One Last Dance | R. Grayson

[03] Lunch Break

"A little bit of rest every now and then is needed too."

Erica's words resonated in his head as for the first time ever since he had joined the police department, he actually went down to the coffee shop for his lunch break instead of staying at the headquarters to work.

Richard and Gary Dunham had interrogated the suspect arrested regarding the case of Abagnale Pharmaceuticals and they finally found new leads. They had a theory that the medical store was being used as a front for drug dealing and trafficking and perhaps the arson was a means of erasing the evidence.

That meant they would have to investigate the crime scene again and include the owners of the medical store in their list of suspects too.

However, Richard wasn't there at the coffee shop to think further about the case. He was going to take a break so that when he got back to his work, he would be fully refreshed.

He ordered a sandwich and an Americano, taking his tray to sit at a table offering the outside view. The streets were full of people hurrying about their daily routines, some waiting for the bus at the bus stop nearby and others pedaling on their bikes to get to their destinations.

There was seldom any time for him to sit back and watch other people hurry in their lives. So that short lunch break felt like a pause button in his life that was seemingly speeding on fast forward.

It felt very calming to take a small break and unwind, letting himself accept that he too was alive and needed some time for himself.

His train of thought was interrupted by a familiar voice and he focused back on the present, watching Erica step inside the cafe. Her hair were held back in a loose bun, she looked particularly worn out and by her attire, it seemed she had just come back from some place she didn't want to go to.

"One iced coffee please," she was rummaging in her bag for her card as she came up to the counter.

He saw her look through the display as if deciding on what to eat but then didn't order anything else as she picked up her cup, paid for it, and turned just in time to see him looking at her.

He offered her a polite smile, feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught staring. But the way her tired features had melted into a smile in reply made him forget about that.

"Ah Richard," she greeted him in the usual tone, taking the seat across from him as she saw that there was no one else keeping him company, "how come you're here during work hours?"

"I am on a lunch break," he replied and she chuckled softly, recalling their last conversation in which she had briefly mentioned that he should take some rest from work every now and then.

"So you took my advice?"

"I did and I found it very helpful."

Her eyes softened ever so slightly as she shook her head, the smile lingering upon her features, "good to know."

"Is everything alright, Miss Leslie?" He asked after a while, noticing that she seemed somewhat distracted still and the fatigue showed from her face.

"Yes, of course. Everything's perfect."

The words drifted off her tongue as if rehearsed and said multiple times before. He knew he shouldn't observe too much but there were times it felt as if Erica did and said a lot of things on repeat.

As if her life had settled into a perfect loop, going around over and over again with seldom any changes.

"Perhaps this look is what Walter means when he says you go into detective mode," she remarked and he straightened, caught in the act again.

"Oh, I... It's nothing like that."

"It's alright," she brushed off his slight attempt to think of an excuse, "sometimes I space out too."

"It's just that you look tired," he couldn't let that slide because the more he observed her, the more he felt something was wrong that she wasn't telling him.

And of course, why would she tell him? They might be acquaintances but when it came deep down to it, they were still strangers who just knew each other's names and had interacted a few times.

Still, he wanted to be of some help to her, it had become a habit that he couldn't brush off easily.

"Well, it feels like I have had a very long day even though it's only afternoon," she saw the time, a soft sigh escaping her, "what about you? Are things going as hectic in the HQ as usual or not?"

She had changed the topic so perhaps she didn't want to discuss anything further about herself, he assessed. Therefore, he didn't ask her further and spent the rest of his ten minutes in a light conversation directed toward his work and the current case he was working on.

Very soon, it was time for him to leave.

"I have to go now," he told her and she nodded in reply, knowing full well that there was a lot of work he had to look after, "thank you for making my break twice more enjoyable."

"I did nothing but show up."

"Exactly." Richard had said that playfully but then realized it could be taken down as a flirtatious attempt. So before she could think anything of the sort, he quickly added, "and because your advice helped me out, I thought of repaying the favor."

She raised an eyebrow, "what favor?"

"Just some advice that might help," he took out something from the pocket of his blazer, placing it in her palm like a little souvenir, "when you are feeling tired or just not having a good day, you can always make things better with something sweet. Like chocolate."

"Oh..." She looked down at her palm which now held a small chocolate bar.

"A little bit of sugar can work wonders," he remarked with a smile and his heart skipped a beat as she laughed at his joke, "tried and tested."

"Spoken like a true cop," she replied, accepting the chocolate.

He lifted his cap slightly in a farewell gesture and then left the cafe eventually. As he was leaving, he turned for a backward glance, seeing her through the glass window.

She had a small smile on her face, probably wondering what that little gesture meant. But then before he could turn around, her eyes met his blue ones, and even though there was a considerable distance between them now as he was outside the cafe, he saw her smile widen.

Richard Grayson had only two thoughts crossing his head at that very moment.

The first one was that he was caught in the act. Again.

And the second thought was that she had a beautiful smile; one that made his heart skip a beat.

***