Congratulations! You found it! Below is the original meet cute from Grin. I’ve never done an enemies to lovers story before and really wasn’t sure where to begin. So early in the planning I wrote this to give Lucas and Tanvi large egos which they will be forced to put a side and learn to see each other as people rather than an egotistical maniac and a head strong brat. Hope you enjoy!
Tanvi entered the station with a nest of snakes vying for the top spot in her stomach. She felt like she was going to puke. Foster was always looking for reasons to get her off the squad. Was this going to be it? She squared her shoulders and tried to focus on the good. The FBI Agent would help them today. With that profile and acknowledgement, the women in the low income areas of their city would finally get justice for their murdered daughters. And the daughters that remained would be safe.
As she approached the room where she’d laid out her case, voices could be heard. She quieted her steps as she neared the door. Frank sat off to the side, arms crossed over his chest in what she’d come to realize meant he was displeased with something. Foster stood in front of her board as the agent stood looking it over. He was tall with broad shoulders and blond hair that was cropped short at the sides and left longer on top so it could be swept back. She leaned back against the cold cinder block wall and took a deep breath listening.
“You think this means anything?” Foster was saying.
“From this, I don’t think you have a case. All of this could be from separate unsubs. I’d guess the person who put this together wants to see connections. But I need evidence. Any DNA yet?”
“We’re waiting on the lab.”
Tanvi felt rage boiling in her belly as her heart pounded against her chest completely replacing her embarrassment.
The man turned to Frank. “If it weren’t for you, I’d leave right now.”
“Good,” Frank said. There was zero emotion in his tone leaving her to wonder what he was thinking. “I can teach you a thing or two before I send you back to Quanitco.”
The man scoffed.
“That’s funny,” Tanvi said as she entered the room before the agent could make a fool of himself. “I thought the meeting was at eight.”
The FBI agent turned to look at her. He was even more gorgeous. Green eyes met hers and she felt her heart flutter. Focusing on the whispers of anger that were raging a second ago so tried to rekindle that flame. A task made more difficult as it became clear his attraction matched her own. Giving her a slow once over she could practically feel. Not that she’d spared him her own visual caress.
“Nightingale,” Foster said with a smile that was more fake than the cheese in the kraft macaroni her mother used to feed her. “You made it.”
She gave him a smile that said she was going to rip his head off later.
“We weren’t going to leave before you got here,” he said, raising his hands. “Frank wouldn’t let us.”
“So?” she said, gesturing to the agent. “Tell me what you see.”
He pointed to himself, a quizzical look creasing his brow.
“Yes,” she said as condescendingly as possible. “Please, enlighten us.”
Frank’s body shook as he struggled to stamp down a laugh.
“I see women from different areas of town, all different ethnicities, religions. I see no connection. Outside, your—- well, you. The investigator.”
She gaped. Unable to form words.
Frank stood up and moved between them. He knew more about her in their short time working together than Foster did from nearly two years.
“Tanvi recognized what you didn’t, Lucas,” Frank said. “Tanvi Nightingale, this is Lucas McGinn. Born and raised in Boston. Lucas, Tanvi left something out of this display because she put it together without this particular clue and we decided to test you.”
The color drained from Lucas’ face. “Test me?”
“Yes. Teresa and I go way back,” Frank explained. “And well, she said you’re a hot head who likes to jump to conclusions. She also said your in field decisions have saved a lot of people but she wasn’t sure you could read a killer as well from the crime scene as you can a perp who’s in front of you. I’m sorry she didn’t tell you, but your time with me will be used as a sort of evaluation.”
He bulked. “Give me all the information and I’ll run it down for you.”
Tanvi moved to the board and removed Felicia Williams. “There. That’s all the information I had when I realised we had a problem.”
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