It's not easy being in love with your partner.

It starts off slowly. You start to notice the way she twists the black strands of her hair between her fingers while she sits at her desk, working on a case.

You notice the way she smells (like freesias and vanilla) and you start to gravitate towards the scent when you sit close together on a stakeout.

You know that she hated being the only girl in a family of brothers, but she secretly loves the way they all look out for her.

You know that she has a fear of confined spaces.

You know her coffee order, her favourite colour and her bank code (except she doesn't know you know that last one).

You know that she cleans compulsively when she's anxious, but cannot cook to save her life.

You know that she is an absolute dork, but you also know you find it kind of adorable.

You know that the only thing that can match her competitiveness is her kind nature.

You know that your heart starts to hammer when she looks at you.

You know that she hated high school, but loved college because she felt like she finally found somewhere she belonged.

You know that her eyes light up when she feels comfortable around someone.

You know that her obsession with lace doilies comes from her grandmother who died when she was sixteen.

You know that someone like Teddy is probably her perfect guy and you can't help but irrationally hate him a little bit for that.

You know that one sweet smile from her can make you grin for the rest of the day.

You know that she's only ever really been in love once with a boy from college who broke her heart. He never really valued her anyway, she said. You know that if given a chance you sure as hell would.

This is how it starts. You realise that you know far more about Amy Santiago than you should. Hell, you probably know more about her than most girls you've dated.

And that's when you realise that you've got a problem on your hands.

You don't know when your partner stopped being kind of annoying and completely pedantic to utterly endearing and totally gorgeous. It's a fine balance, but you figure the change probably started around the time you realised that she has a special smile that she seems to reserve only for you.

But you don't want to be creepy and watch her from afar so you decide to tell her how you feel. You do it the cowardly way (so unlike all the cool, badass heroes in your favourite movies) and tell her just before you go undercover. You tell her how you feel and then run away. Then you spend six months seeing her features in people you pass in the streets and feeling the warmth of her body slide against yours in your dreams.

Then you've found someone new. The beautiful and witty Sophia. She is totally hot and insanely smart but you realise that as much as you try to force yourself, you don't feel your heart skip a beat when she walks into a room. She doesn't roll her eyes at you every five minutes or dance like a total dork when she's had more than two drinks. You knew that it wasn't going to last when Sophia saw the look on your face during that terrible (but wonderful) dinner with Amy and Teddy.

You realise that you've met your match in Amy Santiago, you think as you whisk Gina's great-aunt around the dance floor. She's looking at you and smiling that special smile that does crazy things to your heart. You also know that the way you're looking at her right now could probably only be described as tender.

Yeah, you know that you're a goner. It's not easy being in love with your partner. But for the first time in a long time you start to feel something like hope.