Y/n wasn't sure when it started—this game between her and Dexter Morgan.

It was subtle at first. A lingering glance, an exchange of words that meant more than what was said. But now, it was something else. A tension neither of them addressed but both of them felt.

And she hated that she liked it.

She sat at her desk late into the night, the dim hum of Miami Metro reduced to just a few officers wrapping up paperwork. Most of the department had gone home, but Y/n had stayed behind, reviewing case files from the recent murders.

And so had Dexter.

She could feel his presence before she saw him—an awareness that prickled at her senses. Lifting her gaze, she found him across the bullpen, leaning against the counter near the break room, sipping coffee as if he wasn't watching her.

Except he was.

Their eyes met.

"You always work this late?" Dexter asked, pushing off the counter and making his way over.

Y/n smirked. "I could ask you the same."

Dexter chuckled, setting his coffee down on the edge of her desk. "I like the quiet."

"Hmm," she mused, tilting her head. "Or maybe you like watching people without them realizing it."

A slow, amused smile crept across his lips. "Are you profiling me, Dr. Álvarez?"

"Should I be?" she countered, watching him carefully.

Dexter exuded calmness, but Y/n had spent too much time around dangerous men to be fooled by a mask. She knew when someone was controlling their reactions instead of feeling them.

And Dexter?

He was a master of restraint.

He leaned slightly closer, not enough to invade her space but enough for her to notice. "Would it matter what I said?"

Y/n's lips curled slightly, eyes locked on his. "That depends. Do you have something to hide?"

For a brief second, something dark flickered behind Dexter's gaze. A shadow of amusement—or was it curiosity?

Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Don't we all?" he said smoothly, picking up his coffee again. "See you tomorrow, Dr. Álvarez."

She watched him walk away, every movement measured and precise.

Dexter Morgan was hiding something.

And Y/n wasn't sure if she wanted to expose it—

Or fall deeper into it.