No Ordinary Love - G.Callen NCIS L.A

Chapter 25

Saturday arrived, and Grisha was walking up and down the house, double-checking the rooms and terrace. Dee kept half an eye on him. After his third check on an already impeccable table, she plucked him from the dining room and sat him down on a chair in the kitchen. "Sit. You're making me nervous."

"About what?"

"You keep double, triple-checking everything. I don't think we can make it better than it is now."

He was about to protest when he caught her look and kept quiet. "Fine."

Trying to distract him, she asked: "You excited for the game tomorrow?"

"Pretty much."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Pretty much?" Tossing the salad, her expression told him to elaborate.

"I'm excited for the game. I'm excited to spend time with Sam and his family." He bit his lip and sighed, plucking on his sling. "I haven't told him about us."

Dee had half-and-half expected that. She wiped her hands on a dishtowel, and turned around, crossing her arms. "Why? I thought you trusted him."

"I do." Shifting in his seat, he looked everywhere but at her. "I trust Sam with my life. Have I told you about my first date with Joelle?"

"Blind date, set up by Sam and Hetty."

"I told Hetty this last Thursday... He tends to overdo it. He's like a mother hen looking out for her chicks. I want to make this work for us by myself. God knows he'd be all over it the minute I'd tell him something was up."

Not saying anything immediately, Dee watched him. If not his words, the shuffling in his seat and his diverted eyes told her there was more to it than he let on. "You told Marty and Kensi," she softly said.

"There is no getting anything passed Deeks. He guessed, on Christmas Day. And I just told him. And Kens... I had to tell Kens when she asked me if I needed to stay with them when I broke my shoulder." Again, he looked at his shoes. "I guess part of me doesn't want to tell Sam."

Taking the few steps in his direction, Dee crouched down. "But why? Aren't you happy? Don't you want him to know you're happy?"

His smile made her whole day. "I'm elated! I've never been this happy in my life! Honestly, Dee, I need you to know that."

Smiling, she squeezed his hand. "I know that. What other reason is there?"

Taking a deep breath, he finally came out with it. "Other than the fact that I'm a very private person... I'm afraid that he's going to meddle. He'll want to know everything. He'll tell me what to do. He'll practically write my proposal when I'm not paying attention. And like I said, I know it's his way of showing that he cares, but I finally have a private life. If I don't tell him, I don't have to tell him to back off, and he won't meddle."

Dee considered his words for a moment. "But doesn't that mean that he thinks you won't be able to do it? He trusts you to have his back in his job, right? It feels as if he doesn't trust you to be able to have a private life. Let alone maintain one."

"In his defense, my track record is not promising."

She shrugged. "You just hadn't found your person yet."

That made him smile. "I guess so."

"Are you trying to prove him or yourself that you can do this?"

"Maybe both. Him, mostly. "

Shifting, she rested her head against his. "Oh, baby... You're doing great. If only you could see how much you've changed this past year. I'm so proud of you. Don't doubt that you can do this. You already are. And we'll hit a few bumps in the road, like everyone else does. So what? We'll manage them together. Don't doubt yourself."