8.2 Cassie

It is actually her good luck that Sunny's secondment has taken him away from the office, Cassie realizes. She can barely concentrate as it is. The scenes from last night at Sunny's place keep popping up on the forefront of her mind, making her skin flush, and she can't take any more restroom breaks for the fear of people noticing that there is something wrong with her.

The case they have in the works has being solved, and now all that needs to be done is to properly catalogue the evidence, write all the required reports, and prepare materials for the court. All of it demands a full concentration and a scrupulous attention to detail, and Cassie lacks on both counts today.

At least she gets to go home at reasonable hour, and after a quick sandwich and a brief update from Andrew and Adam, she falls asleep on the couch, while attempting to watch the nightly news.

She is awoken by her ringing mobile. "Hi Sunny."

"Hi. Did I wake you?"

"Umm," she rubs her eyes, "No. Yes…"

"Yeah, I'm guessing it was a yes," even over the phone Cassie can tell he is smiling. Unexpectedly, that makes her feel sad. She sits bolt upright, her eyes wide open – she can't miss him already. Can she?

"So, how is Edinburgh?" she asks quickly, refusing to dwell on her unexpected discovery.

"Rainy. Cold. How is London?"

"Didn't see much of it today. You know, paperwork and all."

"Right, right. Look, I wanted to give you a ring, because I said I would, but…" he pauses, and Cassie can hear muffled voices and laughter in the background.

"Where are you?" she asks and berates herself right away, because it is none of her business. The next moment, though, she berates herself for berating herself, because it is just a question. She is allowed to ask questions now and again, isn't she?

"Um… a pub," he answers, and then goes on to explain, "There is a lad in the department, who turned thirty today. They all were going out, so we kind of got invited." For some reason Sunny sounds apologetic.

"Blimey," she smiles, "that is great. Fun. Long day for you, old man."

"Well, yes… Old man?" Sunny starts and stops, probably realizing that she is teasing him. "Look, I…" There is another burst of laughter and now Cassie can also hear a band playing on the background.

"Sunny, go, enjoy yourself. We will talk later," she tells him, baffled by the twinge of disappointment.

"Alright, guv, I'll ring you tomorrow. Good night."

"Night," she says before disconnecting the call. She puts the mobile down and looks around. Her house is dark and quiet, except for a soft babbling of a nature programme on the telly she's not turned off yet…

As tired as she is, she can't fall asleep for hours. For some reason she keeps imagining Sunny tucked into a small booth next to DCI Rodriguez, well Rosie, talking, drinking his pint, smiling, and that bothers her. A lot. And the fact that it bothers her, bothers her even more.

As a result, she has to survive the next day on a very few hours of sleep, and once again, when she gets home, she has a quick chat with her dad and practically passes out on the couch in front of the telly.

"Did I wake you up again, guv?" Sunny asks, when she picks up the mobile, just before the call is about to go to voicemail.

"No…yes," she really needs to stop this habit of falling asleep on the couch.

"Are you alright?" Sunny's voice is soft. He is worried, and that makes her realize yet again how much she actually misses him. That won't do, she frowns, that won't do at all.

"Sunny, I am fine. Tired, that is all," she tells him firmly.

"Right, look, Cassie, I wanted to see if I can ring you later…"

"Later?" She squints at the clock.

"Yes, I am going for a bite to eat with Rosie, um…DCI Rodriguez, and…"

As he trails off, Cassie has to fight off the images that kept on swirling in her mind last night and suddenly become even more vivid now – Sunny and DCI Rodriguez in a small booth, talking, smiling…

"We wanted to go over new details on the case, and we need to eat, so…" Sunny continues to explain.

"No problem, no problem. We'll talk another time," she quickly tells him, absolutely refusing to be upset.

Sunny, as if sensing her discomfort, switches gears, "You sure you are alright, Cassie? I can ring you in a couple of hours. Around ten, maybe?"

"Sunny, I want to turn in early today, so… No problem, we will talk…" she hopes she doesn't sound like she is trying too hard. She chews on her lip and finishes, "tomorrow. When you have time. Good night, Sunny."

She disconnects the call as soon as she hears his reluctant 'good night' and drops the mobile as if it burns her hand. Damn, that is exactly what she was worried about, when the possibility of this… whatever it is between Sunny and she… first has come up. That and a million of other things. And now it is becoming a reality – she can't concentrate, he feels obligated, she wants him to take initiative, he looks at her as his superior, she tries to be nonchalant, he… Damn, and nothing has really even happened yet! The image of his lips trailing hot kisses up her hand flashes in front of her eyes and sends her heart racing. Cassie swears under her breath, jumps up from the couch, and goes to the kitchen in search of some wine.

After the first glass, she acknowledges that she has a problem. Or, rather Sunny and she have a problem. The way his dark eyes pinned her to the spot, as he was kissing her palm, was not the way men would look at her, when they were after a quick, well, anything.

Her hands shaking slightly, Cassie pours herself the second glass and hastily takes a sip. This… whatever this is Sunny and she has started… jeopardizes their relationship. For years working with Sunny has being easy. Convenient. Comfortable. Maybe comfortable isn't exactly a word to describe the working relationships. Sounds more like a pair of boots. Or a chair. Or a couch. Sunny's couch was extremely comfortable, and even with his not inconsiderable bulk next to her, there was enough room to maneuver their various body parts to touch, and rub, and cares just the right way. The felling of Sunny's thumb stroking her nipple through the fabric of the bra… his hand almost scorching the bare skin of her back… her leg, quivering with impatience, hooked over his waist, drawing him closer… Cassie swallows hard and shakes her head in a futile attempt to clear it. Her mouth suddenly too dry, she quickly gulps the rest of the second glass, looks around her kitchen, and swears.

After a quick debate with herself, Cassie goes for the third glass. It is ill-advised in the middle of the workweek, and she knows she will be paying for it tomorrow, but the night seems to call for an extra fortification. Or oblivion. She'd take either. Because, if Cassie is completely truthful with herself, and she usually is, she is the one, who's created this… whatever this is between Sunny and her. Of course, it is his thwarted attempt at kissing her that has started this whole thing months ago, and Sunny is an extremely willing participant. Still, she knows if it were not for her acquiescence … "I don't want you to stop," she told him that night, captivated by his pleading gaze, by his burning touch, by his all-consuming kisses. And maybe, just maybe, to some degree, by her own yearning. Cassie groans and takes a big gulp of wine. Now he wants to date her. Sunny bloody Khan. Her DI. Her partner. Her friend. The father of two awesome girls, he doesn't know how to parent. The guy, who has been trying to find a girlfriend anywhere, including Tinder… The guy, whom she seems to unable to resist in close proximity. Damn. This has a catastrophe written all over it, and she needs to figure out what it is that she wants.

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A/N Thank you for reading and reviewing