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Lucia is stunning. That is Morgan’s first thought as the woman walks up to them.
Her handshake is gentle. She’s smiling, widely, and her tone is soft as she speaks. Adam needs more of that warmth in his life, Morgan’s well aware.
It’s instantly evident why they worked as a couple, but also why a woman like Lucia wouldn’t settle for a man more married to his job. Morgan thinks about the painting in Adam’s apartment, that one piece of colour, and the way she’s caught him staring at it. Longing.
From the second Adam lays eyes on his ex-fiancée, his attention stays there. Morgan can’t blame him, nor does she question that he wants to be in time for the reservation. But there’s something about how he quickly angles his body away from Morgan, how easily he exits the conversation, that stings more than she expects.
And then there’s his arm. So casually wrapped around Lucia’s shoulders, muscle memory more than thought. They’ve done this before, Morgan reminds herself. It’s familiar, practiced.
Still, Adam doesn’t do casual touch. Not without meaning it. He is serious about Lucia.
Morgan knew that, of course. From the grin he failed to hide when she texted. From him willingly showing up late for work. From the blue flower still hanging on his wall. And things are different now, Selena had told Morgan as much. Adam’s not the last one to leave the office anymore, he doesn’t dig himself too deep into work like he used to.
Morgan picks at the edge of her nail, over and over again. Her smile fades. She wants to be happy for him- She is happy for him. But her chest feels abnormally tight and she has to remind herself to breathe.
It must be exhaustion, loneliness, anything but this old familiar ache, blooming from something else entirely.
She just misses connection, that’s all.
The lie comes crashing down sooner than Morgan expects it to.
It’s a Monday, and she’s already feeling the signs of another migraine. She’s been pushing through them lately, pushing through everything, really, because stopping means thinking.
She made a few ballsy calls last week, crossed a line or two, but at least she’s solving the damn cases, whilst Adam is too busy pretending she doesn’t exist.
Three weeks ago, after he and Lucia officially got back together, there was a shift. Morgan knows she stepped back too. Built distance between them rather than facing why seeing him together with Lucia hurt.
She understands that Adam wants a life outside of work. As a matter of fact, she’s been the one pushing for him to put himself out there.
What she doesn’t understand is today.
This morning he didn’t even greet her, didn’t do the half-nod, half-smile. Nothing. And then he did something worse. He went around her, to the lieutenant, and cut her out of the case entirely.
Rain drums against the windows by the time she catches him heading out. Morgan calls for him, but he moves fast, too fast, coat already on and keys in hand.
The parking lot is slick and dim, the street lights flickering against puddles. Her shoes splash through water she doesn’t bother avoiding.
“Hey, Karadec. I was talking to you! Don’t you walk away from me.”
He stops, but doesn’t turn, shoulders tightening. “Morgan.” He warns.
Morgan huffs. “What, Adam? You lied to me.”
There’s a beat, and then he looks at her for what feels like the first time today. His hair is damp from the rain, and he clenches his jaw.
“Talk to me, what is going on?”
Adam shrugs. ”I don’t know what you want me to say. I did what I had to.”
”No. I should’ve been there, and you know it.” Her nostrils flare again, and she shakes her head. “You went to Soto without even running it by me? We are supposed to be partners.”
He sighs. “We are. But you’ve said it yourself- I can’t stop you, and he could’ve been dangerous.“
“To himself!” Morgan exclaims. “Not to me. I deserved to be there.”
The rain is relentless. They should move. But Adam’s feet seem as glued to the ground as hers. In the distance, the sound of an ambulance pierces through to them. Adam glances in its direction, and then raises his chin.
“No, and that’s exactly why.” He gestures towards the sirens. “I don’t care how right you are. I don’t care how fast your brain works or how convinced you get that you can outthink a bullet. And you don’t get to say ‘statistically’-“ He pauses, draws in a sharp breath. “Because statistically, I will lose my mind if you get hurt.”
Morgan wraps her arms around herself. The cold water has sunk through her pink coat, and the wind isn’t doing her any favors.
“So you did it to protect me, because you care about me? You won’t even look at me.” Morgan bites back, and her throat tightens. Adam has always made it clear that he wants her to be safe, but he’s never gone behind her back before.
“Did I do something?” Morgan asks carefully.
“No.” He quickly jumps to reassure her, and then he works his jaw, opens his mouth, and closes it.
Morgan waits him out.
“Things between me and Lucia haven’t been great. She thinks I spend too much time on.. this.” He eventually says.
Confused, Morgan frowns. ”Work?”
”On you, Morgan. Us.” Adam admits. His hands are in his pockets, and he shudders, looking up at the clouds with a stern glance.
“Oh.” Morgan nods slowly, taking in the information. Lucia is worried. About them. Does that mean-
“She says that I don’t see when something stops being professional.” Adam says, voice low and forced.
Morgan lets out a short, brittle laugh. “That’s ironic. Considering you’ve been avoiding me like I’m radioactive.”
“Avoiding you is me trying to keep things professional.”
“That’s not professionalism, Karadec. That’s punishment.”
Rain runs down his face, caught in his lashes. He doesn’t wipe it away. “It’s not punishment.”
“Then what is it?” Morgan presses.
“I’m trying,” he says quietly, “to not make this worse.”
Morgan’s migraine pulses behind her right eye, a bright, warning throb. She needs him to fill in the blanks for her, and he tilts his head, as if he knows.
“You’re my partner. And you’re-“ He stops, stuck battling himself.
Because Adam has always loved Lucia. He proposed to her with the intention of spending the rest of their lives together. And now he has the chance to finish building what they started all those years ago. He can almost picture it- them falling back in love.
Almost.
Not fully. ‘Cause Morgan Gillory stands before him, drenched, her hair blowing in the wind. She’s a goddamn storm that shook his whole life apart. Or perhaps she put it back together. He can’t tell anymore, but nevertheless she changed him. With her wits, with her honesty, with her kindness.
It shouldn’t work. Her impulsiveness, his need for structure. But it’s undeniable that they make a great team. She pushes him to be better, and although she drives him insane at times, no one’s made him feel like he belonged more.
Adam shifts his weight. “You’re the first person I look for when something happens. Good or bad. You’re the one I want in that room.”
“That’s called trust.” Morgan says, softer now.
“It’s more than that. I went to Soto without you because if something bad happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to come up with an excuse.”
The words land heavy between them. The truth is pouring out of him now. He doesn’t want to run from it anymore.
“An excuse for what?”
“For how I feel.”
Morgan can hear her own heart beat, and is just about to say something when her phone rings. It’s Ava. She pulls up the device, tries to swipe to answer, but the rain makes it impossible.
“Shit. It’s Ava. I should probably be getting home.”
Adam nods, “I’ll take you.”
In the car, he turns the heat up to max. Morgan’s shaking, silently cursing the weather outside. She reaches for the rear-view mirror and whispers a low oh my god at the state of her make up.
Once they get on the motorway, Adam clears his throat. ”Migraine?”
Morgan stares at him. She sometimes forgets how well he can read her. ”Yeah.”
“I’m sorry. I’m guessing this whole situation isn’t helping.” He glances over at her. Water is dripping from her hair, mascara smudged. The passing headlights catch on her face in quick, shifting lights, and she’s unfairly beautiful in every one of them.
She smiles weakly. ”About what you said earlier- I feel it too. But you’re with Lucia now. You’re happy. She’s good for you.”
Adam hums. He doesn’t know how to argue that- doesn’t find the right words.
They pull into her driveway. The engine ticks as it cools and for a moment, neither of them moves.
Morgan reaches for the handle. Adam’s hand closes gently around her arm, steady, warm, impossible to ignore.
“Gillory,” he says gently. “Get some rest.”
She meets his eyes. There’s so much in them tonight.
Part of her wishes he would act on it, tighten his grip and pull her closer, talk to her in ways that don’t require words. She wonders how his lips would feel against hers, and whether he’d be able to read her silences even then. If he’d kiss her slow and deep, or with a heated hunger to match his eyes.
Morgan swallows. “See you tomorrow, Karadec.”
She’s out of the car before he can answer.