I posted this way back in October, and I've been putting off posting it here. Then sugah pushed me, so finally, I'm posting it here.
A million billion thanks to Bobo and cyko for betaing, insisting to read this, and feeding my ego. I love you guys!
Post-303. He waits for her.
Title comes from "Come Back Down" by Lifehouse.
October 4, 2006
I can't move. My feet are practically glued to the ground. I want to move. I know I should move, go home, update Mac on the case, something. But I can't. I'm stuck here, watching her leave.She likes me. I like her. It's that simple, isn't it? It should be, at least. We like each other. We want to be together. Being together would, logically, be the next step, right? I don't get her. I really don't. My feet finally move. But it's definitely not the direction I want to go. I want to go home and curl up under my covers. Instead, I find myself running - no, jogging - toward our office.
I tap lightly on the doorframe. "Lindsay, can we talk?"
She turns around. Her eyes are red, and I can see the tears drying on her cheeks. "About what, Danny? 'Cause I think we covered everything."
"No, we didn't." I step in. "Lindsay, we've been doing this for a year. You flirt, I flirt. And I don't understand why you'd keep that up if you weren't looking for something." She opens her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "Let me get this out, OK? I don't understand it -" I let out a small chuckle. "Hell, I don't understand anything about you. But I'm not mad at you. I just want to know if any of this, your problem, is my fault."
She shakes her head, fighting back more tears. "No, Danny, it's not your fault, any of it. I need a little time to sort everything out, and then we can...try us."
"How long do you think you'll need?" I ask, fighting back tears of my own. "For my benefit, so I can write it down on my calendar."
Lindsay smiles a little at that. "A few months, maybe. The second everything's back to normal, I'll let you know, okay?"
I force a small smile. "OK. If there's anything I can do to speed up the process, let me know."
She steps closer and lightly touches my arm. "Can we still be friends? Until everything's...you know, over."
"Of course," I say. I want to do something, tell her that everything will be fine, or that whatever's going on, it won't affect us, and we'll be friends, and we'll be dating, and everything will be great. I want to help her somehow, and I can't.
She smiles and wipes away her tears. It takes all of my willpower not to take her into my arms and hold her as tight as I can.
She pauses for a second, unsure what to do. Then she quickly leans in and kisses me, right on the corner of my mouth.
"Thank you, Danny," she says. "For understanding. I know this is rough on you, and it's not fair. But you're being so nice, and...Thank you."
She gives me another smile. This one fills me with hope. "Of course, Montana," I say simply.