Complications
Author:© WebNovel
Chapter 1: 1. Chapter 1
"Eww! You cannot be considering this place." Erin perused the pictures of the latest condo that Jay was looking at. She inwardly cringed at the dingy looking rooms and dated decor. She kept swiping at the pictures displayed on the phone, hoping for some redeeming quality. She couldn't even hide the grimace when she saw the kitchen. Dropping the phone back into his hand, she gave him a disgusted look "That place is worse than your current apartment."
"Hey, it's close to the station. I'd practically be able to walk to work." Jay countered.
"And that's a good thing?" Erin leveled him with a look. "I can guarantee I will NEVER spend the night in this place."
Jay's mouth dropped open in mock outrage. "Well, maybe you just won't be invited anyways."
Erin just rolled her eyes and laughed her eyes returning to the sidewalk. They sat in their car across from the front of a strip mall, waiting to talk to the brother of their suspect. Jay had been looking at apartments and condos for what seemed like five or six months. Erin was concerned for him. As a "function over form" guy, he seemed easily swayed by one characteristic of a place without paying any attention to the other attributes. One place might be in a great location, but it was about the same square footage as Erin's bathroom. Another place was huge and spacious, but was located in a neighborhood, that even Jay should have felt nervous about stepping foot in. He'd yet to find anything that might meet Erin's high standards.
Erin snuck a quick glance over at her partner as he surveyed the people coming and going from the electronics repair store that the suspect's brother worked and was expected to show up at in the next half hour. A smile flitted across her face as she looked at him. She couldn't help it. He had been her rock this summer. While they had dealt with the fallout of Justin's murder and the accusations against Voight, he had been her steady base. Every time she thought she just might fall off the deep end or collapse under the stress of it all, he had been there. Sometimes just being by her side holding her hand, and sometimes following her lead as they made sure everything shook out as it was supposed to.
Shaking her head, she realized he'd been her rock longer than that. Truthfully, since their partnership began, he'd always been there by her side when she'd let him. Even when she'd pushed him away, he'd never really gone far. A smile crossed her features. Ever since they'd gotten back together last year, things had been pretty great. For the first time in her life, she actually felt like things were going the way they should go. She was in a healthy, normal relationship, and it was wonderful.
"Why are you smiling?" Jay's voice broke into her thoughts.
Guiltily, she looked back over at him. He was staring at her quizzically. "Nothing," she quickly replied.
Jay poked her in the shoulder. "Not buying it. Tell me why you are smiling." He had his own grin on his face.
Erin just shook her head and gestured towards the store. "Watch the door," she said with a laugh, embarrassed at being caught in lovey dovey land.
"I was," Jay insisted. "You were the one who was busy checking me out and likin' what you were seein'." He teased. Erin ignored the comment and tried to refocus her attention on their job. Erin knew he loved seeing the slight blush of embarrassment that creeped up on her. The teasing comradery was one of her favorite parts of their relationship. Being quick witted and sarcastic, she'd always been able to joke and keep up with the guys. Working in male dominated field, she'd had to be able to take what the guys put out and dish it up just as hard. With Jay though, it was different. He teased and flirted with her constantly. Even after all this time, it still got her. The butterflies in her stomach when he directed his attention towards her. Not to mention that he seemed to always be inside her head. It often unnerved her that he seemed so in tune with her needs and wants. Sometimes things she wasn't even aware she needed.
Erin dropped her head back on the headrest. God, she loved him. She risked another glance over at him. He had redirected his attention back on the store entrance, but still had a smile playing across his lips.
Suddenly the grin dropped from his face, "There's our guy." Instantly they were on the job. Erin slipped as quickly out of the car and followed Jay across the road. Something, Erin was proud of. No matter their status, the job always came first during work hours. Their work partnership was just as strong as their private relationship.
A half hour later, they were back in their car and on their way to the back to the precinct with no leads. Jay was busy on his phone, replying to some messages she had noticed he had received while they were interviewing the brother. Erin looked over curiously. Usually he narrated as he texted, an annoying habit, but one she was used to. Right now though, he was silent as his fingers responded to whomever had been sending him messages.
Noticing her interest, he clicked the phone off and slid it into his pocket. Erin furrowed her brow in concern. Jay didn't usually get weird about stuff like that. She wondered what was up, but didn't want to question him. He'd never given her any reason to question him, and Erin didn't want to start being the insecure girlfriend now. She let her eyes focus on the road as they returned.
Jay spoke up, "Do you think that we will really be off tomorrow?"
Erin shrugged, "Maybe. This case seems pretty dead. Unless something comes up, I think we will actually get the full weekend." She darted him a quick look, "You got plans?" She tried to keep the tone light. Her mind on the mystery texts.
Jay just hummed a noncommittal response.
Erin thrummed her fingers on the steering wheel, trying not to show her emotions. Having a free weekend was so rare in their jobs. Usually if it was even a possibility, they would discuss all the different options. Hitting up new restaurants, checking out the local music scene, and every once in a while sneaking out of town for a quick escape. Jay's lack of enthusiasm unnerved her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him staring absentmindedly out the window. Erin's confusion was starting to get to her. She tried to think of how to bring it up.
All of the sudden, he spun to look at her. "I know we are off tomorrow, but would you come and look at a few places with me. My agent has a found a few new places he wants me to check out."
Erin let out a breath, as she realized what was weighing on his mind. "Yeah, sure. I didn't realize you had an agent. I thought you were just browsing around."
Jay said, "Well, it's been months. If I am going to do this, I need help. The places online all are deceptive. None of them look like they appear in the picture."
Erin laughed, "So that dump you showed me earlier, actually could look worse in person."
Jay joined in the laughter. "Yeah, my agent didn't approve of that one either."
Erin nodded, "Yeah, I'll go with you. Since I have such good taste and yours is questionable."
"Hey, I chose you. I think that shows pretty good taste."
Erin pulled up to the station and turned off the car. She shifted to face him, and could help but smile at the boyish grin on his face. "It does show you knew a good thing when you saw it. It just took you a year to figure it out. Maybe you have delayed senses or something?" She teased.
Jay shook his head, "No way. I knew you were the real thing immediately. You were the one who wasn't sure. Maybe I should be questioning your taste."
Erin grew slightly serious for a moment, she leaned forward and looked into his clear blue eyes. "I knew. I always knew." She leaned in and brushed her lips against his. Jay quickly responded, slightly surprised as Erin usually didn't show any PDA when they were at work. The kiss was over too soon in Jay's mind, but he couldn't help but grin at her. Erin pulled back a bit, smile on her face, too. "I love you." She quietly spoke in the space between them.
It always made Jay smile when she said it first. "I love you, too."
Eyes dancing, Erin dropped back into her seat and pulled the keys out of the ignition. "Let's get out of here. Put this case to bed, so we can actually enjoy our weekend." They walked into the precinct and up the stairs, bumping shoulders as they went. Erin couldn't shake the smile from her lips. Life was just so perfect right now. She couldn't imagine anything could disrupt their happiness.
Author's Note: Hey, Readers! I have had writer's block all summer long. I started a few different stories, but couldn't get on board with any of them. Got this idea the other day, and finally got the writing juices flowing. Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. Please review and let me know what you think.
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