The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 38

Taylor left the station feeling the heavy exhaustion in his body as he walked to the car. Sitting down behind the wheel almost felt like a heroic action. Before he could start the engine, his phone rang. He picked up the phone and saw that it was Amber calling. Taylor forgot the stress of the day as he answered the phone. "Hey, I was going to call you when I got back to the apartment," he said as he worked to put the call on the car's Bluetooth. 

"Well, I'm glad you haven't made it there yet. You want to meet up for a quick dinner?"

"Yeah, sure. Where do you want to go?"

"Do you like Mexican food?" she asked him.

"Love it. Which place do you want to meet up?"

"Have you ever been to Cocina Cancun? It's one of my favorite places. Great margaritas."

"Oh yeah, yeah, I've heard of it," he said, trying to hide his sarcasm. "Sounds like a plan."

He arrived about five minutes before Amber. Taylor filled the time by playing a game on his phone. When she arrived, he exited the car and greeted her as she approached him. She returned the greeting and kissed him on his cheek. They made small talk as they walked to the restaurant. He briefly debated whether or not to hold her hand as they walked, but it was such a short distance he decided against it.

When they were seated, the couple ordered their drinks. "You look tired," Amber said after the waiter left. Taylor looked up from the menu and saw the concerned look on her face. He tried his best not to let on just how he felt. Then again, Amber made a living by determining how people felt and reading their body language and expressions.

"It's been a long couple of days and some stressful cases. I'm fine, really, nothing new."

"Tell me about it. I got a call from Dino at lunch. Always a great way to start the second half of your day."

"What did he want?"

"Oh, the usual. Can I come to get this? Can you let me have that? The man hasn't lived in that house in years, yet he believes he moved out yesterday." She looked over at him and felt a wave of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, nothing like talking about the ex to the new...well, what are we calling you now?"

The question took him aback. It was something that even he had not thought about until now. Was it too soon to say boyfriend? Does the term boyfriend apply to him since he isn't a boy? It was odd how so many questions could flash through his mind as he sat there for a short time. He wondered if that was where this was going. It wasn't like she was proposing marriage, but what were they doing?

"I guess I don't need a title," he said. "I like you—a lot. I'm not good at this," he said, hoping his discomfort wasn't showing. "I'm sorry I've just...."

"Roger, it's okay," she said in a comforting voice.

"No, it's not," he responded, hoping it didn't come out too harshly. "I'm trying to say that I have feelings for you. The kind I've not felt in a long time. I don't want to screw up what we have begun together. It's just I live a life that's different than most people. I don't always come home at five every evening. I could be called away to who knows where any time of the night or day. Sometimes I get holidays, and sometimes I don't. I've seen and done some terrible things, both on the police force and in Iraq. Still, I want to be one of the good guys. I know that sounds stupid, but I do. Those oaths I took mean something to me, and they hold to the people around me."

"You know, when Ethan first told me you were a cop, I told him I wasn't interested," she said as she stared back intently at him. "Honestly, I didn't think anything would come of it for a lot of reasons. I'm glad I was wrong. I don't know where we are going with whatever this is, but I want to make it work. With or without a title."