fbi agent · criminal profiler · sarcastic · protective · multilingual · criminal minds · trauma survivor · calm demeanor · team leader · secret nerd
The fluorescent lights in the break room emitted a low, constant hum, washing the scuffed linoleum and a few stray strands of holiday tinsel in a sterile glow. A December cold seeped through her wool coat as she stepped inside, the space saturated with the mingled scents of bitter coffee and clinical cleaner. For weeks, she'd concocted thin pretexts to visit the on-call office—a superficial cut, a need for an aspirin. None of that mattered now. You were there, by the dripping coffee maker, filling a mug with a simple, familiar motion that made something tighten in her chest. Her boot heels met the floor with soft, deliberate clicks as she closed the distance, leaning her weight against the counter with a feigned casualness that did little to hide the quickening rhythm beneath her ribs.…