didn't move; he couldn't move. It was no longer about Lincoln, his own jealousy or his bad attitude. They were all just symptoms of a deeper affliction.

"Livvy, I made a mistake…I let my fear take over and rejected you; I shouldn't have done that. I realized tonight that I can never just be friends with you. I will always want more," he confessed as he took a tentative step in her direction. She took a step back.

"You can't do this Fitz…." she whispered; shaking her head to emphasize her declination to his words.

"Livvy…"

"No!" her voice was emphatic but it was breaking; choking under the strain of repressed emotion. "You don't get to do this to me Fitz….Do you know what it took for me to tell you everything I felt inside tonight? Do you realize how hard it was to stand there in front of you and wait for you to make a decision on whether or not you wanted me? But I did it. I laid my heart on the line for you Fitz; I gave you everything and you told me we needed to be friends. Friends!...I mean, what the fuck!" she never cursed; she shook her head to calm her nerves before continuing in a much softer voice, "I accepted what you wanted Fitz; you made the rules and I agreed to stick to them. I never argued or disagreed. It was what you wanted and I gave it to you. Now you want to change everything, and why? Because you think someone else might want me? Is this you trying to possess me? Or keep me tied to you until you feel like you want a relationship? That's not right and you know it. So no, you can't flip it back on me…we're friends, you said it, you deal with it."

"I'm sor…."

She wouldn't let him finish. "No you're not! If Lincoln hadn't expressed interest in me would we be here right now?"

"No."

"Exactly….You're playing with my heart Fitz and I can't….I think you should go …we've said enough and I'm tired. You should just go."

"I can't Liv….I'm not walking away and I'm not letting you walk away either…I'm done with that. You're right, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Lincoln flirting with you but I needed the wakeup call. I needed something to show me that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would be stupid to let you go…It would be the biggest mistake of my life to let you walk away without telling you how much I love you. From the moment I met you I felt it; when I saw you pacing in that hallway, I knew…..I'm not trying to play with your feelings Livvy, you're the one and I'm not going to change my mind….I was stupid and scared but…you are it for me. I love you, more than anyone or anything in my life…I need to be with you."

Olivia hadn't noticed that he was closing in on her until he was right in her face. His fierce blue eyes bearing into her; piercing through all the barriers of fear and uncertainty. He wasn't backing away and even if she pushed, he was ready to push back until she realized that this was what they both wanted and there could be no other way.

His hand came up slowly; she still had the power of her own agency and he would never take it away; it still had to be her choice. She didn't protest when he caressed her face and pulled her close. Her eyes were hooded as she took in the warmth of his touch and allowed it to permeate through every part of her. "Fitz….you're breaking my heart."

"Then let me fix it," were the last words he uttered as he claimed her mouth for a soft kiss; gentle, feather like; almost non-existent. But that was temporary, there was more; there would be more until they were both satisfied. He pressed her further into his body as he deepened the kiss enjoying the feel of her soft lips against his, becoming intoxicated with the taste of her; demonstrating the desire, the passion he felt for her, for so long. She would know that she was his everything; that she would never need to doubt how devoted he was to making her happy; that she would never regret giving her heart to him.

When Olivia felt his tongue surge into her mouth, she was consumed. There was an intensity, an urgency to take in all of him; to allow him to fill up every hole, every shallow part of her; to make her feel renewed. In his arms, as he pulled her closer and closer, she thought she could almost feel the depth of his love, but that would come later and she was in anticipation for it.

They pulled back in panting breaths, searching each other's eyes for the answer to the unspoken question, Are you sure?, and finding the answer together Yes.

With a demure smile, Olivia led him up the stairs to her bedroom, instantly thankful that in preparing for the evening, she hadn't given in to her normal habit of throwing clothes everywhere as she decided what to put on.

"Livvy, I love you and I'm not going anywhere. I want this and I want you. I'll be here with you in the morning, with no regrets, no doubting; just me and you."

Could he hear her thoughts? How did he know what she needed to hear from him? How did he know what assurances to give? She was worried that in the morning, in the light of day, when thinking faculties were clear and actions could be judged as right or wrong, he would regret what they had done and want to escape, effectively leaving her all alone.

She was speechless; words would get in the way of what she was feeling in this moment. She was determined to enjoy each minute, each second; to remember what it was like, how she felt, what she thought. When her dress was in a pool at her feet, she felt his eyes appraising her in her corset; the sparkling blue oceans making her feel inherently womanlike. She patiently waited as he removed his jacket, his shirt, his pants. He held her gaze, making sure there was no hesitation, no reservations. When he saw her bite her lower lip in anticipation, his breath was caught.

He wouldn't let her help him. He had to remove every piece of her clothing by himself because he needed to take his time; he needed to be able to kiss and suck whatever part of her body that became exposed to him. He needed to taste every inch of her; swearing that the sweetness of her skin was unlike anything, anywhere.

His ministrations left her breathless. She was dripping with a desire she had never felt before; that she had not known she was capable of feeling. It was a heady feeling, standing in front of him naked in her room watching as he trailed kisses down her body; stopping at all the right pressure points. Her breasts, sensitive, budding inside of his mouth; her flat stomach sucked in at the feel of his breath; her center aching for his touch. She could stand it no longer and unable to support herself, her knees buckled. With a swift move, he picked her up and cradled her in his lap while he sat on the edge of the bed. Capturing her mouth with searing kiss, he coaxed her into opening her legs for him, wider, as wide as they could go; to give him the access to part of her needing the most attention.

When he began to stroke her, Olivia thought she would fall to pieces. She was moaning in his mouth, rotating her hips to match the rhythm created by his fingers. When he slipped his finger inside, she wanted to pull her mouth away to catch a breath; she could no longer breathe; it was too much. He wouldn't let her; he held her in place enjoying her throaty moans; consuming them as they intensified. When he released her, her head fell against his shoulders, "Oh my god….Oh my god" her echoes heightening as they christened her bedroom.

Olivia was not a woman who was in tune with her sexuality. She was conservative to a fault; not able to communicate what pleasured her; not truly able to find the level of enjoyment her body desired. More times than not, she shied away from sexual experiences; never realizing the freedom or the beauty that came from true fulfillment. Until now. Something in him made her remove all the inhibitions cloaking her true nature. She wanted everything from him; the insatiable temptress was coming through and she knew that she would never get enough of him.

Fitz' was bulging through his briefs, pressing against her bottom, demanding entry into her core as she grinded over and over again, yearning for him to fill her completely. It was a first for her but she was not reticent as she became the aggressor, pushing him back on the bed, frantically helping him remove the last barrier between them and straddling him ready to sheathe him deep within her body. Their eyes never broke contact as she took him in slowly, every sensation better than the one before. And when he was fully embedded they closed their eyes, replete with pleasure; their moans intermingled; synching in melody. She moved against him, reveling in the different feelings each shift was creating; loving and learning both him and herself at the same time.

When he could take no more, he grabbed her hips and guided her to the pace that he knew they both would enjoy. He could see the fire building within her and he reached down and stroked her to a point where the gentle moans he loved to hear, rising in pitch and when she was seconds from exploding he rose up to meet her face to face; holding her body closer going deeper and deeper until complete satisfaction was found.

XXXXXX

"Livvy….Livvy…baby I need you to wake up," Fitz said as he gently tried to coax her from her slumber. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful and serene in her sleep that he hated having to wake her but he didn't want her to get up, find him gone and panic.

"mmm", she moaned but turned her face away from him, refusing to rise.

He smiled and began to slowly pull down the sheet covering her, exposing her back and tracing wet kisses down the exposed skin. She moaned again but refused to open her eyes until the sheet almost made it past her ass and she felt his hands caressing what was, to him, one of the most flattering parts of her body. Her eyes flew open; she turned her head to face him and grabbed the sheet to cover back up, a sudden shyness overtaking her. Her hoarse, groggy voice fluttered out questions, "Fitz, you're up already? What time is it? Your dressed….are you leaving?"

He hated the fear in her voice; with a reassuring smile he said, "It's 10:30; I've been up for over an hour; I am dressed, Tommy always has a spare change of clothes in his car and yes I have to go…I need to get his car back to him. He's leaving town this morning."

An adorable, pouty look came on her face and he couldn't resist kissing her nose. "I'm coming back Livvy. I just need to take the car to him and stop by my place to pick up a few things. There's coffee downstairs for you; I was going to make breakfast but you're completely out of everything." He chuckled and she smiled.

"Yeah I have to go to store," she admitted sheepishly as she sat up in the bed, holding on to the sheet to keep herself covered, which Fitz thought was funny considering everything they did last night.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours and we'll do whatever you want for the rest of the weekend….I love you Livvy."

"I love you too."

XXXXXX

Josie barked at the sound of the doorbell and Olivia smiled brightly, knowing Fitz was on the other side. He had only been gone a couple of hours and she already missed him. She picked Josie up and flung the door open, "Hey you…" Her smile faded into a frown when she saw who was at her door.

"Dad, Aunt Clari, Lexi, what are you doing here?" she hadn't mean for it to come out so rudely but it did.

"Were you expecting someone else?" her father asked.

"Umm….no…well yes, I guess. I just didn't know you would be coming down. Why didn't you call?"

"Since when do I have to call to come visit my daughter?" he challenged.

"Can we come in now or are we supposed to continue this conversation on your porch?" Clarissa asked in mock irritation.

"Oh sorry…yes of course come in." Olivia stepped back and let them in. She looked up and down her street to make sure she didn't see Fitz's car. She silently wished that his family held him up or something happened that would prevent him from coming back until much, much later – after her family was long gone.

After they were all settled inside, Olivia asked Alexis to help her get drinks for everyone in the kitchen. "What are you doing here, with them?!"

"Calm down….they were worried…like I was worried and if you would've answered your phone and told me what's going on we wouldn't be here right now."

"I'm sorry…I wasn't trying to ignore you….I was….busy."

"Busy…busy doing what and who were you expecting at the door? What's going on?"

"Can you please stop with the 20 questions? I'm fine, everything's fine."

"Wow, you are so touchy…So you want to go out to eat or you want to cook."

"I….I can't leave right now…but why don't you take them out to eat and I will call you later." It wasn't that she couldn't leave; it was more that she didn't want to leave. She wanted to spend the day with Fitz, not with her family. It as a selfish thought, she knew, but it was truly how she felt.

"Now I'm really not leaving until I find out what is going on with you. You're practically trying to throw your family out of your house when we just got here."

Clarissa appeared in the kitchen and said, "Liv, your father can't work your remote control and there's a game on that he's dying to see, you need to help him."

"Yeah, sure, I'm coming," Olivia said as she took out a beer to bring to her father.

On her way out of the kitchen her aunt stopped her and said, "So who is he?"

"What?" Olivia said as her eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Who's the guy you slept with last night?" Clarissa surmised perceptively.

"What are you talking about?" Olivia tried to deflect the question but the blush coming on her face was telling.

"Oh ho…." Alexis said as she started laughing. "Is it Fitz?...Of course it's Fitz. Is that who you were expecting? Oh my god, Liv why didn't you say anything?"

"Lexi take this beer to your father and help him with the television," Clarissa instructed and Alexis sulked at being left out of the conversation. She did as she was told. As she left, the look she gave Olivia told her that she expected details later.

"Are you OK Liv?...Do you want us to leave?...We can leave if you want?" Clarissa offered.

Her concern was touching and Olivia felt bad for how she was treating her own family. "No I don't want you to leave…I'm OK…There is a guy, his name is Fitz and I want you to meet him…Someday…I just don't know if today is the day for it…Our relationship is still so new…I just don't know if he's ready to be grilled by Dad…I'm sorry if I was rude to you."

Clarissa was about to respond when the doorbell went off again. She smiled and said, "I guess you're about to see if he's ready; don't worry Liv, he may surprise you."

"How did you know?"

"I'm a woman…I know these things…plus you have that glow that only comes when you've had good sex."

XXXXXX

"Why are you so nervous?" Fitz asked her as she busied herself letting Josie out of the house. He had been watching the football game with her father and when it went to commercial he found the moment to corner her. He thought everything was going well. He liked her father and her aunt and they seemed to like him as well. Alexis and Clarissa had disappeared upstairs to watch some fashion show on another TV, while Olivia hung around downstairs; she needed to make sure everything went well between her father and Fitz.

"I'm sorry….I know you didn't expect to meet them today…It was just supposed to be us two and they came unannounced. I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable. I didn't want my father to start grilling you….."

"Oh he's grilling me," Fitz said laughing, "But he's being subtle about it; he asks questions during plays. He even asked me a question right after my team kicked the field goal. He knows I'm distracted, but it's OK, I'm fine with it…I would've expected it."

"What kind of questions?"

"The usual…what are my intentions with you….where do I see this relationship going….that kind of thing."

"And what did you say?"

"What do you think I said?"

"I don't know….we haven't had a chance to talk about anything."

A frown came on his face and Olivia tilted her head in confusion. Why did he look upset?

"What?...What's wrong?" she asked.

"Livvy….we had sex last night; we will definitely be having sex many more times this weekend…I told you I love you, I'm in love with you…I'm committed to you, only you….I have every intention of staying with you…Do you get it? Do you hear what I'm saying to you?" frustration was evident in his voice but he couldn't hide it. He couldn't understand why she doubted his intentions.

"I hear you…I do….I just don't want to mess this up with you…I don't want to push you too far too fast."

He smiled as his hands caressed her face, "Livvy, stop worrying; just let it happen. You need to relax, stop overthinking everything; just enjoy it."

She smiled back and said, "I could relax if you kiss me right now."

They hadn't kissed each other in hours and the thirst was still alive and potent. It didn't take long for them to forget where they were and who was around. Fitz had been watching Olivia in her strapless maxi dress all afternoon, just waiting for the opportunity to pull it off her. He eased it down further and further until her breasts were exposed to him and he groaned in delight as his hands caressed and fondled until her nipples were taut bulbs in his hands.

Olivia was lost in the feel of his hands on her body; she moaned into his mouth, inviting him to take more of her; consumed she was in the heady feeling of desire.

"Fitz," her father's voice yelled out from the other room, "The game is back on…get your hands off my daughter and come back in here."

It was like being doused with cold water. They broke apart immediately and Olivia fixed her dress. They chuckled as they looked down at the evidence of Fitz's arousal. Fitz gave her one last kiss as he turned and walked away to join her father; hoping the bulge in his pants wasn't that noticeable.

XXXXXX

Monday morning came too soon for both of them. All day Saturday was spent with her family and Sunday they spent alone; never leaving her house and for Olivia it was perfect. They could either talk, watch a movie or be working on their laptops; she always felt the same connection to him. She tried to follow his advice; to relax and just enjoy the moment but she couldn't help worrying how they would be at work together. Would they be a private couple? Or would they go public and let everyone know? If they let everyone know would that affect the company's view of their working relationship?

She was still blushing from shower sex as she watched him through the mirror adjusting his tie. She looked at him and all she could see was how handsome he was; how caring he was and how much he loved her but her father made sure that she was not too drunk off his love to be oblivious to the facts of life.

"Interracial relationships are hard Liv," her father said as she walked him out to the car when it was time for her family to leave, "I support you 100%; Fitz is a good guy and I like him but the world is cruel. No matter how much time has passed people cannot seem to let go of their bigoted, racist ideas. So just be prepared. If you start to feel slighted, insecure or hurt in anyway because of what someone said or did, make sure you communicate that to Fitz. The only way your relationship will survive is if you work together as a team. Make each other feel safe, wanted and loved despite what other ridiculous things people may say or do."

"You're worried about today…being at work together," Fitz asked her as he finished his tie.

She put on her heels and walked over to stand in front of him. "I am."

He put his hands on her waist and said, "Livvy we have always had a great working relationship; there is no reason to think that it won't continue to be that way. As far as our personal relationship goes, we don't have to go shout it to the entire company but we don't hide from it either. We don't avoid each other; we just do what feels right for us. This is our relationship and no one, not even the magazine, dictates how we are to be together. It's you and me and if we feel that we need to adjust something along the way, then we talk about it and we decide….OK?"

When Olivia felt Fitz's hand at her back, guiding her off the elevator onto their floor at the magazine, she instantly felt calm. She told herself that this was just like any other day at work, the only exception being that she was in love with the man standing next to her. Other than that, everything was normal.

Cyrus called an emergency staff meeting for the entire floor first thing in the morning and everyone filed into the conference room. Both Olivia and Fitz stopped short when they saw Mellie sitting at the table next to Cyrus. Mellie kept her eyes on them as they took seats at the far end of the opposite side of the room. Everything was not normal. "What's she doing here?" Olivia whispered to Fitz. He shrugged and responded "I have no idea…but whatever it is, it's not good."

When everyone was seated, Cyrus stood up and said, "Good morning. We've called this meeting to introduce a new member of the team. Some of you may remember Mellie working here years ago; she left us momentarily to work for a local TV network but thankfully we were able to get her back. She will be working directly under Sally, overseeing various projects for the magazine. She will be visiting with various departments today and talking one-on-one with some of you. I'll let her have the floor as she has some announcements for you but before I do, let's all give her a warm welcome." Everyone in the room applauded.

With a radiant smile on her face, Mellie stood up and greeted everyone. "There are some new faces that I look forward to getting to know and there are some of you that I already now," she said pointedly looking at Fitz. "I'm glad to be here; glad to be on the team. The magazine is doing phenomenally, which is a credit to all of you, but of course we are always looking for ways to improve; to get better; to beat out our competition. So I'm open to feedback, suggestions and comments you have and I will certainly be giving you some of my own. By way of announcements, I have some great news, Sally has approved the company Halloween Costume Party; the theme is Old Hollywood Glamour. I know its short notice but I hope you all can attend next week and bring your significant others," the group began to applaud in excitement at the news.

"And as a more serious announcement, today each of you will be receiving an email from HR. It has become company policy for all office romances or personal relationships to be documented. That means that if you are in a personal relationship with anyone in the company, you will be required to complete a form acknowledging the relationship and confirming that no conflict of interest exists. The company wants to make sure that we promote a safe, hostile-free work environment, with no improprieties….So that's all I have for now…Once again thank you for welcoming me. Before you leave there are breakfast pastries at the back of the room, feel free to help yourself."

"I think we just got railroaded by the Mellie-train," Fitz whispered to Olivia as they watched everyone leave the conference room. She nodded in agreement; a flood of questions floating in her head; the least of which was why Mellie was here and what her true motive was? They tried to leave the room unobserved but Mellie's voice rang out.

"Fitz can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked from across the room.

Fitz groaned and seeing no way to escape, nodded yes. He told Olivia he would talk to her later; smiling confidently in response to the concerned look in her eyes.

Instead of talking in the conference room, Mellie suggested that they talk in her office on the other side of the floor. Fitz walked behind her, thankful that at least her office was far away from his and Olivia's.

"Have a seat," she offered when they entered her office and she closed the door behind them.

"No thank you…I prefer to stand."

"Fitz relax…I only asked to talk to you to make sure you would be okay with me working here. I was hoping that as friends we would be able to work well with each other."

"We aren't friends Mellie." He still believed she had something to do with Amanda Tanner setting him up and he didn't trust her.

"I thought we were. I mean you threw me over for Olivia but I don't have any bad feelings toward either of you. The way I see it, I'm the injured party; if anyone has a right to be angry it would be me."

"Why are you here? Why are you working here?"

She frowned at the change in the conversation but quickly recovered. She plastered on her smile again and said, "The TV station was never going to let me go any higher than where I was; I was a glorified gopher; a complete waste of my talent. So when I got the call from Sally for this job; I had to jump at it. It's a great opportunity and I've always loved this magazine."

Fitz didn't believe a word she said. Mellie was a master manipulator; she always told just the right amount of truth to make her lies seem plausible. Fitz shrugged nonchalantly; he didn't want to give her the satisfaction that he cared. "Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well that and to tell you that my first project is to take a look at you and Olivia's dating column, just to see if there are areas where we can improve, make adjustments, that sort of thing. So I will be working closely with you both for a while….I hope you can handle that."

He stared at her as if she had grown another head. "I really don't see that I have a choice," Fitz finally said as he turned to leave.

(A/N: Hi everyone. I don't know about you but I'm constantly entertained by the amazing, crazy and freaky stories on fan fic. I love it! Thank you all for putting out such great stories to satisfy our Scandal cravings. And thanks to those of you who continue to support this story. Another story popped in my head but I promised myself I wouldn't put it out until I updated my existing stories, so for those of you who asked "I Only See You" is up next. Once again thank you all for your continued support; I love this fandom!)