Page 39 of Welcome to the Friendzone

“I hate this weather. I know Christmas was always your favorite holiday but the cold is something I’ll never get used to. I miss snuggling in your arms under the big red blanket on our couch. You were even cuddlier after we found out about Peach. Not that I dared to complain, I enjoyed it a lot.”

A smile crept across her face as she thought about them cuddling in their house. It had been a magical time when the Peach was a secret between the two of them. Frank’s hand landed on her barely visible pregnancy belly as soon as they were in the same room. He would have been an amazing dad.

But some assholes took him and Peach away from her and now she was forced to go to their graves to talk to them. Frank had been the best listener, shooting some random answers or questions here and there but mostly being patient and letting her ramble. About her friends, her family, or her job. No matter what the topic was, he listened.

People she clicked with were very rare in her life and as soon as she found someone, she held onto them and refused to let them out of her life.

Oliver was one of those people and she was happy that he’d found his way into her life. He’d been by her side when she’d needed a friend and hadn’t left since. Although their connection was pretty deep right from the beginning Marta knew that she would have the same connection to him if she had met him without her trauma. They would have been good friends anyway but then, obviously, she would’ve never thought about falling in love with him.

“I like him, you know. He’s sweet and caring, and he makes me laugh every day. We started buying each other ugly mugs whenever we saw one. You’d love them, they’re hilarious.”

Marta let out a loud chuckle while thinking about one particular mug that was shaped like the head of a bear and looked hilarious but was impossible to drink out of. She’d just found a white mug with the outline of a fist on one side that said “I’m the boss. Listen to me or I’ll throw this mug at you” printed on it. It would be her Christmas present for Oliver this year. Marta couldn’t stop smiling as she imagined the Agent opening the package and seeing the mug for the first time.

Marta shook her head in defeat because even while standing in front of her husband’s grave, all she could think about was Oliver. Had infectious laughter in her ears when she imagined him seeing the newest mug to their collection.

Another cold, but stronger breeze brushed the oversized beanie off her head and blew multiple strands of hair over her face. She gasped while trying to get rid of the hair with hasty movements of her hands.

“That damn wind,” she mumbled when she was finally able to see again.

Marta kneeled down to pick up Oliver’s navy-blue beanie and let it rest in her hands. It smelled like him, and she couldn’t deny that she loved his woody scent, which smelled like a forest early in the morning. It always calmed her and brought her peace. Her thumbs were gently rubbing over the material, while another smile appeared on her face.

“I miss you, baby. Christmas isn’t the same without you, although Oliver tries his best to entertain me. This year was especially exhausting. He forced me to bake Christmas cookies four times as well as build gingerbread houses together with Butch. You should have seen Butch’s. He basically coated it in icing so that the whole house was just white. Then he placed some smarties on it, before crushing it again and starting to eat it right away. Oliver’s face was hilarious when he gave Butch a ten-minute speech about why you shouldn’t eat the entire gingerbread house while still making it. I’m pretty sure he made half of the stuff up, like you’d have bad sex for the next five years. Never heard someone being so upset about something so irrelevant. I couldn’t stop laughing, so Oliver decided to smear icing all over my face because I didn’t support him in his rant. Butch was completely overwhelmed by the situation and just fled. That lucky bastard, I had to deal with a grumbling Oliver for two more hours,” Marta chuckled a little, seeing the scene right in front of her eyes.

“You would’ve been a great addition to the chaos, Baby. You and Oliver would’ve been great friends. Anyway, I’m talking about him again the whole time.”

She ended her monologue with a loud sigh, her heart heavy again as guilt started to creep into her body.

Before she could actually tell Frank about something else, an unexpected breeze brought some chaos into her hair, letting them fly around before settling down anywhere but where they were supposed to.

“What’s with that damn wind? There wasn’t a single breeze over the last few minutes. Holy shit.”

Marta struggled to get her hair back in place with a few groans of annoyance.

“You’d laugh at me like you always did.”

A memory of them walking along the coastline came to her mind. It had been very windy that day and Marta was not wearing a beanie, hat, or anything else that would have been able to tame her hair. Instead they were flying around the entire time while she was cussing the hell out of them. Frank had stopped eventually, doubling over, and couldn’t stop laughing. It was like this laughter was still in her ears when she brought her attention back to the graveyard.

Instead of hearing any kind of answer, another breeze destroyed her just sorted hair again.

“Son of a bitch,” she hissed, but more and more breezes came up, making it impossible for her to not look like an old crow in the wind.

Her curly hair was always a mess, but with enough time, patience, and a lot of hair products she was able to look acceptable every day. But this stupid wind decided to ruin her good hair day today and that made her furious. Marta stomped on the floor, her hands buzzing around to catch some of the strands and push them out of her face while she groaned over and over again.

The trees around her were howling and it sounded like they were laughing at her. For a brief second, she thought she could hear Frank’s laughter again and her eyes widened.

“You think this is funny?” she asked the grave and another strong breeze came up but this time she was prepared, holding most of her hair down and out of her face.

“Don’t pull thisMufasa Lion Kingshit with me, Frank.”

Another breeze, another howling of the trees.

Her heartbeat quickened drastically, and she suddenly felt dizzy. Could this be true? Could Frank communicate with her through the wind?

Marta shook her head. She was the Deputy Director of the CIA, she did not believe in any kind of hocus-pocus.

“I don’t know what I should do with him, Frank. I like him, but I shouldn’t. You’re my husband and I don’t want to have feelings for any other man but you. I promised you my eternal love and I don’t plan on breaking that promise.”

She sighed loudly again, tears brimming in her eyes.

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