Disclaimrer: If you recognize it, it doesn't belong to me!
Author's Note: Though this is related to my piece Imitation, it's not really a continuation of it :)
Almost
"Yo, Alex, how's it going?" Javier Esposito exclaimed as he walked towards the star of the party – the infamous Alex Conrad. Alex, who had been chatting colloquially to an old college friend, turned around, and grinned upon seeing his inspiration for his main character, NYPD Detective Carlos Rain.
"Hey, Javier! So glad you could come bro, you're so gonna enjoy this. You know that thing we talked about?" Esposito smiled knowingly in response, a mischievous glint growing in his dark eyes.
"For real?"
"Oh yeah." And with that, Alex left Esposito's presence, with an amicable pat to the shoulder, and proceeded across the now slightly crowded room towards the speaking platform.
Meanwhile, other guests were arriving at the book party, greeted by the relaxed buzz of aimless chatter and dim lighting. One of these guests was Detective Kate Beckett, who seemed uncharacteristically nervous; it was an unusual sight to see her fidgeting, wide-eyed, but here it was. She pulled out from the bag she clutched in her hand her cellphone, checking it, but her quest was deemed unnecessary. As a small crease began to develop on her forehead, she was interrupted by a man's hand touching her shoulder gently.
"Great to see you here, Kate," Alex Conrad spoke quietly to her despite the growing noise.
"Alex," Beckett gasped, surprised. "Congratulations on your book, and this party, and everything," she finished awkwardly. Probably due to her lack of practice, Beckett found herself tongue-tied, clueless of how to act, at these sorts of events. Fortunately, Alex smiled comfortingly; he too was new to this.
"Thank you." His words were sincere. "And thank you for your help – "
"Oh, I didn't tell you anything you didn't already know," Beckett cut him off mid-sentence.
Alex laughed to himself, his eyes crinkling cheerfully. "You were a great help! I got an entire sub plot out of my visit to you Precinct; it was brilliant. Rick's a very lucky man," he gazed at Beckett, as if he were assessing her reaction.
She blushed, again at a loss for words; "Um, thank you…" she uttered.
"Speak of the devil…"
"Good evening Detective, oh, and congratulations Alex!" Rick Castle's familiar voice fell on welcoming ears.
"Rick! Thanks for coming, man. Means a lot," Alex shook Castle's hand heartily.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Castle replied in all seriousness. Beckett smiled calmly at him and nodded, silently conveying her salutations.
"Well, I better get going; I've got a speech to present!" Alex's trembling voice didn't quite match his enthusiastic words, though not for lack of trying.
Alex left two figures in his wake as he moved away. Both seemed nervous around each other; not in an uncomfortable sort of manner, yet both seemed overly conscious of the small amount of space between them. Castle glanced at Beckett; she was staring at the display very intently, and he suspected deliberately, for her eyes flickered, and a few white teeth were digging a tiny dent in her bottom lip.
Realization dawned and Castle turned away, embarrassed. He remembered vividly how Beckett had looked at Alex. How she had giggled at his texts. How she had been so happy with him. How could he not remember?
Beckett too seemed distracted. She waited for Castle to speak; to commence random chatter about the inner contents of his mind; for him to end this bitter silence. He didn't; only pivoted, as if to direct himself away from her. Tears pickled, but she defended herself against them, besieging the leaking emotions by closing her eyes. Now it seemed mortifying, how she had fantasized that he, in his ridiculously charming ways, would approach her, take her into his arms and dance with her. That she would lean against his chest as his warm breath caressed her neck. That somehow, a little bit of that wall between them would come down. But that was only fantasy; this was reality. Castle, Rick, made her blur that thin line between them; he always did.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you very much for coming," Alex began, standing awkwardly behind the microphone perched on a miniature portable stage. His words were greeted with polite applause. "I would just like to say how grateful I am for the assistance I have received from everyone; without you, this book would never have been finished. So without, further ado, let's get onto the book itself!
"'Torrential Rain' is my first published novel, about homicide detective, Carlos Rain, in New York. Rain is tough, but he's a great guy with a big heart and a quiet sense of humour. I'll admit, my friend, Javier Esposito, was a great help in the development of Rain as a character," he paused to smooth his ragged breathing and to point out Esposito, grinning. Esposito nodded and smiled back, murmuring his thanks, a little uncomfortable with everyone watching him.
"So," Alex restarted, "I will read you and extract from 'Torrential Rain'; this is page 63.
"Detective Rain sat, face void of emotion, square in front of the scowling woman in front of him. Janice Former was a platinum blond woman with sharp features in her late 40's, identified as the victim's boss at the insurance company for which he worked. Her very presence made one want to crawl away, escape her piecing eyes, but Rain was staunch.
"'Mrs. Former, do you know why Mr. Trafford might have been visiting a California prison last Wednesday?' Rain decided to start gently; something told him this woman had scare tactics of her own.
"'No.' Her reply was clear, in a tightly restrained voice.
"'Are you certain about that? You can't think of any reason he might have been there, personal or work-related?'
"'Excuse me Detective, but if you are going to make accusations against my business, I want a lawyer.' Again, she spoke in a clipped tone, this time a pinch more irate. Rain silently cursed to himself. He had a sense that this woman was concealing something vital, but he couldn't get anything out of her now. Deciding to confer with his fellow detectives, he walked slightly aggressively towards the observation room, where Detectives Becker and Manor were.
"Opening the creaky door, Rain stepped straight back, uncomfortable. Manor and Becker were sat unusually closely, noses touching, looking extremely focused; though perhaps not on the suspect in the interrogation room next door.
"'Am I interrupting something?' Rain asked as he attempted to restrain his smile when the two detectives leapt apart, each wearing the same guilty expression.
"'Not at all. Becker and I were just revising interrogation tactics," Manor replied, always the one for words. "Though perhaps we'll just head off to the bullpen and run a few checks on Former's financials." The two detectives left, taking care to keep at least a few feet between their bodies, however Rain swore that Becker's lips looked a little swollen.
"Rain grinned; he'd known it was only a matter of time all along."
Alex closed the novel with a satisfying thump and turned his head to where a shell-shocked couple stood, utterly motionless. "I'd also like to say thank to Rick Castle and Detective Beckett, for the more, uh, romantic bits of my book," he continued, winking at the pair.
Castle and Beckett merely managed to look as embarrassed as humanly possible. They almost tried to deny it; almost.