Declassified

Declassified Part 11 The Party

      Thalia caught the tiny, nervous smile Andy sent her when she handed him his drink, and she suddenly felt a warmth towards him. It was really nice of him to come even though he's clearly not comfortable. She thought, listening to the drink orders.
      "I'll be back in a minute." She promised, smiling as Alex followed her to the kitchen.

      "See?" He asked, kissing her on top of her head. "Everyone's getting along fine."
      Thalia looked back into the living room as she leaned into Alex. She smiled. Everyone did seem to be getting along, and despite a few raised eyebrows, no one seemed to think anything of Alex and Thalia's pairing.

      As she looked into the living room she saw Lily and Lauren talking by the sangria, and Claire and Kate on the love seat talking about babies. Jillian and Kyle were talking about working in the field versus working in the office. Andy, Jay, Jack, and Max were sitting in one corner talking about football. "I'm glad Andy is talking." Thalia observed, smiling.

      Alex nodded. "He likes sports." He observed. "And he's more likely to talk to men than women." He smiled at Thalia's quizzical look. "Women intimidate him." He reminded her.

      Thalia laughed at the idea that she could intimidate the huge man. "I'll try to be less terrifying." She promised, handing him the drinks she'd grabbed. "Can you take these? I think I'm going to put some more snacks in the oven."

      Alex nodded, kissing her before he disappeared with the drinks and Thalia smiled. It really is a nice party. She thought, setting the oven timer and heading back into the living room.
      "Jillian, are you having fun?" She asked as her friend filled up her glass.

      "I am." Jillian said as Alex joined the sports conversation, "And Alex is so cute."
      Thalia blushed. "Oh. Yeah. He is." She acknowledged.
       "And he's so sweet, too." Jillian went on, smiling. "I'm so glad you found him.

      "I'm glad too, Jillian. I'm really happy." Thalia confessed.
      "Why didn't you tell us he and his brothers were so huge though, Thalie?" Jillian asked, laughing. "I would have worn heels."

      Thalia laughed. "Now you know how I feel every day." She teased.
      Jillian smiled. "You guys look cute together." She observed. "You look happy together."

      "I think we are happy." Thalia said, surprised at the realization. "I really like being with him. I know it's just been a month, but I feel really happy when we're together."
      "You deserve to be happy, Thalia." Jillian told her, giving her a significant look.

      Thalia nodded. "I know." She said, though sometimes she wasn't sure about that. She looked around the room. "Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves."

      Jillian looked to the corner of the room where six men were crowded, talking animatedly about football. "Definitely. Alex's brother seems to have turned that corner into sports central."

      Thalia smiled, happy that Andy seemed to be having fun. "Yeah. Alex said he likes sports a lot. But he's pretty quiet around new people." She explained, hoping her friend hadn't been put off by Andy distancing himself from the female half of the party. "He's really nice when you get to know him."

      "He's dating the blonde that looks like a model, right?" Jillian asked, scanning the room for Lily.
      Thalia nodded, thinking that Lily looked like someone who should be dating one of the brothers, even if she herself didn't. "She's really sweet. Kate too."

      Jillian smiled. "I guess the brothers are lucky in love, huh?" She teased.

      Thalia felt her cheeks warming up at the mention of love, glancing around the room to find the last of the Petrov brothers. Although three of the brothers were in the corner, Dan was missing. He must be in the bathroom. She thought, forgetting about it as she turned back to her friend.