(no subject)

It's become routine, the way Derek comes home with Saffron after they've closed up the truck at the end of the lunch rush. He keeps a few of his things at her place, goes there on occasion to freshen up and come back to civilization for a bit. He knows she'll insist on feeding him, which Saffron is sure doesn't exactly hurt his motivation for visiting, and she's made sure to make it clear to Derek that her door is always open to him without pushing for more than he's comfortable with. He's become a dear friend, one of her best friends in the city, and she just wants him to know she's there for him.

They walk to her apartment after the truck is parked, since it's not far. It's cold out, but not unbearably so, and Saffron's got her arm hooked through Derek's elbow, partly to make sure she doesn't slip on a patch of ice and fall on her ass. "So what can I make you today while you wash the smell of ribs off you, honey?" she asks, glancing up at him with a smile.