Author's note: I had a random idea for this the other night and figured it would be fun to write a short story around it. Hope everyone is doing well out there, and would love to know what you think :)

The first time Jay almost told Hailey how he felt was the day she got back from New York. Even though they had been apart for two weeks, it felt like they had spoken more than they had the month before. Every day there were at least three texts and normally one or more phone calls. Neither of them mentioned it, but it had become something of a routine. So when Hailey finally got the details of her flight home, there was no doubt in Jay's mind that he would be the one to pick her up.

He had been buzzing with anticipation the whole day and not just because of the extra coffees he'd had to mask his lack of sleep. He wasn't sure what had caused it but his thoughts had been consumed by the return of his partner all night long, so by the time his clock read 5am, he'd given up trying to sleep. He'd hit the gym, pushed himself on the case, and then tracked her flight minute by minute until it was finally time to leave.

Nervousness wasn't something Jay was very accustomed to when it came to women, but something about Hailey had his stomach doing flips as he walked through the terminal. Before she left he had known there was something between them, but it felt like it was getting more and more out of reach. Hailey had been pulling away from him, doing things without talking to him, and he'd tried to call her out, to do what she had done for him so many times before, but he didn't seem to be making a difference.

So as much as he hated that Voight had sent her away, as much as he'd seethed the day he'd found out, barely talking to anyone in the unit and almost yelling at Voight, he now realised it was for the best. With all of their calls and texts over the past few weeks, there was no doubt in his mind that things had improved. They were more like they had been before; jokes and playful banter which bordered on flirting, real honest conversations about how they were doing with tough cases, and above all else the subtle hints of how they could be more.

It was that which had kept Jay sane throughout the time apart. It was that which had him shuffling his feet as he watched people exiting through customs. And it was that which caused the biggest grin to break out on his face when he finally spotted her. He hadn't told her he would come, she had made an off handed comment about getting a cab and them catching up the day after, but there was no way he could wait an extra day.

When she finally spotted him, a matching smile came to her face and he almost told her right then and there how he felt, but he stopped himself. Yelling it across the airport was not the right move for them. They weren't the showy, declarations in front of a crowd type of people, so instead he walked towards her, meeting her in the middle of the previous gap between them.

He hesitated a moment but when she let go of her suitcase and took a step towards him, his instincts kicked in and he took two steps forward before wrapping his arms around her. They had never really hugged before, there had been reassuring touches, protective embraces while being shot at, but nothing like this.

It was better than he had imagined, the way she fit perfectly against his body, the way her hair tickled his face, the way she held on tightly clearly not wanting to break away from him. And in that moment Jay knew she was it for him. He didn't care anymore about what people thought or how they would make it work while being partners, because both of them had overcome so much in the past that this couldn't be any harder.

That realisation, along with the one about what he had been missing out on, was what caused him to open his mouth, ready to tell her how he felt, but she started speaking first.

"So I guess you missed me too, huh?"

She pulled back slightly so they were face to face but neither removed their hands from each other.

"Yeah, Kim doesn't make coffee half as good as you do," he told her, gaining a laugh in return as she finally let go of him and grabbed her suitcase. "And Ruze is not as easy on the eyes."

The moment had passed for his initial declaration, but the flirty banter which had become so prominent in their recent conversations was a good fallback, especially given the way Hailey was looking at him.

"Oh yeah? You been watching Ruze a lot recently?"

"Well normally when I look up from my desk, I get a much better sight, but these past two weeks-"

He was cut off by a shrieking sound as a woman ran over to a man and jumped into his arms. Jay watched them for a second before he turned back to Hailey after the couple started making out. Hailey still had a small smile on her face as she met his eyes and they had one of their unspoken conversations about the inappropriateness of the couple.

"Come on." He tilted his head towards the exit. "Let's get out of here."

The airport might have been the place couples made declarations of love in many movies, but it wasn't them. When he told Hailey how he felt, it would just be the two of them, because really that's all he wanted.

"So how are you feeling about food?" Hailey asked as they walked over to his truck and Jay did his best to suppress his grin. They were definitely back in sync.

"Well I do owe you Bartoli's. And it sounds like you need a reminder of what good pizza is."

She let out a chuckle, bobbing her head at his suggestion. "Sounds perfect."

Jay gave up on suppressing his grin at that point because she was right. It really did sound perfect.

They made small talk as they walked over to the truck and whilst he drove. Hailey wanted to know what had happened in Intelligence while she was gone, not that he hadn't kept her up to date on all of their calls, but there were a few things he hadn't mentioned and it was different in person. All of the expressions and gestures he had imagined her making while he talked to her on the phone were now here for him to see, and it was just another reminder of how well they knew each other.

The conversation flowed so easily, both of them laughing and teasing each other. It was the best Jay had felt in a long time, and he knew he wanted more of this. He wanted more time with just the two of them, he wanted to listen to everything and anything she had to say, he wanted to make her laugh to the point of tears, to hold her in his arms, to be the one she wanted to be with. The words were back in his head again, ready to go, but then the sound of her phone rang out.

She shot him an apologetic look as she answered it. He caught on pretty quickly that it was Vanessa, but he didn't pay too much attention to their conversation as he continued to drive. He did find himself glancing over to her every now and again though, watching her as she fiddled with a strand of hair while listening to whatever her roommate had to say.

"Okay, yeah. I gotta go now. I'll see you later." Hailey ended the call once he parked the car and they stepped out onto the street. "Sorry about that, she-"

But she didn't finish as Jay shook his head, letting her know it was fine. While Jay was certain he had missed Hailey more, he had noticed Vanessa's mood change over the past few weeks. It wasn't drastic, but he had caught the few times she clearly wanted to talk to Hailey and get her advice rather than ask the rest of them. He had tried to help her out where he could, but he understood that she was more comfortable with Hailey. God knows he was.

"That smells so good," Hailey said as soon as Jay opened the door and they were greeted by the smell of fresh pizza. "Feels like forever since I was last here."

"Yeah, well we have time to make up for it now."

And to make up for everything else they had missed. He didn't say that but he got the feeling Hailey knew what he was thinking given the look in her eyes before she focused her attention on the waiter who had walked over to them. It wasn't too busy but Jay had booked them a table once he knew her flight was on time just to be safe.

"Bit presumptuous," Hailey said once they had been seated and were looking over the menus.

"What's that?"

"Booking a table." Her tone was playful as she looked up from her menu. "Assuming I'd want to come out for dinner with you."

"Oh yeah? Somewhere you'd rather be?"

She took a moment, a smile playing on her lips. "No."

"Me neither."

They held each other's gaze at his confession, but neither spoke a word. If anyone was watching them, they might think they were in a staring match, trying to make the other blink and look away, but it was far from that. It was this thing between them. The thing they didn't talk about but both knew was there. The thing that would make or break them.

"Have we decided?"

The waiter's question snapped them out of their private moment, but it was okay. This wasn't the right place either.

"I'm good," Jay said, checking with Hailey who nodded her confirmation before letting the waiter know her choice.

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur. They ate, they talked, they laughed, and it made the wait for her return completely worthwhile. Part of him had been worried that the distance would make things worse but if anything, it had made things better between them. There were brief touches now, more so than before. Like when his foot bumped against hers under the table or when her hand brushed against his as they walked out to the truck. It might not have seemed like much to some, but Jay knew it was another step forward in their thing.

"Thanks for this, I mean everything," Hailey said after he parked up outside her place.

"Hailey, any time you want to do this, I'm down."

"Yeah?"

"Well maybe not the New York part, but the going out for dinner part, any time you want."

"How about tomorrow? Vanessa has been raving about this new place and I feel like I need to get out in the city again."

Jay let out a soft laugh. "You've only been gone two weeks."

"You saying you don't want to?" Her tone was teasing but there was a hint of nervousness too.

"Oh I definitely want to, just not sure what you're expecting to have changed in such a short time."

"Yeah." She ran a hand through her hair. "Guess it just feels longer."

She had a point with that. Yesterday had felt like it would never end and today time seemed to drag on, or at least it had until he caught sight of her at the airport. From that point it had gone by too fast for his liking. "Well we'll just have to keep checking the city for changes one restaurant at a time."

"Sounds good. But I'm paying next time."

He nodded his acceptance, letting a silence fall between them. The words were back in his head again, and it was just the two of them, but he could see the weariness on her face.

"I should probably." She indicated to her house and he gave a nod.

"Hey," he called out after she had stepped out of the car, causing her to turn back to him. It wasn't the right time to tell her everything, but there was still something he wanted to say. "I'm really glad you're back."

There was no reaction from her to start with but after a few seconds he saw the mischievous grin on her face. "Because you missed me."

He chuckled. "I did miss you."

"Good," she said, hanging onto the door with her hand. "I missed you too."

The grin was back on his face at her statement, and as much as he was tempted to tell her everything else, in the end he just wished her a good night. There was no need to rush it. They had waited long enough already, so what was a few more days or weeks really? With them being back in the same city, with their plans for more dinners, Jay knew it was only a matter of time until he found the right moment. And as soon as he did, he would tell her the truth. That he was completely and utterly in love with her.