An Unexpected Connection

Bonus 32 - the bar

Raihan had just missed his train, and it was pouring rain. He cursed his bad luck as he stood on the platform, soaked to the bone. He had a long day at work, and all he wanted was to go home and crawl into bed.
Just as he was about to give up and call a cab, he saw a figure approaching him from the distance. It was Alejandro, holding an umbrella over his head.

"Hey there, you look like you could use some help" Alejandro said
"Alejandro? What are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd check on my favorite cop."
"You know you're not supposed to call me that."Raihan said, smiling despite himself.
"Can't help it, you're too cute when you're mad."
Rolling his eyes, Raihan answered "Whatever, let's just go somewhere dry."

Alejandro led Raihan to a nearby bar, and they settled in for a drink. Raihan was feeling down, and Alejandro could tell.

"You okay? You seem a little off."
"Just had a rough day. Trying to take down your organization is harder than I thought."
"I can imagine."

They talked for a while, catching up on each other's lives. Raihan started to feel a little better, and he ordered another drink. And then another.
Before he knew it, he was drunk. And then a group of men came over to their table, eyeing Raihan up and down.

Man: "Hey there, pretty boy. You look like you could use a good time."
"Back off, he's with me." Alejandro barked at the man.
Man: (laughing) "What, are you his boyfriend or something?"
"Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?"
The men started to get aggressive, and Alejandro got into a fight with them. Raihan was too drunk to do much, but he stumbled around and tried to help. In the end, Alejandro managed to beat them off, and they stumbled out of the bar together.

"Are you okay?" Alejandro asked breathlessly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to you."
"Anytime."
They started to walk home, and Raihan leaned into Alejandro for support. He was grateful for his presence, and he realized that he didn't want to be anywhere else but with him.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess." Raihan said, slurring a little.
"You're not a mess. You're just a little drunk."
"Thanks for taking care of me."
"Always." Alejandro said as he leaned forward.

They kissed in the rain, and Raihan felt like he was in a movie. He knew that things would never be easy with Alejandro, but he also knew that he wouldn't want it any other way. They stumbled into Raihan's apartment, laughing and kissing, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.