Shadow

27 | A Bittersweet Funeral

Three weeks.

Twenty one days.

That's all it had taken for Genevieve to get to know Samuel and grow close to him. The two had developed quite a bond, one where there was nothing but platonic love. There was no presence of any unnecessary tension between them either. Every time they met up, it would resemble a reunion of siblings.

A faint but nostalgic smile touched Genevieve's lips, but the stream of tears that escaped her eyes never stopped. Her line of sight was fixated at nothing in particular. All she did was stare ahead in a daze of sorrow.

The sermons and prayers of Samuel's funeral had finished some time ago. The casket which contained his body had long been buried too, but Genevieve couldn't bring herself to leave the church just like everyone else. Not yet. She felt that she'd be bidding an eternal goodbye to him the second she set a foot outside the cathedral.

Rays of sunlight poured inside through the glass windows, which illuminated the interior in a warm hue. Genevieve tried her very best to find comfort in the dimly lit atmosphere of the church, but she couldn't.

A cold breeze entered the church and made its way towards her, when a sound of the doors opening emanated. She tugged on the long black coat she was wearing to cover her front, and she sat up a little straighter on the pew.

Genevieve heard footsteps. They gradually grew closer and closer until the sound stopped right beside her. The person remained quiet, and she didn't say anything either. It was after a split second that the footsteps resumed. They resounded past her black pumps which were planted against the floor, and stopped on her other side. She heard the shuffling of fabric, followed by the sound of a soft thud which implied that someone took a seat right next to her.

Silence took over once again. Genevieve nearly forgot that she wasn't the only one in this cathedral, up until the individual beside her spoke.

"Are you religious?"

Upon registering Alec's voice, she quickly wiped her tears away. She sniffled just as she glanced in his direction to make sure it was indeed him, and when it was, she averted her gaze.

Alec sat in a casual and relaxed posture, which was quite the opposite of Genevieve's seated position. His elbows rested along the bench's back edge, and one of his ankles were propped up on a knee. He was in his usual work clothes; a white button up shirt and black dress pants, since he was to go back to the station after this.

A part of him wondered why he had stayed behind even after all the other attendees of the funeral left. In truth, it was because he saw Genevieve's car still parked near the church, but his pride refused to acknowledge that.

"Yes. Every morning, I pray to god that you choke on your food one day and die."

The detective looked at Genevieve with a raised eyebrow. Even in her state of sadness, she never failed to amaze him with her comebacks. Alec had anticipated a lack of response, but he was proven to be wrong once again, much to his amusement.

"Had you prayed for something more useful, you wouldn't be here right now." He replied flatly. Genevieve returned the eye contact at that. But she wasn't glowering, she simply observed him.

He was right. She knew that too. Of course, she had never really prayed for Alec's death, but there was no way she'd dial back from her words.

Genevieve looked away from him just as her elbows rested atop her knees. She leaned forward to hold her face between her palms, and she stayed in that position for what seemed like forever. To someone from afar, it would seem that she was offended by Alec's reply. He thought so too. And when her shoulders began to shake, he leaned forward to peer at her.

"Shit, I meant no harm." He managed quickly, which elicited a few muffled and sob-like sounds from Genevieve. Alec reached out to grab her shoulder. And thankfully that worked, because she removed her face from her hands and sat upright. Her lips were pressed together as if she was trying to stifle something, and that clearly bewildered Alec.

It dawned upon him that she was in fact laughing and not crying.

"Have you truly lost it?" He questioned incredulously just when he removed his hand from her, and a series of explosive laughs left Genevieve's mouth. This time her tears were caused by the chuckles, and she quickly wiped them away. Alec on the other hand, had no idea what the hell just happened. He may be even more confused than he was when Thomas had been blown up, and that is saying something.

"I just can't believe how a person like you exists. You can't even let me mourn my best friend in peace. I'm just so done with you and your crap now, I'm not even joking. It's like..."

Genevieve searched for the right phrase to map her thoughts out. Never before had she met anyone so unbothered. She believed that someone could stab him right in the chest, and he'd still stare at the person responsible with a blank face. He may even remark about the knife not being sharpened enough.

Alec watched her expectantly as he waited for her to finish her sentence. But she didn't. His gaze hovered over her countenance for but a few seconds, before he looked elsewhere. Genevieve averted her stare as well, and silence enveloped the atmosphere yet again. It was oddly comfortable. There was no hint of awkwardness.

Both of them had submerged themselves into their ocean of thoughts. Their minds raced endlessly. Whilst Genevieve was near the more depressing end of the spectrum, Alec was on the work-related one.

"You were right."

Her distant murmur was clearly heard by Alec. He narrowed his eyes momentarily just when he side-eyed her with caution.

"That's not how 'I'm sorry' is pronounced."

A scoff left Genevieve. Her meekness dissipated, only to be replaced by something else entirely. She turned her head to look at Alec with a steely gaze. Defiance was evident on her features, and she cocked her head to the side just slightly.

"I am not sorry for a damn thing."

He pursed his lips as he pondered over her reply, before he gave a slight nod of approval. Alec had concluded that he and Genevieve held something in common; they were too proud to apologize.

"Fair enough."

He leaned back to the previous posture, and he stretched an arm out to rest it on the bench's edge behind Genevieve. A deep exhale slipped from his lips, and his eyes wandered over to the female officer. He watched her with intrigue, whereas her hard stare remained unfazed. That went on for a little while before Alec decided to wrap things up.

"I got some lights installed in that room of Precinct 20. We'll work there from now on, because I'm sick of that old bastard. He really doesn't miss an opportunity to annoy me with his irrelevant crap." He declared, and Genevieve agreed with him internally. Truly, the commissioner was a pain in their rears.

Alec's eyes lingered on her as a temporary farewell. Shortly after, he stood up from the pew and stepped away.

"Goodbye, Perez."

"Later then, Walliams."

Alec shook his head with a smirk, but his strides towards the church's door never faltered. Genevieve had unconsciously turned around to watch him leave. When his form disappeared from her sight, then and only then did she look away.

She was still unsure about how she felt regarding Alec. The on and off with him was tiring, to say the least. On one occasion they'd get along, and the next, Genevieve would develop the urge to bury him alive.

But like always, she deemed this to be unimportant for the time being. She'll worry about these trivial matters after the essential ones have been resolved.