Page 34 of Welcome to the Friendzone

Marta’s last idea was to invite Lynn’s parents but as she knew that there was an uncomfortable silence within the family she wasn’t sure if she should do it. Oliver and she had a long conversation about it and agreed that this could be a turning point for the family. The risk was high and to be completely sure that they would make the right decision, Oliver even consulted Nate to ask for his opinion.

Lynn’s boyfriend agreed with them that they should give it a try and invite Thea and Jensen. It could go either way. Lynn could hate them for inviting her parents and it could ruin the mood and they would have to endure a very uncomfortable breakfast, or they would take the chance to forgive each other.

While Oliver, Marta, Birdie, and Tia prepared every item for the breakfast, more and more people appeared and helped them decorate or cook. Jakob’s wife Maja had given him two boxes full of birthday decorations that they had left from their son’s birthday. They contained a garland that spelled ‘Happy Birthday’ in golden letters, confetti, and other decorations for the big table as well as one confetti cannon.

“We can use it to surprise her,” Jakob suggested with a wide grin on his face.

He was known as the clown among his colleagues, always having a joke on his lips, laughing more often than being serious. Lynn and he shared a weird sense of humor, as both of them were fans of dad jokes and anti-jokes.

For once Marta agreed with Jakob, thinking that surprising Lynn with a confetti cannon could actually be funny for everybody.

Peter brought two big balloons that showed a ‘30’ and they placed them along the wall behind the dinner table.

Everything looked perfect, the food was done, and they were right on time. All they needed to do was wait for Lynn.

Around twenty minutes later they heard noises coming from the hallway so everybody tried to be as quiet as possible. Marta had the confetti cannon in her hands, waiting for Lynn to walk through the door.

The moment the doctor did, Marta covered her in colorful confetti while most of the others just started to laugh.

Lynn was surprised at the sudden outburst. She was tired, she was sore, and all she did was turn around to bury her face in Nate’s chest. Oliver looked at his best friend with furrowed eyebrows, scared that the confetti cannon would trigger him but, instead of looking into a scared face like Oliver had for the last ten years, he watched Nate burst into laughter while gently patting Lynn’s back.

Oliver’s heart skipped a beat and the lingering weight of guilt and sadness on his shoulders disappeared.

Nate was okay. His best friend was okay. After more than a decade of fighting against the demons in his mind, Oliver finally watched Nate laugh and smile with the woman he had fallen in love with.

Instinctively Oliver’s eyes wandered to Marta, the woman he himself had fallen in love with and who was finally his girlfriend.

She stood a few feet in front of him, her honey-colored eyes decorated by wrinkles while she smiled widely. Although they’d been up pretty early you couldn’t see any exhaustion on her pretty face. Her cheeks slightly red from rushing around and preparing everything, her beautiful lips curled into an infectious smile and that one strand of hair that had fallen from behind her ear, framing her face perfectly.

She was the most beautiful woman Oliver had ever seen and he felt his lips turn upward as well. How could he be so lucky to have this woman as his girlfriend?

He felt the immense urge to step next to her, grab her by the waist, and pull her into a fierce kiss but he couldn’t because their relationship was still a secret. Marta was Oliver’s boss and the CIA's policy about relationships between work colleagues was very strict.

They had seen Lynn and Nate talking to HR about their relationship, being interviewed for hours to make sure that their love wouldn’t affect their work. In the end, HR thankfully didn’t give them any consequences but they were still under observation.

Oliver and Marta would never get that allowance from HR, which would lead to one of them changing their job. Maybe within the Agency, maybe even outside. That was something they didn’t want to face yet. Maybe one day, when their relationship was settled enough.

After the initial shock, Lynn thanked Oliver and Marta for preparing the breakfast surprise before she started an uncomfortable conversation with her parents.

They’d been very quiet since they arrived and both Marta and Oliver had an inkling in their stomachs that inviting them probably wasn’t the best idea, especially as Lynn’s father Jensen was even more grumpy than Butch at his worst.

Everyone could sense the growing tension so Marta’s voice was a welcome distraction from the rumbling family drama.

“Breakfast is served. Everybody, please take a seat.”

The table was filled with all the delicious breakfast dishes Oliver and Marta had made earlier that morning: pancakes, waffles, French toast, a big bowl of oatmeal, and even hearty dishes like scrambled eggs and different variations of sandwiches.

“This looks amazing. When did you prepare all this?” Lynn asked surprised, her head turned towards Marta and Oliver.

“We were up pretty early. Couldn’t sleep anyways…” Oliver answered while throwing a knowing glance between Nate and Lynn.

The doctor blushed immediately and scrunched her face in shame. Oliver and Marta burst into laughter and Toby followed after realizing what Oliver meant.

The fact that only Lynn and Nate knew about their relationship, didn’t stop them from having as much physical contact as possible. Oliver had his legs parted, his right knee pressing against Marta’s left the entire time but that wasn’t enough for him. He tried to test the limits around their friends so he had his right hand placed on Marta’s thigh while they ate breakfast.

His thumb brushed over the thick fabric of her jeans and goosebumps appeared everywhere he touched her. She was scared the others would realize what was going on as Oliver was right-handed and was forced to eat with his left hand so he could touch her. The adrenaline rushing through Marta’s veins made her heart beat faster.

It felt like a rush, both terrifying and exhilarating.

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