Detectives Scotty Valens and Lilly Rush stood silently in the elevator. Lilly hadn't spoken 3 words to him all day, despite his attempts to make conversation.
At last they came to the ground floor; Lilly turned left and Scotty turned right.
"Night Lil", Scotty said in a friendly voice. Maybe this time she would reply.
Not a chance; Lilly turned at him and gave him a look he would never forget. It wasn't just the anger in her eyes, although there was plenty of that to go around, it was also hurt, betrayal. She lingered for a few seconds, as if she was waiting for him to speak again. When he didn't, she turned and continued walking.
Scotty realized he had missed his one chance to talk to her. He ran after her, grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around.
"What have I done?" he demanded.
"You wanna talk about this now? In the Philly PD lobby? " Lilly joked, half hoping he would back off.
"Lil, answer me! Why do you hate my guts?" Scotty persisted
"Valens, do not tell me you don't know what this is about." Lilly's face became cold and serious.
"Oh, we're onto Valens now? No more Scotty?" he said, "Fine then, Rush! Is this about Christina?"
"No, it's about my great aunt in Alaska", Lilly replied sarcastically, "Who else would it be about?"
Scotty's face softened, "Lilly, look, Chris was a mistake, I admit. But it's over and done with… We've got to move on."
"I'm glad you got over it so quickly", Lilly snapped back. Her eyes still contained emotions Scotty couldn't begin to decipher. Lilly saw this as a chance to escape. She turned but he grabbed her again.
"Lilly, you've got to talk to me. I can tell you want to", Scotty held her so close that Lilly could feel his breath on her face. Peppermint.
A moment of silence as Lilly hesitated to reply. Both of them could feel the public staring at them.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Valens", she finally mustered, "Now let me go."
"Rush, I'm not letting go until you look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to tell me how you feel", Scotty held her tighter, "You're human, Lil, despite what others say."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lilly asked
"You're asking me? Come on Lil, you push people away. You never talk to anyone about anything apart from work. It'll help to tell someone, share the pain. I don't know what happened, what made you like this. But if you tell me, I'll stay put. I know Kite ran at the first chance. But Lil, I'm not Kite, I'll stay put", Scotty relaxed his grip a little, "Now, look me in the eyes and tell me you don't wanna talk. And I'll let you go."
"Just like that?" Lilly asked after he finished his speech.
"Just like that."
"Valens", Lilly looked at him, "I don't wanna talk to you." Scotty had no idea how hard it was for her to say that.
Scotty stared at her for a moment, which felt like a century. Then as he promised, he let go. He let go and walked away.
Lilly watched him; she slowly felt her chances slipping away. Maybe she still had one.
"Everyone thinks I'm so tough", she started, hoping he would hear her, "Everyone thinks I'm sooo tough. But no one ever, ever asks why? They don't even stop to think, not for a minute."
Scotty turned around. He listened, and he waited for more.
"You and Chris. That was fine, you got together, and then you split. Or she split. You got over it in a day. But no one ever thought: how does Lilly feel about Valens and her sister? They're all: Lilly doesn't feel a thing. She's just sitting at home, with her cats, not caring."
Scotty walked towards her, still listening. So Lilly carried on:
"Did you know that cases with single mothers affect me the most? Single mothers or little girls?"
Scotty shook his head.
"Or that that was because my mother didn't care enough to stay sober for 24 hours straight?"
Another shake.
"Or that she sent me out to the liquor store at 11 pm one night cause she didn't have a drop of booze left in the house? Or that the nice man at the store who knew my name because I went there so often…" Lilly paused. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "that, that he wasn't such a nice man after all."
Tears started flowing down her face. When she opened her eyes again, Scotty was still standing there. Only now a bit closer.
"I told you I'd stay put", he whispered and put his arm around her.
"I'm not finished yet. Valens. Scotty, did you know that the reason I was so angry at my sister was that once again she had gotten what she wanted on a silver platter and she didn't even think about what I got."
"She never had to do any errands for our mother, since she was younger", Lilly started counting on her fingers, "She got my fiancée, the easy way out of every single thing that happens in her life. And she got you?"
Scotty didn't know what to say. He still couldn't decipher what she was saying. What did she mean by that last sentence?
After a minute or two of just standing there; in the middle of the Philly PD lobby, both detective realized that most eyes were still on them.
"Well", Lilly said, wiping her eyes and trying to build up the guard she had just knocked down. Only she hoped to God that Scotty would stop her, "Thanks for listening Valens. You're a good guy."
She smiled, but only slightly because she knew that smiles revealed everything. She turned around and walked out of the lobby, without ever looking back. And that was the reason she couldn't see Scotty trying to find the words to stop her.
Trying to find the words was taking to long; Lilly had already left the building. Scotty knew he had to run.
"Wait! Lil!" he called as he ran in her direction.
"Valens, look I meant what I said. Thank you. You were right; I did need to tell someone."
The guard was up.
"Lil…" he didn't know how to put it into words.
"Scotty that's touching, really. But I've got 2 hungry cats at home and a busy day tomorrow."
"You mean something to me", Scotty finally said.
Lilly looked up: "Nice to know."
"I mean it, Lil! You meant something to me since day one. Since you told me why working the cold ones meant more than working on current cases. Since you smiled at me when I walked into the boss's office. All this time… Lil, that thing with Chris… well, I…I picked the wrong sister. Lilly, Lil, I want to be with you. Working the cases and after. I know you've had a rough time. And that you've got your guard up most of the time. But I'll stay put. I'll be there all the time so that when it comes down…" Scotty walks up to Lilly, "I can come up to you and do this."
He leans towards her and kisses her on the lips. Not a polite kiss and not one that just says goodnight. A kiss Lilly hadn't experienced in years, one she thought she'd never get. And she welcomed it.
Afterwards, Lilly looked down and around; anywhere but at Scotty. Finally she looked up:
"Ever wonder why I was the first to say hi on your first day?" she said with a grin on her face.
Scotty saw something he had never seen before; the most beautiful sight anyone could ever imagine. He saw a happy Lilly with a smile on her face and eyes that glistened in the night.
He put his arm around her and they walked towards the parking lot. Detectives Scotty Valens and Lilly Rush; happy.