Where The Heart Is
He stopped a moment, turning slowly from the car door to glance at his front step, the relaxed blonde sitting cross legged there smiling happily as he crinkled his brow.
"Thought you wanted to go home?" he asked, wandering slowly towards her on purpose, heart fluttering as her smile continued - a rare achievement.
"My house was lonely" she replied simply, shrugging as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
Her head fell gently to the side as he smiled at her, befuddled glance looking adorably familiar as he held out a hand, tugging her to her feet.
She fell a little, stepping a tad closer to his chest than she'd been in years, and wondering if now was a good time to hold out the bottle of wine she'd brought with her.
"Feel like celebrating?" she asked, stepping back to allow room to breathe.
She watched as he ran a weathered hand through his brown locks, obviously weighing up the dangers of inviting her inside with an alcoholic beverage versus the possibility of them spending the night alone.
"Sure" he grinned, placing a hand at the small of her back and leading her inside.
"Give me a sec to change" he called as she wandered through his house, stoping every few seconds to take in the semi-familiar surroundings.
He swung his head round the lounge room door, shirt buttons already half undone as he untucked his whites, watching her nod as she picked up a photo frame. He was seconds from returning down the hall when her eyes locked on his, the realisation that he was undressing before her, in the most innocent way possible, breaking the dream like trance she had stepped into as she had wandered through his front door.
"Yeah, kay" she managed to choke out, willing her gaze not to run down his chest; blinking in annoyance as it did.
The slip didn't go unnoticed by Mike either and he prayed that the smirk he desperately wanted to give didn't show.
"Glasses are in the kitchen" he called as he turned to walk own the corridor, wandering if she was watching his backside as well.
"White" he smiled as she held the glass out to him, stopping the words about to leave her mouth as he negotiated his way round the two bottles.
Sometimes he wondered if that's why they'd broken up; they went through twice as many bottles of wine as any other couple could solely because they refused to drink what the other was.
"You remember" she smiled, ducking her head to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks.
He smirked in amusement.
"How could I forget" he smiled, pouring a glass of red, his preferred choice and clinking glasses with her over the kitchen bench.
They both leaned heavily against it as the first sips of wine ran down their throats, earning a sigh from both parties.
"I miss coming home to a drink each night" she smiled lazily, staring at the remaining liquid swishing round her glass.
"I miss coming home full stop" he grinned, wine mingling contently with the relaxed state he was in as she smiled in agreement, clinking her glass against his once more.
"Lounge?" he asked slowly, remembering a time when he needn't have asked, instead led her there in his arms.
She paused a second, the past reference not lost as she debated once more just how far things were going. She blinked as he appeared next to her, resting a delicate hand against her arm and patting it softly.
"You think it over, I'll be flicking" he smiled, turning and padding bare foot down the hall, cusps of his track pants getting caught beneath his heels.
It was such a small action but it sparked a years worth of memory, the little things that only intimacy brought. She sighed loudly at the thought of the look he'd given her that afternoon, when she'd resorted to a salute to stop the actions that had speed through her imagination instead.
It wasn't long before she'd followed him down the hall.
"No, no, Kate. No, listen"
She giggled helplessly as he tried desperately to point out what was wrong with the movie they were watching, the old man trying to start up the boat motor causing the poor captain to cringe, arms flailing as Kate refused to listen to his exasperated protests over Hollywood's stuff ups.
"Fine" he heaved, crossing his arms and balancing the wine glass – his third, possibly forth – since she'd arrived an hour and a half earlier.
"It's a movie, leave the poor guy alone" Kate giggled, bringing her own glass to her lips and savouring the liquid running down her throat. It'd been a long time since she'd enjoyed herself as much as she was at this moment, the ease at which she leaned against his arm an unusual concept to her lightening mind.
"You looked happy today, when we put Walsman away" she smiled, resisting the urge to rest her body against his side as she might have years ago.
Obviously he had a different idea and leaned closer, shuffling the pillow away from his body to replace it with her instead. She waited – breath lingering – for him to reply, mouth slightly a gap as she resisted the urge to kiss his silence away.
"Yeah" he sighed finally, smiling gently at her.
She squeaked in protest as he rolled suddenly, stretching himself out against the lounge so that his legs rested on her lap, feet dangling far off the side.
"Don't mind me" he grinned, wondering if the alcohol in his system was responsible for the pushing of the boundaries he was initiating – the pushing she was happily allowing.
He gasped suddenly as she laid a hand on his stomach, the gesture surely the most intimate between the two in over 6 years.
"Kate.."
"Shhh" she breathed out, dragging her hand up his chest to linger on his lips, breath increasing as her fingers ran across his bare thread t-shirt.
"How's your knee?" she asked softly and before he could reply, let alone regain brain activity, she'd pulled the track pants up his leg, exposing the still visible scarring to her bright gaze.
"Getting there" he breathed out, wondering how he'd managed to live a year and a half without her hands upon him – surely no man could resist the way her fingers gently ran across the still pink skin just below his knee, softly tracing the point of impact that had nearly stolen him away.
"Will you always have the scar?" she asked, meeting his gaze to ask another, more poignant question.
He nodded softly "Forever" he whispered slowly.
"Well then, I guess you're stuck with it" she smiled and let the black fabric of his pants slide softly down his leg.
He watched entranced as she shuffled his legs from her lap, standing to brush the imaginary particles from her jeans before grasping their empty wine glasses in both hands, stepping over where his dejected legs had fallen.
This time it was he who stared after her backside down the hallway.
"Two weeks" he grinned languorously, stretching both arms behind his back and yawning loudly.
"Think we'll be able to survive two weeks of nothing?" he asked, fumbling after her figure as she busied around his kitchen. The clock on the microwave told him it was 12:30 and he wondered if he stood a chance at asking her to stay the night.
Down the hallway of course.
He grinned as she stopped her movements, turning to smile knowingly at him.
"No mercenaries to defeat or explosions to avoid or gun wielding, Russian hostage takers attempting to over throw a Government? What are we going to do with our time?"
"Sleep" he announced loudly to the dark room, swinging both arms out to his side, alcohol now officially being blamed for his actions.
"Don't think we'll be getting much of that tonight" she grinned, face falling as she realised the meaning behind her words.
"I…what I mean, I"
"Kate, stop"
He smiled in understanding, walking towards her to take the drying towel from her small hands as she finished the task.
She flashed him a smile in thanks, heart skipping a beat as he continued to lean forward.
"Just cause you find me irresistible doesn't mean we have to discuss it tonight" he whispered, cheek brushing against her own as he slide past her, lips barely missing her own.
He was out the door before she could react, grinning happily to himself.
"I'm going to go home now" she announced to the quiet room, eyes avoiding the slightly moving bundle that was Mike, lying back against his bed.
"Really?" he asked, the response midway between a question and challenge so that she shuffled into the room a tad, just to met his gaze.
He heaved his body into a sitting position to watch her nod defiantly, green eyes flashing with fire.
"Kay then" he nodded softly, more to himself than her. She watched as he curled his lips in agreement, debating mentally her decision to leave. The gesture confused her and it took a moment before she realised he was toying with her once more, obviously the alcohol leaving more of an effect than they had first thought.
"Night then" he grinned simply, flopping back down and shutting his eyes tightly.
She stood at his door a moment, anger flaring as he brushed her off after all the not so subtle hints and flirtation that he had initiated over the past few months.
She turned swiftly on her heel, stomping loudly down the hallway firmly resolved to grab her car keys and leave, missing his half open eyes gazing lovingly after her.
"See you in the morning Katie" he called, rolling with a grin to wrap himself in the warm blankets.
Sometime around seven he stumbled down the hallway of his house, rounding the corner to the lounge room and smiling as the events of last night came back. The wine, the discussion, the flirtation – dangerously close to much more – and her declaration to leave his house at some ungodly hour.
He grinned, sauntering into the room to crouch by the lounge, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she shuffled underneath the coat thrown over her.
He shook her shoulder gently, not caring if she awoke angry, only wanting to warm himself with her gaze once more.
She fluttered an eye open and gasped lightly, realising that she'd never made it to the door.
"Morning Katie"