Hodges hated Wednesdays. He absolutely, positively, loathed Wednesdays. There was something about Wednesdays that made him lose his concentration and go staring into space.

It didn't help that the woman he could never admit his feelings for worked directly across the hall from him. Often on Wednesdays he found himself staring at her while he worked (well, he did that every day, but let's not get specific). The way she furrowed her brow when she was thinking hard, the way her hair swung over her shoulder when she moved…it was all just mesmerizing.

Almost too late, Hodges realized that she was pulling off her gloves and opening the door. She was walking straight across the hallway to his room.

He quickly busied himself and tried to look casual. "Hey, Simms." He said when she walked in, like he hadn't been staring at her for the past fifteen minutes.

She didn't offer a greeting. "Grissom just paged me. He said they just wrapped up a new scene and he wanted to make sure you finished all your evidence from the last one."

Hodges gave her a confused look. "Why didn't he just page me?"

"Because he probably assumed it would come with a ten minute explanation about how awesome you are at your job."

Hodges started to retort, then thought about her words. He shrugged, deciding she was right.

In truth, he had finished all his work two hours ago. He just hadn't felt like going anywhere. Wendy looked around the nearly spotless room and gave him a small grin. "Working hard or hardly working?" Hodges' breath caught in his throat. Wendy had a strange effect on him that he could never get used to.

"Ha ha." He said, managing to keep his sarcastic and witty charm about him.

There was a silence between them. Hodges looked up at her and realized she wasn't moving, just standing there with an unreadable expression on her face.

"You okay?" he asked uncertainly.

"What? Oh, yeah." Wendy answered, coming out of a daze.

Hodges kicked out the stool across from him, inviting her to sit down. He expected her to walk away, but she surprised him by sitting and crossing her legs. "My cousin…is getting married." She started, staring out the glass door.

Hodges waited for her to go on. He wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing.

"She's been going out with this rock star-druggie type guy for about a year, and they decided to get married. She wants me to be her maid of honor." She paused for a moment, looking at Hodges like she was checking to see if he was really listening.

Hodges gestured for her to continue. "His name is Bo. My cousin is absolutely stricken with him. She thinks they'll live happily forever."

"And you disagree with her?" Hodges asked.

"Yes!" Wendy said exasperatedly, like she'd said this a million times. "He's dirty, he's smelly, he'll probably go sleeping around with a bunch of other girls after they get married…I just want her to be happy. We used to be best friends when we were younger."

"How many times have you met this guy?" Hodges asked, imagining a big, muscular man with stink waves rising from him and numerous tattoos.

"Well…once." Wendy admitted, her cheeks coloring. Hodges gave her a look. "But, I mean, it was enough. I'm a good judge of character."

Hodges sighed. "Well, if you want my serious opinion here, you need to talk to your cousin. Don't yell at her, just talk to her one-on-one. If she really has thought this wedding through, she'll stick to her decision. Either way, it's not really up to you who she marries."

Wendy looked startled. They barely ever had serious conversations, but Hodges felt a little insulted at Wendy's look. He wasn't just another pretty face.

"Yeah…I guess you're right." She said slowly. "Thanks, Hodges."

She stood up and pushed the stool back to where it belonged. "So, just out of curiosity…" Hodges asked, putting his feet up on the table. "What was your first impression of me? You know, since you're such a good judge of character and all."

Wendy grinned at him. "I thought 'wow, that dude's a royal snob. I hope I never have to talk to him again.'"

Hodges glared at her. "And did you judge me right?" he asked.

She paused for a moment. "No, I suppose not. I mean, sure you've got a big ego sometimes, but you're really a softie inside."

"Ah, the women love me." Hodges said leisurely, putting his arms behind his head and leaning his chair back on two legs.

Wendy's face colored slightly as she opened the door.

"Oh, and Hodges?" she said sweetly.

"Yesss?"

"Stop staring at me. It's very distracting." Hodges' chair fell with a loud crash to the floor.

He really hated Wednesdays.