"What the hell are you playing at Flynn? You've got to be a special kind of idiot to think she would even look twice at you. You're making a damn fool of yourself!"
"No idea what the hell you're talking about old man." Andy spat at him.
"Oh come on Flynn. The puppy-dog eyes alone are enough to make me puke. You're in love with her."
"Fuck off Louie" was his answer.
"You want me to tell you what's going to happen? TOUGH I'm going to anyway. You're on the verge of making a total dick of yourself. When that happens, the whole team will be thrown off balance. You'll make everyone uncomfortable around you. And then what? Then, either she'll feel like she has to transfer, or you will."
"You know Louie, I've been thinking... if you stuck your head up your ass, and then did a somersault, technically you would disappear."
Provenza raised his hands in surrender. "Have fun at the Bureaucrat's Ball. If you're lucky, I'll see you there and maybe prevent you making a fool of yourself in public."
And that was the end of that conversation.
Andy knocked once and stuck his head in the door to Sharon's office.
"Heading home to get ready. See you in a couple of hours?"
"I'll be ready. I'm leaving now too. Thank you for offering to go with me Andy. I hate these things almost as much as I hate the obligation I feel to go to them. Hold on, I'll walk out with you."
As they walked to their respective cars, discussing who may or may not be at the fundraiser, Andy decided he should give her a heads up on Provenza's latest opinion on his personal life.
"He says he'll come tonight to prevent me making a fool of myself in public. I told him to blow it out his..."
"Ok." Sharon interrupted what she knew was coming. "Why does he think his presence is so important?" she scoffed.
"He's decided that I'm hopelessly in love with my commanding officer, who could not possibly ever reciprocate my feelings. He won't be swayed. He's convinced I'll make a fool of myself, following her around like a lost puppy, and thereby upend the stability of the unit." Andy shrugged.
"Hah! Like it would be any of his business, even if he was right, and what would he know about the stability of the unit? He was packing his bat and ball and retiring not so long ago, himself" she muttered.
Provenza was irritating. She hated the way he managed to underestimate Andy so easily. She was fond of the old goat too in a weird, platonic kind of way. He really needed to keep his nose out of their business though.
Arriving ten minutes early at Sharon's condo, his knock was answered by Rusty with a quizzical up and down look. "Wow Lieutenant... you scrub up pretty nice for an old guy" he smirked.
"Thanks, I think. Funny guy! Not too old to kick your butt for being a smartass." This was typical of their usual banter. The two had spent quite a bit of time in each other's company since he'd come to live with Sharon. Sharon and Andy did a lot together socially, from dinner to movies and assorted department functions. They seemed to enjoy each others' company, and from what Rusty could tell, they made each other laugh a lot. All of that was more than ok with him.
"Cinderella is throwing things out of her closet and storming around in there a bit. I'll just see how she's going" Rusty told him.
Knocking just to get her attention, Rusty leaned against the door and let Sharon know Andy was waiting.
He was surprised when the door opened a crack and Sharon stuck her head around so that she could see him. "What colours does Andy have on Rusty?" she asked him.
"Dark suit, purple and red patterned suspenders and tie. Pale purple shirt." "Oh thank God" she said. "I'll be right out." Rusty walked back to where Andy was waiting, with a puzzled look on his face. "Cinderella is almost ready for the ball sir. She had to pause her preparations to inquire about your colour selections for the occasion. Any idea what that's all about?" Rusty joked.
"Not a clue" Andy answered. "But I've learned to go with the flow. I ask few questions, especially if she's got herself in a tizz."
"You are a wise man Andy Flynn" Rusty told him, just as Sharon emerged into the hallway. "Holy wow Sharon" he said with his mouth open.
"Holy wow indeed" Andy echoed with a crooked grin, as Sharon blushed and swatted at them both.
Rusty grabbed his phone and demanded they stand together for a photo. "Now I see why you wanted to know what Andy was wearing" he told her. "You're doing the whole matching thing now?"
"If it gets under Provenza's skin... then yes... tonight we're doing the whole matching thing" she chuckled and winked at Andy.
Always one for the full production, Rusty had them stand together on the terrace to take photos with the city lights behind them, before dismissing them to enjoy their night.
"I hate to think about how far those photos are going to travel before we've even left the parking lot" she told Andy, shaking her head.