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Kevin hated himself for how he got so nervous around her, but after what happened today, he royally fucked up. He lost his badge. He has no idea how the hell he managed to lose his badge, therefore he also doesn’t know where to start looking.
This morning he had it. Now he doesn’t anymore.
Kevin sits behind his desk, thinking about all the places he could’ve left it.
‘Atwater,’ he hears the voice of Trudy Platt and he fears the worse. Her coming all the way up into Intelligence, she must’ve have something on his ass and if it’s badge related, he’s going to hear from it for eternity.
‘Yeah, sarge?’ he asks, looking up from his work.
‘You got a visitor and she’s a cute one. Brought me a coffee, like the real saint she is.’
And behind sergeant Platt, the woman of the cafe he always goes to was standing. It was weird not seeing her wearing the cafe apron, but a thick coat over her frame, as it was freezing outside. ‘Hi,’ she says.
This is not the time to stammer, especially with the entire team, including sergeant Voight standing in the bullpen, watching his every move. ‘Hey,’ he says and he applauded himself for the good start. He stands up from his chair and makes his way over to her. ‘What… How… What are you doing here?’ Kevin asks as he’s closing in on her.
‘I figured your team could use some coffee. I brought a few different things,’ she says, holding up the carton holders. ‘I wrote down on each cup what it contains, so I hope I’ve got something for everyone.’
‘Yo Kev,’ Ruzek says, ‘where and why have you been hiding this girl. This is amazing.’ He’s quick to introduce himself to her and it’s actually the first time Kevin hears her name.
He has been crushing on the woman behind the counter of his favorite cafe for quite some time now. He usually drops by Monday through Thursday, since she’s only working on those days.
As the rest of the team is introducing themselves to her, before they grab a coffee, she gently pulls him to the side. ‘I’ve got something for you,’ she says. She holds out something and that something is his badge.
The one he lost.
‘You found it?’ he asks, which is a stupid question. ‘Where?’
‘You left it on the counter,’ she tells him. ‘I managed to pry it out of a kleptomaniacs hand and figured you wanted it back.’ She lowers her voice as she adds: ‘Discreetly.’
He smiles in relief. ‘Thanks,’ he says. ‘This… This saved my ass.’
‘Well, thankfully I listened to you carefully, as you stuttered your way into impressing me every morning.’
He hated how accurate that was. ‘I see.’
‘Well, if your team asks about us,’ she continues, ‘and I suspect that they will, you can tell them how we’ve been on a few dates. So… It will not be awkward for you.’
Platt was right. She’s a saint.
‘Really?’ he asks.
She nods. ‘Yeah, I figure your team could give you a hard time for losing it. There is just one condition.’
‘Anything, I owe you big time.’
‘You’re taking me out, preferably tomorrow night, if—of course—you don’t have a case.’
Kevin has to admit: this woman is admirable. The more he gets to know of her, the more he starts to like her. ‘You think in solutions,’ he notes.
She smiles. ‘Luckily for you, I do.’ She stands on her tippy toes and presses a kiss on his cheek, causing his skin to buzz. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow in the morning when you’re picking up your coffee. If it’s okay with you, I’ll be wearing a light green dress for our date.’
‘That’s all good,’ he says, feeling at ease with the woman, when usually he was nervous. She squeezes his hand, handing him a card with her name and number on it and then says her goodbye to the others.
Kevin stares at the badge in his hand, together with the card, after he watches her go down the stairs.
‘Kev, can we have her deliver coffee for us everyday?’ Halstead asks. ‘You get your kisses, we get our coffees. It’s a win win.’
Burgess smiles. ‘And maybe some more information about this mystery lady.’
He chuckles. ‘Let’s just solve the case and enjoy the coffee, ‘kay?’