Maggie and OA were out in the middle of Central Park keeping an eye out for a suspect that habitually spent his morning runs in the area. OA opted for his usual grey sweats and black ball cap, but it was unusually cold for September in NYC so he layered up with a black winter coat. Meanwhile Maggie decided to be brave, wearing only a pair of black leggings, a blue ball cap and a beat up hoodie, that used to be black but had faded into a dark gray.
OA leaned up against a tree and sighed heavily.
"You okay?" Maggie asked, still keeping her eyes peeled for their person interest. She had decided to jog in place to keep the blood flowing, hoping it would warm her up.
OA nodded. "Yeah, I may or may not have had a few too many drinks last night." He tilted his head back and shut his eyes, pulling his hood further down his face. "You cool with keeping an eye out while I take a quick nap?"
Maggie laughed and stopped jogging. "No, you're supposed to be my eyes on the west." She nudged him in his side.
"Fine. Fine…" He stood up straight and continued with his surveillance.
Maggie crossed her arms over her chest and swiveled from side to side. Kicking herself for not dressing warmer.
They watched each park patron, had a few close calls but none that were a direct match to their suspect. They stood at their post for nearly an hour before Maggie threw her arms up in surrender. "I don't think he's coming."
"Come on, Mags. Just a little while longer." OA encouraged.
"If I stand out here much longer I'm going to freeze to death." Maggie pouted.
"It's not my fault you didn't dress for the weather." OA teased.
"Well, it's supposed to be fall, not winter." Maggie argued. "If you're going to make me stand out here, you're going to have to keep me warm."
Maggie stepped forward and shoved her hands into the front pocket of OA's hoodie, leaning her head against his chest.
For a second he was taken aback, first because her hands really were ice, he could feel the stinging cold on his stomach through the layers of his sweatshirt and t-shirt, second because this closeness with Maggie was something he wanted for a long time but didn't know how to approach. He leaned into the moment, wrapping his arms around her. "Okay…I guess that's a fair trade." He rested his chin on the top of her head.
Maggie sighed and smiled to herself. The feeling of strength she got from OA's embrace was doing something funny to her stomach. Butterflies, she supposed. This wasn't how she imagined this outing would go, but she wasn't mad at it. This man was everything to her and she admitted awhile ago that he was most definitely becoming more than her partner.
"Can you even see anything at this angle?" OA broke through her thoughts.
Maggie laughed. "No, but you're the one who wanted to be persistent, so I'm leaving you on your own."
"Oh how the tables have turned." He joked. Giving her a small squeeze.
Maggie nodded. "Exactly." She was still shivering and she clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.
"Well, then I'll cut you a deal. You hold out for another twenty minutes, and then we'll go back to my place and I'll treat you to however many drinks it'll take to warm you back up."
She pulled back and smiled. "Deal." She nodded again.
OA smiled back, rubbing her upper arms. "Okay, well then let's get back to work."
"Yes, sir." Maggie replied with a small salute.
OA chuckled, as the two of them continued their way through the park.