He knew that situation. It was so familiar that everything seemed so natural. He had thought that he would be nervous, not knowing what to do, but now that he was there, it was all okay. To be honest it was better than okay.
He saw her walking towards him through the crowd and extended a hand to her. It wasn't the same look that she searched a target with in a club like that, it was softer, more gentle and with a sweet smile.
He tugged at her hand and she slipped into his arms. Usually it felt different. Usually she kept a certain tension, caused by the adrenalin of being on a case undercover searching for someone. Usually her back was straight as she stepped into his embrace, only her shoulders leaning in to maintain the appearance of being relaxed and enjoying herself. When she placed her arms around his neck, she would look over his shoulder, scanning the room behind him while he did the same over her shoulder. The one who had an eye on the target would lead the dance, the other one followed without questioning. If anyone talked, it would be about the case, except a slight banter that lightened up the mood without easing the concentration.
The first thing that struck him was her reaction when he tugged at her hand. She melted against him, leaning in with a soft sigh, all tension from her body as she placed her head on his shoulder, face buried in his neck. No look around, no concentration on other people in the club. One hand wandered around his neck, the other one resting on his hip, just above his belt. Not reassuring herself of his weapon, just in case, but to pull herself close to him.
She followed his lead on this dance, even though he didn't pay any attention to any potential target in the room. She followed his moves fluently, no question asked, no words spoken. There was no need for words.
Slowly she pulled back and placed the hand from his shoulder on his cheek and placed a soft and quite shy kiss on his lips. When she looked back at him, eyes meeting and asking silent questions, he closed his eyes and leaned in again for another kiss, longer, slower and more passionately. Just at the moment when he felt her open up to him completely, he knew why it felt so differently:
This wasn't a case. He had asked her out. It was a date.
