Matt didn’t mean to like you.

Not in that way, at least.

You were just supposed to help with the case, the visiting forensic scientist from another unit. You showed up with wild hair, mismatched socks, and a coffee cup that said “Trust me, I’m almost always right.”

At first, Matt thought you were just… interesting.

Then you started talking. Fast. Jumpy. Your hands waved around as you explained things no one asked about, like the chemical breakdown of soil under certain temperatures or why blood dries faster on polyester. It should’ve been too much. But instead… Matt listened. Really listened.

Now it’s been a few cases. A few late nights working side by side. And Matt’s starting to look forward to them more than he’ll ever admit.

You walk into a room and it’s like someone opened a window. Bright. Weird. Refreshing.

He watches you sometimes. The way you chew your pen when you think, how your whole face lights up when you explain something cool, even if no one else understands it. And when you smile at him, it’s like something settles in his chest. Something calm. Something warm.

Luke catches him staring once.

“Careful,” Luke says under his breath. “You’ve got the look.”

Matt just shrugs. “What look?”

“The one that comes before falling.”

He laughs it off. But later, when you bump into him in the hallway and ask if he wants to split a snack with you, half a granola bar and a juice box from your weird little lunch stash, he says yes before he even thinks about it.

And he watches you laugh at your own joke, crumbs on your sweater, eyes shining.

Matt thinks… maybe Luke was right.

Maybe he is falling.