AN: I want to keep this as brief as possible because I'm really excited to post this chapter. Initially, I wanted 3 chapters for each woman in Nick's life, but after writing this chapter I knew it would be impossible to fit everything I want to write for Rollaro in 3 chapters.

For the guest reviewer who asked about 'Forgiving Rollins', it won't be addressed in this chapter. But there's a little, teeny hint that it might be brought up in subsequent chapters. If you can spot it, let me know. As always, read, enjoy, and review.

Oh, and if you're on tumblr. Follow me! I go by fuckyeahnickamaro

March 20, 2014

"Moran's tonight?" Fin asked aloud to his partner, Amaro, and anyone else who might have been within earshot. It had been a long week at the 16th precinct, and it didn't matter to the experienced detective who he was with, as long as he had a drink.

Nick leaned back against his chair and gave an affirmative nod. "I could use a drink after this week," he started, "Jimmy Mac poking his nose where it doesn't belong… Kemp gettin' away with rape… When was the last time we had a good week?"

Fin laughed humorlessly, "there are no good weeks in SVU."

"Truth." Nick pointed his pen toward the other detective. Fin did the same before he threw it between their desks and it landed on Nick's chest.

"Ok, Office Warehouse Jedis, have you finished filing the paperwork on the Heba Salim case?" Liv poked her head out of the office only to find two of her best detectives goofing around.

"Yeah, boss," Fin assured her, "the DD5s are with 1PP now."

Liv nodded. "Hey, we're heading out to Moran's in a few," Nick began. "Wanna come with?" It wasn't weird asking his boss, when his boss was Liv. He was her partner, and Fin and Liv knew each other for over a decade; they were all practically family. Even if Amanda didn't think she was part of it, she was family too.

Liv hesitated on her response. "Rain check. I'm meeting someone tonight."

"Sarge, got a hot date?" Fin grinned cheekily, exchanging a look with Amaro.

She rolled her eyes and backed into her office. "No, it's actually a work dinner. Perks of being the boss," she said sarcastically.

Once Benson returned to her office, Fin looked up across the desk to ask his partner. Amanda had been quiet all week, which he understood seeing as she was still getting over that whole mess with her gambling operation. Fin wasn't entirely privy to the details, but he knew enough to know his partner was in a tough spot and she did what she had to do in order to complete the assignment. He wasn't happy she'd lied to him, but he understood her reasons. Fin wasn't going to lose sleep over it. He assured her that nothing changed; he still trusted his partner.

"You up for drinks?"

Amanda looked up from the computer screen to meet Fin's eyes. She listened to them talking about Friday night drinks at the bar down the street. Nick, straight away, spoke up about needing a drink. She knew then that she wouldn't be joining them. Truth was, she still felt awkward around him. The anger, which initially consumed her when she found out about the lengths he had undertaken to prove she was shady, had now simmered down. It was replaced mostly by confusion and reservation. She knew she could have asked him point-blank, but she was too embarrassed to pick a fight with him, knowing he had the upper hand.

They spent the days following not speaking and only talking about open cases. When they drove to and from the Salim residence, he tried to keep the conversation light. When she thought he was being patronizing and didn't respond, he took it as a cue to keep his mouth shut and keep driving. Maybe she was being a little too bitchy.

"I don't think I can tonight," she told Fin.

Fin gave raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what's your excuse now, you drivin' up to Niagara?"

She glanced sideways and saw Nick cast her a look. The last real conversation they had was when she was supposed to go upstate with Frannie. He was so excited telling her about the attractions and the wineries. He opened up to her about his marriage and his daughter. And all along, Amanda had no intentions of going up to Niagara. She really felt like a bitch now.

"C'mon, partner, you owe me a drink after the stunt you pulled," Fin tucked his chin. "I may be a chill dude but I'm still in my 50s – you almost gave me a heart attack."

"You shouldn't be drinking then, grandpa," she scrunched up her nose, but then smiled at him. "Fine, but I'll catch up. I need to finish some things."

Nick and Fin had left her at the station three hours earlier to get a head start. She stayed behind to finish the CompStat report, and compiled open cases so she could get the following week's report ready for Benson. She wanted to win Liv's trust back, or at least get her sergeant to trust her to know what she was doing. It had only been a few days since IAB cleared her to return to work and Liv mentioned that the only reason she was still here was because they were short-staffed. But Amanda was restless. She couldn't just sit back and wait for time to heal all wounds and carry her back into Liv's good graces. She had to do something; so she buried herself in work like the eager detective that transferred out of APD three years ago.

March 20, 2014

When Amanda finally arrived at Moran's, it was close to eleven.

Moran's was usually crowded and noisy on Friday nights, and tonight was no different. It was just what she needed after pulling a 16-hour day, and spending most of it as a desk jockey. She pushed through the crowd of mostly men, drinking and exchanging high fives. They looked, smiled, and made a pass at her. She smiled back, like the Southern girl she was, but she fended them off as she continued to push through the mob.

When she spotted Nick at the bar, his eyes trained on a rerun of a Knicks game, she figured his company must have been in the washroom or at the pool table. But her partner wasn't playing pool, and there was no empty barstool alongside Nick. He turned his head, catching a glimpse of her bright blonde hair that seemed to radiate in the shadowy bar.

"Hey," he stood up but kept his arm on the back of the stool. He offered her the chair.

She waved her hand to tell him she didn't want to sit. She always thought chivalry was dead; Nick must've never got the memo. "Where's Fin?"

"He left an hour ago."

Amanda frowned and creased her brow, as Nick continued to explain. "He saw a C.I. from his Narcotics days, they talked, she bought us shots, he kicked his ass at pool, then they bailed on me." He shook his head and smiled.

"Fin left to hook up with a C.I.?" Amanda looked at him in disbelief. She shrugged her shoulders, "Guess, I can't really blame him… So you've been sitting here alone for an hour?"

"Yeah," he took a sip of his beer but he kept his eyes on her. Nick wasn't oblivious. He knew Amanda was avoiding him since the truth came out about the UC operation. The initial distress and confusion shifted to relief once it was revealed that she wasn't in trouble with the Irish mob or some gambling syndicate. Nick still didn't know exactly what happened, but regardless of how she got there, he was glad she was now safe.

Nick was the first to notice something wrong. He figured he'd bring it up with Fin since her partner seemed to know her best. But Fin didn't think anything of it at first, and he even teased him about having something going on for Rollins. When Amanda called in sick, the suspicion and worry ascended. Nick knew not to intervene, because that was the last thing Amanda would want. But his mind kept going back to what Liv went through with William Lewis, and he just couldn't risk it.

Fear outweighed self-control, so he traced her cell. No suspicious activities and he promised himself he'd drop it; but when he tracked her to an abandoned NAVY shipyard, he had an uneasy feeling in his gut. It wasn't because he thought Amanda was double-crossing the NYPD, but because she was in trouble and her safety was compromised. Whatever shady operation she was involved with, or however she got ensnared into that world, he wasn't passing judgment. He just wanted to help her stop digging a deeper hole for herself. He wanted to help her out.

There was no way she was implicit in every decision. Nick was convinced they had something over her head – outstanding debts, maybe her sister. So he never once blamed her. He knew all about bad things happening to good people. Not that he was exactly a saint, but he lived it. He just wanted to believe it was the same case with Amanda. So it wasn't for a lack of self-control that was the issue anymore; it was rage and a primal need to protect that pushed him to follow O'Rourke and deliver his fist through his gut. Truth be told, he hadn't really planned it. He just remembered losing his temper after he learned that Liv and Fin were confronting Rollins that night. They told her she'd have to turn herself in. Nick felt full of regret. Had he known his prying would lead to this then maybe he would've stopped. But who knows what could have happened to her if Vice wasn't working a UC operation? Who knows if she'd still have her shield? Who knows if she'd still be alive?

He was only doing it to help her. Not ruin her.

She looked up at him and shrugged. "You could've texted me. Told me Fin left—"

"So you could bail on me too?" He shot back quickly, but he smirked. Her cheeks burned and she chewed on her lip. She couldn't even lie to him and pretend what he said wasn't true. "But you're here now. Rollins, let me buy you a drink."

Amanda darted her eyes back to the door. She couldn't help but feel awkward with Nick being so nice to her while she was being the complete opposite. Surrendering to the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips and to those kind brown eyes, she sighed and walked towards the edge of the bar. "Just one round, Amaro."

One round turned to two and two turned to three as Nick and Amanda found themselves in a booth at a more private corner of the bar. He had peeled off the sticker of his half empty bottle and stuck it to the growing pile of stickers that now served as his makeshift coaster.

They talked shop, mostly about the case they just closed and the unrelenting nature of the free press. Ethics in journalism became the topic of conversation, but as the drinks poured they shifted to carping on the New York Post and LMZ. She laughed at him when he couldn't name a second Kardashian sister. "Must be nice living under that rock."

"Hey," he called her out, "when it comes to the Kardashians, the less you know the better off you are."

Amanda threw her head back and laughed. Nick had a point.

They were having fun and enjoying the conversation, even though it always somehow steered back to work. It was just such a huge part of their lives. They were both workaholics, so naturally the job would be brought up. Still, they kept it light-hearted with Amanda's sass and wit. Nick wasn't too far behind; he'd crack a joke and make her laugh and that only incited him to loosen up more. The night was starting to get a little hazy but she still felt in control and unimpaired.

"Why didn't you text me when Fin left?"

She abruptly turned their conversation around. The thought had been sitting on the tip of her tongue since their night began, but she assumed it was more polite to lead off and engage him in conversation about journalistic integrity and America's love-hate relationship with tabloid fodder. The conversation had come down to a comfortable lull, and she thought it would be harmless to ask. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Can't I grab a drink with just you, Amanda?" he asked, "or does Fin have to chaperone?"

Yup, it hurts to ask because there's no going back from that. Amanda cocked her head to the side and studied his face to see if he was inebriated, high, or just plain crazy. Apart from the slightly rosy cheeks and the ruffled hair, he seemed fine. His eyes were clear as they remained fixed on hers.

"Wh- Why would you want to do that?"

Nick frowned. He set his beer down on his DIY coaster and leaned forward across the table until Amanda felt he was a little too close for a colleague. "Rollins, are you still mad at about what I found out while you were working UC?"

She pursed her lips and averted her guilty baby blues. He figured her out. Of course he did. He's a detective.

"Look, I know you're not exactly thrilled about what I did – meddling, and not learning from the last time." He cringed at the memory of their epic fight at the bunks. "So I sat back and allowed you to send me death stares for, um," he pressed the home screen on his phone and saw that it was 1AM on March 21st. "I let you be for nine days. I didn't wiretap your phone, follow you home, and put a GPS on your ass or Frannie's… I didn't even ask questions."

Amanda chuckled nervously and nodded slowly. Nick was right. While she was angry at him for "leading" the investigation to take her down, Nick had never asked her about it in the aftermath. He never gave her shit for relapsing on her addiction, stealing a gun out of lock-up, or escaping administrative discipline and criminal charges.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," he started, "but I feel like I have to explain myself to you."

Nick leaned back, breaking the proximity that felt familiar and comforting in such a short space of time. He pulled on the right sleeve of his shirt as it pushed up against his elbow. She started to notice his mannerisms – the way he always folded and unfolded the sleeves of his shirt and made sure they were symmetrical, the way he readjusted his tie to make sure it was straight, the way he never seemed to like sitting on chairs for long periods of time, the way he pressed his lips together when he was deep in thought. They didn't mean anything; at least that's what she told herself at night when all she could picture when she closed her eyes was Nick's face.

"Rollins, I did those things because I was concerned for your safety. Now I know you can take care of yourself and you don't need me to protect you," he said before she could interrupt.

Amanda opened her mouth to protest but she stopped and thought better of it.

"You don't need me. I get that," he smiled weakly. "But ever since Liv became our boss, you've kinda been my partner too. I mean, how many hours did we clock in together this week?" He chuckled.

"Real talk, I just couldn't risk failing to protect my partner like I failed Liv." His face took on a somber expression as his index finger traced the rim of the beer bottle.

"That wasn't your fault."

"I know," he nodded, "no one's to blame except for that sick son of a bitch."

Amanda took a long swig of her beer. She spent a lot of time suppressing doubts that if she hadn't taken the initiative, then what happened to Liv at the hands of William Lewis would never have happened. She wouldn't show it, nor would she say it out loud. But it did feel reassuring hearing it from someone else – hearing that she wasn't being blamed for what happened.

"For the record, I thought that Irish mob guy –"

"Murphy?" She asked quizzically.

He returned the same inquiring expression before he shook his head and laughed. "I thought he had something on you and that's why he had you pulling favors. That's why I kept digging, because I was looking for something to use against him so he'd back off. But I kept running into brick walls, because turns out the only Declan O'Rourkes in the city are a Chelsea bar owner and a sixteen year-old boy from the Upper West Side."

"Please tell me more about you running into brick walls," she teased.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

She flashed him a bright smile. He looked down and away, but he couldn't suppress the grin that matched hers. When she had stopped tormenting him with her sassy quips, the expression on his face became more serious. Nick rested his forearms on the table and leaned forward. "I didn't want to think you were guilty."

"So you really did all that to help me?"

He nodded. "Up until you stole the gun from lock-up. Then I was like, 'damn, this girl has cojones!' then I just got jealous."

She playfully shoved him on the shoulder. "Come on, I'm being serious here."

He licked his lips. "Yeah, I had a feeling you were backed into a corner. I saw the way you looked that morning you were checking on those traffic tickets. You looked antsy. If you were really complicit then you wouldn't have been acting so weird. My gut was telling me something was wrong, and when I saw you with O'Rourke, or Murphy, or whatever the hell his name is – I knew you were in trouble."

"So you came to the rescue?" She rolled her eyes but she smiled anyway. Nick and his honorable intentions – always getting him into trouble.

"I didn't come to the rescue; that's what sucks." He pouted. Nick thought about bringing up the fact that he sucker punched Murphy, but he thought it was best to save it for another day. The man technically saved her ass, but he didn't trust the guy. Especially not after he called her 'used' – UC or not, that didn't fly with him.

"So you never thought for a second that I was being a dirty cop all on my own?"

He shook his head and laughed. "I know you don't always play by the rules, but no way. I thought you were collateral."

"What?" she asked in feigned disbelief. "C'mon, I had you believing I wasn't on the straight and narrow—"

"Hey, I never said you were. You're still pretty crooked," he smirked, which earned him another good-natured shove on the shoulder.

Once she pulled her arm back to her side and she felt Nick's eyes study her for a moment. She felt like it was time for her to explain, even if he never asked for it. "Hey," she started but she was rather unsure of how to proceed. "I'm sorry for acting like a bitch. You did meddle," she smirked, "but given the circumstances and what you knew, you did what you had to. I'm sorry I put you and Fin in that situation. I really had no right to be pissed at you…"

"Hey, I can take it," he held his arms open and he grinned. Amanda blushed. This wasn't their first rodeo; this wasn't their first apology tour. But something about tonight made it different. Nick had learned when to take the pressure off and when to stop obsessing, and Amanda learned to stop being so stubborn when it came to her squad coming to her aid. At the end of the day, she had been the one to put them all in a tough spot. Nick wasn't holding any grudges. In fact, he trusted her all along. He always had her back.

"So, we're good?" she asked hopefully, raising her beer across the table and waiting for the clink of his bottle.

He met her eyes as the sound of two glass bottles traveled to her ears. "We're good."

March 2, 2015

Monday morning blues didn't have the same feel to them, when you were already stuck at the 16th precinct over the weekend. Apart from the Lena Rodriguez case, SVU caught a string of multiple domestic violence cases at two illegal daycares in West Harlem. It was rather clear-cut though so they had the DD5s wrapped up and sent along to 1PP and the DA's office by Sunday night. Meanwhile, Lena was back in her apartment and Thomas Fischer spent the weekend in lock-up. Lena did, finally, decide to press charges.

Once Lena put two and two together and determined that the man who raped her on February 28, 2015 was the same man who assaulted her during her freshman year in college, she decided to stop feeling sorry for her friend and started feeling sorry for herself. It was an abrupt decision after her admission that she was 'a hundred percent' certain he was her attacker. It shook Amanda to see Lena flip so quickly, but the detective was relieved. She did want Lena to press charges as long as it was under her own recognizance, and not because she felt pressured. Now that the magic words and the wand was waved, no one could blame Rollins for convincing Lena not to pursue.

Nick relayed the news to Liv, who got on the phone with Barba, who wasn't too thrilled to be at the receiving end of a phone call from his favorite unit of detectives. "It's called a weekend. Normal people use them to unwind after a stressful week. I recommend it, Sergeant" he ironically told Benson during their conversation.

Once Fin called CSU to expedite the rape kit, the investigation could now move along. They were sorting out details of the case when Amanda caught Carisi scrolling through Facebook. "Hey," she alerted him, casting a glance toward their boss speaking at the head of the room.

He waved her hand at her and motioned for her to come look at his screen. "Check this out," he scrolled up to the title of the Facebook group. Fordham Class of 2014.

"Yeah, what am I looking at?" She titled her head to the side and looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

Carisi scrolled down and opened a new tab to one of the related groups, Grayson Hall - the first-year residence where Lena and Tom lived. He quickly searched through the posts dating back to August 2010. Most of them were introductory posts, questions about roommates, and attempts to make friends before classes started in the fall.

There was a post from Lena Rodriguez formatted in the same way as the other introductory posts that preceded hers. "Hi, I'm Lena Rodriguez from a small town just outside Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm an English Lit major who loves 19th century European literature and indie music like Belle & Sebastian, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo. In my spare time, I like watching films about New York and improving my Spanish by watching telenovelas. I've never been to New York and I've always dreamed about it, so I'm really excited to move there. I hope I can make some friends here before school starts…"

"Did Tom comment or 'like' it?"

Carisi shook his head. "But check this out," he scrolled down to a similar post from July 2010. This one had Thomas Fischer's introduction. "Hey! Tom Fischer from Ohio. I'm going into business, so I can take over the old man's car auction empire. LOL. I enjoy building PCs, fixing up cars, and playing on fantasy football leagues. I listen to rap, hip hop, and metal – I hope you don't mind the noise, roommates and neighbors. I don't read much but I like The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and he occasional Tom Clancy. Hit me up."

Amanda's forehead creased as she exchanged a look with Carisi. This version of Tom – the honest version – did not sound anything like the best friend Lena described. He sounded like the kind of guy that revealed himself in the interrogation room a few days ago. Lena's former roommate said she and Tom had similar interests, and that's how they became so close. But judging by his initial post on Facebook, it seemed Tom wasn't very upfront about that.

Nick listened to Liv as she outlined their next steps on the Lena Rodriguez case, but he couldn't help but notice Rollins and Carisi hunched over a laptop. They seemed to be stuck in their own world. He squashed the jealousy that reared its ugly head when the two exchanged a lingering look.

"You two got something?" Liv asked a little bit miffed that two of her detectives weren't paying attention.

"Yeah, boss," he flipped the laptop around and showed it to the rest of the squad. He scrolled down and read aloud both posts.

"Ok, so he presented himself differently and made her think he was something that he's not. I don't see where you're going with this." Nick said.

"He was stalking her," Amanda froze and stared at him with wide eyes.

Nick furrowed his brows, "Stalking? No, people who sign up for online dating pull that crap all the time and you don't see us charging them on counts for stalking. He lied to her about the books he read and the music he liked, but it doesn't prove anything."

Amanda snorted a laugh and looked at Nick with disdain, "Of course, you wouldn't consider it stalking."

He placed his arms up in surrender and turned his head away.

"Rollins." Liv gasped. She felt the other detectives' eyes trained on her but she kept her eyes fixed on Nick, who had turned his back. He couldn't even look at her right now.

Amanda held her hand up, "sorry, Sarge," she apologized to the wrong person. "But Carisi might have something to tie Tom to the first rape. It's not beyond the statute of limitations and they can try him for two counts of rape and it'll add to his sentence."

Nick turned around on his heel. "We need to figure out if he has an alibi for that night, see if we can rule him out -"

"He raped her!"

He pressed his knuckles and leaned over the desk, "I'm not saying he didn't. We got him dead to rights on the one two days ago, but we have nothing on the 2010 rape. No rape kit, no police report, and no witnesses. All we have is Lena sayin' the grunts sounded the same. Barba's gonna throw this case out if we're even thinkin' about charging him for the rape five years ago."

"Oh, Barba said that?" Amanda laughed humorlessly, "you also talk about these cases with him when you have your boys' night? I thought you two just exchanged sob stories."

Fin and Olivia exchanged a confused look as Nick and Amanda stared each other down.

"Don't," he held his hand up before he turned around and paced away from her. She was pushing him and bringing up private conversations in front of the squad.

Olivia had had enough. She wasn't going to let two of her best detectives rip each other's throats out when the case needed everyone's full cooperation. "Rollins, go with Carisi and talk to Fischer ask him about the Facebook posts. Fin, go find out if Tom has an alibi for October 6, 2010." Finally, Liv gave her partner a sympathetic look, "Nick, my office."

March 21, 2014

They pushed past the crowd of drunk people and laughed as they stumbled out of the bar. The air was cool as the season edged between Winter and Spring. It felt nice to feel the chill against her warm cheeks. Nick welcomed the fresh air - or as fresh as the city's air could be - it helped clear his mind a little.

"So I guess we should call it a night," he said, looking down at her. She was trying to further bundle herself up under her giant scarf. She looked cute when she did that.

"Yeah," she muffled into the fabric. He could barely make out what she said but he saw the mirth in her eyes and it made him smile.

Nick stepped off the edge of the sidewalk and looked down the street for a cab. He held his arm out to hail a cab for her, but the ones that came by already had passengers.

"Good luck finding a cab tonight. Big Kendrick Lamar concert in the Garden tonight," she pointed down the street. "After parties around the block."

He sighed, stepping back up to the curb. He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back so his chest puffed up to the night sky. When his feet were flat back on the ground and he faced her, he asked. "Train?"

They walked down to the subway station. She never had a problem going down stairs, but tonight her choice of footwear and the alcohol in her system didn't mesh very well. She clung to the filthy, metal banister as she missed a step. Nick immediately flew down a few steps and reached out to catch her, but she stabilized herself. She held on. She laughed, embarrassed by her momentary clumsiness. "I'm not a messy drunk, I swear."

"I believe you." He looked up at her and it was like the world stopped as his heart raced.

She pressed her palms over his shoulders and for a second he thought she was going to lean down and kiss him. The scary part was he wasn't going to stop her. But she just squeezed his shoulders before she quickly pulled them away. "Let's go."

Nick turned around and walked down the stairs, he turned around to make sure she was ok. She seemed fine, but he thought he'd humor her as they waited for the train. Nick placed his hands on his hips and widened his stance. "Ma'am, have you been drinking?"

Amanda giggled. "Why no, officer," she fluttered her lashes and Nick felt a swift punch in the gut. No pain, just a lot of feelings he shouldn't have been feeling.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to walk in a straight line."

Amanda lowered her eyes before she laughed at her attempt to flirt with Nick. This was Nick, for god's sake. She spun around, and whipped her hair against his face. He chuckled but got a nice good whiff of her shampoo. Even after a long day in an office full of testosterone, Amanda still managed to smell like daisies. He was impressed.

She walked away from him and turned around to face him. He looked like a Latin Superman the way he was standing. She would have thought he was completely serious had it not been for the laugh lines that crinkled in the corner of his eyes.

Playing along, Amanda placed her hands on her hips and sauntered down in a straight line like she was a model down a catwalk. She was doing so well and giving Kate Moss a run for her money, when her heel got caught in a crack on the tile. She lurched forward and fell into Nick's arms.

It looked as if her life flashed before her eyes because Amanda's face was priceless. Nick wished he could freeze time and take a picture because he hadn't seen anything that funny in a while. He laughed as he held her until she regained her balance. As her fingertips pressed on his torso, she could feel the deep rumbles of laughter from deep in his belly. She playfully shoved him on the chest but he caught her wrist.

"I'm gonna have to arrest you for assaulting an officer," his voice was low and his face was so dangerously close to hers. Amanda took a step back and felt her knees buckle. She watched as his arms reached out but she placed her hand in front of her to divide them. She took another step back and felt a snap of cold air rush over her as she separated all contact with Nick. He kept his eyes trained on her and it felt just a little too much, too soon.

She turned around and held her hands behind her back. At least she didn't have to see his face for this part. And he wouldn't be able to see the mixture of fear, excitement, and desire etched in her features.

Nick stared at her back for a moment before he took a step forward and held her wrists together with his hands. He could see her spine extend as she inhaled sharply. He licked his lips before he tilted his head and brought his lips close to her ear.

"You have the right to remain silent -"

Before he could fully Mirandize her, the train came like a bullet into the station. It was her train, going south. His train north wasn't coming for another three minutes. He released the gentle grip on her wrists and she turned around to smile at him. "See you," she said so awkwardly it was almost painful. She scrunched up her face and shook her head before she turned around. He watched as Amanda stepped into the train. She had her back turned. Once she stepped past the doors, she closed her eyes and counted to two before she spun around and locked eyes with him.

"Nightcap?"

Before she could read his face and before he could even respond, he jumped into the train and squeezed between the sliding doors.