"You better take care I don't get used to the premium treatment", Joss had tried to cover up her irritation at John's unusual courteous behavior. Arriving at his car, he held the umbrella over her head as he opened the door to the passenger seat.
"Are you afraid I might like it?"
Unsure of another message that was far too open to interpretation, John's teasing grin had silenced her awkwardly. Cursing her unaccustomed speechlessness, she luckily managed to get back to safe territory as they had gone over the details of their cover story along the way.
"I'm sorry Finch dragged you into this. Feel free to charge him a flat fee for boredom", he, like herself, let his gaze wander through the venue after their arrival. In addition to a food buffet, which consisted largely of practical finger food, Joss counted ten tables with four chairs each. Looking around the guests that seemed to correspond to the typical cliché of a networking party, John might have been right about the boredom factor if she wasn´t with him.
"When has it ever been boring with you?", she turned her attention back to the person, who for some reason, made her feel save even in the most precarious situations.
"Good to know if you appreciate my efforts to keep you entertained."
Recognizing a short smile on his face, he eventually nodded in the direction of a couple, which at least outwardly showed no contradiction.
"There he is. Michael Coleman, the reason we´re here", John let her know, looking at a man, who she estimated to be around 40 years of age. According to his appearance, wearing a light grey suit to brown framed glasses that matched the color of his hair, he appeared to be the average visitor to this event.
"Why did he get on your radar?", Joss asked, observing how the photographer, as she learned about him in advance, reached for a mini patty.
"I don't really know myself yet, but we will find out soon. So, are you hungry?"
"And I thought you´d never ask."
With an intentional, yet clumsy appearing bump she had pushed Coleman wife in the side. Engaging the blonde woman, who wore her hair in a neat bob, in a conversation with her most innocent smile, Joss´ idea went to plan. In only took a few minutes until they found themselves at one of the tables chatting about anything and everything. As to be expected, it was not difficult for John to elicit the desired information from his interlocutor in a way that rose any suspicion.
"Enough about us. What about you?", Coleman suddenly flipped their roles.
"Apart from the color of your skin, if I may brazenly say so, I wonder what contrast got you invited to this boring party?"
Exchanging a glance with John, who seemed unsurprised, Joss smiled at the fact of their actual day-to-day opposites.
"Maybe we should start with how much my wife loves this kind of parties, while I´d almost hope for a gunfire to keep me from dying of boredom", he replied in a way that regarding to Coleman´s wife sudden laughter made no suspicion of his probable seriousness.
"This whole contradiction thing is so superficial anyway, if you think about that Michael and I only got invited because of our jobs that are placed in the creative versus the scientific field", she agreed. "From distance many things appear opposite at first but if you take a closer look, the border often blurs quickly. Think about the Earth's magnetic field in example. While the poles literally couldn't be more opposite, they need to go hand in hand to sustain the worlds gravity."
Thinking for a moment about Catherine Coleman´s words that did credit to her profession as a Physicist, Joss nodded. Perhaps, she mused, the fact was also an apt description of her relationship with John. While they couldn´t have been more different at first glance, over time he became like her opposite pole regarding their uncommon teamwork. Moreover, she had to admit that he has become like a magnetic field which was no longer able to elude.
"So, how did you guys meet?", Catherine snapped her back to reality.
Directing her gaze back to John, whose facial expressions revealed nothing of his thoughts, Joss put back a strained of her hair.
"Well, that´s actually a funny story."
"In which she took me for an investment fraudster and had me summoned."
"You had him subpoenaed?"
Watching the astound glance about John´s intervention on the Physicists face, Joss wasn´t able to suppress a chuckle.
"What should I have done? I had received this tip, which, as you can see, luckily turned out to be wrong. However, it is part of my job to follow up on these kinds of leads."
"Let me guess. The interrogation then turned into a date?", it was Coleman himself, who now also took a clear curiosity in their cover story.
"Not quite. She didn't make it that easy for me. However, I must confess that she had me impressed with her integrity from the first second."
His gaze resting on hers, the sudden softness in his voice made Joss swallow.
"And what about you? When did you realize that John was the man of your life?", Catherine asked grabbing her glass of champagne.
Unsure why her feelings suddenly spiraled into a roller coaster ride, Joss felt a strange embarrassment.
"Honestly, I can't even say for sure. Our first personal interaction was on the phone", she modified her memory, when John had contacted her via the frequency of the police radio.
"Professionally, I wanted to learn more about the man who became the focus of my investigation. Instead of the expected games, however, he immediately offered his help. While as a detective I was well aware that it could have been nothing more than a diversionary tactic, there was, as strange as it may sound, something in his voice that didn´t let me go ever since."
Laying her eyes on John, whose expression once again was unreadable, Joss felt a sudden heat rise at the confession she made. Trying to calm her nerves about his possible thoughts with a sip of champagne, it was Catherine's delighted sigh that catapulted her back into the here and now.
"Who needs romantic movies with stories like this?", the blonde woman turned to her husband in a dreamy tone.
From the corner of her eye, she still felt John's glance on her face; a fact that didn't help the rapid pounding of her heart. While she thought to have learned about his non-verbal communication over time, at this moment its interpretation remained a mystery.
Unable to hide the fear to have irreversibly crossed a line -that she had simply misinterpreted the kiss and his teasing banter out of sheer wishful thinking- Joss stomach once again clenched painfully.
Fortunately, she somehow made it through the rest of the conversation before they said goodbye to the seemingly likeable couple.
"Even though I think you won't be so kind as to tell me your thought about Coleman´s good or bad intentions, I hope the evening wasn´t a complete waste of time as far as the information received", she tried to pick a neutral conversation in the parking lot.
"Who says it would be, even with useless information?"
Bewildered by another statement, which meaning seemed unmistakable, she unavailingly tried to organize her thoughts.
While she tonight became aware at the latest that she had fallen in love with John somewhere between their teasing, their debates, but also the unconditional support of each other, it was the fear to risk this special friendship by taking a step from which there was no turning back.
"John...", she began a sentence she didn't know how to finish.
Meeting his gaze, which lay calmly but just as penetratingly on hers, she finally gathered all her courage.
"What exactly do you want to tell me?"
For a moment there was a strange silence in which he too seemed to be thinking about the consequences of his possible actions.
"How much clearer do I need to be, Detective?", the words left his mouth in a timbre that caused an involuntary tingling in her body.
Trying in vain to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, Joss wasn´t able to make a sound.
"What are you afraid of? That I´ll kiss you again without asking?", he used his chance to lure her out of her reserve.
"More likely to be me this time."
Startled by her own words, which suddenly gushed out without further thought, she was relieved to see a smirk on his face.
"A woman who who takes the initiative. I like", he stated in his typical way.
Spotting a teasingly raised eyebrow, Joss rolled her eyes.
"One thing is for sure. You still have to learn when to shut up and kiss me instead", she urged.
Not giving him the chance of objection, she took the baton as favored by him, sealing his lips with a kiss.