Page 37 of Before They Were Lovers

He and God were on their second beer, and the quiet between them was comfortable and just what he needed. Now was the perfect time to ask God what he’d been putting off for the last two days.

“So, I, um, I got two tickets to the Hawks vs. Nicks game if you’re interested. Lower level, behind the basket,” Day said casually, as if those tickets weren’t gold.

God’s green eyes lit up. “No shit.”

“Jax’s patient is one of the coaches, and he gave him the tickets. But you know how much my brother hates basketball.” Day pulled the two tickets out of his inside coat pocket.

“I’m there, man. Hell yeah,” God rumbled. “When is it?”

“February fourteenth.” Day winked.

Valentine’s Day.

God stared at the tickets, then up at him…and he fucking smiled.

God

Four months later…

God leaned back in the chair, resting the big binder on his lap while holding a beer in his other hand.

Day had the bright overhead lights in his kitchen turned all the way up, the space warm from the heat of the stove. The delicious scent of whatever Day was cooking permeated the space.

It didn’t matter what it was. He was sure he’d like it.

He tried to focus on reading and not the way Day moved around his kitchen, smooth and rhythmic. His partner cooked the same way he worked in the field, with confidence and control.

After years of getting their hands dirty on the streets, proving themselves in a precinct known for chewing up rookies and spitting them out, they’d come in and shattered records. And it hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Tomorrow was their detective’s exam.

God tapped his pen idly on the breakfast bar while he flipped through the flash cards. They had them memorized already, but this was what he and Day did. They overachieved. Nothing they did was half-assed. They wanted to ace it.

“You all right over there, big man?” Day’s voice interrupted his thoughts, easy and teasing.

God grunted his usual response—a curt head nod.

Day set out two plates, chuckling under his breath. “You don’t have to get every single question right, God. We’ll pass, all right?”

Day always seemed to know what he was thinking, and it was no surprise that after all these years, they’d come to rely on each other.

God trusted Day more than anyone… He was theonlyperson he trusted.

“All right, answer this,” God said, his voice low and sharp like when he meant business.

He tossed one of the many flash cards across the counter, and Day caught it like a Frisbee. His partner continued to stir the pasta as he quickly read the question on the card.

Day rattled off the complex answer and then tossed it back.

Smart-ass.

God searched for another.

“Describe the steps for preserving and processing the evidence of a crime scene.”

Day rolled his eyes. “At least give me a difficult one.”

“Okay, know-it-all,” God rumbled, flipping through the manual until he found a more complex question. “Explain the process you would follow to obtain a search warrant, and what are the key elements that must be included in the affidavit to establish probable cause?”

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