Purely Criminal

Chapter | 3

   Wren was completely focused on Austin as he worked the next day. He knew he should be thinking about the blonde boy as a suspect, but he couldn't help imagining him in other ways. He sighed and blushed like a schoolgirl at just the thought of Austin and him talking again. Wren smiled again, tapping his pen endlessly on the edge of his desk. He hadn't had time to call the handsome barista last night, as he was completely exhausted from his long, unforgiving day at work. Luckily, he hadn't been called to any crime scenes by 11:00 AM, so Wren assumed he would be doing most of his work in the office.

   Pursing his lips, Wren stood up from his desk. Standing on his tip-toes, he peeked over the thin dividing wall. The police office was rather small, so Wren didn't even have his own office. He was mingled right smack-dab in the middle of his subordinates work spaces. Even the secretary had more space than him. Wren knew that his department was rather shabby, but he also knew that if he solved this case, he could very likely get promoted.

   Taking a glance down at his papers, Wren picked them up. A 'suspects' sheet was shoved in the back of the pile, a paper that he hadn't exactly wanted to look at. He was torn by his romantic interest in Austin, but also his duty as an officer to the law. Gnawing at the inside of his cheek, Wren sat back down. He felt completely restless, and now completely guilty. He had managed to shove off his guilty conscience by thinking about Austin, but just a short look at his paperwork and he instantly felt regret course through him.

   Now slightly pissed at himself, Wren tapped his foot against the inside of his desk. His long legs were always crumpled up too tightly, as the desk wasn't large enough to accommodate him. He didn't have much work that he had to do- Well, that he wanted to do. A few papers were scattered about his desk, waiting to be finished, but Wren didn't feel like doing them. The papers in his hands were mostly done, besides the 'suspects' sheet. He knew that the paper had to get done at some point that day, but writing Austin's name seemed wrong to him.

   Wren nearly slammed the papers down onto the desk in frustration. His grip tightened, and he knew he was crushing the work. After a moment, he managed to calm himself down with some deep breaths. Putting his crumpled papers on the desk, Wren stood up. He longed to call Austin, but knew he shouldn't during work hours, especially on the young man's day off. Unfortunately, Wren's feeble excuses were no longer working on himself. His hand reached for the cellphone in his back pocket, but he hesitated. He had already programmed Austin's number into his phone, so all it would take was just a simple swipe of the electric device.

   Sighing angrily once more, Wren began making his way to the exit. He nearly tripped on one of his subordinate's bags as he walked down the narrow hall.

   "Hey, pick this up!" He shouted, his face turning slightly red. After taking another deep breath and exhaling, Wren managed to trudge through the rest of the thin hallway, not caring if anyone listened and picked up the stray bag. He pushed open the door with a huff, growling as the handle pinched his finger. Extremely angry, he turned the corner, marching down the sidewalk. He stormed his way into the nearest convenience store, bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He exited the shop, slowly opening the container. 

   He had already regretted his decision to buy the products, but it's not like he could return it. Popping one in his mouth, he took the lighter and flicked it on, burning the tip of the cigarette. After placing the lighter into his pocket, he took a slow inhale, allowing the toxic air to invade his lungs. He took his fingers up to his mouth, spreading his index and his middle finger, before pulling the smoke out of his mouth. He exhaled, and the dark, clouded air was released, the noxious scent filling the surrounding area.

   After repeating this for a few more times, the cigarette was mostly gone. Wren had made his way back to the entrance to the office, feeling much more calm. Taking it out of his mouth for the last time, he dropped the butt onto the ground, grinding it with his boot. Knowing he would have to return to the office at some point, Wren decided it would be better to get his work done quickly. He also realized it was his duty as an officer to write down Austin's name as a suspect. Sure, the only thing that had made the blonde barista a suspect was his work schedule, but the investigation team needed any leads they could get their hands on.

   Running a hand through his hair, Wren entered the building again. He noticed that pushing his hair back every now and then seemed to have become a habit. Biting at his lip a bit, Wren noticed that the bag in the hall was gone. He wasn't sure he would have asked to have it picked up or not if it was still lingering there. Returning to his desk, Wren leaned back in his chair. He would have liked to have folded his legs, but he instead settled for pushing a tad away from his desk. Deep down, he really knew he was procrastinating writing Austin's name down. But unfortunately for him, he had already delayed it enough that his conscience was beginning to eat at him. 

   Giving a soft, quiet sigh, Wren regained his posture, and pulled himself back closer to his desk. He played with his papers until he found the correct one, very obviously labeled 'suspects'. Grimacing, he kept popping his pen open and closed, before he finally tapped the inked utensil against the paper. He clearly wrote out Austin's name, appearance, where he worked, and the reason to suspect him. Also very clearly, Wren wrote beside the reason, that Austin was not a very likely suspect, and that he was just a small lead.

   He leaned back once more, feeling much more relaxed. Writing down Austin's name was not ideal, but the team needed any possible clues. Wren glanced down at his watch for the first time that day, surprised to find that it was already nearly 3 PM. He usually got off around 3:30, but he decided to treat himself. He deserved an extra half-hour, considering he wrote down a love interest as a suspect. Standing up, Wren grabbed his bag from the hanger, slinging it over his shoulder. He smiled softly, turning the corner into the hall.

   "Have a good night." He stopped at his so-called "Deputy"'s desk.  His "Deputy," Avery Nickleson, was more of an assistant than anything. He didn't really like to get his hands dirty, and he was a rather humorous, innocent-looking guy. He was short, especially when compared to Wren, and he had a fluffy tuft of brown hair. He was also rather young, and he certaintly acted like it.

   "Oh, going home already sir?" Avery asked with a smile, turning around. "Then have a good night!"

   Wren smiled back. "Yes, thank you." He murmured, turning back to the hall and walking again. After exiting, he debated having another cigarette, but decided against it. He was already regretting his previous decision to have one. Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Wren turned the corner of the building.

   The next thing he knew, he was slamming into someone else. The other person fell to the ground, as Wren regathered himself. After regaining his wits, Wren looked to see who he had knocked down.

   "Sorry, I-" He muttered, leaning down and making eye-contact with none other than Austin the barista.

   "Oh, you're that officer!" Austin sounded all too pleased and not too upset about being knocked off of his feet.

   Wren gave a quiet laugh, at both the coincidence and Austin's pleased tone. "Sorry about this." He stood up, holding out an arm for the blonde. Austin took it gratefully, and Wren helped yank him up. Smiling a little more than he should have, the detective released Austin's hand. Austin smiled back at him, making Wren's heart flutter.

   "I was just about to go for a quick, early dinner. Would you like to come?" Austin asked suddenly, his smile almost seeming like a smirk.

   Taken off-guard, Wren's response came out delayed and a bit shaky. "Y-Yes, if you're sure it's alright." 

   Austin laughed lightly, causing Wren to breathe out happily. "Of course. Now c'mon, let's go find a place to eat."