Page 41 of Welcome to the Friendzone
Jakob was standing in front of the pot, currently refilling his mug, before grabbing the bottle of Liqueur 43 to pour into it as well. The combination of hot chocolate and liquor was something Marta saw as a family tradition as her whole family loved to drink it. It was the Gómez version of the Spanish specialty “Lumumba” that her parents had learned to love while they were still living in Spain. Although they had become very American over the years, Lumumba was something they tried to keep, even if it were a slightly different version.
To show her colleagues a bit of her culture she explained to them the story of the drink’s name. Patrice Lumumba was a revolutionist and helped the Republic of the Congo get their independence in 1960. Unfortunately it’s not really known why the Spanish decided to name the drink after Lumumba.
“This is so good, Marta. I don’t think I’ll ever drink normal hot chocolate again.” Jakob smiled at her, his eyes slightly glassy from the multiple mugs he had already drunk over the afternoon.
He had his wife Maja and their two kids with him, who were occupied with decorating cookies of all shapes and sizes.
“Glad you like it, and happy that Maja is with you to drive you home. Wouldn’t let you near a car in that state,” Marta chuckled a little as well.
She hadn’t drunk alcohol today as she was still the Deputy Director of all these Agents. It probably wouldn’t have been a problem if she’d had a mug or two but she didn’t want to. She wanted to make sure everything was going okay and that everybody enjoyed the afternoon and had everything they needed. That’s why her main task today had been running around and bringing people stuff. New icing, new cookies, a refill of their mugs, or marshmallows for Oliver.
Speaking of Oliver…
The Agent had become a little impatient, seeing Marta chat with Jakob instead of bringing him his marshmallows. His chocolate was starting to get cold and he loved it when at least half the marshmallows melted and sweetened the chocolate even more than it already was. After years of getting these special hot chocolates from Marta he was used to perfection so he really needed the marshmallows now.
Approaching Marta he gently placed his hand on top of her butt, carefully looking around him so that nobody was watching them directly. Yes their relationship wasn’t a secret anymore but they still didn’t want to be too apparent about their love in front of their colleagues. Oliver turned his body in such a way that nobody at the dinner table was able to see where his hand had landed before he gently squeezed Marta’s butt cheek. The Deputy Director squeaked a little, trying to hide Oliver’s stealth attack in front of Jakob who was standing on the other side of the kitchen island. Close enough to realize that Oliver had done something to make Marta react that way, but also too far away to see his hand. He was also slightly tipsy, making his brain take a little longer to process the couple’s actions.
“I’ll give you a minute,” he mumbled before heading back towards Maja and the kids to check how many cookies they had already finished.
Oliver leaned into Marta to place a kiss on her cheek, his hand still grabbing perfectly around her butt cheek.
“I miss the secrecy,” he whispered in her ear. “The adrenaline of getting caught always turned me on.”
His voice made the Deputy Director blush the deepest red.
“We might not need to hide anymore, but I hope I still manage to turn you on,mi cielo.”
“That you do, Sugar.”
He dropped another kiss on her temple before grabbing the big bag of marshmallows and jogging back to his spot at the dinner table.
If someone had told her a few years ago that, after Frank’s death and the loss of their unborn child, she would be happy again she wouldn’t have believed it.
But slowly, steadily Oliver forced himself into her life, giving her the right support to let her heal the cracks in her heart. She’d never forget her past life because it had made her the person she was now but Marta had learned that, at some point, she had to move on. With the man who made her smile and laugh, who made her feel comfortable, safe and at home. He’d fought so hard to get that place in her heart and even after she’d refused him for so long, he’d kept on fighting.
And today Marta was more than grateful for that.
Grateful that Oliver not only accepted her rejection but also gave her all the time she needed to finally realize that he was the person she wanted to be with. He’d been by her side over the last few years, as a colleague, as a friend, and as a lover.
It was rare to find your best friend and partner in the same person, but she did. They’d overcome all the obstacles, all the doubts, and all the fears until they were finally carefree.
When Marta told him that one day she hoped they’d be able to not hide anymore, she didn’t expect how good it would feel to show the world that this man belonged to her. That she’d won the grand prize, won the lottery. His heart was big enough for both of them and with every kiss and touch, he repaired her broken heart until it was healed again. And from that day on it only beat for him.
Marta smiled at the blond Agent sitting at the table, who was chatting with some colleagues from the drug trafficking task force. They were talking, smiling, and laughing about something she didn’t understand. When Oliver turned his head slightly and his green-blue eyes met her honey-colored ones, Marta knew that he was everything she needed in her life. And that she would never let him go again.
The End
