26. Twenty-Six
26
TWENTY-SIX
PETER DAVIS
CIA Headquarters, Christmas 2022
Almost five months together
F or fuck’s sake, I needed to keep my shit together or I’d fuck her right here in front of Nate and Lynn’s eyes. This woman did things to me that I’ve never felt before and I wasn’t sorry for any of it.
We turned our heads around and watched Oliver enter the communal kitchen, wearing his Meowy Christmas sweater and a Bluetooth box in his hand that was blaring a song I didn’t recognize right away. Christmas was never my favorite holiday because it meant that I’d be forced to meet all the family members I didn’t care about.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents.
But I don’t really care about their brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and nephews of whatever grade. As an only child and the first one with a real career, plus an interesting job, I was bombarded with questions every year.
No, Aunt Mary, I still can’t talk about my job because everything is highly confidential. But no worries, what I can actually tell you is that we did not fake the moon landing. It really happened.
Every damn year, the same questions.
But this year was different because I had Eliana by my side, which was an amazing reason to not be with my parents, but with my actual family instead.
“This team is more than just a team. You’re the closest to a family I ever had,” she said to me on the way to the communal kitchen this morning while we were talking about how we hoped this Christmas would end. I’ve never seen her so excited about something, although it was a bit of a bummer when she realized that not all of the Christmas sweaters meant something nice.
I was curious which one Oliver had picked for her.
“Good morning, my little snowflakes and Merry Christmas!” he shouted into the room with the brightest smile on his face that I’ve ever seen on him. The love of our team lead for Christmas was unmatched by anything else.
“Little snowflakes? Really?” Nate’s voice came from the other side of the room.
“Too much?” Oliver asked.
“Waaaaaay too much,” Marta answered from behind him the moment she entered the communal kitchen. I was very sure that she had waited in the hallway for a moment or two so it didn’t look like they came to the kitchen together. It was more than obvious what was going on between the two, but they didn’t admit it to me officially, so I kept my mouth shut.
My focus went back to Eliana and how she’d react to the whole charade of people around us. Most of the time, it was only the two of us with the occasional addition of Liam when we watched hockey. But being surrounded by the entire team outside of working hours was new.
To my relief, I saw her smiling at the weird entry of Oliver, even chuckling when Marta clapped his back and told him to turn his enthusiasm down a level or two. She seemed to enjoy Christmas around our little found family.
Oliver’s gaze went around the room and he gave me a nod when he saw that I was wearing the sweater he had gifted me two years ago. He stopped a moment when his eyes landed on Nate, who was wearing our team shirt instead of his sweater.
“Butch,” he said in a firm voice.
The nickname ‘Butch’ for Nate always confused me, even though I’d learned early on that it was the short form for Nate’s Navy SEAL name ‘The Butcher’. It came from a time before the CIA, but it stuck around. To me, Nate had introduced himself with his normal first name and I kinda had the feeling that it was his attempt to close the darkest chapter of his past. Under the nickname ‘Butch’, too many cruelties had happened to him. Hopefully ‘Nate’ would have a brighter life.
“No, pal. Not gonna happen. You can’t make me wear that every single year.”
“Hell yes, I can.”
“Come on, Oli,” Nate whined, but the slight tilt of Oliver's head paired with the expecting raise of his eyebrows made Nate sigh and put the black sweater over his shirt. I was amused about it last year already, but it didn’t fail its effect again this year.
The black sweater had a comic cat in the middle and the letters Jingle all the way to hell around it. Never have I seen a sweater that would fit better to Nate than this one, even though he’d become more and more Christmas-loving over the years I had heard. He still wasn’t the biggest fan, but he was baking cookies with Oliver without being forced now. Marta had told me stories of times where that had been very different.
“Sheppard, this sweater describes your personality better than anything else I’ve seen or heard,” Eli commented with a laugh.
“Wait until you get yours, Richards. See who’s laughing then,” Nate countered.
“Speaking of,” Oliver started and we all focused our attention on him.
“Get up, Eliana. This is an official ceremony,” our team leader continued and Eliana halted for a moment, but eventually followed his order. Suddenly, I was super nervous, unsure how Eli would react to whatever Oliver had bought for her. He didn’t tell me, although I’d asked a million times and even tried to bribe him. No chance. That damn former Navy SEAL was un-bribable.
I even tried it with Marta, but she insisted that she didn’t know what he had got for her.
Another well-trainer liar.
Being around agents was always a challenge.
“You want to get the party started without me?” A voice suddenly came from the entrance and I had to move my upper body to the side to see Liam standing in the door frame, both arms outstretched to the side in a theatrical gesture. We hadn’t even thought about waking him for breakfast because he’d loved to stay awake the entire night and sleep in late on off-days. Also, our official Christmas party was in the afternoon. Nobody could expect the breakfast to escalate to a team building event.
“Okay, this is the best Christmas sweater from all of you,” Eli commented and it was only then that I realized what Liam was wearing. He had joined the team this spring, so he wasn’t around last Christmas.
Liam’s sweater was black as base—like most of ours—but the front was decorated with a couple of ornaments and the letters I’m here to delete your cookies .
Eli was right. It was the best sweater from all of us.
“Didn’t know you would be awake already, Agent Thomas,” Oliver commented before putting his attention back to Eli.
“Nobody invited me to this ominous breakfast party. All I heard was that we have a Christmas party at five. I just wanted to get a hot chocolate and some cookies, and encountered a whole horde of wild Christmas lovers in here. I already regret my decision to leave the bed.”
Liam Thomas, ladies and gentlemen. The biggest man child that was somehow relatable, funny, and my best friend.
“I’ll send you an owl next time,” Marta responded.
Did the Deputy Director of the CIA just crack a Harry Potter joke to mock Liam, only because he was having the same haircut and glasses as Harry Potter in the later movies?
Could this day be any better?
Liam snorted half amused, half annoyed and made his way to the fridge without another word. He was defeated.
“Can I?” Oliver asked in the round and we all gave him a nod in approval.
“Go for it,” Eli said with a smile and I could see from the way she was stepping from one foot on the other that she was nervous, but also excited. Her shoulders were hanging loose which was a clear indication that excitement was her main emotion, which gave me more relief than I’d like.
Finally, Oliver pulled a box out of the tote bag he had carried with him and reached it over to Eli. It was in a dark, ruby red with a bow on top to indicate the gift character of the box.
“Agent Richards, with this sweater, you are officially welcomed in our little family. You made it through a couple of rough months with us and saw our ugliest and our best. And yet, you decided to stay and not run away. This definitely deserves a special gift. Welcome to the family again, Eliana.”
No idea who was cutting onions, because I couldn’t think of any other reason why I had tears in my eyes while remembering these past couple of months.
“Running away would have been a little hard with the broken leg, sir,” Eli answered and got a full odds belly laugh out of Oliver.
“Even if that is the only reason you stayed, I’m cool with it.”
Eli carefully opened the box and pulled the sweater out of it. It was more colorful than ours, although it had the classical black base. From what I could see, so far it was completely covered in ornaments, the black only shining through the gaps. I couldn’t see the front yet, but Eli’s chuckle warmed my heart in an instant. She turned around to show the sweater to all of us and I could see Santa Claus lifting a barbell and the words No Lift. No Gift around him.
“That’s actually cool. I love lifting,” she said.
“I’m well aware. I also chose this sweater because I feel like you’re the most badass of all of us. If I ever need someone for an illegal box fight in a dark alley, I’d always choose you,” Oliver explained.
“I’m honored,” Eli pressed out in between laughs. It was a very thoughtful sweater, like all of ours. And it made me especially happy that Eliana liked it. I’ve studied that woman’s features for so long, I knew exactly when she was lying or faking emotions, but today, everything was real and that made me happier than anything else.
Later that day, Oliver had gathered us all around to finalize the preparations for our team dinner. Well, plus Mihaela, who would have been completely alone, otherwise. You could say about Oliver what you wanted, but he really had a good heart. The moment he observed me and Eli talking about visiting Mihaela so she wasn’t lonely on this holiday (her parents were on a cruise in the Caribbean Sea), he told us that he would handle it and make sure Mihaela could join us.
She had just texted Eli that she was going through some checks that were “worse than re-entering your own country after a vacation in the Middle East”.
“Do you think she will feel left out because she doesn’t have a Christmas sweater?” Oliver asked Eli and me, his eyes slightly panicking.
“No. It’s all good. It’s a team tradition and she’s not part of the team. She will understand,” I answered because Eli was currently chewing on a cookie.
“Also, I told her to bring a sweater by herself. She has plenty of them, even though most of them are Disney themed. I think she went for the Star Wars one,” Eli added before shoving another cookie in her mouth with a pleasuring sound.
“I love her already,” Liam called from the back of the room. He was currently working on the Christmas lights that were spread around the communal kitchen, trying to make them blink in the beat of the songs coming up.
Marta was almost done with the preparation of the famous McGreen lasagna, spreading more cheese than necessary on the casserole and placing it in the pre-heated oven. Then she stepped around the kitchen counter where Lynn and Nate were preparing side dishes, halted next to Oliver, and looked around.
“Listen everyone,” she started, and when the Deputy Director gives an order, you better follow.
When everyone had stopped whatever they were doing—except for Liam, who was still working on the lights—Marta cleared her throat, shared one look with Oliver, and gave us all a shy smile.
“Oliver and I want to announce that we’re officially dating. It took us some unpleasant conversations with HR, a bit of a walk of shame to Director Burns, but in the end, the Agency decided they won’t start any action in separating us as far as possible. I’ll still be in command of your task force and Oliver will report to me. We’re just a little more…under observation, if you know what I mean.
“We wanted to share this with you because you’re the closest to us and we don’t want to hide anymore. ”
I saw Eli smile at me with this sparkle in her eyes that she’s gained back after she had lost it to years of trauma. But there she was, standing next to me, her mouth still half full with one of the Cinnamon cookies, crumbles on the corner of lips, but still smiling and looking at me with a love that I’ve never felt before. She really was my endgame.
“Also…” Marta continued and we gave her our full attention again, “…Richards, Davis, you don’t have to hide your relationship anymore. It’s all fine, we won’t separate you or let this have an influence on how the CIA will treat you. You two are absolutely adorable.”
I didn’t let her say anything more, so I turned back to Eli and kissed her softly. My tongue darted out to lick the cookie crumbles off her lips. She couldn’t really kiss me back as she was caught by surprise and, again, had her mouth full with food. I couldn’t care less. I wanted to show the world that she was mine.
“Wow…I didn’t expect this to be so much like Grey’s Anatomy . Couples everywhere…The big question is if I’m gonna be the next unfortunate person falling head over heels for someone or if the author will kill me off. It’s always a 50-50 with Grey’s.”
“We’ll find you an unfortunate woman that will match your freak, Liam,” Eli shot in his direction.
“I’d prefer a hot guy with a six pack, but I’m open to discuss.”
“Whatever you want, pal. We’re at the CIA. Hot and trained is the minimum requirement to join,” she answered .
“Then I don’t understand why they hired you!” I could see Liam’s smirk through the entire room and wasn’t sure if I should laugh or defend my lady.
Thankfully, Eliana took that decision for me as she threw him a cookie and mumbled, “One point for you, computer nerd.”
Mihaela joined our little get together half an hour later and we were chatting, drinking some beer, playing old board games that we had found in the drawer under the television, and ate good food. A lot of good food.
While I was heading to the kitchen counter to get myself another hot chocolate, she approached me from behind and cleared her throat.
“How can I help you, Mihaela?” I asked with a smile. I know she and Eli were talking about me all the time as there were absolutely no secrets between the two best friends. Mihaela probably knew every single word I’ve said and things I’ve done, and I was damn sure the two girls have judged my performance in bed as well.
They say you only truly win a girl if you’re accepted by the bestie and I had to admit that this made me nervous regarding our shared past.
“Do you have a minute to talk? Maybe in a more private environment?” Her eyes were scanning the room and I followed her, realizing that Eliana was in a deep conversation with Nate. Maybe the two were comparing whose trauma was worse. It was totally something I could see the two doing.
“For sure. Let’s head out in the hallway.” I reached out my arm to show Mihaela out and she led the way so I could follow. It wasn’t the most private surrounding, but it was better than staying in the communal kitchen.
We stood awkwardly in front of each other, Mihaela’s eyes fixed on me with a willpower in her gaze that matched Eli’s. It made me realize even more why the two so different women became best friends so easily.
I was once taught that I should surround myself with people that match my freak and help me push forward. Eli was this for me and I was sure that Mihaela was this person to Eli.
“What do you want to talk about?” I carefully started the conversation.
“Peter, you know that Eli is my best friend.”
“I’m well aware,” I joked.
“For so long it was always her and me against the world. And even when we were miles apart, we were always connected in a very special way. As you might know, she isn’t the best at opening up to someone else, so protecting her secrets and keeping her safe was a full time job for me during high school and afterwards.”
“I’m so happy she had someone as wonderful as you by her side over all these years and all the trauma. I wish I’d known earlier.”
I meant it. I wish I could have punched her father’s face back when we were in school. My parents would surely have taken her in if they would have known. We could have protected her from that asshole .
“Thankfully, now you’re part of the equation, Peter. I wasn’t your biggest fan in the beginning, but from everything I’ve heard, you're actually a really good guy. And I’m happy you’re finally playing a different role in her crazy life than being the nemesis.”
We both laughed and cheered our hot chocolates together.
“But, and that’s a big but! I swear to you, Peter Davis, if you do anything to hurt her or break her heart, I’m fighting through hundreds of CIA agents to come after you and kill you with my bare hands. I promise.”
“I swear I will never hurt her. I could never do that to her, Mihaela. That woman has my heart in a chokehold.”
“Good, because she’s madly and deeply in love with you and I love that for her. I’ve never seen her so happy, so carefree, and at peace. You did something to her that no one else was able to do before. Not even me.”
Although her words sounded sad, there was no trace of sadness in her eyes. All I could read in Mihaela’s face was true happiness for her best friend.
Their friendship was something special for sure.
“Again, I will never hurt her. I love her, Mihaela. I really do. And I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe, protected, and happy. You have my word.”
“I trust you, Peter. Don’t disappoint me.”
“I won’t.”
She gave me a last smile before we decided to head back into the kitchen before they reported us missing. Thankfully, Eli was still stuck in the conversation with Nate, but now they were accompanied by Oliver. Mihaela and I were both heading over to them and I took my well-deserved place right next to Eliana. Now that we officially didn’t need to hide any more, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
It might have been the best Christmas ever, even better than the one year I got the monster truck I’d asked for so desperately. Well, it was a hard match between this year and back in the day, but while I was sitting on one of the couches, a hot chocolate in my one hand and Eliana wrapped in my other arm, I realized that this definitely won over any monster truck.
Christmas is the holiday you should spend with your family and we did exactly that.