The day's fatigue lies heavy on Olivia's shoulders as she shuts the safe in her office. After everything that could've gone wrong with her client did, what had started early in the morning extended to the end of the following workday. Barely back to this and she already had to face some of the sacrifices the job requires.
Olivia pours herself a glass of wine and sits down on the sofa. She'd spent the entire day running around and stressed, so though she craved to be home, she let herself linger in the silence and tranquility of her office.
This peace and quiet were anticipated throughout the day. Exhausted and nurturing her glass, she had to admit that, although the consequences were a nuisance, there was something about this kind of chaos that she missed. The change was long overdue and there was the adrenaline of dealing with something such as a senator having an affair, a classic scandal, it felt like home, damage control, media control. She'd forgotten the almost sex-like rush.
After some days of consideration, her options were weighed and the decision had been made: she would get into politics again. Word spread around fast and the calls started coming in immediately, one of the benefits of having a well-known name and reputation. She could have chosen some local election, some candidate that looked good on paper and that she saw potential in. Yet, that felt premature, too much too fast, so she opted to pull the reins, especially now that she wants more time for herself.
This was not a desperate attempt. There was a clear line in which cases she would consider, cleaning up murders had been for far too long a usual ammo, and she was done with that. Not a week has passed and already things seem to have improved. Such a short time but perhaps she's different and, because of it, she's impacted others. Harrison's mood has certainly been better. Huck is well…Huck. But she can tell he's more relaxed, unafraid that she'll ask him to do the impossible.
There are no rose-colored glasses, those require a kind of naivete she has outgrown. Maybe it's the maturity to admit the impact of his presence in her life, it mitigates anxiety and concern, and it's easier to hope and make plans. The lack of time was not welcome and in fixing it lies a long-term problem that Olivia is happy to ignore for tonight.
"Liv?" a familiar voice comes out of the hallway and interrupts Olivia's thoughts.
Startled, Olivia furrows her brow. "Abby? What are you doing here?"
"You haven't been answering your phone. I was worried."
"Sorry," Olivia winces, too conscious of how work and Fitz have taken up most of her time. "How did you know I was still here?"
"Huck." Abby shrugs and takes the empty seat beside Olivia on the couch. "So…what's going on?"
"Nothing," she answers with a slight edge to her voice. "Just busy."
Abby gives her a sly smile. "Sure." She crosses her legs and takes a look at the room, it hadn't changed one bit since the last time she had been here. She couldn't complain too much about her life but sometimes she missed this: the place and the people. "How did that date go?" Their silence is broken by her straightforwardness.
Like a deer caught in headlights, Olivia stares at Abby, she doesn't flinch, nor does she blink, until a laugh shatters the façade.
For days she gave it thought, unsure whether she wanted to share this with anyone. The privacy of their little world was cherished. An impossible and unreachable dream that all of a sudden was not only within reach but her life. Sharing would make it real, and invite other people into their space. Life in isolation however was not a life. Olivia takes a deep breath. "It was good," she says and rests her hand on her lips with a child-like wonder.
It came as a surprise to her how easy the admission was and how good it felt to tell someone. It's real. They're real. She allows her mind to drift to that night at the restaurant, better than anything she could've imagined. So much has happened in so little time.
Abby lets out a chuckle. "Oh, you're deep in it already, aren't you?"
Olivia shakes her head, incredulous at the conversation and minimizing eye contact when she says, "He might be in my apartment waiting for me."
"Fuck," Abby blinks slowly. "You know what? I told you so," she relishes at the nudge she'd given Olivia before. "So it's serious?"
"I think so." Immediately, Olivia frowns at her own answer. "It is." There was no room for uncertainty, that would undermine everything he is, and told her. Now there was no choice but to accept his decision to be with her.
"How do you feel?"
"Good. Happy."
"It's good seeing you like this. You deserve it."
"Thank you."
"Liv?" Abby places her hand on Olivia's knee. It was rare that she saw this particular look on her friend. Always so elusive and quick to hide her emotions from most, this vision of hopefulness was treasured.
"Yeah?"
"You know what you want. You've waited too long. Go in." They lock eyes and Olivia remains quiet, her brown eyes wide. Abby squeezes her friend's hand, hoping to offer her some reassurance. "You should go."
Olivia bites her lip and nods. "Ok."
It wasn't worth the trouble to deny the words said so she silently drinks what is left of her wine, grabs her cream Prada purse, and walks out of the building with Abby by her side.
Olivia stands in the elevator and with her hand, in her purse, she shuffles through different objects, already stressed and annoyed by traffic that not finding her keys might as well be what sends her over the edge. This was the longer they'd gone without seeing each other since their date.
Cluttering several objects in her hands she continues her search until she feels her keychain. Unbelievable. It dawned on her, how easy it was, to accommodate him as part of her days. Somewhat frightening of course but mostly it was good, the way all stress dissipated, leaving her with a grounding familiarity and comfort.
Moving seamlessly, she removes her shoes, hangs her coat, then walks to her bedroom. She pushes the door open and is faced with Fitz in his house clothes, shirtless and in a pair of sweatpants, watching television in her bed. She sighs and presses her back to the wall, holding tears at the sight in front of her. "Thanks for coming."
A gleeful Fitz removes his reading glasses. "You gave me a key."
"I did." It made Olivia warm to feel his joy at the gift and how it reverberates through the room, her room.
He smiles softly and studies her face. "I missed you," he says.
"I missed you too," she replies with a heavy sigh.
This would never cease to amaze him. Even in their earlier days, back when everything was more complicated, she still would allow herself to slow down around him. It didn't make him arrogant but it was powerful to know the effect he has on her. "How are you?"
"Tired."
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Barely," she says and walks up to him, closing the distance between them with a short and tender kiss. "Did you get any work done?"
"Some. I got stuck then I went on a run."
"You hate running."
"I know," he draws out the last word. "The hotel was driving me insane."
"You need to go out more. Clear your head."
"I scheduled a visit to the Smithsonian tomorrow." A temporary solution to ease his worries and rest his mind. "Do you want to come?"
"I can't. I'm looking into potential campaigns."
"Anyone in mind?"
"Not yet. Just some names and we're doing background checks on them,"
He places his hands on her hips. "You'll find someone good. You always do."
Olivia looks at him completely vulnerable, her face relaxing. Being with him is always easier than she remembers. "Can we go over what you wrote on the weekend?"
"Yeah. There's no rush."
"Is it good?" Olivia asks with a curious glance.
"I think so, yeah."
"Looking forward to it." She beams.
"I started to include you by the way."
"Well, that's going to be interesting."
"As if there are parts that you don't know."
"It's not the same and you know it." she points out.
Fitz tightens his grip on her and is about to pull her to bed before Olivia stops him. "I can't," she chuckles. "I feel gross," she complains with a little body shake. "I need a bath."
"Do you want some company?"
"Okay," she replies, running her fingers through his hair. Not daring to say no to spending any more time with him.
Fitz moves his hand through the water in the bathtub, making small waves only to disrupt the stillness. With Olivia's back pressed to him, their skins are already starting to feel the effects of having been here for so long yet none of them make any movements that would indicate a wish to leave. Olivia pops a particularly large bubble while Fitz inhales the smell of candles that linger in the air.
He brushes his nose against the side of Olivia's face. The lavender fragrance of the bath bomb is quite present but isn't overwhelming so when he closes his eyes and focuses he can differentiate it from Olivia's natural body scent. "What are you thinking about?"
"Work, life."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Her fingers wrap around her curls, playing with random strands of hair. "Do you remember Rose? Olivia exhales slowly. In spite of everything, her mind is still at a faster pace than she wishes. "Mccall."
"From the at-risk youth foundation?"
"Yes."
"We met before she divorced," he says, remembering a particular fundraiser hosted in one of her California states. Some of the most eclectic group of people he'd ever seen, and he's still not sure how she managed to pull that off. "Are you working with her?"
Olivia keeps her eyes fixed on a single light green tile on the bathroom wall. "Yeah. She was diagnosed with dementia and has been having memory problems for over a year. We've been keeping everything under wraps so it won't affect the shares she still has of the company or the foundation but she's worked so hard for so long. And none of her children want it.
"Ok," Fitz says when Olivia stops, waiting for the other penny to finally drop.
Olivia creases her forehead. "You build something from the ground up and it can disappear so fast."
He presses his forehead to the back of her head, his mind working through where she was getting at. "Are we still talking about her?" he asks kindly.
"It happened to my father. A life dedicated to work. Everything was connected to what he thought America should be, including his family, and he had nothing to show for it in the end. I was left with a house full of things I can't stand to look through. There's no legacy."
"Is that what you want? To be remembered?"
"I don't know. I haven't figured it out yet."
Fitz nods, too familiar with the concept of not being sure of what he wants, often weighed with what's expected of him or what people hope to gain from his position. That added to the preoccupation of what kind of history will be written about him. "Cyrus gave me options. Things I could do after the presidency: set up a library, work for different causes."
"What did you choose?"
"The library is in progress and after the book is done I'm getting back to the list he sent me. Maybe keep working on gun control but I don't want to focus on just one thing. I already have the name and everything."
"What is it?"
"The Grant Institute," he fake boasts.
"It's a good idea. The institute too but taking a break in between. You deserve the rest."
"Liv. It's okay to change things, whatever that means for you. You don't have to keep working at the same thing forever. Change can be good."
"I know," her answer is almost a whisper as she stares at the water. "Can you help me go through his things? My dad's." She taps the water slightly with the tip of her fingers. "I haven't sold the house. That place hasn't been my home for so long, yet I couldn't get rid of his things or make myself go through it."
"Of course."
"Thank you," she says. Ashamed that the topic still had the ability to make her tense up.
"I love you," he says and though she remains silent Fitz can feel Olivia relax a bit more in his arms. "Do you think I should move?" Fitz asks and his fingers trace small, lazy circles on her thighs.
After Olivia takes too long to answer, realization comes of how easily his words could be interpreted as him wanting to rush everything between them. "I mean to DC. I want to be able to drop by and see you more easily."
"You never liked living in hotels."
"I never liked living in hotels," he repeats with a soft smile.
"That sounds good," Olivia presses herself harder against his chest.
Silence creeps between them and Fitz slides his hand into her folds moving gently and aimlessly, only letting out a small chuckle when he hears Olivia gasp.
"Have you ever thought about living in the country? Somewhere quiet like Vermont." Olivia asks.
Fitz freezes and furrows his brows, completely confused by where this is coming from. "Vermont?"
Olivia guides his hand back to its previous place, amused at his shock. "Yes. We could get married, live under the radar, only interact with the locals, make jam."
"Two kids?"
"And a dog," Olivia adds.
"Would you quit your job?" Fitz asks, not letting his voice betray how he aches and longs for a life with her, even if nothing like this.
"Yes."
"So you'd be my trophy wife?"
"Absolutely."
"I'd spoil you senseless." His gaze softens as he takes in the idyllic imaginary life. "Do you think you could live like that?"
"No," Olivia smiles at the thought. "It would be good for weekends and holidays though. You?"
"With you, I could manage anything."
"Fitz?"
"Yeah?" he buries his face in her neck and starts kissing it slowly.
"I'll go to the gala with you."
This time he doesn't freeze, instead a switch is flipped and the kisses become small nibbles. When that's not enough, he moves her hair out of the way and her head to the right, just enough to allow him unlimited access to her neck.
Fitz doesn't dare to move his left hand, fingering Olivia with the utmost control and preciseness. Refusing to let her get too carried away, he draws out his movements. Her cries only encourage his pace, the more she begs the more he refuses to be rushed. "Grip each side of the bath," he orders, his lips brushing her ears.
Past experiences, including with Olivia, had taught him too well the risks of shower sex but the bath felt stable, not as perfect as a bed would be, but unfortunately in circumstances such as this there was no room to be picky. Wrapping his hand around her breast, he smiles predatory when her breath hitches. She had always been more sensitive on the right side and he took immense pleasure and pride in his knowledge of her body and in his skill to leave her aching and desperate.
The urge to become one with her intensified along with her moans. Feeling her squeeze his thighs when he strokes her nipple, he finally relents. "Hand to the side."
Fitz lifts her, her skin soft under his fingertips, placing her down on him. It requires more effort, the water slows down their movements in such a way Olivia has to take him by hand so she can sink down on his length.
He moves his hips with intent, burying himself in her. The water overflows as their rhythm becomes more frantic. Any sense of control starts to fade, as she meets his every move. His heart pounds in his chest, completely lost in the way their bodies move together. She wants him. She wants them.
They both rock together, frenzied for release. Moving indiscriminately until their bodies let go and are consumed by the waves of their shared orgasm. Fitz exhales and hugs Olivia in a tight embrace, wishing for nothing but to keep her in his arms.
Placing a gentle kiss on her shoulder, he's about to close his eyes when Olivia's voice brings him out of his trance-like state.
"I love you too," Olivia says and lets her body collapse on his.
A/N: Sorry this update took longer than usual. I got caught up with life and I haven't been able to write much. Also, it took a really long time to get to the chapter where I wanted. I'm still not completely happy with the result but I'm trying to learn to let go and move on with the story. Leave me a review, they do mean a lot! xoxo