{"id":237,"date":"2018-12-13T05:30:54","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T05:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/?p=237"},"modified":"2020-11-11T18:23:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T18:23:01","slug":"december-13th-actually-love-part-1-by-spencer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/?p=237","title":{"rendered":"December 13th- Actually, Love Part 1 by Spencer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This story is inspired by the iconic cue card scene in <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Love_Actually\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Love Actually<\/a><\/strong><\/span> <\/em>arguably one of the most romantic holiday movies of all time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Chapter One<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em>I feel it in my fingers<br \/>\n<\/em><em>I feel it in my toes<br \/>\n<\/em><em>The love that&#8217;s all around me<br \/>\n<\/em><em>And so the feeling grows*<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cYou ain\u2019t in prep school anymore, blondie,\u201d Dave Starsky goaded Ken Hutchinson as they faced off on the mats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhat?\u201d Ken asked. They had been singled out of the roomful of cadets in order to practice the latest self-defense moves their instructor had just demonstrated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThose whites of yours look like you\u2019re tryin\u2019 out for the tennis team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A couple of guys watching from the sidelines snickered as Ken looked down at his clothes. While the other police hopefuls were wearing faded sweats or cut-off jeans, Ken was dressed in crisp white shorts from L.L. Bean. Thank God he\u2019d opted for the plain green tee he\u2019d stashed in his locker alongside his polo shirt. Starsky\u2019s shorts, on the other hand, were so shredded they\u2019d be lucky to stay on him once Ken pinned him to the floor\u2014as he was confident he could do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Starsky and the rest of Ken Hutchinson\u2019s classmates were wrong to underestimate his schoolboy charm. As a matter of fact, they were wrong to underestimate him in general. But Ken wasn\u2019t surprised. Their reaction to him wasn\u2019t totally unexpected. He was far from his home and out of his element.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the gated Minnesota community where he\u2019d been raised, he was just one of any number of attractive blond-haired, blue-eyed boys, bound for private school and then college. His good looks weren\u2019t anything out of the ordinary. Ken could also swing a mean bat and run like the wind\u2014plus smile like an angel\u2014which gave him a slight edge in the friendship department. Back then, he\u2019d had no lack of friends, either male or female.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But Ken was in Southern California now, attending the police academy with a group of exuberant young men\u2014and a few women\u2014from all walks of life. Their skin tones were varied, their accents were mostly working class. Several were even fresh from the military. Ken doubted any of them had attended college the way he had. A few pre-law classes on his father\u2019s dime. That was before he\u2019d dropped out and headed west, reluctant bride in tow. Not that any of it mattered to him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ken wasn\u2019t completely panned by his classmates at the academy, however. As time passed, he\u2019d made a friend or two. But Dave Starsky had seemed to have it out for him from day one. Ken didn\u2019t know why he cared so much; he just did. Dark and earthy, with a full head of curly hair, Starsky was the opposite of Ken in every way. His accent gave away his east-coast upbringing. Rumor had it he was the son of a cop. Another rumor was that he\u2019d spent time in the army. But that\u2019s where the rumors stopped. When it came to what he might have experienced in Vietnam, Starsky was infamously silent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Starsky made a quick, cat-like move that Ken was lucky to evade. He stepped out of range and keenly assessed his opponent close up. Starsky was strong, his arms and legs well-muscled. For the first time Ken realized he\u2019d been the one to do the underestimating. While Ken\u2019s moves were more graceful, Starsky was unquestionably tenacious. The kind of pluck one didn\u2019t get on a well-groomed baseball field or country club tennis court. The realization struck him. Ken found himself actually admiring the guy. The same guy who called him \u201cblondie\u201d\u2014an odd cross between disparagement and appreciation\u2014and took every opportunity to challenge him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The second time Starsky approached, Ken didn\u2019t react quickly enough with the countermove they\u2019d been shown. With a whoosh of breath, Starsky had Ken\u2019s back on the mat and firmly held him there. Starsky looked Ken square in the eye\u2014their faces mere inches apart\u2014and Ken could swear he felt actual sparks fly between them. He saw a flash of a grin on Starsky\u2019s face\u2014a most intriguing expression. But then the grin was gone, replaced by what could have been described as a snarl. The next thing he knew, Starsky backed off as if he\u2019d been burned and Ken got to his feet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhat happened there, Hutchinson?\u201d the instructor snapped. \u201cYou can\u2019t let yourself get distracted like that. When you\u2019re out on the streets every little distraction could be the difference between of life or death.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ken shook his head, willing his face not to color, waiting for Starsky\u2019s predictable come back. But Starsky didn\u2019t say anything more. He just took a swig from the water cooler and then headed toward the showers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/border04.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109\" src=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/border04.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ken should have been happy. After several weeks into the program, Starsky\u2019s teasing had stopped. But damn if he didn\u2019t actually miss the barbs that had always been more witty than venomous. In fact, the man practically seemed to be avoiding him in a way that he didn\u2019t anyone else. He sat as far away from him as possible in classes, hung back if Ken was talking with a group in the hallway, didn\u2019t join him at lunch and never, ever partnered with him in self-defense training\u2014or anything else for that matter\u2014 again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They both had become good friends with another cadet named John Colby, but like Clark Kent and Superman, Starsky and \u201cHutch,\u201d as Colby had come to call Ken, never seemed to be in the same place at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhat\u2019s with that guy?\u201d Hutch finally found himself asking Colby as Starsky got up and walked away from the table a minute after Hutch sat down. He\u2019d stopped in at Huggy Bear\u2019s, a local dive bar favored by the cadets. The bar was small and cozy, the drinks were cold, and the upbeat proprietor carefully walked the line between his civilian and police patrons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWho? Starsky? He\u2019s okay.\u201d Colby said then nonchalantly tipped back his bottle of beer. The nuances of interpersonal relationships weren\u2019t his thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Starsky, meanwhile, had gone to cut into a game of darts, effectively turning his back on Colby and Hutch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cHe acts like I have a disease or something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Colby\u2019s grin had a mocking edge. \u201cHe does seem to have something against you. Maybe he just doesn\u2019t like Vikings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cHa-ha.\u201d Hutch got the attention of a waitress and pointed to Colby\u2019s beer, indicating that he\u2019d have the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cHonestly, I have no idea,\u201d Colby continued. \u201cHe\u2019s a good guy, but he\u2019s a little rough around the edges.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019s just out of his depth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch could sympathize with feeling out of place and the wondering of whether he was headed the right direction. But he had a wife at home. Someone on his side at the end of a grueling day. That was supposed to help to ease the transition. \u201cMaybe you should tell him sometime that I don\u2019t bite.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The waitress, a buxom, bottle-dyed blonde with a surprisingly pretty smile, set an open bottle in front of Hutch. He nodded his thanks and for the first time noticed a well-used case for an SLR camera hanging from the chair Starsky had vacated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIs that his?\u201d Hutch asked, gesturing with his glass to the worn case.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cYeah. Apparently, he likes to take pictures. You wouldn\u2019t have expected it, would you?\u201d John commented.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Colby\u2019s statement irked him enough to snap, \u201cWhy not?\u201d then hoped Colby didn\u2019t take the heat in his tone the wrong way.\u00a0 He needn\u2019t have worried.\u00a0 As usual, John Colby was singularly unruffled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWell, professional wrestling or stock car racing I can believe, but photography? For a guy like Starsky? I mean, that\u2019s more for artists and hippies. Next thing you know, he\u2019ll say he writes poetry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cHmmmm,\u201d Hutch savored the refreshing drink that slid down his throat. It had been a full day of classes and sometimes, going home to his wife, whose dissatisfaction with being married to a cop-in-training seemed to be growing by the day, wasn\u2019t all that appealing. Sometimes, just hanging out with a buddy was far preferable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch found himself watching Starsky\u2019s cocky stance across from the dart board. His deft thrust with the darts made them sail through the air, striking the board precisely more often than not. Hutch got the distinct impression Dave Starsky could do anything he wanted if he put his mind to it. Take esthetic photographs, write lyrical poetry. Maybe someday even be his friend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Chapter Two<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em>It&#8217;s written on the wind<br \/>\n<\/em><em>It&#8217;s everywhere I go<br \/>\n<\/em><em>So if you really love me<br \/>\n<\/em><em>Come on and let it show*<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI hope you weren\u2019t expecting dinner,\u201d Vanessa said as Hutch he walked through the door to their apartment. \u201cI\u2019ve been on my feet for hours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch winced. He felt awful that Vanessa had taken a part time job at a jewelry store. He hadn\u2019t wanted her to, but couldn\u2019t deny that any added income was a help to their over-stressed budget. Vanessa had been excited to come with him to California, but her dreams of fun and sun had quickly faded. Especially after he told her that his parents would no longer be helping with their expenses. Personally, he&#8217;d hadn\u2019t expected them to after he&#8217;d quit school against their wishes. He was determined to stand on his own two feet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThat&#8217;s okay. I grabbed something at Huggy\u2019s.\u201d Two beers and a handful of pretzels would have to do for tonight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhere?\u201d Vanessa called from the couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table and a glass of chardonnay in her hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cHuggy Bear\u2019s. That little hole in the wall place I told you about.\u201d Hutch sat down next to her and took one of her feet in his large hands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Vanessa sighed. \u201cReally, Ken. That doesn\u2019t sound like the right place for you to be spending so much time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIt\u2019s not so bad. A lot of the guys like to go there after class to unwind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI hope you\u2019re not going to make this a habit. Can\u2019t you find a better class of people to socialize with?\u201d Vanessa sipped from the pricey, hand-blown glass, one of a multitude of wedding gifts they\u2019d only just finished sending out thank you cards for, and tossed a length of glossy, chestnut hair over her shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d Hutch stopped massaging her foot, as his stomach made an uneasy pitch. As much as he loved Vanessa, she had a habit of sounding snooty. He tried to remind himself that she came by it honestly. That, like him, his model-gorgeous wife had come from a privileged background and was sure to change her perspective once she got to meet more of his friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cCivil servants and bartenders? I would hope you\u2019d aim to mingle with some officers\u2014a captain or lieutenant at least. Even a politician or two might be fun.\u201d Vanessa smiled at him in that breathtakingly wicked way that always drew him in and allowed him to overlook her shallow remarks. Brian Wilson obviously hadn\u2019t met Vanessa, because California girls had nothing on her.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">With his drive and her class, Hutch felt sure everything would work out for them in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/border04.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109\" src=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/border04.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Despite the rocky start, Hutch felt more secure in his decision to come to California and enroll in the police academy as the weeks passed. Unlike college, the courses were more pragmatic and hands on and he was beginning to develop meaningful friendships with others in his program. He found the differences in their backgrounds enhanced rather than hurt their relationships. Hutch was also enjoying connecting with the fixtures in his working-class community\u2014Louie, the paunchy, ever-smiling deli owner; Adele, the baker who kept her long white hair twisted into a French knot; the long-suffering waitresses and early-morning newspaper hawkers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The same couldn&#8217;t be said for Vanessa. Instead of reaching out to their neighbors, she stayed holed up in the apartment much of the time. The sun was too hot, the beaches too crowded, the streets too run down. The only time she seemed content was when she was working at the jewelry store. It was obvious Vanessa enjoyed dressing up for her job, which also allowed her to model various pieces for customers\u2014necklaces and bracelets far out of range of a policeman\u2019s salary. She seemed dazzled by the high-priced gems as well as by the well-heeled clientele.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch listened to Vanessa talk about her work at the store but couldn&#8217;t understand her passion for inanimate stones, no matter how sparkling. Conversely, Vanessa seemed bored or even disgusted when he shared with her the daily details of his police training. Sometimes Hutch feared their lives were going in separate directions. But then he&#8217;d brush his uneasiness aside, reminding himself of Van\u2019s criticism that he tended to overthink things. He was determined to hold their marriage together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If only Vanessa could appreciate what Hutch saw in the people he&#8217;d gotten to know. The people he&#8217;d soon be responsible for. Everyone had a story. Since Van had no desire to join him at Huggy\u2019s, Hutch began to invite a few of his friends over to their apartment from time to time. They\u2019d watch a game on TV or play poker\u2014quickly switching to Monopoly when Vanessa let her distaste for gambling be known, even if they only played for spare change. A low-brow waste, she called it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One evening, after perhaps a few beers too many, Hutch dared to break out his guitar. \u201cHey, that\u2019s pretty good,\u201d Colby had remarked. Then someone started using a stack of textbooks as a drum set, and an impromptu dance party had ensued. But when a potted orchid was knocked over onto the cream-colored rug, Vanessa was not amused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI&#8217;d prefer you keep your high jinx at the bar,\u201d Van announced as Hutch and his friends scrambled to clean up the mess.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The party broke up soon after. Despite his embarrassment at being scolded like a child, Hutch figured maybe she was right. Their apartment was designed more for style than comfort. Even <em>he <\/em>didn&#8217;t really feel at home there. But it suited Vanessa and he wanted desperately to make her happy. After all, happy wife\u2014happy life, as the old adage went. But why was it, Hutch wondered, that neither one of them was?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Even the academy spring outing\u2014a picnic and softball game between cadets and rookies\u2014had ended in disaster. Hutch already knew it was pointless to try to impress Vanessa with his athletic prowess. Sports was another interest they didn\u2019t happen to share. \u201cI don&#8217;t see the allure of sliding around in the dirt,\u201d Vanessa remarked. Still, several of Hutch\u2019s teammates sent jealous looks his way. Even dressed down as she was in jeans and a prim sweater set, Vanessa was a head-turner. Admiring glances was one thing she didn\u2019t seem to mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0\u201cI&#8217;d rather wear a diamond than run around one,\u201d Vanessa commented on their way home. \u201cAnd what&#8217;s with that curly-haired New Yorker?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Hutch asked though he knew who she was referring to right off. David Starsky posed a definite attraction for the ladies, but he certainly wasn&#8217;t Vanessa\u2019s type. <em>Was he?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI mean, he seemed to have some hard-on for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch blushed at her pointed language. Was it that obvious? He was well aware Starsky was the only one who hadn&#8217;t congratulated him on his game-winning run. Vanessa must have noticed it, too. He didn&#8217;t know whether to feel annoyed at Starsky or gratified that Vanessa for once seemed to be on Hutch\u2019s side.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI tried to be friendly with him. That <em>is<\/em> what you wanted isn&#8217;t it? To make friends? I offered him a lemonade when you were on base but he just mumbled something about me being \u2018Hutch\u2019s\u2019 wife and said he&#8217;d pass. He\u2019d barely look at me,\u201d Vanessa declared with a touch of disbelief. \u201cI felt like throwing the drink in his arrogant face.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Just his luck. Of all people, his haughty wife had to pick Starsky to try to be friendly with. Make that strike number two against the guy. Hutch figured he&#8217;d never get Starsky over to his side now. He wondered why it bothered him so much. Funny though. Usually men fell all over themselves for Van\u2019s attentions. As well as he knew her, Hutch was sure the last thing she\u2019d expected was to be rebuffed by a working stiff like Starsky. Maybe it was better this way. Hutch didn&#8217;t need any more fireworks between himself and Vanessa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Lately, Hutch had been feeling more at ease at Huggy Bear\u2019s than his own place. He&#8217;d come to enjoy the camaraderie of the people he&#8217;d soon share a beat with. Brothers in uniform who felt the same way he did about wanting to serve their community. Wanting to do something with their lives that mattered, instead of just earn a paycheck. Hutch never would have been happy pushing papers behind a desk the way his parents\u2014and even Vanessa, if truth be told\u2014had wanted him to. Police work seemed less like a job and more like a calling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The thought continued to roll around in Hutch\u2019s mind as he took a seat at the crowded bar as usual after classes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cSorry about the mess we made at your place the other day,\u201d Colby said. \u201cI hope there was no permanent damage to that fancy rug of yours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cNo, no damage,\u201d Hutch said. <em>Not to the rug anyway<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cYour wife sure is a looker,\u201d Colby continued, despite Hutch\u2019s discomfort with the subject matter. \u201cBut she seems a bit high maintenance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe good-looking ones always are,\u201d someone else chimed in from a few seats down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch turned toward the speaker and then noticed Starsky at the far end of the bar dip a french fry into a dollop of ketchup and then into his mouth. Hutch felt the slow burn of embarrassment. Not because he&#8217;d clearly hosted a gathering Starsky hadn&#8217;t been invited to\u2014Starsky wouldn&#8217;t have come even if he <em>had<\/em> been\u2014but because of John\u2019s all to obvious insinuation that there was trouble brewing in paradise. Aware that Starsky had run up against the formidable force that was Vanessa Hutchinson, Hutch didn&#8217;t want Starsky to perceive her as a chink in his armor. A weakness he might use against him at some point in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch forced a smile. \u201cI can handle her okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThen why are you sitting here at my bar, friend, instead of at home with your beautiful wife?\u201d Huggy Bear, the lanky, dark-skinned proprietor, drew a cloth across the bar, wiping away wet rings of condensation and peanut shells while everyone within hearing range had a good laugh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>The barkeep should have been a diplomat with the way he could read people<\/em>, Hutch thought with a mix of disquiet and admiration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Chapter Three<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em>You know I love you, I always will<br \/>\n<\/em><em>My mind&#8217;s made up by the way that I feel<br \/>\n<\/em><em>There&#8217;s no beginning, there&#8217;ll be no end<br \/>\n<\/em><em>&#8216;Cause on my love you can depend*<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cRide-alongs start next week, people,\u201d the instructor announced. \u201cYour assignments will be posted outside the booking office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch felt excitement flare within him like the strike of a match. This is what he&#8217;d been waiting for. Why he&#8217;d been studying and practicing so diligently these many months. Checking the list, he saw that he&#8217;d been paired with a no-nonsense veteran with the Bay City PD well known for his gruffness. But that didn&#8217;t dim Hutch\u2019s enthusiasm a bit. He felt sure the guy could teach him plenty of things that the classroom couldn&#8217;t. And he was eager to learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch turned away from the assignment board and was surprised to nearly bump into Starsky. Although Starsky usually kept his distance, he hadn&#8217;t disappeared from their social group altogether. In fact, sometimes it seemed as if the man was practically following him. Hutch would frequently catch him out of the corner of his eye as he went about his day, the battered camera case often around his neck.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cStarsky\u2019s really getting into that hobby of his,\u201d Hutch mentioned to Colby.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cSo I&#8217;ve noticed. Maybe he\u2019s planning to send some pictures into the Policemen\u2019s Gazette or wants to get into crime scene photography.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch forced a smile at Colby\u2019s facetiousness. Starsky remained a bit of a curiosity to Colby as well, it seemed. If Hutch thought Starsky would open up to him, Hutch wouldn\u2019t have minded asking him about his hobby. In fact, Hutch had the feeling he&#8217;d enjoy sitting down and talking to Starsky about anything at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The knowledge that Starsky practically went out of his way to ignore him continued to prick at Hutch painfully. What did Starsky have against him? Could it really be his blue eyes and blond hair? His privileged upbringing? Talk about reverse discrimination. If they&#8217;d learned anything in the academy it was to not judge a book by its cover. Besides, Hutch had the impression Starsky was much smarter than that. Maybe smarter than any of them. The thought that he\u2019d make a good partner came to his mind, unbidden.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cExcuse me,\u201d Hutch approached Starsky as amiably as he could. There was a time he prided himself on his ability to charm, but recent events had him questioning that particular ability. \u201cWho&#8217;d you get put with?\u201d Hutch asked in an attempt at light conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch was surprised that Starsky replied as easily as he did. \u201cI got Richardson. I see you\u2019re with Murphy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch simply nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cHe\u2019s got a good reputation,\u201d Starsky added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hutch nodded again, incredulous that they were having an actual conversation. \u201cI hear the same about Richardson. I&#8217;m sure we\u2019ll learn a lot from them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cYeah,\u201d Starsky agreed and Hutch thought he saw a glimmer of the smile he first saw months ago. <em>You feel it, too, <\/em>he thought. <em>That excitement, that thrill of doing what we&#8217;ve been born to do.\u201d <\/em>But then the smile was gone, replaced by an expression that was hard to read. Concern? Wishfulness?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe streets are a lot different than the classroom. Be careful out there,\u201d Starsky warned, then turned and walked away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/?p=323\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">To be continued&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">*<strong><em>Love is All Around<\/em><\/strong><\/span>, Lyrics by Wes Presley<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/actually-love-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-319\" src=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/actually-love-1-300x251.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/actually-love-1-300x251.png 300w, http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/actually-love-1.png 411w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This story is inspired by the iconic cue card scene in Love Actually arguably one of the most romantic holiday movies of all time.\u00a0 Chapter One I feel it in my fingers I feel it in my toes The love &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/?p=237\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fic","category-gen","category-sfw"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=237"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":649,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions\/649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}