Complicated

Chapter Eight: The Party's Over

You might mistake me for heart breaker
'Cause there's blood on the floor
I'm hoping you will see, there's something good in me
Never seen before

Alexis Jordan - Good Girl

The diner was too quiet for Flack's liking, apparently it was the effect of the Blue Flu epidemic that was sweeping it's way though the NYPD. He didn't blame the other cops for taking the time off in response to the pay cuts they knew that were looming. Yet cops like him and Angell were old school even if they were part of the new generation. They had taken an oath to protect the city and that's what the two of them were going to keep doing, pay cut or no pay cut.

The two of them were sitting in a companionable silence across from each other in a booth. Flack was chewing on a turkey club sandwich and washing it down with what felt like a litre of coffee and Angell was pouring a boatload of sugary syrup onto a steaming plate of waffles. They were coming off the back end of twelve hour shift and in an hours time were due to start yet another. Blue flu required all available hands on deck.

"I saw what happened with you and Grace this morning, everything ok there?" Angell asked, glancing up from the newspaper she was reading.

Flack expression remaining impassive as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"You know you should eat something more substantial than that sugary crap there if we're gonna be on shift for the next twelve hours. Your gonna need something with carbs." Flack instructed, trying to change the subject.

Angell scowled at his words as Flack reached over and slid the sports section out of her newspaper and began to read it.

"I like the two of you together. You and Grace make a good couple." Angell submitted trying to draw his attention back to the subject as she sliced her waffles.

"There is no me and Grace." Flack stated, staring at the page in front of him instead of reading.

"Oh, yea there is." Angell countered, before popping part of the waffle into her mouth.

"Jess seriously..." he snapped, jerking his head up to meet her curious eyes with his hostile gaze. "There is no me and Grace."

Silence fell between them as Flack's focus returned the newspaper. Angell watched him intently before deciding to give it another shot.

"But there was." she started again.

Flack clenched his jaw, his eyes raising skywards at his partner's insistent nature. It was what made her such an excellent detective.

"I'm not letting up until you tell me what's going on." she informed him, taking a sip of her milky white coffee.

"Fine." Flack muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as his back came to rest against the back panel of the booth.

"Fine?" Angell echoed, putting her cup back down upon the table and fixating in her partner with interest.

"There was a me and Grace and now there isn't." he said, shrugging his shoulders abruptly.

Flack looked away, the muscle in his cheek twitching as he thought over everything that had occurred over the past three months.

"Grace can't commit." he submitted. "So we ended it."

"You ended it." Angell corrected, her mind playing over the events of this morning.

"I laid my cards out on the table." Flack recounted, biting his lower lip in frustration. "And her phone rings and she's gone again. I know it's hard for her to trust people, I do, but this is me we're talking about here. I am a good guy and she knows that."