Part 5
Eventually, after a few more hours of sleep, the pair manage to pull themselves from the bedroom and go downstairs to rustle up some food. Although, if it was left up to Liv, she would have happily stayed in bed. Her body is exhausted. Honestly, she has lost count of how many times they've made love… And Fitz, well, words simply fail her, because there are no words accurate enough to summaries his insane ability to bring her to sexual completion, over, and over again… He is a phenomenal lover, attentive, passionate, amorous and highly skilled. Akin to a bottle of fine wine, he's clearly got better with age. He did things to her, that she's never experienced before, and despite her aching limbs, she would welcome his advances again. She can't get enough of him, he makes her feel like a wanton woman, utterly ravenous for his touch. Obviously, everybody knows that a relationship cannot solely revolve around sex, but taking their sexual compatibility into consideration, as well as all the other feelings she has developed for him, of which- led to her coming here in the first, she knows without a shadow of a doubt that he is everything she could ever want in a man. And for the first time ever, she believes she's found the person she's supposed to spend the rest of her life with.
She loves him; she's in love with him, and now that he's finally on board- heart, body and most importantly mind; all fully invested, she is ready to discuss a plan for moving forward.
"I thought you weren't hungry," he teases heartily, twisting his spaghetti on his fork and taking a mouthful himself.
"Ha ha, very funny, clearly I underestimated just how zapped my body is of energy, I wonder why?" she winks at him.
Trying to keep a serious face, he puts his hands up in the air, in surrender. "Sorry, guilty as charged; but don't worry, I will take full responsibilities of my actions, and vow to never do it again…"
"Aaaay now, you take that back!" She exclaims in good humour. "If anything, you can make it up to me tonight Mister…"
He smirks, "Oh I plan to…" But then, something suddenly dawns on him… "Well… that's if you're staying, what I mean is, I want you to stay, but I don't know what your plans are, we didn't really discuss that last night."
She's glad he's brought it up, as it now gives her the platform to discuss their future.
But on this matter however, she hopes he won't find her actions too presumptuous. "Well…" She starts sheepishly… "I only bought a one-way ticket here, I guess, I was hoping that if it all worked out, I wouldn't have to buy a ticket back…"
"I see," he smiles. "You were never going to take no for an answer, were you?"
"Probably not," she admits. And to him, he finds it's positively endearing. After all, she is the perfect combination of strength, fearlessness, femininity, vulnerability, and of course beauty; a real force to be reckoned with. "I like your style," he tells her warmly, leaning in and stealing a kiss from her lips. "So, are you saying that you want to stay here in Vermont, with me…"
"It if means I can be with you, then yes…"
"But Liv, your whole life is based in DC, your friends, your job… your parents…"
Nonchalant, she shrugs her shoulders. "How I see it, the same could be said for you, and yet you're here… Look Fitz, we all know Dad is going to be the fly in the ointment, there's no hiding from it, but I suppose having some distance from him, will help us all re-adjust..."
He can't lie, regardless of where they choose to lay their heads, he doubts that Eli will EVER accept their relationship, which is going to be incredibly hard on both of them. However, more pressingly, he finds himself focusing on just how much Olivia is willing to give up to be with him, and it doesn't seem fair… "Liv, we don't have to stay in Vermont, if you want to go back to DC, then we can go back together…"
She shakes her head in disagreement, because being away from her father is the only way this will work; she knows Fitz all too well, and the pressure of living right under her father's scrutiny, will prove to be too much for him, and she's not willing to risk that. "No Fitz, let's stay here… Vermont will give us the freedom we need to grow, whereas DC will surely suffocate us. I want us to stay…"
He knows there's no point in second guessing her, she's proven time and time again that she is strong-willed, and more than capable of making up her own mind- however, he must be certain… "Liv, are you absolutely sure about this?" Of course, she answers him with such conviction, that he doesn't dare question her again…
"Fitz, I've never been more certain about anything else in my life, I love you, and I want us to start our lives here, in Vermont, together."
Well that solves that then. As long as she's happy, he's happy too.
After they finish their lunch, Fitz persuades Liv to follow him on walk. Promising nothing too strenuous, he takes her on a mapped-out footpath, heading towards the fishing lakes. It's a place he often like to go to, to think. It's early spring, so although the sun is out, the air remains crisp; his favourite temperament for a walk. Plus, the woods are particularly beautiful this time of year. With all the new buds coming out on the trees, they are fortunate enough to be graced with an assortment of fresh, bright and glorious greens; a feast for the eyes.
"It's beautiful here…" Liv reveals in awe, "I can see why this place drew you in."
"Growing up, Dad and I would often come to Vermont for camping trips… It was our little escape, I loved it then, and I still love it now…" He reminisces. "Then, after I married Mellie, it was always my dream to build a cabin out here in the woods, somewhere where we could all escape to, as a family, when the hustle and bustle of city life got too much… But I never got around to building it, I was always too busy… Then Mellie died, and then like a fool I also managed to lose my daughter in the process… I suppose, I no longer saw the point in building it… It wasn't until many years later; shortly after my father died, before the idea of building it resurfaced… You see, it had been my father's dying wish for me to spread his ashes here…"
"Yes, I remember…" She recalls her dad going with him.
"Understandably, he wanted to be laid at rest in the place he felt most at peace… And then, after some evaluation and encouragement from your Dad- I used a small portion of my father's estate to build the cabin, I thought it could be a fitting tribute to his memory instead."
With her arm circled around his waist, tunnelled underneath his coat for warmth, she pulls him in closer for a cuddle… "It was a lovely idea Fitz… I think you father would have loved it…" Despite his melancholy, he gives her a warm smile as he bends down and kisses her on her forehead, squeezing her back just as tightly, to immerse himself in her comfort… "I think so too."
She lays her head against his chest and sighs… "Who knows…" she adds softly, with a slight catch to her voice… "maybe one day, this place will become the vision you had originally intended it for…"
Children with Liv... now wouldn't that be something, he thinks.
-x-
Later that evening, they spend the night sprawled out on the sofa, relishing in each other's presence and the warmth of the open fire… The TV is on, and Liv is chuckling at a drunken Ross- on a Friends re-run; whereas Fitz, doesn't have a clue what is going on, because he's too transfixed by Liv. She's curled up beside him, with her head nuzzled in his lap and he cannot take his eyes off her; everything about her is intoxicating, the way she laughs, the way she smells, the way her body seems to fit so perfectly against him. He has to pinch himself, unable to comprehend that in the last 48 hours: he had resigned himself to life lived alone, left his job, left his home in DC, moved to Vermont, and then, without warning, had all his fears challenged and confronted by this young slip of girl, to whom he later confesses his love to, and then had the honour and pleasure of making languid love to all night, and all morning. No wonder he feels like he's dreaming. These last few months have been an emotional roller-coaster, filled with highs and lows, thrills and spills, twist and turns and a massive rush of heart pumping adrenaline. And Liv; his sweet baby, she is full of so much faith and optimism, it's almost infectious, but as much as she's made him feel like a changed man, by encouraging him to see the world through her eyes, he is still very much aware that he is, and will always remain, a man of great caution- and because of this- he finds himself choosing to live for the moment, to simply enjoy every precious second he has with Liv, because if life has taught him anything, nothing remains this perfect for long.
Innocently, but effectively giving him respite from his thoughts- Liv turns around in his lap and breaks out into a sleepy yawn. The Friend's theme music now playing in the background… It was time for bed.
He looks down at her adoringly, tucking an errant strand of her hair behind her ear… "You ready to go up?"
"I am, but Fitz, would you be disappointed if we just go to bed, as in sleep… I'm absolutely shattered."
He can't help but smile… "Of course, I'll even give you one of my old t-shirts to sleep in…"
"Really? Well, I must be the luckiest girl in the world", she teases playfully, before pulling him down for a couple of cheeky kisses.
You're wrong Liv, he thinks to himself... I'm the lucky one.
-x-
It's doesn't take long before both of them are lost in slumber; lost so deeply in fact, that neither of them hears the insistent vibration of Fitz's cell phone, caused by several missed calls, all from Eli.