It had been a long and exhausting day. The team had wrapped up a case involving a child rapists and murder, and after of hours of paperwork, everyone had finally headed their separate directions. Andy waited for Sharon before explaining to her that he wouldn’t be going home with her tonight, that he wanted to call his sponsor and hit a meeting instead. She understood, of course, and bid him a goodnight with a promise to see him in the morning.
Sharon stood at the sink, meticulously washing the dishes from dinner. It was a mindless activity, distracting her from her own emotions. She was drained both physically and mentally, and standing watching the water run into the pan soothed her somehow. She watched the soap suds swirl under the water, captivated by their movements. Hands rested on her shoulders, a kiss planted on the back of her neck, and she froze.
“Hello,” Andy whispered into her ear. She was so lost in keeping her emotions at bay that she hadn’t heard the door open, hadn’t heard Andy sneak up behind her. Shutting off the water, Sharon let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding after Andy surprised her.
“You’re here,” she spoke, turning around so that she was facing him. She grabbed the towel from the counter beside her and dried her hands before running them up his chest.
“Where else would I be?” Andy raised an eyebrow, curious as to why she was so surprised to see him. She sighed and rolled her eyes, moving her arms to wrap around his middle and hold him close.
“You said you were going to a meeting. I assumed you would just go home after that,” she inhaled deeply, letting his scent burn into her nose.
“I did come home,” he replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “I needed to be here with you tonight.”
“Good,” she nodded into his chest, “I was dreading the night without you,” she pulled back, smiling sadly.
“I would have never left you alone tonight, Sharon. We both need the company,” he leaned forward and pressed a slow, soft kiss to her lips, “You shouldn’t be so surprised by that, though.”
“I know,” she smiled, her lips still resting against his, “Want to head to bed?”
“There’s still dishes in the sink,” Andy pointed out, reminding Sharon of the task she had been working on before he interrupter her.
“They can wait until the morning,” she shrugged. Andy’s eyes grew wide, but he smiled and pulled her close.
“Talk about a surprise! You, leaving dirty dishes in the sink?” she rolled her eyes and softly slapped his chest, “I’m not complaining, though. Come on, Sharon, let’s get to bed.”
“I love you. You know that, right?” She asked seriously. All joking aside, it had been a rough day and she wanted him to know how much he truly meant to her.
“I know. I love you too,” he pressed a quick kiss to her lips, “Come on. Bed.”
