Page 22 of Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters
“Some guys are jerks.”
Vikash put him in a playful headlock and dragged him to the bed. Tangled in those long arms, sinking into Vikash’s wonderful mattress, Kyle slept better than he had in years.
Chapter Six
It should have been a full weekend off. With such a small precinct, every officer had to rotate on call for nights and weekends, so the rare whole weekend without even the one call at three in the morning to worry about? They were gems to be hoarded and relished.
Sunday morning, Kyle was wrapped once again in Vikash’s arms, warm and well sated, looking forward to cooking eggs and vegetarian bacon for his partner. Ellie, who had warmed up to him enough to deign to sit in his lap for petting, slept at the foot of the bed. When both his and Vikash’s cells rang, she catapulted from the bed and raced out with a hiss, tail bottlebrush-fluffed.
“Oh, holy fuck nuggets,” Kyle growled as he dove for his jeans to yank out his phone.
Even though Vikash had been sound asleep half a second before, his fluid, serene movements got him to his phone first. “It’s an alert. For us.”
“I see it.” Kyle plunked back against the pillows. There’d been a development in the Schuylkill murder case and the lieutenant needed them to come in ‘sooner than possible’ to talk to the officers on duty. “Fuck me. Why now?”
Vikash kissed the top of his head. “I can’t fuck you right now. We have to get going.”
“Hilarious. Damn it. I don’t have a uniform here.”
“I’ll meet you there.” Vikash retrieved Kyle’s clothes from the floor and set everything neatly out on the bed. “Better if we get there separately.”
Those words drove a spike through Kyle’s chest. In their weekend idyll, pretending that the outside world didn’t exist, he’d shoved the problems of sleeping with his partner aside. Of course they needed to arrive separately. Of course they needed to keep a professional distance on the job. He knew that, but somehow when Vikash said it so coolly, it hurt like hell.I’m just warming a friend’s bed. That’s all this was. I’m not getting all maudlin and stupid about it.
He yanked his jeans on, and the crew shirt he’d worn the day before, since he’d at least gone home Saturday morning and tossed some things in a bag. “All right, I’m out. Shouldn’t hit traffic, so I’ll see you in about thirty.”
With his sneakers in one hand, phone and keys in the other, he was striding out of the bedroom when Vikash called, “Kyle?”
“Yeah?”
Vikash was staring at him when he turned, the carefully blank expression one Kyle was starting to recognize as distress. Maybe he’d had something he wanted to say, but all he managed was, “Don’t forget your jacket’s in the front closet.”
“I got it. See you in a couple.” Kyle hurried out with a feeling of lost opportunity and a lonely ache in his gut.
****
When he got to the station, Vikash was waiting by the car with coffee, professional, calm, but the considerate gesture went a long way to soothing Kyle’s hurt.
“A brown would’ve picked you,” Vikash said as he handed over a cup and turned to walk beside Kyle.
“Usually, I can keep up with your thought jumping. But fuck if I know what you just said,” Kyle muttered.
“If you’d impressed a dragon. It would’ve been brown,” Vikash explained. “Not bronze, since they’re strictly straight. And you’re too tough for green.”
Despite the residual tension in his gut, Kyle chuckled. “Gave this some thought, did you? But then you probably would, too, and that would be a problem.”
Vikash shook his head and said far too seriously, “No. I’d have fire lizards.”
“Right. Problem solved. I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”
The building was quieter on a Sunday, so it was easier to hear conversation as they turned down the hall toward the squad room.
“No, it wasn’t!” an angry young voice shouted. “I know what a fucking alligator looks like!”
Loveless’ voice spoke over the young woman, authoritative and sharp. “It was dark. How could you be sure?”
“Carr, simmer,” Zacchini said as she stood. “Monroe’s here. Maybe it’ll make sense to him.” She hurried over to take Kyle and Vikash aside.
“So what’ve we got?” Kyle asked in an undertone.
