Chris Charming
Jill approached Chris at his desk and set a Dr. Pepper infront of him. He looked up from his paperwork and gave her a confused look. "What's this for?" he asked.
"To get on your good side," she answered simply.
He set his pen down and raised an eyebrow. "You are on my goodside. You're my partner." He thought for a moment. "Did you do something?"
She grimaced. "You could say that."
"What?" Chris asked, growing concerned and begining to rise from his seat.
"Dated an idiot."
Chris settled back down. "Which one?" He sighed and gave her a look. "In my opinion, they've all been idiots."
She chuckled. "You're right." She frowned then and shook her head. "It's Chad."
"The guy you told me about last week? Didn't you break up with him." A statement, not a question.
Jill nodded and sighed. "Yeah. But he keeps calling and trying to convince me to date him again. He's disgusting and a jerk and I most certainly don't want to date him again." She bit her lip and looked at Chris through her eyelashes. "I was hoping you could help me get rid of him."
"You want me to kick his ass? I will," he suggested, picking up the Dr. Pepper and opening it. He took a sip before offering it to her.
She thanked him and took a sip before handing it back. "No, I was thinking a less... Violent approach." She pulled her fingers through her hair quickly before continuing on. "I was hoping you could help me make him think I'm already taken?"
Chris looked up at her. "What, like we're dating?" his tone was only questioning, not judgemental. She answered yes. He shrugged. "Sure."
She sighed in relief then smiled at him. "Thanks!"
"So, how're we going to do this?"
She thought for a moment. "I guess the next time he calls."
"Okay."
It didn't take long for Chad to call Jill. She was sitting at her desk which was across from Chris's. Her eye seemed to twitch when she looked at the caller ID. She looked up at Chris and nodded. He nodded back. She answered. "Chad, stop calling me... No, I will not go back to you! ... Why? The first reason is that you're a sleezy asshole, the second is I'm already dating someone! ... Who? Here, you can talk to him!"
She handed the phone over to Chris who had been waiting patiently. He took the phone and smiled at her, though his expression changed when he started to talk. "Hello?" Pause. "Yeah, I am. Why the hell do you keep bothering her?" He stood and motioned to Jill to wait for him to finish on the phone, leaving her at her desk to wait.
A few minutes later, he re-entered the room and handed Jill her phone. "Well? Is he going to leave me alone?"
Chris sat down at his desk and, with a straight face, said, "I'm fighting to defend your honour at six."
Jill went completely silent before bursting out in laughter. "What?"
He shrugged. "I didn't like how he talked about you, so I threatened to kick his ass. He took the threat seriously, so now we're gonna meet up at the lot next to the abandoned movie theater at six."
She smiled at him. "As much as I appreciate it, I don't want you getting hurt. I'm coming with."
He nodded. "Okay."
"See, this is why your better than him. If I said that to him, he would've been all "No! You're not going! It's dangerous for a woman!" Bitch, please. I defuse bombs and catch criminals for a living! I can handle some hand-to-hand fight. Better than he can." He chuckled and she smirked. "Can we place bets? I bet that you're gonna win. Hell, I'd bet my life savings on that."
"I get off at four. You too, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Meanwhile, Joseph and Forest are stuck here until midnight." She smirked again. "Why?"
" 'Cause I'll take you out to dinner. Ever been to Deb's Diner?"
Her smirk softened into a smile. "You really are a lot better than him."
"Okay, I've got another one," Jill stated.
"Lay it on me then," Chris stated before taking a bite of his burger. They were sitting in Deb's Diner, exchanging riddles. Chris, while he was smart, seemed to be a bit slow to figure them out, while Jill got them in only a few moments of thinking.
"A man is lying dead in the desert with a backpack on. There's a stick a few feet away. How'd he die?" Jill picked up her fork, stabbing a fry with it and dipping it in ranch, an odd habit she picked up in college.
Chris went for the most obvious answer. "Of thirst."
She smiled and shook her head. "Nope."
He knitted his eyebrows. "... Did someone kill him with the stick?"
"Nada."
He gave her a confused look and set his burger down. "... Uh."
"Do you give up?" she asked, eating another fry. He sighed and nodded. "His parachute didn't open."
"... What parachute?"
"I told you; he had a backpack on." She gave him a smug smile before finishing off her last few bites of food. "I win."
Chris sighed. "Yeah. You do."
"Sorry, Chris, but I always win."
The waitress came along and noticed how Jill was done and Chris was almost. She was an older woman of german decent; she'd slip in and out of her accent. Her name was Melanie. She had graying, curly brown hair and a kind face. She knew Chris from his often dinners there. He always sat in her section so he could be served by her. "Chris, are you ordering dessert for yourself and this lovely lady?"
Chris smiled at the woman then looked to Jill. "Do you want dessert? Icecream or something?"
Jill glanced down at her wristwatch and frowned. "I'd like to, but it's almost six."
Chris frowned. "Sorry, Mel, we can't. We've got something to take care of something at six."
Melanie tutted. "Do it quickly and come back. You two are a darling couple. I want to see you back here, bitte."
Jill blushed lightly and Chris smiled a little more. "We'll try to come back after we finish, then."
"Bitte! You must!"
Chris payed the bill and reassured the older woman they would try to return for desert.
The lot besides the abandoned theater was empty was Chris pulled his truck in. Both he and Jill stepped out, leaning back against the vehicle. "It's ten past the hour," Jill pointed out. "He might've chickened out, but it's too soon to tell."
Chris shrugged. "Oh well. Just means we'll get back to Deb's Diner for some dessert quicker."
Jill nodded. Glancing around, she found that a car was about to turn into the lot. Chad's car. "Shit, Chris, he's here. You're going to have to live with this."
"Live with wha-" he was cutoff. Suddenly in an open mouth kiss with her, he was unable to talk. Her kiss was intoxicating, her taste addicting. He put his hands on her waist and she slipped her fingers, excluding her thumbs, into his back pockets. It was the closest they'd been to each other, that was for sure. But both felt as though it was something natural for them, being that close.
They broke apart once Chad parked his car. "You... You're a good actress," Chris murmured as she pulled away.
She giggled and winked at him. "Who said I was acting?" He blushed lightly and they waited for Chad to get out of his car. As the sleezy man approached, Jill casually slipped her hand into Chris's. He gently squeezed it.
"Why'd you bring a woman to a fight?" Chad asked, attempting to sound intimidating.
"Because she wanted to come and she can handle herself in any situation. If you haven't noticed, she's been in the Military before and works for STARS now." Chris smirked and Jill chuckled on the confused look on Chad's face.
"You're that prick she works with, aren't you?" Chad asked angrily, swearing at the end. Jill rolled her eyes, not enjoying he talked as though she weren't there.
The marksman nodded. "Yeah. So unless you want to be maimed, I'd suggest you turn around and climb right back into your crappy little car. I've been in the Airforce and I've gotten extensive hand-to-hand training. I can kick your ass five ways to Friday." Chad scowled. Chris stood a little straighter, showing off his physique. He tensed slightly, allowing his muscles to stand out. Compared to Chris, Chad was a very weak man. "Leave. Jill. Alone."
He looked up at the marksman and then to Jill and back. "Fine," he spat. And just like that, he was gone.
Jill sighed in relief. "Thank you, Chris." She hugged him, holding herself in his arms for a moment. He held her tight.
"No problem, Jill."
She stretched up and kissed him again, this time a closed mouth kiss. He returned it with a slow enthusiasm. It didn't last as long as their first. When they pulled away, their eyes met and they both smiled. "Let's go back to Deb's for dessert," the lockpick expert suggested.
Not ten minutes later, they had returned to the same booth they had been sitting at before. Mel appeared and took their orders; Chris got a peanut butter sundae, while Jill ordered cookie dough ice cream in a bowl.
They talked back and forth quietly. Jill bumped her knee against his beneath the table and he smiled, but rolled his eyes at her. She blamed him for it and they bickered for a moment. They shared a kiss over their ice cream. Jill's hand slipped into his once more, plans silently being shared for their future together in the gentle grip.