A Match To Remember
A disclaimer. Nothing in this story is associated in any way with the story or and characters from the Scandal TV show. Any use of names or events similar to that show is accidental.
This is a slow burn , it should pick up speed after several chapters. I hope readers will stick around as it develops . The Visit was a slow burn but I knew the ending. This story started as a one shot but ideas grew as I edited it.
Chapter 1
50+ steps up 50+ steps down.
Liv started up the stairs to her seat. She looked down to see the row number she was passing , her seat was in row was X and she was just passing F. She walked slowly using the rails to help hoping no one saw she was struggling with each step
. Up and up, N a couple more it was R absolute pain in her chest each step was a new challenge. She thought she was in good shape but running three times a week did not make a dent in her fitness to prepare her for the overall trek from the hotel to the train , from the train to the venue, standing in the seemingly never ending lines and then 100+ steps to her seat. The first 50+ were hidden by an escalator that the builders allowed the upper level seat holders to use before they found out the truth. The last 50+ you were on your own. Finally row X, seat 5 but she was going to plant right there in seat 1 until she got her breath back.. She sat down as gracefully as possible trying not to flop into the seat which her body wanted to do.
It was the first match of the first day of the 2017 US Tennis Open and the stands were filling fast. She watched others struggle up the stairs so she recognized she was not alone suffering from the climb watching the look of thanks as they found their seats in lower rows the look of pain as they realized the climb was over yet. She saw two men coming up the stairs taking two steps at a time without any discomfort. She did not know what was more amazing the way they tackled he stairs or their tattoos. Both were wearing muscle shirts ,the one in front had tattoos from his cargo shorts to his ankles, the one behind she could not see clearly but she could see tattoos on his right arm . She was hoping their seats were not near hers but they kept coming until the one in front stopped looked at her and said W . Liv said " this is X" and pointed to the row where they were standing. "thanks" the second man said as they sat in seats in the row ahead of her but several seats down. Two bad boy biker boys at a tennis match Liv didn't know what to expect. These two certainly do not match the groups sipping champagne on the grounds and those doing the same in their court side seats. These seats in the nosebleed section were a long way from the court but they offered a very good view and while they may be considered the cheap seats, they are not financially cheap...
Everything went well for the opening session of the day .She considered it great for her because no one showed up for the first four end seats in her row. . It was too early for a lot of beer sales so the walkers were few ., Liv's seat at the end meant she had to get up whenever there was a food, beverage or water closet run by anyone on that row. The end seat was an inconvenience but she was not smashed if she had been sitting in a seat in the middle of the row. The biker boys stayed put during the entire day session and even said goodbye when they left.
The seats they occupied for the day session was taken by a couple of younger males for the night session who walked the entire match. Oh to be young with young legs. Liv missed her "biker boys" why mar such beautiful bodies with all that ink. They both had beautiful bodies that she observed closely as they made their way down the stairs. There was a smile on her face as she watched them and was happy about sitting in row X because she was able to enjoy the view all the way down.
The next day Liv skipped the day stadium play to see some of the matches on the outside court. It was an opportunity to see some good players with familiar names and see the crop of upcoming players. Soon, it was time to brave the crowd for the evening stadium match and get some food. The stadium food had a large selection but it was basically bread wrapped around some type of mystery meat. She opted for a cold Italian Sub hoping it would not create a mess and a bottle of water. As she stopped to purchase a bottle of water , a voice say "fancy meeting you here".
,,,,,she looked around and countered ," yes we have to stop meeting this way people will talk"…
…." It will be an improvement over some of the things they say about me" he answered back in a baritone voice that had to be heard to believe or appreciate. It was one of the biker boys from yesterday, the second one ,the one whose body she watched descend the 50+stairs shoulders to ankles the day before…..
Liv did not get a good look at him yesterday mainly because her focus was on the tattoos but he was really handsome. Today his arms and legs were covered with long pants and a fitted tee which hid the tattoos on his upper arms. While the tee hid the tattoos it helped show his well developed body. The bad biker boy has a gym membership and he uses it, she thought..
"Are you headed for your seat?"
"Yes", Liv answered
"What about a beer to wash that sandwich down, nothing goes better with an Italian sub than a cold beer, my treat."
" Thanks, I'm sticking to water" Liv said as she fished the water from her bag, "my seat and beer don't really go good together plus I'll be back tomorrow so I need to keep a clear head."
" Live a little, …One beer, my treat."
"nope…., but thanks, I'll stick to water."
"You are refusing my beer I'm hurt" he put his hand mockingly on his chest …. "are you ready to head up to the seats?"
Liv was faced with a dilemma, no way was she climbing those stairs with someone who could take them two at a time so she tried to refuse, saying" I'm going to enjoy the view for a moment and see who is on the practice court.".
"ok, do you mind if I join you? "
Her head said hell yes I mind, I'm trying to get back to my seat without embarrassing myself and giving you, or anyone else a good laugh at my expense but her mouth said , " of course not, join me let's see if we can spot anyone."
Although she knew he was with another guy yesterday she asked " weren't you with another guy yesterday , is he around?"
" of course , no one with tickets would ever decide not to see Roger play, he's here already . I'm making a brats and beer run before the evening session begins. Did you see yesterday's evening session?"
" yes I did, Maria is back"
"yes she is, I'm Fitzgerald by the way, my friends call me Fitz, and you are?"
"I'm Olivia "
" do your friends call you Liv?"
"yes, some of them "
" ok it's Liv and Fitz then"
" have we somehow jumped into the friends zone?"
" how long are you going to be here and do you have the same seats for the next two days?"
"I'll be here through Thursday and I have the same seats, why are you asking?",
" if we are going to be sitting next to each other tonight and the next two days, being friends is better than being enemies , right "
" I guess"
" guess .. that's obvious…it's Liv and Fitz who will be friends for as long as we share seats in the same row next to each other"
"how do you know our seats are next to each other, they weren't yesterday?"
"because I know a secrets about my seats and your seat., I have two seats and only one is being used I hope you will join me."
"And the secret about mine?"
"Can't share that'"
"can't or wont?"
"Both"
"I thought you said your friend was in his seat?"
" he's in his seat it's just not the one he was sitting in yesterday, so should we start up, it's quite a climb."
Liv accepted she was not going to get out of it so she agreed and headed to her seat but she had discovered a different way up which allowed her to catch her breath . He headed for one door Liv headed for another, when he stopped her she told him to follow her. It was the same number of steps but half way up one could walk along the back of a row and then make the final climb.
" that was smart, you were able to disguise how hard the climb is " Fitz said as they reached their seats
"discovered it last night"
" how was the night match?"
"good, Maria looked good, she's in good form"
" I missed it …friends had box seats to see the Yankees . Those are tickets that's hard to say no to"
" hard enough to miss seeing Maria play, never thought I would hear a man turn that down"
"I knew she would win and I would see her later in the week"
"How were you sure Maria would win?"
" Easy, She has never lost a night match here, "
"You missed Maria for the Yankees, now I have heard everything, would you have missed Roger for the Yankees?"
"Now that's a tight one, don't know, glad I did not have to make that choice"
They talked easily , discussing everything tennis until the match began and ended the night with a see you tomorrow friend. Liv headed for the train Fitz headed to find his friends.
Next day Olivia again opted out of the early stadium matches and instead went to see several day matches on the outer courts. As the evening match neared she was not looking forward to mystery bread draped around mystery meat. She discovered a restaurant in the food court that sold grill cheese sandwiches and salads a welcome relief from the usual stadium fare . She enjoyed the late lunch as she sat in the food court people watching and enjoying the later summer sun. Too soon she was climbing the stairs to her seat and the first thing she saw when she turned the corner of the stairs was Fitz
"thought you had stood me up friend."
"nope stopped for a grilled cheese at the food court"
"where is mine?"
" wasn't sure you would be here and not sure if you would accept open food from a stranger….. plus it would have been cold. A cold grilled cheese with cold caramelized onions , nah …..not very appetizing "
" the cold sandwich you are right , but you are wrong about accepting food from a stranger, I told you yesterday I consider you a friend"
" tomorrow I will bring you one…. ok"
" thanks, ….no thanks. I need a man's meal, stadium food , big, messy lots of juices, soggy and hot, like a Coney Island foot long , a burger with everything or a hot Italian sausage sandwich with a side of waffle fries and a beer….. A grilled cheese sandwich , nope …..…I pass…"
" dinner tomorrow on me, a man's stadium meal I'll get the eats you have to get your own beer since I can't carry everything . I'll include a box of popcorn for a snack"
"Sounds like a winning proposition,,….. …. where will you get popcorn?"
"at one of the stadium stands, the popcorn wasn't near any of the man sized stadium sandwiches that's why you missed it "
The two enjoyed the night match and when they were given the opportunity to move to the lower seats when the crowd thinned, Liv opted to stay and Fitz stayed with her
"don't you want to move closer?"
"nope, love these seats, you can see the complete court , it's a tad high but I like it where I am."
At the end of the match they walked out together but paused at the food court to sit at a table until the crowd thinned out.
"I have seats on the lower level tomorrow , join me, you can enjoy a beer , what's "attending a sporting event and not having a beer?"
"I'll have a beer, a couple, but after the match tomorrow night because I am not coming Friday, I still prefer my Mt. Rushmore seats , thanks for the offer"
" are you still buying dinner tomorrow, if so I will join you and bring the beer"
"You are not going to sit in the lower seats?"
" nope I'll pass not often I get an offer for a pretty woman to buy me dinner"
"you get to get a closer look at the players and may even make the kiss cam, it's better view to some."
" maybe depending on what view I'm interested in, and the company here is better so tomorrow, you are bringing the burgers ,waffle fries and popcorn I'll bring the beer"
" just water for me"
" thought you said you would have a beer since it's your last day? "
"I am going to have a beer but after the match, in the food court and nearer the water closet"
" water closet, don't hear that often in the states your European familiarity is showing"
" just sounds better in mixed company".
Next day after matches on the outer courts the two enjoyed their burgers and fries in the cheap seats, Fitz had his beer Liv had her water. After his second trip to the water closet he agreed with her decision to stick to water was a good one..
They later enjoyed the popcorn sharing information about the remaining players in the draw and soon the last match was ending. Settling in the food court, Liv finally had that beer .
"when are you leaving ,?"
"Sat, 6am flight,"
"what are your plans tomorrow?"
" tomorrow , I'm doing Queens."
" doing Queens, ?"
" yes I'm staying in Queens so I'm going to have some real Asian food for breakfast and cruise the neighborhood checking out the shops . Afterwards a hour full body massage followed by a full hour foot massage then a nap."
"what about dinner, what are you plans?"
"there is a Michelin rated restaurant a block from my hotel, I think dinner there . My hotel has a bar on the roof so after dinner a drink, only one since I've got to get up at 3am . When I planned the trip I never took into consideration the holiday weekend , I imagine the lines will be long. Then back home to the daily grind."
"would you like company for any of that?"
"you want to prowl through the fruit and coffee stands with me, not an exciting thing to do, do you have tickets through the weekend?"
" actually I have tickets for the entire event but I am willing to sacrifice one day to join you doing Queens, come on take a chance, I'm harmless. I can meet you in the lobby of your hotel and we can have scallion pancakes and your pastry of choice for breakfast then check out the various open sidewalk stands. Have you finished your souvenir shopping?"
"I don't do souvenir shopping"
"look, call me when you get up, I'll meet you in your hotel lobby and we will discover the hidden souvenir gems in Queens. Then you can get those massages and a nap and we can meet at your Michelin restaurant for dinner then have a drink at the hotel roof bar, …..how about that…., say yes don't over think it. …. Come on, Here take my number."
"no promises,….. but I will call whatever I decide."
"if you don't call the loss will be mine, no expectations dinner and one drink"
"ok,…... I will call"
A man came up to their table, " so this is the reason we haven't seen you in your seat in three days"…he looked over at Liv and said,,,," hi remember me"
Liv shook his hand and said, …"….of course, I'm Olivia and you are"
….".I'm Jake"
" we are just going to finish our beer and wait for the crowd to clear out, see you at the house, Jake."
" Fitz, how are you getting back?"
"the train"
" You sure,….. I can wait"
" I'm sure"
"call me when you catch the train,….. take a cab from your stop. we will see you at home, ….nice seeing you again… Olivia "
The two finished their beer and walked slowly to catch the number 7 train, Fitz going west, Liv going east. As they walked along Fitz took Liv's hand , she did not pull it back . They said their goodbyes when they made their way to their different departure points.
LPOV
What is going on here. I like him but I don't know anything about him. Do I want to tell him where I'm staying or spend the day with him. We will be among other people just as long as I don't invite him to my hotel room after dinner I should be OK. It felt good to have someone hold her hand someone without expectations or history . Someone with a head of hair she would love to run her hands through. Bad biker be Dammed, he was a spicy meatball.
The next morning after Liv took her shower she called the number Fitz had given her. He answered on the second ring with a ", hi"
"HI", are we still on for the day?"
" I am ….it's up to you."
"I'm staying at the One Boutique Hotel on Northern , call me when you get here I'll come down"
" see you in less than 30 minutes"
Fitz arrived quicker than she anticipated. They set off to find a shop still serving the Scallion Pancakes. They found a storefront restaurant still serving the Asian breakfast staple then sat on the nearby Library steps enjoying the breakfast treat with coffee and an unidentified pastry. Afterwards they browsed the shops and fruit stands nearby.. They sampled pastries and food cart food as they roamed in and out of stores finally finding one that had a little of everything where she found some trinkets for friends and family. Olivia told Fitz she was wiped out from the walking and navigating through the busy , very crowded, streets . She decided to return to the hotel , drop her bags off and spend the next two hours being pampered. She pointed out the restaurant and spa as they walked back to her hotel, Fitz made a mental note of their closeness to the hotel.
" how did you find this place, it's perfect? . …..the stadium is one stop from the hotel, there is a Michelin rated Asian restaurant and a spa nearby and a lot of interesting shops including the obligatory NY food carts . Did someone suggest this location to you?"
" nope , this is not my first rodeo cowboy. I've been to two other Opens. I stayed in midtown once but getting to the stadium was a nightmare. I stayed at a nice hotel on College Point once, good hotel but it was so isolated . This time I did some research. I knew I wanted to stay near the event so I did a Google search on every hotel in the area. The restaurant and spa I discovered when I walked through the neighborhood my first day.. ….The shopping areas I passed each day on my way to the train. Never got back to my hotel before midnight so I had to do a little scouting each morning…my room is small but it's clean and being a small hotel I feel safe being alone,,,, AND the police station is two doors down".
" You did a good job, I need to hire you to plan my trips"
" its easy when planning for one. No one has veto power over my decisions. See that restaurant on the corner?"
"yes"
"it's 24 hours and it has been my late night treat every night after the evening matches. They have a good assortment of foods,"
" nice to know, what's you favorite?"
" no favorite , they have photos of the dishes on the walls I just picked out the ones with the most vegetables "
Fitz waited in the lobby until she dropped the bags off then left her at the spa with instructions to call him after her nap.
After two hours of pampering and a short nap Liv was ready for dinner. It was just seven so they had plenty of time so she called Fitz to meet her at eight in the hotel lobby. At 7:50 he was walked through the lobby door. Liv never anticipated a dinner date so the best she could do was a pair of black slacks with a black top with silver embossed leaves and black sandals.
Dinner went well, they decided to try a combination platter to share which contained foods that ranged from mild to tongue rattling hot. Their conversation finally included something other than tennis. Fitz, nor Jake were biker boys. Both got their first tattoos during a drunken bet while in the Air Force, adding some each year. They got the first ones on their legs to hide them from their moms but since have added the ones on their arms. Jake lives in NY and works on Wall Street, Fitz does own a bike but is a farmer from Iowa. His family, which includes 4 siblings and parents, have farmed and owned the land for four generations. Jake ….., living in NY and loves tennis. He buys tickets each year and was able to finally convince Fitz to come see Roger, Venus and Nadal before they hung up their rackets. The first day they saw her they had given their seats to family member choosing to sit in the upper stands where Jake also buys tickets for the first week.
Both liv and Fitz are single, neither in a relationship. Olivia a teacher, lives in Chicago , has taken a sabbatical after she received a Ford Foundation Grant , to further research her paper on developing clean water sources in arid areas.. Fitz teaches at the community college at night and helps run the family farm during the day.
They moved from dinner to the rooftop bar, Liv ordered wine, Fitz scotch.
They continued to talk about general things until Fitz asked Liv if she had ever been to Iowa.
"drove through on my way to California several times, never stopped"
"would you consider coming for a visit, Liv?"
" to Iowa?"…."is this a friend's visit?"
" it could be anything you will allow it to be. I like you, you are smart funny and beautiful and I enjoy your company. We seem to have so many things in common, look how easy we talk.. We sat and talked for three days, never being pretentious . I would like to develop this friendship into something more. Are you willing to see where this could go? "
Olivia took a sip of her wine , reached across the table to take his hand and said, "I would love to visit Iowa and see where this could go."
"ok, so I won't get off to a bad start and cause you to miss your flight, let's call it a night. I'll drop you off at your door, and leave. I'll call you before 4 to make sure you don't over sleep promise you will call when you get home."
True to his word, Fitz dropped Liv at her door where they shared a "more than a friend kiss" with both looking forward to seeing each other soon.
Ok sorry, very low key beginning. The smut will follow as the two navigate between Chicago and Iowa and the story develops.
Will the Grant family welcomed Olivia
Can the oil of the urban area coexist , Urban oil farm water.
Can these two sustain a long term relationship, if not which one will move.
I love tennis and thought I would base a story with the 2017 Open as the backdrop. Some of these events actually happened , the biker boys exist, and they turned out to be a great pair to sit near for three days. There were offers to move to better seats three times, , each time all three decided not to. I hope there is enough interest to further develop this story . If not a one shot it is.
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