Interlude: First Noel (The Executive Office #1.5)

by Tal Bauer

Screenshots of Ethan over Skype, smiling, blushing, laughing. Shots from the weekends. Drinking beers together. A selfie watching the Super Bowl. Another official photo, this time from behind, the two of them in silhouette with their hands clasped, standing on the Truman Balcony and gazing at the Washington Monument. Jack’s selfies from the Christmas tour and the pictures Daniels had taken. Even the one Daniels had sneaked in, the group selfie of the agents grinning for Jack’s camera. Finally, on the last page, pictures from the Christmas Ball only days before. Him and Jack dancing and gazing into each other’s eyes, smiling and sneaking kisses. Christmas trees and golden decorations floated in the background, but Jack’s smile and the love in Ethan’s eyes stole the soul of the picture. “We did everything in-house. Turns out, you can get things pretty quickly around here if you’re the president.” Jack leaned into Ethan’s shoulder, smiling. “This is…” He didn’t know what to say. Amazing? Unbelievable? Perfect? He shook his head. “It’s―” How did he quantify this gift, a seemingly simple book of pictures with the one man who made his soul feel like it was on fire? God, it was so much more than just a Christmas present. It was almost like a declaration. “Year One,” implying more years. Permanence. It was printed. It was bound. There was no shoving this away, no hiding what it was. Their love, their life. Here to stay. How did he react to everything swirling in his heart and his ...