Chapter 1
And I never saw you coming.
It was nice being back in the bullpen, Halstead thought. The sun lights beamed over their desks, as he wake in. He was slowly, tiredly, trying to get on the right track, after his dad death, after the shots that almost passed through his vest and slightly almost killed him right in that suburbs gallery. But after Voight talk( or more screams) he started talking to someone, been in therapy for almost three weeks now and it seemed to help, to get his mind off of all the heavy stuff he carried around for a whole lot more than he was probably humanly capable of. His entrance was followed by whistles and "look who's back on track" by basically everyone in the district, apart from Platt, that looked at him sternly and with her usual tone demanding him to handle a whole lot of paperworks he left behind during his furlough (thing he will probably have to do during the all day and maybe unfortunately even night).
"Look at you! I'm kinda envious that you got to sleep more than 4 hours this weeks!" Ruzek laughed, his eyes wrinkling as he patted lightly his now healed shoulders, yet he seemed to stop thinking he was overstepping.
"I'm fine, clean for the doctor, ready to kick asses again.And that means yours too Adam, you stole my chair!" He complained pointing at his friend, truly enjoying the playful nature of his squad members. After all, they were family, and nothing could ever change that.
Kim and Kevin popped upstairs, their hands tucked fondly into their pockets, the freaking cold air of Chicago hitting them.
"Look who's here!" They both chanted, after patting him lightly on the back, side hugging him.
"I mean, I got you coffee and you don't even say hi?What a partner.." Hailey says smirking, as she stands in the room, two large cups of coffee in her hands.
"Thank you, partner.Good to see you." He chuckles, sitting in his real chair, giving back to Ruzek the old and beat up one. The blond girl smiles at him, as he leans to take the black coffee. He definitely didn't miss how bitter Hailey likes her coffee, and how he always struggled with telling her how much he hates it like that. So he smiled and gulped a little bit of it, praying that no one saw his almost disgusting face, searching for the usual sugar pockets hidden in his desk drawer. He sneaked one into the coffee without being seen, internally thanking his almost two years old self for the idea.
Dawson was the last one to arrive, carrying with him the already multiple times used walker as a joke for him. He laughed at that too, cause almost three weeks under the strict vigilance of Doctor Will Halstead (that's what he was for that time, not his brother who he could watch a game with, but the doctor who complained that her couldn't drink a beer or exaggerate too much in his usual routine at the gym) can make even that old joke funny.
All the unit was laughing loudly, when the steps of someone echoed in the room. Voight tossed his jacket on the couch of his office, before stepping back into the bullpen.
"So as you can see we're now all back on track. I'll tell you about the case we'll work on in a sec. Halstead, my office." He declared, his voice cutting the room.
Jay looked up at him,before rosing up from his chair, following Voight into the small office yet feeling the eyes of his fellow teammates on him. He entered, but decided to stay on his feet, willing to know what he had to tell him. Voight's piercing gaze bore into him, searching for signs beyond the surface.
"You went trough a traumatic bunch of experiences lately" Voight finally broke the silence, his tone a mix of gruffness and an undercurrent of concern. "But you're clinically clean, and I expect nothing less than your best. Just give me a pass if you're ready to be back on action."
"I am Sarge, one hundred per cent." Jay said, looking right into Hank's eyes, his voice secure and determined. He said it with all he had, he craved that, the adrenaline,the rush. It was his whole world.
"Good." He grunted, "Those therapy sessions," Voight continued, "Keep 'em up. We can't afford any loose ends, especially not in this unit."
Jay nodded, "I will do that,I...actually have an appointment in three days."
The silent understanding between them finished the conversation, as Jay got back into his desk and Voight phone rang loudly.
The air in the bullpen seemed to get heavy as Voight turned the blackboard in, attacking with a smack sound a photo on the centre of it. The photo was cleary of a man who couldn't had nothing good up on his sleeves. The bunch of prisons tattoos on his neck clearly showed that. And his eyes were the thing that captured Jay the most, they were empty, like glass, not a single emotions out of them.
"Devon Rogers.44 years old.An old CI of mine identified him as a human trafficking suspect.He has a club on the 15th street, maybe covering up his true business.Find informations, statuses, anything that can lead him to the people that keep going missing these four months."
The room fills with tipping on the keyboard of the computer,files being consulted and numbers being called. Atwater was the first to speak up about his informations, "The club is the Overmoon club, it opened a little more than a year ago but its described already as one of the most important in the city. Devon Rogers successfully fuses music and pleasure in a unique experience."
Kevin read out loud the article, his voice pinching at the cleary bought compliments.
"I also found something". Burgess chimed in,everyone's eyes on the brunette girl now, "The club name reminded me of a case we saw while back. Reneé Andrews,29. Missing since October.Profession: bartender at the Overmoon club."
"How the hell no one found out about this thing before if it's true?" Ruzek complained shocked, his voice pinching soundly.
"He is smart and sneaky. The girl fired herself two days before disappearing. The missing persons unit took it as a voluntary gesture." Bruges replied, while Hailey attached the photo of Reneè to the blackboard,trying to connect the dots.
"Look at this" Ruzek voice stumbled in the air, "Kyle Rogers.37.Bartender at Overmoon, arrested and then released for illegal prostitution."
"His brother?" Atwater asks with eyes wide open.
"Exactly. Little brother isn't better than the older."Ruzek explains, handling Jay his file.
"….reform school at 16 for car theft, left school at 15. All together with his dear little brother." Jay read it all, thinking about how much shit they have been doing since they're in town.
"So this is a family business." Bruges stated simply as the photo of Kyle hangs on the blackboard too.
"Any ideas to how learn what kind of shit he is involved with?" Voight asked with his arms crossed to his chest, an uneasy feeling in his voice.
"Someone gets in the club, trying to see what the deal is about, if we're lucky we get to see the Rogers, if we are not we can try to become usual clients, gaining the confidence of bartenders or someone and then make the Rogers trusts us." Jay stated, eyeing the eyes of Andrew in the photo.
"Let's take it undercover." Antonio nodded at the suggestion, smirking.
"It's a complicated operation. We need two whole new identities, an apartment and two of you who can dig in this deep." Voight complains, trying to figure out who could do that. A moment of absolute silence shadowed the bullpen.
"I'll think about who send." The sergeant declared, turning back to his office to take care of the details.
"Sarge! It was my idea.I should be there." Jay stated, following him (already for the second time in a freaking day) to his office, not angry for the fact that he didn't choose him right away, but for the fact that he knows what Voight thinks. That he can't take it. That he's not ready to do this kind of job,his job.
"I don't think your head is in the right place to do an undercover assignment right away." Voight explained easily, standing in front of the younger detective with his hands in his pockets.
Jay closes the door, "You need a damn good detective inside. I trust everyone in the unit with my life.But I need this.I need to prove that i am able to still do this." The younger detective says, clenching his teeth.
"I can't let you do that if it costs your life,Jay. You're a good police,probably one of the best i ever met, but i'm not sending you into a suicidal mission." Voight says, his voice slightly louder this time, in a way that will let probably everyone hear the conversation.
Jay just stares at him, his mouth shout in a thin line.
"Halstead, I get it.I do.But this operation could get real messy, real quick. You need more time." Voight looks at Jay, his expression stern, knowing the internal battle the detective is facing.
Halstead: "I've been sitting on the sidelines for weeks. This is my chance to get back in the game, to make a difference."
"This isn't about proving yourself. It's about staying alive and getting justice. I can't risk you, not now."
Halstead takes a deep breath, frustration evident on his face, "I'm ready for this. I can handle it. I will."
"Don't make me regret this choice. And I'm keeping a close eye on you, Halstead. One wrong move, and you're out. Understood?" He asks strictly.
Halstead nods, determination in his eyes. "Understood, Sarge."
Voight opens the door, signaling the end of their conversation.
Jay leaves Voight's office, his mind already focused on the dangerous path ahead.
The rest of the unit awaits, unaware of the internal struggle Halstead faces as he prepares to go undercover once again.
Hailey updates Voight the second he came back from Platt desks, "We have the two new identities. Alex Stern and Rick Sanchez. Two "business" partner in the hard suburbs of chicago, your apartment is in the 17th near bridge park, nothing too fancy but for enough for someone who's supposed having illegal business around."
"Cool.Dawson,Halstead,read the files,study it.In two days you're gonna be them."
And that's exactly what Antonio and Jay did.Learned thanks to the very much detailed files that Rick was divorced and Alex had a past criminal record for dealing.They went through their new apartment, filling it with clothes they usually would never wear and liquors that were probably expired for too many months. So wednesday, before going officially in, they found the whole unit in the gear up room.
"Okay listen up, we can hear you with the microphones, your new phones have our numbers with different ids, but don't use it often since it could be suspicious." Ruzek informed them, while Kevin handles at the two detectives two pocket knives, that they tucked inside of their inside pockets.
Jay adjusted his microphone, tucking it into the uncomfortable blue blazer he was wearing. "God why we had to dress up" Antonio complains, trying to free himself from the button up shirt he had on.
"That's the dress code of the club.Don't be children come on!" Hailey says chuckling at the sight of the two, strong, man being childish about their looks.
"Listen up. We have eyes on you,if something feels off,strange, get out.Don't risk,it's our first time inside, it's new,don't blow it.Clear?" Hank asks and receives a nods from everyone in the room, as he pats the shoulders of Antonio and Jay.
"Let's go."
The night unfolded, the atmosphere in the Overmoon club pulsating with music and movement. Antonio and Jay, now undercover as Alex Stern and Rick Sanchez, navigated through the crowd, blending seamlessly. They entered the club, feeling the vibrations of the music beneath their feet. They both started looking around, stroboscope and disco lights confusing the sights. "The bar" Jay nudges Antonio and he knows slightly at the direction. The neon yellow and black counter is full of people, vibrant cocktail in their hands.
"What do you want guys?" A voice says, and as they both look up they find no one else than Kyle Rogers serving them. "Your special drink, make it good." Antonio says, handling him a 100 dollar bill.
"Wow, i would've definitely remembered someone who tips are this generous." The man says, handling the mixer wisely into his hands.
"Alex Stern,Rick Sanchez," Antonio says pointing at Jay and then at his-self, "We heard about this place from a friend, said that it's the best place to have a good amount of fun." Jay responds,smirking.
"You're in the right place then. But the true fun is reserved upstairs after 2 am.Trust me." Kyle demands, while versing the drinks in two fancy glasses.
The two undercover detectives shared a glance, knowing they might already have a lead.
"We heard about that..how can we have the fun upstairs?" Antonio wonders at the guy, that is keeping his self busy with the preparation of the drinks.
Kyle leaned in with a conspiratorial grin, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Getting upstairs isn't for everyone, but you two seem like you could handle it. There's a certain vibe, you know?"
Antonio, playing along, raised an eyebrow. "Vibe? What do you mean?"
The bartender chuckled, "It's not just about the drinks or the music. Upstairs is a different world, a more exclusive experience. You need an invitation, or you can catch the attention of someone important."
Jay, adopting a confident tone, asked, "And who might that be?"
Kyle scanned the room, assessing the situation. "See that guy over there?" He nodded toward a figure in the shadows, discreetly observing the crowd. "That's Lucas. He's the one who decides who goes upstairs. If you impress him, you might just get that coveted invite."
Both the boys understood the next phase of their mission. "How do we impress Lucas?" Jay inquired.
"Play it cool, be interesting. Show him you're not just here for a casual night out. And most importantly, be yourselves. He's got an eye for authenticity," Kyle advised them as he disappeared behind the door that was behind the counter.
"How the fuck we impress him by being ourselves if we are faking?We don't know anything about this guy" Jay asks sarcastically, stretching his arms in the dark blazer.
"Follow my lead."
"Look at that chick! Man i love this place already!" Antonio shouted, acting slightly drunk and casually tugging the guy.Lucas.
"Look where you go!" A voice loudly screamed.
"Oh god sorry man!I was distracted by that good view." Dawson explained with a smirk hanging on his face.
"You can't blame him for that man." Jay added, while Lucas eyes were glued to the girl dancing on the stage.
"Oh I definitely can't."
"Alex and Rick by the way."
"Lucas."
he didn't tell them his surname,suspicious.
Antonio, feeling the need to add an extra layer to their cover, discreetly slipped a small bag of powder into Lucas's hand during the handshake. "Found something to make the night even better," he said with a sly grin.
Lucas raised an eyebrow, examining the bag without committing to a response. "Bold move," he remarked, still maintaining his mysterious demeanor. "Let's see if you can keep up with the vibe around here." He instructed them to follow him,leading them in another room of the first floor.
"Is this good stuff?" Lucas asked,analysing the small bag.
"The best, straight from Colombia man." Antonio replied, patting Lucas left shoulder.
"That's really what we need,you two make it at a good price?"
"If you lead us upstairs we do,yeah." Jay says directly, smiling mischievously.
"I'm gonna have to ask my boss.If this," Lucas says pointing at the powder, "is good, we could start a beautiful pact."
"Good.How do we hear back from you?"
The blonde guy handled them a ticket, his number on it. "Tomorrow at 5 pm,make the phone ring for two takes,then I'll know how to make you have a response"
"Okay, good." They shacked hands and then left the room, both pretty content on how the night went.
The morning back at the bullpen was another story. Voight at first was pissed at the fact that Antonio used the powder as a shield, but at the end they got a contact with someone from the club, so he couldn't really complain much. The conversations of last night between them and Lucas were being recorded and they had to find as much information about him before the call of the afternoon.
"Lucas Wallas.28.Student at the Chicago University, it seems he works at the Overmoon as bodyguard for Andrew.It's new, so I assume he doesn't know much about what happens." Kim informs them,handling the file.
"He seemed pretty confident though, so i wouldn't cross my heart on that." Antonio stated, as he couldn't quite shake the feeling of something more.
Jay found himself in agreement with his team mate, so he added a few more points to the peripheral vision, "The club is normal.I mean,no illegal actives out of the usual order, no fights, nothing that seems to lead us to prostitution or human trafficking for now. The mystery is upstairs, VIP only"
"You get upstairs, you do everything you can. This is big, am i clear?" Voight explains, "You continue following this path, dig into their life's, we'll keep an eye on you and also trying to figure out more."
Halstead exchanged a bum fist with Atwater and Ruzek, leaving with Dawson to go back at the undercover apartment, ready to call Lucas.
"We can do that.Ring two times.Then we wait." Jay exhales, calling the number,two ring sounds, call closed.
"Good.I need a beer." Antonio chuckled opening the almost empty fridge,if not for a bunch of other different type of beers.
"Man we need to eat, not drunk ourselves out." Jay laughs, pointing out facts. "We have frozen pizza man!What else we need?" Antonio states as he pulled the two frozen pizzas out.
"Something that will maybe taste like actual food and not a burn out cookie?"
"You have a point here bro." Antonio gives up,hands in the air as Jay's phone buzzes,interrupting the almost real laugh they had.
It was an invite.
Tomorrow. Midnight.Dress nice and bring equipment.
"Equipment?" Antonio asks at no one in particular but with confusion in his eyes.
"Guess the powder made his job." Jay shrugged, pinching his nose at the idea of wearing that blazer again.
The next day went by fast, both of them getting ready to hopefully meet at least one of the Rogers brothers.As they stepped,11.59 pm on the clock at the Overmoon, they could sense a different atmosphere as they were going upstairs.
They showed the invite to a big and pretty intimidating bodyguard,to find Lucas standing scattered on the velvet red couch, "The men of the hour! Come on, the bosses are strucked by the stuff, like magic!" He continued rumbling as the one and only Kyle Rogers faced them. He was younger than Andrew but from the photo they saw he was definitely taller and much,much more muscular than him.
"Rick Sanchez and my business brother Alex Stern, nice to meet you..this place is truly unique." Antonio commented while they both shacked his hand.
"Let's go straight to the point.Follow me." He gestured the two of them, leaving the wasted Lucas behind.
The room,or office (no one of them really understood), was blinding with neon lights and furry couches. The dark desk full of papers, if only they could take a look, Jay thought to himself.
"I'm intrigued by the prospect of a business partnership with you two. The stuff you brought… it left quite an impression." Kyle's eyes gleamed, his words almost tasting the excitement of potential collaboration.
That guy most likely had a problem with drugs,Halstead mentally challenged.
"The deal is, i gave you the half of the money you want, you gave me the stuff and i let you have fun here in the vip section." Kyle explains simply.
"You pay us half?The stuff is from Colombia,first quality man!" Antonio shouted, "We can make you a favourable price, but its the 60 per cent of how much we usually get people pay."
"It seems fair." Kyle says without another emotion.
But then the back door opened and the lights went out.Jay and Antonio stirred up fast, fortunately the non existent light prevent Kyle from finding their behaviour strange,but he jumped up too, shooting a "What the hell?" and running towards a room not so far from the office.
A old man ran out of the door with a bloody hand, his pinched voice cracking "That bitch is crazy!", he said while leaving.
"What did you do Vicky?!He paid well!" Kyle said, angrily.
"Paying well just as much as he likes to touch!"A girl voice demanded, still completely in the dark.
In that exact moment, at that fucking club at almost two am,Jay thought he was hallucinating.
That voice. That raspy, yet still delicate voice. He could recognise it anywhere, but it was surely, it had surely been the fact that his mind who was tricking him.
The door opened a little more and the vision the two detectives had was probably gonna be the most shocking part of their whole undercover assignment.
"I'm paid for dances.Nothing less and nothing more." The brunette girl shifted up, her black dress finding difficult to cover her legs.
"You could've at least not made him bleed." Kyle muttered coldly, before he started to do the presentations.
Little did he know, Jay thought, that he sure as hell didn't need a presentation. He knew her so damn well,probably more than he knows his self. Or at least he used to,know her.
"This is one of our star up there,Vicky.These guys are Alex and Rick, the ones I told you about." Kyle slurred, his voice tone pretty wasted.
The girl makes two more steps ahead, the low light now capturing her frame completely. And that's when Jay's breath comes out. Cause it's really her, it's not some strange coincidence,it's really her in front of him, a little older,hair longer and almost totally brunette if not for some lighter highlights.
He was screwed. He knew that the first time he stepped in the bullpen of the 21h district and he was introduced to his partner, to her hazel eyes and her dimple smile. And he knows that right now, almost 2 years later on, when he sees her in that tight black dress. He would've never got over Erin Lindsay, never in a lifetime.
So he can see her fully now, the denim jacket hanged on the couch seconds before, now is dropping onto her visibly shivering shoulders (he still doesn't know if its the cold, or the fact that they are truly seeing each other again,after time and time) and her eyes are wearing too many makeup, too dark,it covers how much green they have inside.
Jay's mouth doesn't,can't, form a coherent word,let alone a sentence.
So Antonio covers up for him.Seeing Erin again was a shock for him, so he can only imagine how crazy this is for him. The weight of Erin's unexpected presence paralyzed his tongue. Antonio, sensing his friend's struggle, jumped in to navigate the awkward silence. Jay's eyes, fixed on Erin, revealed the storm of emotions within – a whirlwind of surprise, nostalgia, and an underlying tension that only the past could conjure.Toni speaks up, to Kyle,to Erin,both "The girl's feisty.We like it."
"Oh you can say that.200 bucks for a dance,she is the main event of last months."
"What if the first package is free?We want an hour with her." Jay states firmly,handing Kyle the bag.
"Are you two sure?This is.."Kylie began, but Jay didn't even let him finish, "Yeah,we're sure man.What about you?" Jay questions impatiently, almost throwing him out of the room, needing to know what the fuck is happening. Why Erin is in Chicago and not in New York and why she's a dancer at this probably very much illegal place.
"Okay man,have fun.We'll seal the other deal later right?" Kyle asks leaving, Antonio just nods at the man closed the door behind him.
And the three of them are alone now, but there's an uneasy silence hanging in the room.
Erin is still in the exact position as she was when they entered the room. Her eyes showing how her emotions are all over the place. For the first time in a very long time she felt vulnerable again, and that was just cause she glanced at him. Jay Halstead always had the capacity to make the tough Erin Lindsay melt like no one else,making her feel vulnerable, and that's one of the things that always scared them the most back then, the fact that he was the only one that every time saw right through her facade and that happened to never leave her side when she needed.
But that was short lived, chase even he left, just like everyone else in her life did. And after a while Hank told her to not look back at Chicago, to leave it all behind. So she felt lost,alone,unloved and that's probably what made her actually leave. In the span of a few months she lost her boyfriend and best work partner, her mother(not that she really was that,but still), her place in the unit and along with that, her badge and the chicago police detective title.
She has nothing left there, so she did move on.
Fbi,New York,new life. It was good at first to forget all the shit that happened back in her home city. But every case,every co-worker,every moment, kept reminding her of the life she had and lost so quickly. So when she was offered to go undercover in Bolivia for three months, she didn't even think about it and packed her life again.
She was a new whole person there, she didn't have to think about everything she left behind in Chicago. Her team foiled a whole drug cartel, it felt good. So good that she kept accepting this kind of work. And when they mentioned this case involving Chicago, Erin knew that she was the right one.
So she became Vicky, and for the past 8 weeks she tried to create a bond with the two brothers. But now she was standing in front of her two ex coworkers, and one of them happened to be Jay. Her ex boyfriend,partner,best friend. Erin shifted her weight from one foot to the other,her eyes flickered, searching for the right words, a silent dance of hesitation as Kyle exited the room.
"You work undercover." Jay whispered in a questioning tone, praying with all that he had that it was the meaning behind this.That she didn't throw away her life like she did when Nadia died. His thoughts hung in the air, a desperate wish that Erin's current path didn't mirror the destructive choices she made in the past.
Erin just nodded before taking a shallow sigh, "Yeah,I…I've been here for almost two months now.But..we can't talk here." Erin lowered the tone of her voice even more before disappearing into what Jay thought was the bathroom for a few seconds. Her small form reappeared a few seconds later and Erin got closer to Jay, her hand placing a small piece of paper in his pocket.
Jay nodded, his light eyes piercing through hers as she moved away. He wanted to ask her everything, to be furious at her for leaving him alone and totally vulnerable, for leaving without saying goodbye to everyone,to him above all. But he just stared at the ground, hearing Antonio mutter a "we'll catch up soon Linds,good to see you." and his arm being dragged away. He eyed for the first time the hallway of the part of the floor they were in. All closed, no sounds, no windows,nothing.
"This place is fucking disturbing." Antonio confessed as they were heading to the big dance floor. Jay's lack of response at his partner statement spoke volumes, his vacant gaze and overwhelmed demeanor revealing a mind tangled in thoughts too complex for the current situation.
"Hey man,are you okay?" Antonio shook his arm, regaining the younger detective attention. "Yeah,'s fine." He muttered before pulling out of Antonio's hold, going straight in the direction of the office they were before.
He entered fast,not caring at all of what Kyle might have been doing there. He was sitting, in front of him there was his brother.
"We want the deal. You take the good stuff, we make you a good price if you keep us up here." Jay eyes were fire towards both of the brothers, his hands crossed into his chest, cold expression on his face.
"Did you like the show? She's real good i know.."Kyle's grin widened, but Jay sensed an unsettling madness behind the smile, his mind appearing more unhinged than ever, and Jay pressed away the urge to punch him right in the face.
"We sure did.So are you in?"Antonio replied, but Jay knew he was probably pissed about his reckless acting.
"We are, but let me take the presentations. This is my dear brother Andrew."
"Hey," Andrew said,shaking both of their hands, "I liked your stuff, really first quality, and i am a big expert.."
"The deal is, this first exchange is set in one week at the Bridgeport park.1 kg and then you're gonna be permanent members here, we pay you half and the other reward is the fun you're gonna have in this section." Andrew's nonchalant shrug suggested that sealing this arrangement was as simple as the flick of his shoulders, his demeanor a mix of confidence and casual business.
Antonio seemed uncertain, almost not sure if this was a trap or if they could really accept doing something like that.
"We're in.See you in one week." Jay stated coldly, giving them the back shortly after, leaving the whole building in a rush, quietly followed by Antonio.
Their undercover car lurked in the shadows behind the club, and as Antonio's hand gripped Jay's shoulder, they stealthily scaled the wall. No words passed between them, only the shared understanding of the covert mission ahead.
"What the fuck man?We work together!Not like this!"
"We need to do this,you know it."
"Get in." Antonio's order hung in the air, a heavy silence settling between them during the drive home. When they finally arrived, the tension that had built during the journey hinted at an impending confrontation, a story waiting to unfold.
"We could've discussed this, Jay. You made a call for both of us, for the entire damn unit. This decision has implications for everyone!" Antonio's voice rose, frustration evident in his gestures, in the meantime Jay's hands rose in a gesture of surrender, an unspoken admission that the heated argument needed a pause.
His body language conveyed a willingness to ease the tension, if only for a moment, so he stated more calmly, "Okay. I get it, but we're still in the dark about their motives. Gaining their trust is the key, and this, right now, is the only route!" Jay's urgency tinged his words, emphasizing the gravity of their situation.
"I just hope this isn't only about her." Antonio's eyes hinted at a deeper concern, his unspoken worry for Jay's emotions evident in the lingering gaze.
Jay's response came quick,"What?!No,of course it's not.", it carried an edge, his voice pinching with a mix of frustration and conviction.
"The fact that i didn't even had to tell you what I meant speaks for itself and, maybe even unconsciously,it is." Antonio's statement hung in the air as he rose from the wooden chair, heading straight to his bedroom. His actions echoing a need for space and contemplation.