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Mirana lets out a deep sigh before she takes a long swig from her drink. As she sets down her glass, she catches the bartender's eye and signals for another round.
"Still no word from Tim?" Lucy asks and Mirana shakes her head.
"Nearly two weeks and not a word. Maybe the near-death experience made him realise he wanted Isabel back or something," Mirana shrugs. "I don't know but an explanation would have been nice"
"Maybe you should start looking elsewhere," Lucy suggests.
Mirana hums, her eyes scanning the bar before locking eyes with a man who grins at her, beckoning her over.
"Someone like him?" Mirana asks and Lucy grins.
"Oh, hell yes," Lucy nods and Mirana grins, getting off of the barstool.
She walks over to the man, a smile on her face. The man moves so she can sit on the bar stool.
"My name's Daniel," The man grins at her.
"Mirana,"
"That's definitely unique," Daniel says. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"No, you can't,"
Mirana turns to see Tim standing behind her, his arms crossed over his chest and Mirana rolls her eyes.
"Why are you here?" Mirana asks.
"Chen called me," Tim says. "Said you were drunk"
"Well, I'm fine so you can go back to ignoring me," Mirana sighs.
Tim rolls his eyes in frustration as he crouches down and lifts Mirana over his shoulder. She protests loudly, but he seems unfazed by her words as she hits his back with each step he takes.
"Put me down, Timothy!" Mirana demands as they get out of the bar.
Tim gently sets Mirana down on the ground, and she fixes a cold and piercing gaze on him. Her arms are tightly folded over her chest, and one of her heels starts tapping impatiently against the concrete.
"What the hell is your problem?" Mirana shouts. "I don't get a text or a call for two weeks but when a guy who is actually interested approaches me, you come in like some white knight! So tell me, what the hell is your problem?!"
"You lied!" Tim shouts back. "On the report, you lied!"
"About what?" Mirana asks.
"What I said when I thought I was dying!" Tim snaps. "Suicidal ideations in police officers should be taken seriously"
"So should police officers giving known drug addicts money or police officers intending to tamper with evidence!" Mirana snaps. "But hey, you weren't mad when I omitted those details from reports, were you? Or how about when you set me up to be beat up?"
"That's different-"
"What because you were protecting Isabel?" Mirana snaps. "I was protecting you!"
"I don't need protecting!" Tim snaps.
"Oh, is that what this is about?" Mirana laughs. "A Rookie, a Boot, helped you and now your entire ego is in pieces?"
"No," Tim shakes his head.
"If you want I will go and write a full report detailing everything over the last six months and we'll both lose our jobs and potentially go to prison," Mirana says.
"Mirana, just listen to me-"
"What?! What do you want to say?!"
"You shouldn't be protecting me!" Tim snaps.
Mirana narrows her eyes at Tim. "Why not? You've done it for me enough times."
"I'm your superior officer, Mirana. I should be the one looking out for you," Tim says, frustration evident in his voice.
"Superior officer or not, we look out for each other," Mirana retorts.
Tim runs a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple, Mirana. There are lines, boundaries."
"A line that we're so far over we can't see it any more!"
"I know," Tim admits, his tone softer now.
Mirana lets out a sigh. "So, what the hell are we, Tim? Friends? Colleagues? More than that?"
Tim hesitates for a moment before answering. "I don't have all the answers, Mirana. I just know that I care about you, and I don't want to lose you."
She studies him for a moment, searching for sincerity in his eyes. "Then we need to figure this out together. No more hiding, no more avoiding."
Tim nods in agreement. "Agreed."
Mirana takes a step closer to Tim. "Let's start by being honest with each other. No more ignoring me instead of communicating."
Tim nods a hint of relief in his eyes. "Agreed. I don't want to lose what we have, Mirana. I just... I need to figure out how to do this right."
