First Kiss 56
Bobby just walked in, sat at his desk, and stared at his laptop. Alex didn't stare, she knew better. She watched him from her peripheral vision. He was kind of like a tornado sometimes. She knew she was witnessing the calm in the eye of the storm.
It had been several minutes, and she knew he was staring at his screensaver by now. Alex scrawled on a post-it note and stuck it on his desk, within his reach. Then she went to lunch.
The bright yellow note broke his concentration. He turned his head, picked it up and read it. Let me know when you're ready to talk.
He wadded it up, but stopped before tossing it in the trash can near his feet. Instead, he squeezed it in the palm of his hand. In the midst of all the bullshit, this was something real. He could wrap his hands around it. When he squeezed it, he could feel it pushing back against his skin. Bobby got up and walked out, with the wad of paper still in his hand.
"I'm at the park," she said. "I decided to go for a dog today." She told him where to meet her.
He gave her a half smile, and sat on the park bench beside her. He still didn't talk, couldn't yet. She ate a couple of bites of her hot dog, enjoying the warm weather and the ducks on the pond in front of them.
It was all bullshit, he thought. He'd spent the morning in the Chief of Detectives' office with the DA on the phone. Bullshit. He smirked. Not everyone would require the actual DA on the phone. At least he warranted that kind of attention.
"They chewed me up one side and down the other," he said. "Over that Marcello case."
She nodded. She knew there had been complaints about Bobby's interrogation in that case. She remembered the ADA directly told him how to proceed, and Bobby had gone his own way, anyway.
"They reprimand you?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Then you're all right," she smiled, and took another bite of her dog.
He raised his eyes, and watched her chewing. She was right. Without a paper trail behind it, it may as well have never happened. He smiled, and felt himself breathe for the first time in two hours. He stared at the ducks dipping their heads in the water.
"Can I have some of that?" he asked, suddenly famished.
She smiled and handed over the food. "Take it," she said. "I'm done." Alex sipped on her soda while he ate the rest of the hot dog in two bites. "Chief of D's was looking out for you," she stated.
He turned his head and took her drink out of her hand, taking a sip.
"He had to do something to appease the DA, but he didn't write you up, so he was protecting you."
Bobby huffed, and smiled weakly. She was right again. "Still, I don't think I'll be sending him a thank you card," he said. He gave her coke back and dropped his arm to rest behind her on the back of the bench.
They shared the rest of the drink, watching the ducks play in the water. Bobby let his fingers work in and out of her hair. She checked the time. "We've got to go catch some bad guys," she said to him. He put his arm on her shoulder to stop her from getting up.
"Eames… uhm… Alex," he said, pulling her closer to him. "Thanks." He kissed her sweetly on the lips.
Alex gave him a smile. "Anytime." She returned the kiss.
After a brief hug, they resumed their professional attitudes and walked back to the office, never giving the slightest hint that anything more had happened between them.
