Obsession (2/13)

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys. I'm glad there's still people who haven't read this one.
Chapter two
Faith awoke the next morning to the sun streaming in through the curtains of her bedroom window. The intense light hurt her eyes and she used one hand to shield them, her discomfort magnified by a dull headache.

It took her a full minute to realize something else had probably woken her up. She lifted her head off the pillow and listened, instantly alert.

There it was again. A rap on the door.

Tossing the covers aside, she quickly got out of bed and pulled on a robe before heading out to the living room.

She approached the door and looked through the peephole. A kid with a baseball cap and a gray uniform smiled at her from outside. He was apparently holding something but she couldn't see what it was.

She turned the lock and unhooked the chain, her eyes widening in surprise as he came in full view.

"Ms Mitchell?"

"Y-yes."

"I've got something for you." He said, a goofy grin on his face as he handed her a bouquet of sixteen red roses.

Faith hesitantly took the flowers, once again asking herself who could be responsible for that.

"Isn't there a card or something?"

The kid looked at her with a curious expression. "Nope. Sorry."

"Okay. Never mind."

She went back inside and laid the roses on the coffee table, then reached for her purse and pulled out a few crumpled bills.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Have a nice day, ma'am."

She stood at the doorstep for a moment, not sure if she should feel happy, or pissed, or even scared. Fred and Bosco were the only two men she'd had some kind of relationship with, but neither of them would actually send flowers to her.

She'd never pictured Bosco as the kind of guy who'd do something like that, especially after what had happened between the two of them; and Fred, well he'd filed for divorce so it was high unlikely of him to make such a nice gesture.

Then who was it?

The thought lingered in her head as she closed the door and walked to the kitchen. After filling up a vase with water and putting the roses into it, she sat on the couch and stared at them.

She counted them again. Sixteen.

Was it a date? She couldn't recall any birthday or other important date falling on the 16th . That was definitely weird.

Suddenly realizing she was gonna be late for work, Faith eased herself off the couch and hurried down the hall to take a shower and get dressed.

Her mysterious lover could wait.

I watch as you cross the street and head to the subway station and from the small smile that curves your lips I can tell you got my little present.

I wish I could've given it to you myself, see the flicker of joy and confusion on your face, but this will have to wait.

They say patience is a virtue, and I've learned it the hard way during the last 16 years of my senseless life. I will reveal myself to you. Just not now.

The sun is blazing in the sky, stretching its rays all over the city. It's a hot day, and you lift up a hand to wipe the beads of sweat from your forehead.

God, you're so beautiful.

That idiot Fred must be out of his mind. A divorce. What a waste. The guy's obviously stupider than I ever gave him credit for.

I should thank him though. That's the chance I was waiting for.

Mors tua, vita mea, the Latins said.

Bye bye, Freddie. My turn now.

You stop, looking at your reflection in a shop window. Standing straighter, you fix your hair, pulling them back into a ponytail.

A woman stops right in front of me and reaches for her cell phone, blocking my line of sight for a moment with her large body. I'm tempted to scream at her to get the hell out of the way but then I spot you again, climbing down the stairs and slowly disappearing from my sight.

Hope you have a nice day, my love. I'll see you tonight. Got another little surprise for when you get back.

"Hey, wanna grab a drink?"

"What? No thanks, Davis. It's been a rough day, I just wanna go home."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Sure."

Faith was out the door in a matter of minutes. She felt bad for turning down Davis' offer, well aware sooner or later they'd just stop asking her, but Bosco was probably going to be there, and facing him was the last thing she wanted to do. Trying to avoid him all day was enough.

She just couldn't stand to see the hurt in his eyes.

He'd changed so much over the last couple of months. First Cruz, then the shootout in that hotel room and her little scene to top it all.

The hot-headed cop was gone, and she wasn't sure she liked the man who'd replaced him.

Pulling her jacket closer, she walked out of the parking lot, her gaze briefly fixing on his blue Mustang before disappearing around the corner.

Riding the subway at midnight is usually quiet, and Faith was always grateful for that, but not today. Sitting in an almost deserted car gave her thoughts enough space to float around when all she wished was to keep them at bay.

As she unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside fifteen minutes later, she felt the familiar headache settling in.

Great, she thought to herself.

She turned on the lights and spotted a white envelope on the floor. Someone must've slipped it through the door.

Casting an involuntary glance at the red roses on the coffee table, she picked it up, holding it in her hands for a moment as she debated whether to open it or not.

Get a hold of yourself, girl. You're a cop.

With a swift move, she slid her finger under one side of the envelope and tore it open, revealing a folded slip of paper inside.

Still standing in the doorway, she could feel her heart start to beat faster. Her cop training kicked in, instructing her to carefully scan the paper, though she technically still had no reason to worry about it.

Neat italic writing, black ink. The message was short but immediately got her attention.

I hope you liked the roses.

Their beauty's nothing compared to yours but take them as a token of my affection.

I'll see you soon.

Faith stared at the letter for the longest time, reading the words over and over again.

Someone was sending her flowers... someone who knew her well enough to leave a message on her doorstep.

The thoughts swirling in her mind only made her headache worse.

I'm not gonna lose my sleep over this, she said as she crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it in the trashcan.

TBC...