lavendetta | Celebration (for Karen)

Celebration (for Karen)

Thomas still felt like pinching himself. Three years of hard work paid off and he was offered a promotion. His uncle arranged a celebration at the hotel and Thomas immediately called his girlfriend to give the good news and to invite her.

"Hey, baby. I just received some great news." He's smiling all through the call. "You're speaking to the new assistant manager. And I'd love to have you here for the celebration."

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"No need, baby. I have some right here." He handed her a drink before sipping his own. "You should try some of the catering here. It'll be plenty to fill you up."

"Unexpected, but nice. It's nice doing something other than stand behind the desk. It's like you've brought some good luck with you."

"Oh, you can't thank me for that." Karen chuckled. "This promotion is the byproduct of your hard work, not me." She wasn't going to let him sell himself short especially since she knew how it wasn't easy to be promoted from making Sergeant with the NYPD.

She took a long drink before she continued. "We should talk at some point, when all this calms down," she added. "With you moving up the ranks here, it's time for us to have that conversation about what we're going to do. Or I guess what I'm going to do more than anything."

"I felt stuck before we met. I'd lost that spark with everything that happened.. But you're right. I need to recognize my own part in this too."

Thomas nodded. "We should. There's a lot to figure out." He leaned in to kiss her cheek before drinking some more. "I'm so glad you're here, baby. To share this moment."

"I'm happy to be here. I'll always be here to support you," Karen added. "But I'm going to keep needling you until you find your own confidence again because you are just as important in this relationship as I am."

She would too. She was stubborn like that.

"And I appreciate that. I was young and naïve and that woman used me. It left a mark."

Thomas smiled, looking at her fondly. He didn't want to dwell on the past tonight.

"Let's not talk about it anymore. You should enjoy tonight. Go talk to your family and your friends," Karen encouraged. He was the guest of honor after all and this party was about him. "I can wait for you. Could always go see if anyone's in my old hotel room," she joked since that was the place they had first hooked up.

"You're right. The past has no place here." The mention of her old hotel room made him grin. "It's my new favorite room in the hotel now. So many memories."

He gave her a kiss, lingering in it before he went to join his family and friends.

"I'll see you soon. I love you."

"Love you too."

Karen let him go mingle, contenting herself with wandering through the hotel's many common rooms. It wasn't as if she could break into her old hotel room; even if she could physically do it, someone else could be in there. So she got herself something to eat before she wandered back up to the library and made herself comfortable on a couch in front of that roaring fire. It was a nice place to spend a cold evening and think about the future.

Not to mention they'd had sex on this couch once which made her snicker.

"Thought I might find you here."

Thomas entered the library, carrying a bottle and two glasses. He wanted to have a private celebration with his girlfriend.

"Remember the last time we were on this couch?" He smirked as he sat down.

"My options are kind of limited now that I don't have a key anymore," Karen pointed out as she moved over on the couch. "And yes, I do. Very well. We were pretty lucky that your family didn't walk by and see us both naked."

"That's true."

He opened the bottle and poured some wine for them.

"Yeah.. That would've been awkward to explain." Thomas chuckled. "Now they all know about us and we can be as affectionate in the open as we want to be."

"Except for the being naked part," Karen corrected gently. "No one, no matter how much they love you, would want to see us having sex. There is basic decency!"

But she took the glass from him and took a long drink.

"Should we start having that conversation now or wait until tomorrow? I understand if you want to put it off, I don't want to ruin your night."

"Of course. That's one thing we'll keep hidden from them."

Thomas took a drink from his glass before responding.

"No, we can talk now. It's important. And I want you to know that this promotion hasn't changed my desire to build a life wherever you are."

"Well, you know I can't stay here forever. My tourist visa's going to run out. I either need to apply for citizenship and find a permanent job, or I need to go home."

A sigh.

"I probably need to go home anyway. I've been living out of two suitcases for the past three months. Most of what I own is in New York."

"I get that, baby. And I'm willing to come with you. You're a part of my life now."

Thomas had that determined look on his face. He loved her more than anything.

"We could go visit my uncle."

"If you wanted to. I'm not going to make you go someplace you don't want to just so I can go back to my place and go through all of my stuff." Karen chuckled. She knew his family situation was complex and didn't want to add any stress. "It's really up to you. If this is where you want to build your life, then I need to look at moving here. Otherwise, the NYPD is going to want me back at some point soon."

"It's okay. I don't mind going back to New York for a while, now that it's safe again."

It could give him a fresh perspective on things. He loved his job but he wasn't sure if he could see himself doing it for his whole life.

"We'll figure it out."

"I think it's something you have to figure out with this job. I can always go by myself if you need me to. I'm not going to upset things for you here just so I can go clean out my closet." Karen chuckled. "The important thing is you have a life now, and I'm proud of you for it."

"I'll think about it." He smiled softly, his fingers dancing gently on her thigh. Thomas had gone from having almost nothing to finding the love of his life and advancing in his career in a short time, and it was a lot to digest. "I never expected my life to become this good after everything." He leaned in to kiss her softly.

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Celebration (for Karen)

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