At the Heart of Justice

Chapter 24: Heart

Neither L nor Naomi spoke as they walked back to the apartment building.

And Naomi was thankful for that. She had so much to work through, and she didn't feel like she had the energy, nor the state of mind to hold a conversation right now.

She shifted her purse on her shoulder with one hand, her other one still held in L's.

It didn't feel weird, holding his hand. It was comforting having him close.

But the practical side of Naomi was putting up a wall. She loved what she had with him. She loved how comfortable they were with each other and how easily they could spend time together.

And she didn't want to lose that.

They reached the building and made their way into the elevator. L went through the motions to pass through his layers of security and, a moment later, the doors opened on their floor.

As they stepped into the hallway, Naomi turned to face him.

"Thanks for taking me to dinner," she said sincerely. She slipped her hand out of his and lifted it to adjust her purse again.

His hand returned to his pocket. He looked at her steadily and fidgeted with his toes.

"Should I not have said that?" he asked plainly.

Naomi looked up at him, not knowing how to answer. There was a part of her that did wish he hadn't said it. It just seemed so fast and so big all at once.

But, on the other hand, she had asked him point-blank how he felt, and he hadn't held back. She couldn't really blame him for answering her question with complete honesty.

"It's okay," she said slowly. "Like I said, I just... need some time."

He nodded. "Okay."

The corner of his mouth twitched into something like a smile as he took a few steps backward toward his own apartment.

"Goodnight," he murmured. 

Naomi smiled, feeling the familiar sensation of butterflies all inside her.

"Night," she said back.

He turned and went into his apartment, an unusual lightness to his steps. The door shut behind him.

Naomi moved to unlock her own apartment and stepped inside. As she shut the door behind her, she leaned her back against it. She exhaled as if she'd been holding her breath for a long time and let her purse flop from her shoulder onto the ground. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the door and placed her hand over the flutters in her stomach.

She stayed there for a few minutes before opening her eyes. Before her was her apartment, the living room to the left and the kitchen to the right. Two tea mugs sat on the coffee table, and sitting on a plate right where she'd left it was a wooden skewer lined with strawberries.

Shoving off of the door, she moved into the kitchen and gingerly picked up the skewer. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter top, and slid off a single strawberry. She looked at it, turning it slowly in her fingers. A smile played with her lips. She lifted the bright red berry to her mouth and took a small bite. It was juicy and sweet.

Naomi set the skewer back down on the plate. With one more bite, she finished the strawberry. Then, turning and placing both palms on the edge of counter, she hopped up to sit on it. She leaned forward with her forearms on her knees and let her legs swing freely back and forth as she stared at the tile floor.

For months now, she'd had feelings for L... and she still did. That much was undeniable.

But L hadn't just told her he had feelings for her...