Graham wakes up to an empty house. "Now what am I going to do about helping Ace know she can be her true self around me." Graham makes his way to the corner store to pick up a few things. As he finds a bag of meat sticks, he smiles and thinks of the woman who has captured his heart. He then makes his way to her charity.
"Here again Graham," Nyssa, business partner to Ace and wife to Tegan, sees the man entering the building.
"I am. I am going to help the two of you plan your next fundraiser." He smiles brightly at her before walking the now familiar way to Ace's office. "How goes the day," he says as he enters.
"Better now," the head of the foundation says.
"What's the matter?" They meet in the middle of the room and Ace wraps her arms around the man. "Ace?" He is getting more worried as he too wraps his arms around her.
"Why haven't we done this before, it's nice." She says tucking her head into his shoulder not used to feeling like this in anyone's arms.
"I don't know, and it's very nice." They stand there for a few seconds just being content in each other's arms. When the door opens.
"Oops sorry, I'll let you two be," Nyssa says with a smile as she looks at the scene.
"It's ok Nyssa, stay. It was just a hug. You know today has been hard on both of us with losing a donor."
"That's what happened?" Graham looks and asks Ace, feeling a loss as she stepped out of the hug.
"I know it seems shallow, but with his help we were about to set up a network for kids that need a safe place to talk."
"Is there anything I can help with?" Graham who has stepped away from Ace so he can talk to the two women better.
"You're sweet," Ace says, "but not much more than helping us come up with ideas for the next fundraiser."
"On it, let me go get the food."
"Food?"
"We need brain power, don't we?"
Biting her lip Ace adds, "we do." He does finger guns and leaves, making Ace laugh.
"So a hug with your head tucked in and now flirting." Nyssa teases her friend after the man left.
"Not you too. Your wife not only teased us after the meeting yesterday, she called before we sat down to eat and came by my place before we were finished."
"So, my wife is more of a cock blocker than anything."
"WHAT?!" Ace hopes Graham didn't hear that. "Nyssa, don't mention any of that when he is near."
"So, you have thought of it?"
"Nyssa, shh he can be coming back any second."
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Of course I have Nyssa. I."
"Food is here," Graham renters the room. After he hands them their food he moves to sit next to Ace which Nyssa doesn't fail to notice not even when she steals a chip and drags it across his burger. She files that away to ask Ace about that later. "So ideas for the next fundraiser." Graham looks at Ace and imagines her in a ballgown.
"Are you there Graham?"
"I am I was just thinking about some ideas."
"With a smile," Nyssa teases, "are you imagining a certain someone in a dress?"
"Nyssa; you are bad, stop it. You are just as bad as your wife," Ace scolds her friend.
She ignores the scolding, "what was your idea?"
"A ball of some sort."
"Ooh A Masquerade Ball," Nyssa jumps up with excitement and a plan forming in her head as Ace again sneaks a chip from Graham's plate. "Ace, why do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Stealing his chips."
"I am ok with it."
"You know I do it?" Ace turns to Graham thinking she was being sneaky.
"Of course I do. I keep a close eye on my food."
"You still let me steal your chips."
"It makes you happy."
"Wha?" Nyssa watches as the two have a moment again.
"See Ace, what Tegan and I have been telling you is true." What is said goes over both Ace and Graham as they are staring deeply into each other's eyes.
"You want me to be happy?" Ace says getting lost in Graham's eyes.
"Your happiness is important to me." He tells her with a sweet smile, also getting lost in her eyes.
"Thank you, yours is important to me too."
"Hello earth to Ace and Graham, we are trying to plan a fundraiser." Nyssa says, trying to get their attention.
"Huh, what sorry." Ace stops gazing into Graham's eyes.
"We were just."
"Lost into each other's eyes," Nyssa adds with a sarcastic sweet tone.
"I."
"That's fine, everyone is used to it. Now a Masquerade Ball." Both Ace and Graham decide not to comment on the fact that people notice how often they look at each other. "We have an idea, but not a fleshed out one."
"A theme then." Graham tries to think of one while Nyssa's phone rings.
"That's probably Tegan. I am going to take this." Nyssa gets up from her spot.
"You really don't mind the fact I steal your chips?" Ace asks Graham once Nyssa is out of ear shot.
"Not at all Ace. I get to see your sneaky face."
"Is there something special about that face?" She asks, scrunching her nose.
"There is."
"What is it?"
"There is something special about all of your expressions."
"Oh." Not knowing what else to say, Ace looks away.
Outside of the room, "those two don't realize it, but are together. She is stealing his chips."
"Graham is there?" Tegan, though not shocked, asks.
"Yes."
"Why is he there?"
"Helping us come up with ideas for the next fundraiser."
"I am guessing he also brought lunch." Tegan wonders if the man knows a secret that her best friend is keeping from her.
"For all three of us. Thank you for calling me; they kept having these moments where they just stare into each other's eyes. I may let it slip that we are used to it."
"They need a push."
"What lock them in a closet like in some of the movies you have shown me?"
"No, Ace would find a way to break out."
"Well, we could see what happens when Graham sees Ace in whatever dress she picks out."
"We should help her find a knockout dress."
"One that would make that man go speechless."
"Though last night it did take her time to get to the door."
"You just had to go and interrupt them. If you stayed home and we could have gone to bed and who knows, maybe they might've talked about their feelings."
"I don't think they will ever talk about it. It has been almost a year since they met Nyssa. It is getting annoying."
"It took us decades."
"And most of those decades we were on different planets. Though we did travel together for almost a year before I left." Nyssa hears Ace laughing, "he's making her laugh."
"Good, I'm glad. She deserves someone like that."
"That she does. I should head back in. I love you. See you tonight."
"Love you too Nyssa."