The Sound of You **on hold**

Chapter 20

Adelaide

Tuesday night. Another gig for me and Brooks. I don't dread it this time. And this time. I'm going to invite Dawson. We've been talking so much, but I still haven't told him about Thieves. But I will. When he gets back...

When he gets back I am going to have to change my underwear, like, twice a day. If he looks at me the way he did when we video chatted over the weekend, I am definitely going to be in a constant state of wet panties. The intense way he glanced at the camera, and not at my face, made it feel like he was actually looking me in the eyes. And it sent tingles through my body and into my bones like a fiery current.

Two more days and he would be driving home. Although by the time he gets home on Saturday, I'll probably already be at work for my night shift.

I sift through my emails at work on this unusually slow Thursday afternoon, contemplating foreshadowing illness and calling in sick on Saturday. Pauline wouldn't rat me out. We've done it before. It actually makes it easier for us. If I call in sick, she can come in to work and tell everyone how terrible I look and how I never leave my bed. Everyone needs a random day off now and then.

But it's Saturday night. It wouldn't be fair to the crew. It'll be busy, seeing as how warm it is now in mid-May. I'll see him Sunday and I'll be fucking tired, but it'll be fine. It'll be great.

"Hey! Got anything on the go?" Foster says in his unusual been-in-Canada-for-years-Australian accent. He's here early, as per usual. He plunks down into a chair and slings his headset around his neck.

"No. But you're not starting early today. Last time I wanted to get a table for us to eat, but half an hour early is ridiculous."

"Bah, whatever, I'm here. What's new?" I hold up a finger to tell him to wait, and I listen on the radio to an officer asking me for information.

I finish my task, and turn back to him, raising my eyebrows excitedly. "I have a gig on Tuesday."

"No shit! Really?"

I nod. "Can you make it?"

He looks up at the ceiling calculating his schedule. "I'll be between dayshifts so yeah I could come. I'll just have to confirm with Emily."

My excitement extinguishes. I don't like his girlfriend. Or more like, she doesn't like me. She's not a girl's girl. She gets annoyed that he works in a predominately female office. He doesn't let it phase him though. He says it's "her problem", which is quite refreshing. He doesn't let her bring him down, but it doesn't stop us from noticing what a puckered cow she is when she comes out for parties. I don't know how he's with her, but as long as he's happy, all the power to him.

"Okay, so I'll send you a video." I roll my eyes and he laughs.

"Nah, it'll be fine." He gives me a high five.

As the sun sets in the window behind me, the pace picks up and I have no extra breaths for Foster. He even runs across the room a couple of times for me to ask Carla questions and find me a warrant. Finally it's time to let him take the reins.

When Pauline and I get home we flop onto the couch, whining to each other to make supper. We do this whenever we don't have a plan for dinner. We really should make more of an effort to plan in advance so we don't ravage the kitchen once we finally peel ourselves off of the couch out of hunger an hour after we get home.

Our saving grace comes in the form of a text.

Call Brooks. We're en route with Chinese.

"Yes! Food!" I cry. Pauline snaps her head up, eyebrows raised. My head hurts already though. The text came from Nico, which means Shaye is driving and coming to my house. I'm not passing up free Chinese food though. And I want to see Nadine. I call Brooks and tell him to hurry his ass over because I'm not waiting for him once the food arrives.