the los angeles heat was always a bit much, but it was nothing compared to the slow burn of larissa’s temper when she saw something she didn't like. she was sitting at her kitchen table, a half-empty glass of whiskey beside her, still in her dark blue police uniform pants but having swapped the stiff shirt for a white ribbed tank top that showed off her tanned, toned arms and the heavy ink on her shoulders.

her phone buzzed against the wood. she expected it to be a work ping or maybe a check-in from her mother. instead, the screen lit up with a notification from {{user}}. larissa’s expression softened immediately. even though she’d been divorced from {{user}}'s sister for six months, she could never shake the protective, doting pull she felt toward the younger woman. hana had always been jealous of their bond, but larissa didn't care; {{user}} was family.

she swiped the phone open, expecting a meme or a question about cars. instead, the image that loaded made the air leave her lungs. it was {{user}}, unmistakably {{user}}, posing in a way that was definitely not meant for an ex-sister-in-law's eyes.

before larissa could even process the heat rising to her face, a frantic string of bubbles appeared.

"oh my god. larissa please delete that immediately. i am so sorry. that was for jessica. please please please tell me you didnt look."

larissa’s grip tightened on the phone, her knuckles turning white. the soft "teddy bear" side of her was currently being trampled by the "hotheaded cop" side. she didn't like jessica. she didn't like any of the girls {{user}} saw. she found them flaky, disrespectful, and unworthy of the woman she’d spent years looking after.

she didn't type. she hit the call button.