explosion (jay halstead / one chicago)

chapter 27

jay's pov

I woke up the same way I fell asleep, with Liz cuddled up to my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around her body. She was breathing steadily, and I enjoyed my position for a moment, playing with her soft hair while she was in a peaceful slumber. I was lucky to be the one who could hold her at night, and it really fulfilled my life. After a few minutes, I decided to grab my phone. It was already seven thirty, meaning I should get to work soon. With a sigh, I slowly moved back, careful not to wake my sleeping girlfriend. Without bothering to put on a shirt, I made my way to the living room.

Once I stepped inside, I was blinded by the bright daylight. I jumped when I heard a noise and turned towards the kitchen area, where Liz's roommate was about as surprised to see me as I was to see her. For some reason, I hadn't expected her to be here. I hadn't even heard her come home last night.

"Bro, you scared me," Sylvie complained. I put up my hands in defence. "Likewise." She rolled her eyes. "You know, Jay, I actually live here. That's something different." Liz's roommate looked me up and down, then raised an eyebrow. "Also, how about you put on a shirt next time?" I chuckled, walking into the room. "Copy that."

Sylvie sighed in played annoyance, then smiled at me. "You want coffee?" she asked. I nodded. "Can't say no to that." It was awkward to stand in the kitchen with Liz's best friend. I mean, I liked her. But with girls' friends you can never be quite sure what they're up to or what they know about you. Kind of creepy, if you ask me. I sat down on one of the barstools. "Why are you even up so early?" I questioned. "Thought you guys were free."

Sylvie nodded. "We are. Just came back from running though." I only now noticed her sportswear. She gave me an amused look. "You know, most times Liz and I go running together. But I figured she had enough exercise last night." Sylvie grinned at me. Of course, I knew what she was referring to. Usually, I would have come up with a cheeky response, but I only just got up, and it was way too early in the morning for me to keep pace with her jokes.

"Ooh, you figured," I replied sarcastically and mentally prepared myself for whatever comeback I was about to face. Sylvie laughed. "You do know it's pretty obvious, right?" she asked. I looked at her in confusion, which led her to giggle. "Okay, you really have no idea," she said, trying to stay serious. "Boy, you have a huge hickey like right on your neck. And that's not the only one." She burst into laughter as I looked at her startled. I mean, right, I knew where those came from. I just really hadn't thought of that when it happened.

"Must have been a pretty hot night if you didn't even notice," Sylvie teased with a smirk on her lips. Then she winked at me. "You need make-up or something?" I shook my head, trying to hide how embarrassing it was to be called out like this by your girlfriend's best friend. "No, thanks. I'm fine." Sylvie chuckled. "Whatever you say."

When I arrived at the district, I took the stairs two at a time, knowing that I had quite some work to do. As I reached the top, I ran into Adam. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a sec." He grabbed my arm to make me stop. A cheeky grin formed on his face. "Now what's that?" I rolled my eyes. Ever since Sylvie called me out for the hickey on my neck, I regretted leaving my jacket at the bullpen last night. I knew once I put it on, it would hide the mark perfectly fine, but I had to get to my desk first.

"Nothing," I lied, although I knew my friend wouldn't let me get away with it. He stood in front of me with his hands resting on his hips and his head tilted to the side. "Jay 'you'll-be-first-to-know' Halstead, is there anything you wanna tell me?" Sighing, I put my hands up in surrender. "Alright Adam, you're officially the first to know I slept with her."

Ruzek took a step back, his grin only growing wider. "So, you're pretty much married now," he commented. I looked at him in confusion. He shrugged. "Took you long enough to fuck, might as well get engaged, right." I shook my head at his silliness. "What the hell, Adam." He chuckled. "Just saying..." I rolled my eyes and continued the way to my desk, coming across Erin who raised an eyebrow at me and smirked. "Hot night, eh?" I walked past her, grabbing my jacket. "Don't say another word."