"This Year's Love (2/5)" - Hobbs/Raydor Fic
Title: This Year's Love (2/5)
Co-Author: sharon_ray
Pairing: Hobbs/Raydor
Rating: R
Word Count: 1, 949
Disclaimer: Not our characters or television show. We did shamelessly borrow a song title from David Gray because we adore his music.
A/N: Many thanks to my lovely co-author for her patience, her enthusiasm, and for letting me join her on the wild, fun-filled ride that was writing this fic. We hope that you enjoy it.
Summary: After months of dancing around their feelings, Andrea and Sharon start to contemplate redefining their friendship. Chapter One.
This years love had better last
Heaven knows it's high time
And I've been waiting on my own too long
But when you hold me like you do
It feels so right
I start to forget
How my heart gets torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Feeling like you can't go on
Gavin watched her as she picked at her fruit salad, taking inventory of her tired features. Sharon Raydor was not starring in her finest hour. “Shari, no offense, but you’re looking a little… tired. What’s going on?” The younger blonde muttered as he combed his knife over the piece of chicken on his plate.
Sharon reclined in her chair and pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes as she dined with her best friend at the illustrious Ivy on the shore restaurant. It was their monthly tradition, though they’d both kind of grown to dread it in a way. The wait was always long even with their standing reservation, the bill was always big, but they were always there, without fail, at 11:30 on the third Sunday of every month.
“I’m just exhausted,” she moaned as she crossed her arms over her chest, having hardly touched the fruit and yogurt in front of her. There were eggs as well, also untouched. Sharon Raydor wasn’t eating-it could only mean one thing.
“Don’t feed me that line, young lady. You haven’t touched your brunch. Who is it? Who are you seeing?” Gavin prodded, pointing his knife at her. A twenty-year friendship meant he knew all her idiosyncrasies, and loss of appetite meant she was in love, or at least infatuated with someone, and Gavin simply would not accept not knowing who it was.
“Who the hell do you think?” Sharon barked, popping a piece of watermelon in her mouth to appease him, or at least to prove him wrong.
Gavin tucked his chin into his neck as a devilish grin broke across his face. “You’re not still talking to Andrea Hobbs, are you?” He guffawed and clapped his hands, delighted.
Sharon shook her head as she took another bite of her brunch, hunger finally hitting her. “Talking, yes. But I’m telling you, she’s not interested in anything more than friendship Gavin, trust me on that one.”
Gavin fiddled with the pristine white tablecloth and rolled his eyes. He knew otherwise, Andrea had told him countless times herself. “And what makes you think that she isn’t interested, little-miss-know-it-all?”
Sharon hesitated, looking positively deflated as she sat back in the wooden chair. “Well, we talk every day but she just doesn’t…I don’t know. Sometimes I think she’s flirting, and then she just stops. Some days I think she’s interested, other days she pretty much tells me she would never in a million years be interested. She’s confusing.” Sharon looked down at the table to hide the pain she knew was evident on her face. Talking about Andrea stung. Thinking about her was damn near unbearable. She brushed her bangs out of her face and avoided Gavin’s eyes, trying to brush the memory of Andrea’s tone as they said goodnight the night before out of her head. “She’s a pain in the ass, Gavin. It’s never going to happen.” Sharon sighed as she poked the fruit on her plate with her fork, pushing it around haphazardly.
Gavin let out a small laugh. For as smart as his two best friends were, they were absolute idiots when it came to each other. He’d just sat through the same exact conversation with Andrea less than a week ago. “Do you think maybe she’s just trying to be careful? That she isn’t sure if you’re interested and doesn’t want to get hurt?”
“How can I show her any more that I’m interested? I sit in night after night and talk to her until I fall asleep-that is if I’m not with her!” Sharon snapped, swirling her mimosa around in its glass.
“Honey, calm down. Don’t take your sexual tension out on me. I didn’t do it,” Gavin chided, taking a sip of his own drink, a bloody Mary, sans celery. “In order for you to have someone to sit in night after night and talk to, or be with, she’s got to be in night after night, too. You’re in the same boat, Sharon. One of you idiots needs to put your big girl panties on and say HEY I love you!”
Sharon sat back in her chair again and rolled her eyes beneath her sunglasses, wishing she were anywhere but out to eat with Gavin. Love? Wasn’t it a little soon for the word love? Why did he always have to be so infuriatingly…right? She took a sip of her drink and twirled it in her hands again, staring down at it as the liquid moved in the glass. Why was it such a big deal to tell Andrea she liked her? What did she have to lose? Andrea was just so damn inconsistent that she had no idea how she felt. One minute she was all over Sharon, the next she couldn’t be bothered, it seemed. Confused was beginning to be an understatement for Sharon’s emotions.
“Gavin, its not that easy. I have no idea how Andrea feels about me. I work with her. Yes we talk. We talk a lot. Sometimes we flirt- barely. We have a good time. That doesn’t mean I can just call her up and say hey, I’d really like to make you my girlfriend. If she doesn’t feel the same way about me, and trust me she obviously doesn’t, that could make our working relationship really uncomfortable. As the former head of FID and Internal Affairs, I really feel like I have a responsi-“
“Oh, Shari, babe, cut the crap,” Gavin interrupted her before she could launch into her standard issue internal affairs lecture about appropriate relationships. He’d heard it ad nausea already, he was not going to allow her recite it again. “Andrea is an incredibly careful woman. She’s been burned in the past. She isn’t stupid. She’s not going to wear her heart on her sleeve and make it easy for you. Just because she isn’t banging down your door saying take me now doesn’t mean she isn’t into you, Sharon. Get a grip, okay? And give her some credit. Frankly, I’m a little insulted on her behalf, and a little ashamed of you right now.”
Sharon was genuinely taken aback by his response. “What? Why? Why the hell are you yelling at me, Gavin?” she muttered, draining her glass and motioning for the waiter to bring her another mimosa. They were obviously going to be there for a little while.
“Why does she need to admit her feelings to you first? Because she’s younger? Because you’re the fabulous catch, Miss Sharon Fucking Raydor, LA’s finest? Honey, you know that I love you and that I think you’re wonderful, but stop it. Andrea put forth the effort by reaching out to you and starting the conversations in the first place. If she hadn’t started the first conversation you two fools wouldn’t be talking every night, am I right or am I right?”
Sharon nodded hesitantly, wishing he would just shut the hell up, but she knew he wouldn’t.
“Yes, Gavin, you’re right,” she finally admitted, staring down at her hands in an effort not to look at him. Did Andrea think she was being careless with her emotions? Was she being inconsistent, too? Sharon had to admit, if she was being honest with herself, that there were plenty of evenings she pulled the flirty card only to clam up and immediately retreat back inside the safety of her professional Captain Raydor, we’re just discussing a case, shell. Had she led Andrea on?
Gavin reached across the table to rub her arm. He didn’t want to be harsh with Sharon, but it was high time she got her head out of her ass and told Andrea how she felt. “Honey, you just have to tell her. She’s not going to wait around forever for you to make up your mind. She’s been patient with you...but that woman gets asked out a lot. How many times is she supposed to say no before you’re the one who asks her out, Shari?”
Sharon sighed as the waiter approached and left the check on the edge of the table. She grabbed it before Gavin had the chance, a victorious smile crossing her thin lips. It was always a mad dash to see who could pay before the other got to the bill. It was silly, really, but they enjoyed treating each other. She contemplated Gavin’s words as she stuck her American Express in the plastic holder and slapped the bill back down on the table, signaling for the waiter to pick it up before Gavin could argue with her-he’d done enough of that this morning.
She knew she needed to find the courage sooner than later to talk to Andrea. They’d been talking for months and flirting for weeks and she’d had feelings for her for much longer than that. But after what had happened last night, Sharon was just too hurt and angry. Right now she’d be happy if she didn’t see Andrea again for a very long time. She twiddled her thumbs in her lap, debating whether or not to tell Gavin what happened the night before. He was her best friend after all. If she couldn’t tell him her embarrassing stories of rejection, who could she tell? Andrea?
“Its just… something happened last night.” She muttered so that she was barely audible over the buzz of the other diners.
Gavin’s ears perked and he leaned closer in to Sharon, an interested look on his face. He watched her for a moment, taking note of her sad features, and he schooled his own.
“What happened, honey? You look sad. I don’t like that.”
“Well… I went to her house. And we cuddled. And I tried to kiss her.”
Sharon looked positively humiliated and she covered her eyes with her hand, not wanting to finish the story.
“And? ...Ah.” Gavin muttered, not needing her to. He squeezed the hand he was still holding and sighed, wishing he could bring her more comfort without betraying Andrea’s trust.
“She’s scared, Sharon. She likes you, I know she does. She never fucking shuts up about you. I really think, despite how uncomfortable you are, that you need to buck up and ask her out on a real, big girl date. Something tells me she’ll respond differently to the next kiss if it’s under more clearly defined circumstances.” He sat back in his chair and downed the rest of his bloody mary, accepting that Sharon had beat him to the check this time.
Sharon was silent. What could she say? She knew he was right. Gavin watched her as she collected her purse, clearly calling an end to their brunch date and his opportunity for giving her advice. Gavin stood and tucked his chair in neatly, then patted his blazer to be sure he had his keys and wallet. No sense in arguing with Sharon, she would win. She was downright impossible to get through to when she decided she was done with a conversation, and she was very obviously done with this one.
Sharon led Gavin out of the restaurant, then pecked him on the cheek quickly and silently before abandoning him quickly to seek refuge in her car. That was the second time in less than twenty-four hours she’d skidded out on a friend for the cool comfort of the black leather interior. Really, it was the comfort of being alone; of being away from the confrontation that was her relationship, or lack thereof, with Andrea Hobbs. She rested her head against the seat and exhaled, trying to expel every thought of Andrea from her mind with her hot breath. She just needed Andrea out of her head for five damn minutes.
Co-Author: sharon_ray
Pairing: Hobbs/Raydor
Rating: R
Word Count: 1, 949
Disclaimer: Not our characters or television show. We did shamelessly borrow a song title from David Gray because we adore his music.
A/N: Many thanks to my lovely co-author for her patience, her enthusiasm, and for letting me join her on the wild, fun-filled ride that was writing this fic. We hope that you enjoy it.
Summary: After months of dancing around their feelings, Andrea and Sharon start to contemplate redefining their friendship. Chapter One.
This years love had better last
Heaven knows it's high time
And I've been waiting on my own too long
But when you hold me like you do
It feels so right
I start to forget
How my heart gets torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Feeling like you can't go on
Gavin watched her as she picked at her fruit salad, taking inventory of her tired features. Sharon Raydor was not starring in her finest hour. “Shari, no offense, but you’re looking a little… tired. What’s going on?” The younger blonde muttered as he combed his knife over the piece of chicken on his plate.
Sharon reclined in her chair and pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes as she dined with her best friend at the illustrious Ivy on the shore restaurant. It was their monthly tradition, though they’d both kind of grown to dread it in a way. The wait was always long even with their standing reservation, the bill was always big, but they were always there, without fail, at 11:30 on the third Sunday of every month.
“I’m just exhausted,” she moaned as she crossed her arms over her chest, having hardly touched the fruit and yogurt in front of her. There were eggs as well, also untouched. Sharon Raydor wasn’t eating-it could only mean one thing.
“Don’t feed me that line, young lady. You haven’t touched your brunch. Who is it? Who are you seeing?” Gavin prodded, pointing his knife at her. A twenty-year friendship meant he knew all her idiosyncrasies, and loss of appetite meant she was in love, or at least infatuated with someone, and Gavin simply would not accept not knowing who it was.
“Who the hell do you think?” Sharon barked, popping a piece of watermelon in her mouth to appease him, or at least to prove him wrong.
Gavin tucked his chin into his neck as a devilish grin broke across his face. “You’re not still talking to Andrea Hobbs, are you?” He guffawed and clapped his hands, delighted.
Sharon shook her head as she took another bite of her brunch, hunger finally hitting her. “Talking, yes. But I’m telling you, she’s not interested in anything more than friendship Gavin, trust me on that one.”
Gavin fiddled with the pristine white tablecloth and rolled his eyes. He knew otherwise, Andrea had told him countless times herself. “And what makes you think that she isn’t interested, little-miss-know-it-all?”
Sharon hesitated, looking positively deflated as she sat back in the wooden chair. “Well, we talk every day but she just doesn’t…I don’t know. Sometimes I think she’s flirting, and then she just stops. Some days I think she’s interested, other days she pretty much tells me she would never in a million years be interested. She’s confusing.” Sharon looked down at the table to hide the pain she knew was evident on her face. Talking about Andrea stung. Thinking about her was damn near unbearable. She brushed her bangs out of her face and avoided Gavin’s eyes, trying to brush the memory of Andrea’s tone as they said goodnight the night before out of her head. “She’s a pain in the ass, Gavin. It’s never going to happen.” Sharon sighed as she poked the fruit on her plate with her fork, pushing it around haphazardly.
Gavin let out a small laugh. For as smart as his two best friends were, they were absolute idiots when it came to each other. He’d just sat through the same exact conversation with Andrea less than a week ago. “Do you think maybe she’s just trying to be careful? That she isn’t sure if you’re interested and doesn’t want to get hurt?”
“How can I show her any more that I’m interested? I sit in night after night and talk to her until I fall asleep-that is if I’m not with her!” Sharon snapped, swirling her mimosa around in its glass.
“Honey, calm down. Don’t take your sexual tension out on me. I didn’t do it,” Gavin chided, taking a sip of his own drink, a bloody Mary, sans celery. “In order for you to have someone to sit in night after night and talk to, or be with, she’s got to be in night after night, too. You’re in the same boat, Sharon. One of you idiots needs to put your big girl panties on and say HEY I love you!”
Sharon sat back in her chair again and rolled her eyes beneath her sunglasses, wishing she were anywhere but out to eat with Gavin. Love? Wasn’t it a little soon for the word love? Why did he always have to be so infuriatingly…right? She took a sip of her drink and twirled it in her hands again, staring down at it as the liquid moved in the glass. Why was it such a big deal to tell Andrea she liked her? What did she have to lose? Andrea was just so damn inconsistent that she had no idea how she felt. One minute she was all over Sharon, the next she couldn’t be bothered, it seemed. Confused was beginning to be an understatement for Sharon’s emotions.
“Gavin, its not that easy. I have no idea how Andrea feels about me. I work with her. Yes we talk. We talk a lot. Sometimes we flirt- barely. We have a good time. That doesn’t mean I can just call her up and say hey, I’d really like to make you my girlfriend. If she doesn’t feel the same way about me, and trust me she obviously doesn’t, that could make our working relationship really uncomfortable. As the former head of FID and Internal Affairs, I really feel like I have a responsi-“
“Oh, Shari, babe, cut the crap,” Gavin interrupted her before she could launch into her standard issue internal affairs lecture about appropriate relationships. He’d heard it ad nausea already, he was not going to allow her recite it again. “Andrea is an incredibly careful woman. She’s been burned in the past. She isn’t stupid. She’s not going to wear her heart on her sleeve and make it easy for you. Just because she isn’t banging down your door saying take me now doesn’t mean she isn’t into you, Sharon. Get a grip, okay? And give her some credit. Frankly, I’m a little insulted on her behalf, and a little ashamed of you right now.”
Sharon was genuinely taken aback by his response. “What? Why? Why the hell are you yelling at me, Gavin?” she muttered, draining her glass and motioning for the waiter to bring her another mimosa. They were obviously going to be there for a little while.
“Why does she need to admit her feelings to you first? Because she’s younger? Because you’re the fabulous catch, Miss Sharon Fucking Raydor, LA’s finest? Honey, you know that I love you and that I think you’re wonderful, but stop it. Andrea put forth the effort by reaching out to you and starting the conversations in the first place. If she hadn’t started the first conversation you two fools wouldn’t be talking every night, am I right or am I right?”
Sharon nodded hesitantly, wishing he would just shut the hell up, but she knew he wouldn’t.
“Yes, Gavin, you’re right,” she finally admitted, staring down at her hands in an effort not to look at him. Did Andrea think she was being careless with her emotions? Was she being inconsistent, too? Sharon had to admit, if she was being honest with herself, that there were plenty of evenings she pulled the flirty card only to clam up and immediately retreat back inside the safety of her professional Captain Raydor, we’re just discussing a case, shell. Had she led Andrea on?
Gavin reached across the table to rub her arm. He didn’t want to be harsh with Sharon, but it was high time she got her head out of her ass and told Andrea how she felt. “Honey, you just have to tell her. She’s not going to wait around forever for you to make up your mind. She’s been patient with you...but that woman gets asked out a lot. How many times is she supposed to say no before you’re the one who asks her out, Shari?”
Sharon sighed as the waiter approached and left the check on the edge of the table. She grabbed it before Gavin had the chance, a victorious smile crossing her thin lips. It was always a mad dash to see who could pay before the other got to the bill. It was silly, really, but they enjoyed treating each other. She contemplated Gavin’s words as she stuck her American Express in the plastic holder and slapped the bill back down on the table, signaling for the waiter to pick it up before Gavin could argue with her-he’d done enough of that this morning.
She knew she needed to find the courage sooner than later to talk to Andrea. They’d been talking for months and flirting for weeks and she’d had feelings for her for much longer than that. But after what had happened last night, Sharon was just too hurt and angry. Right now she’d be happy if she didn’t see Andrea again for a very long time. She twiddled her thumbs in her lap, debating whether or not to tell Gavin what happened the night before. He was her best friend after all. If she couldn’t tell him her embarrassing stories of rejection, who could she tell? Andrea?
“Its just… something happened last night.” She muttered so that she was barely audible over the buzz of the other diners.
Gavin’s ears perked and he leaned closer in to Sharon, an interested look on his face. He watched her for a moment, taking note of her sad features, and he schooled his own.
“What happened, honey? You look sad. I don’t like that.”
“Well… I went to her house. And we cuddled. And I tried to kiss her.”
Sharon looked positively humiliated and she covered her eyes with her hand, not wanting to finish the story.
“And? ...Ah.” Gavin muttered, not needing her to. He squeezed the hand he was still holding and sighed, wishing he could bring her more comfort without betraying Andrea’s trust.
“She’s scared, Sharon. She likes you, I know she does. She never fucking shuts up about you. I really think, despite how uncomfortable you are, that you need to buck up and ask her out on a real, big girl date. Something tells me she’ll respond differently to the next kiss if it’s under more clearly defined circumstances.” He sat back in his chair and downed the rest of his bloody mary, accepting that Sharon had beat him to the check this time.
Sharon was silent. What could she say? She knew he was right. Gavin watched her as she collected her purse, clearly calling an end to their brunch date and his opportunity for giving her advice. Gavin stood and tucked his chair in neatly, then patted his blazer to be sure he had his keys and wallet. No sense in arguing with Sharon, she would win. She was downright impossible to get through to when she decided she was done with a conversation, and she was very obviously done with this one.
Sharon led Gavin out of the restaurant, then pecked him on the cheek quickly and silently before abandoning him quickly to seek refuge in her car. That was the second time in less than twenty-four hours she’d skidded out on a friend for the cool comfort of the black leather interior. Really, it was the comfort of being alone; of being away from the confrontation that was her relationship, or lack thereof, with Andrea Hobbs. She rested her head against the seat and exhaled, trying to expel every thought of Andrea from her mind with her hot breath. She just needed Andrea out of her head for five damn minutes.