Detecting Love (ENEMIES TO LOVERS-DETECTIVES)

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝟏𝟏: 𝓢𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓬𝔂𝓬𝓵𝓮 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 (𝓔𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓻)

Adrian stared at me, his words stumbling out in a desperate attempt to make sense. "Eleanor, I... I don't even know where to begin."

I swiftly turned to the door, my hand reaching for the handle.

"Please, Eleanor, just listen-" he pleaded, but I didn't let him finish.

"No, you listen Adrian, I heard it all and there's not much more you can say. "

"You're not getting it. What you heard wasn't the whole story."

The door practically called my name, tempting me to escape it all. But Adrian stood behind me, pleading silently. I released the handle, turning to face him.

"Trust me, that was everything."

"Eleanor, for God's sake, can you just hear me out? It's like you filter out what you don't want to hear. It's all about you," he scoffed.

"Me? Self-centered?" Disbelief reeked from my voice.

"Yeah, you! Like there's anyone else in this department that can surpass, clearly not. Congratulations."

"You think you know everything and everyone? You can act tough and assertive all you want but everyone knows that your just scared as shit."

Adrian does not say anything, his eyes narrow into slits and his stare intensifies as he looks at me.

"Yeah right" He scoffs, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "As if I'm a kiss ass for validation. At least I've got a mind of my own."

I grit my teeth, feeling a sting behind my eyes, but I refuse to lose my composure and he's dead wrong with his messed up narrative of me. He thinks he can predict my moves, or read me so well, but he doesn't even know himself. What a joke.

"You think you know me so well! Let me guess, it's all about dear old dad?"

His gaze was locked onto mine and grew with intensity.

"You're always front and center, acting like you run the place, wanting everyone to respect and possibly hoping to fear you. Like father like son, pathetic how you're a carbon copy of him, isn't it?" I paused, feeling the weight of my words.

I don't care if he's wounded or sorrowful. I want him to feel the same level of angst and pure rage I feel. Only then, will he understand-despite my countless attempts to make it clear-that we're irrevocably at odds.

Adrian was beyond seething, the fury on his face sending a chill down my spine. His breathing was heavy as I could see his exhales in the cold air.

"I guess Brandon was not crazy after all" he snickered. "Hell, he even said what none dared not to. You really are a fucking bitch."

I stood there in the biting cold, I watched as his figure disappeared into the department, the door swinging shut without a backward glance. Even as it was once very quite and dark, the outside, once hushed and dimly lit, had now descended into an even deeper silence and darkness. Yet, the chill in the air was no match to the icy sting of Adrian's words, still reverberating in my head over and over again.

My fists clenched at my sides, a surge of emotions battling within me. The fury churned alongside the ache of sadness, confusion and hurt.

Did all of that really just happen? How would we ever move forward when it's just the same cycle every time? One of us speaks up, the other blows up, and we're stuck in this endless back and forth till we can't stand the sight of each other. Is he going straight to Miller to spill the whole story? The mere idea of the case falling apart, being called to Miller's office, and then hearing I'm not cut out for this case or anything like it again makes my head stomach churn.