Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to ABC Disney, Shonda Rhimes and the TV show Scandal. All credit to them.
To save any confusion Rowans name in this story is Rowan Eli Pope with her mother being the only one that calls him Eli. Enjoy...
"Hi." Fitz says holding a towel for her.
"Hi."
She leans on the side of the pool and lays her head on her arms still trying to catch her breath. She wanted to get out but she was had no energy to even move.
"Livvie, are you ok?" Fitz says kneeling next to her.
She looks up at him and gives him a little smile.
"Here," he says extending his hand to her. "Let me help you out."
Olivia grabs his hand and allows him to help her out of the water. He wraps the towel around her and hugs her close.
"You came to see me?" She says quietly as she looks up at him.
"I did." He says with a small smile.
They stand there for a minute until she grabs his hand and walks him to the secluded hallway near the locker room and sits against the wall on the floor. He stands there and she pats the space next to her urging him to sit with her. He does and she grabs his hand intertwining their fingers.
"I've been thinking about you since I left on Saturday." She says quietly.
"I don't believe you.." He says looking at her sadly. "I text you at least five times."
"I figured as much but I didn't have my phone..don't have my phone."
"So you weren't ignoring me?"
She shakes her head no.
He let's out a huge breath. "What happened to your phone? Why didn't you come tell me? You had to know I was missing you..I thought you didn't care." He caressed her cheek.
"I care. I forgot to do something and my dad completely overreacted, took my phone from me and grounded me. I tried to look you up on Facebook but you don't have a page..I was stressing all day yesterday." She looked at her hands.
"I'm sorry about that. I'll give you my email address that comes straight to my phone just in case. Your dad is.." He trails off not wanting to offend her.
"He's an ass. You can say it Fitz. Everyone already knows it, I'm used to it. Speaking of him, shouldn't you be at practice?"
"Not yet, I still have twenty minutes. Do you know when you will get your phone back?"
"He said this afternoon but who knows with him. He loves trying to teach me a lesson especially when I yell back at him." She laughed.
"You yelled at him? I wish I had been there to see that." He said laughing with her.
"No you don't, it got pretty heated. You should probably go. I don't want you to be late."
"What if I said I didn't want to go?" He says as he pulls her closer. "I want to stay here and hold you and talk to you to make sure you are good."
"Fitz." She says as she gives him the 'yeah right' look.
"Ok, you're right. I do want to go to practice but I want to make sure you're ok too." He says smiling at how well she could read him.
"I'm fine now that I have talked to you. Now, go be great."
"Oh now I'm great?" He says moving inches away from her mouth.
She smiles and nods.
He kisses her softly on the lips and gets up.
"That's all I get?" She says pouting.
"Livvie, I really do have to go babe. I still have to change." He says pulling her up off the floor. "I don't want Coach making me do sprints. Can you wait for me?"
"I'll wait for you but we need to be discreet. If my dad finds out-"
He covers her mouth with his kissing her with everything he had in him. Trying to kiss away any worry that she had not caring about being late. He breaks away and looks in her eyes.
"Don't worry about it Livvie, I'll do whatever you need." He gives her a little peck. "See you soon."
She leans against the wall and smiles. She felt like her heart was going to explode from all the emotions running through her. She shakes her head trying to come down off cloud nine and goes to get her things.
"Good practice guys. I set up the film from last week's game in the locker room so that you can watch it. Before you leave I need three things from that tape that you saw you could work on.."
Fitz stops listening when he sees Olivia walk through the gym doors. He shakes his head at the contrast in her appearance now and what it was on Saturday. She was once again completely over dressed but it was cute. He noticed some guy catch her arm and when she turned smiling at him he felt himself getting jealous.
"Grant!" Coach Pope yelled breaking him from his thoughts.
"Uhh..yeah Coach?"
"Did you hear what I said?"
"Yeah I heard. Film, notes and free throws before we are out of here. Got it." Fitz said in a cocky tone.
"You missed the four laps around the gym for the attitude. Hit it guys." He said blowing his whistle.
They all groan and start their laps.
Fitz goes to start his laps when he sees Olivia hugging whoever that guy was and he feels like being a jerk.
"Hey Harrison, when we get by Olivia I want you to knock me into that dude standing next to her."
"Alright, lets do it."
They jog around the court and when they get by the dude Harrison pushes him like he was horse playing and he knocks the guy clear on his back with Fitz landing on top of him.
"Shit, my bad dude." Fitz says as he helps him up. "You alright?"
"Oh my god, Ethan are you ok?" Olivia says looking him over.
"I'm fine Olivia. Don't worry about it."
"Aren't you going to ask how I am?" Fitz asks looking at her.
"I'm sure you are just fine." She says not even looking at him.
"Like that?" She didn't even acknowledge him. "Ok." He says running off.
"Hey Ethan, I'll catch up with you tomorrow I need to talk with my dad." She says watching Fitz run off.
"Ok, see you tomorrow."
She walks towards her father's office. She tries to make eye contact with Fitz but he won't look at her. What's up with him? She thinks to herself.
"Hey, dad do you have a second?" She says standing at his office door.
"For you, always. Come in. What do you need sweetie?"
"Well..I was wondering.."
"Olivia. Use your words. I know I taught you to never start a sentence until you have it completed in your head. I hate when you drag your words."
"Yes, Sir. I wanted to know if I could have my phone back now."
"Did I say Monday afternoon?" He asks trying to remember.
"Yes dad, you did."
"Ok, I am a man of my word." He stands and goes to grab her phone out of his briefcase. "Remember to always honor your word. You are nothing without your word. By taking this phone I expect that you will stick by your commitments. Correct?"
"Yes, dad."
He hands her the phone.
"I have some work to do tonight so I will be getting out of here late. Can you handle feeding yourself?"
"Yes, I can manage that dad." She says trying to hide her excitement.
He looks her over curiously sensing something was off with her but he couldn't pin point what it was.
"Ok, well I'll see you later."
She nods and leaves.
As soon as she is gets to Abby's she text Fitz.
Liv: Dad is working late. Dinner?
Fitz is in the locker room watching tape when he hears his phone vibrate in his locker. He reads the text from Olivia and no matter how upset he wants to be with her for dissing him he can't be. He still wanted to see her.
Fitz: Dinner out to eat or at my house?
Olivia smiles and bites her lip when she reads his text.
Liv: Take out at your house?
She's nervous, she didn't want it to seem like she wanted to just go to his house but she did want to see him alone.
Fitz: I like the way you think. Almost done. Meet at my place in thirty and we can go from there.
She smiles at her phone.
"Hello, earth to Olivia!" Abby yells.
"Huh, what's up Abbs?"
"What the hell was that? Who are you texting smiling like that?"
Olivia refocused and cursed herself for getting carried away. She wasn't ready to share what she and Fitz had yet. She didn't even know what they were but she knew she enjoyed being around him.
"No one. Just a old friend from my other school."
"Oh ok." Abby says eyeing her suspiciously. "Anyway, what happened with Mark Friday? Please tell me that you didn't sleep with him."
"No Abby I didn't sleep with him!"
"Don't act like it's such huge deal that I asked when you hooked up with earlier last week."
"Hey, I had a lapse in judgement." She said laughing. "But no more. I told him we were done until he wanted to be serious. I refuse to be dragged around like some booty call. Guess what he had the nerve to say to me."
"What?"
"That he wasn't ready for commitment. I swear I almost slapped him in his damn mouth and I would have if he wasn't so damn pretty." She said laughing.
"Now that would have been funny." Abby laughed with her.
"So how are things with you and David? You two go all the way yet?"
"Close but I get nervous and stop when we get to that point."
"Nervous? Won't you be his first as well?"
"Yes but still. You don't get it."
"How don't I get it? Me and Mark were each others first. If you two are in love go for it. Make sure you are safe though." She says seriously.
"Thanks mom." Abby says sarcastically.
"I'm not joking Abby and get on birth control because sometimes you get carried away and you don't want to end up pregnant."
"I hear you. I hear you."
Olivia's phone goes off and she sees a text from Fitz saying that he was at home.
"Hey Abby we'll finish this later but don't be afraid it's not awful and talk to him he may have the same fears as you." She gives Abby hug as she leaves her house.
Olivia pulls into Fitz driveway and parks beside his corvette. She doesn't see him so she shot him a quick text.
Liv: I'm outside.
"Hi." He says embracing her.
"Hi."
"Have you been out here long?" He says looking down at her.
"Not at all. I just got here. Are you ready?"
"Yep."
"Ok, where are we going?" He says walking he to his car.
"I was thinking Chick-fil-a."
"I can go for that."
They get back and sit at the bar. Fitz stayed close to her but he was quiet and more reserved.
"Is everything ok?" She says looking over at him.
"Why do you ask that?" He says not looking at her.
"I know we haven't known each other longer than a week but I can tell when your energy is off. I don't know how but I can feel it when I'm around you so please don't act like somethings not wrong."
"It's nothing." He says letting go of her hand and going to throw his food wrappers away.
"Since you don't want to be honest I guess I should just show myself out." She says standing.
"Huh? Why are you leaving?"
"I've been with someone who I let lie and be dishonest with me because I wanted to be with them no matter how bad it was for me but I won't do that again. So I'm leaving before I get in too deep with you."
"Livvie wait." He says boxing her in at the counter. "The truth?"
She nods.
"The truth.." He pushes off the counter and walks into the living room sitting on the couch and she sat next to him. "Truth is that it pissed me off the way you dissed me in front of that dude today in the gym." He says looking at his hands in an terse voice trying to keep his attitude in check.
"Fitz, look at me." He doesn't move. "Look. At. Me."
He looks at her.
"Did we not say we would be discreet?" She asks looking in his eyes.
"Yeah but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Fitz we were in the gym with my father one hundred feet away. I don't want him to see me showing any type of feeling or reaction towards you. We discussed that."
"But you can hug that other dude right in front of him?" He didn't understand her reasoning.
"So were you upset with me "dissing" you or me hugging Ethan?"
"I don't want to hear is name Olivia." He says getting up. "Yes we talked about that but why is it different with him." He says as he paced the space in front of her.
She stands and blocks his path causing him to stop.
"It's different." She starts as she pushes him on the couch and straddles his waist. "Because when I'm around you I can't help the way my body reacts. I can't help but stare."
She kisses the side of his neck and below his ear whispering, "I can't help kissing you..touching you..tell me you don't feel it too."
Fitz swallowed hard and all the anger he felt started to drift away.
"But." She hovers right above his lips. "If you can't handle keeping this quiet.." She tugs his bottom lip into her mouth. "..If it's not worth it to you. Let me know now before you break my heart."
Fitz was blown away by her aggressiveness. He hadn't seen the sexy tease side of her yet but he was enjoying it.
"I can handle keeping it quiet." He says putting a hand around her lower back and the other one right between her shoulder blades. "What I can't handle.." He pulls her to him. "Is other guys touching what's mine. I've never been good at sharing."
"So I'm yours now?" She leans back giving him a look.
"You've been mine since the first time I saw you. You just didn't know it yet." He says smirking.
"You are so cocky." She says as she tries to get up.
"Uhh uhn, come here."
He pulls her back to straddle his lap and takes her face in his hands kissing her slowly. He breaks apart for a second looking at her then leans forward like he was going to kiss her again and when she got close he pulled back smiling.
"Stop playing." She says moving her mouth back to his hungrily.
Things were heating up and she was grinding into him and her hands went to the side of his shirt and she pulled it halfway off when he stopped her hands.
"Liv slow down." He said looking in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" She looks at him confused.
"Why are you trying to take off my shirt?"
"I don't know I just thought..nevermind." She tries to get up but he won't let her.
"You thought what? Talk to me, we are going to be a open book with each other remember?" He says leaning down looking into her eyes.
"I don't know..things were getting hot and heavy. I figured we were going to hook up." She said looking across the room.
"I don't want to hook up with you, are you crazy?"
"Well that's obvious, can you let me up now?" She says as she tries to get up again.
"Livvie listen to me. I don't want to hook up with because you deserve better than that. You mean more to me than just a hook up. I want you to be mine and not in the sense of having you in the bedroom. I want your heart and soul." He lifts her head up to look at him. "And if in the process of me finding out everything about you, you decide you want to take it a step further then we will but it sure as hell won't be on a couch and it won't be us hooking up, ok?"
Olivia felt butterflies from the words he had just spoken to her. How could someone this incredible come out of nowhere right when she needed it? How did he know? It was fate she decides. He could have easily taken advantage of this moment and taken her right on this couch but he actually cared. It had been so long since someone genuinely cared about her. The feeling was a little overwhelming in a good way.
"Ok." She smiles. "I'm sorry I-"
"Shh, don't. This is going to be a learning experience for both of us. I've never had a girlfriend before but I am hoping that's what you want to be to me."
"I would love to be your first girlfriend but I have to ask. You have been with a girl before right?"
"Yes, Liv." He says tickling her. "I haven't ever cooked for a girl or spent anytime with one outside of hooking up. You're the first, so be patient with me. I'm probably going to be jealous and sometimes not communicate with you like I should but I promise to keep getting better."
"I can work with that." She gives him a light kiss. "I should be going."
"Ok." He stands keeping her in his arms then sets her on her feet. "When can I see you again?"
"You see me everyday at school silly." She says as she walked back to the kitchen to get her shoes.
"You know that's not what I mean." He stands behind her boxing her in between him and the counter.
"I know." She says turning and smiling. "But I don't know, I have a meet Wednesday and study group on Thursday but I'm sure we will find a way."
"You promise?"
She leans up and kisses him. "I promise."
After gathering her things they walk to her car.
"I will text you later, don't go to sleep until you hear from me." She says playfully as she grabs his collar then gets in her car.
"I won't. Get home safe."
When Olivia gets home she is surprised that her mother was home.
"Hey mom what are you doing here?" Olivia says walking into the living room and sitting next to her on the couch.
"I got off early. How have you been baby? I feel like we don't talk anymore."
"That's because you are always working. I'm good besides dad always being on my case. I am really starting to dislike him mom."
"I'm working on moving to days so I can see you more and be here to keep things good between you two. He told me you yelled at him. I know he is tough on you but you know better than to disrespect you father."
"I know and I apologized but he is suffocating me. I can't be perfect all the time."
"I know honey and I'll handle that with him. We love you Olivia and just want to instill a good work ethic in you."
"I know."
They both look up when they hear the door opening.
"What a surprise. Hey Honey." Rowan says as he walks in the livingroom and gives Maya a kiss. "Hey, sweetie." He says as he gives Olivia a kiss on the forehead.
"Hey dad." She says gathering her things to go to her room.
"Olivia hold on a moment." Her mother says. "Eli, I wanted to take a minute and go over some things with you regarding Olivia."
"Ok, I'm listening."
"She feels like you aren't giving her the space she needs to grow. You know make mistakes and learn from them?"
"Maya this sounds like a conversation for me and you not the three of us." He says standing.
"Sit back down now Eli or I swear." Her mother says in a stern voice.
Olivia was so shocked she didn't even want to look at either one of them. She had no idea what was happening between them but the tension was thick.
Rowan sits back down and clears his throat. "Ok Maya, you have my attention. What do you suggest we do to change that? Let her run wild and show up late and not turn in assignments?"
"You know that is not what I mean but I do think she is allowed a hiccup every now and then. Instead of jumping to punish her without hearing her out, how about you listen and talk about what happened then discuss what could have been done differently? At the rate you are going now Eli you will have pushed your only child away with no chance of getting her back by Thanksgiving. Do you want that?" Maya asks.
"Of course not. I think we can do that. Is that something that you think would help sweetheart?" He says turning to Olivia.
"Yes dad it is."
"Alright then that's settled."
"Not so fast, if something happens and I'm not around don't do anything drastic with punishment until I put my two cents in. I've given you majority rule over most of the decisions concerning her but she's my daughter too." She says as she put her arm around Olivia.
"I know that Maya. I'll be sure to include you. Olivia, this doesn't mean I will stop being tough on you but it does mean I will give you a little more space to grow. Ok."
"Yes dad."
"You can go get ready for bed now."
"Good night." She says standing giving them both a kiss on the cheek and heading up stairs.
When she is out of earshot Rowan turns to Maya.
"I don't appreciate being ambushed like that."
"Yeah well I don't appreciate your behavior towards her. She is doing very well and I won't let her be brought down by your attitude. Come on," She says standing and grabbing his hand. "I made you some dinner."
"Fine. Did you at least make me some pie?" He says getting up with her.
"Maybe." She says laughing.
Soon after Olivia leaves Fitz feels that emptiness inside of him. He turns on the music in the kitchen and looks up something new to try and cook. Outside of basketball, cooking was his favorite thing to do. It helped him pass the time. He waited for a text from Olivia but it never came so he finally just went to sleep.
Olivia woke up in good spirits from her conversation with her parents the previous night. She stretched and got ready for school. She hung out in her car until it was time to go to class. She sees Fitz and walks over to him pretending to bump into him.
"I'm so sorry, please excuse me." She says in a seductive tone rubbing his arm.
"No, no, excuse me." He says laughing. "Good morning Livvie." He says giving her a hug.
She steps back out of his arms and he gives her a weird look.
"Fitz we are in the middle of school." She says looking around.
"Oh.." He says placing his hands in his pocket to keep them from touching her. "I brought you something. Can I give it to you really quick?"
"Ooo a gift! I love gifts!" She says excitedly.
"Calm down. It's not that great." He grabs a zip lock bag out of his backpack. "I couldn't really sleep..so I made these cookies and I thought you might like some."
She looked at him and noticed how sad he looked and grabbed his hand pulling him to the classroom they used for studying and pushed him up against the door attacking his lips.
"Mmm..you know a thank you would have been fine too." He says panting.
"I liked my idea better." She says smiling. "Now tell me why you couldn't sleep."
"I was waiting on your text.."
"What?" She says looking at him confused.
"You said don't go to sleep until I text you but I never heard from you. I figured you probably got busy though."
"Omg, Fitz I totally forgot. When I got home my mom was there then my dad came-"
"It's ok Livvie, it really is. We should really get to class though it's almost time for the bell." He says avoiding her eyes and looking at his watch.
"Right." She says giving him another kiss. "Thanks again for the cookies and call me next time."
He nods.
She peeks out the door and walks out when she sees no one paying attention.
The rest of the day passes quickly and before he knows it he's on his way home. He couldn't wait to talk to Olivia it sucked seeing her all day and not being able to interact with her. He goes in the House and puts his bag on the couch when he hears movement in the kitchen.
"Dad, you're back. Are you going to make my game on Friday? You know I hit the game winner last week."
"Not a chance Fitz but your cousin is going to finish out the school year with us until his mom gets her shit together. So make him feel at home."
"Who?" Fitz says angrily. "I don't want to have to look out for some kid."
"Fitz if I recall correctly I'm actually two weeks older than you." His cousin comes in drying off from the pool.
"Jake?"
A/N: Let me know you think! This story has been my obsession as of late, which you can probably tell with all the quick updates but I'm sure y'all don't mind ;) Thanks for reading.