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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: In a Week or Two Chapter 13
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Gen-ish. Tentative Andy/Zayne
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,144
Summary: Andrej and Zayne try their hand at date night.
Author’s Note: I’ve finally finished this fic. HOORAY! Sixteen chapters in total. Hopefully it ends in a way that you appreciate. Also, I wrote the first part of this after watching Hubie Halloween on Netflix.
He grabbed a pillow off the couch and fluffed it for the third time. Zayne would be arriving in ten minutes if he was on time. Or rather, if their dinner was ready for pickup when Zayne got there. As much as they loved this particular place, they had a tendency to drag their feet getting orders out. They were lucky their food was worth the wait.
After much post-work deliberation on Monday, they’d decided on a Wednesday night dinner and movie date. Zayne had offered to stop and pick up their food and bring it with him, so Andrej didn’t have to go out again. Which Andrej was grateful for because he was nervous enough as it was with this whole ‘date’ thing. Having to go out, wait in line, grab their dinner, rush back so that he beat Zayne… it would be too much pressure. He made a mental note to thank Zayne again when he arrived.
“Okay, asshole,” Zayne announced as he let himself into Andrej’s house, arms laden with bags of food. “When I told you to order the food, I did not mean for you to pay for it, too. What gives?”
Andrej poked his head out of the kitchen at the sound of Zayne’s annoyed voice. “I had assumed that was why I was ordering?”
Zayne shook his head and brushed a kiss across Andrej’s cheek as he moved past him into the kitchen. “No, I asked you to order because I knew I’d be tempted to change whatever healthy ass thing you wanted to something a little more fun. And fattening.” He winked at Andrej and started unpacking their food. “And I figured that’d end our first date before it started.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Andrej watched Zayne pulling boxes of food out of the bag. The muscles in his arms flexed as he moved, making Andrej’s mouth water even more than the smell of their dinner. No matter how obnoxious or irritating Zayne was being, he was always beautiful. Swallowing, he pushed those thoughts aside. “I am sorry. I just thought –”
“I know,” Zayne said, cutting him off with a gentle chuckle. “And I can’t blame you because I’m a bit of a mooch. But since this is more than our usual after work meal, I wanted to carry my own weight for once.”
“You are fine,” he said, resting a hand on Zayne’s arm. “I am not upset. You can buy dinner next time if we decide to do this again.”
Zayne grinned wickedly. “Oh, you know you’ll want more, baby.”
Andrej fought the blush he felt rising to his cheeks. “I suppose we shall see.” He walked to the refrigerator, looking over his shoulder at Zayne. “What would you like to drink?”
“Beer if you have it,” Zayne said, stepping towards the cabinet where the plates were kept. He grabbed two. “Or whatever carbonated beverage you have in there if you’re out of the good stuff.”
He grabbed a beer off the door and opened it before setting it on the counter in front of Zayne. Andrej poured himself a glass of hot tea, causing Zayne to make a face. “What?”
“No beer?”
“No,” he said. “Tea is better. Especially after the weekend we have had.”
Zayne snorted. “Yeah, you could be right about that. Here, come get your food.”
Andrej took his plate off the counter and headed for the living room. The more Zayne came over, the more he found himself breaking his own rules. He never ate in the living room, but that’s exactly what they’d be doing tonight, it seemed. It would be hard to watch the movie otherwise, he reminded himself. “Did you bring a movie,” he asked Zayne.
“No,” he said, setting his plate down next to where Andrej’s was on the coffee table. “But I found something on Netflix that I think you might like.”
“Okay,” he said, turning on his television and bringing up Netflix. Zayne told him what to look for and he brought it up, hitting play. “What is this about?”
“It’s a silly Halloween movie that I thought you’d get a kick out of,” Zayne said, taking a fry off his plate. “You might not completely get some of it, but I think you’ll laugh more than you won’t.” He glanced at Andrej and smiled. “Or, at least, I hope you do.”
“I will be fine, I am sure,” he said. Andrej leaned forward, leaving his plate on the coffee table.
“Never doubted it for a second,” he replied with a grin. “And thank you for dinner even if you weren’t supposed to pay for it.”
“Do not worry yourself about it,” Andrej said. “Now eat and watch your movie.”
“I can do that,” Zayne teased.
“What exactly are we watching,” Andrej asked halfway through the movie. “I am not sure any of this makes any sense, Zayne.”
He was snuggled into Zayne’s side, head resting on his partner’s chest, his feet up on the couch. It had been a long time since he’d lain like this with anyone as James was not a fan of cuddling unless it was in bed. Andrej had been surprised that Zayne had suggested getting comfortable and even more shocked at how natural it felt to be with him like this.
“Eh, it’s an Adam Sandler movie, baby,” Zayne said, although it didn’t really clarify much for Andrej. “Not much he does makes a whole lot of sense. Well, except Reign Over Me, but I really don’t want to make you cry tonight so we’ll um, save that one for later, okay?”
“I, um, okay,” Andrej said, even more confused than he had been. “If you say so?”
Zayne laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Just watch how ridiculous this shit gets, okay?”
“Okay,” Andrej agreed. If nothing else, he could close his eyes and enjoy this bit of quiet time with Zayne. So, that’s exactly what he did – he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of his partner’s heart beating.
“Well,” Zayne said softly, curling a lock of wavy hair around one finger, “since you’re obviously not into the movie, can I ask you a question?”
He cracked one eyelid and studied Zayne for a moment. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
Zayne bit his lower lip, thinking, for a moment. “Do you really have to have dinner with Carter on Friday? Can’t you call him and tell him a piano fell on your head or something?”
Andrej sat up and stared at Zayne. “I am still not convinced that this,” he waved a hand vaguely between them, “is what you want your forever to be. So yes, I do still have to keep my date with Carter.” He hated the way Zayne’s face fell at that declaration, but he pressed onward. “This is not to make you feel bad or say that I do not trust you but…”
“But you don’t,” Zayne said, matter of fact. “I get it.”
“No,” Andrej said, exhausted, “you don’t.” They’d had this conversation several times and it didn’t seem like Zayne comprehended how much he was putting himself on the line for what could turn out to be nothing more than a fling for the Texan. “I want this to work between us, I want it more than I have wanted anything ever in my life. But you never have had any interest in men before now. Certainly, never any interest in me. Can you blame me for being cautious?”
“No, I guess I can’t,” Zayne said after a long, tense silence. “Will you come back,” he asked, holding out his arms and wiggling his fingers. “I know you’re going to kick me out as soon as this movie’s done so you can get to bed, so come lay with me until it’s over. Please?”
He hated how much he wanted it, hated how easily he gave in more. But he curled himself into Zayne’s arms and sighed at how good his partner felt under him, how right it was to be like this. In the morning, he was going to hate waking up alone even more, but at least that was a regret he was used to having. One of these days, he’d have someone to call his own again. Maybe it’d be Carter. Or maybe, if the gods looked down on him, it’d be Zayne.
“You’re really going out with the architect tonight,” Trish asked when Andrej arrived on Friday morning.
“I am,” he said. “We are having dinner at a little place on the other side of town. I am not sure Jay has ever heard of it, so we ought to be safe from any kind of confrontation.”
Trish snorted. “If he tries to accost you again; promise me you’ll kick his ass?”
“Violence is never the answer, Trish,” he said. “However, I will not hesitate to defend myself, if necessary.”
“I can live with that,” she said, sliding into her chair. “I’d hate for someone like Rosewood to get the better of you. Bad enough that Reyes does it on a daily basis.”
“Oh shit, what have I done now,” Zayne asked, hearing his name.
“Nothing,” Trish said. “Yet. But give it time, cowboy.”
“You’re not funny, Rollins,” Zayne said as he dumped himself in his chair. He turned towards Andrej. “What were you talking about me for anyway?”
“We were not talking about you, Zayne,” Andrej said, unpacking his messenger bag. “However, your name did come up at the end there. Do not worry, it was not anything bad.”
“It’s never good when my name comes out of her mouth,” Zayne said, making a face at Trish.
“You two are such children,” Hilary said, seeing Trish flip Zayne off in response. “Morning, Andy.”
“Good morning, Hilary,” he replied. “It is never ending with these two. I cannot imagine what it is like when there is neither you nor myself to keep them honest.”
“Chaos, Andy,” Trish laughed. “It’d be utter and absolute chaos.”
He shook his head, trying not to laugh. “On that note, we should get to work. It is Friday after all and the sooner we get started, the sooner we can go home.”
Grumbling their begrudging agreement, the other three detectives got back to the business at hand. After about an hour, Trish and Hilary excused themselves to go walk their crime scene again in hopes of putting their evidence together in a way that might help them solve their case. He and Zayne, however, were stuck doing the usual drudgework.
“Ugh,” Zayne grunted, stretching his arms upwards. Andrej winced when he heard Zayne’s back pop. “I need to get up for a minute. I won’t be gone long. Need anything?”
“No,” he said, “but thank you. And take your time. It is important to get up and move.”
Zayne headed out of the bullpen, likely on his way for a caffeine and sugar boost. Andrej rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. It had been a long, boring day so far and it wasn’t even mid-afternoon yet. They’d eaten at their desks and kept working through lunch, which is probably why Zayne had finally had enough. Not that he blamed the guy at all. He was contemplating getting up and doing a couple laps around their floor when his phone pinged.
What are you doing tonight, the text read. I was hoping maybe we could have dinner.
Andrej rubbed his eyes and double checked the sender because this couldn’t actually be coming from James. Maybe Zayne had been changing his contact names again?
Andy? You’re not ignoring me, are you?
“No, that is indeed Jay,” he muttered.
“What is,” Hilary asked, resting her hand on his shoulder.
“Where’s your other half,” Trish added.
He looked up. “Zayne needed to stretch his legs and is likely procuring coffee and something sweet.” Turning his focus to Hilary, he made a face. “This is what I meant.”
Andrej pushed his phone towards Hilary, his messaging app still open.
“Oh my,” she said. “That’s not good.”
“Not for his boyfriend it isn’t,” Trish said, reading over Hilary’s shoulder. “What are you going to tell him?”
“That I have a date,” Andrej said. “With Carter. Which he should already know.” He looked around the room quickly. “Please, do not tell Zayne that Jay texted me. He is already annoyed that I am still going to dinner with Carter tonight.”
“And what are you going to do about that,” Hilary asked. She sat on the side of his desk, watching him. “Don’t dump him just because Zayne suddenly caught a case of the feels.”
“I was not planning on doing anything of the sort,” he said, sighing. “I like Carter a lot and as much as I care about Zayne…” He shrugged, unable to voice the words that had started more than a couple fights between himself and Zayne.
“But Zayne’s a manwhore and it’s very possible he’ll break your heart,” Trish finished.
“That – that is not exactly what I meant,” Andrej said, looking at his desk.
Hilary rubbed his back with her hand. “You’re worried that he’s overwhelmed with affection and is confusing it for something else, is that it?”
“That is a much better description.”
“Have you talked to him about it at all,” Hilary asked.
“I have tried, but he gets upset every time,” Andrej said, frowning. “He thinks that I am not giving him a fair chance because of his history with you and everyone else. But it is not true. I am still not over this,” he picked up his phone and waved it at them. “How can I not be worried it might happen again?”
His phone started vibrating in his hand, startling him so that he dropped it. From the screen, he could see James’ handsome face smiling back at him and he groaned.
“Answer it,” Trish said. “You are meticulous about promptly returning texts, you know. He’s probably worried you’ve been abducted by aliens.”
Andrej gave her a look, grabbing his phone as he did so. “Jay, I am sorry. I was in the middle of something and had not had a chance to reply.”
“It’s okay,” he said, sounding weary. “I was worried when you didn’t text back right away. The only time you don’t reply is when you’re asleep or well, um, otherwise occupied. Wasn’t sure you’d be doing either while in the office.”
If his face hadn’t already been red from the way James had alluded to sex, it was definitely showing his embarrassment at the suggestion of sex at work. That he’d been kissing Zayne less than twenty-four hours ago didn’t help matters much either. “I was speaking with Hilary and Trish about some things and didn’t see the texts come in.” He hated lying, but it was better than the truth. At least it was a believable lie.
“Ah, gotcha,” he said. “So?”
“So,” Andrej said, looking at the girls, praying for strength, “I have a date tonight, Jay.”
There was a long pause before he heard James breath out a single word. “Okay.”
“I believe I told you I had another date with Carter tonight,” he said, trying not to lose patience. “Is there something you wanted to discuss? Maybe we can have lunch over the weekend.”
“Right,” James scoffed. “As if you’ll have five free minutes with the way Reyes has been living out of your place lately.”
Andrej pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “You know that Zayne was only trying to help me figure out what to do about the way you were acting, Jay. As much as I hate to admit it, you were getting a little crazy.”
“Yeah, whatever,” James grumbled.
“We can meet for lunch on Saturday,” Andrej repeated, trying not to let James get under his skin. “Or I can call you when I get home tonight. But I am not going to feel guilty about this.”
From the corner of his eye, he caught Hilary giving him two thumbs up in encouragement. He smiled at her before returning his attention to the phone call. Sometimes, it was really good to have these two nutty detectives on his side. Even if they thought it was okay to eavesdrop on his personal conversations.
“Never mind, it wasn’t important anyway.”
“That cannot be true, Jay,” Andrej said, his frustrations rising. “If it was important enough to text me about, then call when I didn’t immediately respond, I am going to guess it is too important to just wave away now.”
“Nah, I just changed my mind, okay?” Andrej clenched his phone tightly to his ear, James’ angry voice prickling up his spine. “Go do whatever it is you do with the cowboy and forget I ever called.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen. James had hung up on him. “Idiotule,” he swore, tossing his phone onto his desk.
“I don’t know what that means, but I’m going to guess it’s not good,” Trish said, wary of Andrej’s sudden change in mood.
“What did I miss,” Zayne asked, looking from the girls’ concerned faces to his partner. “Zek?”
“I am fine,” he said, locking all the things James had stirred up away for the day. “Just a little annoyed. Do you feel better?”
Zayne frowned. “My legs do, but the verdict’s out on the rest of me. Are you sure you’re fine? Because you look… well, pissed.”
“I – what are you carrying?”
Zayne looked down at the blue bag with the pink polka dots on it and laughed. “I was only going to hit up the taco truck when I saw that whoever took over the old coffee shop has finally reopened it. So, that’s where I went.”
“is it run by clowns now,” Trish asked.
“No, just a couple of older ladies,” Zayne said. “Really nice, too. They thought I was cute.”
“Too bad they don’t know you,” Trish muttered.
“You’re lucky I like you,” he shot back. “Because I grabbed enough pastries for all of us. And drinks,” he said, holding up the other hand with the drink carrier. “I figured you two would be back by now, so I took a chance.”
“Thank you, Zayne,” Andrej said. “This is exactly what I need to get through the afternoon.”
“Same,” Hilary said. “And thank you.”
“Now, if we could only find a way to make time fly,” Zayne said.
“Do your work,” Andrej said, tossing a pen in his direction. “That is usually what I do.”
Smiling fondly at his partner, Zayne took the pen and opened the stack of bank records to where he’d left off and started looking for something that could help them solve this case.
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Gen-ish. Tentative Andy/Zayne
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,144
Summary: Andrej and Zayne try their hand at date night.
Author’s Note: I’ve finally finished this fic. HOORAY! Sixteen chapters in total. Hopefully it ends in a way that you appreciate. Also, I wrote the first part of this after watching Hubie Halloween on Netflix.
He grabbed a pillow off the couch and fluffed it for the third time. Zayne would be arriving in ten minutes if he was on time. Or rather, if their dinner was ready for pickup when Zayne got there. As much as they loved this particular place, they had a tendency to drag their feet getting orders out. They were lucky their food was worth the wait.
After much post-work deliberation on Monday, they’d decided on a Wednesday night dinner and movie date. Zayne had offered to stop and pick up their food and bring it with him, so Andrej didn’t have to go out again. Which Andrej was grateful for because he was nervous enough as it was with this whole ‘date’ thing. Having to go out, wait in line, grab their dinner, rush back so that he beat Zayne… it would be too much pressure. He made a mental note to thank Zayne again when he arrived.
“Okay, asshole,” Zayne announced as he let himself into Andrej’s house, arms laden with bags of food. “When I told you to order the food, I did not mean for you to pay for it, too. What gives?”
Andrej poked his head out of the kitchen at the sound of Zayne’s annoyed voice. “I had assumed that was why I was ordering?”
Zayne shook his head and brushed a kiss across Andrej’s cheek as he moved past him into the kitchen. “No, I asked you to order because I knew I’d be tempted to change whatever healthy ass thing you wanted to something a little more fun. And fattening.” He winked at Andrej and started unpacking their food. “And I figured that’d end our first date before it started.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Andrej watched Zayne pulling boxes of food out of the bag. The muscles in his arms flexed as he moved, making Andrej’s mouth water even more than the smell of their dinner. No matter how obnoxious or irritating Zayne was being, he was always beautiful. Swallowing, he pushed those thoughts aside. “I am sorry. I just thought –”
“I know,” Zayne said, cutting him off with a gentle chuckle. “And I can’t blame you because I’m a bit of a mooch. But since this is more than our usual after work meal, I wanted to carry my own weight for once.”
“You are fine,” he said, resting a hand on Zayne’s arm. “I am not upset. You can buy dinner next time if we decide to do this again.”
Zayne grinned wickedly. “Oh, you know you’ll want more, baby.”
Andrej fought the blush he felt rising to his cheeks. “I suppose we shall see.” He walked to the refrigerator, looking over his shoulder at Zayne. “What would you like to drink?”
“Beer if you have it,” Zayne said, stepping towards the cabinet where the plates were kept. He grabbed two. “Or whatever carbonated beverage you have in there if you’re out of the good stuff.”
He grabbed a beer off the door and opened it before setting it on the counter in front of Zayne. Andrej poured himself a glass of hot tea, causing Zayne to make a face. “What?”
“No beer?”
“No,” he said. “Tea is better. Especially after the weekend we have had.”
Zayne snorted. “Yeah, you could be right about that. Here, come get your food.”
Andrej took his plate off the counter and headed for the living room. The more Zayne came over, the more he found himself breaking his own rules. He never ate in the living room, but that’s exactly what they’d be doing tonight, it seemed. It would be hard to watch the movie otherwise, he reminded himself. “Did you bring a movie,” he asked Zayne.
“No,” he said, setting his plate down next to where Andrej’s was on the coffee table. “But I found something on Netflix that I think you might like.”
“Okay,” he said, turning on his television and bringing up Netflix. Zayne told him what to look for and he brought it up, hitting play. “What is this about?”
“It’s a silly Halloween movie that I thought you’d get a kick out of,” Zayne said, taking a fry off his plate. “You might not completely get some of it, but I think you’ll laugh more than you won’t.” He glanced at Andrej and smiled. “Or, at least, I hope you do.”
“I will be fine, I am sure,” he said. Andrej leaned forward, leaving his plate on the coffee table.
“Never doubted it for a second,” he replied with a grin. “And thank you for dinner even if you weren’t supposed to pay for it.”
“Do not worry yourself about it,” Andrej said. “Now eat and watch your movie.”
“I can do that,” Zayne teased.
“What exactly are we watching,” Andrej asked halfway through the movie. “I am not sure any of this makes any sense, Zayne.”
He was snuggled into Zayne’s side, head resting on his partner’s chest, his feet up on the couch. It had been a long time since he’d lain like this with anyone as James was not a fan of cuddling unless it was in bed. Andrej had been surprised that Zayne had suggested getting comfortable and even more shocked at how natural it felt to be with him like this.
“Eh, it’s an Adam Sandler movie, baby,” Zayne said, although it didn’t really clarify much for Andrej. “Not much he does makes a whole lot of sense. Well, except Reign Over Me, but I really don’t want to make you cry tonight so we’ll um, save that one for later, okay?”
“I, um, okay,” Andrej said, even more confused than he had been. “If you say so?”
Zayne laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Just watch how ridiculous this shit gets, okay?”
“Okay,” Andrej agreed. If nothing else, he could close his eyes and enjoy this bit of quiet time with Zayne. So, that’s exactly what he did – he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of his partner’s heart beating.
“Well,” Zayne said softly, curling a lock of wavy hair around one finger, “since you’re obviously not into the movie, can I ask you a question?”
He cracked one eyelid and studied Zayne for a moment. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
Zayne bit his lower lip, thinking, for a moment. “Do you really have to have dinner with Carter on Friday? Can’t you call him and tell him a piano fell on your head or something?”
Andrej sat up and stared at Zayne. “I am still not convinced that this,” he waved a hand vaguely between them, “is what you want your forever to be. So yes, I do still have to keep my date with Carter.” He hated the way Zayne’s face fell at that declaration, but he pressed onward. “This is not to make you feel bad or say that I do not trust you but…”
“But you don’t,” Zayne said, matter of fact. “I get it.”
“No,” Andrej said, exhausted, “you don’t.” They’d had this conversation several times and it didn’t seem like Zayne comprehended how much he was putting himself on the line for what could turn out to be nothing more than a fling for the Texan. “I want this to work between us, I want it more than I have wanted anything ever in my life. But you never have had any interest in men before now. Certainly, never any interest in me. Can you blame me for being cautious?”
“No, I guess I can’t,” Zayne said after a long, tense silence. “Will you come back,” he asked, holding out his arms and wiggling his fingers. “I know you’re going to kick me out as soon as this movie’s done so you can get to bed, so come lay with me until it’s over. Please?”
He hated how much he wanted it, hated how easily he gave in more. But he curled himself into Zayne’s arms and sighed at how good his partner felt under him, how right it was to be like this. In the morning, he was going to hate waking up alone even more, but at least that was a regret he was used to having. One of these days, he’d have someone to call his own again. Maybe it’d be Carter. Or maybe, if the gods looked down on him, it’d be Zayne.
“You’re really going out with the architect tonight,” Trish asked when Andrej arrived on Friday morning.
“I am,” he said. “We are having dinner at a little place on the other side of town. I am not sure Jay has ever heard of it, so we ought to be safe from any kind of confrontation.”
Trish snorted. “If he tries to accost you again; promise me you’ll kick his ass?”
“Violence is never the answer, Trish,” he said. “However, I will not hesitate to defend myself, if necessary.”
“I can live with that,” she said, sliding into her chair. “I’d hate for someone like Rosewood to get the better of you. Bad enough that Reyes does it on a daily basis.”
“Oh shit, what have I done now,” Zayne asked, hearing his name.
“Nothing,” Trish said. “Yet. But give it time, cowboy.”
“You’re not funny, Rollins,” Zayne said as he dumped himself in his chair. He turned towards Andrej. “What were you talking about me for anyway?”
“We were not talking about you, Zayne,” Andrej said, unpacking his messenger bag. “However, your name did come up at the end there. Do not worry, it was not anything bad.”
“It’s never good when my name comes out of her mouth,” Zayne said, making a face at Trish.
“You two are such children,” Hilary said, seeing Trish flip Zayne off in response. “Morning, Andy.”
“Good morning, Hilary,” he replied. “It is never ending with these two. I cannot imagine what it is like when there is neither you nor myself to keep them honest.”
“Chaos, Andy,” Trish laughed. “It’d be utter and absolute chaos.”
He shook his head, trying not to laugh. “On that note, we should get to work. It is Friday after all and the sooner we get started, the sooner we can go home.”
Grumbling their begrudging agreement, the other three detectives got back to the business at hand. After about an hour, Trish and Hilary excused themselves to go walk their crime scene again in hopes of putting their evidence together in a way that might help them solve their case. He and Zayne, however, were stuck doing the usual drudgework.
“Ugh,” Zayne grunted, stretching his arms upwards. Andrej winced when he heard Zayne’s back pop. “I need to get up for a minute. I won’t be gone long. Need anything?”
“No,” he said, “but thank you. And take your time. It is important to get up and move.”
Zayne headed out of the bullpen, likely on his way for a caffeine and sugar boost. Andrej rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. It had been a long, boring day so far and it wasn’t even mid-afternoon yet. They’d eaten at their desks and kept working through lunch, which is probably why Zayne had finally had enough. Not that he blamed the guy at all. He was contemplating getting up and doing a couple laps around their floor when his phone pinged.
What are you doing tonight, the text read. I was hoping maybe we could have dinner.
Andrej rubbed his eyes and double checked the sender because this couldn’t actually be coming from James. Maybe Zayne had been changing his contact names again?
Andy? You’re not ignoring me, are you?
“No, that is indeed Jay,” he muttered.
“What is,” Hilary asked, resting her hand on his shoulder.
“Where’s your other half,” Trish added.
He looked up. “Zayne needed to stretch his legs and is likely procuring coffee and something sweet.” Turning his focus to Hilary, he made a face. “This is what I meant.”
Andrej pushed his phone towards Hilary, his messaging app still open.
“Oh my,” she said. “That’s not good.”
“Not for his boyfriend it isn’t,” Trish said, reading over Hilary’s shoulder. “What are you going to tell him?”
“That I have a date,” Andrej said. “With Carter. Which he should already know.” He looked around the room quickly. “Please, do not tell Zayne that Jay texted me. He is already annoyed that I am still going to dinner with Carter tonight.”
“And what are you going to do about that,” Hilary asked. She sat on the side of his desk, watching him. “Don’t dump him just because Zayne suddenly caught a case of the feels.”
“I was not planning on doing anything of the sort,” he said, sighing. “I like Carter a lot and as much as I care about Zayne…” He shrugged, unable to voice the words that had started more than a couple fights between himself and Zayne.
“But Zayne’s a manwhore and it’s very possible he’ll break your heart,” Trish finished.
“That – that is not exactly what I meant,” Andrej said, looking at his desk.
Hilary rubbed his back with her hand. “You’re worried that he’s overwhelmed with affection and is confusing it for something else, is that it?”
“That is a much better description.”
“Have you talked to him about it at all,” Hilary asked.
“I have tried, but he gets upset every time,” Andrej said, frowning. “He thinks that I am not giving him a fair chance because of his history with you and everyone else. But it is not true. I am still not over this,” he picked up his phone and waved it at them. “How can I not be worried it might happen again?”
His phone started vibrating in his hand, startling him so that he dropped it. From the screen, he could see James’ handsome face smiling back at him and he groaned.
“Answer it,” Trish said. “You are meticulous about promptly returning texts, you know. He’s probably worried you’ve been abducted by aliens.”
Andrej gave her a look, grabbing his phone as he did so. “Jay, I am sorry. I was in the middle of something and had not had a chance to reply.”
“It’s okay,” he said, sounding weary. “I was worried when you didn’t text back right away. The only time you don’t reply is when you’re asleep or well, um, otherwise occupied. Wasn’t sure you’d be doing either while in the office.”
If his face hadn’t already been red from the way James had alluded to sex, it was definitely showing his embarrassment at the suggestion of sex at work. That he’d been kissing Zayne less than twenty-four hours ago didn’t help matters much either. “I was speaking with Hilary and Trish about some things and didn’t see the texts come in.” He hated lying, but it was better than the truth. At least it was a believable lie.
“Ah, gotcha,” he said. “So?”
“So,” Andrej said, looking at the girls, praying for strength, “I have a date tonight, Jay.”
There was a long pause before he heard James breath out a single word. “Okay.”
“I believe I told you I had another date with Carter tonight,” he said, trying not to lose patience. “Is there something you wanted to discuss? Maybe we can have lunch over the weekend.”
“Right,” James scoffed. “As if you’ll have five free minutes with the way Reyes has been living out of your place lately.”
Andrej pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “You know that Zayne was only trying to help me figure out what to do about the way you were acting, Jay. As much as I hate to admit it, you were getting a little crazy.”
“Yeah, whatever,” James grumbled.
“We can meet for lunch on Saturday,” Andrej repeated, trying not to let James get under his skin. “Or I can call you when I get home tonight. But I am not going to feel guilty about this.”
From the corner of his eye, he caught Hilary giving him two thumbs up in encouragement. He smiled at her before returning his attention to the phone call. Sometimes, it was really good to have these two nutty detectives on his side. Even if they thought it was okay to eavesdrop on his personal conversations.
“Never mind, it wasn’t important anyway.”
“That cannot be true, Jay,” Andrej said, his frustrations rising. “If it was important enough to text me about, then call when I didn’t immediately respond, I am going to guess it is too important to just wave away now.”
“Nah, I just changed my mind, okay?” Andrej clenched his phone tightly to his ear, James’ angry voice prickling up his spine. “Go do whatever it is you do with the cowboy and forget I ever called.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen. James had hung up on him. “Idiotule,” he swore, tossing his phone onto his desk.
“I don’t know what that means, but I’m going to guess it’s not good,” Trish said, wary of Andrej’s sudden change in mood.
“What did I miss,” Zayne asked, looking from the girls’ concerned faces to his partner. “Zek?”
“I am fine,” he said, locking all the things James had stirred up away for the day. “Just a little annoyed. Do you feel better?”
Zayne frowned. “My legs do, but the verdict’s out on the rest of me. Are you sure you’re fine? Because you look… well, pissed.”
“I – what are you carrying?”
Zayne looked down at the blue bag with the pink polka dots on it and laughed. “I was only going to hit up the taco truck when I saw that whoever took over the old coffee shop has finally reopened it. So, that’s where I went.”
“is it run by clowns now,” Trish asked.
“No, just a couple of older ladies,” Zayne said. “Really nice, too. They thought I was cute.”
“Too bad they don’t know you,” Trish muttered.
“You’re lucky I like you,” he shot back. “Because I grabbed enough pastries for all of us. And drinks,” he said, holding up the other hand with the drink carrier. “I figured you two would be back by now, so I took a chance.”
“Thank you, Zayne,” Andrej said. “This is exactly what I need to get through the afternoon.”
“Same,” Hilary said. “And thank you.”
“Now, if we could only find a way to make time fly,” Zayne said.
“Do your work,” Andrej said, tossing a pen in his direction. “That is usually what I do.”
Smiling fondly at his partner, Zayne took the pen and opened the stack of bank records to where he’d left off and started looking for something that could help them solve this case.
