The two of them headed back upstairs to grab their stuff after the short celebration for Deeks' birthday. Eric stepped back to allow her up the stairs first and Nell flashed that brilliant smile over her shoulder at him. They ventured up the stairs together in silence, it wasn't awkward, and never was, as long as they both had smiles on their faces they knew they were okay. They walked shoulder-to-shoulder up the two flights; it was normal for the pair now, if they weren't that close someone would spot it and see something was up.

Eric let her in to ops first as they went to opposite sides to grab their laptops, he looked back to her and caught her gaze, he loved the quick, shy smile she gave before looking down again. It brought him back to earlier when Nell had started to talk about her resolutions. When she had started by saying 'You know when we're at work together?' he had felt his heart race and he had actually gone to hold her hand, before the moment came crashing down and he retreated back when she started talking about computers.

He pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder and shuffled back over to her stopping at the end of the island. He didn't like standing above her while they talked, her fringe sometimes made it impossible to see her eyes, so he leaned on his forearms, but she still didn't look up. "Nell…Nelly?" he tested, trying to make her smile again.

Nell looked up from the papers, trying her best not to smile, but it was one of her weaknesses. And he was giving that face, which he knew worked every time, and he finally succeeded in making her smile. "Yes?" she asked and moved her fringe to the side a bit. But she then noticed a change in his expression, his face turn suddenly serious.

"Before, you said yours are weird and personal..." Eric started.

"My resolutions? well yeah, I thought we got past this, I was going unplugged on the weekends," her eyes brows furrowed.

"Exactly, resolutions, as in more than just the one, what was the other?" he questioned, his voice quiet and curious. "You still don't have to tell me though."

She let out a short breath and nodded, "Right, that was the more personal one, uh, well that one was... to, uh," she shifted her hair again and her hand fell back on the table. "It's to have a proper relationship, a real one, one that I can be proud of," a soft smile played on her lips. "It sounds like a weird one to have but it's been ages since I've had a real relationship." Nell shook her head slightly and chewed the inside of her bottom lip.

He looked down to their hands and attempted something he had tried earlier; he moved his hand under hers, his thumb over her knuckles. "It's not weird, it actually sounds nice. I know it can be hard trying to be in a relationship with someone you have to lie to, it's horrible."

She squeezed his hand, "And you already know how much I already hate lying to my family, how do you start a relationship off by lying?" she looked down and watched his thumb rhythmically tracing back and forth over her knuckles. She found the action comforting and reassuring, also when he squeezed her hand back it was this sensation or feeling she hadn't felt in a while. "It would be easier if I just had someone I didn't have to lie to..." her eyes went straight up to his soft gaze.

His other hand found hers and his cheeks began to heat up as he carried a shy smile, "Yeah, I know what you mean," he watched as a blush crept up her neck, giving her cheeks an adorable pink shade. "Hey, do you maybe want to-"

"Guys we're all going out for- whoa what's going on here?!" Deeks interrupted their moment and backed up awkwardly when he saw how close they were.

Nell jumped back, "Uh nothing," she looked to Eric frantically, he was doing the same. Then they both looked down and dropped their hands.

Eric exhaled a stifled laugh and shifted on the balls of his feet nervously, "Yep,' nothing going on here," he tried to meet the detectives eyes, he carried a crooked smile and looked back to Nell, who was covering terribly with a blush on her face and was smiling at the ground.

Deeks narrowed his eyes at the two, it was obvious what was going on, but he wouldn't say anything further, "Well if you guys don't have any plans we're leaving in five minutes for drinks," Deeks stepped backwards out of the room, keeping his eyes on the pair until they were out of sight.

Nell returned to packing the papers in her bag and a comfortable silence enveloped them as Eric stayed with her until she had packed up her stuff. She pulled her bag over her shoulder with her back to him and then looked back to her partner. He had a goofy smile as he watched her. "So, do you have any plans for tonight?" she turned to face him.

"No plans for tonight, or any other night, for the foreseeable future," he quoted her with a smug grin on his face.

Nell rolled her eyes, letting out a small laugh and punching him in shoulder, "You're such a dork, Eric Beale," she mocked and turned to make her way out of the ops center.

"Yeah but you like it," Eric responded following her to the stairs and coming up beside her at the top step. He held out his hand as they began walking down the stairs.

She grabbed his hand and laced their fingers, "Yeah, I do."

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