Close to You

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Not Veronica Mars, Not the song title which I borrowed to make the name of my story. I own nothing basically.

Summary: The date of Dick Casablancas and Mac Mackenzie.. The Second in the ongoing Mac/Dick arc that I haven't named at the moment.

Author's Note: I hope you guys like this, it's easier to write in London England for some reason, so hopefully madam muse is kind to me throughout the rest of the trip. I appreciate all of the other reviews, and I am hoping to do more than a few Mac/Dick one part-er stories.

Mac ended up explaining what happened between Dick and herself to Veronica over a few necessary shots of espresso. Veronica laughed for a long time afterwards and every time she stopped, she would look at Mac's still confused expression and start laughing again. Veronica did not feel sympathetic, since Mac had spent a lot of her time mocking Veronica for her own confusion over Logan more than once.

Mac tried to figure out how exactly she ended up being asked out by Dick but Veronica just told her that she should not worry about how it had happened, and instead concentrate on the fact that she was in fact going out with Dick. They had all seen how persistent Dick had suddenly become.

No longer did he sit idly by and wait, and he wasn't certainly known for his patience. Dick made sure that Mac knew he was serious and had already left multiple text messages to let Mac know that he was serious and that he was picking her up outside of her dorm at eight sharp. Mac refused to go get ready before six thirty in case it was a sick joke, but Veronica convinced her that Dick was being serious.

Mac had decided to be casual since he was in serious doubts that this would be a good time. She didn't even know why she was so shocked by this. Dick had been paying extra attention to her since the summer. He had even run into her several times during the summer, and had even offered to watch her little brother when she had to go out of town when her parents went off on one of their private caravan trips.

She was sitting on the couch and watched as her roommates make dinner and waiting for Dick to arrive. She was definitely not in her comfort zone. There was a loud knock at exactly eight o'clock and Mac immediately went over and opened the door. Dick was leaning casually against the doorframe and he looked really good, and Mac looked down at her casual clothes and felt a little inadequate. Dick pushed his sunglasses down a la Tom Cruise in Risky Business, and smirked. 'You look Macalicious' Dick says and Mac rolls her eyes at every pun Dick insisted on using with her name.

'Hi Dick, you look nice too.' Mac says politely and Dick takes her hand and kisses her hand. 'Of course I do, it's hard to bring this brother down.' Dick then pulls Mac to him and kisses her and Mac blushes at the smirk Dick gives her and she turns and quickly shuts her door and follows Dick as he walks to his car.

After many lectures from Mac, Dick finally traded in his major gas-guzzler and got a 4x4 SUV hybrid, which seemed like a good compromise.

'Dick then turned up the music in his car and smiled at Mac and Mac tried to stop fidgeting with the purse Veronica had loaned her and tried to seem like this didn't bother her. She should feel comfortable with Dick, after all this wasn't like her very first date or anything. She wasn't some naïve little girl anymore. But there was something about Dick that made her feel like she was the same girl she was in high school.

'So uh how was surfing with Logan.' Mac asked and was proud that her voice was actually clear and not like a prepubescent boy like before. Dick shrugged. 'It was tight, until these little pervs kept on trying to pull this one chicks bikini, and Logan the hero had to go intervene, and after things got major intense, we go outsa there.' Dick then huffed when a car cut in front of him, but rather than swear, he just muttered whatever under his breath and looked over at Mac who was avidly watching him.

Soon they got to the restaurant, and Mac was impressed that it wasn't a four star restaurant, but instead of a small local place that had amazing vegetarian dishes. 'Ronnie, let it slip that you only eat the veggies, this good?' Dick asked and Mac grinned at him for being so thoughtful.

'This is perfect Dick, thanks.' Dick then went and opened the door. 'Dude, my mama paid other people to raise me to be a good boy with manners.' Dick said at the look of surprise on Mac's face and they seated in a nice quiet corner and both looked at the menu. Mac sneaked a peek at Dick's reaction to the menu and had to laugh at how hard he was acting like what he saw appealed to him.

'Dick, we can go somewhere else, I am sure there is a place that has a vegetarian section and something you would like.' Mac says and Dick smiles at her. 'No Way, this is the perfect place, and this must be an experience.' He shut his menu and waved to the waiter to make the drink orders.

Dinner was delicious and even dick found something he liked and surprisingly the conversation was flowing. Mac talked about her dull summer and the time she spent with her younger brother. After so much exposure to Madison Sinclair, Mac had tried to be the better switched at birth child, hoping that she never was like that. Ryan seemed to love having more time to bug his older sister, and was never the wiser as the true reasons why she insisted on spending so much time with him.

Dick was rather comical about his father/son time with his father. Mac had overheard some of their arguments earlier in the summer, and knew there was something was tense between the two. Dick didn't want to talk about it, but she knew it had to be about Cassidy. Dick was left alone to deal with the sudden hidden nature of his brother, and whether Mac still believed that the whole time Cassidy was just playing her or if he was in fact the somewhat innocent but jaded boy she knew and really really liked.

Dick told her about the fishing trip that Senior Casablancas insisted on, but their boat was a yacht and they had a butler and someone to actually fish for them, and instead of the normal sandwiches that she had with her parents when she went fishing, they had a full five course meal. 'Daddy C does not do anything small, we are Casablancas Right?' Dick had said, and Mac felt sorry for him at that moment. Even a simple bonding trip, was made to seem complicated and extravagant.

Dick then took Mac to see these musicians that would play on one of the piers near Dog Beach. You could call out any song and they would know it, and it had become tradition to stump them with an obscure song or jingle. Apparently Dick had spent a lot of time just thinking here the summer between high school and college.

Mac smiled at Dick as he explained that he had to change, and Mac assured him that he didn't need to (even though if he hadn't, she was sure she would not be here with him at this moment, but it was one of those things you said.)

Dick was really chatty and Mac found herself having a wonderful time. It was already almost one in the morning before Dick and Mac left the beach and started to drive back to her dorm.

As Dick led her to the front door he smirk at her and whispered in her ear 'Dude, this date was righteous.' He said and Mac nodded in agreement. Mac was rather disappointed that they didn't spend more of their time kissing than talking, but she didn't know if that her being slutty, and she rather not think about it.

Dick leaned down to give a goodbye kiss, and Mac took her chance and started to kiss him thoroughly and Dick lost his balance and fell back against the shut door (thank god for small favors Mac would laugh about later) and Mac was grasping and grabbing until Dick lifted her and twirled her and set her down on her stoop and then reluctantly let go.

'You are a minx, Mac' Dick said and he bowed to her in a gallant way which made her laugh and he left, and Mac giggled and put her key in the door, but the door was suddenly opened quickly, and there was Wallace and Veronica standing there expectantly. 'So?' Veronica asked and Wallace looked amused and tried to be one of the girls. 'Did he like kiss you good night?' Wallace said and made his voice much higher than it was normally, and Veronica laughed at their friend and she thrust the popcorn that she had been holding to Mac and slapped Wallace on the arm playfully.

'It was great!' She said to Veronica. 'And no, I kissed him.' Mac said to Wallace and he batted his eyelashes and continued on his attempt to look girly. Veronica rolled her eyes at Wallace and smiled happily at Mac. 'Why Mac, you are being very forthcoming.. ' Veronica said and Mac shrugged. 'A blonde friend of mine said awhile ago, that maybe trusting people wasn't so bad after all.' Veronica huffed at that and Wallace just laughed.

Mac debriefed (which is the only appropriate word) her friends and managed to get to bed a little after three, and just before she fell asleep, her eyes snapped open. She was actually dating Dick Casablancas, and the weird thing was that she didn't seem to be that bothered by that thought.

TBC