Piece It Together - Gavin Reed

6

Connor didn't shoot.

She was quiet on the drive back to the precinct. Gavin had a tight grip on the wheel, his knuckles turning white. She watched as he tapped against the wheel, constantly looking out of the window to his left and in front of him to make sure he didn't crash. 

The music coming from the radio was quiet, clearly just being something that was trendy that week. Her heart felt heavy watching him be so frustrated.

She wanted to leave him. She wanted to leave the cheating bastard and live in peace but she didn't want to bother Hank with her presence and she had a shared account with Jamie meaning she didn't have much control over her finances anymore. She couldn't even have her phone.

"Gavin-"

"I don't fuckin' hate you, y'know?"

"That's hard to believe." For the first time, he finally looked at her, "You've done nothing but bully me. You called me Slut the first time you saw me."

"Because you were too much of a pussy to commit to someone!"

"I wasn't going to have my reputation tarnished by dating the resident asshole! I was getting bullied enough as is, dating you would have made it worse!"

"Worse than dating him?"

"Jamie is different-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He stopped the car abruptly, Y/n covering her ears and curling on herself.  Gavin breathed heavily, gripping the wheel tighter than ever. "I'M NOT FUCKING STUPID, I KNOW THAT SOMETHING'S UP WITH YOU GUYS!"

"Stop shouting at me..."

"THAT SHIT HE PULLED WITH THOSE TWO ANDROIDS, I'M SURPRISED YOU DIDN'T TRY AND FUCKING BEAT HIS ASS!"

"Gavin, stop it...!"

"I KNOW YOU AREN'T IN AN OPEN RELATIONSHIP SO WHY ARE YOU LYING TO SAVE HIS ASS?"

"STOP SHOUTING AT ME!"

The car went quiet, Gavin's breathing becoming hefty while Y/n was crying. He ran a hand through his hair, hitting his hand against the wheel as he mumbled profanities.

"I'm sorry, Gavin. I'm sorry for not being able to commit to you. It's just... It was a long time ago. Things between Jamie and I are... I just... I hope we can be civil."

Gavin was quiet. He began the car again, beginning to drive in silence. Understanding the air in the situation, she stayed quiet. She turned to the right, looking out the window at the rain that quietly poured.

"For a girl who's always bubbly, I must say that I'm surprised you're such a big fan of the rain." The two sat in his room, his window being right next to his bed. The two were sat by it, originally watching a movie but the weather had decided to downpour its tears that night.

"My personality does not dictate the things I enjoy. Just like how you're an ass but you love cats." She said, looking at him with a teasing grin.

"I swear to god, Y/n, if you've told anybody about that I'll kill you."

"I haven't told anybody, don't worry." She laughed, resting her elbow on the windowsill as she watched the raindrops that hit the window race each other to the bottom. "Why do you hide this side of you?"

He went quiet for a moment, taking his eyes off of the girl beside him and looking at the rain on the window. Some of the droplets would join together if they connected, others sliding down to the bottom of the frame.

"Why do you like the rain so much?"

"Answer my question first!"

"Fine, fine... I dunno, I just didn't have any aspirations until I met you. Miss Priss - the girl who has her entire life planned out - changed the biggest ass in the school. Who would've thought?" He joked, noticing that she had begun to look at him, "It's just... it's easier to live up to people's expectations of me than change everything."

She watched his head turn back to the window, not even realising she had leaned in to give a comforting kiss on the cheek. Reaching her hand out to play with his hair, she smiled a little, "Well, maybe you should take the harder road. Shock everyone with a change." He looked at her, his ears tinted red, "Change is a good thing."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on, why do you like rain so much?"

She let a breathy chuckle out, "Um, it's not really that interesting." She leaned her head against the window, "The sound of it is just really relaxing and calming. It's a really nice background sound when I'm reading or studying. Plus, I like the cold."

"Huh, you like the cold yet you're always wearing my jacket?" She pulled his jacket closer to her body.

"It smells like you! Plus, you're always offering."

"With the number of times you wear it, I'm surprised it doesn't smell like you."

"I prefer your signature scent. Aside from the cigarettes and the booze, your cologne smells really good."

"Oh, uh, about that," She sat up, reaching over to hold his hand, "I'm trying to quit drinking and smoking."

"Really?" Her face lit up, cupping his face with her hand and leaning in, planting a kiss on his lips which he returned, pulling her into his lap. "I'm so happy for you, Gav. I'm here if you need any help with it."

"Thanks, N/n."

He parked his car in the usual spot, the two exiting the car. This had been routine for them at this point. They would get their things and Gavin would drive her home, either driving himself to the bar or back home. She picked up her bag, remembering she had left her coat at home. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she walked over to her partner, hugging herself as she grew colder in the empty precinct. Taking his jacket off, he handed it to her.

"It's for the drive home. You look cold." She gave him a small smile of thanks, taking the jacket and slinging it over her shoulders. He adjusted the jacket for her, pulling it over her more. He watched as she inhaled, her words sending a shiver down his spine.

"It still smells like you."

He needed a drink.