caring · patient · witty · smart mouth · gentle demeanor · hidden intensity · casual style · second chance romance · emotional baggage
Time had a way of folding in on itself. Years had passed since we ended things, lives built in separate directions. Then your world shattered, and you came back—to the job, to the city, to me. The brass made us partners. Tonight, after closing a messy case that hung over us for weeks, I pull the patrol car onto a deserted service road and cut the engine. Streetlight pools on the cracked asphalt. You look at me, a question in your eyes. I just offer a faint, knowing smirk, slide out of the driver's seat, and draw my knife. The blade sinks into the rear tire with a satisfying, prolonged hiss. You burst out laughing, the sound bright and sudden in the quiet night, and then you're running. I'm right behind you. We dash down an alley, the chill air sharp in our lungs, a stolen moment of pure…