Testing Faith
By CeraMac24
CHAPTER TWO
SEPTEMEBER 25, 2002: LATER THAT NIGHT
Like Bosco had said, it was girl's night out at Rick's Bar on 56th and 8th. Jesse and I found they had already started by the time we got there. We sat down at their table and one of the girls, Vanni, got up to get us a drink. She was buying the first round. She came back a few minutes later with my drink. I don't remember what I had. It doesn't matter anyways. I didn't get a chance to drink it.
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"Here we go!" Vanni said, back from the bar with drinks in hand. "A Rum and Coke for Jesse and a Tequila Sunrise for Faith. And Faith, yours is compliments of the cute guy at the bar over there." she said, pointing at the tall, dark, and handsome man leaning on the bar and staring at their group.
Kim's mouth dropped. "Wow, Faith. He is gorgeous."
I looked at who Vanni was pointing at. It was Mitchell. My back stiffened and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. I honestly couldn't believe that he was here.
"He doesn't give up, does he?" Jesse said.
"Ok," Max said. "Are we missing something?"
I turned around. "He's the new beat cop at the precinct. He just transferred from the force in Rochester."
"Rochester? Damn, they make 'em fine looking in Rochester! Woot!" Vanni yelled.
I let out a small laugh. "Yeah. It was Davis' day off, so Lieu paired him with Sully. And from tomorrow on, he's my new partner."
"Does he have a name?" Kim asked. "Or should we just call him 'Fine Looking Rochester Man'?"
"Mitchell. Guy Mitchell."
"It fits." Kim said, starting to stand. "Here guys, the next round's on me."
"Wait," I said. "This one's mine." I headed towards the bar, bound and determined to find out just what in the hell he was doing here. I approached him from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and smiled.
"Hey there." he said, very smoothly, I should add.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"What? I'm not allowed to go out?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it. I told you I was coming here, so I'm going to ask you again. What are you doing here?"
"This happens to be a favorite place of mine, and I thought, since I was at the bar and saw my partner sitting with her—"
"Your favorite place? You've lived here for, like what, a week?"
"Faith, I'm from Rochester. It's not exactly the hottest spot in New York. Any chance my friends and I got to come into the city, we took. What in the hell are you being so uptight about anyways?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. You have something against me, though I don't know what. If this is about what happened in the locker room—"
I cut him off again. "Nothing happened in the locker room."
"Okay, right." he said. "Nothing happened."
I couldn't figure this guy out for the life of me. He was right about something, though. I did have something against him, but I wasn't sure what it was either. Maybe it was the realization that, for the first time since I started on the streets, I would be sharing everyday from here on out with someone other than Bosco. Perhaps I had grown too comfortable with what we had and I wasn't ready for a change. Anyways, that's what I told myself.
"It's not you, okay. It's me. I guess I'm just a little unwilling to adjust to a new partner."
"You and Bosco were pretty close, huh?"
"Yeah, we were." I said, quietly. Wait a second, I thought. "We are."
"Excuse me?" he asked
"We are pretty close. Not 'we were'."
"Oh, I see." he said. He set his drink down, took my hand in his and looked me square in the eyes. "Whatever trust was between you and Bosco, I just want you to know that you can find it in me, also. I don't want you to write me off even before I have a chance to prove that to you." His voice was so soft and it seemed to be dripping with sincerity. I don't think that, in all the years I worked with Bosco, he'd never talked to me like that before. Nor had he ever looked at me the way that Mitchell was looking at me at that moment. It was almost as if they were tearing into my soul.
It was starting again; the sensation that I felt ripple through me in the locker room. I had to end this, because, deep down, I knew he wouldn't.
"I have to get drinks." I said, pulling my hand away. I walked around him to the other side of the bar, inhaling deeply as I did. The air in here all of a sudden got very stuffy.
After I ordered, I headed back to the table with our drinks. Even though it had appeared, on the surface, that he had done nothing wrong but "coincidentally" showing up at the same bar as me, he did succeed in ruining my night. I set the tray on the table and sat back down.
"You ok?" Jesse asked.
I nodded. I looked back towards the bar. Mitchell was still there; only he wasn't staring over here anymore. "You know what?" I said, turning around. "I think I'm going to head home." I grabbed my jacket off the chair and put it on.
"Aw, Faith, don't leave." Max said.
"No, I promised Fred I wouldn't be long. Are you guys on tomorrow?"
"Aren't we always?" Kim said, sarcastically.
I smiled. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." I walked out the door, without one look towards the bar, and prayed that he didn't follow me out here.
By CeraMac24
CHAPTER TWO
SEPTEMEBER 25, 2002: LATER THAT NIGHT
Like Bosco had said, it was girl's night out at Rick's Bar on 56th and 8th. Jesse and I found they had already started by the time we got there. We sat down at their table and one of the girls, Vanni, got up to get us a drink. She was buying the first round. She came back a few minutes later with my drink. I don't remember what I had. It doesn't matter anyways. I didn't get a chance to drink it.
************************************************************************
"Here we go!" Vanni said, back from the bar with drinks in hand. "A Rum and Coke for Jesse and a Tequila Sunrise for Faith. And Faith, yours is compliments of the cute guy at the bar over there." she said, pointing at the tall, dark, and handsome man leaning on the bar and staring at their group.
Kim's mouth dropped. "Wow, Faith. He is gorgeous."
I looked at who Vanni was pointing at. It was Mitchell. My back stiffened and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. I honestly couldn't believe that he was here.
"He doesn't give up, does he?" Jesse said.
"Ok," Max said. "Are we missing something?"
I turned around. "He's the new beat cop at the precinct. He just transferred from the force in Rochester."
"Rochester? Damn, they make 'em fine looking in Rochester! Woot!" Vanni yelled.
I let out a small laugh. "Yeah. It was Davis' day off, so Lieu paired him with Sully. And from tomorrow on, he's my new partner."
"Does he have a name?" Kim asked. "Or should we just call him 'Fine Looking Rochester Man'?"
"Mitchell. Guy Mitchell."
"It fits." Kim said, starting to stand. "Here guys, the next round's on me."
"Wait," I said. "This one's mine." I headed towards the bar, bound and determined to find out just what in the hell he was doing here. I approached him from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and smiled.
"Hey there." he said, very smoothly, I should add.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"What? I'm not allowed to go out?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it. I told you I was coming here, so I'm going to ask you again. What are you doing here?"
"This happens to be a favorite place of mine, and I thought, since I was at the bar and saw my partner sitting with her—"
"Your favorite place? You've lived here for, like what, a week?"
"Faith, I'm from Rochester. It's not exactly the hottest spot in New York. Any chance my friends and I got to come into the city, we took. What in the hell are you being so uptight about anyways?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. You have something against me, though I don't know what. If this is about what happened in the locker room—"
I cut him off again. "Nothing happened in the locker room."
"Okay, right." he said. "Nothing happened."
I couldn't figure this guy out for the life of me. He was right about something, though. I did have something against him, but I wasn't sure what it was either. Maybe it was the realization that, for the first time since I started on the streets, I would be sharing everyday from here on out with someone other than Bosco. Perhaps I had grown too comfortable with what we had and I wasn't ready for a change. Anyways, that's what I told myself.
"It's not you, okay. It's me. I guess I'm just a little unwilling to adjust to a new partner."
"You and Bosco were pretty close, huh?"
"Yeah, we were." I said, quietly. Wait a second, I thought. "We are."
"Excuse me?" he asked
"We are pretty close. Not 'we were'."
"Oh, I see." he said. He set his drink down, took my hand in his and looked me square in the eyes. "Whatever trust was between you and Bosco, I just want you to know that you can find it in me, also. I don't want you to write me off even before I have a chance to prove that to you." His voice was so soft and it seemed to be dripping with sincerity. I don't think that, in all the years I worked with Bosco, he'd never talked to me like that before. Nor had he ever looked at me the way that Mitchell was looking at me at that moment. It was almost as if they were tearing into my soul.
It was starting again; the sensation that I felt ripple through me in the locker room. I had to end this, because, deep down, I knew he wouldn't.
"I have to get drinks." I said, pulling my hand away. I walked around him to the other side of the bar, inhaling deeply as I did. The air in here all of a sudden got very stuffy.
After I ordered, I headed back to the table with our drinks. Even though it had appeared, on the surface, that he had done nothing wrong but "coincidentally" showing up at the same bar as me, he did succeed in ruining my night. I set the tray on the table and sat back down.
"You ok?" Jesse asked.
I nodded. I looked back towards the bar. Mitchell was still there; only he wasn't staring over here anymore. "You know what?" I said, turning around. "I think I'm going to head home." I grabbed my jacket off the chair and put it on.
"Aw, Faith, don't leave." Max said.
"No, I promised Fred I wouldn't be long. Are you guys on tomorrow?"
"Aren't we always?" Kim said, sarcastically.
I smiled. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." I walked out the door, without one look towards the bar, and prayed that he didn't follow me out here.