the shrink . sonny carisi {svu}

4

"So, where were you planning on getting lunch?" The detective asked. There was this small smirk plastered on his face.

I was never good at flirting, or being flirted with, and honestly he could just be a very friendly guy trying to welcome the new girl on her first day. So this was meant to be stressful for me. Most things are stressful for me.

"I didn't really plan this far into my day, if I'm being honest." I didn't know what to expect from this job. Lunch was the last thing on my mind.

Ever since I was young I've been more stressed out than most people around me. I basically raised my siblings, because someone had to, so I've always felt like I needed to be stressed out to really focus and get the job done.

"Well, you're in a great part of town for a bite", he offered. I grew up on the street food here, so my tastes weren't exactly established. "I normally get a sub from this great place a few blocks now, if you wanna join?"

The weird thing was that I wasn't even that stressed out. I mean, I'm constantly stressed out on some level, even if it's just a subconscious level. I have dreams about being late, or missing deadlines, or forgetting to turn the straighteners off. It's who I am.

But I guess the detective was pretty good at his job, because I didn't feel at all under pressure. If I was being arrested, he could probably convince me to walk into the station myself.

Instead, it felt easy to talk to him. He was definitely overly friendly, but I like friendly.

I knew I was getting carried away with myself.