RP LOG with thinbluegee | Heart-to-heart
They had a witness to question, and one who had suddenly become interestingly elusive. It had come to it that they were told to just stake out the front of the woman's place until she came home and they could make it difficult for her to avoid talking to them. It was a good plan, but until she came home, it was a waiting game. Stuart had his head resting against the passenger's seat window as he sipped a mega latte from Pret A Manger. It was a fucking freezing day, sleety outside, and inside the car wasn't much better. They were wrapped up in their coats, scarves and gloves while they waited, not wanting to risk leaving the heating on too much in case it fucked with the car battery. Of course, right before they left for the semi-stakeout, Stuart had been making his own heat with Tom in the back of his slick, expensive car. Stuart had only had about half an hour of his lunch break left, but they made the most of it and before Stuart could realise what was happening, his one night stand with Tom became a repeat performance, now two encounters shared together. He wasn't sure what to think about that yet, and he rested the edge of the disposable cup against his lips as he allowed himself some time to try and analyse it. No doubt about it, there was definitely something about Tom he was extremely attracted to, and it went beyond physical appearance, even if Tom was smoking hot. It was more, and Stuart wasn't sure if he should put his finger on what it was yet.
He swallowed another small sip of the coffee and then glanced at Gee who was occupying the driver's seat. "You okay?" he asked her. It was as good a conversation breaker as any. He had actually been wondering if she was okay after they had sex. She didn't have the chance to stick around too long after the encounter when they both got paged for another body showing up in a car boot at a bus depot. The body of a bloke who was seen leaving a hotel with this chick the night before. The whole sex thing would have been pointless and in no way a tension breaker if they didn't talk in some capacity in the wake of it, and now they had the time on their hands.
Gee nursed her own cup of coffee in her hands, but she hadn't taken a sip yet. She didn't feel awkward around Stuart after the sex. In fact she felt the opposite. Like their little tension reliever had actually managed to unwind something deep down inside. She didn't feel as tight, or like she had a weight on her shoulders. She also didn't know how to look at him without thinking about his very not little tension reliever in his pants. She did say she hadn't wanted him, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate her partner's assets. He made her remember what was good about being with a guy.
She smiled before she even realised her reaction, laughing at her train of thought/ She'd gone from thinking her partner was some kind of serial pisser, to fucking his brains out. "Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"
There was the whole added level now that they had seen each other naked, and it was true that things felt different between them now. He didn't have a hang-up now that she was thinking he was mental, nor that she was secretly hating to have him as a partner. The sex had been hot, no denying it. It's just, if she really hadn't slept with anyone for as long as she said, he couldn't help but be a little cautious about how she was feeling. "Aye, I'm always okay, mostly," he assured her with a smile. He wet his lips, eyes on the door of the terraced house they were watching before he looked back to her. "I just wanted to apologise for the whole lesbian comment and getting defensive about the hard work thing. I just wasnae sure if you were bullshitting me or not. I tend to try and overanalyse things when I think I'm bullshitted to."
Gee sucked on her lip before she finally took a sip of her coffee, eyes on the house. It was a long moment before she met her partner's gaze. Her blue eyes searched his face silently. "I'm sorry for thinking you had bladder control issues. I didn't mean for it to come across as me hating you. I just didn't know what to make of it... I should have asked straight out instead of forming my own conclusions. And you were right... I was bullshitting you."
Stuart shrugged a little. "I can see how you made the mistake. I'm just kinda glad now I wasnae heading in there for a quick toss now and again or things really would have been awkward now," he joked to lighten things just a little. He met her eyes, almost like he was trying to read there what she had been bullshitting him about. "It hasnae been years since you had sex? Or you really are a lesbian?" he asked, but then threw her a smile. "I know you arenae the latter. I experienced that first hand. I think you know your way around a cock better than I do. Which is why I was a wee bit more confused about what you had said once we did sleep together."
Gabrielle rest her head back against her seat, and let out a sigh. Matt was about the only person she'd ever really talked to about her last relationship. Thinking about telling Stuart actually made her stomach clench, and she was starting to feel that weight gather on her shoulders again. But she'd feel better afterwards, right? "You're never going to let that lesbian thing go, are you? But no, not a lesbian. And I wasn't bullshitting about not having had sex for years. It really has been a couple. My last boyfriend... if he even really was that... he didn't exactly leave me with a favourable opinion towards men. Towards dating fellow officers to be precise. I was still a WPC when I started seeing him, but he was a superior officer and we kept it quiet. We never really went on dates. Just a lot of fucking at his place, but it lasted a while. Long enough for me to think I loved him." She shrugged as she pressed her lips together and glanced at Stuart. "He was half cut one night, probably more so. He came home, and apparently was feeling very much in the mood for sex, but I wasn't."
Stuart was frowning as he listened to her explain and he turned in his seat a little so he could see her face better. "He raped you? A superior raped you, and you sat on it? Did you have him charged?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around it all. He bit down on his lip in thought; the way she had brought up the thing about being a woman and needing to work harder, or something along those lines, did make sense in the light of what she just said. But still, not all male coppers would do what this bloke did. In fact, probably not many would. He was just trying to understand it.
"No, no... if he raped me, would I really be wanting to get shagged hard enough to scream?" she asked him, her eyebrow arched a little. "He tried it on, but I didn't let anything happen. In fact, I gave him a broken nose, and a kick to the groin. The nose story was passed off as some bullshit hero act. I didn't sit on a rape. I would never do that. I just sat on my... whatever he was being a drunken arsehole. After that though, I guess I just didn't want to bother. I know not all guys are tossers like he was, but it just... I don't know. I couldn't be bothered."
Stuart scratched his head with his thumb. "I dinnae know, maybe. If you said it was a few years back, maybe. I havenae ever really... I've only ever dealt with something like that through work. I dinnae have sisters or anything, though if I did and a bloke tried this on with her, I would rip his balls off and tear them to shreds. Did you see a counsellor about it? It isnae just something that happened. It's the sort of thing that can really screw with your head. Sounds like it has a wee bit. Do you really just want to spend the rest of your life alone because you couldnae be bothered?"
"I don't have brothers, so there was no one to rip his balls off for me." Gee nodded a little. "Yeah, I did. But have you ever talked to a counsellor? I seriously lucked out with the dumb bitch I had. She was all about new age hippie shit, and getting in touch with my inner moon, or something. Fuck knows how that was supposed to help me deal with anything. I'm not denying it's messed with my head, I know it has. I just... no, I don't want to be alone."
Stuart scrunched his nose up just a little. "I have four, all older than me," he revealed to her. He hadn't had any reason to talk about his family before this. "Sounds like you had the worst fucking counsellor London had to offer. And aye, I have spoken to a counsellor. I saw one for a good, oh, eight months. Maybe you should try again? Or you might meet some lad who is perfect for you and you let him completely pass you by without realising."
"I was kind of hoping I'd notice, but then I just started wondering even if there was a bloke perfect for me. How does anyone really know, anyway? I thought the other guy was perfect for me until that night." Gee glanced at the house, then turned her head to look at Stuart. "Four brothers, huh? I'm an only. Just got my Mum and Dad. My Mum's Italian. So I'm fluent in both English and Italian. Just to throw some useless information out there. Why'd you see a counsellor for eight months?"
Stuart pressed his lips together. "Well, I hate to say it, love, but even having an arsehole try and pull one with you doesnae give you leeway on answers even all us poor sods dinnae get. I wouldnae even know how to know if someone is right for me. I've been in that boat, too. Thought people were right for me, turns out they werenae and here I am, still single. There is no plain answer there. But from what you were telling me, I dinnae think you'd let yourself see if a bloke even might be one for you. You said you couldnae be bothered, but it sounds more like you're scared to try again. If you dinnae cope with that, you'll never want to try again." He let out a heavy breath. "I got knifed about eight weeks after getting my uniform. Some bloke, high on meth, pulled out a knife. Got me right down the side of the chest. You probably didnae notice the scars. We werenae exactly taking things slow. I doubted my ability as a cop, wasnae sure I could take it, so I needed help."
Gee smirked a little as she rubbed her hands together to keep the warmth flowing through them. "Okay, well, even I'm starting to understand how delusional I sound. And you're right. You're also one reason I want to start trying. Because I really fucking miss sex. And the sex we had, while not slow, was great. And I needed it. So, thank you. I promise to try, okay? I'll let you know if I ever work out how we're supposed to pick the right one. Same goes for you if you find it. You see that suit again?" Gee's expression sobered as he spoke about the stabbing and she reached out to touch his arm briefly. "I'm sorry. No wonder you needed a counsellor. I think I would have needed one too after something like that. But hey, you're still here. And my partner."
Stuart smiled. "Hey, nay bother. Any time," he laughed softly and finished off his coffee. "Maybe you just needed to talk about it and not sit on it so much. Easier said than done, I know, but it's the fear of the unknown. In this case, the unknown of what people will think. I was probably going to keep thinking something was up if you didnae tell me, so cheers for that. I can see it all a wee bit more clearly now." He cleared his throat. "Aye, I saw him again..." He glanced back at her. "The counselling worked for me. After the attack, I had it in my head that all perps I'd be dealing with would be knife-wielding meth addicts. I just needed to get my confidence back in dealing with them."
Gee tucked her hair behind her ear as she smiled back. "Likewise. And yeah, I probably did. And it's what partners are for, right? Trusting each other, and talking about stuff. I'm sorry for being such a cow. I didn't ever mean to not come across as... partnerish. It's nice to actually talk to someone about it." She wet her lips as she checked on the house and then her attention was back on Stuart as her eyes narrowed briefly. "And? Don't leave a girl hanging when she's been so boy deprived. Let me live vicariously through you just a little. And trust me, I get that. It's one of the risks we take in our job, right? Maybe you should give me the number of your counsellor if they're even still working."
"Aye, sure. I hear it makes the job easier to trust your partner. I'm sorry again for nay telling you about the medication. It is probably something you should have known, especially if I dinnae feel good at times. You can ask me anything you like. I dinnae really have any skeletons, or at least none I wouldnae talk to you about," Stuart told her with a smile and then wet his lips. "Lunch break. Back of his car. Quick but satisfying. I'm nay sure what I'm supposed to think about it going beyond one night. Aye, she's still working but she's in Edinburgh. Specialises in counselling coppers."
"It's okay. It's worked out now, right? And I promise you can ask me anything in turn. I won't bite your head off again." Gee grinned as she raised her eyebrows. "That really was quick. I genuinely thought you'd just gone out to get some fresh air. Nothing wrong with something that's beyond one night, is there? You didn't have to meet him if you didn't want to see him." She laughed softly. "Yeah, okay... maybe not her, then. I'll try and find someone local."
Stuart nodded slowly and smiled at her again. "Aye, I think we're finally working it out," he agreed. "It was mostly the sex thing I was wondering about. I wasnae sure I bought you just chose nay to have it. Not looking like you do. I dinnae think there is anything wrong with going beyond one night. I mean, I'm nay foreign to it really, but he isnae quite like anyone else I've ever pulled. And he's got a name for himself in this city. Nay sure why he wants to pursue a lowly copper when he's having orgies with judges and politicians."
"Thank you?" Gee asked with a confused look before she started to laugh. "I guess people that look like me can still not have sex. Looks don't always mean anything. Which brings us back to your suit. So what if he has a name? Clearly he likes something in you. And lowly copper, or not, you've probably got more substance than any judge or politician. Tighter arse, too. And how are you ever going to find out who's right if you're suspicious of their fucking you?"
Stuart held up his hands. "Okay, I didnae say it was anything to do with looks, it was just an observation. It wasnae entirely based on looks, it was that you didnae really seem like you wanted to nay have sex when we were doing it. You were enjoying it. I was just trying to put all the pieces together, which I obviously couldnae because I didnae have them all, is all. I'm also nay suspicious of him. I havenae really been worried about his intentions. Just nay sure why he would linger on me. He isnae exactly shy about his sexual escapades in any way. It isnae that I overanalyse things, I just like to lay all the cards on the table to see what hand I've been dealt."
Gee reached over and pushed his hands down as she just smirked. "At ease, Evans. You don't have to keep getting defensive around me. And I was enjoying it. I enjoyed it a lot. So again, thank you. I guess maybe I was putting too much emphasis on the trust side of things. Most times you don't have to trust someone to sleep with them. Which doesn't mean I don't trust you," she added quickly. "Just means when you go out to pull, it's not trust you look for, is it? It's attraction and chemistry. I'd forgotten about the basics." She looked at him. "I think you've been dealt hot cards, and you should stick with them. If the suit wants to keep shagging you, why stop him? He's probably wondering what keeps you coming back if his head isn't entirely up his arse. Are you intimidated?"
Stuart held his hands up with the palms facing the roof of the car. "That's the thing. I wasnae on the pull. I knocked him over and he came onto me. I just... reciprocated." He shook his head. "Nay intimidated. I probably wouldnae have gone to his place if I was. He doesnae intimidate me, he just makes me curious. And you might think this seems laughable, but I'm wondering if I have the stamina for a whole casual sex thing with the new promotion. I'm busy, and he sounds like he maintains quite the social life. When I go home these days, I like my bed and I like my TV and I like my shower. I go out some weekends, maybe hook up, but nay as much as I used to."
"You're not that old just yet," Gee teased, but she knew how he felt. She was much the same. Another reason she couldn't be bothered to go out on the pull. It was too tiring. It'd be easier if guys just rocked up on her doorstep and she didn't have to go out to get them. And it wasn't an escort service. "So ask him if he just wants to come and chill at your place. See if he's down with taking things quietly. Maybe he's just drowning in his social life because he's got nothing else? I don't know. But hey, accidental reciprocation has promise. Means no one did anything with intent. There was a spark, and that's all it took. That's not to be sniffed at, Stuart."
Stuart gave her a wry smile. "I'm nay getting any vibes that he's in any way looking to chill or looking for anything beyond a good bollocking. Could kind of put a dampener on things if I do something like invite him over to hang out when he isnae interested in anything but sex. Catch 22 at it's finest. I've been in this boat before, too. Nothing kills a good fuck like telling someone who hates committment that you want to hang out with them, go on a date, whatever."
"Then why..." This time Gee held her hand up. "You know what, never mind. A good fuck is a good fuck. You might also be underestimating him. Maybe he's playing the sex god lawyer because he thinks that's what you want. I don't know. I'm just asking." Gee turned her head to check the house, watching it for a moment. "I'm not sure I'd even have the stamina for casual sex, and I'm only just about to get back in the game."
Stuart raised his eyebrows. "So, you're ready to get back in the game?" he asked her curiously. "I'll try nay to take that as too much of an ego boost here. He isnae playing that game, it's who he is. I just dinnae know much more beyond that. All I know is about the orgy thing, that he lives in Notting Hill, and his assistant walked out a few months ago for some reason he didnae elabortate on."
"Assistants walk out all the time," Gee murmured as she took a sip from her coffee cup before offering it to Stuart now his was dead. "And hey, you can take it as an ego boost if you want. Told you I remembered what I missed about men and sex because of you. It is what it is, you know? I'm not going to ask you for another round when you got your suit on the go. Wouldn't want to sap your strength for Mr Orgy. I don't even know what the appeal of those are."
Stuart accepted the coffee so he had something to do with his hands. He glanced at her, then at the house, then back at her. "He invited me along. To the orgy. It's a monthly set up, apparently." He smirked at her. "And you could, you know. Isnae like we're married."
"You'd go another round?" Gee couldn't quite keep the surprise out of her voice. She was still trying to work out what it meant for their partnership. Would it be weird if they did fuck again, or were they both clear on where they stood? It was just sex. Just some fun and tension relief between partners. "Are you going to go?"
Stuart shrugged and laughed. "Sure, why not? Isnae like we arenae consenting adults. It was fun. When sex is fun, usually nay reason why it cannae happen again unless there's something like crime or marriage involved." He sipped the coffee again and wet his lips. "I think I might. I did that now and again in my past, but it's been awhile. Just cannae decide whether it's my thing anymore. I did joke to him about what might happen if I didnae want to share."
"Okay." Gee reached up to scratch at her forehead before she started to laugh as well. "Do we make a time, or what? So what did he say to the not sharing?"
Stuart looked at her closely. "You need to be sure you're okay with it, though. I dinnae want you regretting anything. Nay when you're already cut up about the sex thing." He shifted in his seat as he started to get a numb arse. "Just made a joke about putting on a hell of a show for everyone else. See? See how I just cannae be sure he isnae in anything social but for the sex?"
Gee stuck her tongue at him playfully before she smiled. Her face was relaxed, more than it had been for a while. "I'm okay with it, Evans. I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't okay with it. I would have just left it. I'm not going to regret so long as the lines stay clear. I had fun, and I'd like to do it again. But I'm not looking to date you, or be more than partners and friends. I wouldn't be so interested in you and the suit if I was." She ruffled her hair and sighed. "Yeah, he really is walking that thin line, isn't he? I don't think you're going to know until you're actually there with him and see for yourself. My question is though, is he okay sharing you with me?"
Stuart smirked and looked back at the house. "Well, at least we have a plan. Who knows if we'll get out of this watch any time in the next five years. We could be stuck here forever. I'm nay looking to date you, either. I've got a rule about that." He shrugged and swirled the coffee around in the cup to mix the flavour up again. "He already knows. I mentioned it to him, he seemed fine. I guess as long as anything is classed as casual in general, we're all good."
"You start dating him, and you let me know." Gee turned her attention to the house and resisted the urge to drum her fingers against the wheel. "You might be right about this fucking watch, though."
Stuart rested his head back against the seat, trying not to let himself just fall asleep. "I'm nay sure he even knows what a date is," he murmured.
Word Count | 4,219
He swallowed another small sip of the coffee and then glanced at Gee who was occupying the driver's seat. "You okay?" he asked her. It was as good a conversation breaker as any. He had actually been wondering if she was okay after they had sex. She didn't have the chance to stick around too long after the encounter when they both got paged for another body showing up in a car boot at a bus depot. The body of a bloke who was seen leaving a hotel with this chick the night before. The whole sex thing would have been pointless and in no way a tension breaker if they didn't talk in some capacity in the wake of it, and now they had the time on their hands.
Gee nursed her own cup of coffee in her hands, but she hadn't taken a sip yet. She didn't feel awkward around Stuart after the sex. In fact she felt the opposite. Like their little tension reliever had actually managed to unwind something deep down inside. She didn't feel as tight, or like she had a weight on her shoulders. She also didn't know how to look at him without thinking about his very not little tension reliever in his pants. She did say she hadn't wanted him, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate her partner's assets. He made her remember what was good about being with a guy.
She smiled before she even realised her reaction, laughing at her train of thought/ She'd gone from thinking her partner was some kind of serial pisser, to fucking his brains out. "Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"
There was the whole added level now that they had seen each other naked, and it was true that things felt different between them now. He didn't have a hang-up now that she was thinking he was mental, nor that she was secretly hating to have him as a partner. The sex had been hot, no denying it. It's just, if she really hadn't slept with anyone for as long as she said, he couldn't help but be a little cautious about how she was feeling. "Aye, I'm always okay, mostly," he assured her with a smile. He wet his lips, eyes on the door of the terraced house they were watching before he looked back to her. "I just wanted to apologise for the whole lesbian comment and getting defensive about the hard work thing. I just wasnae sure if you were bullshitting me or not. I tend to try and overanalyse things when I think I'm bullshitted to."
Gee sucked on her lip before she finally took a sip of her coffee, eyes on the house. It was a long moment before she met her partner's gaze. Her blue eyes searched his face silently. "I'm sorry for thinking you had bladder control issues. I didn't mean for it to come across as me hating you. I just didn't know what to make of it... I should have asked straight out instead of forming my own conclusions. And you were right... I was bullshitting you."
Stuart shrugged a little. "I can see how you made the mistake. I'm just kinda glad now I wasnae heading in there for a quick toss now and again or things really would have been awkward now," he joked to lighten things just a little. He met her eyes, almost like he was trying to read there what she had been bullshitting him about. "It hasnae been years since you had sex? Or you really are a lesbian?" he asked, but then threw her a smile. "I know you arenae the latter. I experienced that first hand. I think you know your way around a cock better than I do. Which is why I was a wee bit more confused about what you had said once we did sleep together."
Gabrielle rest her head back against her seat, and let out a sigh. Matt was about the only person she'd ever really talked to about her last relationship. Thinking about telling Stuart actually made her stomach clench, and she was starting to feel that weight gather on her shoulders again. But she'd feel better afterwards, right? "You're never going to let that lesbian thing go, are you? But no, not a lesbian. And I wasn't bullshitting about not having had sex for years. It really has been a couple. My last boyfriend... if he even really was that... he didn't exactly leave me with a favourable opinion towards men. Towards dating fellow officers to be precise. I was still a WPC when I started seeing him, but he was a superior officer and we kept it quiet. We never really went on dates. Just a lot of fucking at his place, but it lasted a while. Long enough for me to think I loved him." She shrugged as she pressed her lips together and glanced at Stuart. "He was half cut one night, probably more so. He came home, and apparently was feeling very much in the mood for sex, but I wasn't."
Stuart was frowning as he listened to her explain and he turned in his seat a little so he could see her face better. "He raped you? A superior raped you, and you sat on it? Did you have him charged?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around it all. He bit down on his lip in thought; the way she had brought up the thing about being a woman and needing to work harder, or something along those lines, did make sense in the light of what she just said. But still, not all male coppers would do what this bloke did. In fact, probably not many would. He was just trying to understand it.
"No, no... if he raped me, would I really be wanting to get shagged hard enough to scream?" she asked him, her eyebrow arched a little. "He tried it on, but I didn't let anything happen. In fact, I gave him a broken nose, and a kick to the groin. The nose story was passed off as some bullshit hero act. I didn't sit on a rape. I would never do that. I just sat on my... whatever he was being a drunken arsehole. After that though, I guess I just didn't want to bother. I know not all guys are tossers like he was, but it just... I don't know. I couldn't be bothered."
Stuart scratched his head with his thumb. "I dinnae know, maybe. If you said it was a few years back, maybe. I havenae ever really... I've only ever dealt with something like that through work. I dinnae have sisters or anything, though if I did and a bloke tried this on with her, I would rip his balls off and tear them to shreds. Did you see a counsellor about it? It isnae just something that happened. It's the sort of thing that can really screw with your head. Sounds like it has a wee bit. Do you really just want to spend the rest of your life alone because you couldnae be bothered?"
"I don't have brothers, so there was no one to rip his balls off for me." Gee nodded a little. "Yeah, I did. But have you ever talked to a counsellor? I seriously lucked out with the dumb bitch I had. She was all about new age hippie shit, and getting in touch with my inner moon, or something. Fuck knows how that was supposed to help me deal with anything. I'm not denying it's messed with my head, I know it has. I just... no, I don't want to be alone."
Stuart scrunched his nose up just a little. "I have four, all older than me," he revealed to her. He hadn't had any reason to talk about his family before this. "Sounds like you had the worst fucking counsellor London had to offer. And aye, I have spoken to a counsellor. I saw one for a good, oh, eight months. Maybe you should try again? Or you might meet some lad who is perfect for you and you let him completely pass you by without realising."
"I was kind of hoping I'd notice, but then I just started wondering even if there was a bloke perfect for me. How does anyone really know, anyway? I thought the other guy was perfect for me until that night." Gee glanced at the house, then turned her head to look at Stuart. "Four brothers, huh? I'm an only. Just got my Mum and Dad. My Mum's Italian. So I'm fluent in both English and Italian. Just to throw some useless information out there. Why'd you see a counsellor for eight months?"
Stuart pressed his lips together. "Well, I hate to say it, love, but even having an arsehole try and pull one with you doesnae give you leeway on answers even all us poor sods dinnae get. I wouldnae even know how to know if someone is right for me. I've been in that boat, too. Thought people were right for me, turns out they werenae and here I am, still single. There is no plain answer there. But from what you were telling me, I dinnae think you'd let yourself see if a bloke even might be one for you. You said you couldnae be bothered, but it sounds more like you're scared to try again. If you dinnae cope with that, you'll never want to try again." He let out a heavy breath. "I got knifed about eight weeks after getting my uniform. Some bloke, high on meth, pulled out a knife. Got me right down the side of the chest. You probably didnae notice the scars. We werenae exactly taking things slow. I doubted my ability as a cop, wasnae sure I could take it, so I needed help."
Gee smirked a little as she rubbed her hands together to keep the warmth flowing through them. "Okay, well, even I'm starting to understand how delusional I sound. And you're right. You're also one reason I want to start trying. Because I really fucking miss sex. And the sex we had, while not slow, was great. And I needed it. So, thank you. I promise to try, okay? I'll let you know if I ever work out how we're supposed to pick the right one. Same goes for you if you find it. You see that suit again?" Gee's expression sobered as he spoke about the stabbing and she reached out to touch his arm briefly. "I'm sorry. No wonder you needed a counsellor. I think I would have needed one too after something like that. But hey, you're still here. And my partner."
Stuart smiled. "Hey, nay bother. Any time," he laughed softly and finished off his coffee. "Maybe you just needed to talk about it and not sit on it so much. Easier said than done, I know, but it's the fear of the unknown. In this case, the unknown of what people will think. I was probably going to keep thinking something was up if you didnae tell me, so cheers for that. I can see it all a wee bit more clearly now." He cleared his throat. "Aye, I saw him again..." He glanced back at her. "The counselling worked for me. After the attack, I had it in my head that all perps I'd be dealing with would be knife-wielding meth addicts. I just needed to get my confidence back in dealing with them."
Gee tucked her hair behind her ear as she smiled back. "Likewise. And yeah, I probably did. And it's what partners are for, right? Trusting each other, and talking about stuff. I'm sorry for being such a cow. I didn't ever mean to not come across as... partnerish. It's nice to actually talk to someone about it." She wet her lips as she checked on the house and then her attention was back on Stuart as her eyes narrowed briefly. "And? Don't leave a girl hanging when she's been so boy deprived. Let me live vicariously through you just a little. And trust me, I get that. It's one of the risks we take in our job, right? Maybe you should give me the number of your counsellor if they're even still working."
"Aye, sure. I hear it makes the job easier to trust your partner. I'm sorry again for nay telling you about the medication. It is probably something you should have known, especially if I dinnae feel good at times. You can ask me anything you like. I dinnae really have any skeletons, or at least none I wouldnae talk to you about," Stuart told her with a smile and then wet his lips. "Lunch break. Back of his car. Quick but satisfying. I'm nay sure what I'm supposed to think about it going beyond one night. Aye, she's still working but she's in Edinburgh. Specialises in counselling coppers."
"It's okay. It's worked out now, right? And I promise you can ask me anything in turn. I won't bite your head off again." Gee grinned as she raised her eyebrows. "That really was quick. I genuinely thought you'd just gone out to get some fresh air. Nothing wrong with something that's beyond one night, is there? You didn't have to meet him if you didn't want to see him." She laughed softly. "Yeah, okay... maybe not her, then. I'll try and find someone local."
Stuart nodded slowly and smiled at her again. "Aye, I think we're finally working it out," he agreed. "It was mostly the sex thing I was wondering about. I wasnae sure I bought you just chose nay to have it. Not looking like you do. I dinnae think there is anything wrong with going beyond one night. I mean, I'm nay foreign to it really, but he isnae quite like anyone else I've ever pulled. And he's got a name for himself in this city. Nay sure why he wants to pursue a lowly copper when he's having orgies with judges and politicians."
"Thank you?" Gee asked with a confused look before she started to laugh. "I guess people that look like me can still not have sex. Looks don't always mean anything. Which brings us back to your suit. So what if he has a name? Clearly he likes something in you. And lowly copper, or not, you've probably got more substance than any judge or politician. Tighter arse, too. And how are you ever going to find out who's right if you're suspicious of their fucking you?"
Stuart held up his hands. "Okay, I didnae say it was anything to do with looks, it was just an observation. It wasnae entirely based on looks, it was that you didnae really seem like you wanted to nay have sex when we were doing it. You were enjoying it. I was just trying to put all the pieces together, which I obviously couldnae because I didnae have them all, is all. I'm also nay suspicious of him. I havenae really been worried about his intentions. Just nay sure why he would linger on me. He isnae exactly shy about his sexual escapades in any way. It isnae that I overanalyse things, I just like to lay all the cards on the table to see what hand I've been dealt."
Gee reached over and pushed his hands down as she just smirked. "At ease, Evans. You don't have to keep getting defensive around me. And I was enjoying it. I enjoyed it a lot. So again, thank you. I guess maybe I was putting too much emphasis on the trust side of things. Most times you don't have to trust someone to sleep with them. Which doesn't mean I don't trust you," she added quickly. "Just means when you go out to pull, it's not trust you look for, is it? It's attraction and chemistry. I'd forgotten about the basics." She looked at him. "I think you've been dealt hot cards, and you should stick with them. If the suit wants to keep shagging you, why stop him? He's probably wondering what keeps you coming back if his head isn't entirely up his arse. Are you intimidated?"
Stuart held his hands up with the palms facing the roof of the car. "That's the thing. I wasnae on the pull. I knocked him over and he came onto me. I just... reciprocated." He shook his head. "Nay intimidated. I probably wouldnae have gone to his place if I was. He doesnae intimidate me, he just makes me curious. And you might think this seems laughable, but I'm wondering if I have the stamina for a whole casual sex thing with the new promotion. I'm busy, and he sounds like he maintains quite the social life. When I go home these days, I like my bed and I like my TV and I like my shower. I go out some weekends, maybe hook up, but nay as much as I used to."
"You're not that old just yet," Gee teased, but she knew how he felt. She was much the same. Another reason she couldn't be bothered to go out on the pull. It was too tiring. It'd be easier if guys just rocked up on her doorstep and she didn't have to go out to get them. And it wasn't an escort service. "So ask him if he just wants to come and chill at your place. See if he's down with taking things quietly. Maybe he's just drowning in his social life because he's got nothing else? I don't know. But hey, accidental reciprocation has promise. Means no one did anything with intent. There was a spark, and that's all it took. That's not to be sniffed at, Stuart."
Stuart gave her a wry smile. "I'm nay getting any vibes that he's in any way looking to chill or looking for anything beyond a good bollocking. Could kind of put a dampener on things if I do something like invite him over to hang out when he isnae interested in anything but sex. Catch 22 at it's finest. I've been in this boat before, too. Nothing kills a good fuck like telling someone who hates committment that you want to hang out with them, go on a date, whatever."
"Then why..." This time Gee held her hand up. "You know what, never mind. A good fuck is a good fuck. You might also be underestimating him. Maybe he's playing the sex god lawyer because he thinks that's what you want. I don't know. I'm just asking." Gee turned her head to check the house, watching it for a moment. "I'm not sure I'd even have the stamina for casual sex, and I'm only just about to get back in the game."
Stuart raised his eyebrows. "So, you're ready to get back in the game?" he asked her curiously. "I'll try nay to take that as too much of an ego boost here. He isnae playing that game, it's who he is. I just dinnae know much more beyond that. All I know is about the orgy thing, that he lives in Notting Hill, and his assistant walked out a few months ago for some reason he didnae elabortate on."
"Assistants walk out all the time," Gee murmured as she took a sip from her coffee cup before offering it to Stuart now his was dead. "And hey, you can take it as an ego boost if you want. Told you I remembered what I missed about men and sex because of you. It is what it is, you know? I'm not going to ask you for another round when you got your suit on the go. Wouldn't want to sap your strength for Mr Orgy. I don't even know what the appeal of those are."
Stuart accepted the coffee so he had something to do with his hands. He glanced at her, then at the house, then back at her. "He invited me along. To the orgy. It's a monthly set up, apparently." He smirked at her. "And you could, you know. Isnae like we're married."
"You'd go another round?" Gee couldn't quite keep the surprise out of her voice. She was still trying to work out what it meant for their partnership. Would it be weird if they did fuck again, or were they both clear on where they stood? It was just sex. Just some fun and tension relief between partners. "Are you going to go?"
Stuart shrugged and laughed. "Sure, why not? Isnae like we arenae consenting adults. It was fun. When sex is fun, usually nay reason why it cannae happen again unless there's something like crime or marriage involved." He sipped the coffee again and wet his lips. "I think I might. I did that now and again in my past, but it's been awhile. Just cannae decide whether it's my thing anymore. I did joke to him about what might happen if I didnae want to share."
"Okay." Gee reached up to scratch at her forehead before she started to laugh as well. "Do we make a time, or what? So what did he say to the not sharing?"
Stuart looked at her closely. "You need to be sure you're okay with it, though. I dinnae want you regretting anything. Nay when you're already cut up about the sex thing." He shifted in his seat as he started to get a numb arse. "Just made a joke about putting on a hell of a show for everyone else. See? See how I just cannae be sure he isnae in anything social but for the sex?"
Gee stuck her tongue at him playfully before she smiled. Her face was relaxed, more than it had been for a while. "I'm okay with it, Evans. I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't okay with it. I would have just left it. I'm not going to regret so long as the lines stay clear. I had fun, and I'd like to do it again. But I'm not looking to date you, or be more than partners and friends. I wouldn't be so interested in you and the suit if I was." She ruffled her hair and sighed. "Yeah, he really is walking that thin line, isn't he? I don't think you're going to know until you're actually there with him and see for yourself. My question is though, is he okay sharing you with me?"
Stuart smirked and looked back at the house. "Well, at least we have a plan. Who knows if we'll get out of this watch any time in the next five years. We could be stuck here forever. I'm nay looking to date you, either. I've got a rule about that." He shrugged and swirled the coffee around in the cup to mix the flavour up again. "He already knows. I mentioned it to him, he seemed fine. I guess as long as anything is classed as casual in general, we're all good."
"You start dating him, and you let me know." Gee turned her attention to the house and resisted the urge to drum her fingers against the wheel. "You might be right about this fucking watch, though."
Stuart rested his head back against the seat, trying not to let himself just fall asleep. "I'm nay sure he even knows what a date is," he murmured.
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