by Amber Heart
‘Yeah, I guess she does seem a little bland.’
Damien smirked on the inside. Idiot. She was honestly the best he’d ever had. It had gone on for hours between them, he never wanted it to end. Maybe if they hadn’t been working together, there’d be something between them still.
‘Find someone more interesting, pal.’
The next morning, Olivia was sat at her desk, looking over another drug case. There’d been a call the previous afternoon, a tip off that a deal was about to go down. It would be an easy case; stalk them out, catch them red handed, make the arrest. She just needed a stakeout partner, but everyone she liked was busy with other cases.
‘Hey, Liv. How’s it going?’ Becca Jones, her best friend, came to sit at Olivia’s desk, dropping her bag on the floor with a thud.
‘Not bad, I don’t suppose you’ve got a little spare time this afternoon?’
‘Sorry, honey. I’m swamped.’ She shrugged. They were both early birds and were almost always the first people in the office. It gave them time to have breakfast together to catch up before the work really began.
Damien trudged in soon after, looking exhausted, but still offered them a bright smile when he sat down.
‘You okay, Dame?’ Becca called across the table. She and Olivia had been friends for years and when Damien arrived, Becca found him amusing and helped him settle in. There was tension between Olivia and Damien for a long time, anyone in the office could see it, but she never let it get in the way of being friends with both of them.
‘I was up all night on that arson case with Davies.’
‘Oh, not good. How was it?’
‘He acted like a dick, as usual. But the paperwork is already done.’ He smiled, offering Olivia the file to browse. She accepted it, nodding as she flicked through it.
‘Not bad, why don’t you just do that on every case?’ She asked, passing it back.
‘From now on, I will.’ He said. ‘I’ll be the partner you always dreamt of.’ He winked.
‘You kids need to get a room - again. Clear the sexual tension from out of here.’ Becca chuckled, pretending to cut the air with a knife.
‘The evidence room is free if you just want to get it over with.’ Smirked Damien, biting his bottom lip at her.
‘Yeah, in your dreams.’ She shot, rolling her eyes. Their friend just laughed, then he got up and left for a coffee.
‘You shouldn’t encourage him.’ Sighed Olivia.
‘Come on, Liv, you know it’s just harmless fun. He’s attractive, funny, knows how to flirt without being a creep.’
‘May I remind you that you have a girlfriend?’
‘He’s not interested in me anyway. It’s your pants he wants to get into.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ She slapped her arm, looking over to check Damien wasn’t listening in on their conversation.
‘You know he’s still interested, don’t even lie to me. He’s clearly not found anyone better since you guys did it. You even said yourself that it was a pretty amazing night.’
‘Because I thought he was a handsome, British stranger! I thought I’d never see him again! I didn’t expect him to appear at work the next day.’ She stressed.
‘Honestly, your face was a picture when he walked through that door. Come on, he’s still handsome and British, just not a stranger anymore.’
‘He’s coming back, shut up!’
‘Are you ready for your date tonight?’ Becca asked, changing the subject suddenly like Olivia wanted. It just happened to be the worst subject she could bring up.
‘You have a date?’ Damien asked, sitting back at his desk.
‘Yes.’
‘Who with?’
‘My firefighter neighbour.’ Smirked Becca.
‘What? Tom?’ He asked, a look of confusion on his face. Damien knew Tom, not well, but he came into the precinct sometimes for lunch with Becca. The two had dated for a while but it just didn’t work out romantically, Becca had told Damien all about him so he already knew that he wasn’t the right guy for Hardy. ‘You can’t seriously be going on a date with him.’
‘Why not?’ She frowned. ‘What’s wrong with him?’
‘He’s so boring. Hi, I’m Tom, yawwwn.’ He pretended to fall asleep.
‘Shut up, he’s a nice guy. And mature, unlike you.’
‘And mature, unlike you.’ Damien mimicked and Olivia threw a piece of scrunched up paper at him. ‘Come on, I know you’re a bore at work, but he’ll drive you insane.’ He said.
‘Oh, because you know me so well?’
‘I know you better than you think. You like a bit of fun.’ He smirked, leaning forward a little. ‘I’ve still got the bite marks to prove it.’
‘You’ll have a gunshot wound if you don’t watch it.’
‘Alright, kids. Time to end this conversation. Let’s get to work before Dame’s desk becomes a crime scene.’ Becca chuckled. ‘Time to get to work anyway, so I will see both of you later, if you’re both still alive.’ She got up and moved to her own desk just as the Captain arrived for work.
‘Good morning.’ He smiled. ‘Do you have that arson case sorted, Macken?’
‘Yes, sir. It’s right here.’ He smiled, handing it over.
The Captain flicked through it, ‘Good work. I’m impressed. Have you learnt your lesson?’
‘Yes, sir. Thank you for teaching me what a good partner Hardy is here.’ He grinned towards her.
‘Glad to hear it, detective.’ He nodded and walked off, leaving the pair alone.
‘Have you really learnt your lesson?’ She asked, looking through her own file.
‘I honestly have, all jokes aside. You’re a good partner, sorry for putting you through shit.’ He smiled.
‘It’s fine. Look, I’ve been tipped off for a small drug bust. You wanna come with me?’ She smiled. ‘I need a partner.’
‘Really?’
‘Sure.’
‘I’d love to.’ He smiled back at her. Maybe they could get on, if they just put a little effort into it.
On the way to the stakeout, Olivia made them stop at a drive-thru and picked up two burgers for lunch. After just a couple of minutes, she was nearly through her first one. It really did impress him how much she could eat.
‘Slow down, it’s like you’re never going to eat again.’ He laughed. ‘You’ll make yourself sick. I thought you were on a diet anyway?’
‘Yeah, that lasted all of two minutes. Plus, I’m only on salad and water tonight.’ She reached into the bag and handed him the other. ‘Eat, it makes me sad when you only eat healthy food.’
‘Some of us have to actually try to stay in shape.’ He chuckled. ‘Why are you only on salad and water?’ He asked.
‘My date with Tom.’
‘You do realise you can eat more than that, you know?’
‘Not if I want a second date, I can’t.’ She sighed, finishing her burger and throwing the wrapper in front of her. She was always messy, it’s probably her biggest flaw. Her desk was a dump compared to his and, when he thought about it, he remembered her apartment having mugs and magazines all over the place.
He handed the burger back, ‘Well, I wouldn’t want to deprive you of this if you’re going to be hungry later.’ She smiled at him appreciatively. ‘Why are you even seeing that guy, you deserve better than that.’
‘There’s not many offers coming my way. Dating a cop isn’t easy, you know that. Tom understands, his job is just as time-consuming. Plus, it’s been a while since, you know…’ She shrugged.
‘If that’s all you wanted, you know my number.’ He laughed. She rolled her eyes. ‘Come on, you know it was a good night. What was it? Four times?’
‘You know damn well it was five.’ She said, punching his arm. ‘You always remind me, every fifth of the month you crack the same joke. Besides, I haven’t had a real relationship in ages. It’d be nice to try at least.’
‘I guess I can understand that.’ He smiled.
&n
bsp; ‘Heads up. I think that’s our guy.’ She said, discarding the burger and paying closer attention.
It was evening by the time they got back to the office; their guy was in the holding cell and they even had time to finish their paperwork before it was time to go home.
‘Nice work today.’ Olivia smiled at him, pressing something to his chest.
‘What’s this?’ Damien asked, looking down. ‘A sticker?’ It was a picture of a lion, underneath which it read ‘well done’.
‘Well, you did a good job. I’m proud of you.’ She smiled, hitting his arm.
‘I shall wear it with pride.’ He said, sticking his chest out.
‘You two need to get a room.’ Sighed Jason, the office secretary. ‘Honestly, there could be kids around here.’
‘Shut up, Jay.’
‘It’s nice to see you too, Jay. I’m just going to go submit the drugs we busted.’ She chuckled, walking away. Damien’s eyes followed her. Today had been fun, as fun as stopping a drug trade can be, and he couldn’t help but smile.
‘Ask her out for God’s sake.’ Jason sighed, taking a break from his computer screen to watch Damien. ‘Honestly, you’ve been pining over her for months.’
‘Shut up, no I haven’t.’ He sighed. ‘Anyway, she’s got a date tonight, not to mention she wants something serious. I’ve not got the time for that right now. Okay?’
‘You’re letting a good girl go.’ He said, but left it at that. ‘How’s your mother?’
‘As good as she can be, I reckon. You still coming round tomorrow morning? Usual time.’
‘Do I ever let you down?’ He asked. ‘How did the drug bust go?’
‘Just usual, not very eventful, but I’m glad Olivia and I smoothed things over.’
‘It’s better for everyone at this precinct.’ Agreed Jason.
A few hours later, the shift was coming to an end and the office was already half empty. The Captain was flying out to Boston for the weekend so many people saw it as a chance to leave early but Damien was staying behind, mostly to keep Hardy company.
‘Hey, Hardy.’ He smiled, coming to lean on her side of the desk before he left. She was clearing some rubbish from her side of the table, finally, but smiled when she looked up at him.
‘You okay?’ She asked.
‘I just want to say thank you, for giving me another chance.’
‘It’s okay, you seem to have your act together a bit better.’ She rested her hand on his upper arm for a moment. ‘Thanks for today.’ She started getting ready to leave, putting on her coat and shouldering her bag.
‘Enjoy your date.’ He smiled, as she walked off.
‘Will do!’ She called back, waving a little.
He felt somewhat sad when she left. He didn’t realise how easy it could be for them to just talk, they were always arguing, always at each other’s throats. He couldn’t help but wonder if she had forgiven him for turning up to her work that morning two years ago.
Chapter Two
It was dark by the time Damien got home. Since he didn’t live far from the precinct, the walk home helped him clear his mind. He couldn’t help but think of Hardy, sitting somewhere in a restaurant with boring firefighter Tom, eating a stupid salad. She was probably looking stunning and he knew Tom didn’t deserve any of it. He knew he was jealous, but only because he knew it wouldn’t work out with Hardy and him, not when his mum was so sick. Their apartment was on the first floor and, even from outside, he could tell no lights were on. Almost running up the stairs, he pushed open the door and switched on a light.
‘Mum!’ He called.
‘In my bedroom, dear.’ He sighed a breath of relief, then walked into her room. The lights, except a small lamp next to her bed, were all off and in her hand was a puzzle book. Some days, after treatment, it’s like she can’t stand to look at a bright light. ‘Good day at work?’
‘Yeah, it was actually.’ He smiled. ‘What do you want to eat?’
‘I’m not very hungry, Dame.’ She sighed. ‘I don’t think I could keep anything down.’
‘I know, but you need to try and eat something.’ He smiled, sitting on the bed next to her, placing his hand on top of hers. ‘Jason is coming around tomorrow morning.’
‘Oh, what a lovely boy. Is he bringing that fella of his?’
‘I can ask him. Now, back to food, do you want something light? Maybe an omelet?’
‘Will you put sausage in it?’ She asked, struggling a little to get up to walk to the kitchen. Damien followed and helped her sit down on the couch, giving her a hug.
‘Anything you want, mum.’
He made her the omelet, one for himself too, but couldn’t get Olivia out of his head. Why was she bothering him all of a sudden?
‘Something on your mind, son?’ His mother asked, turning the TV down when he joined her on the couch.
‘Nothing you should worry yourself with.’ He smiled as he began eating.
‘You’re not struggling with work, are you?’ He shook his head. ‘And money is okay?’
‘Money is fine, mum, honestly everything’s okay.’
‘It’s that girl, isn’t it?’ She teased. He almost choked on his food. How did she know?
‘What girl?’
‘That one at work, the one who drives you crazy. You always moan about her.’ She laughed. ‘How has she gotten under your skin this time? Did she prank you? Show you up? Shout at you?’
‘No, nothing like that.’ He sighed. ‘It’s just… I think I might-’
‘Like her?’ She smirked. Sometimes, it was like his mother could read his mind. He couldn’t hide anything from her.
‘I... I don’t know. Usually, we just fight but today, we just talked, just had some fun.’
‘Whenever you talk about her, no matter how much you say she annoys you, you always have this little smile, like you’re actually quite fond of her.’ She laughed, as her son turned a bright shade of red.
‘I don’t!’ He defended himself.
‘You do! Why don’t you ask her out?’ She suggested.
‘Because I already have my number one woman right here next to me.’ He tried to joke but his mother frowned, as if it was the exact opposite of what she wanted to hear.
‘You shouldn’t be putting your life on hold for me. You should be out there, finding the girl of your dreams but, instead, you’re couped up in here with me, watching girls pass you by.’ She was getting frustrated. ‘I don’t want to hold you back.’
‘You’re not. Besides, she’s on a date tonight anyway.’ He shrugged. He tried not to imagine her sat with Tom, tried not to imagine them going home, his hands on her skin.
‘Why don’t you go out? It’s a Friday night, Dame. Go and blow off some steam.’
‘I’m fine, really. I just want a quiet night in.’ He said. He knew nothing would keep him from thinking of Olivia.
‘Alright, if that’s what you want.’
He heard his mum crying from the next room later that same night. He’d tried to sleep but his thoughts wouldn’t settle. He knew exactly what his mother was thinking, she’d all but said it, and knowing that she was thinking it only hurt Damien more. He loved his mom, more than anything, and he wanted to care for her as well as he could. Cancer is shit, there’s no way around it, but making her happy seems like the best thing he could do. There just wasn’t time for anyone else in his life, not Olivia, not anybody, and he was okay with that.
It was ten the next morning when Jason came around with Joshua, his new boyfriend. His mother was chatting to them both in the front room when Damien joined them, carrying plates full of freshly made pancakes and waffles.
‘Honestly, you’ve raised a great cook, Amanda.’ Jason smiled. ‘I keep telling him he needs to quit that police lark and go and open a restaurant.’
‘But Olivia isn’t at a restaurant, she’s at the police station.’
‘Oh, has he been telling you about Liv?’
‘All the time. He never
shuts up about her. She made me look like an idiot today, she did that yesterday, blah blah blah.’ She mimicked him and the room filled with laughter, only making Damien blush more and more.
‘Mum!’
‘Yes, well, it appears our boy has a little crush on her.’ Jason smirked. ‘I’ll try and do what I can to help, you can trust me.’
‘I do, get my boy a lovely girl.’ She smiled.
On Monday morning, Damien felt pretty miserable. He hadn’t slept great; the weekend had been too hot and his fan had broken. Plus, he couldn’t get Olivia out of his head. It felt like every time he closed his eyes, he could see her at the restaurant with Tom, his stories about rescuing cats from trees boring her to death. But, at the same time, he knew it couldn’t have gone that badly.
He went to his desk, fresh coffee in hand, and flicked through some files, trying to ignore the empty desk opposite him. Olivia was usually at work before him and he didn’t even want to think about why she was later than usual. He had to get her out of his head, or stop trying to think he had a chance. He had to focus on his mother, she didn’t have long left.
‘Morning, Mackie.’ Came Olivia’s bright voice behind him and he looked up as she sat opposite him.
‘Morning, Hardy. Good weekend?’ He asked politely, hoping she didn’t give him too many details.
‘Yeah, not bad. I went to Coney Island with my niece and nephew yesterday.’ She smiled. ‘What about you?’
‘I just had a quiet, relaxing weekend.’ He shrugged, sipping his coffee.
‘You look exhausted, how relaxing could it have been?’ She laughed. ‘Unless some woman was keeping you awake?’
He thought. ‘Not exactly, it was just too hot for me, I didn't sleep well.’
‘You had a free weekend and you didn’t go find someone to spend it with? Bad boy Damien Macken actually had a quiet weekend? Are you feeling okay?’
‘I don’t go around sleeping my way through New York, you know.’ He snapped, a little sharper than he should have and he regretted it instantly.
‘Alright, don’t shout. I’m only teasing.’
