The small café was unusually crowded at that time of the afternoon and the noise made Sharon seem unusually distracted and withdrawn. He smiled to himself, knowing that being a witness to one of her moods was an honor rather than an insult. There were very few people whom she let get close enough to see her when she was melancholic.

Despite the pout on her lips and the avoidant stare, he just enjoyed watching her. Sharon Raydor has always been a sight for sore eyes, even with a big cloud of worry and stress over her head. Throughout the many years of their friendship, he adored her wit, intellect and wisdom, but that did not mean he couldn't also enjoy her looks. It's always been platonic between them, ever since they first met when they were in college. She was already involved with Jackson Raydor, who was his best friend at the time. Sometimes it was hard to believe that it's been 35 years since that day; his memory of her – a golden angelic halo around her head, the bright smile that graced her features, the ecstatic glint in her green eyes. She was as dazzling as the sun and as pure as the moon.

The years have taken a lot of it away from her, although sometimes he was still able to see the trace of her old self in the way that she smiled. Now he watched her, trying to decipher the reasons that made her stare at the bottom of her tea cup, her gaze lost in the dark residue left there by the tea leaves.

"Earth to Sharon," he murmured softly, watching her as her lips slowly curved upwards when she realized that she got caught brooding.

"I'm sorry," she said shyly. He responded with a shrug.

"Wanna share?" he asked. Along the years, he's been Sharon's confidant on many occasions, especially after Jack left her for the first time. He was never able to understand what kind of man would leave a pregnant wife and a small child behind, especially a gem like Sharon. It was sad and seeing her so broken hearted hurt. His friendship with Jack had taken a downward spiral after he failed to make the man see the error of his ways. Nowadays, they barely tolerated each other and he was lucky enough not to encounter Jack in his courtroom.

"It's nothing. Sometimes I just get in an odd mood," she replied. He knew that already; he'd witnessed several of these moods in the past 3 years, since she took the boy in. He thought of their earlier exchange in his chambers.

– You've got your hands full.

– And my heart.

She was right. Her heart was full. It always was, but it seemed that lately, it was overflowing, and not only because of the boy. It seemed that there was something else weighing on her heart. His gaze wondered downwards at the table between them and settled on the cake he ordered for himself. He was so busy looking at her that he hadn't even touched it. Gently, he pushed the plate towards her.

"Here, have the first bite," He said and Sharon smiled as took the dessert fork he handed her. "You know, in the last couple of months I've been hearing some rumors about you," he said, keeping his tone light. Sharon arched one eyebrow.

"Are people still talking about the divorce?" she wondered. Being married to a famous lawyer like Jack, she knew she was often the subject of gossip among lawyers and cops alike. When she filed for divorce, she knew there would be chatter about it, but it's been nearly a year and she expected that kind of talk to seize and move on to another scandal by now.

"Well, that too," Judge Grove responded. "Apparently, you've been seen with someone," he informed her. "On several occasions."

"I go out sometimes," Sharon shrugged. "What is there to talk about?"

"I believe that particular someone happens to be your lieutenant."

"Oh," Sharon stabbed the tip of the cake with the fork in a way that made Judge Grove happy he wasn't the cake.

"I'm not the kind of man who listens to gossip, but I've been hearing it from several people I consider quite reliable," he said and watched the way Sharon brought the piece of cake to her mouth.

"He's a friend," she replied.

"I'm a friend too, and yet you don't hear people talking about us in the halls." The last time Judge Grove saw such a stunned expression on Sharon's face was on the day she discovered Jack emptied their bank account and left LA.

"What are you trying to say?" she could barely hide the way her voice shook.

"Nothing; I'm just wondering if you're seeing the guy," Grove answered.

"I'm not romantically involved with my lieutenant," Sharon responded. "He's been a good friend to me and maybe we're closer than we should be, but nothing is happening between us."

"Do you like him?"

"Of course I do, otherwise he wouldn't be my friend," Sharon replied, her tone stressed.

"What do you like about him?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said and couldn't help but noticing the disbelief on Grove's face. "He's funny and caring."

"And? What else?" Grove pressed on.

"You're impossible sometimes, do you know that?" Sharon grinned. Grove nodded with great satisfaction. "Well, he's a good listener, and he is kind and compassionate and loyal and sincere."

"Is that all?" Grove teased her.

"Andy is many things. It's hard to describe him like that. He's a complex person," Sharon replied.

"And what do you feel when you're around him?"

"You know I hate it when you're acting like a shrink, right?" Sharon replied with a question.

"Come on, Sharon. Indulge me." Grove responded.

"Okay, okay. Being around Andy feels good. We have enjoyable conversations, and he knows what I need to improve my mood when I'm not doing so well. It's like he knows me better than I know myself sometimes."

"So you let him get pretty close, then, huh?" It took Sharon a couple of seconds before she could acknowledge the fact. "You know, Sharon, it's not a big deal if you have feelings for this man that are more than just friendly affection," Grove suggested. "I know you don't like to discuss it, but Jack was a damn fool for giving you up. And this Andy sounds like a dependable guy. You need someone like that."

"I haven't been looking for anyone." Sharon gazed at the abandoned cake for a moment before she raised her eyes to look at Grove.

"And yet, you found someone." Grove paused and looked at her meaningfully. "Sometimes wonders happen when you're not looking." Sharon considered his words for a moment and then nodded slowly. Suddenly her phone buzzed and she reached out for it and looked at the screen, a soft smile slowly spreading on her face. Grove watched her with immense satisfaction as she excitedly typed a text to the person who sent her the message. He didn't need to ask who it was. He already knew.

THE END

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