Love is a difficult thing to grasp. Sometimes it is obvious and stares at you right in the face, but sometimes it creeps up on you, surprising you at a time you least expect. But with the thing about love is that you can never deny it. Try as you might, pushing the feelings deep into the recesses of your heart, they will always resurface, stronger than ever. You can lie to others, but you can never lie to yourself.
Leaning against the dark ebony door, Kate Beckett struggled with those feelings. She felt it, every heart palpitation, every little tingle as their eyes locked in an passionate stare. In that moment of intimacy, they had shared a profound understanding greater than a million words. Try as she might, she just couldn't suppress those feelings anymore. She felt something for Castle, something strong, but she was just reluctant to acknowledge it.
She sighed in exasperation, raking her fingers through her hair, shaking herself. Snap out of it, Kate. Just let it be. She was behaving so irratically today. The emotional rawness of the situation did not help.
Her delicate fingers toyed with the handle of the door, gliding over the polished metal. What if? What if she opened that door? Half of her wanted to play it safe, ignoring those feelings that she had known for a while. But there was something inside her that pushed her to take that risk, and open the door to a world of possibilities. She played with the idea.
It seemed like years had passed in that time of contemplation, but in a moment of impulse, she grasped the handle firmly, and opened the door.
She inhaled sharply.
He was standing at the door, right in front of her. There was barely an inch between them, their faces almost touching. Their eyes connected, the sapphire blue to the emerald green. Lost in their world of emotion, they exchanged a gentle kiss. The tentative touch of his lips sent a tingle through her body, the heat blossoming in her rosy cheeks, warming her lonely heart.
"I don't want to be alone tonight"
He caressed her hand in his strong palm, and led her back to the couch, enveloping her in his arms. He rocked her gently as she sobbed quietly into his shoulder, letting loose a torrent of emotions. He stroked her soft hair, and this seemed to soothe her, the tears drying up slowly. They stayed there, just like that, curled up together for the night. There was something about this that felt so comfortable, so perfectly natural.
Love is a difficult thing to grasp. Sometimes it is obvious and stares at you right in the face, but sometimes it creeps up on you, surprising you at a time you least expect. Follow love to where it leads you, because risking our hearts is why we are alive. Sometimes we just need to just dive in.
