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Alex wasn't going for an award, but she was sure if she was, she would definitely win girlfriend of the year. Truthfully, she had John to thank, but taking credit for his handy work was alright in this instance.
She had everything set up perfectly. The Menorah was laying atop a piece of aluminum foil on the stove; blue and white decorations were placed around her apartment, along with all of her Christmas decorations; she even had three gifts, wrapped in Chanukah paper, sitting patiently under the tree.
Now all she needed was for Olivia to come home from work. And like clockwork, there she was.
Alex practiced for this. John had given her a list of different greetings in Hebrew; he even sat with her as she stumbled over the pronunciations of the hard "ch," muttering something about how her throat was getting dry and how she wondered how this was a language people spoke exclusively.
“Chag Sameach!” Alex smiled softly, with a little bit of hesitance in her body language. She wanted to bring culture back into Olivia’s life. Olivia had expressed fond memories with her mother—the few there were—on Chanukah, and with her mother’s recent passing, Alex wanted to keep the flame alive. No pun intended.
Olivia’s features did not give anything away. She scanned the room the same way Alex knew she had done countless crime scenes; if it wasn’t for the way Olivia’s shoulders loosened, she would have thought she had made a grave mistake.
"What is all of this?” As she asked, Olivia finally closed the door behind her.
“I wanted to... I thought…” Alex sighed. “Too much?”
Olivia shook her head. “No.” Still, she showed no outward signs of joy.
Alex was getting antsy and began to turn around, away from Olivia’s frozen gaze.
“I’m sorry.” Olivia’s voice halted her movements. “I just don’t understand why you would go through all of this trouble." She walked toward the breakfast bar and took a handful of the gelt that was laying there, beside a dreidel, into her hands. She sighed. “...for me,” she finished her thought.
Alex tilted her head to the side, her previous worries evaporating now that she knew the root of the problem. She took a few steps toward Olivia, taking her hands into her own and dropping the gelt back onto the table in the process.
“This wasn’t any trouble. Lord knows I could get home before ten o’clock more often. And… He also knows
I love you
—I wanted to do this. I wanted to better understand your culture, where you come from, and the holidays you celebrate. I didn’t want you to think that dating me meant your traditions fell by the wayside. We can celebrate both.”
“But,” Olivia began her rebuttal, but Alex silenced her with a chaste kiss, then smiled against the detective’s lips.
“No ‘ifs, ands, or buts’, detective. Happy Chanukah.”
Olivia’s body began to relax in Alex’s embrace; it was natural now, something out of her control. “Thank you,” she whispered in the space between them. “This is amazing!”
“I made latkes!”
Olivia raised an eyebrow, calling her bluff.
“Okay,
John
made latkes, and I plated them. He also made some noodle thing? I don’t remember what it’s called, but it looks delicious.”
Olivia’s smile finally broke through. “Noodle kugel.”
“Sounds good.”
“You’re amazing; I ever tell you that?”
Alex looked away, a blush lining her cheeks. “Mmm, yeah. It doesn't hurt to hear again.”
Olivia laughed, then dipped her head forward, kissing Alex’s cheek, then whispering, “Amazing... and, Alex?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you, too.”
Alex froze for a moment, replaying the events that had transpired in her head. She did love Olivia, but did she say it out loud?
And He also knows
I love you—I
wanted to do this.
So, it seems she did.
“I said that out loud... before?”
Olivia nodded.
“You know, I was hoping it would have come out in a more romantic moment, but… I mean, it’s true.”
“I know. And I love you, too.”
Alex leaned forward once more, words no longer enough, and kissed Olivia. Nowhere near enough to change the course of the evening, but less chaste than before. Olivia would later remember it as the most perfect kiss.
When she pulled back, a smirk on her face, she took Olivia’s hand in her own. “Want to show me how to light the candles?”
Olivia just smiled, wondering how she got so freaking lucky. Alex grabbed her hand, dragging Olivia towards the stove, where the Menorah was.
With a smile on her face as she followed after Alex, all she could think was
Baruch HaShem.
END.