Chapter Forty-Five: Detective Dave Majors
Rosa walked into work that morning, wearing pink. Jake had watched her get dressed, and pretended to make a point of it. Jake, quickly turned the tables to insult Charles instead. When Rosa walked back in and Charles mentioned it, she questioned him about it, threateningly, when Jake distracted them back to Mr. Grapes as they all started insulting him again.
-Two Weeks Later-
"Briefing time. Briefing time" Holt said as he waltzed though the bullpen. They all followed him inside, and Jake sat down at his bench, and smiled when Rosa came and sat beside him
"Hey" She greeted. Jake placed his hand on her thigh, rubbing slightly before holding its position, until Holt started talking when he pulled his hand away.
"Last night, several masked men robbed a number of check cashing locations in our precinct. They also hit several locations in the Nine-Three. So, this will be a joint investigation. Detective David Majors is already on the case" Holt read
"Woah! Dave Majors? Seriously?" Jake asked
"Who's that?" Rosa asked
"He's the best detective in the NYPD, myself included" Jake boasted
"His arrest numbers are staggering. His conviction rate is magnificent. His blotter is dynamite" Amy said, before realising her over dramatic state. "I mean, I'm cool I'm just hanging out with you guys" Amy said
"Great, but what's his body like?" Gina asked moving on to distract them with a scale from Charles to Terry.
"Majors does just fine. His girlfriend is the weather lady from channel Five" Jake said moving on to talk about her reaching for Cooperstown.
"Well, we need someone to partner up with him" Holt said, as Amy and Jake started interjecting, trying to downplay the other to get assigned on the case. When Holt stopped them.
"Enough. You can both be on the case. Three heads are better than two" He said
Rosa was back at her desk, when Jake walked up to her, windbreaker and sunglasses on.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" He asked, dramatically taking them off
"Hot" She said with a smirk
"You think?" He asked
"You're so excited to run this case, aren't you" She asked
"So excited, gotta go, don't wanna be late. Byeeee" He called as he walked off.
Rosa didn't hear from him until later that evening, when he dropped her a text.
Going for a drink with Majors after work, be home late xx
Jake arrived home at 1am, and Rosa was asleep. Jake climbed in bed beside her, placed a soft kiss to her shoulder and fell asleep.
-The Next Day-
Jake went to drop his bag, when he dropped it and all his stuff fell out
"Seems about right" he said
"What's wrong with you? You and Majors have too much fun last night at 'The Keychain'?" She asked trying to cheer him up
"Ok, it's a private bar, not a haunted motel" Jake reminded her, laughing a bit before repeating their conversation from last night "And no I did not have a good time. Turns out he doesn't want to be best buds at all, but just wanted to ask if I was cool with him asking Amy out when the case ended
"I thought he was dating that weather girl" she asked
"No, he dumped her because she blamed Hurricane Shady on gay marriage. Anyway now when the case ends, Amy is going to marry Detective "Blotter Dynamite"" Jake said sadly
"Why do you care? You still like her?" Rosa asked, trying to fight off the feelings of heartbreak.
"I don't know. I mean we're friends, and things have been kind of flirty lately. Plus we had this weird romantic moment thing-y, at Charles and Gina's parent's wedding" Jake said. Rosa knew about that moment, and the dance. She saw it from a third party, where Amy was just messing with Jake. But Jake's point of view was flirting. She sighed, and let each word stab her in the heart
"Urgh. Just say you like her" She said, unable to hear more
"All right. Fine. I still like her" He admitted. She took a breath to try and steady herself.
"Look. I've been thinking about asking her out for the last couple of weeks but it's hard. There's so much build up now, you know" He said. It was hard to hear the man you were in love with talk about asking another girl. Rosa was still unconvinced if Amy would actually go out with Jake. But the fact that after two years, Jake still had not let this go... That hurt her. Bad.
"No. I don't ask people out, I tell them where we're going" She said flatly, still focusing on what he said
"Great, well. It doesn't matter now anyway, Because I told Dave to go for it" Jake admitted. Rosa looked up. She could see the hurt on his face, and as much as it hurt her, she knew what she had to say.
"That was crazy stupid. Sorry. That was normal stupid." She said. She knew that Jake was happy with her, but she knew he didn't look at her, think of her the way that she thought of him. And she knew that she couldn't guilt Jake into staying away from the woman he truly loved. "You should have told him to back off." she said, struggling to get her words out, but managing them.
"I can't go around telling guys not to ask Amy out, because I like her and I'm too dumb to do anything about it. I can't make a woman's choice for her. I stand with Wendy. Did I do that right?" he asked. He had a pint, and she was relying on Jake's words. He can't make a woman's choice. He can't make Amy go out with him. But, she knew it was not right unless she gave Amy that option.
"No." Rosa said flatly. "Look. If you want to give her a real choice, you have got to let her know that you are an option." Rosa said. She was fighting the tears off, hard. And had to get up, away from him.
"I think you know what you've got to do" She said
"Yeah. Ask her out before the case ends. I got to be clear on this, the stakes are through the roof for me on this one" Jake finished. She couldn't reply. She turned and walked away without another word.
Rosa had watched Jake try and compete with Dave all day, whilst at the precinct, and found Jake sat at his desk eating gummy worms.
"Why the long face?" She asked "That Mexican candy giving you nerve damage again?" She asked
"Probably, but who even cares? Why did I solve the case? Why couldn't I have just let those guys continue to terrorize Brooklyn until I built up the nerve to ask out a girl?" He asked
"You're a good cop. Do not beat yourself up about that" She said, seriously.
"I'm not a good cop. I'm an amazing cop. And I'll never forgive myself. The case is over, Amy and Majors are on their way to the Keychain right now. It's too late" Jake moaned. Rosa sighed. She knew what she had come over to Jake to say.
"Has she done the double tuck yet?" Rosa asked
"What?" Jake asked
"When Amy really likes a guy, she gets nervous and tucks her hair behind both ears at the same time" She explained, the did a demonstration with a ghoulish giggle
"Well I can never un-see that, but no. She has not done that yet" Jake confirmed
"Then there's still time. Get in there and bust up her date. Show her you care, ruin her night" She said. Fighting herself at every word.
"You really have a unique take on love" Jake said. You have no idea She thought. She smiled and walked away, trying her best to wait until private to allow the tears to fall.
Jake walked in to her apartment at midnight. She was still awake, making notes on one of her cases
"How did it go?" She asked
"I couldn't do it. I broke in to the bar, I found them, I watched her double tuck but then I froze. I had no idea what to say to her. I had no idea what to do. And before I could think of anything, the bouncer kicked me out" Jake said
"I'm sorry" She said
"Thank you" He said
"For what?" she asked
"For letting me follow my heart" He said
"I'd never stop you, Jake" she promised.
"What have you got there?" She asked
"Double homicide on 4th street. Not got much to go on" She said
"Come on. If anyone can crack it, we can" He said with a smile. She smiled back as they got on with work.
It was 3am, and they had a suspect for the case. They were sat on her bed drinking beer
"You should tell her" She said. They were drunk now. Well, drunk enough to be able to talk freely without worrying about people overhearing.
"What would I even say to her?" He asked
"Tell her the truth. Tell her that you like her, and now that you're both single, what the chances of going for a drink would be" She said
"I can do that, yeah" He said
"She's lucky" Rosa said
"Come on. You'll always be special to me, Rosa" He said wrapping his arm around her and pulling her in for a kiss.
"Come on." She said downing the last of her beer
"What?" He asked
"We have work in 5 hours. Let's get some sleep" She said. She crawled in bed, and was surprised when Jake got in beside her. She figured that after 14 years, the friendship was so strong, nothing really was out of bounds for them.
-The Next Day-
After a good few hours' sleep, they got up, and continued their usual routine as though nothing had changed. She made them both lunch, and they went off to work. Jake in his car, her on her bike, arriving within minutes of one another.
Jake sat at his desk, and was typing on his computer as Majors walked up to him.
"Hey, buddy. Sorry I'm late. I had to get this dumb medal from the commissioner for a double murder I solved last year" He boasted
"Jeen there, I had a pretty crazy morning myself" Jake said as Rosa walked up to him
"Jake, your taquitos exploded in the toaster oven" She said
"Thanks Rosa. 10-4 copy that. So, how did it go with Santiago?" Jake asked
"Actually, she wasn't in to it. Swing and a miss" He said. Jake's heart jumped a little at his words
"You're kidding?" Jake asked
"Yeah, it was really weird. I've never been turned down before. So unexpected. I'm excited to see what happens to me next" He said Jake looked over at Rosa, who heard his conversation.
"Ok" Jake said. Majors walked out, and Rosa walked up to him.
"So. Blotter Dynamite struck out? Huh?" she asked
"I know. But why? What does it mean? And why did she double tuck? And how come she turned him down? Do you think it has something to do with me? Rosa, what is she thinking?" Jake asked, Rosa still numb from heartbreak, which was probably for the best hearing the hope in his voice
"Jake" she said stopping him
"Yeah, I should ask her myself" Jake said, walking off.
Rosa went back to her desk, and watched Jake and Amy talk. She watched them laugh, and she watched Jake walk out. She also watched Amy watch after him as he went, and she did the double tuck.
Rosa met Jake in Babylon a few minutes after
"She said that she doesn't want to date cops anymore" Jake said
"Oh?" Rosa asked
"Yeah" He replied
"So? What now?" She asked but he leant in and hugged her, placing kisses to her neck.