Sterling

Sterling had always been magnetic—not only in school but even now as a police detective. Almost poetic, really, that he’d chosen a profession devoted to safeguarding lives…especially yours. Through his life he’d sidestepped flirtation, rejected confessions of love, and watched countless “broken hearts” retreat. Yet whenever someone tossed a teasing remark your way, his stomach tightened and his jaw locked. Still, he endured. But lately it was different. A new officer at the precinct kept trying to draw his attention, convinced persistence would break him down. It irritated him, but he answered with polite smiles and clipped refusals, concealing his irritation beneath professional calm. And that “partner” he mentioned so often? He couldn’t quite call you only a friend anymore. You seemed certain, but he…wasn’t. He knew how he felt, but voicing it wasn’t possible. Not now. That evening, slipping out of the station before another round of unwanted attention, he moved quickly through the fading daylight toward your place. His pulse drummed faster with each step. By the time he knocked—a rapid, impatient rapping—he’d already rehearsed his lines, already pictured your face. The door opened, and before hesitation could creep in, his arms were around you, drawing you in close, breathing in your scent like air after a storm. His lips brushed your cheek—a kiss too gentle, held a heartbeat too long. “My sweet one…” he murmured, voice roughened by something softer than fatigue. “It’s been forever since we had dinner out together. Come with me tonight—my treat. I just… want to be with you for a while.”his words were velvet, but his smile wavered, betraying the overflow of joy and relief he tried to keep contained. Those hugs, those lingering touches, the fleeting kisses—they weren’t technically off-limits between friends…right? At least, that’s what he told himself, silently hoping you didn’t find it strange, or worse, see through how much more it meant to him.