RED IS HER COLOR
"Do you have to be so sullen?"
"Yes!" Bosco griped.
They were working a crime scene in Bed Stuy. Bosco and his partner had been the first at the scene and after discovering the two bodies Major crimes were called to take over. Bosco was usually happy to help Faith process the scene and learn from her. But today he had had a bad day.
"Come on, Bos, it's not that bad. In four days it's Christmas and you'll have a day off. It's a lovely day today, not too cold either. You have no reason to be in such a bad mood. Besides, we're sort of partners again," she grinned at him.
"Yeah, that really helps," he rolled his eyes.
Faith turned away, ashamed to admit she felt insulted. Bos and she had mended their relationship after a long and painful talk, and apart from both of them changing in the difficult past year, their relationship was back to normal. But Faith had to admit she was very touchy about what Bosco thought of her. The memory of what she had done after he had come out of the hospital still made her feel guilty and at times she feared Bosco still resented her. He had sworn he didn't, but she wasn't completely convinced.
Faith pretended to be busy collecting evidence and tried not to look at Bosco. After an hour her back was killing her and she straightened up. She didn't see the car coming from behind her. All she felt was a sudden pain in her legs and then she flew through the air and landed painfully on her back on the ground.
"Faith!" Bosco yelled in shock when he saw the car hit her. "Faith!"
He kneeled down by her side, trying to quickly assess her condition. When she opened her eyes, he gave a quiet thanks. She groaned.
"Don't move," he ordered. "Miller called a bus."
"I'm fine," she whispered. "Just sore."
"Don't move, Faith. Maybe you're injured and you don't feel it cause of the adrenaline."
"I said I was fine," she said more stubbornly and tried to get up. Bosco grabbed her arms and pinned her down. He took off his jacket and rolled it, putting it under her head. Then he adjusted her coat so that it was covering her, protecting her from the cold.
"They'll be here in a minute," he said softly to comfort her.
She felt ridiculous lying on the ground with a dozen men staring at her, Bosco and her boss Miller among them. She groaned again, this time not from pain, but from embarrassment.
As Bosco promised, the bus was there in no time and the paramedics checked her out and then suggested she go to the hospital just to make sure everything was okay with her. She didn't want to go, but Bosco nearly ordered her to.
"Don't be stubborn, Faith."
"You're the one to talk," she shot back.
"Well, I'm not hurt," he grinned when he saw relived that she was more pissed than hurt.
"Neither am I." Nevertheless she let the paramedics drive her to a checkup. By the time she was allowed to go home she was exhausted. They had x-rayed her, then she had to wait for a doctor to come see her and tell her what the x-rays showed. Finally he had given her a prescription and she was allowed to leave. Her soreness was worse by the minute and all she wanted to do was go home, have a hot bath and go to bed.
She was on her way to pick up the prescribed drugs when she ran into Bosco, still in his uniform. She checked her watch. It was past midnight.
"What happened?" she asked. "How come you're still on duty?"
He looked surprised at her and only then noticed she was staring at his uniform. "Oh, I'm not. I was waiting for you."
At first she was taken aback, but then she realized it was a pleasant surprise. "Really? You shouldn't have. I'm fine. I just need to get these drugs and then I'll go home."
"I'll take you."
"Nah, there's no need for that. I'll take a cab."
"No, seriously. I'll take you with my car. The boss knows I'm here and I told him I'll be taking you home once you're finished here."
She stared at him, then she nodded. The worry she had seen on his face when she saw him in the hallway, had vanished.
She grabbed the bag of Aspirins and a cream. Bosco drove her home and she thanked him before he left to return to the station.
Faith was ordered to stay home for a day and although she had complained about it to the doctor the previous evening, she was grateful in the morning. She barely got out of the bed so sore she was. She should be thankful all her bones were in one piece. Miller had told her it looked terrible the way the car had hit her. They had already apprehended the driver. He was drunk and high. She was mad that she wouldn't be able to see him in person as he was being transferred to Central booking today.
She made herself a cup of coffee and then took the Aspirins. The doctor was right. She needed them to prevent clotting. Her bruises were so horrible she doubted the Aspirins would be enough. Her whole back was of some weird indescribable color and so were her left hip and her left elbow. She was losing her patience when she tried to apply the cream to her back. It would be awkward even if she were okay, but with all the soreness she could barely do it.
As the day progressed she began to feel better and she guessed the next day would be fine once she got back to work. But the next morning was equally painful. She got to work in a very bad mood and tired from all the pain.
"How are you?" Bosco said behind her back and scared her. She jumped and turned around, hitting his chest with her elbow with painful consequences.
"Ouch!" she grabbed her elbow.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay," she breathed through clenched teeth. "I'm still sore."
"I can see that. Are you taking your meds?"
She nodded. "I'll be fine in a couple of days."
Soon afterwards they were both called to their separate assignments and Faith didn't see him again in two days.
On Christmas day Faith had a day off. Charlie and Emily were at Fred's and Faith felt guilty when she was relieved they weren't with her. But all she wanted to do was rest and get rid of the pain. She didn't feel like decorating the apartment or cooking a Christmas dinner. She stayed in bed till one and then she just changed her clothes and moved to the couch. She was lying on her stomach so her back could get a respite from all the hurting.
At four in the afternoon someone knocked on her door. Before she opened it she knew it was Bosco. She let him in.
He turned around surprised. "Don't you have a Christmas tree?"
"No. I didn't feel like putting it up. I was too sore," she smiled.
"You could've asked me."
"It's just a tree," she waved her hand dismissively. Not that she didn't like the Christmas spirit, but if she had to choose between a decorated tree and that nuisance of a pain, she preferred to be pain-free and treeless.
"Want something to drink?"
He shrugged. "What do you have?"
"I can make us coffee."
"Sure."
She walked into the kitchen and she heard Bosco behind her back, "Have you eaten anything?"
She snickered. It was crazy to think the man, asking her whether she had eaten or why she hadn't put up her Christmas tree, was Bosco. Two years ago it wouldn't even cross his mind to ask that. It scared her sometimes when she noticed how 'grown-up' he had become since that fateful shooting. She feared she had lost her boyish, careless Bosco. But on the other hand it felt nice someone was worried about her since Fred didn't give a damn anymore.
She turned on the coffee machine.
"Yeah, I've eaten."
"Yeah? What?" he asked suspiciously.
She laughed when she returned to the door. "You're worse than my mom."
He gave her a crooked grin. She brought the two mugs into the living room and set them down onto the coffee table.
"What's this?" Bosco asked and pointed to the cream she had on the table.
"That's for my bruises. It's a bitch to apply it to my back cause I'm all sore." She made a face.
Bosco remained silent, slowly sipping his piping hot coffee.
"It looked awful," he suddenly commented.
"What?"
"The way you flew through the air. I thought …"
He didn't look at her. She could feel his fear. She felt sorry for him, she hadn't meant to scare him like that. She knew all too well how it felt watching someone you cared about dying in your arms. She shivered.
"Well, you know," he said instead of continuing.
"I know," she said quietly and covered his hand with hers. He still didn't look at her. Faith knew he wasn't comfortable showing his feelings, but she was grateful he had said as much as he had. It meant a lot to her.
After those first moments they talked about more neutral topics, laughing at some of the incidents from work. He asked about Charlie and Emily, she asked how Rose was. An hour passed by quickly.
Faith changed her position on the couch, completely forgetting her sore back. She groaned with pain.
Bosco looked at her alarmed.
"I forgot," she explained.
"Come on," he suddenly said. She didn't understand what he meant until she saw he was holding the cream in his hand.
She shook her head vigorously. Bosco applying the cream was not a good idea.
"Hey, we used to be partners. It's not like I haven't seen you half naked before. Besides, as you said it's difficult for you to apply it yourself."
"Absolutely not," she protested.
He looked perfectly serious when he ordered her again, "Lay down on the couch and take your shirt off."
She just shook her head like a stubborn child.
"It'll hurt you if I make you do it," he threatened with a smirk.
She grunted a complaint, turning away from him and pulling her t-shirt over her head. She lay down on the couch on her stomach. Bosco sat next to her and she suddenly felt he unhooked her bra.
"What are you …" she started getting up, realizing that was a bad idea. She fumed in the pillow when she heard him chuckle behind her back.
For a long moment she waited for his hands to touch her back. She wondered what was taking him so long. She realized what it was when she felt he had warmed the cold cream in his palms. She was surprised at his considerateness. He spread the cream over her left side, massaging it slowly and softly into her battered skin.
"It looks terrible, doesn't it?" she asked.
"It looks painful," he said.
She regretted him seeing her in such a state. When she had thought of Bosco seeing her naked she imagined she would be in her best shape and in sexy lingerie. Now her back was all purplish and she had her most comfortable sweats on. Just as she thought that, she heard him say, "Take your pants off."
She wasn't sure she heard him correctly. She turned her head to look at him. "What?"
Her hair was falling like a waterfall down her right side. He looked mesmerized at her face.
"I said take your pants off. Your hip is all bruised too."
"My hip is fine."
They stared at each other in a standoff, both stubborn and not willing to let go. Although they were in a situation they weren't used to, Bosco didn't look in the least lost when he deposited the cream on the table and grabbed her for her waist. He pulled her sweats over her hips in one deft move, completely shocking Faith. When she realized what he was doing it was already too late. She buried her face in the pillow, ashamed and a bit frightened.
He was quiet for a long moment and Faith didn't dare look at him. Finally, he whispered, "Do you always wear panties like this?"
That morning she had put on red lace panties. Now she regretted doing that. She imagined how Bosco must think they were completely inappropriate for her, a divorcee in her forties and a mother of two.
She didn't know what to say when she felt his hand going over her buttocks. She was completely baffled. What was she supposed to do? Bosco was feeling up her ass and she didn't know whether he was mocking her or admiring her.
After a moment she felt him applying the cream to her hip. His massaging moves were pleasing her far too much to feel comfortable. She wasn't supposed to feel so excited by her ex partner's touch. It was insane. It was inappropriate.
Bosco remained quiet. His hands on her skin were the only proof that he was still there. When he finished Faith didn't know what to do. She felt extremely embarrassed.
She sat up, carefully covering her breasts before she managed to hook her bra again. She pulled her t-shirt over her head and sat up. She looked sideways at Bosco. He was looking at her with lust in his eyes. His expression was disquieting because it was a reflection of her own feelings. When he pulled her to his lap she was helpless to resist.
"Bos, what are you doing?" she murmured.
He kissed her on her mouth so forcefully it left her breathless. Then he eased the kiss, making it more sensual and slow. Her own desire scared her enough, to see his in his eyes caused her to panic.
"We shouldn't be doing this," she protested weakly, thinking of how he would lose all his respect for her if she succumbed to his charms. She was not supposed to be one of his hussies.
"Why not?" he retorted with a throaty voice.
"We're partners and we have years of friendship behind us."
He sat still for a moment, staring in her eyes before he answered with a deep, husky voice, "We were partners. And being friends only makes it better."
She shook her head to object once again, but when he kissed her she lost her voice and all common sense. He pulled her closer and she was shocked when she felt the bulge in his pants. Alarmed she pulled back, staring confused at Bosco. He tried calming her by caressing her arms.
"It's okay, Faith."
She wasn't so sure it was okay. In fact, she was far from being sure of anything. She was sitting in her underwear in Bosco's lap. Even in her wildest dreams she couldn't imagine something like this. It was absolutely crazy. Yet it felt so good, feeling his arms around her and his lips kissing her. She tried to act reasonably and stop him before it was too late, but deep down she knew she wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her brains out.
He felt that she gave in and that made his heart beat excitedly. Having Faith in his lap was worth more than anything he could possibly imagine. He pushed her away slightly and reached for his belt. He unbuckled it and unzipped his jeans. When he raised his face, he saw the wonder in Faith's eyes. He had to smile at her almost innocent look.
"Faith, if you don't want this …"
She wasn't sure it was a good idea, but she knew she'd regret it for the rest of her life if she rejected him now. She answered the only way she knew how – she kissed him. Bosco pulled her t-shirt over her head and unhooked her bra and held her breasts in his palms. She let her head fall back, gasping at the pleasure his hands evoked in her.
"Oh, Bos," she sighed when he took her breast in his mouth. She had to grab his shoulders for support.
He pressed her to his chest, just holding her close and trying to calm a bit. Then he kissed her neck before he pushed her panties to the side.
"Ride me, Faith," he moaned into her ear and just his words sent a jolt of pleasure through her body. She felt him against her. It awakened a burning need in her, a feeling she hadn't felt in years, a feeling she hadn't known she was capable of feeling.
When she started moving against him, she heard him gasp. She couldn't get enough of him, she stroked his chest, kissed his face and neck. Bosco was groaning, grabbing her hips to slow her.
Bosco kept repeating her name. He groaned when she quickened her rhythm. He bucked his hips in response.
"Oh, God, Faith." He grabbed her thighs and closed his eyes when he came, moaning and gasping. His head fell back as Faith collapsed in his arms. She was breathing quickly. She didn't want to open her eyes because she didn't want to leave her inner world of pure delight. But when she did open them, she realized she had nothing to fear when she saw the look in Bosco's eyes. He was staring adoringly at her, lazily stroking her leg, unable to say anything.
She hugged him around his neck and when she felt his hand on her back, pressing her closer, she knew this was not a mistake. She sighed content and wanted to stay like that forever.
Bosco covered them with the quilt as well as he could. They stayed like that for a while, quiet and immersed each in their own thoughts. But after a while Bosco said he had to leave.
"Sure?"
"Yeah, I have to."
She watched him as he got dressed. Outside it had already gotten dark and the room was lit only by a small table lamp. She could admire the bronze color of his sculptured body and it made her mouth water. She wanted him again, but he seemed distant and inaccessible. She didn't want to force him into something he didn't want. This was a new situation for both of them and they both had a lot of thinking to do.
"See you," he said and kissed her before he left her apartment.
She slowly dressed too, feeling her soreness disappear. She knew it would return in the morning, but making love to Bosco did miracles for her body and soul.
After Christmas came less festive days when she had to work far longer than her usual shift since they were trying to solve the double murder. She spent most of her days with Miller. She saw Bosco a few times in the hallways of his house, but they had no time to talk. He only greeted her and hurried on, busy as always. He didn't show with anything that he even remembered what had happened between them. Faith felt almost disappointed. She had hoped for a small, telling smile, a special look or a secret touch of his hand. But she didn't get anything.
Five days later, when they finally got a lead on the killer, Faith began to fear Bosco regretted their passionate encounter. When she drove with Miller to the suspect's house, she kept thinking of Bosco instead of the job at hand. She knew she shouldn't be so distracted on the job, but she just couldn't help herself. When they arrived there was already a group of uniformed cops there. Bosco was among them.
The arrest went down as expected and they soon returned to the house, but Faith had to return to her office and she didn't see Bosco again that day. That fact overshadowed her happiness at the successful arrest and she returned home tired and more than a little sad.
She was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock. At first it was so quiet she thought she had imagined it, but the second one was louder. She opened the door and was left staring at Bosco.
He smiled at her. She didn't know whether to smile back or not.
"Well, will you make me stand in the hallway?" he asked smirking.
She moved aside and he entered into the living room. She noticed he had a package with him. When he saw where she was looking, he smiled.
"It's for you. A very late Christmas present."
Faith felt odd. A moment ago she doubted he ever wanted to see her again because he hadn't called her in days, hadn't come to see her or even just said anything at work. Now he was there smiling, with a gift for her, like there hadn't passed five days since he had last been there in her apartment, driving her crazy making love to her.
"Bosco, what's this all about?"
He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "You didn't call, didn't say anything …"
He still didn't understand.
"Do you regret it?" she asked aggressively.
"What?" he exclaimed too loudly.
"Well you didn't behave too kindly this past week, did you?"
He became angry and he put the box none too gently onto the coffee table. "Oh, no, Faith, don't try pinning this on me! If you regret it don't you try and make me look bad! I'm sick of being your constant excuse."
"What are you talking about?" she asked confused and slightly incited at his outburst.
"What I'm talking about? I'll tell you! Every time something goes to hell your answer is: it's Bosco's fault. Well, this time it isn't! I don't regret a fucking thing, but you seem to!"
He threw her an ugly look before he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.
Faith sat down onto the couch, shocked and hurting. She covered her face with her hands. Bosco was right. She kept accusing him of things he hadn't done, just so she'd come out of it unscathed. She had felt insecure about the two of them and instead of admitting it, she accused Bosco of doubting them.
She leaned back on the couch, trying to figure out what she should do. She was staring at the forgotten present, wrapped in green paper and tied with a dark red bow. He had brought her a present and she insulted him. Nice work, Faith!
She was too upset to go to bed now. She picked up her phone and tried calling him but his phone was disconnected as she had thought it would be. He didn't want to talk to her and she could understand it. She had behaved less than pleasantly.
She wiped a tear and sniffled when she thought about how Bosco must feel that same moment.
A knock on the door sent a jolt through her. She stood up hurriedly and opened it expectantly. There stood Bosco in front of her with a repentant expression on his face.
He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything for a moment. "Faith …"
"I'm sorry, Bos. I had no right," she hurriedly whispered, hoping it wasn't too late. Her eyes again filled with tears.
"I shouldn't yell at you. I just panicked cause I thought you didn't want me."
He lowered his eyes to the floor. When Faith whispered frightened that she thought the same, he finally asked, "How could you think that?"
She shrugged, feeling stupid and childish.
He put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I was going completely wrong about this. I guess it was thoughtless of me not to say anything. I just saw how busy you were at work and with the vacation I thought Charlie and Emily might be here with you so I didn't want to make you feel like you had to spend time with me or anything. I thought I'd wait for a while till things calmed down. I didn't think …"
"It's okay, Bos," she smiled weakly. "I just wasn't sure. It's hard for me to believe you'd want me."
"Faith," he whispered and then kissed her lovingly. She willingly let him hug her and press her to his chest, enjoying his warmth and gentleness.
When he stood back, he looked at her face. She seemed more self-confident and happy. He was satisfied. He didn't like seeing her miserable, especially if he knew he was the reason for it.
"Here," he bowed to get the nicely wrapped box and handed it to her. "At first I thought I should get you something romantic, but then I thought this is more you." His mysterious grin made her wonder what he had bought her.
She tore at the paper impatiently. He chuckled when he saw her eagerness. She opened the box and saw something red. She pulled out an outrageously sexy bra and panties. She opened her mouth shocked.
For a second Bosco doubted he had chosen correctly, but then her eyes filled with a mixture of joy and mischief. "It's gorgeous," she said quietly.
"I hoped you'd like it. Red looks great on you," he smirked and pulled her to him.
"Should I try it on?" she said enticingly.
"I'd like that," he murmured as he kissed her. "I'd like it a lot."
She laughed whole-heartedly when he slowly pushed her towards her more comfortable bedroom.