The beach was quiet, just the way Callen liked it. A lazy Sunday mid-morning, when the tourists hadn't yet arrived in full force and the world felt like it was moving slower than usual. The Pacific shimmered under the sun, waves lapping the shore in a peaceful, rhythmic pattern. The breeze was warm, the kind of breeze that always smelled faintly of salt, and it carried with it that effortless calm.
He was out for a run, the only kind of exercise he could manage without overthinking. It was one of those rare moments where he didn't feel the weight of the world—or the job—on his shoulders. Just the steady thud of his sneakers hitting the sand and the breeze catching the front of his t-shirt. He hadn't planned to stop, but when he spotted her, he almost couldn't keep going.
Nell.
She was walking along the shoreline, her flip-flops dangling from one hand as she let the cool sand slip beneath her bare feet. Her oversized t-shirt hung off one shoulder, and her hair blew around her face in that carefree way that always made him want to linger a little longer. She wasn't even paying attention to him yet, earbuds in, lost in whatever music was filling her head—Fleetwood Mac, probably, because that was so very her.
He should've kept running. But, damn it, it was hard to look away. She just had that way about her. It was silly, but he was pretty sure he had a thing for the way she looked so natural, so herself, no makeup, no pretense—just Nell. She had this effortless charm about her that made even the simplest moments feel like they mattered. And somewhere along the line, he'd started noticing it more and more.
A stupid crush. Ridiculous. Especially considering that she was his teammate. His friend. But that didn't stop it from creeping in like a slow burn, creeping up until it was hard to ignore.
He slowed his jog, keeping his distance but not being able to stop himself from watching as she walked toward him oblivious. His heart did that stupid thing it always did when he saw her—somewhere between fast and slow, like he was being pulled and tugged in two directions.
She didn't notice him—she couldn't have. She was so absorbed in her music, looking down at her phone as she walked, that he was just another figure in the distance.
Still, he couldn't seem to pull his gaze away from her. He kept his pace steady, not wanting to look too obvious, but there was something magnetic about the way she moved that had him slowing down even more. His chest tightened, and for a second, he let his thoughts drift toward something he wasn't ready to admit yet.
She had no idea he was there.
And that made it easier to just watch her for a little longer.
His breath evened out as he approached, and he slowed his steps even more, not wanting to make a sound. But when he got close enough, he couldn't resist.
"Nell?" His voice broke the quiet between them, casual but with a little more weight than he'd intended.
She jumped a little at the sound of his voice, pulling one earbud out in surprise, as if she hadn't realized how close he was.
"Oh—hey! Callen," she said, her smile genuine but the way she tugged the other earbud out told him she'd probably been a bit lost in her own world.
Callen smiled back, feeling that familiar warmth in his chest.
"Didn't expect to run into anyone out here." She said softly.
"Same," he replied, letting the earbud dangle from her fingers. "Didn't take you for the beach-on-a-Sunday type."
"Only when the tourists sleep in." She replied lightly.
He smirked "Smart."
There was a brief pause between them, both of them standing there, looking out at the ocean for a moment, as if the waves could speak for them. He stole another glance at her, noting how she seemed completely at ease, comfortable in the moment. Her hair blew gently around her face, the breeze tugging at the edges of her t-shirt.
"You out here every Sunday?" Nell asked, her voice light but tinged with curiosity.
"Not always," he said, shrugging a little. "Depends on what I'm running from."
She laughed, the sound soft but genuine. "Well, if it's traffic and emails, you're in the right place."
Callen nodded, the quiet between them stretching for a moment longer than either of them expected. He could feel it—this easy camaraderie, this connection—but there was something else there too, something he wasn't sure how to name.
"I should probably keep moving," he said, his voice still light, but he didn't step away.
"Yeah," she agreed, nodding slowly, though she didn't look in any hurry to leave either. "Me too."
They stood there, both unwilling to make the first move to walk away. It felt like the space between them was just a little too heavy, but still, neither one of them quite moved.
"See you around, Nell," Callen said, his tone easy, but the weight of the words lingering just a little longer than it probably should have. Then he turned to jog off, his steps slow as he started to head back down the beach.
As he ran, he tried to push away the feeling gnawing at him—the one that said there had been something there in the air between them, something more than just an easy goodbye.
But by the time he was a few steps down the shore, he was already second-guessing it.
Maybe it was nothing.
But for just a moment, he'd thought that maybe, just maybe, she'd felt it too.
