"Did you sleep okay last night?"
Immediately she knew her face was painted in pink. Regardless of whether or not he saw, he didn't comment. He didn't even allow his face to switch from his endearing gaze locked against her quickly-brushed hair.
Hazel had slept flawlessly that night. Far better than she had for the past month. Even better than she had when the two of them had un-officially moved in together. But admitting that aloud may have implied other things.
Her fears. Her terrors. His safety.
Throughout their sleep, anytime Hazel stirred or even so much as adjusted herself she was tugged in closer. His eyes would sleepily open, his arms would bring her closer into his chest, his lips would press to the top of her scalp, and he would hum and hush sweet nothings into her anxious ears.
"Shh, you're okay, go back to sleep."
She could remember his words well.
But of course, the heat pressing against her cheeks didn't help her composure. Instead, hoping to downplay the situation as much as possible, she nodded and hummed softly content.
He sighed gleefully. "Good! I was worried you didn't get enough rest."
He was worried.
It wasn't until his hand had removed itself from her waist - where it had lingered over that same wound the night before - did she snap out of the trance of the scent of his cologne against his neck. The feeling of his lips against her hair. The sparks of his hands on her back.
His hand, instead, had reached to push open their office door, gesturing for her to wander inside. To which, she did. Slowly, cautiously, but fast enough that he only saw a blur of pink rather than the flurry of red against her neck and cheeks.
As she scurried in, however, she fumbled to a spot at her desk and sat down. Originally she had wanted to catch her breath, her quickest-possible-scurry still being a little much for her in her medicated state.
"Take it easy. Don't worry, this shouldn't take long."
Hazel nodded, rubbing her hands together. "Just a report to send in to your father, right?"
"Right." His voice was stern and cold. Emotionless. He got that way whenever his father came up in conversation. Even back in the police station when he and David were talking off to the side as Hazel finished a glass of water with the kind officer helping her, she could hear David leave with a call from their father. Nathan left and bitterly spoke whenever David returned for brief flashes of time.
Their relationship was beyond damaged. It was severed.
"I'll sort through the ones on my desk, you sort through the ones on yours. Deal?"
The change in tone, while rapid, was understandable to the brunette. She had been around him long enough that she knew and understood why he got the way he did. Why he changed the way he did.
"Yeah, sounds good. Keep anything pressing and key?"
Nathan smiled at her, but she was too busy bustling through the files to spot him. To blush under his gaze. To give her usual shy and joyful smile back.
"You got it. Sure you haven't done this before?"
He could see her smile down at her paperwork, scanning through folders and placing them into separate piles on either side of her desk.
Everything was working rather swiftly between the two. Their eyes were locked intently onto their own folders and mountains of work to sort. They were so dedicated in fact, Nathan didn't notice when Hazel stopped, lifting a file to her eyes to read more intently.
"Has Sinclair's court date been set?" Her voice was gentle and timid. Teetering on nervous for even asking to begin with.
Nathan glanced up. He didn't need to say a word to understand what she was looking at. All he needed was a quick glance at the folder and an intent gaze against her frown.
A criminal record. Fresh.
He could feel a frown tugging at his lips but refused, pushing it back into his cheeks. No. He didn't want to show her the agony he felt by all of this. She felt enough of it for the both of them.
He closed his folder, tossing it sloppily onto his desk. "Yeah, it's been set."
"When?" Without looking she set the folder into the 'important' pile.
Nathan crossed his fingers together. "It's been bumped to next week."
He could see her eyes widen, but continued.
"There was a cancellation. The man going on trial passed away in custody, and considering the severity of the case and the fact that he's been a hassle to control they want him dealt with as soon as possible."
Hazel nodded, eyes dropping to the edges of either of their desks where they kissed and rested sweetly upon each other.
"Hazel,"
Numbly, she looked up.
God how he hated discussing this with her. He knew it tore her apart inside to even think of the atrocities against her family. Now she was forced to not only re-live it, but also to function knowing the man who did it wasn't yet convicted.
He swallowed hard. "You'll probably need to testify. Because of," He hesitated, watching the way her eye quivered in understanding. "What he did to you."
She nodded, pushing herself out of her seat and leaning against the side of her desk. Exactly where she had stood when their entire case began. Staring at the billboard that was now crystal clean, only then it was scattered with crime scene photos, headlines and portraits of the family she once had.
Her eyes swept back and forth, surveying the scene that used to carry all of the information, but none of the answers. Now, it carried nothing. Something about it was so symbolic. How something could be so full and apparent one minute and completely gone in the next.
"Are you doing okay?"
She had hardly noticed Nathan had stepped beside her to join her, standing tall instead of leaning against his own oak surface. He stared down at her as he always did when he was concerned. She had been given that look a lot lately. While she adored the way it looked as if she was his world, his sun and stars, a part of her wished she wasn't.
She was to much of a hassle for him to worry about. Daily he was rushed to her side and to help her up stairs, to make food. He had even grown accustomed to organizing her pills for her. He would carry them around in his pocket and allowed his watch to beep every time she needed one. She was too much of a hassle for him.
She cleared her throat, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just," She shrugged, hoping to play it off as best as she could. "Just tired, that's all."
"Your medicine?"
Hazel nodded, a faint "mh hm" escaping closed lips. "Don't worry, it's fine. I'll get used to it."
"I'll always worry about your health, Hazel."
Her eyes opened, slowly shifting to the male beside her. Their eyes locked with ease, her awe meshing with his sincerity.
Slowly, gently, he leaned forwards to stand perfectly in front of her, a hand of his turning to her side and cupping her injury under his palm as a shield of protection.
"You know," He chuckled softly, his eyes focusing down against his palm and the agony underneath it. He didn't stare at it for long, as his gaze quickly returned to the lady before him. "I've never been happier with anyone than I've felt with you."
Any fears, any doubts, any assumptions she had before vanished at the sound of his voice.
Their eyes were locked until, in a fit of seemingly embarrassment, his eyes dated to the ground with a gentle chuckle. Maybe, if she looked close enough, Hazel would be able to see red touching the tips of his ears.
"Obviously I care about your safety. That day where Sinclair got you," He shook his head, eyes still pointed to the ground. "That was a horrifying day. I was terrified I had lost you."
Hazel's eyes shook as he spoke, focusing in on the features that he had curved down to the ground. How badly she wanted to place her hands on either side of his head and bring them back up to meet hers, just so she could get a better look at him. They always spoke best through a silent gaze. But instead she let a quiet, almost silent, shaky breath escaped her as she listened.
"But it also made me realize how badly I still want you around. All the time."
"Nathan?" She couldn't tell what tone she was going for by the way she spoke. Pleading? Curious? Desperate?
"You can work here." He sounded breathless. As if he was holding the words back before he said them. "You'll get paid. You can be my permanent partner." He gave a quick, short sigh. As if the words had been building as air in his chest. "I'd love to have you around."
Her eyes continued to shake, now desperate to hold back the joyus waters dwelling behind them. He cared about her. He cared and loved spending time with her, so much in fact that he wanted to work with her everyday. He cherished her presence and time to that extent.
She was truly and utterly speechless.
She stood, heart quivering in utter astonishment, before finally building upon the joy bubble in her stomach and speaking. "Yes." She took a breath in. "I'd love to be your partner."
They both seemed to exhale at the same time, smiles washing upon their faces as they let the winds of their shores escape. They stood, admiring the smile of the other, watching the joy flood their faces and features, studying the meaning behind their gaze.
It melted into something different.
The joy slowly began to slip away, the ecstatic breathing melting into one of calm serenity. Their eyes diving from the highest peak of happiness down and falling into calmer, more passionate territory.
Nathan took a hand, sweeping it against the brunette's cheek and brushing away a lone dancing hair. His thumb lingered, brushing her cheek as it slowly moved itself to cradling the back of her neck, holding it as if it was his entire world.
Hazel was so lost in his eyes she had hardly noticed as he began to lean into her, their lips drawing closer together like a magnet attracted to its other half. But she didn't protest, despite her heart just about bursting from her chest. Their eyes remained locked except for the faint flickers the male gave when glancing down at her pink lips, awaiting him to meet them.
They were close, drawing closer. Hazel could feel her eyes drift closed. They were close. He was warm. He was safe.
A door slam knocked her eyes open, the two flying apart from each other in a fit of panic. His hands darted away from her skin, flying to his side and in his pocket in a feeble attempt to hide his true intentions. Yet no actions would have been able to hide the red tops of his ears, bright and bold for all to see.
Hazel's palms squeezed her sides nervously, her head darting down and allowing the sides of her hair to wave in front of her cheeks and cover the bright pink that flooded them so quickly.
"Good, you're both here."
The color vanished from her cheeks and instead spread across the canvas that was her skin as Hazel glanced up.
Nathan's father, leader and boss of the building, stood in their doorframe turning to study the clothing and coats that had been strewn against the coatrack to his side. Luckily, giving Nathan's ears time to cool as much as possible and Hazel's blush to look less as an addition and more as her natural skin tone.
"I wanted to talk to you briefly about your case."
Nathan squinted, his free hand tapping against his thigh. His father really was dense when it came to public relations. He didn't seem to understand the implications behind knocking and felt no shame whatsoever for bursting in unannounced.
He glanced around the room as he spoke, only allowing his eyes to meet his son just as he was finishing. "Your case went well. I'm glad you two managed to put it, for the most part, to rest." He lifted a finger at his son. Nathan watched in agitation. "But, I'm afraid that you my dear," His gaze shifted to Hazel, frantically leaning against a desk attempting to keep her cool. "Will need to stick around until the trial is done. As soon as that man is put away then you are able to be dismissed from my office."
"Actually," Nathan cleared his throat. "We wanted to talk to you about that." Nathan glanced back at Hazel, who forced a small smile through her beet-red cheeks. He smiled, feeling his neck heat. "We'd love to be able to work together from now on." He paused, his father not responding. "Permanently."
He glanced between the two of them. "Really?"
Nathan's brows furrowed in a mixture of anger and hurt. "Yes,"
He shook his head before Nathan could even finish speaking. "No. Look at her," Hazel could feel herself flinch back at his words. The colour now starting to drain, leaving her skin it's normal pale tone.
"What do you mean by that?" Nathan spat back.
"Her side. Her injury? She was injured on her first case. That's not a good track record."
"This case was a mess from beginning to end and you know that."
"That doesn't make my point any less valid."
Nathan sighed through his nose, crossing his arms over his chest. "The two of us tracked down and stopped a murder, took an innocent man out of custody and finally are allowing the Daniels' to be buried. You're saying that isn't a good enough standard to be allowed to work here permanently?"
His father squinted. "It's too much risk."
"You don't even know what risk is. You're never out in the field."
Before he could finish speaking, before his arms could fully cross his chest, his father was already one foot out the door.
He sighed. "We'll discuss this later." He grumbled, rubbing the watch on his wrist as he spoke, drawing his attention to the time rather than to his son.
"Yeah. Right." Sarcasm dripped from his voice. His father didn't seem to notice. He had already started away, ignoring the gentle jab from his child and darting for the stairwell to return to his normal sociable life. A life he had made an effort to seem pristine, even if it meant shutting out his family.
Nathan sauntered forwards and closed the door, sighing as it finally clicked shut. It left the two in comfortable silence. A space where everything could be left in the open, and the words would remain forever locked on their lips and resting in their eardrums.
"God, that man is useless."
Hazel nervously clutched at the ends of her hair, squeezing it shyly in her fingers. Her mind wracked with an idea, something to say next to soothe the fire that raged inside of him. The one that always burned whenever his father was in his midst.
"Maybe we should get him in a more private setting to ask again?" She suggested, rubbing her hands together as she stepped forwards. "He is thinking, after all. Maybe getting him away from all this work will help our cause."
Nathan's eyes turned, but his head remained downcast. Here she was, a girl whom he had grown to be so infatuated by. This was exactly why.
She was smart. She cared about the feelings of others around her and, despite the situation they had been in before his father had arrived, she wasn't itching to get back to it. Instead she had turned her focus onto ensuring he was assured everything was going to work out, and that a plan was set in motion.
"You're right."
She smiled.
In return, he did too.
-------------
It felt as if they had been locked in that tiny room for years by the time they had finally pushed themselves out. Several hours of organizing file folders had flown past their eyes. Then, the following hours of going through the individual papers seemed to drag all throughout the day. They had been bustling around the office and sorting paperwork into piles for hours after Nathan's father had let himself out.
They had passed their time placing papers on the floors of the room, helping to visually organize what went where and who was important to what. They occasionally spoke, but both seemed so locked in and focused on what they were doing the words seemed to pass in and out without much thought. Neither of them minded. Neither of them were offended. They were too driven to mind.
So, finally, when it came time to leave, they whisked out of the office swiftly and easily.
Hazel leaned against the nearby wall as Nathan locked up their wooden doorway, ensuring their hard work was sealed tightly inside before turning to his partner and smiling down at her tired posture.
"Tired, huh?"
"Very." She commented with a soft laugh. "It's exhausting."
"But it's done."
He extended a hand to her, helping her stand upright before escorting her to the stairwell.
For the majority of their walk down, it was silent. They remained peaceful and careful in their movements. As usual Nathan walked ahead, pausing at every corner down to study Hazel's posture and to ensure she wasn't in pain. Which in his care, she never was. It wasn't until they reached the parking lot that either of them spoke, even made a sound.
Just across from where they had exited the building, Nathan's father was unlocking and loading his briefcase into his sporty, silver vehicle. He went to go and side-step into the driver's seat where he turned ever-so-slightly and caught a glimpse of the duo watching him. He paused, staring down the two and awaiting a reaction, resting his elbow against the top of his car.
"Father," Nathan stated, breaking the tense silence that had rapidly been growing.
His father tilted his head in interest, waiting to hear what his son had to say, but didn't make a sound himself.
"Would you like to come to dinner tonight?"
Silence. A wide-eyed look from the girl beside him. A smirk from the father.
"I'll be there at 7. You know what I like."
With that, he slipped into his car, clicked the door behind him and slipping his way out of the parking lot.
"3 hours? To make a full meal?" Hazel breathed, her voice building with the sense of urgency that filled the air around her.
Nathan nodded, smiling tenderly down at her. "Looks like we've got some cooking to do."