Every day for two months he went.
Said it was for a falafel, be deep down he knew he just wanted to see her.
The girl who worked the stand just lit up his day. There was no other way to skin it. She was adorable. Always perfectly poised, serving with a smile.
Detective Javier Esposito would casually wander down to her stand, hands shoved in his pockets, because he was afraid they would shake if he let them out.
They'd make casual conversation during which he would avoid looking in her eyes, because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to turn away.
Every day she'd ask him to tell her a story.
Afterwards, like clockwork, she would tell him he was a hero. It made him grin with a cocktail of embarrassment and humble pride.
It was a sad day, when she told him her family was moving upstate to be with family. The two enjoyed a particularly long lunch together that day. Esposito had known he'd be reamed for it when he got back to the precinct, but he didn't care.
He was going to do it. Tell her that he had a massive crush on her. But she had beat him to the punch. The wonderfully sweet falafel girl came right out and said she had enjoyed their time together. Giggling, admitted that she had a "tiny bit of a crush" on him. They laughed for the entire afternoon.
Every day for two months he went.