Chapter Two
Alesha was sat on the floor of her and Jacob's office, boxes and boxes of files filled to the brim with paperwork, folders and files all placed near her. Surrounding herself on the floor, was more paperwork scattered in a very haphazard manner, which she had begun to arrange into neat piles.
Alesha rubbed her head, her headache had now returned and what was worse was she was now running a temperature, and she was also getting rather peckish. She checked the clock on the wall. 9:45pm. Realising she hadn't eaten anything since before she met up with the Natalie and the boys earlier, she decided to go out and get something to fill the empty void that was her stomach. But her mind was on more pressing matters of taking more medication to ease her symptoms first.
Before she had chance to get up from her spot on the floor, she heard a knock on the office door which made her jump. She wondered who it could be at this time of night, and more worryingly how they had got in, considering the doors had been locked and she was the only one in the building. Thankfully Alesha's worries were quickly silenced, as a familiar face opened the door and stood there with his very recognisable smile.
"Evening!"
"Matt!" Alesha smiled happily, relieved it was him and not an intruder "What the heck are you doing here so late, and how did you get in?"
"Hey I'm a copper I have my ways" he grinned cheekily, coming into the room with one hand behind his back "And secondly, I came to give you this" he held out a silver flask.
Alesha took it with a frown, eyeing it with an arched eyebrow "What's this?"
"Chicken soup, it cures everything" he chuckled "So I thought seeing as you're ill, and you have to stay up late looking through this lot" he gestured to the paperwork on the floor "I'd make you some to hopefully make you feel better."
Alesha's heart melted on the spot. She knew Matt Devlin could be a charmer, but deep down he clearly had a heart of gold.
"Matt, I don't know what to say. That was so thoughtful of you, thank-you so much!"
"Was my pleasure, I would've brought it sooner but I had to work late and then I didn't have the ingredients at home, so I had to go and buy some...all a bit of a palaver, but it's worth it."
Alesha took a sip of the hot soup and felt the warmth of the liquid glide down her sore throat, relieving the pain.
Alesha beamed "Wow, this is great stuff, Matt!"
"Thanks" Matt took off his coat and flung it on the coat rail by the door, making space next to Alesha so he could sit down "Right, what can I do to help?"
Alesha frowned "What? No, no Matt I can't let you do that. You've been more than generous in bringing me the soup, you don't need to stay and help me."
"Of course I do, I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I did. Besides we'll get it done in half the time if there are two of us."
Alesha was in no mood, or fit state, to argue, and under any other circumstances she would have insisted he left until she was blue in the face, but tonight she could feel the illness getting the better of her, much to her displeasure. She passed Matt one of the heavy boxes of files and he quickly began the work. Alesha got up to take her medication, and then proceeded to sit at her desk as she drunk her soup, her back was now hurting after being hunched over on the floor.
Half an hour later, Matt had now finished looking through the big pile of paperwork on the floor.
"I'm pretty much done, do you want to pass me..." he glanced up to look at his work colleague, to find her asleep with her head resting gently on her desk.
Matt gave a small smile, he got up from where he was sat and came closer to her, touching her arm.
"Alesha" he said softly "Alesha..." but she wouldn't wake up. She was out for the count.
Matt gently touched her forehead and could feel she had a temperature. Knowing she needed the rest, he decided to let her sleep and he carried on with the work alone. He spent the next three hours going through all the paperwork, only leaving the room to use the loo and get fresh coffee from the machine down the corridor. Once the final box of documents was searched through, and Matt had found the information he needed, he tidied everything away before waking Alesha.
"Alesha...'Lesh, come on darling you have to wake up. Alesha" he shook her gently, and she woke with a start.
"Matt..." she sat up groggily, looking around with a dazed expression on her face "Oh Matt, I'm sorry I must have dozed off. What time is it?"
Matt checked his watch, and even he was surprised by the time "1:10am."
"Seriously?" Alesha raised her eyebrows, before looking guiltily at him "Oh Matt, why didn't you wake me?"
"You needed your rest, you aren't well Alesha. It's okay, I got everything we needed, and it's tidied away so you don't have to do a thing."
Alesha smiled "Thank-you" she stood up, giving Matt a grateful hug "And I'm sorry I wasn't much company, you must have been so bored sat by yourself for hours?"
Matt shrugged "I managed...it's quite peaceful" he brushed some of her hair out of her face as he said "I missed having you to talk to. I thought I'd get you all to myself, just be us for a change."
Alesha felt the change in the conversation had become a lot more serious and meaningful; she could see Matt's eyes gazing into her own. She had never seen that look from Matt before, it was showing so much but it said so little.
Alesha moved a few steps closer to the detective standing in front of her "It's still just me Matt, no one else."
Matt suddenly felt very nervous, something he hardly felt nowadays "Alesha...I..." their faces were now within inches of contact, but it was all ruined as Alesha gave a loud sneeze. Followed by a couple more sneezes. Their moment was gone. So near, yet so far.
"Come on, I'm taking you home" Matt told her.
He knew there was a time and a place for himself and Alesha to embark on something more than friendship, but he felt now was not the time.
The ride to Alesha's place in the car was almost silent the entire journey, apart from Alesha giving him the directions and her continual coughing and sneezing. They said goodbye before Matt headed home, his head spinning from the evening's events, not knowing what was going to happen next.
...
Matt walked into work the next morning, trying to mask a yawn.
"Tired Matty?" Ronnie asked, noticing his partner looked a lot more fatigued than normal in the morning.
"Yeah I was up all night with Alesha" he yawned again.
Ronnie nearly choked on his coffee "Uh excuse me ... what?" Ronnie asked, raising his eyebrows in a mischievous, yet stunned, manner.
Whilst at the same time Natalie had replied with a surprised "What?"
Matt rolled his eyes "Not like that!" he grinned cheekily "I went to help her with the paperwork, she was in no fit state to work her way through all that by herself. I was just trying to be nice."
Ronnie chuckled "Matty, when it involves a woman you like, it's never a case of you just trying to be nice. I know you; you've got a whole ulterior motive going on, my boy."
"But it's Alesha!" Matt tried to defend himself.
"Exactly!" Ronnie said even more enthusiastically.
Matt just rolled his eyes and smiled "I just took her chicken soup and helped her with the paperwork okay, nothing more."
"Chicken Soup?" Ronnie raised his eyebrows "See, I knew he was going the extra mile for her!"
"Ron, drop it" Natalie tried to intervene, but it seemed Ronnie was having too much fun winding up his young partner, who was getting redder by each teasing.
"Nurse Devlin to the rescue!" Ronnie said cheekily, sitting at his chair and laughed, as did Natalie.
Matt just shook his head and couldn't help but laugh too.
"Have you heard from her this morning, is she feeling better?" Natalie inquired, as Ronnie calmed himself down.
Matt shook his head "Haven't heard from her, but I have a feeling I might do" he grinned mischievously.
Ronnie raised his eyebrows again "Oh no, I know that look. What are you up to, Matty?"
Matt stole some of the toast Ronnie had at his desk, much to Ronnie's protest.
"Just have to wait and see won't ya" taking a bite from the toast with a gleeful smile.
...
Alesha was in her office bright and early the next morning, feeling just as worse as she had done the previous day. Herself, Jacob and Henry were discussing the case when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in" said Henry.
A slender blonde woman appeared in the room, holding a large bunch of different coloured roses "I have a delivery for Alesha Phillips."
"Thank-you very much!" Alesha said excitedly.
"Ay, ay, looks like someone has an admirer!" Henry said with a smile.
"It's not your birthday is it, Alesha?" Jacob asked, a bewildered look on his face.
"No...I wonder who sent them" she thought, looking for a card and then she found it, it read:
'Hope you're feeling better and the chicken soup did the trick. I didn't get the chance to say it last night, but I have fallen for you, Alesha. Would you like to go out with me? Love Matt xxx'
Alesha almost dropped the flowers as she saw what was written on the card, but her shock instantly turned to thoughts of excitement. She gave the flowers to Jacob "Can you put these in water; I'll be back in a while."
She grabbed her file off her desk, full of the papers that Matt had forgotten to take last night, and slung the bag over her shoulder as Henry asked "Why, where are you going?"
"I'm sorry, I've got to see a man about some chicken soup" she beamed from ear to ear and almost skipped out of the office, before she ran to catch the lifts.
Jacob and Henry looked at each other in bewilderment.
"What on earth was that all about?" Henry wondered.
Jacob gave a knowing smile "I think I can guess."
...
Natalie was giving a briefing to a large number of officer's, as well as Ronnie and Matt, as they prepared to conduct a raid on their suspect.
"Okay guys, I think that's everything. DS Brooks and DS Devlin will be on hand if you have any more questions."
All of a sudden the doors to the large police room were banged open, causing everyone to look around to who had burst in so suddenly.
Matt and Ronnie instantly stood up at seeing it was Alesha.
"Alesha, anything the matter?" Ronnie asked worriedly.
Alesha shook her head "No..." she looked directly at Matt, beaming smile "In fact, everything is pretty rosy" emphasising the last word Matt was now on the same page as her and came closer. It took only a matter of seconds for Alesha to rush up to Matt and snog him senseless.
There were cheers and wolf whistles from the police officers in the room, whilst a few others rolled their eyes. Matt and Alesha continued to kiss, blocking out their audience.
"Oi, you two, you can stop now!" Ronnie shouted over the cheers, which then caused some laughter.
Matt and Alesha broke apart, but kept their arms around each other as Alesha said to Matt breathlessly "Did you mean it?"
"Of course I did, I've fallen for you Alesha and I want to be with you."
Alesha giggled and blushed "I want to be with you too."
Matt felt as if all the weight was off his shoulders. Knowing he hadn't made a prat of himself by admitting his feelings, and Alesha potentially not reciprocating them. Alesha beamed from ear to ear and hugged him tightly, then realised something.
"Oh god Matt, I'm sorry I've probably given you my cold now."
"It's worth it" Matt beamed and they kissed again.
"If you two have quite finished, we have got somewhere to be" Natalie gestured to the rest of the team ready for the off.
Matt blushed "Sorry guys, let's head out."
As the officer's disbanded, Matt said to Alesha "I'll come and pick you up from work tonight, and we can talk about this properly."
"Okay, and here's the files you left in the office last night" she took them out of the bag and put them on his desk.
"Thanks, so I'll see you later?"
"See you later, good luck" she gave him a peck on the lips, before he headed out with the others and Ronnie in tow.
Leaving just Alesha and Natalie in the room, she came over with raised eyebrows and a beaming smile "Do I even need to ask?"
Alesha blushed, which told Natalie all she needed to know.
...
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it xx
