Always Here: A Jay Halstead fanfic

Chapter Sixty Four

It had been two weeks since her high school reunion and they were at Molly's, the unit had just finished closing a case. "Hey," Harper said in a sultry way that sent blood straight to Jay's groin, even though she didn't mean to, sitting down next to him in Molly's. That's what he admired about her, he knew it was cliche and cheesy but she didn't have to try, she was just her. "Why are you alone? I'm sure every girl here wants their moment with you," Harper teased, winking. "I could say the same about you," Jay said, gesturing over to the men eyeing her like she was an object at the bar. He hated the way people thought women were objects, especially Harper.

She had to admit she was slightly tipsy but that was only because she had downed one too many shots when she saw another girl flirting up a storm with him. Jay smirked, he only had eyes for one girl. She looked at him with the mischievous sparkle in her eyes that Jay admired so deeply, twirling the contents of her glass.

"Whiskey, huh?" Jay asked, his deep voice resonating in Harper's heart, but he already knew it was her order every time, without fail. "What's the story behind that one?" he asked, turning to look at her, wanting to know more about her. He thought it was insanely hot, the way she ordered a glass of whiskey.

"It was the first drink I had legally, Hank poured it for me when I graduated the academy" she said, only telling him because she was tipsy. In another situation, she would have been embarrassed. Jay tensed at the thought of her dad and Savannah influencing her to put alcohol in her body from such a young age. "It's strong unlike the other watered down shit other people like to drink," she explained, smirking at him. She was strong.

He loved the way she conducted herself, there was something elegant about her but one conversation with her and you that she was tough. Life hadn't treated her right but she had done the right thing anyway. She downed the rest of the amber liquid in her glass before turning to Jay.

"Beer, huh? What's the story with that?" she asked, the bombshell curls in her hair that were there everyday without effort bouncing as she let out a tipsy but sultry laugh. He found everything attractive about her. Before kicking himself for thinking like that, Jay whispered, "Had a lot of beer in the army," and Harper noticed how he felt even in her tipsy state, grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. They had been holding hands a lot but the first time they held hands, Harper realized how much she was attracted to him. Jay eyed daggers at all the men watching Harper like predatorial vultures.

"This case was pretty rough," Jay said as Harper scooted closer to him, nodding. The case had really done a number on everyone at the district but they were so thankful to have each other. "It was, but thank god for the job, right?" she said, the sparkle in her eyes turning into a shine of gratefulness for having him by her side.

He smiled, his seafoam eyes shining, illuminating the darkly lit room as he looked down at her sweetly, "Yeah, I'm so lucky to have someone like you as my partner," he said, smiling down at her, he wasn't one to use flowery language or express his feelings, he was badass, but he needed her to know how much she meant to him because judging by the look in her eyes at the end of each day, he knew that she didn't see the worth in herself that he saw in her no matter what. He was grateful that he had this connection with her, that they could sit down at the end of the day and put work aside and just be there for each other.

"Me too," she whispered, the look in her eyes conveying just how grateful she was. He was about three or four years older than her and he had been on the job longer, she had to learn how to survive and he had been trained to kill in the army but they fit together perfectly despite their differences and everything they had been through. "You sure you don't want to go home with her? She's been eyeing you all night," Harper chuckled, teasing her best friend, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous.

"Why, you jealous Harper?" Jay teased, his sexy voice sounding like music to her ears, the intimately dim lighting concealing the blush that colored her cheeks. "You wish, I'm the one that has to go home with you everyday," she pouted, but she wouldn't have it any other way, even if they were just friends. "If you want me to go I'll just--," Jay joked, getting up, but Harper pulled the sleeve of the grey henley he was wearing, bringing him back to her.

"You should really start letting me drive," Jay pouted but if driving made her happy then so be it, there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. "I would, but even after my extensive teaching, your stops still manage to kill me every time," Harper smirked. "Maybe it's the teacher's fault," Jay said while Harper threw a balled up napkin at him. "Remember when I memorized your coffee order on the first day Voight partnered us up? That's why you should let me drive, since I've been so loyal" Jay said, looking at her with puppy dog eyes, trying to charm his way into driving their beloved truck.

When they first became partners, he would have never imagined it would lead to never-ending bantering once Erin left, he never would have imagined they would have such a deep connection but he loved everything about it. "Kissing ass gets you nowhere in my book, Halstead, and I buy you beer sometimes in return for the coffee" Harper said but she was really touched when Jay gave her her coffee just the way she liked. No one except for Camille and Hank had actually made such an effort to make her feel good. Again, Jay admired her badassery as she said her words about kissing ass.

"Let's go home, I'll see about getting you more driving lessons" she said, a soft smirk playing at her lips, looking up at him. He grabbed both of their jackets, walking both of them out of the bar since they had drunk way too much to drive. Her lips spread into a dopey smile as she looked up at him, she was so lucky to have someone like him in her life, even if they were just friends.

Jay smiled, remembering the first time he had laid eyes on her, not when Voight said she was coming to Intelligence, but when Erin had left and he realized how much he needed Harper, the first time he had really looked at her without any professional boundaries in mind, he realized he was a goner.  

They had long nights and sad days in their partnership like when Lily had died and Jay had gotten kidnapped and Terry was shot but they did have happy endings like this. No matter what, they were always at each other's sides even though they weren't a couple. Their table at Molly's had seen enough flirting for the night.