Chapter 2. A surprising invitation
The next morning, Tani hardly emerged. The night before, during their outing at la Marianna, the two teammates were joined by Quinn, Rick, and a few other friends. The evening had ended up being rather watered. The pretty brunette stood up and began to get ready for work. She pulled on jeans, a khaki green blouse, and gold sneakers, put on light makeup, then decided to leave her curly mane natural. About an hour and a half after waking up, she heard a horn. It was a sign that her friend had parked in front of her house. The young policewoman grabbed her thermos of coffee then left her house. Settling into the passenger seat of Quinn's car, Officer Rey saw her colleague's smirk.
"I know someone who must have a hell of a headache," the soldier gently laughed. They had drunk a significant amount of alcohol the previous evening, and Tani was the one who drank the most. It had been more than obvious that she wanted to vent all the anger that had accumulated during the day.
"Don't even tell me about it," she grumbled, cursing herself for once again suffering the effects of the hangover. The two young women made the trip while chatting about things and others. Arriving in front of the office they got out of the car to join their teammates. Only none of them had planned to find the policewoman's mother sitting on a bench in front of the headquarters. The brunette stopped dead when she saw her. For several seconds she remained motionless despite calls from her partner.
"Hey, can you hear me?"
"Yes, sorry, let's go," the beautiful Hawaiian whispered, resuming her way. Her friend followed her slightly worried. They walked past the older woman without even a glance and then walked into the building.
The morning went off without a hitch, but the soldier was worried about her colleague. Such a return after so much time was bound to upset her. It would have an impact on anyone.
At lunchtime, the two women and Noelani went to a restaurant in the city center for lunch.
"I still can't believe that we abused so much last night when it was a weekday," the forensic scientist explained, not used to party. She had always been shy. It wasn't until meeting the team that she felt like she belonged.
"You have to relax. When I was still in the military it certainly wasn't the job that was going to keep us from having fun."
"I had much crazier evenings. Besides, I must say that it felt good to go out," Tani admitted, lowering her head slightly.
"I heard what happened. Do you want to talk about it?" the scientist asked, knowing the reluctance of her friend to confide in her feelings.
"Honestly, this is not the case. My mother left when I was a child. Koa was just a baby. I don't think he remembers her. My reaction may seem abrupt, but it's been a long time since I learned to protect myself from her. This is not the first time that she has returned. Usually, her goodwill evaporates after a week or two, and she disappears again, preferring drugs or her current boyfriend to her children. This time around will be no exception."
"Hey, no one judges you. All we want is for you to be okay. There is nothing easy about this situation whether you are used to it or not. In any case, we are there for you," the soldier announced with kindness, not knowing how to help her.
"I know, do not worry. For now, I just want to take my mind off things. We could talk about you and Rick instead. It was pretty hot last night," the beautiful brunette teased, grateful for having such caring friends.
"So, there it is clear. I have the impression that the stage of the first date is gone by the wayside," Noelani joked, throwing suggestive glances at her interlocutors. They laughed at this remark.
"We're going to have dinner this weekend."
"It's great. Why didn't you tell me about it this morning?" Tani exclaimed surprised and delighted.
"It's just dinner. I like him a lot, and we seem to have a lot of things in common. Only I don't want to get carried away. I don't know him well enough for that. In addition, I have known too many disappointments in love to throw myself headlong into a story," the pretty brunette confessed, thinking about her ex-husband.
"I understand more than you can imagine," the policewoman nodded knowingly. At this remark, his two colleagues exchanged a slight knowing look.
"What is it again?"
"There is nothing special except the fact that you know Junior well enough not to consider revealing your feelings for him as a rash act. After all, if there is one person in the world who will never hurt you, it's him," the medical examiner pointed out kindly and a hint of romanticism in her voice.
"I see you coming. I'm not going to deny that my relationship with Junior has been slightly ambiguous for several months. I'm also not going to deny that it troubles me in so many ways. Only it's way too complicated. I'm not even sure how I feel about him or even if it could be mutual."
"It's mutual, even I can see it when I'm not with you all the time. Mini McGarrett devours you with his eyes whenever he gets the chance. Fortunately for him, his ninja training allows him to be discreet because otherwise it would be almost embarrassing."
"She's right. I've even heard of a somewhat boozy marriage that almost got out of hand," Quinn added mischievously. For her, it was even a miracle (or a waste of time) that nothing had happened between them yet. Tani smiled as the memories of that special evening came back to her.
"I know you're right. I imagine it must sound crazy to you, but I'm scared."
"There's nothing crazy about that. On the contrary, it's just proof that you care deeply about him and that you don't want to lose him. With our job, we all know how complicated, sad, and short life can be, but even considering my experience with Olivia's father, I wouldn't give up for the world. How good is it to live your life halfway? I'm not telling you to throw yourself at him but to take a step forward, even a tiny one, to show him that you are not against the idea of exploring another aspect of your relationship," Sergeant Liu advised, based on her own experience.
The three young women continued to discuss for several minutes then they finished their lunch in a good mood. Everyone then returned to their post for the end of the day.
In the middle of the afternoon, Junior, who had learned about the second meeting between the pretty Hawaiian and her mother, took advantage of a moment of calm to go and chat with Quinn.
"Hey, I heard you had lunch with Tani. How is she doing? I know she's the one I should ask this to but she's still going to pretend nothing happened and I'm worried about her."
"I understand, I am too. Finally, with Noelani, we managed to make her talk this afternoon. I think the best way to help her now is to show her that you are there for her. Also, that you respect her choices and her pace. Otherwise, you know her better than I do."
"You're right. Only I would like so much to save her from suffering," the former marine confessed with a slight smile on his face. All he wanted was to see her happy. His interlocutor looked at him moved but also distressed by their lack of communication.
"I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but can I ask you a question?"
"Of course," he replied, intrigued.
"Why the hell did you never tell her how you feel about her?" the soldier asked as if it was obvious. He looked at her, shocked, never having thought he was so clear.
"What makes you say that I have feelings for her?"
"Please Junior, Tani is the only one who hasn't noticed it in the team. It's only because her fucked up mother must have put so many black ideas in her head that she isn't able to open her heart."
"My God, I didn't think I was that easy to read. The thing is, as soon as I was reformed, I went back to 5-0, quickly passing through the police academy. I did not sit down to take a step back. My only serious relationship was from before I joined the army, and you can't say it ended well. In addition, with all my family problems I must admit that my love life was not my priority."
"I understand very well but now that your relationship with your father has improved maybe it is time to focus on more pleasant things. Well, that's just a suggestion," Quinn sympathized with limited knowledge of all the issues Junior had been going through in recent years.
"It's not a bad idea, only her friendship is too important for me to risk losing it."
"You may know Tani much better than I do, but I will allow myself to give you some little information very well known to the fairer sex. When you are constantly on your guard like her you don't easily show yourself vulnerable. But sometimes it only takes one person to break the armor. I have been able to observe your interactions over the past few months. The way you behave towards each other and the violence of your reactions when the other is in danger are obvious indicators. I am not the only one to have noticed it. You are the only one with whom she is herself and just that is huge."
"Can you tell me where you got all this wisdom from? You're hardly older than us," the Navy Seal joked, knowing full well she was right. They had been looking around for weeks. They couldn't deny it. The beautiful brunette laughed and then motioned for him to return to work, which he did despite the many thoughts that never left his mind.
In the evening the young man gathered his things. He was ready to go join his parents who were in the hall. Since they had reconciled, they had taken the time to meet again. This evening Junior wanted to take them to dinner at la Mariana. The goal was mainly to make them discover his world. Coming out of his office with his backpack over his shoulder he could see his teammate leaving. So, they made their way to the elevator together.
"Is it wrong to wish for a crime to be committed, so that we finally have something to take care of?" Tani questioned, maliciously, as she entered the metal cage.
"I admit that I would not be against a little action. Finally, I understand that you need to clear your mind," the marine conceded, giving her a look full of compassion. She looked at him, rolling her eyes. He gave her a flirtatious smile and then they continued their journey in comfortable silence.
Arriving in the lobby, the duo ran into the parents of the ex-Navy Seal. Timidly the young Hawaiian came to greet them. After all, she only knew them from the investigation they had conducted into the burglary of their house. Despite this, the young woman was perfectly aware of the suffering of this family following their grief. She was happy to see that they were getting back in touch. More than once with their profession, they had been able to observe the damage that the loss of a loved one could cause on a family. She knew only too well the grief her best friend must have felt at the loss of his sister, and it broke her heart. He was so kind and generous.
"Mr. and Mrs. Reigns, it's nice to see you again," the policewoman politely greeted, shaking their hands. They then exchanged a few commonplaces uses. Once again perceiving the chemistry between her son and his teammate, the mother decided to dig deeper. Indeed, from the first meeting, she could see that her son had a crush on his colleague. Now that everything was going better, she was determined to get involved.
"Tani, why don't you join us for dinner? It would be a great pleasure for us to get to know our son's friends better," she offered suddenly. Her husband nodded, surprised but aware that his wife must have something on her mind. The two partners looked at each other, surprised by this invitation. Then the young woman began to stammer, slightly embarrassed.
"It's a great idea," Junior added surprised but delighted. Whatever happened, he loved spending time with her. He never even got tired of it, as if his world was more beautiful every time he was in her presence. The pretty brunette was in shock. However, she wanted to accept. After all, she loved every minute of her best friend's company, and her parents were sympathetic from their Thanksgiving meeting and the stories told.
"With pleasure, well I did not come by car this morning. Quinn had to walk me home but ..."
"It's nothing I'll bring you home," he interrupted immediately, even happier at the thought of spending time alone with her.
Maybe he could even convince her to talk to him. He sincerely wished to be there for his best friend the same way she had been there for him. Quietly the two duos each got into a car in the direction of the restaurant. During the ride, Lana Reigns explained her theory about the two friends to her husband. In the second car, they were chatting in good humor with a touch of flirtation. A quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the restaurant. None of them knew how would unfold yet the course he had just passed might mark a turning point in their relationship.