"I can't believe we forgot about the rings." Oliver sighed as he stacked dirty dishes in the sink. "I mean, I know some people say that they get so used to wearing them that they forget about it, but I've never really worn much jewelry. For a second there, I thought your mom was going to explode..."

Poli chuckled weakly. "Yeah... If we had actually gotten married without her there to see it, I think she would have. And, honestly, while I don't want a big ceremony- whenever we get to it, that is... I definitely want her there for it."

Moving off to finish gathering the dishes, Oliver nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I kinda want her there, too. That reminds me... Random side thought, but didn't you invite your friend Lyn? She hasn't responded to your text yet?"

"Nope. A couple weeks ago she mentioned that she would be busy for a while with work and may not be able to respond, so I'm not too surprised..." Polina answered with a frown- something about that was tickling at the back of her mind. Her mind was pulled away from chasing the elusive thought when, while digging around under the sink, she groaned in annoyance. "Fuck, I think we're out of dish soap... I could have sworn I picked up some the other day!"

Setting the last of the dishes near the sink, Oliver leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "No worries, hon. I'll just run out and grab some more; there's some other stuff I want to grab while I'm out, now that I think about it."

"Thanks, Oli. I've actually got a list of a few other things I'll need soon, so... I mean, if you don't mind..."

"Sure." He smiled gently, taking the list and scanning it quickly. Quirking an eyebrow at her, he chuckled softly. "Ah, 'feminine products'... It's a good thing I'm not one of those guys that gets insecure about buying those for his girlfriend. Never really understood that sort of mentality, really..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Oliver headed for the door. "I'll be back soon."

Busy cleaning up after the cookout, Polina lost track of time. While none of their guests had really made a mess, and all of them had offered to help, she was quite happy to wind down the night with a little cleaning.

Hearing the front door open, she set down the broom to welcome him back... But the voice that called out to her, while one she recognized, definitely wasn't Oliver's.

"Pooolllliiii!" Lyn sang out as she skipped into the house. "I'm probably too late for the cookout, but I wanted to drop by and see how you were doing!"

Poli grinned at her friend, happy that she was back- and a bit excited to finally introduce her to Oliver. She was sure that he would like the cute, bubbly woman. As usual, Lyn was wearing a brightly colored Lolita dress, all pink frills and baby blue trim. It was an adorable look, but, if Poli hadn't insisted on checking her ID before going to the bar, she would have been sure her friend was still a teenager and not a thirty year old woman...

It didn't help that Lyn still acted like a kid sometimes.

"Hey, Lyn! Yeah, you're a little late for the cookout. But I've got some leftovers saved, if you're interested..."

"Oh hell yeah!" Lyn exclaimed as she hopped up to sit on the counter. "I mean, I would rather be eating you, but I'll settle for a burger if you've got one!"

A blush crept up Poli's cheeks as she shook her head. "That's a tempting offer, Lyn, but-"

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"But you're still trying to work things out with Oli." Lyn sighed, looking downcast. "I get it. Not that I blame you; he's a damn fine man... I wouldn't mind a piece of him myself!"

"Oh, maybe once you two work things out, I can convince both of you to have a wild night with me!" She added, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "I bet we could break a bed with how freaky things would get!"

Her blush deepening, Polina could only shrug at the suggestion. "I mean, I'm not ruling out the possibility... But definitely not right now. Oli and I are still working things out-"

"Wait, wait! You guys talked already? And you're working things out?" Lyn exclaimed, leaning forward in excitement. "That's awesome! I told you it would work out! How is that going? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Polina bounced in place, hands clasped tightly together, her excitement mirroring her friends- she could hardly believe how quickly things had turned around... Though, thinking about it, she shouldn't be too surprised. Oliver was an incredibly loyal person, and just as dedicated to her as she was to him. With both of them willing to work together and compromise to make things work, it only makes sense that it could work out, and quickly at that.

They were partners in making the relationship work, and she was sure they could handle anything together.

"It's going really well, actually." Poli answered with a bright smile. "We've worked through a lot and figured out a plan for moving forward..."

"Though, that also mean that I may not see you as much going forward..." She added a bit sadly, her excitement dimming for a moment.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Well..." Polina hesitated. She didn't want to lie to her friend, but she also knew that she couldn't fully explain- especially as she remembered the card from the FBI agent sitting in the drawer nearby. "One of the things I asked for as a compromise was for me to go with him while he travels for work- which, I guess I should add, Oli accepted pretty much instantly. I think he's excited to have company on his trips."

"No shit?" Lyn asked, leaning back in surprise. "That's kinda cool. And, hey, don't worry about me too much, ok? Focus on you two being good; I'll still be around to hang out from time to time."

"Or you can convince him to take me as his mistress; I certainly wouldn't mind!" Lyn added with a leer. "That sounds like heaven to me! Traveling the world, getting freaky on every Continent with a hot little pair like you two? Yes please!"

Polina let out a bemused sigh; her friend certainly acted like a sex obsessed teenager- though likely that was just a front to cover some insecurity... One that Poli recognized early in their friendship: her friend was deeply afraid of being alone.

Which also wasn't a surprised, given the little bit she had learned about Lyn's past- All of Lyn's family had died while she was still a teenager. And, considering her Romani heritage, she had spent a lot of time being alone and isolated... And frequently faced prejudice of all sorts.

Smirking at the smaller woman, Poli shrugged. "If you're really that interested, you can ask him when I introduce you two. He should be back soon, anyway-"

"WHAT!" Lyn exclaimed, jumping off the counter. "He's coming here! Wait, you said back! He already moved back in?"

Hearing the edge of panic creeping into her petite friend's voice startled Polina. "Well, yeah... I guess there is a bit of a story there... Are you ok, Lyn? I mean, if you're worried that Oli won't like you or-"

"Ah, no. No. It's ok." Lyn chuckled awkwardly as she started edging towards the door. "I just... don't want to make things awkward with my blunt and sexual comments and stuff... And if you guys are still working on things, I don't want to get in the way..."

The door opening behind her caused Lyn to freeze- she had convinced herself that this was all a good idea, and that she could make it work...

But, as she turned around to see Oliver, raw fury burning in his eyes at the sight of her... she had to admit, at least to herself, that she hadn't fully thought this through.

"YOU!" Oliver bellowed as he dropped the grocery bags to the floor and a shotgun appeared in his hand as if by magic. "What the HELL are you doing here!?"

"I told you what would happen if I saw you again!"

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