It's been a long time, but I have my follow-up to The Reality of It. While you don't need to read it first, necessarily, I'd recommend it. Neither story is too long, and I had a lot of fun writing both. Hope you enjoy.
As always, not my characters nor my show; I only use them for bits, when I can. :)
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"Houston," she fairly whined, "I'm tired."
She yawned, then, but it wasn't for emphasis; it was legitimate, as he'd kept her up to the wee hours of the morning playing chess. He'd been trying, unsuccessfully, to win and had yet to do so.
"Just one more game," he said, looking for all the world like he had had a refreshing eight hours of sleep.
"No," she half-laughed. "I'm tired, and I'm finally - finally - going to bed. I can't believe I've let you keep me up this long just because you're a sore loser."
He huffed. "No, I'm not," he lied. "I thought we were having fun, CJ." He had the indecency to look as if he meant it.
"Yeah, right," she said with as amusement as sarcasm. She scooted her chair back from the table. Once up, she gave him a look as she said, "And, don't you even dare try to wake me up in a couple of hours. I'm sleeping in. See you around 9:30." Then, she turned to saunter off to the guest room she always used at his beach house.
"Spoilsport," he called after her.
She laughed out loud, knowing that he was grinning without having to see it.
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They were having brunch around 10, when he asked, "What do you want to do, today?"
"Honestly? Nothing. If it's okay with you, I'm going to lay on the beach and alternate between reading and napping. I really want a selfishly lazy day."
He smiled at her. "Sounds like a plan. Mind if I join you? I promise I won't bug you while you're engrossed in your love story," he teased.
"You better not," and she gave him a look, "I'm in a good part." She chuckled at herself for being serious.
He laughed out loud. "Duly noted. So, we'll have a nice quiet day on the beach and then grill out for dinner. We can settle in to watch a movie, later. Sound good?"
"Yep. Sounds perfect. Thanks for being on board with this," she added. "I know you were really wanting to paint the town a bit."
He reached over and held her hand on top of the table. "I'm not being a good sport, CJ. I have wanted to spend time with you, and I don't care where we go or what we do, so long as it's together."
She was a bit surprised, but she also understood. They'd been to hell and back in the last couple of years, and it was nice to share each other's company for pleasurable reasons. Her heart warmed at his words, thankful that even if he still would rather go out, he was content to stay in with her.
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"CJ..." he half-asked and half-stated her name.
"Hm?" she replied, more interested in the book she was reading.
"I was wondering..." and he let the sentence hang. He wanted to see if he really had her attention. He was starting to get perturbed, as the time dragged on, before she finally looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.
"You were wondering?..." She had the decency to cover her annoyance with him.
He almost smiled. Almost. "Yes, I was wondering if you would put that book down, so we could have a little face time."
Her eyebrow arched higher at that. "Exactly what kind of face time did you have in mind, Houston?" If he was going to pester her, she was going to give him a hard time for it.
"Ah..." he stumbled with his words, while also blushing. CJ did a good job of keeping a straight face. "I just thought we could talk a little bit. I know I said that I wouldn't pester you while you were reading your book, but it's been two hours," he fairly whined, "and I thought you might be out of that good part you mentioned, by now..." He trailed off, hoping she would take it easy on him for bugging her. While he was perfectly capable of entertaining himself, he really wanted to spend time with CJ. Not just sitting next to one another but really interacting because they shouldn't take these times for granted, anymore.
She sighed but humored him. Truth be told, the book had started to fizzle out several chapters ago. She'd only stuck with it because she was curious to see if it would turn back around. No such luck, yet. Shutting the cover, with a corner bent to mark her place, she set the book aside on the blanket and rolled over to lay on her back.
Sunglasses on to protect her eyes, Matt couldn't be sure that she was looking directly at him as he tried hard not to ogle her body. Tanned and toned, she lay next to him in the sand wearing only thin scraps of material in the form of a string bikini. Maybe he should have let her keep reading, since he was having a hard time controlling his physical reaction, but he really did want to talk with her. Reminisce, catch up on things he'd missed during the past few years, get up-to-speed with today. Mimicking her, he rolled onto his back and put an arm behind his head.
"What did you want to talk about, Houston?" she asked.
"Nothing and everything, I guess."
"Nothing and everything, huh? Alright. Lay it on me," she teased.
He almost gulped at her choice of words. Instead, he blurted, "Why haven't you gotten married?"
She sat up quickly, looking down at him with a shocked expression on her face. "Excuse me?"
He really hadn't known that was going to come out of his mouth. He figured he'd get around to asking her, one day, but he'd just surprised himself as much as her.
"Uh, I really don't know where that came from, CJ. I've been curious, yes, but it's not like I haven't been around to know some of the reasons why. I'm sorry," he said, sitting up and removing his sunglasses so she could see his sincerity.
She huffed an, "It's okay," then settled back down on the blanket they shared. Shielding her eyes, she looked up at him. "I guess I don't really know why, Houston. Things just haven't worked out for me that way." She put her hand down and turned her face up towards the sun. "Next question?"
He knew she avoided looking at him to ensure he understood the door for that subject was closed, and he was okay with it.
"Is dark green still your favorite color?" He smiled because it was so mundane, as well as the fact that it made her smile, too.
"You're going in for the kill with that one, aren't you?" she joked. "Yes, it's still dark green. I love it."
"I figured as much."
"And how would you know that, when I'm hardly ever seen in it nor do I decorate with it very much, anymore?" she asked.
"Because a good person like you never completely gives up on people and things she dearly loves. You may take a breaks from them, but your heart isn't fickle."
CJ's breath caught a bit, but she recovered quickly. A less-trained eye wouldn't have spotted it, but Matt was a professional.
"That's quite an observation, Houston, especially considering we haven't been as close as we once were. How could you know for certain that I hadn't changed my mind about something so simple?" She was more than curious to hear his answer.
"Because I know you, and when you're that taken with something - or someone - it's forever," he stated. Then he reached out his hand to take hold of hers. When she let him, he squeezed gently. He waited for a reply, but he realized that none was forthcoming. He wondered about it but decided to go on.
That's when CJ cleared her throat, and he realized that she was doing so to get rid of a lump. She might get angry with him, but he had to keep going because he may never get this chance, again.
"Want to know something else?" he asked.
"Sure," she managed to say.
"We're alike in that. At our respective cores, we don't give up on the people and things we love and believe in. Can I tell you something else?"
"Yes." He was intriguing her, so her attention was rapt.
"A had a dream a few weeks ago, and parts of it have bothered me ever since. It was just the two of us, and I remember feeling so drawn to you - a lot like in real life," and he smiled at her, "but you were aloof, as far as I was concerned. To be honest, it hurt." He took a deep breath at that admission but went on, "I vaguely remember you saying that we didn't really know one another very well and that we weren't the best of friends. Aside from what we've garnered about one another while working together, we didn't really have much between us." He took another breath before finishing with, "And, that hurt, too. I've hoped that it's not how you really feel, but I guess I could understand why...if you do...after the last few years. Especially since you've mentioned how we haven't been as close," and he trailed off, waiting to hear what she had to say.
Slowly, she sat up and turned to face him. She made sure that she was out of alignment with the sun, ensuring that he could see her earnestness when she spoke. She had known that something was up, but now, she felt badly for him - to have been carrying this weight around for weeks.
"Houston," she began and reached for his hand, "I'm sorry about your dream, but that's all that it was - a dream. I can see some truth in it, and you must know it too, or your mind wouldn't have conjured me as the person to confirm it for you. We don't know each other as well as we used to. A lot has happened, since we opened the investigative agency, and well...we've both changed. With that, our friendship has changed, and we aren't as close as we used to be in some respects. But that isn't to say we aren't still the best of friends. I mean, we've rested on that laurel a bit too much - like, because we once were, we'd always be...and that isn't necessarily true. But...bear with me, here," and she took a breath as she gathered her thoughts a bit more. "We're still close because - after all we've been through, together and separately - we're still here. Right now, after all that's happened to us and between us, we are still sitting here on the beach, wanting to spend time together. That's us being best friends, don't you think? No matter what has happened...even if we haven't been as involved in one another's lives and really don't know everything there is to know about each other, right now...we're still here. We still want to be here, and we'll catch up, again, when we're ready. Then, we'll know everything there is to know, again, but there's no pressure. Isn't that the best best friend a person could have - what we have?"
She smiled at him for emphasis and squeezed his hand, hoping that her stumbling explanation hadn't made him think that she was simply grasping at straws. She meant what she'd said.
His heart was in his throat because he didn't think she could have given him a better response. It didn't have to be eloquent; she spoke the truth. They'd been so close, and they'd loved each other for so long... He swallowed the lump in his throat because he hadn't thought that he was ready to talk about the fact that he'd grown to love her as so much more than a friend, but it was becoming nearly impossible to keep it inside. He was at war with himself because he was afraid that he would scare her off, and they'd come so far from where they'd been.
"Houston?" she asked. She feared that she hadn't gotten it right. That, somehow, he'd misunderstood.
He squeezed her hand in response. "I heard you, CJ, and I agree. I'm just glad the real you doesn't feel the same."
At that, she awarded him with one of her mega-watt smiles. "No, the real me doesn't feel the same. We could use some work, but we haven't become strangers, and we have plenty of time to fix anything we muddled-up along the way."
They were still holding hands, and he couldn't stop from pulling on hers to bring her closer. She let out a little squeal of surprise, as she toppled and they came face-to-face with her hands on her chest. "Houston?" she asked a little breathlessly.
"CJ, I..." but he didn't know how to finish. He'd already violated her personal space by pulling her into his without permission. This certainly wasn't a friendly thing to do - not here and not now. Though he was at a loss for words to explain, he knew he had to try. He just hoped that she wouldn't run away, when he was finished.
He ran a hand through her hair, tucking a bit of it behind her ear. It was another intimate gesture, but again, he couldn't help himself. "I just want to be close to you," he said without preamble. At the widening of her eyes, he said, "I hope that doesn't scare you." He didn't feel like he needed to explain further, since these moments were fairly self-explanatory.
She stuttered a bit but finally said, "No, I'm not scared of you, Houston." She purposely made her response in general. Even though she was catching on, she'd been burned by him before and wasn't going to presume to know exactly where he was coming from.
He narrowed his eyes a bit because he sensed what was going on inside her lovely head. "I'm not playing with you, CJ. I've never played with you. I've been dumb, thick-headed, blind, and plain old stupid in the past, but I've never purposely toyed with you. I would never do that."
"I know," she said, again a little breathlessly.
"Then, you should know that I haven't been able to think of you as only a friend for awhile now. When I had that dream, I made a promise to myself that you would know how I feel about you - and that I would make you see that I've changed. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I haven't dated another woman in months. It's because I don't want to be with anyone else, and I don't want to get to know anyone but you. Since we both agree that we have some catching up to do, I want to do it as a couple. I want to court you - and let you know how serious I am about you. Will you give me the chance?"
He was fairly proud of himself for how he'd presented his feelings, but the real tell would be in her response. He tried to read her expressions but was failing in his nervousness. So, he waited patiently, as she gathered her thoughts.
The first thing she needed to ask was, "Are you sure?" At this point, she still couldn't solidify his intentions in her mind, and she needed to know. "You really want more than a friendship between us?"
"Yes."
One simple word, and that was all it took. When he didn't elaborate or wax poetic about his feelings in an attempt to convince her, and when he didn't use their friendship as the easy out, she knew that he was serious. Part of her screamed, 'Finally!' and part of her was scared as hell, but the rest of her felt calm and sure that her response would be the right one.
"Yes," she returned with another bright smile. "I say yes to what you're proposing. I think this could be a very good merger, Mr. Houston."
She was awarded with one of the brightest smiles she'd seen on his face in years. When the hand that was still in her hair pulled her forward, she didn't resist his kiss. It was as passion-filled as she'd ever experienced, and she was reluctant when it ended.
Both of his hands had made their way to her head, fingers winding through her hair to hold her to him. At the same time, hers had found their way into his. Now, still in this position - nose-to-nose with heavier breaths - they smiled the same smile at one another. Excitement, contentment, happiness abounding.
He softly touched his lips to hers, again. She closed her eyes to relish the contact because, while this kiss was one she'd experienced from him before, it was felt on a whole new level. They would never be the same again, and she welcomed it with everything she had.
"I love you, CJ," he said. "I always have, and I always will."
She opened her eyes and took in the sincerity in his voice. Again, she smiled because it was in high demand, today.
"I love you, too. Always have, always will."
Her eyes teared-up, then. At the concern that was beginning to show on his face, she answered, "Don't worry. These are happy tears. I didn't think we'd ever make it this far. I never felt as aloof as my dream self was with you, but I never thought we'd be sitting here and doing this - or ever talking about an us that involved more than friendship. I gave that up a long time ago. So, this is beyond..." But, she couldn't finish, as emotions suddenly affected her ability to speak.
The concern hadn't left his face. "You felt that way because of me, and I'm sorry, but I didn't let you down. I may have been slow to the draw, but I'm not letting you go, now that you've said yes. You're stuck with me."
She let out a bark of laughter because she wasn't going to argue with him. He was right; he'd been blind to her for a very long time. What they were sharing now used to be all she ever wanted. She'd made herself move on, but she hadn't found the person who could fulfill her hopes and dreams - not when they'd been crushed because they'd revolved around one person only. So, this was the nicest unexpected surprise she'd ever received. Even so, she needed to make it clear about what she wanted in life.
"Houston, nice as this is - and I'm not complaining one bit - you should know a few things about me. Since we're going to be stuck together." His eyes twinkled, when she said this. "Someday - not necessarily anytime soon, mind you - I want a family of my own. Marriage, kids - plural, and a home together. If you don't think you want those things, you need to say so, now. I want to be with you, but I don't want to do so at the risk of losing what I've always wanted out of life. I'd prefer to have it with you, but I need to know what it is you're expecting from us."
She waited with baited breath, scared that this would all blow up in smoke, but she wasn't disappointed.
"I want everything with you. Everything. The house, the kids, the family pets, PTA meetings, little league, dance lessons, Christmas plays - all of it. I want all of it with you."
It was the very best thing she could have heard, and she'd thought that it had already been said. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I love you. I love you so much!" Tears were making their way down her cheeks, but she welcomed them just as much.
He held her tightly and said, "I love you too. More than you'll ever know. But, I promise that I'll try to show you just how much every day."
Life stopped feeling empty for the both of them, and they happily moved forward into their forever.