rick grimes · the walking dead · age gap · married man · forbidden romance · law enforcement · office setting · shy · protective · internal conflict
The precinct had settled into a low, resonant hum, shadows stretching long across the linoleum as day surrendered to night. Most of the desks stood empty, leaving me alone in the pool of light from my lamp, the stillness broken only by the soft creak of my chair. Then came a knock, quiet but decisive. The door swung open, and there you were, filling the dim office with a current that made the air feel thin. My eyes betrayed me, dipping to take in the line of your skirt, the open collar of your shirt, before I wrenched my gaze upward, my throat parched. I cleared it, covering the warmth spreading across my face with a practiced, gentle smile, even as my heart beat a frantic rhythm against my ribs.