She was waiting in the lobby for her sister the first time she noticed them. She knew a police captain lived down the hall from her, but she didn't realize the captain was a woman. Her rank was clearly displayed on the badge clipped near her hip, and her sidearm peeked out from its discreet holster.
Those items might have caught her attention, but she did a double take when the woman's face came into view. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but not in a common, generic way. Her tan skin and large, dark eyes challenged the typical definition of beauty. Her gently curled hair flipped over her shoulder as she glared at the man following behind her. For all the warmth her appearance radiated, there was also a ferocity to her that made Becca grateful she wasn't on the receiving end of her ire.
"I swear to God, Elliot. Turn your ass around and get the hell out of my building!"
The man pursuing her, Elliot, didn't appear in the least bit phased by her eruption of anger. He grasped her forearm and stepped into Becca's line of sight. The first thing she noticed was the man's overall size. He was huge. The captain wasn't petite, and he still stood taller than her. His height wasn't the most intimidating thing. The man was ripped, and if it weren't for the wrinkles around his eyes, she would have placed the man in his late thirties. Even though the couple was trying to keep their voices low, Becca was able to make out every word they spoke.
"Will you just listen for a second?!"
"No Elliot. No. I'm tired. I'm tired of the push and pull. I'm tired of thinking we are getting somewhere only for you to check out for months!" Under the anger, she sensed sadness and fear.
"It's the job, Liv! I can't just say no. You know I can't." He shook his head and tried tugging her closer, but she resisted. "Liv, will you please look at me, for a second, please?"
For a moment, Becca thought the captain, Liv, was going to stubbornly keep her eyes on the floor, but to her surprise, Liv's dark eyes slowly rose to Elliot's face. "I can't." She bit her lip to hold back the tears. "Can't you see? I, I," she stammered. She pulled her arm, and this time he relinquished his hold. "Just be careful, okay?" Even in all her anger, she didn't seem to want to let him go. "I can't," she tried the words again, "I can't lose you. Not again."
Becca had been so caught up in the drama playing out in front of her that she didn't notice her sister's approach. "Beck, let's get out of here." Her sister's eyes followed her gaze, seeing the couple melting down in her building's lobby. "Who's that?" Her sister wondered out loud.
"I don't know, really," Becca answered. She looked up at her sister with a smile. "Let's get going."
-000-
Months later, the city was caught between fall and winter. Snow and rain cycled, making the sprint from the car to the lobby was downright dangerous, and on this particular occasion, the rain was coming down in torrential sheets.
She held the handle of the car door, briefly hesitating, knowing she was about to be met with a flood of freezing rain. The driver cleared his throat in a not-so-subtle attempt to get her out the door. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the man's displeasure over her thirty-second hesitation. With a deep breath, she pulled the handle and pushed the door open. The wind caught the door, making her actually have to put some muscle behind her attempt to free herself from the car. As soon as she got out from behind it, the wind flung the door shut. She didn't bother looking over her shoulder before she made a run for the shelter of the lobby.
The heated air and bright light of the lobby felt warm and welcoming to her now chilled frame. Her short sprint left her hair soaking wet, and she was certain she looked like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over her head.
She was twisting the water out of her long hair when she noticed them laughing, subtly tucked in a corner of the lobby. He reached for her hair and wrung it out, much like Becca had just done. His eyes never left hers when he dropped the soaked locks and repeated the process on the other side. She watched as he leaned towards her, and their cheeks nearly brushed as he spoke some unheard words in her ear.
She threw her head back in another joyful laugh, and it warmed Becca's chilled bones. Their last interaction was explosive, like dramatic fireworks of pain and anger. This was different. This was joy and connection. This was love.
Becca smiled to herself as she turned away from them and stepped towards the elevator. The doors pushed open, and she stepped inside. Just before the doors shut, she caught a glimpse of adoration shining from the captain's warm brown eyes.
-000-
The next time she saw them was at another change of seasons. Winter was melting away, and spring was peeking out from its hiding place. March winds blew Becca's hair around, and she found them standing just outside of her building. It was a quick encounter, and she almost didn't notice them. The man, Elliot, she remembered, had the captain wrapped in a tight embrace. A muffled conversation was taking place, but Becca felt guilty for eavesdropping, so she tried to hurry past. Despite her best intentions, she heard the hushed words spoken into Elliot's well-muscled shoulder.
"It doesn't always have to be you, you know," she said softly.
"I know, but I just can't." He shook his head, fighting with his own explanation. "I can't not do this."
She responded with a pained sigh of understanding. It seemed like she knew what he was talking about. She had a deeply intimate understanding of why he was doing whatever he was doing. Something about them felt fated, but from the brief interactions she had witnessed, she couldn't decide if they were doomed or redeemed. Whatever the destination, it was clear a dear price had been paid.
As Becca hurried on her way, she noticed the shiny glint of gold clipped to his belt. 6313. He was NYPD, too. A fellow officer.
It doesn't always have to be you.
I can't not do this.
She found the brief conversation echoing through her mind as she leaned forward, pressing the elevator button for her floor. Duty. Honor. Devotion. Sacrifice. They all seemed to be playing out in the couple's lives. She thought back to a previous conversation.
I can't lose you. Not again.
She didn't even know these people, but those words haunted her. Not again. She lost him before, and she was terrified of losing him again. Becca slid her key into her door and pushed into her silent apartment. She shook the thoughts away. She was trying to create a story about some great love affair. It was sad really, how her loneliness crafted an epic tragedy based on a couple overheard conversations. She was being silly. She needed to get a grip. She needed to mind her own business.
-000-
Becca tried not to dwell on the love story she had created in her own mind. She occasionally crossed paths with the captain. Sometimes she had her boy, but more often than not, she was alone.
Becca could tell by the aura of sadness surrounding the captain that Elliot had not yet returned from wherever he took off too. One day she passed the curly haired boy in the hallway, and for the first time, she got a good look at the child's face. It took all her self-control not to flip around and stare at the kid. No way, she thought. She had to be crazy, but there was no way that kid didn't belong to the man that popped in and out of the captain's life.
She conjured an image of the man, Elliot, in her mind. Becca had only ever caught glimpses of his face, but his blue eyes were unmistakable. That kid totally had the same eyes. She also noticed a dimple in the child's cheek that suspiciously matched the one she saw when Elliot laughed that night in the lobby.
Suddenly, the story of tragic lovers she had created seemed less farfetched. In fact, the whole thing might have more drama than she originally thought. A love child would definitely create the sort of angst that trailed behind the couple wherever they went.
Becca smiled to herself, a little satisfied with the narrative she had created for her favorite strangers.
-000-
Becca sighed and stared at the ceiling. Her mind wandered to her mystery couple, as it often did. She hadn't seen the man in months, and she began to worry that Liv's—she finally remembered her name—worst fears had come to fruition.
I can't lose you. Not again.
Her words wrapped their icy fingers around her heart. Maybe it was dramatic, but if a woman that beautiful couldn't find happiness with a man she clearly cared about, what did that mean for a girl like her? She was beginning to wonder if she was destined for loneliness. She pushed herself up from the couch cushions. She needed to get out of the apartment. Her wallowing was getting ridiculous.
She quickly slipped her shoes on and shrugged a light jacket over her shoulders. She snagged her purse from the granite countertop and headed for the door. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she might suffocate if she stayed in her apartment even a moment longer.
The hallway was completely silent. It wasn't like most people were home on a Wednesday in the early afternoon. She was about halfway down the hall when the chime of the elevator caught her attention. A moment later, the doors slid apart, and to her surprise, a couple tumbled out.
Becca got out of the way, knowing better than to stand in front of a passionate wrecking ball. Their lips never separated as they stumbled down the hall, hands holding wherever they could grasp. They seemed to be completely oblivious to her presence, and she was so shocked she couldn't move her feet in the direction of the elevator.
His hands dropped to the woman's ass and he lifted her into his arms. She grasped at his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his torso so he could easily haul them in the direction of their apartment.
A gasp and a little laugh escaped her lips when she caught a glimpse of the man's face as they passed. No way! She couldn't believe what she was seeing, and her heart nearly burst for two people she didn't even know. They arrived at Liv's door, and Elliot fished the keys from the front pocket of her jeans. Her lips dragged down his neck as he struggled to fit the key into the door knob. "Baby," he growled in frustration, but moments later the key slid into the lock.
Becca turned away and grinned ear to ear. She was happy for her mystery couple, and somewhere in the back of her mind there was a timid flicker of hope. Maybe there was hope for lonely hearts like hers after all.