Page 26 of Welcome to the Friendzone

He was struggling with all the long-buried emotions coming back to the surface.

“My brother was a genius in school, got a scholarship for studying business, and quickly made his way into a company that sold computer software. He got promoted a lot, has a great salary, and lives in a big house. Simon really has an amazing life and I’m happy for him, really.”

“Wow, that sounds like a great career. Your parents must be very proud of him,” Marta commented, worried about the appropriateness of her comment after Oliver had said that the two brothers were estranged.

“Yeah, they should be but instead they took it for granted that he achieved everything with flying colors. He got the occasional clap on the shoulder and a hug from Mom, but he never got what I got, the true appreciation.”

Marta heard him sigh loudly before he grabbed the onions and put them in the pan with the ground beef. Then he turned around to preheat the oven. He was obviously stalling so he didn’t have to continue the story.

“That sucks,” Marta commented.

She was done with the veggies so all she could do was watch Oliver do literally anything to distract him from their conversation.

“Yeah. After the Bin Laden operation things got out of hand. When I got the medal of honor they were so proud, telling everyone about me and what I achieved while forgetting that they had another son. Simon was super pissed and I can understand why. He worked so hard all those years to achieve what he had and our parents totally ignored him. For months they only shared their love with the son that killed Osama Bin Laden.”

“Now I know why your name is so familiar. You were the SEAL that killed Bin Laden!” Marta exclaimed loudly but regretted it immediately.

It had totally destroyed the vibe and atmosphere between them. She quickly mumbled a “Sorry” and waited for him to continue the story.

“That was actually the worst time for me. The military and press wanted me to celebrate this success, taking pictures of me everywhere and asking me for interviews and all that stuff but I was mourning my best friend and nobody cared about that.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that your friend was killed in that operation. I‘m so sorry to hear that.”

Marta placed her palm on Oliver’s upper arm, who was still pushing the ingredients around the pan in front of him. His gaze was lowered, she couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“Butch wasn’t killed in that operation. He was kidnapped, but there were no hints of where they took him so the military declared him killed in action after a few days.”

Marta’s eyes widened when things became more clear in her mind. Butch had been Oliver’s friend for a very long time and she knew that his nickname “Butch” came from his SEAL name “The Butcher”. Oliver’s comments about Nate going through a lot made more sense for her now too. The man had been kidnapped and everybody thought he was dead and still he was walking through headquarters.

“It became even worse in the months after the initial operation. It was a miracle but we found Butch. Alive. Well, mostly alive. He had a lot of injuries and it was touch and go for a few weeks but he survived the whole thing. I had my best friend back at least, I thought so, but Butch came back a different person. The man you know now; the grump, the lone wolf. He wasn’t like that before the kidnapping. I don’t know exactly what happened to him, he still refuses to talk about it, but I knew I needed to be there for him. I was the only one able to calm him after the coma and I wanted to help him get back on his feet as best as I could. It meant I didn't visit my family as frequently as before. My parents didn’t mind, telling me I had more important things to do, but Simon was furious that my parents still saw me as their favorite, even though I left them hanging almost the entire time. Butch was my priority. I lost him once and I didn’t want to lose him a second time.”

Instead of responding with words that wouldn’t have any effect on Oliver’s broken heart, Marta stepped even closer and let her hand caress along his spine in a desperate attempt to comfort him.

Oliver turned around and Marta saw for the first time that he was crying. His eyes were puffy and red, with tears still slipping out of them from time to time. Her heart ached and she pulled on his arm to pull him in for a hug. The taller Agent let her wrap her arms around his middle and felt himself giving into her. His heart was beating fast, he enjoyed the coconut scent of Marta’s hair and the grief seemed to leave his body as soon as she hugged him close to her.

“You are such an amazing human Oliver, I hope you know that,” she mumbled into his chest, snuggling her nose even a little deeper.

Although technically she was hugging him it felt good to be in his arms and she hadn’t felt that good in a long time.

“I don’t know about that,” Oliver mumbled and Marta slapped his back a few times.

“Don’t say that. You’re amazing. You’d better start believing it or I’ll punch it into you.”

Her words made Oliver chuckle before they stepped apart.

“I mean it. None of what happened is your fault. That your parents behaved that way, or that Butch had this traumatic experience. None. Okay?”

“Mhm.”

“Oliver.”

“Yeah, okay.”

It was very obvious that he didn’t believe his own words, but it was enough for Marta.

For now.

“This one operation separated our family and I feel very guilty for it, even though it wasn’t my fault. My parents made a big mistake but it took them years to realize that and by then it was too late. Simon and I only talk to each other on birthdays and Christmas now, that’s it.”

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