amop-series #44#
/LAYOVER/
Andrew Flynn clinked his glass with sparkling water gently against his date’s wine glass, a half-hidden smile on his lips as his eyes took a dip down, attention naturally drawn to the penchant that nestled in the deep neckline. The restaurant was a tad fancier than what Andy usually went for but judging from the satisfied glint in his date’s eyes, it was a hit. He had replaced his off-duty leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans with a pinstriped black suit; grey shirt and nondescript black tie. The jacket lay over the back of his chair and Andy was contemplating rolling up his shirt sleeves.
In the middle of the main course, his vegetarian dish half-way consumed, Andy chuckled as he entertained his date with a story from the good old days on the force, back when he had been fresh-faced and on patrol with a slightly more experienced Ray Hodge. There was always a story or two to share from that time, usually a nice ice breaker to a conversational lull.
Fork an inch from his mouth, Andy caught movement out of the corner of his eye, automatically following the blur of black that swept in from the entrance to the restaurant. The form materialized into a familiar figure when he turned his head and the fork missed the intentional target of his mouth and collided with his jaw instead.
It was the sight of Sharon Raydor in a slim black dress that had him completely stunned, mouth agape in shock and eyes narrowing when he realized the circumstances behind her entering the fancy restaurant.
She was directed to a table by a waiter, the man by her side tall and well-dressed, his hand lingering on the small of her back as he let her walk first. Sharon was unaware of anything but the man who led her to a table at the other end of the establishment. Sharon in a dress that was a dead give-away when it came to why she was in the restaurant with a man.
Andy still felt dazed beyond comparison; unable to really comprehend this was in fact happening in front of him. It hurt like a knife being forcibly pushed into his chest, stuck in the cavity and then torturously twisted around for extra emphasis.
Sharon smiled graciously as the jerk gallantly pulled out her chair for her.
Every notion of cheerfulness went radically out the window and Andy slowly set down his fork and knife, not feeling hungry anymore. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a big slurp of water to drown out the sour taste.
Of all the fucking places, he thought with a frustrated scowl, she had to saunter into this place on the arm of what could only be a damn date.
Andy was sure open bypass surgery without the anesthesia would hurt less than this moment. In hindsight, however, maybe he should have chosen somewhere less exclusive to bring his own date. Sharon had always had a thing for fine dining, small exclusive places and infamous food. But then again, what were the odds?
Andy grimaced and took another long drag from his water glass, his thoughts a thousand miles away. The presence of his own date buzzed in front of him but he remained quite oblivious to the blonde, the chatter easy to pretend to listen to. It only required that he elicited a nod and a smile every now and then, a ‘yeah’ thrown into the bunch while he tried to inconspicuously spy on Sharon.
Andy had not contemplated the notion that she might find someone or that she might actively go out on a date. Seeing her now in the middle of it was absurd and frankly felt like a heavy slap to his face. That might have been it, he figured, but no, the well-dressed figure of the man she was with was familiar to him too.
It was only further gasoline on the fire. Not only was she on a date but with that jerk nonetheless. It irked him to no end.
Andy seethed as he watched her settle in, the neckline of her dress lower than usual but still modest, the swell of black material more revealing in itself. Her hair was perfectly styled and straightened, draped over one shoulder disclosing the pale skin of her collarbones and the little gold earring he was able to make out in profile. He watched as she crossed one leg over the other, her pale fingers neatly folded on the table as she continued to wear a mirthful smile on her lips. She conversed in between looking at the menu card, a somewhat shy expression that Andy was only able to detect because he knew what to look for.
Andy shook his head and turned his eyes and attention back to his own date.
It was impossible. His attention wandered every other second, riveting in the direction of Sharon and her date as if he was somehow forced to look that way.
The dress was new, he was certain.
The set to her head as she regarded the other man was flirtatious.
The way she smiled reminded him of sex.
Andy clenched his jaw in raw jealousy, forcing his eyes away.
But no, it was still impossible. Sharon was vividly pictured in his mind however much he tried to glue his eyes to the blonde woman in front of him. Andy tried to inhale and exhale in a slow fashion, the technique somewhat helpful. It got him through the main course even if he wanted nothing more than to stalk to Sharon’s table and punch that jerk right in the face for good measure.
Later on, as he was waiting for dessert, Andy saw Sharon excuse herself and head towards the back and the bathrooms. Andy quickly excused himself as well and then made a beeline for the bathrooms even if he knew it was only bound to be a disaster.
He waited for her to finish, his back against the narrow wall and his arms loosely crossed as he leaned with what would appear as outward calm.
Sharon came out two minutes later, even more beautiful up close.
Instead of greeting her, Andy merely huffed at her angrily, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he paused briefly to delve his hands deep into the pockets of his pants, “Garnett. Really!”
Sharon looked up, surprise evident in her expression, “Excuse me?”
“DDA Garnett, really, that’s the guy you choose for a rebound,” Andy flippantly commented as he shook his head in partly disgust and partly disbelief, tension heavy in his neck and between his shoulder blades.
Sharon’s expression flickered through an abundance of emotions, anger briefly there to detect among others. She ended up exuding chilly contempt, “Is there someone else you would prefer I date, lieutenant Flynn?”
“Yeah,” Andy drawled, “Anyone but him, frankly.”
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” Sharon fired back sardonically, “I didn’t know I needed your permission.”
Andy pursed his lips, “You could have warned me.”
Now her expression faltered into disbelief, “You have got to be joking,” she shook her head, “You mean I should have warned you the way you warned me when you started parading around with a herd of stewardesses, is that what you mean?”
“Herd?” Andy raised an eyebrow, “I wouldn’t say herd.”
“Oh please spare me,” disdain curled her lips into a crooked twist, “I did not throw a tantrum because you started ‘dating’ and it somehow ended up as the crime of the week, blabbered about in every break room. Did you even once think about how I would feel about that, hmm? I did not resort to freaking out on you. So stop being immature just because I’m having a good time for once.”
“You could have mentioned that you wanted to break off so you could see other people,” Andy threw back at her.
Sharon narrowed her eyes, “I’m not the one dating twenty-year old something’s.”
“Hey, at least I’m not fucking lawyers, huh,” Andy shook his head again, “Garnett - what is wrong with you?”
Sharon sighed, “What are you doing here? Besides insulting me and wasting my time like usual?“ she paused but only to let her teeth show in a grim smile, “- and for heaven’s sake, where you lying in wait out here for me?”
Andy shook his head and ignored her dig at him, “You obviously have a type.”
Sharon took a step closer, “Do you really want to play this game?”
Andy shrugged, “What game? - you like sleazy lawyers, the more devious, the better.”
Her eyes blazed and she took another step closer, one finger out and poking him in the chest, “And you like them young and barely out of school, is that it? The dumber, the better, hmm?”
Andy smiled placatingly at her as he gave her casual shrug.
Sharon rolled her eyes but refrained from saying anything more.
“So, your date with that idiot lawyer is going splendid, I take it then,” Andy commented, not able to keep a little spite from his voice.
Sharon tilted her head as she regarded him, “Why? Do you want details now?” she paused deliberately, her eyes hard and annoyed, “How many dates so far, do you think? Hmm, have we slept together yet? Is that what you want to know?”
Andy narrowed his eyes, “Not particularly. I’m just saying he’s not really who I would have pictured you with.”
“Funny, I never pictured you with a drug smuggling stewardess either.”
Andy grimaced, “They are called flight attendants now.”
“Oh really.”
“Really,” Andy bit out, “and for your information, that was not really a date per se.”
“Why thank you, I feel so much better,” she retorted, false sweetness.
“I don’t understand what you see in that guy, Sharon. C’mon - you can do better.”
Sharon took a step closer to him, her eyes narrowed in an intimidating glare.
“Go to hell,” she hissed.
Andy shrugged, “Already there, sweetheart.”
Sharon pursed her lips in answer, her arms crossed and her chin up, “And whose fault is that.”
“My own obviously,” Andy bit out and then he did a patronizing salute and turned away from her, walking towards the bathroom in an angry stride.
He was halfway down the hallway when her voice stopped him, “Oh for heaven’s sake.” She sounded so exasperated that Andy turned around curiously. He watched indecision flitter across her face before she pushed it away and then strode toward him, eyes full of fire. At first he thought she was going to slap him silly but instead she pressed her mouth to his, her hands soft on either side of his face.
She stood on tiptoe, her body leaning in against his own for balance and the kiss continued, soft in its pressure. It was remarkably gentle when he thought about all the vile things they had said to each other lately - most of which had been his fault, sure, but still - and yet her lips slipped between his like velvet.
Andy couldn’t help but land his hands on her shoulders, sliding around and up until his fingers could disappear into the heavy hair at the back of her nape, the touch of her skin comforting.
Sharon made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, and for a frightful second he thought it was the start of a sob but somehow it did not go further, and she remained quiet instead moving her lips against his as if she was trying to figure something out.
Andy ended the kiss after a short period, his gaze on her closed eyes. Her fingers travelled down his cheeks and neck, then attached themselves to his tie.
“Can’t we have a civil conversation for once?” she opened her eyes and the tone she breathed with sounded despondent.
Andy sighed, “I would like nothing else but it seems impossible.”
She looked a bit sad, and he felt a bit sad.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to say hello to each other without getting into a fight? Without one of us hurting the other?”
Andy nodded, “It would.”
She sighed, “But?”
“I mean, how civil do you want me to be? Do you want to introduce me to your date, huh? Because that will go down so well,” Andy groused, “Do you want me to shake his hand, tell him to take good care of you? Huh?”
“Andy,” she tugged on his tie, her palm flat on his chest in a little pacifying pat, “There’s no need for jealousy. There’s no need for hostility. It’s not warranted, and moreover you are not entitled.”
They stood in silence for a second, her hand still on him.
Andy shook his head, “You say that and yet if I see that jerk up close, I will get in his face. No doubt about it. I can’t change that.”
“Did you expect me to remain celibate?” Sharon asked him, a quirked eyebrow.
Andy shrugged, “It hadn’t crossed my mind - until now.”
She pursed her lips, “Delightful.”
Andy sighed out in a long-drawn breath, his head aching as he briefly let thumb run across her cheek, “I miss you.”
Sharon only looked annoyed at the declaration and she took a stiff step back from him, forcing him to let go as she let her arms fall to her side. “I find that hard to believe,” she said with haughty tone that bothered him, her arms now crossed in an unyielding stance.
Andy furrowed his brow, “So, now you presume to know how I feel?”
“Action speak louder than words, you idiot,“ she paused briefly, red spots appearing on her cheeks, “You’ve been nothing but spiteful with your words, so really, I’m not sure anything you say can be taken at face-value. Furthermore, you are the one who messed everything up.”
Andy threw his hands up into the air, “You know what, let’s just forget everything. You go have a nice time with Mr. Slick Lawyer and I’ll go mind my own business, huh.”
She furrowed her brow but before she could speak, Andy leaned closer, “Just go, Sharon. Okay. Let’s not force too much civility onto each other. It will only end up suffocating us.”
He watched her grimace and then spin around in an angry huff, striding away and out of the door with rigid movements.
Andy went to the toilet and spent longer than necessary looking at himself in the mirror feeling old.
…
Sorry, sorry.
Andrew Flynn clinked his glass with sparkling water gently against his date’s wine glass, a half-hidden smile on his lips as his eyes took a dip down, attention naturally drawn to the penchant that nestled in the deep neckline. The restaurant was a tad fancier than what Andy usually went for but judging from the satisfied glint in his date’s eyes, it was a hit. He had replaced his off-duty leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans with a pinstriped black suit; grey shirt and nondescript black tie. The jacket lay over the back of his chair and Andy was contemplating rolling up his shirt sleeves.
In the middle of the main course, his vegetarian dish half-way consumed, Andy chuckled as he entertained his date with a story from the good old days on the force, back when he had been fresh-faced and on patrol with a slightly more experienced Ray Hodge. There was always a story or two to share from that time, usually a nice ice breaker to a conversational lull.
Fork an inch from his mouth, Andy caught movement out of the corner of his eye, automatically following the blur of black that swept in from the entrance to the restaurant. The form materialized into a familiar figure when he turned his head and the fork missed the intentional target of his mouth and collided with his jaw instead.
It was the sight of Sharon Raydor in a slim black dress that had him completely stunned, mouth agape in shock and eyes narrowing when he realized the circumstances behind her entering the fancy restaurant.
She was directed to a table by a waiter, the man by her side tall and well-dressed, his hand lingering on the small of her back as he let her walk first. Sharon was unaware of anything but the man who led her to a table at the other end of the establishment. Sharon in a dress that was a dead give-away when it came to why she was in the restaurant with a man.
Andy still felt dazed beyond comparison; unable to really comprehend this was in fact happening in front of him. It hurt like a knife being forcibly pushed into his chest, stuck in the cavity and then torturously twisted around for extra emphasis.
Sharon smiled graciously as the jerk gallantly pulled out her chair for her.
Every notion of cheerfulness went radically out the window and Andy slowly set down his fork and knife, not feeling hungry anymore. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a big slurp of water to drown out the sour taste.
Of all the fucking places, he thought with a frustrated scowl, she had to saunter into this place on the arm of what could only be a damn date.
Andy was sure open bypass surgery without the anesthesia would hurt less than this moment. In hindsight, however, maybe he should have chosen somewhere less exclusive to bring his own date. Sharon had always had a thing for fine dining, small exclusive places and infamous food. But then again, what were the odds?
Andy grimaced and took another long drag from his water glass, his thoughts a thousand miles away. The presence of his own date buzzed in front of him but he remained quite oblivious to the blonde, the chatter easy to pretend to listen to. It only required that he elicited a nod and a smile every now and then, a ‘yeah’ thrown into the bunch while he tried to inconspicuously spy on Sharon.
Andy had not contemplated the notion that she might find someone or that she might actively go out on a date. Seeing her now in the middle of it was absurd and frankly felt like a heavy slap to his face. That might have been it, he figured, but no, the well-dressed figure of the man she was with was familiar to him too.
It was only further gasoline on the fire. Not only was she on a date but with that jerk nonetheless. It irked him to no end.
Andy seethed as he watched her settle in, the neckline of her dress lower than usual but still modest, the swell of black material more revealing in itself. Her hair was perfectly styled and straightened, draped over one shoulder disclosing the pale skin of her collarbones and the little gold earring he was able to make out in profile. He watched as she crossed one leg over the other, her pale fingers neatly folded on the table as she continued to wear a mirthful smile on her lips. She conversed in between looking at the menu card, a somewhat shy expression that Andy was only able to detect because he knew what to look for.
Andy shook his head and turned his eyes and attention back to his own date.
It was impossible. His attention wandered every other second, riveting in the direction of Sharon and her date as if he was somehow forced to look that way.
The dress was new, he was certain.
The set to her head as she regarded the other man was flirtatious.
The way she smiled reminded him of sex.
Andy clenched his jaw in raw jealousy, forcing his eyes away.
But no, it was still impossible. Sharon was vividly pictured in his mind however much he tried to glue his eyes to the blonde woman in front of him. Andy tried to inhale and exhale in a slow fashion, the technique somewhat helpful. It got him through the main course even if he wanted nothing more than to stalk to Sharon’s table and punch that jerk right in the face for good measure.
Later on, as he was waiting for dessert, Andy saw Sharon excuse herself and head towards the back and the bathrooms. Andy quickly excused himself as well and then made a beeline for the bathrooms even if he knew it was only bound to be a disaster.
He waited for her to finish, his back against the narrow wall and his arms loosely crossed as he leaned with what would appear as outward calm.
Sharon came out two minutes later, even more beautiful up close.
Instead of greeting her, Andy merely huffed at her angrily, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he paused briefly to delve his hands deep into the pockets of his pants, “Garnett. Really!”
Sharon looked up, surprise evident in her expression, “Excuse me?”
“DDA Garnett, really, that’s the guy you choose for a rebound,” Andy flippantly commented as he shook his head in partly disgust and partly disbelief, tension heavy in his neck and between his shoulder blades.
Sharon’s expression flickered through an abundance of emotions, anger briefly there to detect among others. She ended up exuding chilly contempt, “Is there someone else you would prefer I date, lieutenant Flynn?”
“Yeah,” Andy drawled, “Anyone but him, frankly.”
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” Sharon fired back sardonically, “I didn’t know I needed your permission.”
Andy pursed his lips, “You could have warned me.”
Now her expression faltered into disbelief, “You have got to be joking,” she shook her head, “You mean I should have warned you the way you warned me when you started parading around with a herd of stewardesses, is that what you mean?”
“Herd?” Andy raised an eyebrow, “I wouldn’t say herd.”
“Oh please spare me,” disdain curled her lips into a crooked twist, “I did not throw a tantrum because you started ‘dating’ and it somehow ended up as the crime of the week, blabbered about in every break room. Did you even once think about how I would feel about that, hmm? I did not resort to freaking out on you. So stop being immature just because I’m having a good time for once.”
“You could have mentioned that you wanted to break off so you could see other people,” Andy threw back at her.
Sharon narrowed her eyes, “I’m not the one dating twenty-year old something’s.”
“Hey, at least I’m not fucking lawyers, huh,” Andy shook his head again, “Garnett - what is wrong with you?”
Sharon sighed, “What are you doing here? Besides insulting me and wasting my time like usual?“ she paused but only to let her teeth show in a grim smile, “- and for heaven’s sake, where you lying in wait out here for me?”
Andy shook his head and ignored her dig at him, “You obviously have a type.”
Sharon took a step closer, “Do you really want to play this game?”
Andy shrugged, “What game? - you like sleazy lawyers, the more devious, the better.”
Her eyes blazed and she took another step closer, one finger out and poking him in the chest, “And you like them young and barely out of school, is that it? The dumber, the better, hmm?”
Andy smiled placatingly at her as he gave her casual shrug.
Sharon rolled her eyes but refrained from saying anything more.
“So, your date with that idiot lawyer is going splendid, I take it then,” Andy commented, not able to keep a little spite from his voice.
Sharon tilted her head as she regarded him, “Why? Do you want details now?” she paused deliberately, her eyes hard and annoyed, “How many dates so far, do you think? Hmm, have we slept together yet? Is that what you want to know?”
Andy narrowed his eyes, “Not particularly. I’m just saying he’s not really who I would have pictured you with.”
“Funny, I never pictured you with a drug smuggling stewardess either.”
Andy grimaced, “They are called flight attendants now.”
“Oh really.”
“Really,” Andy bit out, “and for your information, that was not really a date per se.”
“Why thank you, I feel so much better,” she retorted, false sweetness.
“I don’t understand what you see in that guy, Sharon. C’mon - you can do better.”
Sharon took a step closer to him, her eyes narrowed in an intimidating glare.
“Go to hell,” she hissed.
Andy shrugged, “Already there, sweetheart.”
Sharon pursed her lips in answer, her arms crossed and her chin up, “And whose fault is that.”
“My own obviously,” Andy bit out and then he did a patronizing salute and turned away from her, walking towards the bathroom in an angry stride.
He was halfway down the hallway when her voice stopped him, “Oh for heaven’s sake.” She sounded so exasperated that Andy turned around curiously. He watched indecision flitter across her face before she pushed it away and then strode toward him, eyes full of fire. At first he thought she was going to slap him silly but instead she pressed her mouth to his, her hands soft on either side of his face.
She stood on tiptoe, her body leaning in against his own for balance and the kiss continued, soft in its pressure. It was remarkably gentle when he thought about all the vile things they had said to each other lately - most of which had been his fault, sure, but still - and yet her lips slipped between his like velvet.
Andy couldn’t help but land his hands on her shoulders, sliding around and up until his fingers could disappear into the heavy hair at the back of her nape, the touch of her skin comforting.
Sharon made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, and for a frightful second he thought it was the start of a sob but somehow it did not go further, and she remained quiet instead moving her lips against his as if she was trying to figure something out.
Andy ended the kiss after a short period, his gaze on her closed eyes. Her fingers travelled down his cheeks and neck, then attached themselves to his tie.
“Can’t we have a civil conversation for once?” she opened her eyes and the tone she breathed with sounded despondent.
Andy sighed, “I would like nothing else but it seems impossible.”
She looked a bit sad, and he felt a bit sad.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to say hello to each other without getting into a fight? Without one of us hurting the other?”
Andy nodded, “It would.”
She sighed, “But?”
“I mean, how civil do you want me to be? Do you want to introduce me to your date, huh? Because that will go down so well,” Andy groused, “Do you want me to shake his hand, tell him to take good care of you? Huh?”
“Andy,” she tugged on his tie, her palm flat on his chest in a little pacifying pat, “There’s no need for jealousy. There’s no need for hostility. It’s not warranted, and moreover you are not entitled.”
They stood in silence for a second, her hand still on him.
Andy shook his head, “You say that and yet if I see that jerk up close, I will get in his face. No doubt about it. I can’t change that.”
“Did you expect me to remain celibate?” Sharon asked him, a quirked eyebrow.
Andy shrugged, “It hadn’t crossed my mind - until now.”
She pursed her lips, “Delightful.”
Andy sighed out in a long-drawn breath, his head aching as he briefly let thumb run across her cheek, “I miss you.”
Sharon only looked annoyed at the declaration and she took a stiff step back from him, forcing him to let go as she let her arms fall to her side. “I find that hard to believe,” she said with haughty tone that bothered him, her arms now crossed in an unyielding stance.
Andy furrowed his brow, “So, now you presume to know how I feel?”
“Action speak louder than words, you idiot,“ she paused briefly, red spots appearing on her cheeks, “You’ve been nothing but spiteful with your words, so really, I’m not sure anything you say can be taken at face-value. Furthermore, you are the one who messed everything up.”
Andy threw his hands up into the air, “You know what, let’s just forget everything. You go have a nice time with Mr. Slick Lawyer and I’ll go mind my own business, huh.”
She furrowed her brow but before she could speak, Andy leaned closer, “Just go, Sharon. Okay. Let’s not force too much civility onto each other. It will only end up suffocating us.”
He watched her grimace and then spin around in an angry huff, striding away and out of the door with rigid movements.
Andy went to the toilet and spent longer than necessary looking at himself in the mirror feeling old.
…
Sorry, sorry.