Chapter 22:

They moved away from the car and walked to a big, flat rock that was a little higher than the shore. Flynn sat down on the edge of it and reached out to help Sharon sit next to him.

"No," she said firmly.

"Fine, stand then," he said and they both kept quiet for a moment. After a few seconds, Flynn grabbed her hand and pulled her down, causing her to fall to his lap, screaming in fear.

"Are you crazy?" she asked in her monotonic, quiet voice once she was sitting safely.

"How do you manage to talk like that all the time?" Flynn asked while laughing. His hands were on her waist, holding her down as she tried to get up. After a moment of struggle she gave up, sitting between his legs with her back to him. She leaned her head back on his shoulder and put her hands on his arms, which now surrounded her body at the waistline. The ocean was dark and they could only see clearly the very edge of it, which caught a little of light from the big house. The waves rushed to the shore and dissolved on the sand. None of them spoke as they looked at the view, and Sharon noticed the moon's reflection on the water, far away.

"Tomorrow you're taking my dress to dry cleaning," she said all of a sudden, and Flynn laughed again.

"Only if you let me take it off of you first," he said quietly. Sharon smiled but didn't answer. His body felt warm against hers, and she took a moment to concentrate on it.

"What made you join the police?" she asked suddenly.

Flynn frowned. The question came out of nowhere, catching him off guard. "Why?"

"I always wonder that about policemen."

"Well…" Flynn started hesitantly. "When I was in high school, there was a girl that lived on my street and was in my math class. I had a huge crush on her all through high school," he stopped for a moment, watching the waves.

"This story ends badly, doesn't it?" Sharon asked, afraid to hear the rest.

"She was raped and murdered by some creep who broke into her house to rob it while her parents were away."

Sharon sat up and turned to look at him. "Oh, my god," was all she could say. She definitely wasn't expecting to hear that.

"That's why I joined robbery-homicide. And that's why I feel like beating the crap out of your husband," he said quickly without thinking. Only when he saw Sharon's shocked expression he realized he'd made a mistake.

"What?" she almost whispered. "How do you… what are you talking about?" she knew exactly what he was referring to, but had no idea how he could have known about it. Flynn swallowed hard, considering his words.

"I… I'm sorry," he muttered, "I should've told you sooner."

"You should've told me what?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.

"I was in the parking floor the other day, when Richard waited for you by your car."

"But you left work long before I did."

"I saw him waiting there and I didn't want to leave you alone with him."

"So you just hid there and eavesdropped?" Sharon looked him deep in the eyes as if she was trying to find an explanation to his deeds somewhere in the depts. Flynn looked back at her with a guilty expression on his face. He wanted to say something, but he was just lost for words.

Sharon stood up quickly and started walking back to the car. Her feet sank in the sand and she struggled to move fast. Flynn got to his feet too and followed her, trying to reach her, but managed it only when he got to the car, since she had stopped there.

"Sharon…"

"This is not something I wanted anyone to know. Ever," she said quietly, her eyes fixed on the big house to her right. She was afraid to cry if she looked at him.

"I can't change what I did. But… he should be the one trying to hide it, not you," he said gently, knowing that rape victims tend to blame themselves.

Sharon shook her head, still not looking at him. She tilted her head down and looked at her feet. "I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?" she said quietly and scoffed.

"I don't think so," the confident in his voice as he said it, caused her to look up at him. She sighed and nodded absent-mindedly.

"I guess I ruined our… whatever this is," Flynn said and they both chuckled.

"Do you know how many times I rejected men ever since I left Richard?" her question was rhetorical but she paused for a moment, as if waiting for an answer. "I preferred being alone," she added quietly.

"So, I'm the exception?" he asked in a low voice and smiled slightly.

Sharon looked at him without saying a word. Her gaze dropped for a second but then she looked him in the eyes again. Flynn thought she was about to tell him off, but all of a sudden she smiled, as if he just told a joke.

"The idea of me being the exception amuses you?" he asked, not sure if the situation was funny or insulting for him.

Sharon took a step forward and flung herself into his arms, bringing her lips to his. Flynn arched his eyebrows for a second, surprised. He reacted a moment later, parting his lips to deepen the kiss. Sharon felt the familiar sensation of the world swirling around her as they stood there, on the slightly lit spot with the ocean sounding in the background and the wind caressing their bodies.