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She’d received an awkwardly situated proposition on Tuesday afternoon. Andy had finally found the courage from within to ask Sharon on a date.
“Fine,” was her pleasant response, as she stood aghast in the moment of her sheer delight.
She couldn't decide whether it was the small gestures she had picked up on when he was around her, or the way his voice had changed when he spoke to her lately, but it was evident that he had been acting differently the past month or so. His hands would fidget when he’d propose an idea to her or the team, and whenever she spoke, he’d nod his head like a teacher’s pet, hanging on to her every word and never turning down an idea. They’d shared so many smiles and affectionate shoulder touches, that the act was past due and everyone in the office knew that to be the truth.
They’d both waited anxiously all week, not uttering a word to anyone with the exception of Provenza. They had been completely oblivious to the fact that everyone already knew they were seeing each other without them having to tell them directly. It was too difficult for the team to ignore that there had been something between them for ages. Still, they played along.
Flynn came around to her condo at 7:00 pm, where he was greeted by Rusty. Sharon fiddled with her hair in the mirror, before noticing his arrival. He grinned to himself at the thought of her fixing her hair last minute for him. She turned, grabbing her purse, failing to hide her flushed cheeks from being busted. She played it off cooly, clearing her voice and looking to Rusty before she left. “Moneys on the counter, if you get hungry and want a pizza or something. I’ll have my cell.”
He nodded and returned her brief hug, all the while keeping his eyes on Andy. “I want her home by 12:00.”
Andy played along, “Yes, sir,” saluting him on the way out the door.
They managed to arrive at the restaurant in perfect timing for the reservation Andy had made a few days prior. They were lead to their table, where Andy held the chair out for her. She removed her jacket beforehand, revealing the simple black dress she had pulled on and off a million times before deciding it was the one. Her long brunette waves fell loosely below her shoulders as usual, but this time they were different. Andy wasn’t sure what it was she’d done, but she looked even more striking than usual.
His mind reeled frantically for the right thing to say. “You look very nice tonight, Sharon.”
He kicked himself afterward for the poor choice of words. She gave him a small smile, directing her head down afterwards to hide her blushing. It was pleasant not only to hear his generous compliment, but the sound of her name coming from his lips. “Thank you,” came her simple reply.
Once they’d received their drinks, Sharon took on the task of steering away from the small talk. “I hope you aren’t too worried about what Rusty said, he was only pulling your leg.”
“No, thats fine, really… He’s only looking out for you.”
He sipped from his glass of water. Sharon could never quite understand how exactly he was able to manage the level of understanding he had for others. Never showing his anger, and controlling his actions. He was the first person in a long time in Sharon’s life that actually attempted trying to get her, and succeeded. “Funny, I never thought when I adopted him that he’d be the one trying to take care of me.”
She let out an uneasy giggle, before lifting the wine glass to her lips.
He let out a small chuckle.“Well, everybody needs someone to lean on for support. I guess he just feels its been difficult for you lately?”
Her curiosity sparked from his last statement. “With what?”
She dipped her head to the side, waiting on his explanation.
She was purposely avoiding the topic he was referring to, being her recent divorce. She couldn’t see why everyone felt as thought they had to tiptoe around her. Is that really what they thought of her? What he thought of her? That she was broken up inside and struggling with the divorce? She was hopeful that wasn’t the case. Sharon didn’t always see herself in the brightest light, but one thing she knew for sure was that she wasn’t handling this divorce as badly as she could be. She thought she was taking it rather well.
She felt her stomach begin to tie in knots. She shifted uneasily in her seat. Why was he here anyway? They’d been primarily friends for so long and now all of a sudden he’d decided to make this huge step. She was beginning to questions his reasoning to asking her there in the first place.
Her eyebrows arched as she waited for a response. “Well… I just… I meant with Jack and all lately… I can understand if you’ve been getting used to being on your own now.”
What did that mean? “Andy,” She began. “I’ve been separated from him for years and years now… I think by now I’d have it down.”
He was left speechless, totally taken off guard by her misinterpretation of what he’d meant. He had no intention of insulting her. All he was trying to do, was offer her his help, not sympathy. He figured at this point, everyone must know that Sharon Raydor could take care of herself. He just wanted her to see that he was on her side. He wanted to be the one to step in and take care of her because she deserved it, not because she needed someone to look after her.
She set her glass down and refocused on him. “Is that why you came here? You feel bad for me? That I sit along at night wishing I was still in the arms of a man who could hardly handle his drinking, let alone a marriage?”
Andy hardly ever heard her use this tone of voice, even in high stress situations, and he wasn’t liking where this was going so far. He need a way to turn the conversation around, and quickly. “Sharon… I never said that… I didn’t mean it that way.”
She lowered her voice, bearing in mind the setting they were in. “Well thats what it sounds like you were getting at.”
He watched in astonishment as she rose form her chair and reached for her jacket. “I’ve been getting along just fine the past twenty years without a husband and I don’t need anyone asking me out on a pity date.”
She wasn’t about to stay behind with a man who she wasn’t entirely sure was happy to be there. She was fuming at this point and she knew it was too late for their date to be saved. She thought this was different. She had gone out on a limb and agreed to going out with him. She thought his notion was genuine, only to figure out that he only did it because he felt bad for the Captain. What was she thinking to honestly believe this man had any feelings for her?
She slapped a few bills down on the table and shook her head in chagrin. “I’m sorry, this is my fault. I never should have said yes, this was a bad idea.”
His face fell as her last few words struck right to his heart. He hoped she didn’t really mean that.
He jumped to his feet as she fled toward the door. “No wait, Sharon! Come back, I didn’t mean that!”
She flew out the front door, not looking back. He looked around the room, noticing the people staring were the only ones hearing him. He slumped back down in his chair and called for the bill. He sat completely aggravated from how horrible their first and possibly only date had turned out.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Andy entered the office the following day with his tail between his legs. They all looked up at him with concerned looks on their faces, appearing to already be briefly informed. “I don’t know what you did Flynn, but you’ve pissed her off pretty damn well.”
A few seconds later, the Captain flew out of her office, straight past him, without looking twice. He let out a sigh of exasperation as he started toward his desk. If she was going to torment him like this for the rest of the day, he might as well throw in the towel.
She managed to get through the remainder of the day without speaking a word of him or of their previous evening spent together, only confronting him once for just more than a few seconds. She wasn’t planning on letting any of her colleagues get ahold of the mis-happening that had taken place. He was definitively being ignored.
He figured he’d give her a day to cool off, and approach her Thursday, when she’d hopefully have time to have simmered down by then.
About three quarters through the day he saw her make her towards their desks, with her hands free. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself as she stopped short at Julio’s desk. “Julio, I have a bit of a dilemma with my car and I was wondering if you know of someone I can call to take a look at it?”
“What is it thats wrong with it Captain?”
“It’s the brakes… They aren’t what they used to be and I’m afraid they might be giving out on me again.”
“Sharo- uh… Captain…?” Flynn foolishly inquired.
Provenza just covered his face in his hand, as he prepared for the disaster he was about to witness. “I’ve had brake problems myself. I could take a look at them if you-”
“Thank you Lieutenant, but I think I can manage on my own.”
She carried on her conversation with Julio, as Andy spun back around to his desk, mourning his weak attempt to break her barriers. He looked over at Provenza who simply shrugged his shoulders and returned to his work. Andy figured he may have to wait longer than originally calculated. He thought she would have at least loosened up by the end of the day, but she wasn’t budging and if their was one thing that everyone in the office knew about Captain Raydor, is that she didn’t take anyones shit. He’d have to think of another way to make it up to her, besides plain kindness.
Rusty entered her office just before the end of the day with Provenza close behind. “If you’re gonna work late again tonight, do you mind if Provenza drives me home again?”
“Sure, I don’t mind. I don’t know when I’ll get there, so just leave the kitchen light on.”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks mom.”
He shut the door behind him and followed Provenza to the elevator, while Sharon finished going through a few files. For a brief moment she allowed her eyes to wonder up, to look through the blinds. She spotted Andy, sitting at his desk, drumming his fingers on the surface, totally out of whatever it was he was doing. He was thinking about the same thing she was. How much longer was she going to keep playing this game of hers? It was Sharon’s way of getting out of a long awkward conversation. The night before, once she got home, she had ran through all the things she might say the next day, and when she failed to come up with something she decided to resort to the classic silent treatment. She would remain totally silent until she could think of what she was going to say to him. Even though he had completely spoiled their date for her, she still had feelings for him and at that point, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do with them. She was angry at him, but not enough to never speak with him ever again. She awoke from her daydream and found her head resting on her palm as she stared at him through the window. He caught her staring just in time. His eye contact jolted her back into reality as she returned her attention to the papers on her desk. Once her gaze left him, he smiled to himself, feeling relieved that he now had evidence she didn’t hate him. She may even be having second thoughts on her plan to ignore him from now on. He watched her gather her files and stack them neatly in the desk drawers before standing from her chair and collecting her belongings.
She took her purse and phone with her, before shutting of the lights and leaving her office. She was hesitant to keep walking as she passed the Lieutenants desks on the way to the evaluator, but decided it had been a long enough day and she didn’t need to start anything back up again. She had barely slept the night before, her mind running over their dinner a thousand times, rethinking every word she said. She certainly wasn’t in need of a repeat.
She took the elevator down to the parking garage and slid into her car, turning the keys in the ignition. She was less than half way to the condo when she felt her brakes gradually getting looser and looser. She said a silent prayer that she could at least make it home before they quit on her. She was only a few blocks away, and wasn’t feeling like dealing with any trouble that night.
Once she got to the following stop light she knew it was a lost cause to keep driving, so she pulled over to the curb and reached for her cellphone. She dialled her home number and waited for Rusty to answer. There was no answer. They must have stopped for something to eat along the way, she configured. She set her phone back down, and rested her head on the wheel for a few moments, letting in and out a few deep breaths. It was nearly midnight, and she was stranded on the side of the freeway. Her mind found it’s way to Andy, and how he had offered early to help her out, but her pride had got in the way. She should have took him up on his offer when she had the chance, but now it was too late. Or was it? She sat back up, and unlocked her phone. He said he would always be there when she needed him, but was he referring to car trouble? Was that still valid after the way she’d been treating him that day? She entered their conversation on her screen, typing up a million different messages and clearing them all before she just cut the bullshit and said what he really needed him to hear her say. “I need you.”
He read the message, just as he was about to clear up and head home early. Julio was around when Andy’s phone went off and was intrigued by the reaction on his partner’s face. “What is it?”
“Its a, uh…. a family issue. I think I should probably head home.”
“Where are you?” He texted back, leaving the office.
He jumped in his car and headed down the freeway, his mind reeling. He was wishing all day that she’d speak with him, he never imagined this is how it would occur. He wished that she could have just moved past her stubbornness today, long enough to let him help her so this wouldn’t happen. She’s lucky that she didn’t get in an accident.
Her car came into view. He put his blinker on and pulled up behind her. The passenger door was open, and she was half bent over the console. She was pulling at grabbing at the brakes, appearing to be extremely confused. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say. “Uh Sharon…”
He cleared his throat. She had been caught off guard and bumped her head on the bottom of the wheel. “Sorry, I was just uh…. my brake broke, I think.”
“Yeah, it appears so.” He nodded, scratching the back of his head.
“I put the emergency brake on, but I don’t know whats happened to the other one.”
He nodded his head and motioned for her to back up. She watched him push and release on the brake a few times before he stood back up. He unbuttoned his jacket and set it down on the seat. “We need to pump the brakes.”
“We? Andy, I have no idea-”
“Just come over here and I’ll show you.”
She walked around the hood of the car and stood at a comfortable distance from him and the car. “What you’re going to need to do is pump the brakes while I let the air out. Its really simple. All you have to do is listen for me to signal you and when I do, I need you to push and release on the brakes until I say stop. Okay?”
She nodded her head and stepped in as he made his way to the side of the car. Once he was underneath, he called on her a few times and once she got the hang of it, the brakes were making significant progress less than a dozen pumps later. “Okay, thats good. Take a break for a second.”
He noticed she had removed her heels while he was letting the air out, and she caught him staring at her legs for a before he dragged his eyes away to look at the brakes. He pushed down hard on it a few times before he decided it’d be best if they gave it another few pumps, just to be sure. He returned to his spot under the wheel, and called on her a few more times until he began to grow hot and his arms got sore. “Alright, that should do it.”
He got up and returned to the drivers side. She looked up at him with a warm look in her eyes. “I hope you don’t mind, I got cold and stole your jacket.”
He was too wrapped up in the sight of her wearing his jacket that he fumbled on his words. “No.. thats fine.”
She flashed him a smile, setting his mind at ease. “Do you want me to follow behind, just to make sure every things okay?”
“That’d be nice.”
He got into his car and waited for her to start the car back up. He watched her pull back on to the road before they both made their way to her condo. She pulled into the parking garage and got out, meeting him in between vehicles.
“Thank you Andy, for all your help.”
She pulled the seem on his jacket in toward her, to conceal the warmth it was providing her.
“Agh, it wasn’t a big deal.” He shrugged.
“No really… I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn't come.”
There was a few moments of silence as their eyes met. “Andy… I think I owe you an apology.”
“Its really not necessary. We all know you’re a little stubborn, and I won’t hold you accountable for wanting to get your car fixed on your own. I get it, you don’t need me.”
His original plan on the way there was to rub it in her face as many times as possible like they usually did, but he’d changed his mind since she didn’t seem to be in the mood for his sarcasm. Hell, the woman had just texted him out of desperation for being stuck on the side of the freeway. It wasn’t the right time to be picking on her.
“No. That wasn’t what I meant…” Her voice trailed off before continuing.
“The other night, was only a kind gesture that you made and I completely jumped the gun. I didn’t mean what I said, I was just having a bad day and I took it out on you. You were only trying to be kind.”
She hated being wrong. She also hated letting her imagination get the better of her. Maybe the divorce still had an affect on her and she hadn’t realized it until she’d got home the night before, or when she was sitting in her broken down car on the side of the road, waiting on the same man she had felt like hating on the night before. She realized that maybe she just needed to face the facts that maybe this man had feelings for her. She knew deep down that Andy had never meant to offend her, or belittle her dignity. All he had ever done is help her, just like he was doing by leaving work early to save her ass. She knew for that Andy had mostly certainly earned himself an apology.
He only shrugged it off. He was surprised to find her apologizing to him after she was so pissed at him a few hours earlier.
“I hope you can forgive how I’ve acted today, but if you’re still willing, I’d really like to try that first date again.” She offered him a smile. “Like a second first date… A better one.”
She knew it wasn’t a way of fixing the last dinner, but it was her way of saying she wanted to give it another shot, because she knew that this wasn’t over yet. She wasn’t ready to give up on him.
“I’d like that.”
She smiled, making his heart melt. After last night, he never thought he’d see her smile at him again like that. He hadn’t noticed the short distance between them, until he felt the back of her hand brush against his. He felt her slowly close the gap, until time seemed to stand still for him. The smell of her soft perfume and the pure look of desire on her face had his heart pulsating. His hand reached out for her, but he was taken aback when he felt a rush of cool air. “Thank you again for all you’ve done. Do you wanna come up for a drink?”
She spoke breathlessly, with her face revealing flushed cheeks as she adjusted her glasses. “No, its getting late, I think I should head home.”
His mind was still racing too fast for him to come up with an intelligent goodbye. “Goodnight.” He said, heading back to his car.
She watched him take off safely, before starting up to her condo. She stopped outside the door, just long enough to take a deep breath and recollect her thoughts. She let herself in and was greeted by her son on his way down the hall. “Sharon? You’re home late.”
“My brakes gave out and I needed to call for help. Where were you, I called the house, there was no answer.”
“Provenza and I decided to stop for burgers. I was just about to turn in…”
“Okay, well you head up to bed, I think I’m going to hop in the shower.”
He gave her a curious look and it made her worry. “What?”
“I’m not taking auto class so forgive me, but do all mechanics give out their jackets to their clients?”
She looked down and she appeared to still be wearing the jacket she had borrowed from Andy. He had disappeared to his room before she had time to answer.
Almost as if on cue, she heard a knock at the door. She entered the foyer, and opened the door revealing Andy with a bashful look on his face. “Forgot my jacket.” He said, stepping in.
“Oh,” She looked down, faking surprise. “I guess you did.”
They shared an awkward laugh, neither one of them knowing what to say next. “I guess I’ll let you have it back.”
She began removing it clumsily, and got her arm stuck in. He jumped in to help her and in the process she managed to whack him in the head with the back of her hand. Her hand covered her mouth. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry!”
“Hell, you pack a hard punch.”
He felt his forehead as the pain subsided. “Here, let me get you some ice!”
She ran off around the corner to the refrigerator before he could catch her. “No Sharon, thats really not necessary. It’ll be fine.”
He followed after her into the kitchen as she was wrapping the ice. She turned quickly not realizing he was behind her and nearly bumped into him. She reached for his forehead with the ice in one hand. “There. Does that feel better?”
He nodded his head in defeat. “I get the feeling I’m never going to hear the end of this.”
“Probably not, no.” Her lips curved as she suppressed a laugh. “Don’t worry.. No one has to know that I beat you up.”
He rolled his eyes and winced as she moved the ice. He noticed the change of tone in her voice. The way she meticulously tended to his sore head, made him realize they’d never been this close before. He hadn’t noticed exactly how intense her green eyes were until she was close. They scanned his face, checking for any signs of pain and he revealed a reassuring smile. Was it entirely necessary that she be doing this. Surely, she understood that it was only a small blow to the head. The thought of her wanting him to stay longer gave him a sense of reassurance. Maybe Sharon did have feelings for him after all. He was piecing together all his gathered evidence when he noticed her expression change. “Andy?” Are you alright?”
He left his thoughts and gave her a nod. “Yeah. I think thats good enough, really. I’ve taken worse before.”
Sharon gently removed the cloth from his head and took another look. She lowered her hands to her lap as her gaze remained fixed on him. “You know, it may be hard to believe, but I’m not always a pain in the ass. Being Captain is my job, and theres a time and place for that, but I don’t want you to think that I can’t turn it off when I leave work. I think that a lot of people have gotten the impression that because of my rules I’m this evil dictator, and I’m not. It’s my job to provide a sense of direction for Major Crimes and I don’t appreciate people underestimating my ability to do that. Even though I leave my personal life at home, it doesn’t mean that I’m not an emotional person. Yes, I did go through a very difficult time with my ex-husband, but I would never let that show in my work. I won’t ever let my love life interfere with my job, also meaning: I am capable of setting aside time for us…” She corrected herself. “or any other personal aspects of my life.”
His mind was still digesting what she had said, when he felt her lips crash against his. He hands instinctively found her waistline, steadying them from the abruptness of her spur of the moment.
Her hands pressed against the button down he wore as he backed her into the counter. Her heart pounded as things intensified and she felt his hands slide around her waist, pulling them closer, closing the space between them. His hands found their way to her neck, brushing back her hair as. She gripped the edge of the cold surface behind her, releasing a soft moan. All the energies they had bundled up over the years were flowing freely now, and neither of them were willing to pretend anymore. Their charade was over, and all they wanted were each other.
She felt his hands find the zipper of her dress. “Andy, I-”
She almost didn’t want to stop him. “I know.” He interrupted, slightly breathless.
He gave her some space, and reached for his jacket while she fixed her hair and caught her breath. “I guess I’ll um, see you tomorrow morning.”
She smiled. “Yup!” Was as she could muster.
He gave her one more kiss on the cheek, before shutting the door on his way out. He left her totally breathless standing against the kitchen counter. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt that way. Now she was even more confused as to how to act in the office the next day, but it brought a guilty grin to her face instead.
The Captain stepped out of the elevator earlier than usual, and strolled into her office with a wide smile on her (face), bidding everyone a good morning. Provenza was the first to notice her extremely odd behaviour. He looked around at the others who just shrugged it off, but he knew something was up.
Next it was Lieutenant Flynn a few minutes later, fixing his tie, also with a huge smirk on his face. The Lieutenant saw it as an excellent opportunity to put his meddling to good use. “So, I heard you left work early last night? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, it was uh, just a false alarm.”
He nodded his head, hiding a knowing grin. He would leave it for now.
Once Andy got to his desk, he couldn’t help but steal a quick glance up at the Captain’s office to see if he could read any sign from how things would go from this point on. Last night had been a big step for the both of them, but neither of them regretted it. It was Sharon who made the move, and that had left so many things to the imagination of both of them since they had last parted. He didn’t expect for them to jump right into a serious relationship, but he couldn’t help but wonder when the next would be he could see her again; outside of work.
The day advanced quickly. Neither one of them spoke a word to each other, but throughout the day they shared small smiles and quick glances with assuming the other one hadn’t noticed. But they had in fact, and so had Provenza. Sharon strolled across the office, and rested her palms on Provenza’s desk. “I just want to thank you for taking Rusty home last night, Lieutenant. The past few days have been hectic for all of us.”
“Oh, its never a problem. The kids alright.”
He was almost about to leave it at that, but his badgering tendencies got the better of him. “When I dropped Rusty off you weren’t there yet, I was a bit concerned but I figured you had gotten busy….”
He left room for her to fill in the blank, but was disappointed when he didn’t get much in return. “Oh no, everything was fine. I just had some car trouble, but its fixed now.”
She caught Lieutenant Flynn entering the room from the corner of her eye, and corrected her posture.
There was a brief glimmer in her eye for a split second, but Andy caught it. “It was Andy here who came to my rescue, actually.”
She gestured toward him as he approached them.
Andy perked up at the mentioned of his name. “Oh was it now!?” Provenza exclaimed, attempting to maintain a dignifying charade. Sharon smiled, not taking her eyes off Andy. “Well, I think I scared him off a bit at dinner the other night, and so yes, it was very courteous of him. In fact, I think I owe him one.”
Andy shook is head in disagreement. “Nah, it was nothing really.”
Provenza shot him a look.
“Actually.. I’d really like to make it up to you, Andy. If you’re willing to move past Tuesday evening.” Sharon spoke.
Without thinking he knew the answer to that. “If you aren’t busy next Tuesday, I’d love to give it another go. I promise this time I’ll stay past drinks.”
He chuckled. “That sounds really great, but I think I promise Lieutenant here, that I’d give him a ride-”
He felt a sharp pain in his ribs, coming from his partners elbow. “Oh yeah, thats right.. He told me he could manage.”
He was leaving her hanging on every word, finally ending with a gracious. “So… would that be a yes."
“Yeah, fine!” He said.”
She smiled, and turned back to her office, adding a little extra sway in her step. She only hoped that this time it would end better than the first time. Like the night before, but minus the car breaking down, and maybe a continuation of what was left to be desired.