They ran almost the width of The Common, like two kids just freed from the last day of school, around the lake, laughing and alternately taking aim with squirt guns, occasionally slowing down to talk, but then quickly resuming their battle. He'd found the pistols in his desk and filled them on a whim—his contribution to their luncheon date.
Diane squealed as Sam let a water barrage fly, and she, slowed down by a picnic lunch and a pair of kitten heels, had nowhere to hide.
"Wait wait wait!" she cried, "Time out!"
"Time out? Are you kiddin' me? You've been blasting me since we hit the park and now you wanna stop?"
Diane smiled playfully, her golden hair catching both the sun and the breeze at the same time. He couldn't even feign frustration seeing her like this. She was just too damn cute- a pixie who'd somehow landed in his world, and he'd never understand or get used to how she made him feel. He just hoped to God she'd stay.
"Well, if we don't stop now, we won't have time to enjoy our lunch. We've got to be at the bar by two. Besides, I made some of those sandwiches you love so much."
Sam stopped in his tracks. She had a point: They were late, he was hungry, and he did love her sandwiches. Hell, he loved anything she made. She was pretty good in the kitchen, and more than that, he couldn't get over someone caring enough about him to feed him the way she did. Most of his relationships never made it past the bedroom.
"Okay, time out. But this isn't over," he mock warned. "Where should we land?"
Diane took his hand and pulled him beneath a large weeping willow that bordered the lake. As many times as he'd jogged through The Common, he'd never thought to do that. He guessed he was always moving too fast. His face couldn't conceal his awe at this still green hideaway right in the middle of everything. Leave it to Diane to find such a magical little spot. She seemed to notice all of the good stuff, and the ethereal setting suited her.
"I'm glad the leaves are still on," she beamed, "Under here we almost have the park to ourselves. At least for a few more weeks."
She unfolded a thin blanket and spread it out on the hard packed earth, then began extracting the rest of the items from the small basket she'd stocked with goodies. Sam's grin was a mile wide watching her kneel over her work. So fastidious and focused on her task, she had no idea of the thoughts she inspired in him, and not all of them sexual.
He couldn't help but think how much he enjoyed spending time with her outside the bar. Sure, she was into some pretty highbrow stuff, but he never felt uncomfortable as long as she was with him. Though he wasn't ready to admit it, he'd even begun to take a genuine liking to a lot of it, and it was because of her passion for it all. It was infectious. He longed to be a part of everything she loved, and so it was easy to agree to an art opening or poetry reading. Much easier than he'd ever imagined. Maybe he wasn't such a dummy after all. He was starting to believe her when she told him that.
Diane poured out two cups of lemonade from a thermos and began nibbling on her sandwich, her eyes never leaving him. Look at him, sitting there, not even winded after that run. And not a hair out of place either. These days spent outside the bar were showing her a completely new side of him. Yes, he brought along squirt guns, but he really listened to her as she talked about the public art they passed or that summer's Shakespeare on The Common season. Besides, the water guns were fun, as were most of Sam's contributions to their outings. He had a lot of interesting stories of his own to share, and she always felt enriched by them, even if the baseball stuff was still beyond her ken. Just listening to him talk about something he loved was exciting, and she often found herself smiling until her cheeks hurt. He made her laugh and just feel so good, she never wanted their days to end, though with their matching work schedules, they never really had to.
Finishing her sandwich, Diane looked at her watch- almost time to go. She watched Sam brush the crumbs off his soft rugby shirt, and couldn't help but wish they had a little more time under the willow. His shoulders cut a striking figure against the leafy backdrop, and his chest hair peeking just above his buttons made him damn near irresistible to her.
Instinctively, she reached out to touch his shoulder blade. At first Sam thought she was helping him with a stray crumb, but when her hand lingered and came to rest on his chest, he looked up to see her face, eyes smoldering with desire, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
He slid closer to her on the blanket. She could feel the warmth coming off of him and her heart skipped a beat. "You still hungry?" he asked, an offer in his low baritone. A strangled, distracted "Mmm" was all she could manage. She wanted him so badly.
Never breaking eye contact, he played idly with the hem of her skirt, pulling it over and pushing it off her bent knee as the spirit moved him, then pushing it higher and higher, millimeter by millimeter, ever so slightly as to be imperceptible, but she knew exactly what he was doing. She was all too aware of their public surroundings, but still, she let him continue, leaning in to lightly brush his lips with her own. Only he could make her set aside decorum.
He ran his tongue over her upper lip, tasting her before sweeping her into his embrace and ravishing her mouth with urgent, insistent kisses that took her breath away. She was for an instant, a ragdoll in his arms, weak with fervor, but then, her own fire stoked, she responded in kind, meeting his passion with her own as she pulled him down on the blanket next to her. His hand resumed its upward journey and her hands did some exploring of their own, until the sound of some children running past the tree brought her back to the world around them. Sam was oblivious to the quick movement of her arm behind his back as she reached for his green water pistol.
"A-ha!" she cried, breaking their embrace and taking aim. "Reach for the sky, Malone!"
Sam fell backwards onto the blanket when she jumped to her feet, stunned by the reversal, but nevertheless, ready for a different kind of action. Now it was his competitive fire that was stoked and he wasn't going to let her off easy. Seeing the glint in his eyes, Diane fired three quick shots and fled, leaving the picnic gear behind. She'd come back for it on her break. Sam grabbed her nearly empty red pistol and gave chase.
Once more, her hair was all wind and sunshine, and for a moment he wondered if he'd be able to to catch her... or hold her. Her legs were long but his will was strong, and truth be told, she was in this race to lose it, gladly. The pursuit took them back through The Common and across Beacon Street, down a flight of familiar stairs, and into the warm embrace of Cheers, which seemed to glow with a magic of its own whenever they crossed the threshold.