It had been a long day, and Sam was finally heading to his car to call it a night. His mind was still buzzing with the events of the day as he walked toward his vehicle, his keys already in hand. He glanced around the parking lot, the cool evening air settling in, the hum of the city in the background.
But then, something caught his eye.
Just a few rows over, Sam noticed Nell's car parked with its hood popped up. He squinted for a moment, his gaze sharpening as he saw Callen leaning over in front of the engine, poking around as though trying to figure out what was wrong. Nell was standing nearby, leaning on the side of the car with one arm crossed over her chest, watching him work.
At first glance, it seemed pretty normal—just Callen helping Nell out, right? But Sam's eyebrows furrowed in thought as he paused at his car, the pieces falling into place. Callen wasn't the type to get his hands dirty when it came to things like car repairs. In fact, more than once, Callen had made it clear that he preferred to leave anything mechanical to a professional.
Sam couldn't count the number of times he'd heard Callen joke about not being the "fix-it" type, always opting to pay someone else to handle the dirty work. So, to see him under the hood of Nell's car, fixing something for her? That was... different.
There was something in the way Callen was focused, his usual intensity now channeled into whatever was wrong with Nell's car. It wasn't just a task to him—it felt like he was doing it because he wanted to. And not just because it was convenient or necessary, but because it was her.
Sam saw Callen take a quick glance up at Nell, offering her a brief, reassuring smile before returning his attention to the engine. Nell, for her part, seemed completely at ease, leaning against the car with a soft expression, her attention solely on him.
Sam stood frozen for a moment, observing the quiet interaction. His mind raced as he processed what he was seeing. If Callen were fixing his own car, Sam wouldn't have thought twice. But this? This was different. Callen didn't just go around fixing cars for people. And certainly not for anyone other than maybe a very close friend—or someone who had started to mean a lot more than just a colleague.
The realization hit him again, clearer this time—Callen's feelings for Nell weren't just a passing thing or a fleeting crush. They were real. Sam could see it now in the way he was so focused on helping her, in the way he was giving her the kind of attention he usually reserved for things he cared about deeply.
Sam exhaled slowly, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Callen had always been protective of Nell, sure, but this... this was something else. It was as if he was showing her a side of him that no one else got to see. And it made Sam's heart give a little tug, seeing his partner like this.
He stood there for a moment longer, watching as Callen fixed the problem under the hood while Nell continued to watch, a soft laugh escaping her every now and then. Sam couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. His partner wasn't the most obvious when it came to matters of the heart, but Sam had known him long enough to see that this wasn't just about fixing a car—it was about showing someone you cared.
"Looks like things are heating up," Sam muttered to himself, smiling as he finally opened his car door and slid inside. He started the engine, glancing back once more at Callen and Nell.
He had a feeling this wasn't the last time he'd be noticing something more between them.
As he drove off, a sense of anticipation lingered in the air—things were definitely changing between those two, and Sam was starting to wonder just how long it would take for them to realize it for themselves.