2

He watched her from his spot against the building until she walked away from the field. He sighed with the loss of her being close but not that close. He had to wonder what she was actually doing there at night. He turned his wrist to look at the time. It wasn't that late, but it was dark. He wanted to go after her though he knew he couldn't. Instead, he turned and went back inside. He let the door close behind him. Max hated the idea of this one person so close but not close enough.

She was so much more than he deserved in life. Though she seemed to be there and trying to do big things as well. He sighed as he thought of her finding any other person but him. He could only have her in daydreams. Though he would never, not even to himself, admit how much he really wanted her.

Deanna Watson was everything he wanted in life. He would try to forget her. Though as he made the way to his office, he could only see her in his mind. How she was in his class and how she was now. There was so much of a change in her. She wasn't a scared young teenager now. She was now close to twenty, maybe a little older, he had to think. He was now twenty-eight.

He looked at the folders on his desk and wanted to do anything but work though he wanted to get everything out of the way for the weekend and his shift at work. He sat down and tried to think a little more clearly as he looked at the photos in the file, and then he leaned back in the chair and forced himself to focus on them.

He was fighting with himself. He thought of the last encounter he had with Deanna. It had not been a close encounter either, but he had seen her and in a way helped her as well. The woman he had been introduced to through a set of friends had wanted to go to that one restaurant. He really didn’t care. Within a few minutes, he knew he didn’t even know why people would have thought this was a good idea. This woman was not what he would have liked nor what he wanted.

"I heard only good things about everything here." Gigi had said as she smiled at him. Max was trying to be pleasant, but he knew long before they arrived he was not interested in this person. He would continue with the date, but he would not be moving forward. The sound of her voice was enough of a turn-off. It was grating, and every time she spoke, he cringed a bit more. "So you're a detective?"

"I am," Max replied as he looked at her.

"And you’re in charge of the department. Isn't that like the job of someone who is older?" she asked as she looked at him, nearly batting her brown eyes at him.

"I am in charge as acting supervisor of the department." He said as he looked at her. He saw what she was now. She was one of the ones they made fun of as badge bunnies. She only wanted to be with a cop because that was the turn-on. That made him cold completely.

"And you're a professor as well?" she asked as she tried to continue the conversation at the table as she looked over the menu. He was now glad that they had brought separate cars. He could go back to work and get some work done to make the next day easier. This was not going to go the way she thought it was. He wasn't in the mood for a quick fling. Sex was not something he needed. He did need to have a certain release, but he was not going to use women in that way when they could use him as well.

He scanned the restaurant, and then his eyes stopped. Her light hair caught his attention, but she had the same jacket as she did when she was in his class. It was hanging on the back of her chair. That was when he saw the look the man she was with had on his face. Max didn't like it.

"I am a professor at the university," Max said as he realized that he had left her with an open question. Max was finding it hard to think about the woman in front of him. The woman off to the side was more in the forefront of his mind.

"That must be so rewarding as well, but it doesn't match the responsibility of the force," Gigi said with a slight laugh. She was reaching across the table to touch his hand.

"Actually, I think they are pretty equal," Max said. "Being any type of teacher is important. They kind of feel like your kids."

"I don't really like kids too much," Gigi said as she looked at him.

"Oh well, I do," Max said as she tried again to touch his hand, but instead, he picked up his drink and then was busy with that. He wanted a beer right then. He thought he might deserve that now for having to listen to this woman and her voice for any amount of time. When he got home, if he could get to that point.

"I couldn't see wasting a body like mine on something like that." She said with a laugh.

"Hmmm," Max said as she took another sip of the drink. He then could hear the man at the other table. He was going off about her not giving out. He was proud of Deanna at that moment. He knew he was breathing a little better as well. As the young man got up and stormed out of the restaurant, he waved to the waitress who was handling that table. "I will pay for her meal."

"Okay, sir." The woman said. She noticed that Deanna was also asking for her check. The waitress was going over to help her. He wanted to get up and go over there.

"Now that is sexy," Gigi said as she almost licked her lips with the idea that he was a kind person as well as gorgeous and a cop. Max shook his head and saw that Deanna was gone. He had lost his chance to help her that night more than he had. He felt disappointed for a minute.

"If you excuse me," Max said as he stood up. He pulled out enough money to cover the check. "I don't think this will work out. I hate to cut this short, but I don't think it is a good idea to continue this date. I am sorry."

"But wait!" Gigi said as he handed it to the waitress and told her to keep the tip from the amount from that moment. He walked out the door and knew that it was going to be like that from now on. He didn't want to go out anymore. There was nothing this woman could do to make things better for him. She would only continue to give him a headache.