word count: 2.7k
pairing: javier pena x oc
warning(s): rape mention
notes: this is part one of my javier x oc series. There isn’t a lot of javi x oc interactions in this chapter, as I wanted to focus on her initial meeting with Steve. But I promise there will be proper javi scenes in the coming chapters.
The embassy was bustling with the usual activity.
With the new DEA Agent arriving today, there seemed to be a bit more of a commotion than normal. And that didn’t help the pounding headache Elena was experiencing. People coming from left and right, vouching for her attention on certain matters. She deals with the mass appropriately then another round comes along. Every part of her wants to scream ‘fuck off’ but this was her job. It came with it.
By the time noon came around, Elena had managed to sneak to her office for some much-needed quiet. She sat down in her chair, mulling over the piles of folders and finished paperwork that needed to be organized. Elena checked her watch and decided against it. She wouldn’t have enough time. She pulled out the hair tie, her brown hair came out as a mess of waves. The tension in her head immediately waned. Maybe that’s what was causing her headache. Not even a minute later, there was a knock at her door, effectively halting her session. Glancing over, the sight of Javier just barely poking his head in would have usually made her snicker. But with how annoyed she already was, the only thing she could do was throw a glare in his direction.
He didn’t seem to phased by it though. “You good?” His eyebrows raised in question and she merely exhaled a deep breath. He took that as the only answer he would get from her. “The new guy just got here.” He said, pointing his thumb behind him and waiting for her to get up.
God, she had only been here a few hours and she was ready to go home and crawl into bed. But she had a long day ahead of her. With the new tip Javier managed to get from his informant last night, she, Javier and their new partner will need to follow up on it. Elena leaned back in her chair, took in another deep breath then nodded. She began to mess with her hair, try and make it look more presentable, as she swiveled in her chair to face Javier. “I’ll meet you out there, just give me a bit.”
Javier tapped the door frame once and nodded before taking his leave.
Elena started to pull her hair back into a bun when she stopped, allowing her hair to cascade over her shoulders. She figured having her hair down might help with the headache. She stacked all the files on her desk into a neat pile and finished the rest of her coffee before discarding the empty cup into the trash. “Okay,” she breathed out. Took a moment to fix up her jacket and then left the confines of her office. She was immediately met with the barrage of voices, phone calls, and fax machines. The noise attached her headache full-on, a wave of nausea followed soon after, almost making her vomit in the middle of the embassy.
Running on a few hours of sleep with nothing but coffee in her system, no wonder she felt like shit.
Elena felt her back straightened when she saw Javier entering the embassy with another man. She could only assume it was their new partner. He was around the same age as Javier, tall, slim with dirty blonde hair and an ever prominent mustache. She strode towards the pair, offering a smile when Javier gestured to her.
“Steve Murphy, this is Elena Caro, she’ll be running this operation with us.”
“Ma’am,” Steve greeted and stuck his hand out to her. She took it in her own, smirking faintly at the clear accent in his voice.
“Nice to meet you, Agent Murphy,” their hands dropped down by their sides. “I hope you’ve settled in well.”
“Save for the little gun show we were treated to last night.”
Elena hummed in response. It woke her up too. “You’ll get used to it.” She glanced down at her watch then looked back up at the men before her. “Well, the Ambassador is waiting for our meeting, so Javi,” she directed her gaze at him. “Should we show him around?”
For the next ten minutes, Javier guided Steve through the embassy. Introducing him to the faces of the various departments. Elena followed the group while not saying a word. Enjoying the fact that Javier was doing most of the work. It wasn’t until they were heading towards the Ambassador’s office did Steve sneak in a small conversation with her.
Steve slowed his pace, making sure that Javier didn’t notice. Once he was walking next to Elena, he barely leaned over and she met him halfway. “He seems like an asshole... given what I’ve seen.”
Elena pursed her lips together, holding back a smirk. “Javi can be an asshole but you’ll learn real quick that the sons of bitches down here deserve it.”
Steve nodded wordlessly. “How long have you been down here?”
“About eight months.”
“And how did you fare with him being your partner?”
Elena glanced over at Steve, an eyebrow raised teasingly. “I’ve been around men like him my whole life. It’s easy to navigate around him once you understand what’s going on.” She gave Steve a quick pat on the shoulder. “I think you’ll get the hang of it real quick.”
….
The trip to Medellin was anxiety-inducing, to say the least. Javier had received a tip from one of his informants. The narcos were gathering for a meeting and with a high number of prostitutes being flown out, it wasn’t hard to gather what was going down. Helena, Javier’s informant, would try and get as much information as she could.
Elena was stuffed into a small hotel room across from the meeting’s location. She was stood at the open window between Javier and Carrillo. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she thought about Helena. She doesn’t know the young woman well. She met her by chance as she was leaving Javier’s apartment the night before. Elena offered her a cigarette, they shared a few pleasantries and went their separate ways. Still, it was a dangerous thing to be an informant for the DEA. There was a deep understanding of informants that Javier and Elena agreed upon. That they should be protected in every way possible.
Cristina, Elena’s first informant she met three months after transferring to Bogotá, ended with the young woman getting killed. It was Elena’s first failure. And the event that shifted her dynamic with Javier. They butted heads quite a bit early on in the partnership. Both had strong opinions that sometimes differed from one another. Banters were common between the two of them. But losing Cristina was a turning point. They grew a better understanding of each other, knowing they were trying to achieve the same goal. Capture Escobar. No need for them to argue with each other. No need for being on opposites sides. It was an unspoken truce that came to fruition. And Elena was glad for it.
But the anxiety never waned. Once the meeting was underway, the team moved to a designated location agreed upon by Javier and Helena. And there they waited… and waited. One hour went by. Then two, then three. With each passing hour, Elena and the others grew antsier. Steve suggested that she might have bailed. But Javier knew better. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. The sun had already disappeared behind the city skyline and still no Helena.
Javier and Carrillo left to find out where she was. Elena and Steve were told to stay put in case she did show up. While Steve was annoyed at being left behind, Elena didn’t say a word. She was Javier’s informant, no way Elena would get involved with it. Elena leaned against the car and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She pulled out a cigarette, placed it between her lips, and held up the pack towards Steve, shaking it to entice him. “We’re going to be waiting for a bit,” she said before shaking the pack again.
Steve relented, pulling one for himself before handing the pack over to her. She pulled out a lighter, lit up his first and then her own. Steve took a large inhale, smoke billowing from his nose and mouth. The agitation in his shoulders was prominent as hell.
Elena could only eye him curiously. Probably wasn’t expecting his first day here to be on the sidelines. “Would it be alright if I asked a question?”
Steve pulled the cigarette from his mouth, gesturing for her to continue.
“Did you come to Bogotá alone?”
“No, my wife Connie came with me. I think you two might get along, I know she’s going to need friends down here.”
Elena nodded, then smiled. “I look forward to meeting her. But you both pretty much just uprooted and came down here, huh?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, his eyes staring down at the ground. “Yeah, we did. And you, how has working down here at embassy been for you?”
A curious question really. Elena pulled the cigarette from her mouth and blew, “For me?” She smirked as Steve nodded his head. “Well, it definitely is a man’s world in the DEA. I honestly didn’t expect it to be any different compared to what I experienced in the states. It was hell in the beginning, the only person who took me seriously was… Javi,” a small beat. “And Carrillo, and I hope you will be apart of that small list too.”
Steve didn’t hesitate. He gave a firm nod, “I can assure you I am already.”
She nodded in acknowledgment. “In the eight months I’ve been here, I’ve definitely had to work twice as hard. There’s no room for error, no room for slacking. You know I see so many of the other men lounging around, thinking they can do whatever the hell they want. But I slip up, they treat it like it’s the end of the word.” She hummed to herself, then took a long inhale from her cigarette. “I have to pick and choose my battles within the embassy. Most of the time it’s not even worth it. I’m here to do a job. I was transferred here because I was qualified to help get it done. And that’s what I keep telling myself every day.”
Steve silently regarded her, he could see the hint of dismay in her eyes. And he couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like for her. The amount of disrespect she must receive from people who were her colleagues. People she was supposed to trust. He could feel his shoulders tense at the thought. The day one of those men insults her in front of him, it would be the day all hell runs loose. “I”m sorry you have to deal with that bullshit.”
Elena gave a casual shrug, she tried to make it seem like a big deal. But it was. And it affected her every day. “Comes with the world we live in, right?” It was a sad fact indeed. “I’m lucky I have the ambassador on my side though.”
The car’s radio switched on garnering both Elena and Steve’s attention. The driver spoke into the radio for a brief moment, then slammed the side of the car door, speaking to them in Spanish.
“What did he say?” Steve asked.
Elena dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. “They found her, we need to move out.”
….
They arrived at a convenient stand a couple of blocks away. When they pulled up, there was an ambulance stationed on the side of the road. Carrillo was sitting at an outside table while Javier was leaning against the railing. Elena felt her stomach drop as she stepped out of the vehicle. Fuck, this wasn’t good. She and Steve crossed the street to join the others.
“How is she?” Steve was the first to ask.
“Sedated.”
“Is she gonna be alright?”
“Physically yeah, but mentally I haven’t got a fucking clue.”
Elena’s gaze moved from Javier to the ambulance just a few feet from them. She swallowed down the itch to go over and ask about how Helena was doing. “What happened?”
There was no response. Javier couldn’t even look at her. He continued to smoke his cigarette, eyes focused on the ground. The slight tremor in his hand was a key indication that he wasn’t in the mood to discuss what he had seen. But Elena managed to piece it together. Her blood ran cold when she finally realized what had happened. Those pieces of shit raped her. “And what about the people who did it?” This time she directed her question at Carrillo.
“Dead.” His one-word response was enough to somewhat quench the rage billowing in her stomach.
“Good.” Elena broke away from the group and ventured to the concession counter. She pulled out her wallet, silently cursing when she saw her hands shaking. At least, Javier got to her before they could kill her. But what about the trauma she would have to live with now? The nightmares she’ll have to deal with. Fuck. She was glad the men who did this to her were dead. If not, she would’ve hunted them down herself.
She asked for a beer from the man working at the stand and paid the fee. Out of the corner of her eye, Javier stood next to her, a newly lit cigarette hanging between his lips. She could feel his rage radiating off him. And she couldn’t blame him. It was justified. Elena took her beer and finally looked over at him, his jaw tense and still not permitting himself to look at her. Did he feel ashamed? Possibly. Guilty? Yes. After knowing this man for over eight months, she’s built up a foolproof guilt radar when it came to him.
The longer he felt her eyes staring him down, his chest tightened just a little more. He didn’t know what to say. He wouldn’t say that everything was going to be fine because it was bull shit. And expelling a false sense of hope wasn’t a stake he liked to pitch up. That usually came from Elena. She was smart, a hardened realist but still held a flame to having that sense of hope. Granted, it’s depleted somewhat since she first arrived. And while it wasn’t an ideal that he followed, he did rather enjoy it when it came from her.
And they’ve experienced harsh downhill moments in the last eight months. This one was a little too familiar.
Javier inhaled a long drag, his free hand leaned against the concession counter. From his peripheral, he saw her pop off the beer cap and take a long drink. Only then did he allow himself to look at her. Her eyes were quick to find his, she pulled the bottle away and wiped the bit that fell down her chin. Eyes glazed over and mouth parted open, she looked desperate. Struggling to think of something, anything to say to him. But she snapped her mouth shut. She knew that with Javier, sometimes the best thing to give him was silence.
Elena broke their gaze, knowing that the two of them just staring at each other would seem weird to the others. She stashed her wallet into her jean pocket and turned to join Steve and Carrillo when she stopped. It still didn’t feel right. Leaving him to simmer alone like this. She tilted her head to look at him, his eyes staring down at the counter. Without a single word, Elena reached over and gently took hold of his forearm, her thumb rubbing small, soothing circles. She saw his eyes focus on her hand, not knowing of his urge to take her hand into his own. He merely closed his eyes and soaking in every second of it.
A simple gesture that has been repeated by her several times. A silent token of reassurance that she was always there if he needed to talk. He never admitted how much he appreciated. But he had a feeling that she knew.
Her hand fell from his arm, despite the Colombian heat, his arm felt cold and that sense of longing crept its way into his stomach. Clearing his throat, he barely glanced back over his shoulder, seeing her talking with Steve and Carrillo. Javier shook his head and stepped up to the concession window. A hell of a night and he couldn’t wait for it to be over.
tag: @stevieharrrr (message me if you want to be added!)
Aunt: I was so worried! One message after school, then radio silence! Where’s Nova?
Nova: Here, Aunt Mina... Sorry, there wasn’t really time. We got ambushed.
Aunt: So long as you’re safe. I’ll pick you up next time, okay? ...Rita, I thought you said ‘Not dangerous’?
Rita: Charm isn’t dangerous! He saved us just now!
Aunt: Oh, my sincerest thanks, Mr. Charm. These children are my life... Which means I know them. Son, have you played with fire again?
*Ayo and Nova shift guiltily*
Aunt: ...Be that as it may, I’d rather remember you got home in one piece than reprimand you for almost burning your eyebrows off. Come along! There’s a fresh batch of cookies in the kitchen.
Rita, Ayo & Nova: You’re the best!
Charm: Charmander!
Rita: Yeah, you can have some. After that, we can look for your home too.
word count: 3.2K
pairing: javier pena x oc
warning(s): alcohol consumption
notes: finally some proper javi interactions in this chapter!
In the week following the Medellin trip, Steve, Javier, and Elena fell into an easy routine. There was a part of Elena that thought bringing in a new partner might create some tension. A new pair of eyes meant a whole new perspective on the job at hand. But Steve made it easy. He listened to what Elena and Javier conveyed to him and was quick to agree with them. And she was grateful for it. God knows she didn’t have the headspace to deal with another hot-headed partner too stubborn to see eye to eye with them. And it was nice to know that she had someone else to help with dealing with Pena.
However, in the midst of adjusting to being a newly formed trio, Elena didn’t miss the mood shift with Javier. It didn’t affect his work ethic. God, no. If anything, he became more focused during those high-stressed moments. But he wasn’t like this because of the long hours at work. Or maybe it was a part of it. Elena knew he was still mulling over what happened with the informant. And given the bags under his eyes, sleep had been alluding him as well. It made her heartache. She never breathed a word about what happened to him after that night. She knew his boundaries and the last thing she wanted was to piss him off or upset him even more.
So she found another way to combat the ever-present worry she had for her partner.
Elena kept a mindful eye on him during that week, deciding to make work just a little more tolerable for him. Each time she saw he had finished a cup of coffee, she would get him a new one. Whenever Javier would smoke through his entire pack, Elena would slip him hers without looking up from her paperwork. The first couple of times he didn’t question it. But soon, Javier caught onto the attentiveness of it all and it made him curious. It was unwarranted. A few times he thought about asking her about it. Each time he would try, she would merely smile at him and return to work. It was strange. She wasn’t doing it for Murphy and their new partner didn’t seem bothered by it either.
After a particularly exhausting day, Elena was the last of the group to leave the embassy. Steve had left early to pick up Connie from work and take her home. After the whole incident with their cat, he didn’t like Connie being home by herself, if he could help it. And Elena couldn’t blame him for being worried. Elena was home that day, enjoying one of the few relaxing days she planned for herself when there was a loud banging at her door. Needless to say, Elena was confused to find a disheveled Steve standing on the other side of her door. He asked her if she could stay with Connie while he went back to the embassy. Explaining how someone had broken into their apartment and killed their cat. Not exactly what she expected to hear, regardless, she agreed and stayed with Connie until Steve returned. It was a whole fiasco with them trying to figure out who was responsible. But the situation was dealt with. Still, it understandably rattled the couple.
Gathering up the multiple folders skewed across her desk, Elena stashed them into the desk drawers and left the embassy. On the walk to her car, she glanced down at her watch and cursed to herself. It was already 7:30 and she was due at Steve and Connie’s for dinner at 6:30. Steve had invited her and Javier over at the insistence of Connie. But Steve knew the workload was a lot today. Hopefully, they’ve been keeping themselves occupied.
Elena didn’t bother changing clothes once she got to the complex. She merely jogged up the stairs to Connie and Steve’s apartment. Luckily, she arrived just in time. She was guided to the table by Steve, where Javier had already found his perch, and Connie offered her a glass of wine. She took it without hesitation. The dinner started off well. Javier spent a good amount of time sharing a few stories. Some he hadn’t even told Elena yet. Then, Connie and Steve spent about fifteen minutes sharing details of their lives. Steve indulged her and Javier about how he had met Connie. A quite impressive story, really.
“You put down your real number?” Elena asked.
Connie took a drink from her glass, shrugging and smiling at the question. “I thought I’d take a shot, he didn’t know that it was my real number.”
“Yeah, not until I called that night.”
Elena shook her head and smirked, “Well, look at you two. A real modern love story indeed.”
“And what about you, Elena?”
“Oh,” Elena waved off Connie’s question. “I don’t have any kind of relationship stories like that.” Most of her relationships were impulsive ones, never ones that were to be taken seriously.
“That’s a bummer, but I was talking about yourself.” Connie paused briefly to think of a question. “Do you have any siblings?”
Oh right, it got to that part of the conversation. She always felt awkward with telling facts about herself to people. She had been rather selective with Javier when she first transferred. Sharing only simple things that were easy to digest. “Yeah, I have an older brother. A few cousins but, other than that, it’s a pretty small family.”
“Where you from?”
“New York.” Memories of her childhood came flooding back. It almost felt like a smack across the face. “Both my grandparents immigrated from Spain in the early ’20s. Dad worked as a mechanic and mom was a nurse.” Both normal and commendable jobs.
Connie seemed to be thinking the same thing. “Then, led you to end up being a DEA agent?”
“A friend of mine, she had a cousin who was working as a federal agent. He’d share a few things with us,” she shrugged, using her fork to push around the food on her plate. “I guess I liked the idea. So after graduating from college, I went for it. Worked my ass off to get there.” She couldn’t stress the last bit enough. Connie was quick to catch on and she raised her glass to her. “And then Nixon signed the proposition in ‘73. I continued to work my way through the department. My supervisor thought I would be good at it.” She glanced across the table, finding Javier’s eyes were on her, his lips stretched in the softest smile. It actually made her heart beat faster.
“When did you come down here?” Connie had grabbed the wine bottle and started to refill everyone’s glasses.
Elena’s eyes remained on Javier, the answer dancing around her tongue for a moment. “About eight months ago.” She raised her fork and pointed it at the man across from her. “It was hell working with that one the first few months.”
Javier brows creased in mock hurt, it made everyone at the table chuckle. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“I beg to differ, he was a know-it-all hot head,” she reached for her glass, pausing briefly to shrug her shoulders. “Still is a little bit.”
“Takes one to know one, right?” Javier’s smile grew.
She could hear Connie and Steve snicker at Javier’s statement. And she tried to suppress the grin that appeared but failed, miserably. Elena bunched up her napkin and tossed it at him. He swatted it away before reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. And for the first time in the last week, she finally saw him relax. His shoulders no longer hunched with tension, tired eyes were now lively. She was glad to see it. But it didn’t take long for it to slowly deplete again. He didn’t really engage in their conversations unless a question was directed at him. Elena wasn’t sure if Connie or Steve could sense it, but it was ringing loud and clear for her. This is what happens when he allows himself to get so caught up in his thoughts.
Before they knew it, it had already reached past 11:00 and with all of them expected at work in the morning, they decided to call it a night. Javier was the first to leave as Elena was exchanging final sentiments with Connie. She has already taken a great liking to the young woman. Vouching that they needed to have dinner again, and perhaps another time for just the two of them. Connie agreed wholeheartedly.
Another hasty goodbye between the women, an ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’ to Steve, and Elena was making her way down the stairwell. She pulled out her keys and strolled up to her apartment door. After what happened in Steve’s apartment, she found herself glancing over her shoulder a couple of times. The fucking American Embassy owned this building. One would think it would have better security. But of course, it doesn’t. As she began to mess with the locks, she turned her head to look at Javier’s door down the hallway. She paused to glance down at her watch then hummed to herself. There’s no way he’s asleep. He didn’t have much of a sleep schedule anyway, despite her telling him to get one.
She pushed open the door, stripped off her blazer and hung it on the coat rack. Then, she ventured into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge, pulled out two beers, then walked out of her apartment. She made the short trek down the hall and knocked on the door. Careening her head towards the door, she could hear calm footsteps approaching. When the lock was being fumbled with, she stepped back. The door opened enough for her to see Javier’s face peering out and he looked a little confused. In response, she raised the two beer bottles and smiled. “Beer talk.”
Javier huffed out a breath, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know it’s getting late.”
“Huh,” her head tilted to the side in thought. “Since when did you really care about how late it is.” She saw a ghost of a smile returning but it never made a full appearance.
Javier silently regarded her, he had the mind to tell her he was too tired. That he’d rather try and force himself to sleep. But the expectant smile on her face was enough to win him over. He stepped back and opened the door enough for her to slide in. “Not gonna lie, I was starting to get a headache about halfway through dinner.” Javier declared as he lazily walked into the kitchen.
“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m here.” Elena used her foot to kick the door closed, then followed her partner into the kitchen. “This should help you sleep tonight.”
Javier turned and leaned up against the counter, his hand washed down the side of his face, he barely managed to stifle a yawn. There was a part of her that did feel bad. He looked like shit. She knew that he hadn’t gotten much sleep in the past week. And with how bloodshot his eyes were, it was safe to say that his body was currently hating him for it.
She rolled onto her tiptoes a few times, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. “If you really don’t feel good, I can leave, Javi.” She offered, her voice quiet and timid. “I just know this past week… you’ve been a little down.” Was that the right term to use? “I just thought maybe you’d want to talk.”
He appeared somewhat grateful. It was hard to tell given how tired he looked. Regardless, he shook his head and took the beer bottles from her. Elena sat on the counter next to him and took the bottle that was offered back to her. She allowed him to simmer in silence for a bit, her thumb tracing the rim of the bottle. It felt like she was going to set off a bomb for asking him, but she summoned the courage.
“Have you gone to see her?” She eyed him carefully, seeing the reaction that washed over his face.
Finally, he nodded. “Yeah, a couple of times.”
Elena exhaled a deep breath, not realizing that she had been holding it in. That was a promising start. “How’s she doing?”
“As good as one might expect.”
Elena really hoped that was the case. “Has the Ambassador signed off on her visa yet?”
“Given that she didn’t have the info--” Javier stopped, digging his teeth into his bottom lip. He shook his head before taking a big drink from his bottle. “I’m gonna try and talk with her again tomorrow.”
She took that as her answer. Fuck. “Don’t blame yourself, Javi.” Now, she felt like she was walking a very fine line with continuing to talk about it.
“She was trying to get info because I asked her to.”
“She made the choice to help you.” Elena clarified. “You didn’t force her to do anything. It’s not your fault and it’s not her fault either. The people whose fault it is… they’re dead. As they should be.” A rather grim declaration to make. But these were men who would gladly commit atrocious crimes for the right price. Who felt they were above everyone else. That they could treat everyone like shit. These people didn’t have an ounce of empathy from her. And if the average person experienced some of the things she’s seen down here, they would have the same fucked up outlook on life.
In an unguarded moment, Elena thought back to Cristina. The promise she had made to keep her safe and get her into the states as fast as possible. She had given Elena a tip that would have led them to one of Escobar’s sicarios. Word got out of the tip and delivered to Escobar. It happened so fast. Elena was on the other side of town following up on another lead, while Javier was the one who went to Cristina’s residence. He was the one who had to tell Elena what had happened. Something that he would never forget.
The corners of Elena’s lips twitched at the memory. A pit formed in her stomach causing her to finally take a drink from her beer. “You know the ones we take in as informants… they know it’s dangerous. They know that there’s always the possibility that it could catch up to them. And we can try to protect them as much as we can. But… there’s only so much we can do.” She glanced over at Javier, seeing that he was taking in her words, mulling over them. It’s never possible to fully protect another human being. “You got to her in time. She’s alive. And, hopefully, she’s going to be fine.”
She’s going to be fine. Yeah, he fucking hoped so. Javier silently stared down at the bottle in his hands before finishing off what was left. He eyed the empty bottle, not sure if it was all the alcohol he had drank tonight or the exhaustion, but the next words fell from his mouth before he could stop them. “You’re not responsible for what happened to Cristina either.” He cringed at himself the minute he said it. But he knew Elena well enough to know that the young woman has crossed her mind a few times this past week. How could she have not?
There was an odd peace that fell over her upon hearing those words. Granted, he’s said those words to her multiple times in the last five months. Yet, somehow, they hit a different nerve after hearing them now. She had come to peace with what had happened. Did she still feel guilty? Of course. Cristina had two young children who got left behind. She only wanted a better life for her kids. Now, they were going to grow up without their mother. Elena knew that this guilt will never go away. She was going to live with it for the rest of her life. “I know.” She finally answered. “I’ve finally been able to come to terms with what happened with Cristina. And you will come to your senses with this too.”
A thick silence followed soon after. The two of them normally don’t go this deep with their beer talks. Looking back, most of these talks involved with them throwing verbal punches at each other. Doing whatever it takes to rile the other one up. This talk was a big shift and she didn’t really mind it. And neither did Javier. Elena took a moment to check the time and it really was getting late. She scooted off the counter, took Javier’s empty beer bottle and disposed of it. Hers was still half full, she would finish it over at her apartment. She went to stand in front of him, he really looked to be on the verge of falling asleep right then. “I’m gonna head back.”
He nodded silently. “Nice talk.”
“I’m always here if you need it.”
He chuckled. “You know I’m not really one to indulge in this kind of stuff.”
“I know,” she smiled. “But it helps, doesn’t it?”
He didn’t answer her because she was right. It helps a lot. And she’s the only one who managed to get him to open up, even if it was only a little bit.
She saw his eyes begin to close, and she had to admit, he looked kind of adorable. Dozing off like that. Elena raised a hand and pressed it against his cheek, effectively snapping him back to reality. His eyes were glazed over and unfocused when they found hers. But her hand remained in place, her thumb brushing against his cheek. “Get some sleep, Javi. I’ll see you in the morning.”
That was new. That kind of physical contact. He wasn’t quite sure what warranted her to do it. But he’d be lying to himself if he said that he didn’t enjoy it. He felt himself barely lean into her touch just as she pulled her hand away. And he felt disappointed. A feeling that instantly confused him. It’s a good thing she didn’t notice it. Javier walked her to the door, trying to steady his heart. As she stepped out the door, Javier was finally able to gather his bearings. He peered his head out, watching as she made her way back to her apartment. “Goodnight, Ana.”
Elena stopped in front of her apartment door and turned back to look at him. Her lips stretching into a smile at him using his nickname for her. “Goodnight, Javi.”
With that, she disappeared into her apartment.
Javier closed and locked his door. Then, headed straight for his bedroom. The entire way his hand had rubbed at the cheek where her hand had been. It suddenly felt cold. That sense of longing started to creep back into his stomach. He shook his head. God, what are you doing, Pena? Maybe tonight he will get some decent sleep because he definitely needs it.
...........
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Against her better judgment, Elena timidly entered the room, standing in front of his desk, her hands clenched into fists. “What is it, David?”
He messed around with the files on his desk a moment, then looked up at her, looking rather somber. It almost made her roll her eyes. “I just wanted to say that--I’m sorry for what happened to your father.”
“Hm.” Her lips cinched to the side, her head slowly nodding at his words. “Not so sorry that you decided to tell Steve about it.” The somber look on his face was gone very quickly. Of course, it was just an act.
“What does it even matter?” David leaned back in his chair, not at all concerned about how she felt about it. “He was bound to find out sooner or later.”
“I was going to tell him when I got to work this morning,” she tilted her head down to meet his gaze. “But, you decided to do that for me.”
“It’s not a big deal, Caro.”
“It’s not your fucking business to tell, David.” The rage was boiling in her stomach, the sting in her waterline nearly sent her into a panic. There was no way she was going to cry in front of David Howard. The prick wouldn’t let her live that down. “Do me a favor, any information that has to do with me, you keep it out of your mouth. Got it?”
I didn’t even include the dialogue that makes him even more of an asshole!
