Chapter 1 - The Blind Date
As both the older men excused themselves to go talk business while having a cigar he asked:
"So Melody. Is it a family name?"
- a smirk -
she would later grow fond of that insufferable smirk.
He would get off lectures and fights, convince her to do pretly much anything with that damn smirk.
"Fitzgerald, were they naming an old Irish man and you just happened to be there?'
Her deep blue eyes fixed on him.
He held the gaze then caved in They both started to laugh.
She had a contagious laugh ; releasing tension as their voices subsided.
"My father loved it, it reminded him of someone from his past, - pause, a sip of beer - my guess?! An old girlfriend.
He even named his other daughter Harmony.
How lovely and toughtful.
Margaret, however, is a famile name, my grandmother's.
My friends call me Mellie, though
Miss Mellie, if I really think about.
A southern thing".
"'I'm the third, we are getting to 10 and then well stopping" he quickly dismissed it.
He didn't really wanted to burden her with his father mission to create an Empire passing on the family name as Kings and Emperors would do.
They were hardly kings, let alone Emperors.
"His daughter"
didn't fly past him, he just didn't want to pressure her about revealing too much from her past.
God, was she beautiful.
He had never been so grateful to his father like he was right now.
When out of the blue he showed up in Boston and asked him out to dinner, he was tempted to Say NO.
But he felt guilty. Big Jerry was the only family he had left and he couldn't really say no to him.
But tonight he thanked his lucky star for Big Jerry's invitation.
He thanked his lucky star for her dark hair against her pale skin; foreshadowing her nature; with this woman life would be black or white, no shades, no inbetweens.
Her big blue eyes an ocean filled with secrets, her lips always kept in a strong hold in contrast to them;
those eyes knew how to say what her tight lips would not dare to speak.
She noticed that, she noticed the attentive gaze.
Like he was trying to take her in as much as he could before the night was over.
And she was studying him too.
But what Mellie was looking for it was not a thing of beauty; she was curious to discover why an handsome man, a past in the military, an honorable dischorge or a medal, she wasn't really paying attention to what exactly her boss had told her on their way here; a law degree and appearently charming manners, would need his father to meddle in his love life.
Why was he really?
Was he ambushed like she had been?
She broke the silence:
"Why are you here?"
- What? - answered Fitz
"Why are you here? - her voice dropped, smoothly repeating the question.
I'm a clerk and my boss told me he had to meet with an old friend of his to discuss business and he had his son with him, so it would had been nice for him to have someone to talk to.
What is your side of the story?"
He was taken aback by her blunt statement.
She was nobody's fool.
"My father invited me", he couldnit come up with anything better, but it was the truth.
"So we were both ambushed into a blind date", she said, flashing a smile; the first genuine one.
Yes, she was smiling when they had entered the restaurant, yes she was smiling, happily as she let the older man do the introductions while she was standing a step behind him, and of course She was smiling while shaking their hands and politely correcting him who introduced her as Mellie.
She's not Mellie to those who don't know her.
She's Melody, she points that out every chance she gets. It's her armour.
But that was the first time she smiled at him, for him..
Real, raw, not some fake, polite smile.
"I have been to war, actual war, If getting ambushed meant this; vaguely gesturing at the table and them.
- I would have gladly become a PoW."
"Awww, that's so corny. Now I get it"
"You get it?!", a puzzled look on his face.
"Why you need you dad to hook you up. You're good looking, but your pick up lines …" the elongated sound of that "i" brought out the southern accent she successfully concealed until now.
"You caught me", they brought you out here for me, you're my last chance Melody.
Marry me".
And he grabbed her hand,
laughin' both of them, then the time froze.
The moment they touched, time stood still.
And they stopped laughin!
Few more seconds and she pulled her hand away.
"Sorry", he said
"It's okay" she answered, "I gotta go now, I have a class in the morning, well a paper to
I … I'll just ... Bye, it was a pleasure meeting you.
Please thank John and your dad for dinner, thank y'all for the dinner and everything.
And yes, bye"
She was confusely grabbing her coat, her scarf, her purse, her bag.
Nothing made Sense.
Inside her mind and outside.
Love and Romance were not in her plans.
And Melody Margaret Weathley sticked to her plans.
And boy, did She had plans.
Little did she knew that fate had other plans for her.
Little did she knew that they would attend Harvard at the same time.
He stood up, in an helpless attempt to escort her outside and properly say goodbye, but she confused him.
A few second passed and the only thing he could think of was:
"But tomorrow it's Saturday.
There are no classes on Saturday".