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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: In a Week or Two Chapter 2 (Romani Detective Original Fiction)
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,027
Summary: Andrej has an unusual encounter while picking up lunch.
Author’s Notes: And so the plot thickens. These first couple of chapters aren’t all that exciting, but it’ll pick up soon.
Zayne was supposed to be working on the call logs in front of him, but he couldn’t concentrate. From the moment he’d arrived that morning, he’d been on edge. He knew something was up with Zeklos, if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication. His first instinct was to badger his quiet partner until he confessed all his sins, but he resisted, afraid that Zek would say something that made him jog his ass downstairs and put a Texas sized boot up some redhead’s ass. Although Zek would tell him this was a sign he was maturing, it made him feel like a coward.
So, he didn’t ask. He just kept quiet and watched Zeklos work and try not to worry about what had caused his sleepless night.
“Why are you staring at me, Zayne,” Andrej muttered.
“Because you look like shit, baby,” he said, hating how harsh his honesty sounded. He probably could have sugar-coated that a bit. “I’ve never seen you look anything but one hundred percent ready to get down to business. Are you okay?”
“I am fine,” Zeklos said, shuffling papers on his desk. Deflecting.
It was obvious to Zayne that he was lying. “Did the narco come see you?”
“What? No,” he said, looking scandalized. “Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know,” Zayne said. “You look hung over, honestly, and I know you well enough to realize it’d take something big to make you drink until you were drunk. I guess I’m just worried about you.”
Andrej’s shoulders slumped a little. “Do not worry about me, I am fine, Zayne.”
“Okay,” he said, unwilling to let the conversation die, but Zeklos was going to cut it off soon either way. “I just know this hasn’t been easy on you. If I can help you, let me know, okay?”
“You can help by doing what I asked,” Andrej said, pointing at the untouched call logs. “You are getting paid for sitting here, Zayne.”
Laughing, Zayne picked them up. “Okay, okay, finnnne. But can we order some lunch? I’m starving.”
“Of course,” Andrej said, sounding relieved. “Order it and I will go pick it up.”
Andrej stood in line at the Greek café, waiting to pay for the order Zayne had placed. He’d been surprised that Zayne had opted for something relatively healthy, but he wasn’t about to point it out, either. Rolling with the flow was the best thing you could do when it came to Zayne and his food cravings. After paying for their lunch, he moved off to the side to wait to be called.
A flash of copper caught his attention, and he winced when he saw James and his new boyfriend enter the café. So much for the idea that he’d never run into James’ new beau, he thought. But he couldn’t deny that the guy was handsome. Tall and lean, he had perfectly coiffed blond hair and soft, brown eyes. He wasn’t Andrej’s usual type, but he wasn’t hard on the eyes either. It made him wonder what Zayne would think of the guy. He ducked his head in hopes that James wouldn’t notice him standing there. While he knew they needed to have a real conversation, now was neither the time nor the place for that mess.
“Excuse me,” a voice said, shaking Andrej out of his misery. “I think she just called my name.”
“Sorry,” Andrej said, looking up and taking a step back so that the customer could get past him.
“It’s okay,” the guy said, smiling broadly. Turning to the girl behind the pickup counter, he asked, “Did you call Carter?”
“Sorry, that was for Cara,” the girl apologized.
“No problem,” he said. Leaning against the wall beside Andrej he sighed. “I hate it when that happens, so embarrassing.”
“That is one reason why I make my partner call in the orders,” Andrej said, smiling back at his handsome companion. Strike that. He was more than good looking, he was stunning. The man beside him was all sharp cheekbones set in lightly tanned skin, bright blue eyes peeking out from under a wave of sandy brown hair. There was a time when he thought no one could be more attractive than Zayne, but this stranger sure came close. “His name is Zayne and that is not easily mistaken.”
The stranger laughed. “Your partner, eh? Work or life?”
“Work,” Andrej said, motioning towards the badge on his hip. “However, one of the other detectives in our department refers to him as my platonic life partner since we spend so much time together.” If only, he thought. Maybe he wouldn’t be struggling to get over James if he’d ever had a chance with Zayne.
“Hmm,” Carter said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Do you have a non-platonic life partner?”
“Not any longer,” Andrej replied, wishing he could take it back as soon as he’d said it. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said, with a shrug. “Life happens, right?”
“Order for Carter,” the girl behind the counter called out before Andrej could reply.
“Ah, that’s me,” he said. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and retrieved a business card. “If you decide to start auditioning for a replacement, give me a call.” He winked and handed the card to Andrej. “Enjoy your lunch.”
“Order for Zayne,” the girl called. “Although I know his lazy butt isn’t here to get it.”
Laughing, Andrej tucked the business card into his wallet and took their lunch from the employee. It was becoming obvious to him that they ate there more often than he’d realized.
James watched Andy walk out of the café and had to resist the urge to follow. He was there with Scott and it was very important that he not forget that tidbit. But still, who was that guy and why had he been flirting with Andy? A better question would be why he suddenly cared so much, but he didn’t have time to analyze that now.
“James,” Scott said, nudging him with an elbow. “I think she just said your name.”
“Right,” he said, giving the retreating stranger one last look. He made his way up to the counter and took the tray holding their food. As he was setting the food down on the table, his phone rang. “Shit,” he muttered. “Sorry.”
“Go ahead,” Scott said, waving James away. “Take the call and I’ll go get you a to-go box.”
Feeling guilty as hell, James answered the phone and felt his stomach sink when he heard Jake’s voice. “Hope you’re not too far away, we’ve got a lead on the dealer we’ve been looking for.”
“I’m five minutes away,” he said, sighing. “Be right there.”
“You’ve got to go,” Scott said, half smiling. “I figured as much. Already packed your food up.”
“You’re too good to me,” he said, feeling a pang of regret. Andrej would have done the same thing. Hell, Andy would have asked for to-go containers when he ordered the food, honestly. He shook off the thoughts and gave Scott a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. I promise to make it up to you later,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it. Go catch the bad guys, James.” Scott made a shooing motion with his hands, making James smile at the ridiculousness of it.
He took the bag with his food in it and headed out the door. Turning towards the station, he caught a glimpse of the guy Andrej had been talking to in the café. Carter, that was what he’d responded to, right? He pulled out his phone and snuck a photo of the guy, praying no one had noticed. As soon as he had a few minutes of peace and quiet, he was going to do some digging and find out just who the hell this guy was and why he was sniffing around Andy.
James felt momentarily guilty for even entertaining the idea, but he was a detective after all, and he’d be damned if he let someone come in and hurt Andy all over again. It was bad enough that he’d already done as much.
“Oooh,” Zayne said, taking the bag from Andrej as he returned to their bank of desks. “That smells so good and I’m starving.” Catching sight of Zeklos’ face, he paused. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine,” Andrej said, sitting down and taking the container Zayne handed him. “I saw Jay at the café.”
“Damn, I’m sorry. Did he try and corner you again?” Zayne stopped unpacking his food long enough to make sure Zeklos wasn’t attempting to bluff his way through this.
Andrej shook his head. “He was with his boyfriend. But I am confused.”
“About what?” Zayne had opened his lunch and had a fry halfway to his mouth. The smell of cucumbers, salt, and fat filled the air.
“Jay said he was not a criminal attorney, so I am not sure why he is down in this area?”
“Maybe he came to meet Rosewood for lunch.” He shoved the fry into his mouth and immediately picked up a piece of tomato that had fallen out of his sandwich.
“Would you drive all the way down here, fight to park, to have lunch with your partner?” They were in the heart of downtown and parking was the least of their problems.
Zayne made a face. “You have a point. Maybe he lied to make you feel better.”
“Maybe,” Andrej said with a sigh.
“Is anything else bothering you, baby?”
“No,” Andrej said, getting everything ready so that he could start eating. “Yes. Maybe? I am not sure.” He picked up his pita and took a bite.
“Okay, now you have me curious. Spill.” Zayne handed Zeklos a napkin and waited while his partner wiped his face free of tzatziki.
“Please do,” Trish said, dragging her chair over by their desks. She set her lunch on the edge of Zayne’s desk and grinned.
“Yeah, we have no idea what’s going on,” Hilary said, bringing her chair over so she could share Andrej’s desk, “but we’re in need of some entertainment.”
“I do not know how entertaining this is,” Andrej began, “but I had a very strange encounter with another customer while I was waiting for our lunch.”
“Strange how,” Hilary asked.
“He might have been flirting,” Andrej said, looking as confused as ever.
Trish snorted. “You think but you don’t know?”
“You do realize who we’re dealing with, right,” Zayne teased. He’d told Zeklos a million times that Rosewood was interested in him and every time, Zek had laughed it off. Zayne knew he wasn’t the best at relationships, but he sure as hell was good at picking up on unspoken clues. Better than Zeklos was anyway. “What happened, maybe we can help you out here.”
Zeklos explained the situation to him and Zayne tried his best not to interrupt. It was clear to anyone with half a brain that the dude was hitting on Zek. But then, Zek was pretty oblivious to this kind of thing, too. Zayne didn’t get it either, he was a good-looking guy with a lot going for him. You’d think he’d be expecting the attention. “Yeah,” he said once Zek had finished the story. “He was totally trying to get a date. Did he ask for your number?”
“No, but he gave me his business card.” He pulled it out of his wallet and handed it over to Zayne.
“Yeah, I’d say he was interested in you,” Hilary said, happily. “Are you going to call him?”
“I do not know,” Andrej said. “Maybe?”
“Was he cute,” Trish asked with a suggestive grin.
Zeklos blushed. “Yes, he was very handsome.”
Something stirred in Zayne’s belly and he didn’t understand it, so he pushed it aside. “Then call him. Fuck the narco, go get that architect.”
“Architect?” Andrej turned towards Zayne. “He’s an architect?”
Zayne held up the card. “Didn’t you look at it? He works for a firm just a few minutes from here. No wonder you ran into him today.”
“Wonder if I’ve ever seen him,” Hilary asked.
“I do not remember having seen him before, but I was not looking either,” Andrej said. He took the card back from Zayne and replaced it in his wallet. “And I am not sure if I should call him or not. He might have given it to me to be polite.”
“Yeah, no,” Hilary said. “Guys don’t do that unless they’re interested. I say call him.”
“I agree,” Trish said. “He’d have asked for your number so he could conveniently lose it if he was stringing you along.”
That thing twisted in Zayne’s gut again. What the hell was wrong with him today? “Yeah, the girls are right. Dude’s definitely interested. You can’t get over the narco if you don’t get out and spend time with someone other than us.”
“Okay,” Andrej said, rolling his eyes. “I will give him a call in a couple of days.”
“Why not tonight,” Zayne asked, confused. “What’s the point in waiting?”
“To not look desperate, Reyes,” Trish laughed. “Not that you’d know or care about that.”
“Whatever,” Zayne said, waving a hand at her. “Just as long as you do call him, okay? You can’t let that damn ginger hold your heart hostage, Zek.”
“I never should have said anything,” Andrej muttered, causing Zayne to scowl. “I knew you three would make this into a big thing.”
“You can bring up whatever you want, Zek,” he said. “Just don’t expect me to not bash that dumbass for dumping you, okay?”
“Okay,” Andrej said, sounding less than certain.
“And we make little things into big things because you’re important to us,” Trish added.
“So, you’re going to call him, right?” Hilary had her sandwich poised, ready to take a bite.
“I will call him on one condition,” Andrej said, picking up his gyro. “My condition being you all leave me alone about this.”
Trish laughed out loud. “Okay, we’ll stop pestering you, Andy, but you can’t blame us for wanting you to be happy again.”
“I appreciate it,” he said, smiling sadly. “Thank you. Now, may we eat and get back to work?”
“Yes,” Zayne said. “We may.” He winked at Zeklos and dug into his lunch.
Zayne checked his desk to make sure he had everything before he left. In a rare show of vulnerability, Zeklos had packed up and left at exactly five o’clock. It wasn’t something he was sure Zek had ever done before. As much as he was hoping to bum dinner off his partner, he was happy to see Zek making an effort to take care of himself first for once.
“Guess I’ll just get takeout,” he muttered to himself.
“What’s the matter, Reyes,” Rosewood said, approaching Zayne. “You get stood up by your partner?”
“Go to hell, narco,” Zayne shot back. “Zek went home already.”
“Really,” James asked, looking around the bullpen. “Is he sick?”
Sick of you, Zayne thought. “Nope, just had better options than hanging around with me tonight.” Why those words made him feel ill, he wasn’t sure.
“Huh, okay,” James said with a shrug. “Guess I’ll catch up with him later. Night, Reyes.”
“Adios, Rosewood,” Zayne called back.
“Was that the narco I just heard,” Hilary asked, poking her head out of the breakroom.
“Yeah,” Zayne called back.
“What did he want?”
“I don’t have any idea,” he said, watching her and Trish walk towards him. “He didn’t say. I think he was looking for Zek, but not really. Does that make any sense?”
“Normally, I’d say no,” Trish said, grinning. “But out of you? It does.”
“Stuff it, Rollins,” Zayne said, smiling back at her. “I guess what I mean is it seemed like he wanted to know if Zeklos was still here, but he didn’t really want to talk to him. It was weird.”
“Like he’s keeping tabs on Andy,” Trish asked, her mouth curving downward in an angry frown. “Checking up on him.”
“Yeah, exactly like that,” Zayne said. “We all know Zeklos never leaves before six at the earliest, so I think the narco was surprised that he wasn’t still here.”
“He is one weird ass son of a bitch,” Trish muttered. “But he’d know Andy’s habits as well as anyone of us, I guess.”
“Maybe he’s worried Andy’s moved on already,” Hilary added. “Not that he has any right, considering he had a new boyfriend practically before he ditched his old one.”
“Asshole,” Trish muttered.
“Wait,” Zayne said, holding out a hand. “Zek told me before you two got back earlier that he saw Rosewood at the Greek place while he was waiting for our food.”
“Do you think Rosewood saw them chatting,” Hilary asked. “Andy and this mystery man?”
“It’d be my guess considering how weird he was asking,” Zayne said.
“Interesting,” Trish said.
“Agreed,” Hilary said with a nod.
Zayne kept quiet. He wasn’t sure if it was interesting or not. But he was pretty sure that he was pissed off at the fact that Rosewood still thought he had the right to nose around in Zek’s business like that. He had no idea how much he’d hurt Zeklos or how off balance he’d left the normally unshakable Romanian. Rosewood had better not have been hoping to find Zeklos alone so he could interrogate him. Because that’s the kind of shit that will get his ass kicked.
“Earth to Reyes,” Trish said, tapping Zayne on the head. “You in there still?”
Scowling, he looked up at the women. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“We were wondering if you wanted to grab dinner with us since Andy bailed on you,” Hilary repeated.
“Nah, I’m good,” Zayne said. “I’m going to take a page out of Zek’s book and go home, eat, and go to bed.”
“Okay then,” Hilary said. “Sleep well, dreamboat.”
“Right back atcha, princess,” he joked. Zayne waved at the girls as they left, wondering if he’d actually get to sleep early. Bets were on no, because Rosewood’s surprise appearance had him thinking the redhead was up to no good.
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,027
Summary: Andrej has an unusual encounter while picking up lunch.
Author’s Notes: And so the plot thickens. These first couple of chapters aren’t all that exciting, but it’ll pick up soon.
Zayne was supposed to be working on the call logs in front of him, but he couldn’t concentrate. From the moment he’d arrived that morning, he’d been on edge. He knew something was up with Zeklos, if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication. His first instinct was to badger his quiet partner until he confessed all his sins, but he resisted, afraid that Zek would say something that made him jog his ass downstairs and put a Texas sized boot up some redhead’s ass. Although Zek would tell him this was a sign he was maturing, it made him feel like a coward.
So, he didn’t ask. He just kept quiet and watched Zeklos work and try not to worry about what had caused his sleepless night.
“Why are you staring at me, Zayne,” Andrej muttered.
“Because you look like shit, baby,” he said, hating how harsh his honesty sounded. He probably could have sugar-coated that a bit. “I’ve never seen you look anything but one hundred percent ready to get down to business. Are you okay?”
“I am fine,” Zeklos said, shuffling papers on his desk. Deflecting.
It was obvious to Zayne that he was lying. “Did the narco come see you?”
“What? No,” he said, looking scandalized. “Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know,” Zayne said. “You look hung over, honestly, and I know you well enough to realize it’d take something big to make you drink until you were drunk. I guess I’m just worried about you.”
Andrej’s shoulders slumped a little. “Do not worry about me, I am fine, Zayne.”
“Okay,” he said, unwilling to let the conversation die, but Zeklos was going to cut it off soon either way. “I just know this hasn’t been easy on you. If I can help you, let me know, okay?”
“You can help by doing what I asked,” Andrej said, pointing at the untouched call logs. “You are getting paid for sitting here, Zayne.”
Laughing, Zayne picked them up. “Okay, okay, finnnne. But can we order some lunch? I’m starving.”
“Of course,” Andrej said, sounding relieved. “Order it and I will go pick it up.”
Andrej stood in line at the Greek café, waiting to pay for the order Zayne had placed. He’d been surprised that Zayne had opted for something relatively healthy, but he wasn’t about to point it out, either. Rolling with the flow was the best thing you could do when it came to Zayne and his food cravings. After paying for their lunch, he moved off to the side to wait to be called.
A flash of copper caught his attention, and he winced when he saw James and his new boyfriend enter the café. So much for the idea that he’d never run into James’ new beau, he thought. But he couldn’t deny that the guy was handsome. Tall and lean, he had perfectly coiffed blond hair and soft, brown eyes. He wasn’t Andrej’s usual type, but he wasn’t hard on the eyes either. It made him wonder what Zayne would think of the guy. He ducked his head in hopes that James wouldn’t notice him standing there. While he knew they needed to have a real conversation, now was neither the time nor the place for that mess.
“Excuse me,” a voice said, shaking Andrej out of his misery. “I think she just called my name.”
“Sorry,” Andrej said, looking up and taking a step back so that the customer could get past him.
“It’s okay,” the guy said, smiling broadly. Turning to the girl behind the pickup counter, he asked, “Did you call Carter?”
“Sorry, that was for Cara,” the girl apologized.
“No problem,” he said. Leaning against the wall beside Andrej he sighed. “I hate it when that happens, so embarrassing.”
“That is one reason why I make my partner call in the orders,” Andrej said, smiling back at his handsome companion. Strike that. He was more than good looking, he was stunning. The man beside him was all sharp cheekbones set in lightly tanned skin, bright blue eyes peeking out from under a wave of sandy brown hair. There was a time when he thought no one could be more attractive than Zayne, but this stranger sure came close. “His name is Zayne and that is not easily mistaken.”
The stranger laughed. “Your partner, eh? Work or life?”
“Work,” Andrej said, motioning towards the badge on his hip. “However, one of the other detectives in our department refers to him as my platonic life partner since we spend so much time together.” If only, he thought. Maybe he wouldn’t be struggling to get over James if he’d ever had a chance with Zayne.
“Hmm,” Carter said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Do you have a non-platonic life partner?”
“Not any longer,” Andrej replied, wishing he could take it back as soon as he’d said it. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said, with a shrug. “Life happens, right?”
“Order for Carter,” the girl behind the counter called out before Andrej could reply.
“Ah, that’s me,” he said. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and retrieved a business card. “If you decide to start auditioning for a replacement, give me a call.” He winked and handed the card to Andrej. “Enjoy your lunch.”
“Order for Zayne,” the girl called. “Although I know his lazy butt isn’t here to get it.”
Laughing, Andrej tucked the business card into his wallet and took their lunch from the employee. It was becoming obvious to him that they ate there more often than he’d realized.
James watched Andy walk out of the café and had to resist the urge to follow. He was there with Scott and it was very important that he not forget that tidbit. But still, who was that guy and why had he been flirting with Andy? A better question would be why he suddenly cared so much, but he didn’t have time to analyze that now.
“James,” Scott said, nudging him with an elbow. “I think she just said your name.”
“Right,” he said, giving the retreating stranger one last look. He made his way up to the counter and took the tray holding their food. As he was setting the food down on the table, his phone rang. “Shit,” he muttered. “Sorry.”
“Go ahead,” Scott said, waving James away. “Take the call and I’ll go get you a to-go box.”
Feeling guilty as hell, James answered the phone and felt his stomach sink when he heard Jake’s voice. “Hope you’re not too far away, we’ve got a lead on the dealer we’ve been looking for.”
“I’m five minutes away,” he said, sighing. “Be right there.”
“You’ve got to go,” Scott said, half smiling. “I figured as much. Already packed your food up.”
“You’re too good to me,” he said, feeling a pang of regret. Andrej would have done the same thing. Hell, Andy would have asked for to-go containers when he ordered the food, honestly. He shook off the thoughts and gave Scott a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. I promise to make it up to you later,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it. Go catch the bad guys, James.” Scott made a shooing motion with his hands, making James smile at the ridiculousness of it.
He took the bag with his food in it and headed out the door. Turning towards the station, he caught a glimpse of the guy Andrej had been talking to in the café. Carter, that was what he’d responded to, right? He pulled out his phone and snuck a photo of the guy, praying no one had noticed. As soon as he had a few minutes of peace and quiet, he was going to do some digging and find out just who the hell this guy was and why he was sniffing around Andy.
James felt momentarily guilty for even entertaining the idea, but he was a detective after all, and he’d be damned if he let someone come in and hurt Andy all over again. It was bad enough that he’d already done as much.
“Oooh,” Zayne said, taking the bag from Andrej as he returned to their bank of desks. “That smells so good and I’m starving.” Catching sight of Zeklos’ face, he paused. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine,” Andrej said, sitting down and taking the container Zayne handed him. “I saw Jay at the café.”
“Damn, I’m sorry. Did he try and corner you again?” Zayne stopped unpacking his food long enough to make sure Zeklos wasn’t attempting to bluff his way through this.
Andrej shook his head. “He was with his boyfriend. But I am confused.”
“About what?” Zayne had opened his lunch and had a fry halfway to his mouth. The smell of cucumbers, salt, and fat filled the air.
“Jay said he was not a criminal attorney, so I am not sure why he is down in this area?”
“Maybe he came to meet Rosewood for lunch.” He shoved the fry into his mouth and immediately picked up a piece of tomato that had fallen out of his sandwich.
“Would you drive all the way down here, fight to park, to have lunch with your partner?” They were in the heart of downtown and parking was the least of their problems.
Zayne made a face. “You have a point. Maybe he lied to make you feel better.”
“Maybe,” Andrej said with a sigh.
“Is anything else bothering you, baby?”
“No,” Andrej said, getting everything ready so that he could start eating. “Yes. Maybe? I am not sure.” He picked up his pita and took a bite.
“Okay, now you have me curious. Spill.” Zayne handed Zeklos a napkin and waited while his partner wiped his face free of tzatziki.
“Please do,” Trish said, dragging her chair over by their desks. She set her lunch on the edge of Zayne’s desk and grinned.
“Yeah, we have no idea what’s going on,” Hilary said, bringing her chair over so she could share Andrej’s desk, “but we’re in need of some entertainment.”
“I do not know how entertaining this is,” Andrej began, “but I had a very strange encounter with another customer while I was waiting for our lunch.”
“Strange how,” Hilary asked.
“He might have been flirting,” Andrej said, looking as confused as ever.
Trish snorted. “You think but you don’t know?”
“You do realize who we’re dealing with, right,” Zayne teased. He’d told Zeklos a million times that Rosewood was interested in him and every time, Zek had laughed it off. Zayne knew he wasn’t the best at relationships, but he sure as hell was good at picking up on unspoken clues. Better than Zeklos was anyway. “What happened, maybe we can help you out here.”
Zeklos explained the situation to him and Zayne tried his best not to interrupt. It was clear to anyone with half a brain that the dude was hitting on Zek. But then, Zek was pretty oblivious to this kind of thing, too. Zayne didn’t get it either, he was a good-looking guy with a lot going for him. You’d think he’d be expecting the attention. “Yeah,” he said once Zek had finished the story. “He was totally trying to get a date. Did he ask for your number?”
“No, but he gave me his business card.” He pulled it out of his wallet and handed it over to Zayne.
“Yeah, I’d say he was interested in you,” Hilary said, happily. “Are you going to call him?”
“I do not know,” Andrej said. “Maybe?”
“Was he cute,” Trish asked with a suggestive grin.
Zeklos blushed. “Yes, he was very handsome.”
Something stirred in Zayne’s belly and he didn’t understand it, so he pushed it aside. “Then call him. Fuck the narco, go get that architect.”
“Architect?” Andrej turned towards Zayne. “He’s an architect?”
Zayne held up the card. “Didn’t you look at it? He works for a firm just a few minutes from here. No wonder you ran into him today.”
“Wonder if I’ve ever seen him,” Hilary asked.
“I do not remember having seen him before, but I was not looking either,” Andrej said. He took the card back from Zayne and replaced it in his wallet. “And I am not sure if I should call him or not. He might have given it to me to be polite.”
“Yeah, no,” Hilary said. “Guys don’t do that unless they’re interested. I say call him.”
“I agree,” Trish said. “He’d have asked for your number so he could conveniently lose it if he was stringing you along.”
That thing twisted in Zayne’s gut again. What the hell was wrong with him today? “Yeah, the girls are right. Dude’s definitely interested. You can’t get over the narco if you don’t get out and spend time with someone other than us.”
“Okay,” Andrej said, rolling his eyes. “I will give him a call in a couple of days.”
“Why not tonight,” Zayne asked, confused. “What’s the point in waiting?”
“To not look desperate, Reyes,” Trish laughed. “Not that you’d know or care about that.”
“Whatever,” Zayne said, waving a hand at her. “Just as long as you do call him, okay? You can’t let that damn ginger hold your heart hostage, Zek.”
“I never should have said anything,” Andrej muttered, causing Zayne to scowl. “I knew you three would make this into a big thing.”
“You can bring up whatever you want, Zek,” he said. “Just don’t expect me to not bash that dumbass for dumping you, okay?”
“Okay,” Andrej said, sounding less than certain.
“And we make little things into big things because you’re important to us,” Trish added.
“So, you’re going to call him, right?” Hilary had her sandwich poised, ready to take a bite.
“I will call him on one condition,” Andrej said, picking up his gyro. “My condition being you all leave me alone about this.”
Trish laughed out loud. “Okay, we’ll stop pestering you, Andy, but you can’t blame us for wanting you to be happy again.”
“I appreciate it,” he said, smiling sadly. “Thank you. Now, may we eat and get back to work?”
“Yes,” Zayne said. “We may.” He winked at Zeklos and dug into his lunch.
Zayne checked his desk to make sure he had everything before he left. In a rare show of vulnerability, Zeklos had packed up and left at exactly five o’clock. It wasn’t something he was sure Zek had ever done before. As much as he was hoping to bum dinner off his partner, he was happy to see Zek making an effort to take care of himself first for once.
“Guess I’ll just get takeout,” he muttered to himself.
“What’s the matter, Reyes,” Rosewood said, approaching Zayne. “You get stood up by your partner?”
“Go to hell, narco,” Zayne shot back. “Zek went home already.”
“Really,” James asked, looking around the bullpen. “Is he sick?”
Sick of you, Zayne thought. “Nope, just had better options than hanging around with me tonight.” Why those words made him feel ill, he wasn’t sure.
“Huh, okay,” James said with a shrug. “Guess I’ll catch up with him later. Night, Reyes.”
“Adios, Rosewood,” Zayne called back.
“Was that the narco I just heard,” Hilary asked, poking her head out of the breakroom.
“Yeah,” Zayne called back.
“What did he want?”
“I don’t have any idea,” he said, watching her and Trish walk towards him. “He didn’t say. I think he was looking for Zek, but not really. Does that make any sense?”
“Normally, I’d say no,” Trish said, grinning. “But out of you? It does.”
“Stuff it, Rollins,” Zayne said, smiling back at her. “I guess what I mean is it seemed like he wanted to know if Zeklos was still here, but he didn’t really want to talk to him. It was weird.”
“Like he’s keeping tabs on Andy,” Trish asked, her mouth curving downward in an angry frown. “Checking up on him.”
“Yeah, exactly like that,” Zayne said. “We all know Zeklos never leaves before six at the earliest, so I think the narco was surprised that he wasn’t still here.”
“He is one weird ass son of a bitch,” Trish muttered. “But he’d know Andy’s habits as well as anyone of us, I guess.”
“Maybe he’s worried Andy’s moved on already,” Hilary added. “Not that he has any right, considering he had a new boyfriend practically before he ditched his old one.”
“Asshole,” Trish muttered.
“Wait,” Zayne said, holding out a hand. “Zek told me before you two got back earlier that he saw Rosewood at the Greek place while he was waiting for our food.”
“Do you think Rosewood saw them chatting,” Hilary asked. “Andy and this mystery man?”
“It’d be my guess considering how weird he was asking,” Zayne said.
“Interesting,” Trish said.
“Agreed,” Hilary said with a nod.
Zayne kept quiet. He wasn’t sure if it was interesting or not. But he was pretty sure that he was pissed off at the fact that Rosewood still thought he had the right to nose around in Zek’s business like that. He had no idea how much he’d hurt Zeklos or how off balance he’d left the normally unshakable Romanian. Rosewood had better not have been hoping to find Zeklos alone so he could interrogate him. Because that’s the kind of shit that will get his ass kicked.
“Earth to Reyes,” Trish said, tapping Zayne on the head. “You in there still?”
Scowling, he looked up at the women. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“We were wondering if you wanted to grab dinner with us since Andy bailed on you,” Hilary repeated.
“Nah, I’m good,” Zayne said. “I’m going to take a page out of Zek’s book and go home, eat, and go to bed.”
“Okay then,” Hilary said. “Sleep well, dreamboat.”
“Right back atcha, princess,” he joked. Zayne waved at the girls as they left, wondering if he’d actually get to sleep early. Bets were on no, because Rosewood’s surprise appearance had him thinking the redhead was up to no good.
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no subject
Date: 2020-09-13 09:08 pm (UTC)Jay better mind his manners or it'll be a size 10 up his ass if I get to him first.
no subject
Date: 2020-09-14 12:49 am (UTC)Jay's going to get his ass handed to him by a pissed off cowboy if you're not quick enough.