Work Text:
Evie parked in front of DeShawn’s house and turned off the engine.
They sat in silence for a while. DeShawn: “You scared me today. I thought you were kidding me with all this. That it was just another one of your pranks.”
Evie smiles slightly, but a tear runs down her cheek. Evie: “I never had a chance to learn to swim as a child. In fact, I didn’t have the childhood I imagined…”
She looked out the car window. “My dad wasn’t home much. I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters that I helped take care of. Mom… She was a different story. She drank a lot. She came home drunk one night because she got fired from her job.”
It’s quiet outside. The street in front of DeShawn’s house is empty, except for the porch light flickering.
The engine is off, but the tension between them is still buzzing—not from the fight, but from everything that wasn’t said.
EVIE (voice quieter):
"That night I heard her scream. My brother tried to help, I called my father, but... he never answered.
The next morning... she left. She never came back."
DESHAWN (quietly, cautiously):
"Evie..."
EVIE (her voice trembles):
"And ever since... whenever I feel myself losing control, being near... water, darkness... anything that reminds me of that night—it all comes back."
DESHAWN (gently):
"How old were you... when it happened?"
EVIE (voice barely audible):
"Thirteen. I had to drop out of school. My youngest sister was only a few months old."
She looks out the windshield. The rain is beating lightly on the glass, tiny drops forming thin trails, as if measuring the time between her words.
EVIE (continuing)
"At the time, I thought it would pass. That someone would come back for us.
But no one did. And since then..."
(shrugs) "... I've learned that you have to pick yourself up."
Silence. Just the distant sound of another car's engine.
DeShawn says nothing. He just looks at her, understanding.
Then quietly—almost cautiously—he reaches out and takes her hand.
DESHAWN (whispering):
"You don't need to be alone anymore."
Evie looks at him, her eyes a little red, but her gaze firm.
For a moment, for the first time in a long time, she doesn't look away.
EVIE (calmly):
"I know. It's just... it's hard to let someone close when you've spent your whole life thinking they'll abandon you."
DeShawn nods slightly, as if he understands better than Evie would have expected.
DESHAWN
"Then start by trusting me that I won't."
Silence.
Evie finally smiles a little, bitter but sincere.
EVIE (smiling):
"I'm going to test your trust. For starters... I'm going to let you pick the movie."
DESHAWN (relieved, with warmth):
"I'll take that as progress."
Evie laughs—for the first time, honestly. A sound that cuts through the tension and softens the air in the car.
The early sun is filtering through the blinds, the dust in the air sparkling in golden streaks of light.
Evie stands by the coffee machine, quietly waiting for her cup to be filled. Her eyes are tired but calm—that rare, almost serene peace after a stormy night.
The door opens, and DeShawn enters, a folder in his hands and a smile that tries to be businesslike.
DESHAWN (with a smile):
"Good morning, partner."
EVIE (coffee in hand):
"If that's your definition of 'good,' then yes."
DeShawn laughs. In the background, JD and Michelle exchange a look—the one that means something is different.
JD can barely contain his smile.
JD (out loud, to tease her a little):
"How was the ride home?"
Evie and DeShawn turn to him at the same time.
Silence.
JD smiles even more.
EVIE (coldly, but with a twinkle):
"A traffic jam. Just the way you like to listen to your podcasts—long and pointless."
JD raises his hands, seemingly innocent.
Michelle laughs:
MICHELLE
"Good morning to you too, sunshine."
Evie sits down at her desk, looks at some files, but her gaze lingers on DeShawn for a moment.
A brief moment of silence, their eyes meeting—just a second before they both return to their “professional” work.
JD (still teasing):
"Well, if you ever need privacy to review the evidence, we can lock the office."
EVIE (cutly, with a slight smile):
"JD, I swear if I had something in my hand, I would throw it at you."
JD raises his eyebrows, takes a dramatic step back.
JD
"Wow, it's not even morning yet, and already threats. I love that energy."
MICHELLE (laughs):
"That's not energy, that's a warning."
DeShawn can barely contain himself from laughing too openly. He looks at Evie, who returns a short, restrained smile—almost barely noticeable, but JD notices it anyway.
JD
Yeah.
"So… you're laughing at the same jokes now? Great. Fantastic."
EVIE
JD, seriously.
"One more comment and I'll write you a report for verbal harassment from co-workers."
DESHAWN (loudly, to finish)
"JD, man, drop it. We have work to do."
JD throws up his hands, capitulating.
JD
"Okay, okay. But just so you know—when this turns into a romance, I'll be the first to say 'I told you so'."
Michelle rolls her eyes, Evie takes a deep breath, and DeShawn quietly hands her another coffee, still hot.
Evie takes it without a word, just a look—a brief moment of understanding.
JD notices this.
He smiles.
JD (still quietly, to himself):
"Definitely a romance."