PROMPT: Toronto Police and Forensics are hosting their annual internal Valentine's Day fundraiser. Employees can fill in a fun questionnaire which supposedly yields a list of compatible dates. This year, Gail actually decides to participate & ends up being 94% compatible with a "Holly Stewart". Having never heard of this person, & amused she was paired with a woman, Gail seeks her out, only to realize that they couldn't be more different. And that's exactly why Gail falls for her.
PART 1
"Come on, Peck," Andy implored. "It's for a good cause. All the proceeds are going to Street Kids International."
Gail groaned. "No," she said for the fifteenth time. "I'll just donate twice the amount directly to the charity myself. I don't need to be 'matched up' based on some dumb questionnaire."
"Oh, come on, Gail," Chloe butted in, holding up her own survey with 'Match Maker, Match Maker, Make Me a Match,' in big, bold letters at the top. "It's fun! And we'll all get a laugh at who we're matched with."
Gail slumped down in her chair in the parade room, glaring when Chloe pulled out the seat next to her to sit. "Why are you even filling that out, anyway? You and Dov are like the nerd empire's king and queen."
Chloe shrugged. "Because it's for charity and it'll be fun to see if Dov and I are matched up."
"Sure, until you're matched with some other bozo and Dov gets all jealous," Gail said, turning her attention to the front of the room as Best made his way to the front of the room.
"He wouldn't get jealous," she heard Chloe say to Andy. "Would he?"
Gail just smirked as Best began the morning meeting. It was the usual informational stuff, until he held up one of the questionnaires. "As you've probably all heard, this year's Valentine's Day charity drive at fifteen is a joint-effort affair between Toronto Police and Forensics. We encourage you all to fill out these questionnaires to see who your 'perfect match' is. You'll be able to buy your results for fifty dollars and all the proceeds will go to charity. I ask that all of you participate." He looked directly at Gail as he said those words. "I don't care what you do with your results, but it's for a good cause, people. So have fun. You can pick up a survey from Officer McNally or Officer Price. Assignments for the day are on the board; go be good cops."
Crap. Best had pretty much said it was mandatory. Maybe she could still get out of it—
A large, dark hand slapped the table in front of her, a questionnaire between it and the table. Gail glanced up. "Fill it out, Peck."
"Yes, sir," she muttered, grabbing the paper.
She didn't fill it out until ten minutes before it was due. She thought about just putting random answers down, but she was sure that with her luck, she'd end up being matched with some dork forensics intern that would end up stalking her.
So she actually read each multiple-choice question and answered honestly. Most of them were dumb—which of the following would you prefer for date night? Favorite type of food? Favorite music to listen to?—that kind of crap. But towards the end, the questions actually made her think. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
Two weeks later and fifty bucks poorer, Gail begrudgingly took the envelope with her name written on the front from Chloe with an unimpressed glare. "Congratulations, Peck," Chloe said. "You managed to get one of the highest match rates with a whopping ninety-four per cent. I only got an eighty-seven per cent match. And it wasn't even Dov."
Gail didn't reply. She just rolled her eyes and turned to leave the room. She was just going to toss the results. That was the plan. She was just going drop the entire envelope into the trash can and forget all about the stupid thing.
She lasted all of five minutes.
Hating herself just a little bit from her curiosity (seriously, ninety-four per cent?!), she looked around the locker room to ensure no one was around, then ripped the sealed envelope open. She scanned the page for the results, her eyes settling on the name of her match.
Holly Stewart, M.D.
What the fuck? That was a chick. Or a dude with a chick name.
The original questionnaire was included in the envelope and she took another glance at it, searching for the 'interested in' question… Oh. Whoops. She must have accidentally marked 'women' instead of her intended 'men.' That was probably when her phone had chimed with a text from Chloe reminding her to turn in her survey, distracting her.
Regardless, she found herself still intrigued by this Holly Stewart, M.D. Who was this woman who was supposedly a ninety-four per cent match for her? You know, if she was into women.
She already knew two things about the mystery woman: one, she was from forensics based upon the 'M.D.' after her name, and two, she was a lesbian. (Or maybe bisexual.) But that's all Gail could ascertain from the info on the page in front of her. Well, that and the fact that they were supposedly perfect for one another.
For some reason Gail was unable to explain (or just plain unwilling to acknowledge), she needed to meet this woman.
Everyone was surprised to hear Gail volunteer to run a piece of evidence to the morgue, something she would usually pawn off on other officers. She ignored the questioning looks and took the evidence bag Swarek handed her. Perfect.
At the morgue, she was met by some guy who took the evidence (tissue samples) and began performing tests. Gail leaned against the wall opposite the main door, observing until she couldn't take it any longer. "Hey, is there a woman named Holly Stewart that works here?" she asked, trying to sound casual. The guy—she thinks his name was Roger or Rodney or something—looked up.
"Uh, Doctor Stewart?" he said. "Yeah, she's one of the lead pathologists. Why?"
Gail shrugged. "Just curious."
Roger—or was it Rodney?—told her it would take a while to get DNA, so Gail left the lab, intent on doing some investigating. And by 'investigating,' she meant snooping until she found the woman.
She rounded a corner and slammed right into another person. They both managed to remain on their feet, but Gail had to reach out and grip the woman's arms to keep them steady.
"Whoa, maybe watch where you're going there, officer," the woman said, reaching up to straighten her glasses and readjust the strap of a red cooler-looking thing on her shoulder. Normally, Gail would take offense and rattle off some snarky, bitchy comeback, but the woman said with words with a teasing smile and Gail found herself chuckling in response.
"Likewise, Lunchbox," she said, dropping her hands and stepping back, sure they were both steady once more.
The woman was about to make another comment, but she paused as her eyes flickered downwards. "Oh, wait, Peck?" she asked, noting the name on Gail's uniform jacket.
"Yeah, yeah," Gail said, sighing. She hated this. Hated how her name was all some people saw. "Of the police royalty Pecks. Daughter of Elaine and Bill Peck, yada yada yada." She waved her hand dismissively.
"Who?" the woman asked, looking confused.
"Uh, wait, really? Superintendent Elaine Peck? Inspector Bill Peck?"
The woman shrugged. "I've only been here a few weeks."
"Oh," Gail said. "Right. Okay. No, wait, then why'd you say 'Peck' like you recognized the name?" Then it dawned on her. "Oh! You're Dr. Stewart?"
"Holly, please," Holly said. "And you must be Gail Peck." She offered her hand.
Gail smiled and took the proffered hand, nearly jumping at the way her heart began to race as they shook hands. Well, that was… interesting.
"Hey, uh, listen I'm actually about to be late for a meeting with my boss," Holly said, nervously glancing at her watch. "So, um, I'll be blunt here. I don't really know anyone here in Toronto yet and I don't know if I really trust a silly match-making survey to find me a date, but I'd still like to take you out for a drink or something tonight? There's that bar that all the cops go to, right? The Black Penny, I think it's called?"
Damn, she should tell her about the mistake she'd made on her survey. "Oh, uh, yeah, it's, um… sure, I guess." Wait, what?
"Great!" Holly said with a wide smile. "Seven?"
Tell, her Peck. "Sounds good." Goddammit.
"Perfect," Holly said, moving to slide past Gail. "I'll see you then." She took off down the hallway, leaving behind a stunned Gail.
What the hell just happened?
Did she… oh fuck, did she have a date with a woman?!
PART 2
Gail refused to acknowledge why she so carefully chose a casual but flattering outfit—dark wash jeans and a fitted blue t-shirt that had a deep v-neck, and her favorite black leather bomber jacket—to wear for her 'date' with her so-called 'perfect match.' Or why she took the time to carefully reapply her makeup, make sure every hair on her head was in place, and spritz on her favorite perfume.
She pushed the door of The Penny open, stepping into the bar as she looked around for a head of dark hair and sexy librarian glasses. She was a few minutes early, so when she didn't immediately see the doctor, she strode to the bar and ordered a jack and coke, hoping to calm her nerves.
"I'll have the same," a voice said from her right.
Gail wasn't sure what she was expecting—probably something more along the lines of the woman with the nerd glasses and hair pulled back into a bun that she'd met that afternoon—but it wasn't the stunning woman that stood before her now. Holly had been striking before, but now, with her long dark hair falling freely around her shoulders in soft waves. Gone were the glasses, presumably replaced by contacts. And the jeans and slightly-too-big sweater she'd worn beneath her lab coat had been replaced by form-fitting black skinny pants and a flow-y cream colored blouse that had a row of buttons halfway down the front. She'd left just enough undone to show a hint of cleavage.
Why had Gail noticed that? She wasn't supposed to notice and appreciate things like that.
"Hey," Gail finally greeted, throat dry. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you at first."
Holly smiled. "I'm choosing to take that as a compliment," she said as she slid enough cash to the bartender to cover both drinks and a generous tip. She grabbed both drinks and handed one to Gail.
"Thanks," Gail said, sipping the liquid courage. "And definitely a compliment." She smiled.
Peck, seriously, stop flirting.
"Good," Holly said. "You clean up nice yourself. Should we find a table?"
"Uh, yeah," Gail said. "Sure." She let Holly lead the way to an empty table near the back, vowing that she would mention her mistake as soon as they sat down.
But Holly spoke as soon as they sat. "So, how was the rest of your shift?"
It surprised Gail that Holly seemed genuinely interested in her day. She barely knew her, yet she appeared to care more than most of Gail's friends. "It was… long," Gail said honestly. "Boring."
Holly narrowed her eyes, a slight smirk on her lips. "Didn't you spend most of it in the lab?"
"Yep," Gail said, taking another drink. "So, like I said, boring." She grinned as she leaned back in her chair.
Tell her, Peck.
Holly let out a laugh and Gail tried to figure out why the sound made her stomach flutter and her pulse race. "Well, you've never spent a day in the lab with me," Holly said. "I could show you just how fun an autopsy can be."
Gail shook her head and groaned. "Not happening, nerd," she said. "Nothing will convince me that cutting open dead people is fun."
"Hmm, they were right," Holly said, studying Gail carefully.
"Who was right about what?" Gail asked, weary.
"I asked around about you after our collision in the hallway," Holly explained.
"Oh," Gail said, smile fading. "Let me guess, the words 'sarcastic bitch' came up a lot?"
"Maybe a little, but I was referring to the assertion that you're straightforward and blunt. They were definitely right about that."
"And the rest of it?" Gail asked.
Holly shrugged. "I'm still making up my mind. But I think they just don't know you well enough to look past a tough outer shell."
Okay, who was this chick? And why did she always say just the right thing?
"I also heard something else that was pretty interesting," Holly said, leaning in and lowering her voice.
"What's that?"
Holly offered an amused smile. "Everyone I talked to was pretty sure you're straight. Only recently broke things off with a fellow male officer."
Shit. Gail closed her eyes and braced herself for what was sure to be an angry rant, but when there was none, she eased her eyes open to meet the curious brown ones of the doctor.
"Okay, yeah, I don't know what happened," Gail said. "No, that's not true. I know exactly what happened. I accidentally put that I was interested in women on my survey because freaking Chloe distracted me and they matched me with you. I was going to tell you as soon as we sat down, but you started talking…" She trailed off with a shrug.
"Why didn't you mention it in the hallway?" Holly asked. "I mean, I asked you on a date and you said yes… One would think you'd have mentioned it then. So why didn't you?"
"Um," Gail said, unsure what to say. Then she sighed. "You know, I really don't know."
Holly seemed to accept that answer, as wishy-washy as it was. "But you are straight?" She seemed a bit sad at that, which made Gail sit up a bit straighter in her chair, clutching her drink in both hands.
Gail shrugged. "I guess?"
Holly raised an elegant eyebrow. "You don't know if you're straight or not?"
Gail chuckled. "I always just assumed I was, but I didn't really even think twice about accepting a date with you—and I'm not dumb; knew it was a date—so maybe? I don't know." She shrugged as if it weren't a big deal and Holly was equal parts amused and baffled.
"You really are a unique individual, aren't you?" Holly asked. "Most people would freak out when questioning their sexuality at, what are you? Twenty-eight or so?"
"Twenty-nine," Gail corrected. "Thirty in November. And I wouldn't say I'm not freaking out just a little bit, to be honest."
"You hide it well."
"Lifetime of practice," Gail said with a shrug. "You grow up in the Peck household, you learn to not show any emotion that could be perceived as vulnerability or weakness."
"That bad?" Holly asked, knitting her brow. She'd also around asked about the Peck name and the information had been intimidating at best. She studied the blonde carefully, noting the tension that had settled in her jaw at the mention of her family.
"It's… complicated," Gail said. "I'm not saying it was completely awful. I know it could have been a lot worse. But my mom and I don't always see eye to eye." She shrugged again. "Why am I talking about this?" she asked, looking surprised. "I never talk about my family on a first date."
Holly's eyebrows shot up. "I thought we established this wasn't a date?"
Gail tilted her head to the side. "I don't think we did," she pointed out. "Aren't you supposed to be a genius or something?"
"My mistake," Holly said. "And am I supposed to be a genius? Not all doctors are geniuses. Actually, most are simply gifted."
"See, the fact that you knew that, and felt the need to inform me of it, tells me that you're more than simply gifted," Gail said.
"That's your only piece of evidence?" Holly questioned, folding her arms on the table in front of her.
Gail smirked. "I'm a cop." That was all the explanation she offered. Holly didn't argue.
A silence fell between them, and Gail took the opportunity to reflect. She'd been truthful when she'd told Holly that she was freaking out a bit on the inside. Because she wasn't sure that 'straight' entailed wondering what it would feel like to—
No. No, she wasn't going to think about that. Not now.
But, in all honesty, the main reason she was freaking out was that she wasn't freaking out about finding herself attracted to another woman.
Because there was no way around it—she was attracted to Holly Stewart.
PART 3
Gail was genuinely shocked when she glanced at her watch and noted the time. It was nearing ten o'clock. Which meant that they'd been sitting at the table near the back of the bar for almost three hours, just talking.
And flirting, Peck. Don't forget the flirting.
It was weird to Gail that it wasn't weird. Conversing this much with someone who was practically a stranger—hell, talking to anyone this much—was not something she did. Ever. Unless she was drunk. But she'd only had two drinks.
They hadn't discussed Gail's maybe-wavering sexuality or whether or not this was a date after the initial conversation. But they did discuss their jobs—Gail would never admit it, but she was grossly fascinated by Holly's profession—and even touched on their career goals. Holly listened with a sympathetic expression as Gail explained that her parents (aka her mother) wanted her to work her way up the ranks.
"But what do you want?" Holly had asked.
That's what made Gail decide this woman was a keeper. In exactly what capacity, she wasn't sure just yet.
It also became apparent to Gail very quickly that they were very alike in some ways, such as their general hatred of fancy gatherings like weddings and galas and their mutual love of good food (though their definitions of 'good' contrasted greatly), but in most ways, they were very different. Gail wondered how they'd managed a ninety-four per cent compatibility when they were so very different.
Because in all actuality, they had very little in common.
But that only further fueled Gail's intrigue.
"Damn, it's almost ten o'clock," Gail said reluctantly. "I hate to, but I should head home. Early shift tomorrow."
Holly nodded. "Same. Do you need a ride or something?"
Gail glanced around. "Uh, I caught a ride here with my roommate." She spotted Dov practically eating Chloe's face and grimaced in disgust. "But he looks to be content swapping spit with his new girlfriend, so…" She trailed off.
Holly chuckled. "It's alright, I can give you a ride." She stood and grabbed her jacket. Gail followed suit.
Gail smirked. "You don't even know where I live. And I bet you live in the nice part of town, which is the opposite direction of my apartment."
"And how would you know where I live?" Holly asked, shrugging into her coat.
Shit, there was that flirtatious smile again that should make Gail feel uncomfortable but had the complete opposite effect on her.
Gail gave Holly a once over, unwilling to admit that her eyes lingered on certain areas. "Like I said, I'm a cop. It's my job to know these things." She moved past Holly towards the exit, stepping perhaps a bit closer than strictly necessary before continuing towards the door without even pausing to see if Holly followed.
Holly just shook her head slightly and, with an amused grin, followed the blonde.
Gail groaned when she stepped outside The Penny. Great. It was raining. Not hard, it was barely more than a drizzle, but still enough to make standing out there too long miserable. She sighed.
"Should have accepted that ride, Officer Peck," Holly said as she appeared at Gail's side. She grinned. "Goodnight, then." She pulled out an umbrella and opened it as she began to walk towards the parking lot, leaving behind a stunned Gail.
"Wait, seriously?!" Gail called out.
Holly turned, walking backwards in the rain as she smiled. "Better hurry if you want any umbrella action." She turned back to face forward and continued walking.
Gail sprinted without a second thought, quickly catching up to the brunette and huddling under the umbrella. Even over the smell of rain, Gail caught a whiff of something sweet, like coconuts, permeating from Holly. She grinned and huddled even closer under the pretense of shielding herself from the rain.
In Holly's car (Gail smirked at newer model BMW hybrid SUV, but didn't comment), Gail directed Holly towards the apartment she shared with Dov as she fiddled with the radio. She blanched at all the presets, giving Holly 'are you serious?' looks at the odd collection of music ranging from classical to jazz to a cheesy top 40s station. She was about to give up all hope of ever forming a relationship of any sort with the woman when she pressed the last preset.
"Finally!" she cried out, turning up the volume as Queen's 'Somebody to Love' reverberated throughout the SUV. "I was just about to lose all hope for you, Stewart."
Holly laughed. "Eighty's rock does it for you?"
"Queen does," Gail said. "I grew up with Queen. Oh, and Journey, Pink Floyd, AC/DC… they just don't make music like that these days."
Holly nodded in agreement, then glanced over to the blonde having her own private dance party in her seat. She chuckled. "Grew up with? Somehow the parents you painted a picture of in my head aren't Queen fans."
Gail scrunched her face up. "Oh, hell no. My mother doesn't know good music. And my dad is more of a Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen kind of guy. No, Laura, my nanny growing up, introduced me to the magic of Queen."
Holly executed a turn as she raised her eyebrows. "You had a nanny?"
Gail nodded. "My mother was more interested in kissing ass to climb the law enforcement ladder to be a present mother figure, so she hired Laura to do it for her when I was two and my brother Steve was ten. She was with us until I was sixteen and able to fend for myself."
"Wow," Holly said. "That sounds… miserable, to be honest."
"Miserable? How so?"
Holly shrugged. "I guess I'm biased because my mom and I have always been really close. I can't imagine having a nanny more present than her."
Gail mirrored the shrug. "Laura was like an older sister, so by the time I realized most kids didn't have a nanny, I didn't see her as a nanny but as family. But yeah, sometimes I wished I had a closer relationship with my mom. Then we'd have an actual conversation and I found myself grateful for Laura's presence."
Holly's heart broke for Gail in that moment, mainly because of Gail's blasé attitude towards the topic. She herself really did have a great relationship with her mother and wished Gail could know what that was like.
"My mother isn't a bad person," Gail continued, unaware of Holly's inner turmoil. "She's just a workaholic." She turned in the passenger seat to look at Holly. "It's probably the reason I'm such a bitch, though."
Holly scowled and glanced over at Gail. "You're not a bitch, Gail," she said. "I think you just hide behind a wall that appears to be bitchy. But behind that wall is the real Gail."
Gail snorted. "That was so lame," she said with a groan.
Holly laughed. "Okay, maybe it was, but I still think it's true. Not once were you a bitch to me tonight. Why do you think that is?"
"You didn't piss me off," Gail answered truthfully. Holly laughed again, but Gail cut her off. "No, I'm serious. I usually only go all mean girl when someone annoys me or pisses me off. Which is usually everyone almost all the time, but you didn't." She pointed ahead of them.
"It's the next building on the right," she said. Holly pulled to a stop next to the curb, but Gail didn't make a move to exit, so Holly turned off the ignition and turned towards the blonde.
"Okay, so I didn't annoy you like most others do," Holly repeated. "Why not?"
Gail shrugged. "I don't know. Probably because you don't focus on my name—the Peck legacy. Most people only see me as a white shirt snob waiting to happen, even though I'm not even sure I ever want to be a white shirt, much to the dismay of my mother."
"Ah," Holly said in understanding. "And I don't care about the legacy."
Gail nodded. "Yeah," she said. "So you actually talked to me like I was a real person and not a future boss. It was refreshing, to be honest."
"For the record, I'd have talked to you like a real person even if I had already know of the Peck legacy," Holly said.
Gail believed her.
"Give me your phone," Gail said suddenly.
Holly was thrown by the abrupt change of topic, but dug her iPhone out of her pocket, knowing exactly what Gail wanted. She unlocked it and handed it to the blonde. Gail took the phone and input her number into the contacts before sending herself a text so she'd have Holly's number as well. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket.
"Here," she said, handing the phone back to Holly.
Holly looked at the screen, then up at the grinning blonde. "Officer Sexy? Really?"
"What? Don't you think it's true?" Gail gave her a flirty grin, fully expecting Holly to play it off with a bad joke or something.
But Holly returned the flirty grin and locked her phone. "Well, sure, of course I do, but I'm imagining you calling me while I'm working and my intern having to answer my phone because I'm elbow deep in a chest cavity."
"Gross."
"Imagine little Peter seeing 'Officer Sexy calling' oh my god," Holly said, laughing. "That poor kid would have a heart attack."
"Hey, let's add a contact photo of me so he can also have an aneurysm."
Holly barked out a laugh. "I'd rather not kill the poor guy. He's actually quite competent for an intern."
Gail shrugged. "His loss," she said. "Yours too. You won't be able to stare longingly at my picture all day."
Holly shook her head with another chuckle. "I think I'll survive."
Gail glanced out of the car and noted that the rain had stopped. "I should probably get inside before it starts raining again," she said as she undid the seatbelt.
"Yeah," Holly agreed, undoing her own seatbelt. Gail gave her a funny look. "Some bozo hit the passenger door a few weeks ago in a parking lot," Holly explained. "My second day in the city, actually. It won't open from the inside. I need to get that fixed, but I've been busy settling in."
Gail tried the handle anyway. "Yeah, you're right. It won't open."
Holly rolled her eyes and got out of the car. She rounded the front and opened Gail's door.
"Bought me a drink, drove me home, now you're opening the car door for me," Gail said as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Are you gonna walk me up to my door, too?" she joked.
"Yep," Holly said without pause.
Gail laughed. "I was kidding."
"I'm not," Holly said. She grabbed Gail's arm and started towards the front door of the building.
Gail let herself be led without a second thought. It wasn't until they were standing in front of the apartment door that she realized that she'd given up a bit of control. Huh. Weird.
"Seriously," Gail said, digging in her purse for her keys. "You didn't have to walk me up." She pulled her keys out and looked towards the brunette, startled to find her standing closer than before. There was that damn coconut scent again. It made her lightheaded.
"Yeah, I kinda did," Holly said, voice low and husky.
"Why?" Gail asked, licking her lips and swallowing hard.
"So I could do this without the fear of passers-by gawking," she said, moving closer still.
Gail's breath hitched in her throat, her heart beat a mile a minute as Holly placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in, but she didn't even consider stepping back. In fact, she almost whimpered in protest when Holly paused barely an inch away, giving Gail a final opportunity to pull back.
But Gail didn't pull back. Instead, she brought her hand up to trace along Holly's jaw to cup her cheek as she closed the final distance between them. Their lips touched and Gail let out a soft moan at the feel of impossibly soft, lush lips against her own.
Holly moved her lips in a delicate dance upon Gail's, but didn't move to deepen it. It was meant to be a tease, after all. And it seemed to work. Because when she pulled back after only a few seconds, Gail actually canted forward, eyes still closed.
"Sweet dreams, Gail," Holly whispered. And with that, she was gone.
PART 4
Gail didn't remember unlocking the door and entering the darkened apartment, nor did she remember stripping off her clothes and jumping in the shower. No memory existed of drying off or redressing in her pajamas.
Nope, all she could remember was kissing Holly.
And yes, she kissed Holly. Holly may have been the one to lean in first, but Gail had been the one to press their lips together. She was certain Holly had set it up that way on purpose so as to give Gail a chance to tactfully avoid the kiss if she wanted to.
She definitely hadn't wanted to avoid the kiss.
Actually, she found herself wanting more kisses. A lot more. She had to force her brain to stop at just kissing. She was not ready to think about what happens after 'just kissing.'
Gail stared at the ceiling in the dark room as she went over the day in her head. It had started off so normal. She'd bitched at Dov that morning for bringing Chloe over for yet another sleepover that didn't involve much sleeping and did involve Gail wishing the walls were thicker. And sound proof. Then parade had been business as usual until Frank had mentioned that the Valentine's Day charity matchmaker results were in. "See Officer Price to purchase your results."
Officer Price. Chloe. The woman who'd distracted Gail while she was filling out the damn questionnaire and made her put down 'women' instead of 'men.'
Gail honestly didn't know if she wanted to strangle or hug the redhead. If she were a hugger, that is.
Then there was Holly. It had been only—Gail glanced at the clock—eleven hours since they'd nearly plowed into one another in the Morgue hallway. Yet Gail felt like she'd known the other woman for years. She'd opened up to Holly more than she had any of her friends that she'd known for years.
And then that kiss.
Goddamn, that kiss.
It had barely been more than a few seconds of lips touching. But it had sparked something in Gail that she hadn't felt in a long, long time. Or, well, ever really.
Shit, was she gay?
She turned onto her side and stared into the darkness, gauging her reaction at the idea. She was weirdly okay. All the stories she's heard about people discovering their true sexuality in their late twenties involved denial and freaking out.
She didn't feel the need to do any of that.
No, what she needed was to ask Holly out for another date (because after that kiss, drinks at The Penny had definitely been a date).
She was just about to reach for her phone when it chimed from its position on her nightstand, the display lighting up the room. Gail laughed aloud when she looked at the screen and read the message.
H: You taste like cherries.
The message was from just a number, no contact name, but Gail knew it was Holly. She quickly typed out a reply.
G: That's what happens when you put on cherry flavored lip balm ;)
There was that flirting again. Damn.
Gail quickly saved the number to her contacts under the name 'Queen of the Nerds.' Then she typed out another message before Holly could even respond to the first one she'd sent.
G: Take me out to dinner tomorrow. I'm done at five.
She could practically hear Holly's laughter as waited for a reply.
H: Shouldn't you be asking me out? I asked you for drinks, after all.
Gail snorted, grinning like a freaking idiot at her phone.
G: Shhh no. Take me to dinner. I'll make it worth your while, I promise.
H: In that case, I'll pick you up at your place at 7?
G: Sounds good. Wear something sexy.
H: I always do ;)
The following day seemed to drag on for Gail. She'd been kicked by a suspect and when she finally tackled him to the ground, he'd bitten her hand. Thank god she'd been wearing her police-issued leather gloves. Then, as she and her partner for the day—Chloe of all people—were bringing the suspect into booking, he'd used his entire body weight to push her into the metal doorframe that led from the sally port to holding.
It had taken all of Gail's self-control not to smash his face into the wall. Repeatedly. Until there was blood. Lots and lots of blood. But she really didn't want to face a police brutality lawsuit.
But damn, her shoulder hurt where he'd forced her into the doorframe.
She was exiting the locker room after changing into a clean uniform (she'd also landed in a puddle of soda that the suspect had dropped as she'd apprehended him) and was fiddling with her service belt when she felt a presence beside her. She smelled coconuts.
"Did I mention that there's something about a woman in uniform that I find incredibly…" Holly trailed off as she thought of the right word.
"Sexy?" Gail supplied. "Hot? Badass?"
"Breathtaking," Holly finished. "Particularly when paired with blond hair, blue eyes, and snarky bite hiding a soft interior."
Gail swallowed. "You're quite insistent about that hard shell thing, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
Gail shook her head, then looked at Holly inquisitively. Her glasses were back (and Gail found herself preferring them to Holly's contacts) but her hair was still down to fall around her shoulders. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
Holly hooked a thumb over her shoulder towards the squad room. "I had to go over a few case details with Detective Nash for a case."
Gail placed her hands on her hips, just above her belt. "Uh huh, don't they usually go to you? To the morgue?"
Holly shrugged, trying to play it off. "You know, figured I'd be nice and save them a trip…"
"Right," Gail said with a smirk. She stepped around Holly and moved down the hallway, hoping Holly would follow. She had trouble hiding her smile when she heard the brunette's footsteps behind her.
"Hey, wait, can we talk about something for a few minutes?"
Gail paused and glanced at her watch, pretending she was pressed for time. (Really, she'd used this as her lunch break and still had twenty minutes left.) "Uh, sure, I guess," she said, facing Holly. "What's up?"
Holly glanced around, noting the mostly empty but still not entirely private hallway. "Um, not here," she said, grabbing Gail's arm and guided her into an observation room, the door closing behind them. "Okay, I have to know something," Holly started as she turned to face Gail.
"What?" Gail asked, holding back a snarky comment because she noticed the seriousness of Holly's tone.
Holly licked her lips and regarded the blonde cop closely, wanting to be able to gauge her reaction to the conversation. "What exactly is going on here?"
Gail knit her eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean? You dragged me in here."
"No, I don't mean here, I mean us," Holly clarified. "I mean, I know we've only known one another for a day, but I think we both had a really good time last night. But I've done the whole fall for a straight girl thing and I gotta say, it really, really sucks and I ended up losing a great friend. I don't want to go through that again. So, if you're not sure about this or me or if you just want to call it off and just be friends, I need to know now before I—mmph."
Gail cut off Holly's speech with her lips, kissing the brunette who momentarily tensed in surprise. But she soon relaxed and kissed Gail back, bringing her hands up to cup the blonde's cheeks. Gail's own hands settled on Holly's waist below her heather grey blazer.
This kiss was much different than the one in front of Gail's apartment door. Still soft and sweet, but full of promise and intrigue. Gail let out a soft whimper as Holly nipped at her upper lip.
Goddamn, this woman knew how to kiss.
Gail found herself parting her lips without question, seeking out Holly's tongue with her own. Holly obliged, but only for a few seconds before pulling back to just look at Gail.
"So, I did that," Gail said after a few seconds of silence.
"And how do you feel about it?" Holly asked, voice tight with emotion.
Gail trapped her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought. Then she gripped Holly's waist a bit tighter, pulling her forward ever so slightly. "Like I want to do it again."
And so she did.
