One Drink
She took a long sip of beer and glanced around the dimly lit, unfamiliar bar they were sitting in. She scanned the room counting a dozen or so other patrons and then turned her attention back to Danny. He wanted to talk, probably about Linda. That, she guessed, was why they were here instead of their local cop bar. Here they were away from the prying eyes and ears of their fellow cops. As she watched him swirl the last few sips of beer around the bottom of the bottle a small smile played on her lips as she realised that with the exception of their earlier conversation about the case they'd just closed he'd barely spoken at all. He sighed loudly, she was brought out of her thoughts and readied herself to listen.
"You know, it's funny..." he started, lifting his eyes to look at her. He paused and took a small sip of beer.
"I used put off going home until I knew Linda would be in bed so we wouldn't have to talk about me working late, again. But...since she...died, I put off going home because all that's waiting for me is an empty bed." He sighed again and resumed staring at the half centimetre of beer swirling around the bottom of the bottle. She stared at him finding that, like the grieving people they dealt with everyday, she wasn't really sure what to say. She lowered her eyes to her own beer and hoped that listening would be enough. A not uncomfortable silence fell between them until she decided she should at least say something.
"Maybe, when you're ready, you should try dating a cop." She suggested. He looked at her, surprised by where she'd decided to take the conversation.
"No one gets the job better than..." She froze mid sentence as she looked up from her beer. He was staring at her intensely and from the expression on his face he clearly thought she was suggesting herself. Though the thought had crossed her mind, that hadn't been the intention behind her comment.
"I'd be lying if I said it had never crossed my mind." He admitted before she could speak, definitely referring to her.
"Really?" The word came out before she could stop it. He watched as she blushed slightly and found he liked that he had that effect on her.
"I was married Baez, not blind. Or stupid." He added watching her cheeks redden further.
"You ever think about it?" He asked.
"About you?" She asked stunned by the turn things had taken.
"Yeah." He confirmed, enjoying her discomfort. She quickly realised that as she noticed him trying to suppress a grin.
"Maybe, once or twice, but then I met your brother." She teased grinning.
"Ouch." He put his hand to his chest grinning back. They stared at each other both wondering how a quiet drink after work had turned into them flirting with each other. As Danny stared, thinking about just how beautiful the woman sitting across from him was, he realised how far they had strayed into unsafe territory for two single partners. He reluctantly broke the eye contact, upended his beer and finally finished the sip he'd been nursing for the last twenty minutes.
"We should probably call it a night." He told her.
"Right." She replied disappointed but knew he was right. They both stood, grabbed their coats and began to head towards the door.
They walked through the bar both putting on their coats. They were doing up the buttons as they stepped out the door when Baez turned to Danny.
"You remembered I'm in court tomorrow morning?" She asked as they came to a stop a few feet outside the door.
"Oh, right, I guess I'm riding a desk." He grumbled. She gave him a sympathetic smile knowing how much he hated being stuck behind a desk.
"It should only be for the morn-"
"Look out." She was interrupted by Danny as he quickly pulled her close. She looked behind herself in time to see he had pulled her out of the path of a group of drunk young men running down the street.
"Thanks." She told him as she watched the young men disappear into the night. She turned her head back to face him and realised they were pressed together, their faces only centimetres apart.
Her eyes met his and he watched as they widened. He found himself frozen, unable and unwilling to let her go. She stared into eyes, being this close she could see the tiny flecks of gold in amongst the brown and for the first time realised how beautiful his eyes were. Her breathing became faster and more shallow as she felt the warmth radiating from his chest where her hands were resting. His heart began to hammer in his chest as he felt the warmth of her body against his. He studied the delicate features of her face and was unable to resist glancing at her full, red lips. Neither could say who leaned in first but moments later their lips brushed. They were hesitant at first until each felt the other respond and the kiss deepened. One of Baez hands gripped his lapel, the other slid up his chest and slipped around his neck as his grip around her waist tightened. They stood there in the street, bodies pressed against each other, kissing fervently until another patron leaving the bar bumped Danny's shoulder and they finally broke apart.
"Bad idea." Danny said between breaths as he and Baez stared at each other wide eyed, shocked at what they had just done.
"Yeah." She agreed.
"It was...really...but, it's a bad idea." He felt compelled to add.
"I know."
"We're partners, we can't..." He continued.
"It's ok, you don't have to..." She cut him off, worried talking would only make things worse.
"So...this never happened." He stated.
"What never happened?" She asked with a small smile, reassuring him they were on the same page. He smiled back and nodded in the direction of their cars. They walked together in silence both lost in their thoughts. They rounded the corner and parted ways, each of them walking to their respective cars. She unlocked her car and opened the door.
"See you tomorrow." She called out.
"See ya." He replied as he stood next to his car and watched as she climbed into hers and drove away. Once she had turned the corner and was out of sight he unlocked the door and got into the car. He closed the door, leaned his head back against the headrest and let out a sigh. He sat for a few moments before finally turning on the car and pulling out into the street. As he drove through the darkened streets of the city he realised, with the memory of that kiss seared into his brain, he wouldn't be alone in bed for awhile.