Thank you all for the encouraging reviews! Just started a new semester at CSUS, so my brain is pretty scrambled. Here's a new chapter for this week!
Kensi and Arya had finished dinner and were enjoying each other's company in Arya's room. They spoke in a mix of English and Dari; Arya wanted to start practicing her spoken English and, since Kensi understood Dari, it was easy to communicate across the language barrier when Arya had to switch to get her point across.
"Thank you for all you did here." Arya said in English as she gestured around the room; along with dinner, Kensi had brought some decorative elements for Arya's room. "It's really nice."
"You're very welcome. I'm glad Nell and I could make it 'your' space. I'm sure you noticed Callen is a bit more…minimal…in his homemaking skills." Kensi replied with a snicker.
Arya smiled. "So you and….your partner, what is his name?"
"Oh, Deeks. Well, his name is Marty Deeks, but we just usually call him 'Deeks'."
"You Americans have such strange naming traditions. Callen and Deeks are called by their family names, but you and Sam are called by your given names. Why is that?"
Kensi laughed. "No reason really. Sometimes, certain people call me by my last name 'Blye', but not usually. It *is* kind of strange, now that you point it out. And hey, none of this 'You Americans' stuff; you're one of us now. Or, soon to be, anyway."
Arya smiled. "Yeah, not soon enough.. I can't believe all that's happened in the last couple of weeks."
"How are you and Callen getting along?" Kensi asked
"Fine. He is kind and patient with me, but…." Arya trailed off. Kensi waited patiently for her to continue. "he does not love me. And, that's okay. After all he's done for me, I wouldn't dare complain. It's just…not what I expected life to become, you know?"
Kensi nodded. "Understandable. You grow up with your own expectation for how your life will be, and then it's not like that and sometimes it's hard to deal with. But give Callen time; he's had one hell of a life so far and I'm sure this is not how he envisioned his life, either."
Arya thought about that for a moment. "The thing is, I care for him already. I *want* to take care of him, as a wife would. I want to cook and keep house and be there for him if he needs me. He just….doesn't. And I feel lost. I don't really know what to do or what my place actually is." Arya explained.
"Well, why don't you start going to some English classes? It will give you something to do, and you'll get better with the language, so you'll be more confident going out. I'm sure the library would have some."
"Good idea! Where is it?"
Kensi took Arya's phone. Glancing at it, she frowned. "Can you read any of this?" she asked. Arya grimaced and shook her head. "No, I usually just figure out what the pictures mean."
"No worries, I can fix that." Kensi tapped away at the screen for a minute, then turned it so Arya could see the display; the text was now in Dari. Kensi was showing Arya how to use the maps app when they heard Callen come through the front door.
"Arya? Kens?"
"In here, Callen!" Kensi called. He walked in and stood in the doorway.
"Well, the house is still standing, so you ladies couldn't have gotten into TOO much trouble." He said with a smile. "What have you been up to?"
"Just showing Arya how to use the maps on her phone to get around." Kensi replied. "I should get going; we have a long day tomorrow."
Arya got up and walked with her and Callen to the door. Once she drove away, Callen shut the door.
"Hi." Arya greeted him with a smile.
"Hey there. Did you have fun?" Callen asked.
"Yes I did. How did your case go?"
"We made some progress."
"Are you hungry?"
"No, I grabbed a burger with Sam on the way home."
"Oh. Okay. Well, I'm going to go shower, then. Okay?"
"Yes, of course." Arya left to go shower, leaving Callen to sit and watch TV. Presently, his phone vibrated.
Kensi: Hey, just wanted to say, talk to her. She's feeling kind of lost and unsure of herself. I think she kinda likes you, and well, you *are* kind of married to her….just sayin.
Callen typed a response: Makes two of us.
Arya stepped off the bus and thanked the driver, Frank. She was on her way home after her afternoon session with an English tutor at the library. Riding the same buses at the same times every day, she had come to know the drivers on a first-name basis. She had been attending the group tutoring sessions daily for 3 weeks now, (She had even re-set the language back to English after a week with the tutor; he'd suggested it as good practice.), and the tutor was surprised at her progress and tenacity. So much so that today, they had offered her a part-time job at the library, shelving returns. She could hardly wait to tell Callen.
As she walked the few blocks from the bus stop to the house, she reflected on the changes she'd made over the last few weeks: learning how to read and write for the first time, leaving the house with no male escort, dressing a little less conservatively; today, she wore a navy blouse with elbow-length sleeves and an A-line knee-length flower-printed skirt with sandals. She still did her morning Namaz prayers to Allah, but she had stopped wearing the hijab altogether just a week ago; *that* had been an interesting experience, going out in public for the first time without it. It felt amazing to be so free.
Arriving at the house at a quarter to three, she went about her usual routine: turn on the radio, do a couple of chores, then start preparations for dinner. Today was Friday, "floor" day. As she gathered the mopping implements, her phone chimed.
Callen: Hey, don't make dinner tonight.
Arya raised an eyebrow at her phone.
Arya: Why, you're not coming home tonight?
Callen: No, I am. Just don't make it.
Puzzled, she replied Okay… and set down her phone.
She had just finished mopping the whole house when she heard him pull into the driveway. Arya opened the door and stood on the doorstep, watching him get out of the car.
"What are you doing home so early?" she asked with a grin.
"Well…." He said as he approached her. "I kinda figured….we could…go out….and, uh, eat." He said, nervously running a hand through his hair. In his other hand, he had a garment bag.
"Oh. Okay." This was different; they'd never gone out to eat anywhere. She had always either cooked, or Callen had brought dinner home with him. "Be careful; I just mopped, so the floors might be wet here and there. I dried it a little, but I wasn't expecting you home yet."
They gingerly walked inside and shut the door. Callen laid the bag over the back of the couch. "Um, Hetty picked this out for you to wear to dinner tonight. I have no idea what it is; she gave me strict orders not to open it. You don't have to, if you don't want to, though. It's up to you." He was still fidgety; it unnerved her. This wasn't like him.
"I'll give it a try. Let me shower first." Arya grabbed the bag and took it to her room, before heading for the bathroom. Meanwhile, Callen grabbed some water in the kitchen. Leaning against the counter as he drank, he tried to calm his nerves.
"Get a grip, G! You already married the woman; taking her on a date should be nothing! This is ridiculous." He thought to himself. He looked around the kitchen. Already, it was clear that she was making her mark on the space; there were fresh flowers in a vase on the kitchen table, and the teapot sitting on the stove always had water in it for a quick cup.
Callen heard her open the bathroom door, then shut her bedroom one. Setting his glass in the sink, he went and got in the shower himself. He wondered briefly what Hetty had picked; he had no idea the surprise he was in for…
Arya opened the garment bag and pulled its contents out. There was a red trench coat and a black dress. She held up the dress. It was black, knee-length with a sweetheart neckline underneath a black lace overlay. The sleeves were long, just lace. She laid it on the bed and did her hair and makeup. Still new to the whole American concept of make-up, she usually stuck with simple black eyeliner. Pulling her hair up into a loose bun, she undid the back and slipped into the dress. She noticed that it was open in the back, with a button to close the shoulders (a keyhole back). It was fitted, but it reached her knees (mercifully!), and the long sleeves helped balance out how….exposed…she felt. She was not accustomed to wearing something so sexy; it was terribly frowned upon in her culture. She tugged up the zipper and did the button, then went to pick up the garment bag when something fell out. It was a black point-toe stiletto. Arya pulled out the other shoe from the bag; tucked inside were a baggie containing a pair of pearl earrings and a matching bracelet. Arya smiled as she put them on and looked at herself in the mirror. She hardly recognized the gorgeous woman looking back at her. She hoped Callen would like it.
Eyeing the shoes with trepidation, she put them on and tried to stand. They were a little unsteady, but not impossible. She walked a few laps around her room to get accustomed to them, then picked up the coat and her phone and opened her bedroom door.