Chapter 5

Steve parked outside the morgue, lost in his thoughts. He had just made the worst mistake of his life, and he knew it. The problem now was figuring out how to react. He felt both relieved and frustrated to have a case on this Saturday. Not working would have given him time to think and figure out how to get out of this mess, but at the same time, this work emergency gave him a good reason not to respond to Charlie. Charlie, who had sent him a flurry of messages since the previous night, oscillating between worry and anger. Steve would have understood if his lover had been aware of his blunder, but he couldn't see how that could be possible. Charlie was in Romania, and he was in Hawaii.

"Well, what's going on?" Danny asked as he joined Steve, who had been lost in his thoughts.

"Nothing," the soldier replied with a sour mood.

"Nothing? I know it's Saturday, and we weren't supposed to work. Believe me, I'm annoyed too."

"Grace?"

"Yeah, I had to cancel our day together."

"Sorry."

"But that's not the point. You're way more sulky than usual, and your phone won't stop ringing."

Steve had no inclination to confide his feelings to his partner. He liked Danny, saw a budding friendship between them, but talking about Charlie? He had never mentioned his lover to anyone, especially not in the military, where homosexuality was still frowned upon, even more so among the SEALs. He had always kept their relationship a secret. His military friends knew he had someone in his life, but that was it. So, he wasn't quite ready to spill his guts to Danny; he needed to be more comfortable with him first.

The arrival of the governor saved him from having to respond to Danny and diverted the conversation, at least until the evening. The entire team was called in for a murder and the abduction of the daughters of the US ambassador to the Philippines, and they focused their attention on that case. Steve's phone stopped ringing, but he knew it was only due to the time difference, and he was certain that Charlie would try to contact him again once it was morning in Romania.

Indeed, he received another message in the early evening, which he glanced at before entering a nightclub in search of their suspect.

"We need to talk."

He didn't even need to open the message to read it and feel his heart split in two. Charlie was angry with him, that much was certain, and his silence wasn't helping. But he was in the middle of a sensitive investigation where timing was critical. He couldn't afford to waste time now to reassure his lover.

Danny and Steve leaned against the bar of the nightclub, scanning the crowd for their suspect and immediately catching the attention of two very attractive women.

"It seems like we're getting some attention," the inspector commented, gesturing towards the young women who waved at them.

"Focus, please, just focus!" Steve pleaded, not in the right mindset to enjoy being flirted with.

"Wait, let me ask you something..."

"Go ahead."

"Two very beautiful women are checking us out, and you're not reacting at all. Should I check your pulse? Are you alive? Hello?"

Annoyed, Steve left the bar to search for their suspect. Danny was pushing his buttons, and he didn't want to discuss his mistake, especially not in the middle of an investigation.

"Hey, wait, what was with that expression?"

"What expression?"

"Your funeral face! What's wrong with you today?"

"You're imagining things," Steve snapped as he walked through the crowded rooms.

"I'm imagining things?"

"Yeah, that's right!"

"Wait! Wait a minute. Based on my detective instincts, something happened last night. Am I right?"

"You're quite perceptive," Steve conceded, already regretting it.

"Thanks."

"Look at the charmer at six o'clock," Steve said, spotting their guy.

"That's our man."

Danny dropped the conversation, much to Steve's relief, and they went to deal with the man. Unfortunately, he turned out to be an intermediary who led the team down the wrong path. However, by morning, they realized that the parents of the girl had failed to mention a ransom demand. Steve and Danny headed to where the ambassador's car was parked, but they didn't know where to go next. In a moment of desperation, despite the knot forming in his stomach, Steve did the only thing he could think of and called Catherine. He did his best not to give her false hope, but he could hear the tinge of hope in her voice. She had gone to military academy with him and had been a good friend until the previous night.

"Catherine? You were with her last night, right?" Danny, who had been standing by Steve during the call, asked.

"Well, what a great detective you are!"

"So she catches the bad guys for you, sleeps with you, does she cook for you too?"

Steve ignored the question and focused on Catherine, who had found something. She sent them the address, and the two men sprung into action without wasting any time. They were joined by Kono and Chin and were able to save the young girl.

Steve thought he would finally get a moment to catch his breath and think about how to handle his personal life, but he hadn't counted on Danny.

"Can you explain something to me?" the blond asked when they were alone in Steve's car. "Why do you have that look on your face if you hooked up with Catherine last night?"

"Because it was a mistake."

His phone rang at that moment, cutting off Danny's next question. Steve checked the incoming number and picked up when he saw his sister's name. She had arrived a few days earlier.

"Yeah, Mary?"

"There's a man here asking to see you."

Steve felt like a ton of bricks had just dropped into his stomach.

"Who is it?"

"He says his name is Charlie. Do you know him?"

"Yes, I know him. Let him in, please."

"OK, OK. Wait, he wants..."

"Steve..."

The deep, sorrowful tone in his lover's voice made him stop by the side of the road, and guilt began to hit at him.

"Hey... h-hi," he stuttered. "I need to go."

"Steve, you can't keep ignoring me."

The reproach, but most of all the sadness that came through the phone, brought tears to his eyes. Why did he have to mess things up like this?

"I still have work to do, but we'll talk later."

"Don't make me come to your office."

The threat was crystal clear in his mind. He knew his wizard was fully capable of finding him wherever he was, and he would if Steve continued to avoid him as he had been since the previous night.

"I'll meet you at home."

Steve hung up and buried his face in his hands. He felt lower than low, and he was holding back tears of shame.

"Steve?" Danny's voice was calm, almost gentle, sympathetic. "Is Charlie the redhead who was at your father's funeral?"

The soldier just nodded in response. He already knew his partner had pieced the puzzle together and was waiting for his reaction.

"How long have you been together?"

"Ten years."

"Wow, that's quite a while!"

Steve let a small, wistful smile stretch across his lips. Yes, it

had been quite a while, and some of his best memories were with Charlie. And he was relieved that his partner was taking the news of his relationship with a man so well; it would have bothered him if it had soured their work relationship. He liked working with Danny. But his smile faded; he had thrown away his relationship with Charlie with his own foolishness.

"And did you sleep with Catherine last night?"

"Yes."

"And you've been ignoring Charlie's calls since then?"

"Yes."

"He must be furious."

Steve let out a bitter laugh.

"Who wouldn't be? Anyway, we have reports to write."

"In your dreams. Seriously, you're just a pile of muscles without a brain; it's unbelievable!"

"What? What did I do?"

"Your report can wait! Go home and talk to him! The longer you wait, the angrier he'll get!"

"And do you plan on joining the conversation?"

"No, but I'm coming with you to make sure you don't chicken out again! Let's go!"

Steve did as he was told. If even his partner was ganging up on him, he wouldn't find refuge in the office. So, he drove home, tempted to circle the island before going there, but Danny's constant chatter kept him on the right path.

Too soon for his liking, they arrived. Steve barely greeted Mary and walked down to the beach, where the broad figure of the dragon handler was silhouetted. He mustered all his courage and walked up to him, finally sitting beside him in the sand.

"I was on a broomstick, trying to calm a dragon, when I felt the worst pain I've ever experienced. It was like my heart was torn in two."