Furniture? Callen's getting furniture?! What is the world coming to?
I only own my own characters which include Stefan and Mark in this story.
Anything in italics within single quotes is a quote from my one-shot "Can't Stay Away". Anything in italics and double quotes is thoughts.
Nope…no matter how hard I wish, NCIS LA nor any of the characters on the show are mine. And sadly, they never will be.
Reviews are always welcome. My minions are pouting in the corner of their hideaway...and muttering about not being appreciated. Of course that's after they chewed my toes all night because they don't think anyone is enjoying this story. I keep trying to tell them that it's getting a lot of views (over 800, thanks!), but they only go by the reviews. My toes are sore! If you are enjoying this story, drop me a line and tell me why and save my poor little toes from getting chewed again.
Enjoy.
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CHAPTER 5: Furniture
One weekend about three weeks after they started seeing each other, Callen asked Nell to help him pick out another chair for his living room so she would have somewhere to sit when she visited. She normally sat in his lap, but this way if they were talking or eating takeout, they could put it on his small table and face each other. She was happy to agree and they made plans for it to be a day with shopping, lunch and then dinner together. First came the shopping which Callen wasn't really looking forward to, but he wanted Nell to feel comfortable in his home.
As they approached the furniture store, Nell could tell that Callen was not looking forward to the shopping trip. "G, stop worrying about it" she said putting her hand in his. "Furniture shopping can actually be fun if you let it be. What kind of furniture were you thinking of?"
"Kind? I don't know. Isn't furniture just furniture...something to sit on?"
Nell began laughing at him "Well, yeah, I know it's something to sit on, but there are all kinds of styles and looks, G. What look are you going for?
"Look? Hell if I know." Hearing her laugh always made him smile. "No laughing Nell" he said as he tweaked her nose in jest. "Just because I'm fashion illiterate, you don't get to laugh at me. I don't know what kind of look I want. I don't do furniture. I just want it to be comfortable for you to sit on."
Nell tried to put on a serious look but could tell she failed miserably when Callen looked at her with a small grin on his face and one raised eyebrow like he used around Sam. "Do you trust me G?"
"Of course I trust you Nell. Why wouldn't I?" he smiled and couldn't resist continuing "Are you a enemy spy trying to find out all my secrets?"
Nell snorted "No I'm not a spy...but i do want to find out all your secrets. I already know you're scared of Hetty. What other secrets are you keeping from me, hmmm?"
"Well, I'll never tell. Maybe you're going to have to interrogate me to find out any more. I do trust you to pick out my furniture any day."
"Okay then, I'll pick out a couple of styles and then you pick the one you like best. Think you can do that?" Nell continued teasing him.
"Yes, I can do that, little spider. I am a highly skilled federal agent, you know." Callen quipped.
Nell giggled "I didn't know that about you G. Really? A federal agent huh? Do you carry a gun and everything?" Nell pretended to swoon and leaned into Callen.
Callen grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his side growling "Yes, little spider and I may have to arrest you for being a temptress. I just can't keep my hands off you. It's a good thing we're in public right now or else I wouldn't be responsible for my actions."
"Promises, promises, G."
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They entered the furniture store and began looking around. It was just their luck that the store was having a huge sale on floor samples that weekend. Nell found two chairs in two different styles upholstered in the same fabric that would look really good in Callen's living room along with a sofa in a contrasting fabric and a couple of end tables. Since they were on sale, they weren't much more expensive than a single chair would have been. "G, what do you think about this setting? I think it would look really good in your living room. It looks sturdy and somewhat masculine. I know it's more furniture than you were planning to buy, but the price is fantastic. It would complete your living room. And as an added bonus, it would surprise the hell out of Sam the next time he's over as well."
"I hadn't thought about getting more than a single chair to be honest. I like all of it though. Are the chairs comfortable? That's what I want. Something that's comfortable and sturdy as well."
They continued discussing the furniture, which was mission style and very solid-looking, pointing out the features they liked about it. They hadn't yet made a decision when a salesman approached and asked if he could help. Callen began asking him all kinds of questions about how the furniture was built while Nell tried out each piece for comfort. The couch was a little big for her but very nice to lay on. The chairs were made to fit either her or Callen and one had a foot rest as well. As she tried out each piece, she began thinking of different ways she and G could put the furniture to good use. Her thoughts resulted in a feeling of heat that spread from her neck upwards and realized a slight flush was overtaking her face. She hoped Callen didn't notice.
Callen glanced her way and motioned for her to join him. "What do you think Nell?"
"They're very comfortable for me, but you should try them as well. Do you like them, G?"
"Yes I do" Callen replied as he sat in each of the chairs and then moved to the couch. Everything was comfortable to him as well. "I think we just bought our first furniture together."
He asked the salesman about delivery options and again was in luck. He was able to make arrangements with the salesman to have the furniture delivered that very afternoon, paid the bill which was a reasonable total for the amount of furniture they were getting and then took Nell's hand in his as they exited the store.
"We've got a couple of hours before we have to be back at the house to receive the furniture. Where would you like to eat?"
"Why don't we grab something from your favorite food truck and eat it on the beach, G. It's a beautiful day and the beach looks very inviting." Nell replied.
"I like the way you think Nell."
They grabbed their lunch and proceeded to the beach where they sat in the sand on a blanket Callen kept in his car and ate their lunch while enjoying the beach and talking. When they finished eating, they took a short stroll down the beach then noticed it was time to head back to Callen's for the delivery. When they reached his house, he asked "What are we going to do with the chair I already have, Nell? And what about the small table beside it?"
"I've been thinking about that. You could put them in your bedroom. You have plenty of room in there and that way, if you can't sleep, you'll be able to read in the bedroom if you want to instead of in the living room. The chair will look great in your bedroom."
"You think of everything, don't you Nell." he replied giving her a quick kiss as they walked up to his front door.
"Well, someone has to Mr. Secret Agent Man. I'll be your fashion consultant any time you want me to" she smirked while giving him a pat on his butt as he opened the door.
"Wicked woman" he groused. Once in the living room, he looked at the chair and table and agreed with Nell that they would look good in his room. He grabbed the chair and began moving it down the hall toward his bedroom. The table was small enough that Nell was able to pick it up and carry it after him. Together they arranged the items in his room agreeing that they looked good where they put them. Callen was pleased with Nell's ideas and told her so with another quick kiss. Before things could get out of hand, they heard the doorbell ring.
"That's probably the furniture. We'll continue this at another time Nell."
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Callen slipped the movers $20 each for their efforts in arranging his new furniture and then closed the front door. He moved into the living room where Nell was sitting in one of his new chairs and stood there watching her. "My God, just look at me. I'm a home owner since Hetty practically forced me to sign the papers and now this. I think I'm actually putting down roots. There's real furniture in my house. Sam will be amazed and it's all because of Nell. How did I ever get so lucky to find her let alone have the courage to tell her how I feel. I didn't think I'd ever find anyone and she's been here all along working right beside me. And the absolute wonder of it is that she feels the same way about me as I do about her. Who would have 'thunk it' as the saying goes?" He stood there for the longest time watching Nell relax in his furniture. It gave him a wonderful sense of belonging that he had rarely felt before.
Nell looked up feeling his gaze upon her. "Well, what do you think G? Do you like your new furniture now that it's here?" She was a little concerned at the look she saw on his face because she couldn't tell what it meant for once.
"Yes, I do. I like you in it even more. You look like you belong here…with me…how did I get so lucky?" he looked at her with such love in his eyes that she could feel tears threatening.
"We both got lucky, G. I'm glad you asked me out that night. It was the beginning of something wonderful that I never thought I would have. Maybe it was fate." Nell stood up and went to Callen wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. "We have something really special here G. At least I think so. But where are we going from here?"
"We do have the start of something wonderful and I don't know where we're going at this moment, but I want to see where this leads us. What about you?"
"Me too, G. Me too."
They ordered take-out for dinner and were able to eat it in the living room sitting in his new chairs and using one of the new end tables for the food. After dinner, Callen set up the chess set between them and found out that Nell was a great chess player. They were equal in their skill level and took turns winning the games.
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