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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Date Night Blues Chapter 3
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood/Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,010
Summary: Things go from bad to worse without a resolution.
Author’s Note: I think I lost the plot, if I ever really had one to begin with. Hoping that I find it again soon.
“You’re here early,” Hilary said, passing by Zayne on her way out of the bullpen. “Is everything okay?”
He shrugged. “Haven’t talked to Zek since yesterday when I sent him that email with info on the case, so I can’t even tell you if things are okay or not.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he gave her a sad smile. “Would you ever consider taking me back, Hil? I’m not sure I can handle much more of this.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that, honey, and you know it. Especially since it’s obvious how much you love Andy. You’d never settle for me now.” Hilary gave him a wink and he smiled back at her.
“Can’t blame me for trying, can you,” he asked.
“Not when you look like that, bucko,” she teased. “So, why are you here so early?”
Zayne made a face. “I guess in case Rosewood followed Zek in this morning, too. Make sure he saw that I beat him to the office for once.” He leaned against the wall and looked at Hilary. “I know I’m not the most reliable person, but am I really that fucking bad, Hil?”
“No,” she said, resting a hand on his arm. “You’re actually quite amazing despite all your attempts to prove otherwise.”
He looked at his boots and sighed. As much as he wanted to argue, he’d been told many times over the years that he was his own worst enemy. Even Zek had told him as much.
“Zayne, I’m going to go get coffee for myself and Trish. She called right before you showed up and said she was running late so I know she won’t have time to get it herself. You want me to bring you something back?”
“A donut and a bottle of Patrón Reposado, please,” he half-joked.
“I’m thinking I can score you a donut but Reyes, it’s not even eight AM yet.”
“You know, this is Vegas, right? You can get tequila at the goddamned Walgreens.”
“But not Patrón,” she said.
“Sweetness, you bring me a bottle of anything, and I promise not to quibble about the brand.” Hilary snorted and Zayne grinned. “Well, except for that weird blue ass shit you found that time. Whoever thought that was a good idea should be tied to a cactus and shot repeatedly.”
“There’s my boy,” Hilary said, smiling. “I’ll be back in a few with donuts and coffee. And I promise that everything will work itself out.”
He let her leave and made his way over to his desk. Glancing at the empty spot where his partner usually sat, Zayne felt a big hole open in his chest. Although it was still a bit early, Zek ought to have arrived by now. Zayne checked his watch and reminded himself that even Zeklos ran late sometimes.
Maybe.
“Hey Andy,” James called as he entered the domain of the homicide detectives. “Wait, you’re not Andy.”
“Nope,” Zayne said, holding his hands out in a ‘sorry, not sorry’ gesture. “And as far as I know, he’s not here yet.”
“And you would, I suppose,” James shot back.
Zayne bit back his immediate reply. In a rare show of maturity, he looked James in the eye and gave him the facts. “I haven’t seen him since he made me leave yesterday morning. So, you can shove the accusation up your ass.”
Okay, so it was almost a show of maturity. But it was as mature as he was capable of being considering the circumstances.
“Chill Reyes, shit. What the hell is your problem,” James asked, pulling out Zeklos’ chair and sitting down.
‘You’ was the obvious answer, but that would only come back to bite him in the ass later. “I haven’t talked to Zek in nearly 24 hours, Rosewood. I’m not used to going more than a few hours without hearing from him in one way or another, okay?” He wanted to add that if the narco hadn’t been so busy pissing Zek off yesterday, none of this would have been an issue. Catching sight of Trish coming into the bullpen, he thought better of it. “Morning, Rollins.”
“Morning, Reyes. Rosewood,” she said, carefully. “Is Hil getting us the fuel we need to get through the day?”
“Well, I got us coffee and donuts,” Hilary said, entering the bullpen on Trish’s heels. “Didn’t know you were going to be here, Rosewood, or I’d have brought you something, too.”
James made a face that was hard for Zayne to decipher. “I appreciate the thought, Maxwell, but I was only here looking for Andy.”
“He’s in the parking lot,” Trish said. “Was sitting in his car on the phone when I walked past.” She looked at Zayne. “He waved so he’s hopefully in a better mood today.”
“What do you mean by that,” James asked, defensive.
“Other than the fact he was in a piss poor mood all day yesterday,” Hilary stated, setting the coffee and donuts down on her desk. “Not much.”
“You know what,” James asked, rising to his feet in a huff, “I’m obviously not welcome here so I’m going to leave. I’d say, ‘have Andy call me when you see him’, but none of you are likely to do that, so whatever.”
“I just apologized for not bringing you coffee and donuts, but you can get the hell out of here with that attitude, Rosewood.”
“What is going on here,” Andrej asked entering the bullpen looking frazzled and already at the end of his rope. “Why are you fighting already?”
“No reason,” James said, brushing past Andrej on his way towards the exit. “I’ll call you later.”
They all watched James leave and, as soon as he was gone, Zeklos turned to the group. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know,” Zayne said. When he saw Zeklos getting ready to question him further, he held out a hand to stop him. “I swear, I didn’t do anything to provoke him. He showed up loaded for bear, Zek.”
“I wasn’t here when the narco arrived,” Hilary said, “but I believe Zayne. Rosewood seemed itching for a fight.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Zayne said. “He’s mad at me and I don’t know what I did but I might as well take the blame. Looks like I’m going to get it anyway. Just like yesterday, probably just like tomorrow, too.” He took the donut and coffee that Hilary had brought him and set it on Zeklos’ desk. “A peace offering,” he said. “Hilary brought it for me, but I have a feeling you’re going to need it more than me.” Standing, Zayne ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll be right back.”
“Zayne,” Andrej said, the tension in his voice unbearable. “Where are you going?”
“Just to the bathroom, I promise.” Before Zek or anyone else could respond, he left.
He let himself into the little used bathroom on the top floor of the building. There weren’t a lot of offices up on the top floor, it was mostly storage for ongoing cases that had taken up too much room in their respective divisions, which is likely what led to the disuse of the restroom and everything else up here. Grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser, he wiped off a section of countertop and hopped up onto it, leaning his back against the wall.
Things had gotten out of hand and he still wasn’t sure what the hell had happened. He looked at his phone and thought about texting the narco, but that felt like playing with fire. Instead, he shot off a text to Jake Hansen, Rosewood’s partner. Jake responded immediately with ‘give me two minutes’. Satisfied that he might at least start to get some answers, he closed his eyes and waited for Jake.
“Reyes,” Hansen said, tapping Zayne on the forehead. “Are you okay?”
Cracking one eyelid, Zayne studied him. “Not particularly, Hansen, but I’m not sure what to do.”
“What’s going on,” Jake asked, parking his backside on the countertop beside Zayne.
“That is the million-dollar question, baby narco.”
Jake snorted. “You know I’m older than James, right?”
Zayne opened both eyes and gave Hansen an appraising look. “Huh, I’d have never guessed. But you are shorter than he is so I’m sticking with baby narco.”
“As if you couldn’t just use my name,” Jake laughed.
They fell into an easy silence for a few moments before Zayne broke it with a question. “What’s going on with your partner? Zek had date night with him on Wednesday, but he didn’t stay with Rosewood. He came to my house way later than he’s ever up. And he looked like they’d been fighting.”
“I got that impression, too,” Jake said. “Rosewood was pissy as hell on Thursday morning, but wouldn’t say anything more than Zeklos works too much. I mean, I’ve never worked with the guy and I knew that long before they ever started dating.”
“He blames me,” Zayne said. “For Zek working so much.”
“He does,” Jake confirmed. He glanced at Zayne. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, he said as much in front of Trish and Hilary yesterday,” Zayne said. “He just didn’t know I was behind him when he said it.” He tried to shrug it off, but that shit hurt. “What he doesn’t get is that Zek takes it upon himself to do everything. Even if I offer and, sometimes, if I’ve already started something, he’ll tell me no or take it and finish it. He’s a perfectionist and likes his reports to be a certain way, so I get it. But damn, I keep telling him to let me finish and he can polish them up later. He won’t listen though.”
“I get the feeling that James pushing him on the subject is only making it worse,” Jake asked.
“You’d be right,” Zayne said. “He prides himself on how hard he works and how far he’s come. I don’t think the ginger gets that he struggled for years just so he could afford the basics. His work ethic is off the charts. And that’s coming from my lazy ass.”
Jake laughed. “Yeah, he’s the most dedicated detective I’ve ever met. Maybe I’ll drop a subtle hint the next time James starts bitching about Zeklos working late again. Remind him that hard work and long nights are why he’s where he is.”
“Thanks,” Zayne said. “Not sure it’ll help, but it can’t hurt.”
“No problem,” Jake said. “Is there anything else I can do? We hardly know each other but, considering the situation with you, Zeklos, and Rosewood…” He shrugged and let the thought trail off.
“Unless you’re willing to talk to Zek and find out why he’s so mad at me, when as far as I know, I wasn’t even part of the argument, then I guess not. But thanks for the offer, Hansen.”
“Anytime, Reyes.” He slid off the counter and faced Zayne. “Besides, when Rosewood’s in a bad mood, he’s a dick to everyone around him, including me. If he has a black eye tomorrow, it’s my fault.”
Zayne snorted. “Better you than Zek,” he said. “Not sure I could cope with Zeklos getting physically violent.”
“Me either,” Jake said. He pulled the bathroom door open and looked back over his shoulder. “He’s always so calm and reserved that I bet he’s scary as fuck when he’s upset.”
“Let’s pray we never find out,” Zayne said. “Be safe, Hansen.”
“You, too, Reyes.”
“We are going to be late meeting our potential suspect if we do not hurry,” Andrej said without looking up from his computer.
“Okay, but you’re still working,” Zayne said.
“Do not start with me, Zayne,” Zeklos growled.
“Sorry,” he said, taking a step back. “I was just sort of, you know, stating the obvious.”
“It was not helpful,” he said, pushing his chair back and standing. “Are you finally ready?”
Ready to find a new boyfriend? Sure. He was damn well on the brink. That was something he wasn’t going to say, however. Zeklos’ ire was fueled by something else, something he couldn’t fix or control. It was the only explanation Zayne could fathom. Anything else meant that Zek hated him and that wasn’t something he could stomach, even theoretically.
“Yeah, of course, let’s go,” Zayne said, defeated. He needed to figure out how to fix this and soon.
It had been brutal riding with Zeklos and not being able to talk to him. Anytime Zayne tried, Zek told him to be quiet. So, they’d rode to the suspect’s place of employment and then back to the station in silence. That was also how they’d spent the rest of their afternoon, too.
At ten after five, Zayne turned off his computer. “I know this is a stupid ass question, but it’s Friday.”
“That is not a question, Zayne,” Zeklos said, straightening the papers in a file folder.
“I know, Zek, I was just pausing to make sure you were going to listen to what I had to say before I started.”
Andrej flipped the folder closed and put it in his desk for safe keeping. He gave Zayne a pained look. “I am sorry,” he said, “but I was not in a mood to talk earlier.”
“Fair enough,” Zayne said. “And I get it. You probably figured I was going to make it worse.”
“Zayne,” Andrej said, sounding deflated.
“Nah, it’s okay. I know I do that sometimes. But my question was whether or not you were going to have dinner with me tonight or not.”
Zeklos looked away. “I am having dinner with Jay, Zayne.”
“Even though we have been having dinner on Fridays for weeks now.” He couldn’t figure out why, but it hurt like hell to know he was going to be alone again.
“It is not what you think,” Andrej said. “Jay and I need to talk about things. Important things.”
He idly wondered if his participation in their relationship was one of the ‘important things’ they needed to discuss. “Fine. I hope you can work it out. And if you need to throw me under the bus, go for it. I can take it.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” Zeklos said. “But I am pretty sure I would not do that to you.”
Zayne couldn’t bring himself to tell Zek that he pretty much already had. “Thanks, Zek. I appreciate that. Guess I’ll see you on Monday then. Night.”
“Good night,” he heard Zeklos say as he walked away.
Zayne started, unsure of what had woken him. His phone rang, drawing his attention to the bedside table. Blinking, he decided that had been the culprit. He grabbed his phone and unlocked it, grumbling, “Reyes,” into the mouthpiece.
“Zayne,” Andrej said, sounding awful. “I – can I come over?”
He glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and squinted. It was just after one in the morning. “Yeah, of course,” he said, not awake enough to be concerned. “Are you okay? Do we need to hide a body?”
“No,” Andrej said, chuckling. “Things are not okay, but it is not Jay’s fault either. Are you sure I can come by? It is very late.”
“It is very fine,” Zayne teased, his brain starting to kick into gear. “Seriously though, whatever’s bothering you isn’t because of the narco being a jerk?”
“Not at all,” Andrej said, but Zayne had the feeling that he was lying. Or at least, not being completely honest.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll start a pot of coffee, come on over.”
“I will not be long,” Zeklos said. “I am not far from you.”
“Are you in the parking lot,” Zayne asked, amused. One of his go-to moves was to call Zek from the driveway.
“I am not you, Zayne, so no. But I am at the bookstore just down the road from you. It is apparently open until two.”
“And here I thought only adult bookstores were open that late.” He stopped and thought for a moment. No, nothing like that in this area. Not that he could remember anyway. “Get your ass on over here so I can stop worrying about you.”
“I am on my way.”
Zeklos disconnected the call and Zayne hauled himself out of bed. He pulled a pair of sweats out of the dresser and pulled them on. Greeting Zek naked probably wasn’t a good idea, no matter how tempting. The t-shirt he’d been wearing earlier was still on the floor, so he reached down and picked it up. It would do for an emergency late night meeting. On it went. Finally dressed, he stumbled down the hallway to the kitchen. Zek should be there soon and he needed to get the coffee going. He had a horrible feeling it was going to be a long ass night.
At least it wasn’t something that Rosewood had said or done that had Zeklos so upset. That was a plus. Zayne’s hand stopped halfway to the coffee pot, the scoop full of fresh grounds gripped between his fingers. But what if it was something he’d done? Was that why Zeklos was on his way over?
“Nope,” he said, dumping the coffee into the filter. “Not going to think about it. Not going to freak myself out until I know the facts. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s Rosewood, maybe it’s both of us. Whatever the truth, I’m going to let Zek tell me himself.”
He grabbed the bottle of filtered water that Zek insisted he buy and filled the water reservoir before starting the pot to brew. They would talk before he started jumping to conclusions – or threatening to beat the shit out of the narco for being a jerk. It was possible for him to have patience, right?
The sound of Zeklos knocking at the door rattled him. He closed the lid of the water reservoir and hit the brew button on the pot. Taking a deep breath, he went to let his partner inside. Whatever happened next was out of his hands.
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood/Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,010
Summary: Things go from bad to worse without a resolution.
Author’s Note: I think I lost the plot, if I ever really had one to begin with. Hoping that I find it again soon.
“You’re here early,” Hilary said, passing by Zayne on her way out of the bullpen. “Is everything okay?”
He shrugged. “Haven’t talked to Zek since yesterday when I sent him that email with info on the case, so I can’t even tell you if things are okay or not.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he gave her a sad smile. “Would you ever consider taking me back, Hil? I’m not sure I can handle much more of this.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that, honey, and you know it. Especially since it’s obvious how much you love Andy. You’d never settle for me now.” Hilary gave him a wink and he smiled back at her.
“Can’t blame me for trying, can you,” he asked.
“Not when you look like that, bucko,” she teased. “So, why are you here so early?”
Zayne made a face. “I guess in case Rosewood followed Zek in this morning, too. Make sure he saw that I beat him to the office for once.” He leaned against the wall and looked at Hilary. “I know I’m not the most reliable person, but am I really that fucking bad, Hil?”
“No,” she said, resting a hand on his arm. “You’re actually quite amazing despite all your attempts to prove otherwise.”
He looked at his boots and sighed. As much as he wanted to argue, he’d been told many times over the years that he was his own worst enemy. Even Zek had told him as much.
“Zayne, I’m going to go get coffee for myself and Trish. She called right before you showed up and said she was running late so I know she won’t have time to get it herself. You want me to bring you something back?”
“A donut and a bottle of Patrón Reposado, please,” he half-joked.
“I’m thinking I can score you a donut but Reyes, it’s not even eight AM yet.”
“You know, this is Vegas, right? You can get tequila at the goddamned Walgreens.”
“But not Patrón,” she said.
“Sweetness, you bring me a bottle of anything, and I promise not to quibble about the brand.” Hilary snorted and Zayne grinned. “Well, except for that weird blue ass shit you found that time. Whoever thought that was a good idea should be tied to a cactus and shot repeatedly.”
“There’s my boy,” Hilary said, smiling. “I’ll be back in a few with donuts and coffee. And I promise that everything will work itself out.”
He let her leave and made his way over to his desk. Glancing at the empty spot where his partner usually sat, Zayne felt a big hole open in his chest. Although it was still a bit early, Zek ought to have arrived by now. Zayne checked his watch and reminded himself that even Zeklos ran late sometimes.
Maybe.
“Hey Andy,” James called as he entered the domain of the homicide detectives. “Wait, you’re not Andy.”
“Nope,” Zayne said, holding his hands out in a ‘sorry, not sorry’ gesture. “And as far as I know, he’s not here yet.”
“And you would, I suppose,” James shot back.
Zayne bit back his immediate reply. In a rare show of maturity, he looked James in the eye and gave him the facts. “I haven’t seen him since he made me leave yesterday morning. So, you can shove the accusation up your ass.”
Okay, so it was almost a show of maturity. But it was as mature as he was capable of being considering the circumstances.
“Chill Reyes, shit. What the hell is your problem,” James asked, pulling out Zeklos’ chair and sitting down.
‘You’ was the obvious answer, but that would only come back to bite him in the ass later. “I haven’t talked to Zek in nearly 24 hours, Rosewood. I’m not used to going more than a few hours without hearing from him in one way or another, okay?” He wanted to add that if the narco hadn’t been so busy pissing Zek off yesterday, none of this would have been an issue. Catching sight of Trish coming into the bullpen, he thought better of it. “Morning, Rollins.”
“Morning, Reyes. Rosewood,” she said, carefully. “Is Hil getting us the fuel we need to get through the day?”
“Well, I got us coffee and donuts,” Hilary said, entering the bullpen on Trish’s heels. “Didn’t know you were going to be here, Rosewood, or I’d have brought you something, too.”
James made a face that was hard for Zayne to decipher. “I appreciate the thought, Maxwell, but I was only here looking for Andy.”
“He’s in the parking lot,” Trish said. “Was sitting in his car on the phone when I walked past.” She looked at Zayne. “He waved so he’s hopefully in a better mood today.”
“What do you mean by that,” James asked, defensive.
“Other than the fact he was in a piss poor mood all day yesterday,” Hilary stated, setting the coffee and donuts down on her desk. “Not much.”
“You know what,” James asked, rising to his feet in a huff, “I’m obviously not welcome here so I’m going to leave. I’d say, ‘have Andy call me when you see him’, but none of you are likely to do that, so whatever.”
“I just apologized for not bringing you coffee and donuts, but you can get the hell out of here with that attitude, Rosewood.”
“What is going on here,” Andrej asked entering the bullpen looking frazzled and already at the end of his rope. “Why are you fighting already?”
“No reason,” James said, brushing past Andrej on his way towards the exit. “I’ll call you later.”
They all watched James leave and, as soon as he was gone, Zeklos turned to the group. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know,” Zayne said. When he saw Zeklos getting ready to question him further, he held out a hand to stop him. “I swear, I didn’t do anything to provoke him. He showed up loaded for bear, Zek.”
“I wasn’t here when the narco arrived,” Hilary said, “but I believe Zayne. Rosewood seemed itching for a fight.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Zayne said. “He’s mad at me and I don’t know what I did but I might as well take the blame. Looks like I’m going to get it anyway. Just like yesterday, probably just like tomorrow, too.” He took the donut and coffee that Hilary had brought him and set it on Zeklos’ desk. “A peace offering,” he said. “Hilary brought it for me, but I have a feeling you’re going to need it more than me.” Standing, Zayne ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll be right back.”
“Zayne,” Andrej said, the tension in his voice unbearable. “Where are you going?”
“Just to the bathroom, I promise.” Before Zek or anyone else could respond, he left.
He let himself into the little used bathroom on the top floor of the building. There weren’t a lot of offices up on the top floor, it was mostly storage for ongoing cases that had taken up too much room in their respective divisions, which is likely what led to the disuse of the restroom and everything else up here. Grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser, he wiped off a section of countertop and hopped up onto it, leaning his back against the wall.
Things had gotten out of hand and he still wasn’t sure what the hell had happened. He looked at his phone and thought about texting the narco, but that felt like playing with fire. Instead, he shot off a text to Jake Hansen, Rosewood’s partner. Jake responded immediately with ‘give me two minutes’. Satisfied that he might at least start to get some answers, he closed his eyes and waited for Jake.
“Reyes,” Hansen said, tapping Zayne on the forehead. “Are you okay?”
Cracking one eyelid, Zayne studied him. “Not particularly, Hansen, but I’m not sure what to do.”
“What’s going on,” Jake asked, parking his backside on the countertop beside Zayne.
“That is the million-dollar question, baby narco.”
Jake snorted. “You know I’m older than James, right?”
Zayne opened both eyes and gave Hansen an appraising look. “Huh, I’d have never guessed. But you are shorter than he is so I’m sticking with baby narco.”
“As if you couldn’t just use my name,” Jake laughed.
They fell into an easy silence for a few moments before Zayne broke it with a question. “What’s going on with your partner? Zek had date night with him on Wednesday, but he didn’t stay with Rosewood. He came to my house way later than he’s ever up. And he looked like they’d been fighting.”
“I got that impression, too,” Jake said. “Rosewood was pissy as hell on Thursday morning, but wouldn’t say anything more than Zeklos works too much. I mean, I’ve never worked with the guy and I knew that long before they ever started dating.”
“He blames me,” Zayne said. “For Zek working so much.”
“He does,” Jake confirmed. He glanced at Zayne. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, he said as much in front of Trish and Hilary yesterday,” Zayne said. “He just didn’t know I was behind him when he said it.” He tried to shrug it off, but that shit hurt. “What he doesn’t get is that Zek takes it upon himself to do everything. Even if I offer and, sometimes, if I’ve already started something, he’ll tell me no or take it and finish it. He’s a perfectionist and likes his reports to be a certain way, so I get it. But damn, I keep telling him to let me finish and he can polish them up later. He won’t listen though.”
“I get the feeling that James pushing him on the subject is only making it worse,” Jake asked.
“You’d be right,” Zayne said. “He prides himself on how hard he works and how far he’s come. I don’t think the ginger gets that he struggled for years just so he could afford the basics. His work ethic is off the charts. And that’s coming from my lazy ass.”
Jake laughed. “Yeah, he’s the most dedicated detective I’ve ever met. Maybe I’ll drop a subtle hint the next time James starts bitching about Zeklos working late again. Remind him that hard work and long nights are why he’s where he is.”
“Thanks,” Zayne said. “Not sure it’ll help, but it can’t hurt.”
“No problem,” Jake said. “Is there anything else I can do? We hardly know each other but, considering the situation with you, Zeklos, and Rosewood…” He shrugged and let the thought trail off.
“Unless you’re willing to talk to Zek and find out why he’s so mad at me, when as far as I know, I wasn’t even part of the argument, then I guess not. But thanks for the offer, Hansen.”
“Anytime, Reyes.” He slid off the counter and faced Zayne. “Besides, when Rosewood’s in a bad mood, he’s a dick to everyone around him, including me. If he has a black eye tomorrow, it’s my fault.”
Zayne snorted. “Better you than Zek,” he said. “Not sure I could cope with Zeklos getting physically violent.”
“Me either,” Jake said. He pulled the bathroom door open and looked back over his shoulder. “He’s always so calm and reserved that I bet he’s scary as fuck when he’s upset.”
“Let’s pray we never find out,” Zayne said. “Be safe, Hansen.”
“You, too, Reyes.”
“We are going to be late meeting our potential suspect if we do not hurry,” Andrej said without looking up from his computer.
“Okay, but you’re still working,” Zayne said.
“Do not start with me, Zayne,” Zeklos growled.
“Sorry,” he said, taking a step back. “I was just sort of, you know, stating the obvious.”
“It was not helpful,” he said, pushing his chair back and standing. “Are you finally ready?”
Ready to find a new boyfriend? Sure. He was damn well on the brink. That was something he wasn’t going to say, however. Zeklos’ ire was fueled by something else, something he couldn’t fix or control. It was the only explanation Zayne could fathom. Anything else meant that Zek hated him and that wasn’t something he could stomach, even theoretically.
“Yeah, of course, let’s go,” Zayne said, defeated. He needed to figure out how to fix this and soon.
It had been brutal riding with Zeklos and not being able to talk to him. Anytime Zayne tried, Zek told him to be quiet. So, they’d rode to the suspect’s place of employment and then back to the station in silence. That was also how they’d spent the rest of their afternoon, too.
At ten after five, Zayne turned off his computer. “I know this is a stupid ass question, but it’s Friday.”
“That is not a question, Zayne,” Zeklos said, straightening the papers in a file folder.
“I know, Zek, I was just pausing to make sure you were going to listen to what I had to say before I started.”
Andrej flipped the folder closed and put it in his desk for safe keeping. He gave Zayne a pained look. “I am sorry,” he said, “but I was not in a mood to talk earlier.”
“Fair enough,” Zayne said. “And I get it. You probably figured I was going to make it worse.”
“Zayne,” Andrej said, sounding deflated.
“Nah, it’s okay. I know I do that sometimes. But my question was whether or not you were going to have dinner with me tonight or not.”
Zeklos looked away. “I am having dinner with Jay, Zayne.”
“Even though we have been having dinner on Fridays for weeks now.” He couldn’t figure out why, but it hurt like hell to know he was going to be alone again.
“It is not what you think,” Andrej said. “Jay and I need to talk about things. Important things.”
He idly wondered if his participation in their relationship was one of the ‘important things’ they needed to discuss. “Fine. I hope you can work it out. And if you need to throw me under the bus, go for it. I can take it.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” Zeklos said. “But I am pretty sure I would not do that to you.”
Zayne couldn’t bring himself to tell Zek that he pretty much already had. “Thanks, Zek. I appreciate that. Guess I’ll see you on Monday then. Night.”
“Good night,” he heard Zeklos say as he walked away.
Zayne started, unsure of what had woken him. His phone rang, drawing his attention to the bedside table. Blinking, he decided that had been the culprit. He grabbed his phone and unlocked it, grumbling, “Reyes,” into the mouthpiece.
“Zayne,” Andrej said, sounding awful. “I – can I come over?”
He glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and squinted. It was just after one in the morning. “Yeah, of course,” he said, not awake enough to be concerned. “Are you okay? Do we need to hide a body?”
“No,” Andrej said, chuckling. “Things are not okay, but it is not Jay’s fault either. Are you sure I can come by? It is very late.”
“It is very fine,” Zayne teased, his brain starting to kick into gear. “Seriously though, whatever’s bothering you isn’t because of the narco being a jerk?”
“Not at all,” Andrej said, but Zayne had the feeling that he was lying. Or at least, not being completely honest.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll start a pot of coffee, come on over.”
“I will not be long,” Zeklos said. “I am not far from you.”
“Are you in the parking lot,” Zayne asked, amused. One of his go-to moves was to call Zek from the driveway.
“I am not you, Zayne, so no. But I am at the bookstore just down the road from you. It is apparently open until two.”
“And here I thought only adult bookstores were open that late.” He stopped and thought for a moment. No, nothing like that in this area. Not that he could remember anyway. “Get your ass on over here so I can stop worrying about you.”
“I am on my way.”
Zeklos disconnected the call and Zayne hauled himself out of bed. He pulled a pair of sweats out of the dresser and pulled them on. Greeting Zek naked probably wasn’t a good idea, no matter how tempting. The t-shirt he’d been wearing earlier was still on the floor, so he reached down and picked it up. It would do for an emergency late night meeting. On it went. Finally dressed, he stumbled down the hallway to the kitchen. Zek should be there soon and he needed to get the coffee going. He had a horrible feeling it was going to be a long ass night.
At least it wasn’t something that Rosewood had said or done that had Zeklos so upset. That was a plus. Zayne’s hand stopped halfway to the coffee pot, the scoop full of fresh grounds gripped between his fingers. But what if it was something he’d done? Was that why Zeklos was on his way over?
“Nope,” he said, dumping the coffee into the filter. “Not going to think about it. Not going to freak myself out until I know the facts. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s Rosewood, maybe it’s both of us. Whatever the truth, I’m going to let Zek tell me himself.”
He grabbed the bottle of filtered water that Zek insisted he buy and filled the water reservoir before starting the pot to brew. They would talk before he started jumping to conclusions – or threatening to beat the shit out of the narco for being a jerk. It was possible for him to have patience, right?
The sound of Zeklos knocking at the door rattled him. He closed the lid of the water reservoir and hit the brew button on the pot. Taking a deep breath, he went to let his partner inside. Whatever happened next was out of his hands.
