i couldn't lose you

Nancy ponders this for a second and looks to the sky, slouching a little bit further against the hood. “Who’s the lucky girl? Do I know her?”

Ace opens his mouth to speak but Nancy raises a hand to stop him. “No, wait. Let me guess.”

“I doubt you’ll be able to.”

She glares. Challenge accepted. Even if her body does cringe at the thought of him with another girl. “Was it the one who came in to eat the other day when we were working? Dark hair, long legs, only ordered a salad?”

Ace snorts and takes a few steps towards her, shaking his head. “No. Not even close. Vegetarians terrify me.”

Nancy quirks an eyebrow at that but moves on. “What about Amanda? You two trying to rekindle things?” she says, even though it hurts.

This stops Ace in his tracks. He pins her with a stare that could melt her bones if she let it. “Nope. Burned that bridge and there’s no going back.”

Well, Nancy’s stumped. Which doesn’t happen very often, she admits smugly to herself.

“Okay, Ace. Why don’t you just tell me who it is?” she says, crossing her arms. The wind picks up a little bit and she shivers. “It’s too cold to be playing detective right now.”

A small smile plays across Ace’s lips and he meanders forward again, so much so that he’s literally toe to toe with Nancy. Her heart begins to stammer in her chest, beating a rhythm she’s almost positive Ace can hear.

Calm down, she chides herself.

“C’mon, Nance. Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

This is when Nancy freezes, paralyzed with what Ace is insinuating.

“Why would I be wearing my lucky blue pullover after telling you to meet me here?” he prods.

“Because it’s…cold outside?” Nancy is stubborn on purpose because the alternative is much too out of reach to consider.

Ace lets out a huff of a laugh before gesturing to the pretty knit shirt that fits him so perfectly. “You think I’d wear this for just anybody?” he pauses. “I’m wearing it for you."

If it weren’t for the hood of her car, Nancy’s knees would’ve buckled underneath her. She plays it cool as always, though. “For me? I don’t particularly need the luck right now.”

That earns her an incredulous look from Ace, but she can’t help herself. She starts to ramble. “And how would that even work, anyway? Shouldn’t it be whoever wears the pullover gets the luck? So wearing it for me isn’t even a logical –”

“Nancy.”

She shuts up, both at the tone in his voice and the look on his face – like even if the Claw were exploding behind her, he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off her.

“I’m wearing the pullover for you. Because I’m asking you out. Or trying to, anyway.”

Nancy can’t speak, no matter how hard she tries. Her astronomical crush on Ace had taken the back burner lately because she’d put it there. Mostly because she’d been convinced he’d never feel the same way and that it was for the best. She’d had to be realistic to retain their friendship, after all. Now, Ace is standing in front of her, confessing his reciprocated feelings for her and she can do nothing but gape.

“You look…” he frowns, “…confused. Or in shock. I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.”

“Good!” she finally spits out; complete sentences be damned. “Good, Ace. I – ”

Something propels Nancy forward before she can say anything else – whether it’s the lust scorching through her veins or her long-buried feelings finally breaking free, she’ll never know. But suddenly, her arms are around Ace’s neck, his are around her waist and they’re kissing the way they did only in her dreams. It’s tentative at first, the pair getting used to the way their lips fit together but it’s perfect, Nancy thinks. So perfect she hesitates to pull away.

When they finally do, the wind messes with Nancy’s hair again and this time, Ace is there to brush it behind her ear.

“I can’t believe I managed to stump the super sleuth of Horseshoe Bay,” he teases.

“Only briefly. I got there in the end.”

Ace gives her a smile, one where his nose scrunches and his eyes crinkle. Her heart swells with affection and love for him, all the things she buried for so long.

“Can we call this one the Case of the Lucky Blue Pullover?”