Knowing You

Part 3 to my “Chasing You” series! 

(kind of long)

They were playing a dangerous game, they both knew it. Duncan more than Courtney. The months following their first kiss had been filled with secret looks, hidden moments, and far too many close calls. Despite all of Duncan’s self-nagging, he couldn’t stop himself from falling right back into her each time. There were many nights where he would stay up late, convincing himself to leave her and the jail for good. But one suggestive look from her the next day would be more than enough to have the thoughts washed from his mind

It was stupid, he knew, to fall for someone like her. He was sure that once her 12-month sentence was up, she would go right back to selling the most intimate parts of herself. The image made Duncan’s stomach dip and the left side of his chest ache. He wondered things, things he never thought he would have to wonder about a woman. The question of whether she was truly interested in him, or simply looking for a past time in jail, often bounced around Duncan’s head. It hurt to think of, but he knew he couldn’t ignore the possibility. Then there was the question of what the two would do if Courtney did decide to clean up her act and be with Duncan. It was his ideal choice, to be with her outside of the confides of this jail, but it was unrealistic.

Maybe they both knew. Maybe they both realized that these remaining seven months would be all they get. He liked to think that these same worries went through Courtney, that he wasn’t the only one falling apart at the seams. But there was no way for Duncan to tell, he could never read her. She had a way of hiding herself, almost enough to disappear before your very eyes. It both fascinated and terrified Duncan.

As much as his curiosity ate away at him, Duncan never pushed Courtney to talk about her life. Not because he was worried about the amount of baggage she might unload on him, but because he knew she wasn’t ready to set it all down. He respected her need for time and space, a part of Duncan could even accept the fact that he may never truly know who Courtney Martinez is. It wasn’t something that was easy to come to terms with, but he didn’t have many other options. All he could do was wait and hope that Courtney might open up to him before their time together was up.

And then, two more months passed.

The two were in an abandoned cell that Duncan managed to sneak them into. They usually took advantage of moments like this. There were times where Duncan didn’t even have a chance to secure their privacy before Courtney was already untucking his shirt. But this night was different. They had spent the first 15 minutes of their time sitting on the thinly padded bed, completely silent. It made Duncan feel uneasy. The possibilities of what could happen raced through his mind and none of them seemed good. Before he had a chance to question the silence, Courtney spoke.

“I wanted to be a lawyer.”

Duncan didn’t say anything right away, instead he let the words sink into him. They didn’t shock him as much as they should have, if anything, they made perfect sense. He always knew that there was more to Courtney, that she was more than just motels and one-night stands. He turned to her, even though it all made sense there was still something that didn’t.

“What stopped you?”

Courtney held a blank face, “At first…nothing.” She leaned back so that she was resting against the wall, her head tilted up slightly so that her gaze was on the ceiling, “I had the grades, the acceptance letters…I was just missing the money. I didn’t have any family to lean on and my waitress tips just weren’t cutting it…The first time was supposed to be the only time, but my college fees just kept getting higher and higher. Before I knew it, I was going out every week just to get by.”

Courtney’s words made Duncan feel like he was sinking. He wanted to speak, to say something hopeful, but her voice came again.

“My dean called me in one day. He told me how impressed he was with my scores and how he managed to get me an interview for an internship at a really nice firm.” She closed her eyes, “I remember being so excited…I bought a new outfit, got all my paperwork together, I made sure everything was perfect…” Her closed lids forced themselves to shut further, making Duncan believe that she was holding back tears. But no tears came, or even dared to peak through. But maybe tears were not the thing Courtney wanted to hold back. He watched her face and noticed how focused she seemed. It was as if she was trying to erase the memory before it could escape her lips, but it was stubborn and refused to go untold.

“I got called up to be interviewed with one of the main partners of the firm. I did some research on him on my way there and I ended up finding a picture of him…it turns out we had met before.” Courtney didn’t say the words but by the shame in her voice, Duncan knew what she meant. Her eyelids relaxed but remained shut, “I never showed up for the interview and I dropped out of school a few days later. At that point, it just felt like there was nothing left for me.” Finally, her dark eyes revealed themselves. She turned her head to Duncan, “It still feels like that sometimes.”

Duncan starred at her, feeling helpless and guilty. He was the reason she was locked up. His actions were now a part of her crumbling life but somehow, despite everything, she had still managed to open up to him. His hand reached over to cover hers, “It’s not too late. When you get out I’ll help you, I’ll…I’ll quit my job and help you get back into school and become a lawyer. We can move a few cities over and-“

Courtney raised a finger to Duncan’s lips and whispered a small shh. Her hand moved to cup his face and she pulled his lips to hers. It was soft and gentle, nothing like the kisses she usually gave him. Duncan was quick to forget his words as he melted into her embrace. They shared a moment, one far different from all the others. Their movements were slow and savored, neither daring to rush the intimacy. It all felt so sweet, so sincere, almost like a dream. When the two reached their peak, Duncan let go of all his fear.

“I love you.”

Courtney’s half lidded eyes watched him. There was a sadness in them that should have made Duncan feel regretful, but he didn’t. He loved her, and she needed to know. Her lips parted to speak, slightly trembling as they did so.

“I…I love you too.”

Her words came out as a whisper, so much so, that if it had not been for Duncan’s intense interest, he may not have heard them. Though they were quiet, the meaning behind them sent echoes throughout Duncan’s heart. They made love a second time that night, and Duncan was sure that he could have loved her that way for the rest of his life if she let him.

After he snuck her back to her cell, he went home with plans of how the two would start their new lives. None of the plans were perfect, and in many ways, they didn’t work, but none of that mattered. They would make it work.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Duncan realized Courtney had plans of her own.

“What do you mean she was bailed out? By who?”

The lower leveled guard shrugged, “How the hell am I supposed to know? Why do you care anyway?”

Duncan made no attempt to defend himself. Instead he just walked away. He walked away the way he should have two years ago at that sleazy motel.

Meeting You

Sequel to “Chasing You” 

It takes place before the events in “Chasing You”

Chasing You

“Martinez!”

The sound echoed through the small jail, bouncing off the walls and coming right back to their source. Duncan stood on the concrete floor, looking up at the row of cells, waiting for a response. His patience grew thin when all he heard was a faint giggle. The metal stairs that lead to the second floor felt like thin ice beneath his feet. He made his way to the end of the hall and in front of cell B14. All the other cells were empty, their occupants outside waiting in a line to be searched by the other jail guards.

Duncan stood at the door of the cell that he had grown use to double checking on. It was completely open, revealing the sad sight of what life was like in here. It was nothing but a small box made up of concrete walls and regret. Within those walls was a small bed, one that probably felt like hell to sleep on, and on that bed was the figure of the only person who ever dared to give Duncan a hard time.

“Martinez get up! We’re doing a cell check.”

She hummed light, “I didn’t hear you dragging out any of the other gals.”

“That’s because they’re all lined up outside already. Now get up.”

She rose lazily from the bed and stretched her arms. The top part of her blue jumpsuit was undone, revealing a fair amount of her dark skin. Her eyes met his, they were dark and devilish. She ran her fingers through her short chest nut hair and tied it up into a weak ponytail. There were hints of purple beneath her eyes, some of it was from the exhaustion and some was from the fight she was in a few nights ago. Duncan watched her cautiously, it was odd to see her this way. He was used to seeing her in ridiculously short outfits and high heels. Her face looked different too, the layers of makeup were gone and replaced with her bare skin and freckles. Had the circumstances been different, he would have been happy to see her this way.

She reached for the top of her jumpsuit and started to button it up, all while keeping her eyes on Duncan, “Yunno Evans, I got to thinking last night and I must say I’m flattered.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Her fingers did the last button, “Oh don’t play so innocent. Yunno I thought it was weird, the city’s best cop coming after me, a small-town prostitute. You had me all spooked at first, but then I saw right through you.”

Duncan stayed silent as he watched her take a step towards him, “I bet they offered you better cases, bigger cases, but you turned them all down just so you could follow me around.”

“I took the case because as a cop it was my responsibility to make sure the city had as little crime as possible.”

She was close, so close that Duncan could see the small crown tattoo on the side of her neck, “Is that so? You’re telling me that my sleeping with a few guys was worse than all the robbing or kidnapping that was going on- “

“Enough!” Duncan barked, “I’m here to check your cell, now go down stairs and line up with the rest.”

She didn’t budge, instead she took one more step towards him getting herself so close he could barely feel the warmth of her breath on his chin, “See that’s the other thing, why would such a respected cop just leave his job to be a guard at a jail? And not just any jail, but the jail where you locked up your last case; me.”

Duncan stared down at her, he could feel his blood boiling inside him, but it didn’t feel like anger. She reached out a hand, carefully placing it near his shoulder. The weight of her touch felt light as a feather against him, he knew he had to restrain her putting a hand on him, but he didn’t dare to break the contact.

Her voice came out soft, “Just admit it Evans, you’re chasing me. It took you two years to arrest me but we both know you could have done it sooner. There were at least five different chances where you could have put me away, but you didn’t. You couldn’t. You wanted it to last…hell I’m pretty sure the only reason you put me away this last time was because your boss was probably getting tired of you spending so much time on one small prostitution case. But you couldn’t stay away from me for too long could ya? The idea of waiting for me to get out in 12 months was driving you insane…so instead, you came to me.” She smiled an evil grin, “You want me Evans, you’ve wanted me from the moment you saw me leaving that motel.”

The air in the small room felt foggy. Duncan wasn’t sure when, but his hands had left his side and were now barely hovering over her waist. It took everything in him to hold them back, but his mind was spinning. She had so perfectly put all the pieces together, pieces that Duncan didn’t even know existed. He had been in such denial about his feelings, never daring to even think he could want someone like her, but there he was, melting right in front of her.

“I could have helped you…” His own words shocked him, he knew no good could come from being vulnerable with her, but he didn’t care anymore, “Those five chances…I gave you them hoping they would make you realize that there was more to life than…than what you were doing.”

“It’s the only life I know.” She purred.

“But-“His words were cut short when he felt her lips against his own. He made no attempt to push her away, instead he wrapped his arms around her and held her as close to him as he could. He had wanted to kiss her this way for so long, longer than he was willing to admit. His hands had made their way up to her face, cupping her cheeks to deepen the kiss. The sensation of her skin against his palm made him feel warm inside, I can still help her. He wished the moment could have lasted longer but all too soon she pulled away. Duncan stood there, dazed and cold, watching her to see what she might do next. For a brief moment he thought about the trouble he could get in for kissing her, but the sight of her cocky grin made the thoughts vanish just as quick.

Duncan searched her eyes, hoping to find something that could give him a sense of hope, but he found nothing. She tucked away a few loose strands of hair, then spoke, “I better go line up.” She walked past him, barely grazing his shoulder with her own, and left him alone in her cell. Duncan took no time to collect his thoughts, instead he turned around and left the cell, chasing after her as he always did.