The detective sat on her couch, a patterned blanket draped around her whilst a pile of papers and case files were strewn across her coffee table. It was supposed to be her day off, but the detective couldn’t relax knowing that somewhere, there was a young girl terrified, wanting to be back in her parent's arms. The mug of tea on the table had been left untouched due to the Detective's attention being fixed wholly on the case. Not only was a young girl missing, heartbroken parents and a supernatural culprit, but the case also had little evidence to go on and Bobby had been incessantly harassing her for details. A faint ache had plagued her head for days accompanied by heavy eyes. Her eyes fell onto the mug on her table, which she quickly took a swig off before grimacing at the cold liquid hitting her throat. She groaned as she slammed the mug back onto the table, her body sinking back into the couch. Why couldn’t anything go right recently? She cursed herself as she could feel the emotion bubbling inside her and the lump that was slowly forming in her throat. She rubbed her head as a single tear of frustration fell from her cheek before she snatched the case file from the table, opening it up to see a picture of Addie smiling up at her. She just wanted to find the young girl and bring her back home.

There was a knock at the door. The detective lifted her head up and peered over to the door with a confused frown. She wasn’t expecting anybody today and Rebecca would have called if she was going to visit. The only person she could think of that would be bothering her on her “day off” would be Bobby. The detective groaned as she moved the case file off her lap, forcing herself to walk to the door.

“Bobby, if that’s you, I’m gonna lose my shi-” Her words fell short as her gaze travelled up to meet the icy green eyes she had not stopped thinking about since she last saw them. “Adam?”

“Detective.”

“O-Oh. I’m sorry. I thought you were Bobby.”

Adam’s lips slowly turned into a disgusted grimace. He wasn’t sure whether it was because she mistook him for someone as incompetent as Bobby Marks or whether it was the reminder that Bobby was her ex. “It’s just me. I came to see if you were... alright.”

The detective rolled her eyes. “Did Rebecca send you? She knew I wanted a few days to look at this case. I love her and all but she doesn’t need to check up on me, or send anyone else to for that matter.”

“Rebecca didn’t send me... I came on my own accord.” His voice was soft. The admission shocked the detective for a split second before the shock turned into a small smile on her lips. He had come all the way to her apartment just to check on her. She quickly moved out of the doorway, gesturing Adam to come inside. Adam stepped in, yet again, inspecting her apartment.

“How is the case going, Detective?”

“How many times have I told you to call me by my name? It’s Adaline, in case you forgot.”

Adam’s jaw clenched slightly at the sarcastic tone in Adaline’s voice, but it wasn’t enough to hide the amused smile appearing on his lips. “How’s the case going, Adaline?”

Adaline laughed out loud at Adam’s attempt to be funny as he purposely said her name with a hint of sarcasm. She liked when he loosened up from his usual stoic expression.

“It’s... not,” she sighed. “There’s barely any evidence to go off. I just want to save this poor girl and bring her back to her parents.” She slumped back onto the couch, throwing her head into her hands in frustration. Adam’s gaze followed her to the couch. He moved over to sit beside her before he even realised what he was doing. He looked at his hand, a silent battle in his mind on whether to put his hand on her back to comfort her. The urge to do it won as he gently placed his hand on her back.

The sudden touch of Adam’s hand on Adaline’s back sent her heart into overdrive as her breath hitched. Just his touch alone was enough to make her feel alive. Her head slowly rose from her hands, before lifting up to meet Adam’s green eyes. The space between them was barely there, and Adam’s emerald eyes felt as though they were looking into her very soul. All she wanted to do was kiss him. Her hand moved to his arm, her voice a breathless whisper in her now silent apartment. “Adam..”

The gaze was interrupted by an awkward cough from Adam who quickly jumped up from the couch, almost knocking Adaline over in the process. Adaline frowned as she felt pricks of pain in her chest. Every time Adam moved from her touch, she could have sworn her heart broke a little each time. It was draining. She yearned for his touch. She looked back up at him before snapping her gaze away, shaking away the need to let tears spill.

“I’m getting really tired of this, Adam.”

“Of what?”

“Of you, I’m tired of-”

“You’re tired of me? Then I will leave.” He hissed through gritted teeth as he turned around and walked towards the door.

“You didn’t let me finish! I’m tired of you denying what we feel for each other.”

He shook his head, refusing to turn around. “I don’t.. I don’t feel anything.” As soon as the words left his lips, he regretted them.

The detective laughed to herself, shaking her head. “You can keep lying to yourself, Adam. But that won’t change how you feel. What we both feel.”

Adam finally turned around to meet her gaze. The words of Sanja still playing in his head after all this time. That fall will crush you both. He stayed silent. He turned again towards the door, putting his hand onto the handle before feeling a harsh hold on his arm.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” Adaline yelled, the anger from his silence and ignoring what she had said bubbling over the edge. Adam’s eyebrows shot up as he turned around, before frowning angrily at the Detective.

“I told you. I feel nothing.” He barked.

“Fuck you, Adam. If you’re not going to be honest, then I will. Cause I’m tired of acting like your touch doesn’t send shockwaves through my skin. I’m tired of acting like your eyes aren’t all I dream about and I’m so damn tired of wanting you!”

The words left Adam speechless. His eyes searched her face as his mouth fell open.

“Tell me you feel the same, please,” Adaline pleaded. “Or just leave.” There was another moment of silence. Adaline looked at him one final time, before shaking her head.

She should have known better than to think Adam would actually care for her in the same way she did for him. She wiped a quick tear away from her cheek as she turned around from him, unable to look at him in case she broke. She waited for the sound of the door opening and shutting behind her, knowing that once she heard that, she could finally break down. But she didn’t hear it. Instead, she felt Adam’s fingers delicately on her arm and his presence behind her. She turned her neck slightly to see him stood behind her, the space between them only a few inches.

She could hear Adam’s nervous breathing against her neck, the shaky breaths warm against her skin. Adaline slowly turned around to face him again, their faces the closest they’d ever been. She looked into his green eyes and could see the fear in them. Not fear of her, but fear of what was about to happen next and what it could mean for them both.

His hand slowly traced up her arm to rest on her cheek, the touch causing Adaline to close her eyes. Adam’s thumb grazed against the skin of her cheek ever so gently, and to Adaline’s surprised, she felt his lips close to hers. Their lips hesitated against each other for a brief moment, unsure of whether they should go any further until a sigh of relief escaped Adaline as their lips melted into one another. The kiss was gentle, as though both were trying to savour every second of each other. It felt like time had stopped as their tongues slid against each other before the months and months of yearning came to a grinding halt as their kiss became more fervent as though they had both wanted this moment their entire lives. Adam’s other hand draped around the detective’s back, pulling her closer as his hungry kisses trailed down to her neck, before moving back up to her lips, missing the feel of them against his already. Adam moaned into the kiss, breaking the space between them as Adaline’s arms moved over his shoulders and wrap around his neck as her heart pounded against her chest.