this isn’t a moment he’d ever considered would actually happen. juliet’s his partner, an incredible detective in her own right and a phenomenal person to boot. suppressing his feelings writing them off as being connected to their regular proximity has been manageable enough, especially with the… incident with his former partner.
besides, it isn’t as if carlton’s got a great track record when it comes to romantic… anything. his marriage had fallen apart, any dates since then haven’t been especially remarkable, and for now? he’s written off any focus in life aside from work. well… that, and ridding his yard of squirrels once and for all.
throat clears at the colorful description of a potential future one he clearly would prefer to avoid but that’s beside the point right now. it’s not important in the least. “it’s about time i get the recognition i deserve,” a quick clarification follows, “regarding my being one of the world’s best detectives, not the felony thing,”
a pause as he leans in a little to pose another question. “and just so we’re clear, that’s liking me in a way beyond partners, right? because i really don’t wanna make a fool of myself right now,”
from the day jules got her dream job, even during the time it took to prove she was the right one for the role, jules’ intention was to stay clear of the dating pool, was to stay sharp and absolute, especially moving to a new place, new people, new home. she never considered the chance with someone she worked close with, let alone liking the only other person who was should’ve been, by all means, unattainable, her partner carlton lassiter.
woman shakes her head in honest disbelief, how could he not see it? then again, neither did she. not fully capable of grasping it, until now. because as they both thought, there’s no way. she can’t help the small eye roll, half lidded, partly to the floor as she plays back his answer. underneath her breath is a chuckle, lighthearted, still can’t believe it either really, that this right here was a thing, that it was actually happening. and the carlton lassiter was asking her and it wasn’t just a part of her imagination.
detective o’hara has something else in mind, something that will solidify the acknowledgment between them. the partnership that binds them. what better way to tell, than to show, in the place that has brought them together every day, the good and the bad. committed as she was to her job, right at this moment he was all that the blonde had in her midst.
pondering no more on it, she takes hold of his loosened tie and tugs it a margin, just enough to bow his neck, at an angle jules uses to her primacy, leaning in to plant a short and sweet kiss over his lips, barely there long enough to have an affect, but still felt nonetheless. “is that uh, clear enough for you, comrade?” she smiles bashfully, parting eye contact.
there’s silence and then she shakes her head. that’s not a good sign, is it? no, no, that means no he may be shocked, baffled, utterly surprised... but carlton’s hardly an idiot. he knows that a shake of the head following a lengthy silence is code for no. anxiety surges as his mind works desperately to backtrack.
it’s fine. he’s alright. he’s got this. it hasn’t gone too far yet.
“listen, o’hara, i’m not any good with this personal nonsense and we both know it,” he starts in strong, expression stern and solid, “misreading signals isn’t anything new or unprecedented and i — ”
they’re not words often heard from him, and today’s no exception... but not for the typical reasons. no, the next thing he knows she’s grabbed his tie and reeled him in — then juliet o’hara is kissing him.
he blinks, clearing his throat, then carlton readjusts his tie and nods, “oh, so i wasn’t misreading it. that’s... that’s good to know,” there’s a pause before he’s smiling — a real and genuine smile, “so does this mean that you’d, uh, that you’d like to get dinner? with me? at some point, that is, it doesn’t have to be now or today or even next week, just... just eventually.”
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