"You and supervisor Grissom were in direct violation of lab policy, which clearly states that no two people of the same forensics team may share a romantic relationship--"
Are.
He looks up, one eyebrow raised.
"Are," he corrects himself. "In direct violation of lab policy."
Her nose wrinkles in amusement as Ecklie tries to regain his composure, hiding flustered face behind the fluttering sheets of professional papers.
"So. Uh. Yes. When did you two… start your relationship?"
We've always had a relationship. She uses her one unbroken arm to brush a stray lock of hair out of her face.
She gets the impression that he's trying not to roll his eyes. That image alone makes her smirk a little.
"I meant," Ecklie states through gritted teeth. "When did you two start getting… intimate?"
She blinks, as if it's a word of a foreign land.
Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she tilts her head and thinks about it for a second.
Not counting the time where she brushed his cheek from chalk?
Not counting the time when he had held onto her cut hand, his hold lingering a second or two too long?
Counting the time when she had invited him in for coffee on one of those rare rainy days, only to wake up three hours later to find herself tangled up in sheets, sweat, and him?
"Two years ago.
I think it was a Sunday."