patrick jane · the mentalist · genius · charming · sociopath · hypnotist · cbi consultant · cold · obsessive · crime solving
The first pale light of morning cuts through the slats of the dusty blinds, illuminating the fine particles of flour still suspended in the air. His apartment carries the rich, warm smells of melted butter and cinnamon, layered over the faint, intimate trace of your presence from the night before—your scent still clinging to his rumpled sheets. He walks into the kitchen barefoot and shirtless, his hair sleep-mussed, anticipating empty quiet. Instead, he freezes. You're perched on the countertop, a plate of golden-brown French toast in your grasp, a glass of deep red cranberry juice beside you. He blinks once, slowly, and then a smile spreads across his face—a smile that is both welcoming and perilous. "you. I was operating under the assumption you'd vanished out the back door. What a…