Collide (EN/US)

Partnership

Alexis arrived home exhausted after spending the rest of the day in her office going over all the information on the case. 

She and Edward didn't talk anymore after they left Sam's room.  He spent the day with Matthew investigating some leads and set a meeting on her calendar for the next day.  When she got home and saw the notification, she threw her cell phone on the couch and went straight to the kitchen.

Alexis was frustrated, angry, and at the same time, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

As he looked at a photo pinned to his fridge, he thought about how much Milla was missed.  The two smiled as if that was the best day of their lives.  There wasn't a moment with Milla that she had forgotten.  On the day of the photo they were on the last day of training, finishing the first case with Edward and Sam's team.  Days later, they finished the test and were hired by the NY FBI.

"You'd know what to do now."  She sighed and poured water into the kettle, trying to organize her thoughts and be as professional as possible.

She knew it could be difficult to work with Edward, but she didn't think it would all happen so quickly.

Their partnership has always been professional, but the feelings involved often complicate the relationship.

When they were well, they managed to be the best duo, but when they weren't, they argued all the time.  The discussions always had the same objective: to provoke the other.

She knew that when the war started, it would hurt.

That always happened when they were hurt, because neither of them could stand to be away and the fights they created were a way for them to connect.

It always started with some unnecessary argument, they got upset, disagreed, spent days trying to prove who was right and when one of them decided to accepted the loss, they made up.  It was always unexpected and it always ended with intense sex.  The next day they were even more in love, as if they needed to go through this whole cycle to prove what they felt.

They couldn't start that cycle again now. 

Many years have passed since they last saw each other and many matters have gone with time.  Going back to living like that would mean feeling everything they felt all over again, but maybe now it was too late.

From the moment they saw each other, Alexis' feelings came back to the surface and the first reaction she had in the first few minutes they actually talked was to try to create some situation for them to discuss.  It was unconscious, but she knew Edward wouldn't react if he didn't care.

He might not have talked about her in all these years, but she still messed with him.

"We need to be okay."  She thought.  "It's painful enough having to work around him every day. I can't let us get involved in this war again."

She took a deep breath and tried to rest, thinking about how to get around this situation and be able to live with him until the case was over.

The next morning, she woke up earlier than usual and went straight to the meeting room, certain that they would be able to solve all the problems.

"Sorry about yesterday."  she said, as she entered the room and met Edward.  "I got angry when I realized that Nina didn't know anything about me and then she hinted that you had something to say, so I thought..." Alexis sighed and sat down next to him.  "I don't know what I thought."

His presence always made her heart beat faster and it was even funny to realize that there were sensations that her body only felt close to him.  She couldn't remember what it was like until she felt it all over again: the way her heart just raced, her breathing different and that desire to let go without thinking of any consequences.