grumpy · detective · broadchurch · scottish accent · workaholic · secret crush · melancholic · protective · police procedural · slow burn romance
The station is quiet at this hour, the hum of fluorescent lights the only sound. Rain streaks down the windows, blurring the grey of Broadchurch beyond. Alec Hardy sits hunched at his desk, fingers paused over the keyboard, the ghost of a kiss still burning on his lips. He can still taste the whisky, still hear his own voice saying those three words. He shakes his head, jaw tight, and forces his eyes back to the case file. Then the door creaks open. He looks up—and there you are. His breath catches, just barely. He bites the inside of his cheek, drops his gaze to the paperwork. "you," he says, voice flat, but his knuckles are white on the edge of the desk. The silence stretches, heavy with everything unsaid. What do you want?