Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is an excerpt from the new chapter story I'm working on. Basically I'm posting to get some feedback as to whether or not people would even be interested in reading something like this. It's AU (Alternate Universe) where Sam and Andy are neighbors. They are both still police officers but Andy works at a different division for reasons that will be explained in the story. She still has ties to the 15th division- Luke and the other rookies, but she and Sam don't meet until she moves in next door to him and they definitely don't hit it off right away. The whole backstory will be explained in more detail in the story. Anyway, let me know what you think! If people seem interested I'll try and get the first chapter up at the beginning of next week.
Andy groaned when she saw him from the cab. He was standing on the sidewalk in front of his townhouse and when the cab pulled to a stop he dipped his head to look inside. She rolled her eyes at the way his face lit up when he noticed she was the passenger.
She shoved some money into the driver's hand and then exited as gracefully as she could, balancing precariously on her too-high heels and feeling very exposed in the short, strapless dress she was wearing, all the while trying to ignore his inquisitive eyes.
"Wow," he exclaimed indulgently, folding his arms over his chest as he watched her walk past him. "Making the walk of shame on a Wednesday morning. That's classy, McNally."
She sighed as she fumbled in her purse for her keys. "Not that it's any of your business, Sam," she replied coolly, standing at the foot of the stairs that led up to her house, "But today is my Saturday."
"Oh well then, in that case," Sam held up his hand in mock surrender. "My apologies. What? Did, uh, Callaghan have to go to work or something? Kick you out of bed?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you care?"
"I don't," he replied simply.
"Why are you even out here?"
Sam motioned to the trashcan in front of him. "It's garbage day," he said by way of explanation.
"Oh, that's right." Andy sighed heavily, having forgotten. She pinched the bridge of her nose, aggravated that her plan of kicking off her heels and falling into her bed as quickly as possible had been derailed. Taking a deep breath, she headed into the alley to get her trashcan.
"I already brought yours out," Sam called, stopping her. She turned around to look at him and he pointed to the second trashcan on the curb.
"Oh," she muttered, caught off guard by the very random and uncharacteristic act of kindness from her neighbor.
"They were right next to each other," he told her casually, not wanting to make a big deal of it. "It was just one trip."
"Well, thank you," she said. She was too tired to consider what the very confusing gesture meant. "That was… nice of you, I guess."
Sam just shrugged and then turned to walk up his front steps.
Andy shook her head and walked up her own steps, pausing to unlock her door. Just as she was about to open it she heard him call out to her.
"Hey McNally?" he said, looking over at her from his porch.
"What?"
His jaw tightened and he sucked his cheeks in as if he were rethinking what he had wanted to say. She watched as his tongue darted out over his top teeth before he finally continued, "Your boyfriend," he spat the word out disdainfully, "Is a dick."
The irritation she felt earlier surfaced again and she could feel her face redden, flushing with heat. "That's funny," she replied humorlessly. "He says the same thing about you."
Sam smirked sarcastically. "Aw, you talk about me? That's so sweet."
Andy returned his smirk with a glare of contempt. She pushed her door open and went inside, not even bothering to say goodbye.