Work Text:
Cullen scribbled his signature at the bottom of a statistics report from one of the many businesses he owned. He set the report aside and as he reached for another one, his eyes fell upon his cell phone. He frowned, drumming his fingers against the desktop.
He...wanted to contact Officer Lavellan. After their first dinner together, he had been tempted to do so several times over.
On the one hand, he should call her.
If he was to succeed in diverting the young policewoman’s attention from the Inquisition, he would have to be willing to turn one date into several. Perhaps even begin a full-blown relationship with the woman. So long as he was able to hide his own connection to the underbelly of Kirkwall, and so long as he provided her with supposedly anonymous tips to aid her in taking down his rivals, he felt it was an all-around win-win situation.
On the other hand...Something had happened during that dinner.
Officer Lavellan was earnest and optimistic, much like he had been when he once served with the Kirkwall Police Department. But it had been more than that. The way she had been surprised at his choice of venue, the sheer excitement she had exhibited over the different menu options...The way she had smiled...And her pure, genuine sympathy when he had briefly recalled his time with the KPD…
There had been something about her that drew his attention. He had to wonder if his ruse of trying to date her really would be a ruse. A part of him felt a sort of giddy excitement at the idea of finally allowing himself to have a relationship for the first time in years. But another part of him was absolutely terrified of the thought. Yes, he wanted to keep an eye on her, but he also couldn’t risk letting her become too close, or he would fail at his own game.
His phone pinged, drawing him out of his reverie. Cullen let out a small sigh. He was worrying too much. He had time to figure out what to do. If worst came to worst, he would just walk away. Sighing once more, he finally reached for his phone to check on the text message he had received.
He couldn’t help but smile as he saw that it was from Officer Lavellan herself.
[Hey, it’s Enansal Lavellan. I...just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed dinner the other night. If it’s alright with you, I was actually wondering if you’d like to get coffee with me sometime this week?]
Before he had a chance to reply, his phone pinged once more, and another message appeared.
[I...really wanted to meet you again. We don’t have to talk about the case, either.]
Cullen stared at her two texts for a long while. He started to wonder if she might have felt the same sort of connection between the two of them that he had...He licked his lips. Even if she had, he really shouldn’t encourage whatever feelings she may or may not be developing. And yet, he found that he really could care less. He wanted this, and he wanted her to want it, too. Maker help him, he just wanted to pretend he was normal again.
He let out another sigh and rolled his shoulders back. He ignored the warning bells his own mind was setting off, and finally keyed a response.
[I was about to ask you the same thing. When and where would you like to go?]