A Match to Remember
Chapter 2
Running From Happiness
3am. came early Liv was up and ready to go by 3:30, as she was finishing her packing her phone rang, it was Fitz.
"hi"
"hi Fitz,….. you called"
" I said I would, you about ready to leave "
" yes I'm about to head out now"
" ok, call me when you get home, I want to keep in touch
"I will call when I get settled, ,two hour flight, I'll be home by 10 ….. are you going to the matches today?"
" probably, but things will be a tab boring sitting in the courtside seats I got used to Row X"
"thanks for calling we will talk later"
" you promise?"
" I don't make promises , I make plans. My plan is to contact you later today but I don't want to call during the game. Text me when you can talk."
"I'll do that"
Liv checked the room to make sure she had everything then headed for the elevator, as she was exiting she saw Fitz standing at the desk.
" when did you get here, "
" I was here when I called"
" why didn't you say you were here?"
" I wanted to surprise you, I know you would have said no so I thought I would just show up, is that OK,….. is my being here ok?"
" sure but remember I've got to catch a plane"
"may I take you, I've got a car but if you feel more comfortable we can take a cab…., friend "
" should I be concerned about my safety….", friend?"
" this is 2017 not 1917, it makes sense to be concerned"
" so my car or cab. "
" your car…, if I am considering coming to Iowa it makes sense to accept a ten minute ride from you to LaGuardia , don't you think?."
"I agree, lets go"
The ride was too short for both of them as they tried to slow time down but as much as they stalled making small talk it was past time for Liv to go through security
" May I give you a hug ?"
" Yes, I think any man who would get up at 2am. deserves at least a hug"
" I got up at 1am maybe I earned something more than a hug, what do you think about PDA?"
"PDA?
"public display of affection"
"never thought much of it , … but if both parties agree, it's ok , how do you feel about it?"
" right now I think it would be a good idea, I hope the lady agrees "
"the lady agrees"
Fitz placed his hands on each side of Liv's face bent over and kissed her , stepping back he said, " I guess that will have to hold us until your visit"
Liv cleared security and settled down, smiling as the events of the last 5 days flashed through her head. It was an experience that she never expected and still seem to be something surreal . Her phoned chimed it was Fitz telling her he was home and if she would like to talk until it was time to board.
Liv…sorry boarding already started and all my boarding documents are on my phone. I'll send you a note when I get home. Thanks for the lift.
Fitz….ok, I will wait to hear from you
Boarding was completed, safety instructions given and soon Liv was on her way home. Each mile she traveled from NY the more she convinced herself it was all 5 days of fun, nothing more. Now it was the real world and the last five days do not move easily into the real world.
Lpov
It was great but she is sure neither expect anything more than what happened the past 5 days. What happens In Vegas, stays in Vegas, what happened in New York ends in New York.
Liv's head was filled with a jumble of questions which further fueled her doubts.
Urban and Rural….., black and white….., how old is he anyway we never discussed age….is he too young for me, or better still am I too old for him….… He is a college graduate and he spent two tours in the military, that would make him late twenties but his boyish charm , head full of hair and tattoos say early twenties…. Doesn't matter I know it will never go any further. Rather than let it die on the vine its best to cut ties while I still remember him looking like a bright red apple. Trying to make anything more would only destroy the one of a kind memories that we made. That's it,…. I'll contact him when I get home and when he contacts me later today I will tell him goodbye…, that's if he calls. Maybe he will put me out of my misery and not call me.
FPOV
He feels great , never felt better in some time.t, five great days with a beautiful smart woman. He is looking forward to her visit, maybe he should visit her first, maybe cut this trip short and change his travel plans…. he could stop in Chicago, over night, take her to dinner, maybe spend a couple of days. He did not want her to think he was stalking her so when they talked tonight he would ask… If she says no to dinner maybe she will meet me and have coffee at the airport.
He received the message that she was home safe and decided he would discuss his plans when they talked later.
It was Saturday so after a short nap Fitz joined the group returning to the Tennis Center.. They decided to spend the entire day and night session watching games in Ashe Stadium . As they filed in with the night crowd he gravitated to the upper level seats. He was going to send her a photo of him alone in "their seats" ,. without her.
When he got to the seats he saw many of the people he had seen and interacted with over the last 3 days. One asked, …."where is Olivia, is she coming later"….."nope she left town this morning"…." Left for where…. …weren't you , two together?"
" nope, just met her , just happen to sit in adjoining seats",
" I thought you two were a couple, you are so natural together,"
Another added…. " are you going to keep in touch?, "
"that's my plan "
"if you are available and she is available don't let her get away, you two send off the same positive vibes. Let's have a popcorn toast to her I'll pick some up between matches,"
About that time one of the other fans from the seating section came up the steps with 4 boxes of popcorn, "where is Olivia ,….. I brought the popcorn?"
"she left this morning"
"left for where aren't you guys a couple?"
"no, not a couple, not yet….. but I'm working on it"
"look,' one woman said, 'I have watched you guys for three days she's a keeper."
Fitz was amazed at what others saw. He was definitely going to share their views with Liv. No one knew each other before but over the last 3 days it seemed they had all bonded over Liv's popcorn . He had attended tennis events before but usually with family and usually sat in seats nearer the court. This was a different group of people and he never imagined that many people were paying attention to the two of them . They saw in Liv the same thing he saw which fueled his determination to cut his visit short and make a detour through Chicago.
It was an international group. Fitz remembered the first day two of them were chaperones for a group of young people from South African a Tennis Club . The kids were young and could not be forgotten because they walked the entire session . There was the Asian couple who were sold seats that did not exist, sounds like the airline, . After a lengthy explanation with officials and a plan to provide other seats they decided to sit in the first empty seats they saw, the owners never came so they never left. A couple, both from New Zealand who had recently moved to the states, came with a bus tour, which included wine and fluff sandwiches.. They came to the top of the stands to see the view of the new, under construction Louis Armstrong Stadium, and also never left. The husband loved the location, high up but in the absolute center of the court , absolutely nothing blocking the view and plenty of leg room. They sat waiting for the owners to arrive, the owners never did so they never left. One of the few in this group with assigned seats was Liv. We all had bonded over stadium food ,beer and the popcorn which Liv shared, all sitting in seats assigned to someone else. .
Fitz never realized the positive attention the they received and was glad he had returned to the seats tonight. His intent was to take a photo and send it to her and leave but now , talking to everyone he enjoyed being with them , so he stayed.
He sent Liv a message that he was just getting in and would talk to her soon.
She sent a text rather than a call.
L, …did you enjoy tonight
F…. did you get the photos
Liv,…..yup nice
F…call me in 20 minutes
L…Fitz it was fun, loved every moment but let's remember the past 5 days for what it was, a great memorable adventure that ends on an upbeat. No need to make any promises that will never be filled or expectations that will never be met. It was good, rather it was great, ,let's end on a high note. Bye
F….wait….., nope,….. no way. You promised you would call me,
He wanted to tell her about the group and their comments but he had to keep her on the phone …..…
.Fitz .wait I'm going to call you, and he did…no answer
F…..Liv, answer the phone…
l…goodbye Fitz….please leave it there….
F…..no, no, liv please,
another call this time voicemail
F…Liv please answer!
F…Liv are you there?
He, called the call went to voice mail,…he sent another text,…no answer same to another phone call.
He thought, unless you are a married woman Olivia Pope, this is not over . He started to hatch a plan if she did not answer tomorrow.
Next day same thing, so he cut his visit short and took the first available flight home. He had to talk to a friend and he could not do it by phone.
Fitz worked, at a small vocational/academic college founded by his grandfathers. Both knew many kids and their parents needed real answers in real time and training to work on the farming equipment as well as real world information. Many of the kids lost a lot of time during planting and harvest so his Grandfathers set up classes after the workday. Both wives were teachers and both men used the GI Bill to further their education , filled in whatever spots they had expertise in This grew into something the school district supported. Now Fitz coordinates speakers and plan programs that provided needed help. The classes are held at night so parents as well as some High School students could attend.
The Grants were a large family with plenty of extended family members and more cousins than anyone could keep count of. It was easy to find someone to fill in while he was in New York , his youngest sister filled in for him his week away.
. One of the fastest growing classes of interest were the technology classes. During his military service he had met a tech guru, Hector Munoz who had hacked into the commanding officers personal files and changed the grade of a deserving officer that the commander hated. They had lost touch , now Hector "Huck" had been a part of the program for 3 years. He took breaks going off somewhere but always came back.
As soon as his plane landed he called Huck. Olivia had not responded to his texts or answered his calls. He explained everything to Huck, showed him her text messages, her photo and asked for his help .
" what do you need, tell me exactly what do you need Fitz"
" I need to talk to her"
" what if she is married or don't want to talk to you?"
" I need to find out if she is married, that's the basic information "
" anything else, background, address, age, education, credit rating?"
"e-mail address and home address , maybe birthday"
" you want to know how old she is?"
" nope, not really not interested in how old she is. ,She mentioned something about a full body massage as a birthday gift so maybe it's sometimes soon. Maybe I could use that information to convince her to talk to me. She may not answer her phone or reply to a text or e-mail but everyone opens birthday cards"
Huck gave Fitz a look and said " pretty smart thinking for a pretty boy"
" can you help….., will you help?, "
" I will help you but I need to take a couple weeks off for research"
"what kind of research?"
"I'm going to Chicago to meet her"
"how are you going to do that?
" trade secret,"
" I'll make your travel arrangements "…. to which Huck gave Fitz a look….."ok stay in touch please…..should I have someone cover your seminars?"
"nope, you sister's friend Quinn is really good she can cover for a couple of weeks".
What Huck did not tell Fitz,….. he knows the woman in the photo.
Liv is a runner. I thought her habit of running would fit well in this story. Lets hope it fits. Its going to be fluffy for a while with a couple of chapters of backstories.
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