Celebration (for Karen)

[lavendetta]

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."

Comments

[lavendetta]

"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."

[secondshift]

"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."

[lavendetta]

"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."

[secondshift]

"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."

[lavendetta]

"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."

[secondshift]

"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."

[lavendetta]

"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."

[secondshift]

"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."

[lavendetta]

"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.