What keeps you up at night? Part 4

Gavin Q Baker fixed the woman by his side with a long narrowed glare, utterly offended at the telltale sound of a phone ringing. It came from the apricot colored clutch Sharon carried.

"Don't you dare answer that!" Gavin ordered.

Leave it to the busy bee to be interrupted midway through the Art Exhibit.

Sharon shrugged with apology, her lips pursing as she answered her phone.

"Captain Sharon Raydor," she said while she patted Gavin on the arm in what was supposedly affectionate. Gavin felt more like a Labrador being told to calm down. Typical.

Gavin studied his friend with his arms crossed.

Sharon alternated between humming and sighing over the phone. When she pursed her lips and gave into an eye roll, Gavin knew she was talking to either a superior or a stubborn subordinate. After the eye roll, she mumbled a couples of 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir' that sounded anything but demure.

Gavin smiled.

The woman was versatile when it came to appearing subordinate and demure when in, actuality, she exuded disdain. Subtle observation of her facial expression always told Gavin what he needed to know. She would have been a menace in the courtroom.

Gavin blew out an exaggerated puff of air and narrowed his eyes when Sharon finally ended the call.

"So?" he asked snippily, "You're cutting short our evening, I assume."

"I am so sorry, Gavin. Major Crimes has a new case. A missing child."

Gavin looked to the ceiling.

Sharon leaned close and kissed his cheek. She looked beseeching and adorable when Gavin looked back at her.

"I am truly sorry," she told him, the tone genuine.

"I know, honey, I know," Gavin sighed as he linked his arm with hers and pulled her close.

"C'mon, let's grab our coats. I'll give you a ride home and you can change before you saunter off to work."

As they made their way to the coat room, weaving through the crowd in the room, Gavin deposited Sharon's glass of champagne on a nearby tray.

Of course, Sharon pouted at the gesture.

Gavin grinned, "No more champagne for you. Unless you want to arrive at work two steps from drunk, hmm?"

Still, she pouted as much as pouting could be described. Gavin was sure the woman would protest vehemently.

Out in the back room and the hallway that led to the rest rooms, the noise quietened down. In the entrance to the coat room, Gavin put an arm out and stopped Sharon from walking in on a kissing couple.

"Oh look," he whispered, holding Sharon back with a hand on her waist.

Sharon stopped short and then looked in the direction Gavin was pointing.

The couple stood, mouths fully locked, against the wall next to one of the coat rags, completely unaware of their surroundings. Gavin even noticed there was some light groping involved. How exciting.

"Don't you miss being kissed like that, hmm?" Gavin let out a deep sigh, "I miss it."

Sharon nodded in agreement, her eyes crinkled and her cheeks starting to change hue. The tinge to her skin blushed further and then deepened.

"Oh, erm," she looked awkwardly surprised now, her eyes widening as she stared at the couple.

Gavin shook his head and gave her hip a gentle push, "Don't tell me it's been so long, you've turned all prudish?"

She opened her mouth but closed it again.

Gavin saw his window of opportunity. Teasing the straight-laced woman was a favorite past time. He leaned sideways, "When was the last time you were kissed like that?"

That prompted a reaction. Sharon turned her head and fixed him with a glare that seemed to come out of nowhere, "Shh," she shushed at him, "I know the -,"

Whatever she had been about to say was lost under a high squeal that had Gavin jumping in surprise. The sound had come from one of the men; apparently the couple had noticed the audience.

Both men stood with awkward stances, half a meter apart now and judging from the red colors on everyone's cheeks; everyone was embarrassed. Not that there was anything to be embarrassed about. Gavin sure never felt embarrassed about kisses. What was the world coming to?

"Oh, hello Captain Raydor," one of the men said in a squeaky voice, blushing face reminding Gavin of one of those paintings he had just observed; it had been an impressionistic painting of a tomato.

The other man waved at Sharon as well, his expression with a distinct tinge of red.

"Doctor, Buzz," Sharon greeted both men, her voice sounding somewhat throaty to Gavin.

So, she knew both men. That explained the awkwardness.

Gavin felt like clapping his hands together in glee; the sheer mortification that was branded across his friend's face shone like a neon light. Oh, it was a delight. Sharon Raydor flustered beyond speech, her cheeks heating up and her eyes darting around the room before they landed pleadingly on Gavin.

Gavin took pity on her, and after a swift exchange of short pleasantries between the four people, he swept their coats off their hangers, took Sharon by the arm and lead her outside. When he looked back, the two men stood even further apart, their gaze anywhere but each other.

If his dear friend became this discomposed over catching two people she knew in a compromising situation, then she certainly needed to be kissed well and proper. Gavin told her as much when they left the main entrance of the Art Exhibit, the night air brisk.

"Oh shut up," Sharon Raydor told him in a no-nonsense voice, mouth pursed and eyes narrowed.

"Honey, how can I live vicariously through you when you never see any action? Hmm?"

That comment earned Gavin a full on frown with a side order of frosty contempt.

"All I am saying," Gavin pointed out, "is that I want you to have fun. You've finally divorced that dreadful, alcoholic appendix of yours; now it's time to live a little!"

Gavin only wanted the best for Sharon; which meant regular sex as far as he was concerned. The woman had tried marriage, now she needed a fling or two. Something casual, on the side.

"Live a little, dare a little, hmm?"

Sharon turned her head to stare at him. They were waiting at a cross walk, the light red. Gavin's Alfa Spider was parked two blocks over.

"All I hear you saying," Sharon responded in a too sweet voice, her head tilted in a condescending angle, "is that you think I need to get laid. Which is what every misogynistic gimp throughout my entire career, have told me."

Oh. Woops. He had touched a nerve. Gavin threw up a hand, admitting fault, "Alright, alright. I'll stop being a gimp then."

"Good," she punctuated.

"But honey, please tell me you are at least amusing yourself with a vibrator?"

This time her eyes crinkled with humor and her mouth curled with a playful smile.

From then on, Gavin left the sex talk alone. Who was he to talk anyhow; the last time he had come near a naked penis that wasn't his own, was well over a year ago. Gavin drove Sharon home, traffic light and music on his stereo low.

Judging from the pressure in his bladder, doubtless from the countless glasses of cheap champagne, Gavin decided to follow his friend up to her apartment.

Gavin rushed Sharon from the elevator to her front door, his hand at her back.

Even from far away, the single red rose that hung taped to Sharon's door, was noticeable. It was stuck under the 1109 plate with tape.

Gavin shook his head, amused.

Sharon gave the rose a most peculiar look, her eyes wide at first but then they narrowed with suspicion.

Gavin tripped from one foot to the other next to her, impatient, "C'mon, honey, grab your secret lover's rose and let's go inside!"

She remained still, eyes fastened on the flower.

"What?" Gavin leaned closer, his head next to hers as he likewise studied the rose, "You don't like the color?"

"I don't have any secret lovers," Sharon said with a firm voice. She gently touched a petal and then when the flower didn't explode in her face, she took it off her door. Sharon turned the rose around, careful. To Gavin it looked like any normal red rose. There was even a small note attached to the stem; a folded white card.

Sharon unfolded the note.

Gavin read out aloud over her shoulder, "Sharon. When Death arrives, You shall be no stranger. When Darkness calls, I'll answer. When Destiny intervenes, our paths will meet again."

Gavin shuddered, "Now that's a teeny bit perverted, honey. Who the hell have you been secretly seeing? You might want to have a word with them about romantic gestures. This is atrocious."

Sharon gave him a weird look.

Gavin shrugged, "Whatever gets you off, darling."

She narrowed her eyes and then holding the rose out in front of her as if was about to combust, she bit out, "It's not a romantic anything. It's a threat, Gavin."

"Oh," Gavin leaned in and sniffed at the rose, "Well, who's sending you threats? Poetic threats, nonetheless. Did you arrest a poet recently?"

"The rose is not signed; so how am I supposed to know who sent it?" She sounded annoyed.

"Hmm," Gavin drew a sigh and then with an impatient nod to the door, "Can we please go inside now? I am certain the rose will not explode, unlike my bladder."

"You're like a five year old," Sharon responded. Gavin was sure she slowed down the process of finding her key in her purse.

Gavin grumbled under his breath.

Sharon stuck the key in the hole and opened the door; her eyes were on the rose and the note, a frown prominent. Gavin opened the door into her apartment and for the second time this evening, he stopped short at the sight in front of him. This time it was Sharon's adopted son kissing another boy on her couch, in plain view from the doorway.

Did no one kiss in their rooms anymore? Or out of sight?

Sharon walked into Gavin.

"Ouch, Gavin. Didn't you need to use the…," she stopped when she saw the same scenario that had been unfolding on her couch.

To say Sharon looked surprised was an understatement.

"Sharon," the boy exclaimed in a squeak as he quickly leapt away from the boy he had been kissing a second ago.

The boy – Rusty, Gavin reminded himself – turned an eclectic shade of red, his eyes wide and mortified.

Sharon's mouth morphed into a wide beam; surprise still detectable.

"My, my," Gavin commented with a quirked eyebrow; he put his hand on his hip, "When the cat's away, the dogs come out to play, huh?"

"You're home early!" the boy accused Sharon, ignoring Gavin by a long shot. He had yet to be introduced to the boy properly. Rusty's eyes darted from Sharon to the boy next to him, "erm, I mean, I thought you were gone all night. You said you would be home late, like 1am or something."

"I also said to not wait up," Sharon replied with an amused smile. She closed the door behind her. "I was under the impression you were going to a study club?"

"This is the club," Rusty pointed between himself and the other boy.

Gavin had to hide his smile behind a hand.

"Erm, yeah, so this is Jeremy," Rusty introduced the other boy, "We have sociology together, and Jeremy this is my, erm, my mother. Sharon."

Sharon hummed and stepped closer, extending her hand, "Hello Jeremy."

Gavin quickly escaped to the toilet, letting his friend deal with the pleasantries.

…