Audrey was standing in front of a long mirror, smoothing a hand over the front of her blouse, when a loud knock rapped on her door.
"Just a moment!" she called out. She checked over the outfit once more and was still unsatisfied. Something looked off. With a huff, she retucked the hem of the top into her tight black pencil skirt. There. That looked better.
"Audrey?"
A small smile flitted across her face. She hadn't been expecting him to show up at her apartment before they met up at the bar, but then again it didn't surprise her.
She ran her hands through her hair once to tousle the soft waves and then turned away from the mirror. She reached down and slid her feet into her black ankle boots.
Through the sheer curtain over the glass door, Audrey could see him raise his arm again to knock. She strode over to the door and pulled it open just in time. She opened her mouth to greet him froze.
Gone were the grey Henley and blue canvas jacked she had seen him in earlier that day. Now he was wearing a form fitting black t shirt and a dark leather jacket.
"Hey Nathan," she forced out. She watched his eyes scan her form a couple of times and felt her cheeks flush.
It was a few seconds before his eyes jumped up to meet hers and he responded, "Hey, Parker. Uhh… Audrey. You look… very nice."
Audrey looked down at the deep blue ruffled top she was wearing. It was a richer color and a thinner, sheerer material than she usually wore. She'd grabbed it from the local consignment shop a few months ago on impulse but it had sat on the back of her close unneeded until now, when she'd decided to give it a chance. She still worried it didn't look quite right on her. "This isn't too much?"
Immediately, her partner shook his head. "No, no. It looks great, really." He couldn't stop staring. The top really brought out the blue of her eyes and it looked great against her pale skin and it ever so slightly hugged her curves and then that skirt—Nathan reached up and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck as he pushed the errant thoughts away.
"Well thanks." She responded slowly. "You don't look too bad yourself. Where'd you get that jacket?" She reached out and touched the lapel, feeling how smooth it was.
Nathan looked down at her hand, torn between nervously pushing her away and pulling her closer so that he might actually feel her skin against his. He settled for grabbing her hand in his, simultaneously moving her away from where she was kind of stroking his chest while still achieving that skin to skin contact. "I've had it for a while," he explained, "Just don't wear it much."
The blonde smiled. "Well maybe you should wear it more often, stud." She winked at him and then glanced at the wall clock next to the door. "Should we go?" He nodded. "Alright, give me just a second." She slid her hand from his, both of them instantly mourning the loss of contact, and then walked over to the couch. She grabbed a small black purse, checked its contents, and then reached down to surreptitiously check her hidden thigh holster. A cop was never without her gun, even if they were off duty, she had learned.
Audrey turned around and walked back over to her partner. He backed out of the doorway and she followed, shutting and locking the door behind her. Nathan gestured for her to lead the way, so she did. She walked around the wooden deck and down the stairs. She could already hear the loud beat of the music bursting from the restaurant.
There were both perks and drawbacks to living above the Grey Gull. For one, it helped that she was good friends with her landlord—he tended to be a bit lenient about the rent and was always more than willing to fix any problem that came up. However, she also had to deal with his loud, raucous parties frequently, and sometimes they even kept her up at night. While she wasn't much of a party-type (partially because of her profession) she did enjoy a light drink now and then. Duke always made pretty good cocktails. Plus, she didn't have to worry about a designated driver because she lived right upstairs.
"Does this noise ever bother you?" Nathan inquired as they approached the door.
Audrey shrugged. "Occasionally. This is one of the loudest parties in a while, though, so it should be interesting."
The moment they walked into the Grey Gull, they were greeted by an enthusiastic Duke. "Well lookie here, the most beautiful woman in town has graced my little ole' establishment with her magnificent presence."
"Duke, stop." She pleaded.
He waved her off. "Welcome to tonight's fundraiser. Can I get you a drink?" he sidled up next to Audrey. "Gin and tonic, glass of wine, classic margarita?"
'Go big or go home.' Audrey thought before she responded. "How about something tall, strong, and fruity?"
"Tall, strong, and fruity, coming right up. And a beer for the tin man." He scrambled off to the bar.
Nathan gaped for a moment, and then sighed. "Does he really have to call me that?"
Audrey chuckled. "He's just playing around, you know that."
"He's been 'playing around' for years." He grumbled.
"Relax Nathan. Let it go and just have some fun tonight, please." She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward through the throngs of people.
A large crowd had already gathered. They were all standing around talking and drinking. Some of the younger and drunker ones were dancing in the far corner of the room. A couple Rock'em Sock'em Robots toys were set out, ready for the competition. One of the firefighters, a tall brunette who's name Audrey didn't know (but wanted to) was walking around in only the bottom half of his gear, asking for donations. She slipped a couple dollars into the bucket when he walked by.
"Wanna sit?" She asked her partner, spotting a small open table.
"Sure." Nathan reached out to the table first and pulled out a chair for her. She smiled in thanks as she sat down and then he followed suit across from her.
Before they could get into awkward small talk, Duke walked up to them. He placed a tall brown bottle in front of Nathan and then handed Audrey a glass full of something pink. A green twisty straw stuck out of the top and she took a drink. It tasted like a sweet candied watermelon and it went down pretty smooth. She took another drink in approval.
"Mmm, thanks Duke."
"It's not a problem." The man in question grinned. "I just want you to have some fun tonight."
She tipped the drink in his direction. "I sure will."
With a short wave, Duke walked off.
Nathan took a swig from his bottle and leaned back in his chair. "Sooo…"
Audrey chuckled. "So what? Do you wanna get up and dance?"
He gave her an incredulous look. "Not really."
"Not drunk enough for that yet? I'll wait." She smirked.
"Never gunna happen."
She winked. "We'll see."
She couldn't help but wonder about his Trouble, though. Could he feel it when he was drunk? If he wasn't able to feel basic stimuli or even know if he was sick, then it would stand to reason that he couldn't feel the effects of being intoxicated. The only thing he could feel, for whatever reason, was her. She couldn't imagine not feeling things. She took her sense of touch for granted—the softness of her blouse against her skin, the scratch of a comb over her scalp, the icy bite of snow. And he couldn't feel any of it.
"Hey Nathan, can I ask you a question"? She spoke up after taking another drink.
He nodded. "Ayuh. Go ahead."
Thanks for reading, lovelies, and please leave a review to let me know what you think and inspire me to keep writing!