Chapitre 38 : Celebration
"Luca. L-U-C-A. My name is Luca and I booked a table for eight earlier." Luca was talking hard with the waitress who didn't seem to understand a single word he was saying.
"Won't bother you if Bonnie is joining us?" Tan asked Chris and Street.
"Of course not, she's welcome." Street approved.
"Great! Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna help Luca, seems like he's struggling."
"Congrats, lovebirds! David told me for you. Really happy for both of you."
"Thanks Annie." Jim told her. "Was a quick move but this lady right here couldn't resist my unlimited charm."
"Don't flatter yourself too much." She faked to roll her eyes. Of course it was hard for her to resist him but he didn't need to know about this too much.
"It's ok, the table is waiting for us." Tan came to tell all the problem was finally solved. Bonnie was waving at them from the entrance door. She came to see them and hugged Chris and Jim. "So happy for both of you!"
They eventually all followed Victor and found Luca already seated at the table. "Time to eat, guys!"
The waitress came to take their orders. A Chicken Pad Thai for Jim of course. Chris let out a smile when she heard him order. She took noodles like Tan, Bonnie and Hondo. Luca chose one of those extra spicy meal despite the advice of the waitress who told him it could very strong.
"I dated many Koreatown women, I know what spicy means. Extra dose for me!"
Deac and Annie chose fried chicken with curry. They also ordered beers and cocktails for starting. The waitress came some minutes later with all the beverage.
"First, let's share a toast." Hondo announced, clinging one of his sticks against his beer bottle. "To our team who managed to arrest this bastard of Karlsson and clear LA from a dangerous man."
All yelled "yeahhhh" at the same time, raising their glasses and bottles before clinking.
"And also to our little kiddos, Chris and Jim who got married today! Congrats, guys!"
Chris blushed hearing her name aloud. She didn't like big public effusion. She felt Jim placing his hand over her leg to reassure her. She took a deep breath to relax. Hondo and the whole team, their friends, only wanted to congratulate them. They didn't mean harm. She relaxed a little.
"Ready to stand Chris for the rest of your life, Street?" Tan teased them.
"Victor, let's remember your wife is just next to you. And I do stand you and your borderline jokes all the time. Don't know how Bonnie is still here!"
"I hope he doesn't have the same jokes at home, Chris." Tan continued to answer Street's witty words.
"Oh he does and he thinks he's fun like all the time."
"What? I'm fun all the time!"
"Sorry to contradict you but you're not."
"Oh come on! I'm not so bad. Look you're smiling right now."
"Look at them, barely married and already fighting like an old couple. " Deac spoke. "Don't they remind you of someone?"
Annie nodded in agreement. "Totally!"
The waitress was soon back with the plates. All started to eat, enjoying the food until Luca screamed.
"What the fuck is this?"
Everyone froze, looking at Luca turning red.
"Luca, what's going on? You're right?" Chris worried seeing his friend changing of color.
"Holy Molly, this meal is spicy as hell."
First scared, they finally burst into laughing. Luca wanted to be bond and now his mouth was on fire.
"The waitress warned you, bro." Street answered, still a large smile on his lips.
"Holy mother, what did they put in this? I swear this is not like this usually. And I'm used to eat Thai food and I swear this is not like this."
"You chose the meal with three different kinds of peppers, Luca. You were bold but your mouth is not. Stop it, now. " Hondo teased him.
"No way, boss! I'll finish it!" He answered, stubbornly.
"Oh come on, stop it, Luca. You're gonna end at the ER because of your stomach. " Chris continued.
"Better stop now and order something else if you're still hungry." Annie advised him.
Luca raised his eyes and looked at his friends. They were right. He couldn't continue like this. His stomach started growling of pain.
"Better stop now, to sleep well."
"Good choice, Luca." Deac concluded.
"Any dessert?" The waitress was back to collect their empty plates. All except Luca took something. The waitress wrote their choices and vanished in the kitchen with all the plates.
"So kids, what are the plans, now?" Hondo asked Chris and Jim seated next to him.
Chris and Jim shared a quizzical look. They had thought of anything to be honest. "Take the life as it comes." Street answered calmly. "Already have all I want, so I'm fine."
Chris was relieved Jim answered this way. She didn't know if she wanted a big house – their apartment was perfectly fine – if she wanted kids – they never talked about it with Jim and she feared to lose her career if she ever got one and she didn't even know if she really wanted one of her own to be honest - if they will have a dog or cat – she was definitively a dog person but what about Jim.
Hondo nodded, understanding he won't get more at the moment. He took a moment to watch Jim and Chris shared a soft look, smiling at each other and he knew he will fight harder to make history and allow them to work in the same team despite the fact that they were married. Not sure it will work but at least he will have tried.
"Thanks for sharing the evening with us, guys. Really means a lot to us." Street finished his sentence, looking at Chris who approved what he had just said with a nod.
"Yeah, guys. Thanks. From the bottom of my heart, thanks for the both of us. For being so supportive and so happy for us."
"Always." Deac told, proud of the way they had walked since the day they arrived at SWAT.
"As a gift, let us offer your meals!" Bonnie proposed, Tan approving. "Our pleasure!"
"And we take care of the desserts, then." Annie continued.
"So I offer you coffee." Hondo offered.
"And I go with the beers!" Luca concluded.
"No, guys, you don't have to. " Chris started to oppose.
"But we do want to. So you can only accept." Deac went against her.
"We can't thank you enough, guys. Really thanks." Street finally told.
[…]
When they arrived at their apartment this night, all seemed the same and well so different. They had been living here together for a couple months now but tonight as they walked through the door, they were husband and wife.
"After you, Mrs. Street."
"My pleasure, Mr. Alonso." She let out a small laugh. "You do know I will never take your name, right?"
"Oh I do." He laughed. "And I don't ask you too. As long as we are married, I don't ask anything else. Just be together, enjoying life and discovering what's up for us in the future."
She had still this idiotic smile on her face. Jim never forced her to anything. He loved her entirely and was just happy to share his life with her. But she was anxious. What if she deprived him of many things because of her needs?
"Jim, I don't want you not to follow your dreams because of me… I mean If you ever want kids, I don't want to be the woman who prevents you from having at least one because…"
He cut her quickly. "Chris, you don't deprive me of anything. I'm just feeling blessed that a woman like you chose me to be her husband."
"Don't say this to make me feel happy or less guilty…"
"Chris, if I have something to tell you, I will. Sometimes, we talk. Sometimes, we fight. Sometimes, we agree. That's how a couple works. And if I had something to tell you about having a kid, I would. Except I don't. I just want to be with you."
She slightly smiled at him. He knew how to talk to her to appease her fears and anxiety.
"What about you waiting for me in the bed while I go and take a shower?"
She nodded, before kissing him shyly and quickly. "Thanks for bearing me every day… I know I can be a burden…"
"Then, you're a pretty nice and easy burden to hold." He kissed her back. She smiled and he vanished in the bathroom.
When he got back in the bedroom, she was lying in the bed, a leg under the blanket, the other out. He guessed she was not wearing the bottom of her pajamas because he saw the hemsof her knickers and her naked leg. He looked at her for a long minute. She seemed so peaceful right at the moment. He didn't even know how she went spiraling about kids earlier. They had never talked about this topic before. To be honest, he guessed he would like to be a dad but right now, all that was happening in his life was so unexpected, he'd rather let the future decide for the both of them.
He laid next to her, throwing his towel on the little chairin the corner of the room, keeping on him only his boxer shorts. He let his fingers run over Chris's body, over her so perfectly soft peach skin, feeling her shivering and moving under his fingers but remaining deeply asleep. Sighing from time to time. He finally rolled his arm around her waist and cradled his head in her neck. He felt she dropped a kiss on his arm. She might have been sleeping, she knew he was here. Near her. He enjoyed her perfume before joining her in sleep.
[…]
Chris opened her eyes first, seeing Street lying over her. She loved feeling his muscled body over hers. She turned to face him and let her hands run over his back and torso and realized she was one of those damned lucky girl. He was handsome, charismatic, super sweet and totally into her. She dropped a kiss on his forehead before checking the hour on her phone. Already 11:30AM.
She moved slowly to set her free from Jim's arms. Not that she didn't want to stay there but she needed to pee. He turned on the other side, with a growling and continued to sleep. She went to the bathroom to get better and walked to the kitchen then. Her stomach was telling her it was time to eat. She prepared some coffee and decided to make some pancakes. She also got the eggs out the fridge to make an omelet later. Her uncle had always told her the omelet was better this way and his omelet was excellent.
While she cooked, she was focused on her objective: she was so hungry, she wanted to eat until she felt two arms surrounding her waist and kisses in her neck.
"Stop, you're perturbing me." She said giggling. He kissed her strongly and surrounded his arms around her more tightly.
"Not even believable, judging by the tone of your voice and the giggling."
"I may be giggling but it's because you're tickling me. Not fair while I'm cooking breakfast."
He dropped a last kiss in her neck before letting go of her waist. As he walked away, he already missed this feeling. He looked at her, cooking, only wearing a tee-shirt. His tee shirt. Naked feet. Her hair totally disheveled. He loved this vision. And thinking it will be what he will see till the end of his days brought him more bliss. He walked to the cupboard and got out plates, cutlery and glasses. He also took some bacon from the fridge and put it in a frying pan.
"Thought it could a good idea to go with the eggs and the pancakes?"
She just smiled. One of her sincere, warm and big smiles. He dropped a kiss on her cheek and went back to the table to lay it. She came after with a plate full of golden pancakes. She then brought a large omelet with pieces of bacon in it. "Maybe I did too much? But I was very hungry waking up…"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of the rest if ever you can't eat everything."
"Always so helpful." She answered ironically.
She sat in front of him and started eating. She was so starving. She ate one, then three, and finally seven pancakes. Ate all the omelet before drinking an orange juice. Street imitated her. He was hungry too and the pancakes were delicious.
"Guess, there'll be no rest." Street joked.
"Guess not and now I feel so full."
"What about a Netflix and chill day? I know it's sunny outside and we should probably have a walk along the beach or in Pasadena gardens but honestly I feel lazy today."
"I do too… And there's this documentary about gold diggers I'd like to watch. Thomas told me it was amazing!"
"Go for it. Speaking of it, shouldn't we tell your family about us… You know about the wedding…"