(PLEASE READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER. I CHANGED A FEW POINTS FROM THE ORIGINAL UPDATE.)
A Series of Firsts
"I may not be your first love, first kiss, first sight, or first date but I just want to be your last."
-Unknown
(authors note at the bottom)
disclaimer: I do not own Castle, this quote, or anything that seems like a name brand that is mentioned in this fic.
spoilers: I'm not sure yet. Just know that this is AU and not really going along with the show. Castle is still a famous author and Kate is a homicide detective, however. Also: Castle is 29, and Kate is 24.
First Sight
He meets her for the first time at the corner coffee shop, about three years after his first book is published. He will never forget her: her shoulder length brown hair, a determined expression on her face, and killer heels that make even his eyes sore looking at them. He's used to looking down at people, especially women, and to find this particularly attractive one almost at his height makes him automatically interested. They're both standing at the counter, waiting for their drinks, when he looks straight at her for the first time.
She's wearing a tank top and pants (in this 80 degree weather?), along with a leather jacket slung on one arm. On her belt is a badge, and he deducts that she must be a police officer of some kind.
However, those are the obvious things.
As a writer, and as one who looks for details others might miss, he sees sadness lurking behind her façade, and the pain looks so fresh and deep that he flinches internally for her. She gets her coffee first and he grabs his quickly and makes his way over to her table.
He plops down, uninvited, and she looks up in surprise before her face quickly turns into amazement and then settles for an expression consisting of raised eyebrows and pursed lips.
He is all ready to say hello, or something along those lines, when she looks straight into his eyes and he's struck speechless.
Like, literally struck speechless.
Her eyes show a kaleidoscope of expressions that surround him, and he can't look away.
(He thinks that he could write a whole book about her eyes.)
She clears her throat, and he realizes that he's been staring at her, mouth slightly open, for at least a minute now.
Gathering his wits and the womanizing attitude that he already is notorious for, he grins and sends a 'Rick Castle' award-winning smile her way.
"Hey, what's your name?" he asks, and gets a slight laugh in answer.
"That the best you can do, Rick Castle?" She remarks, adding an emphasis on his name. He's not sure how to take it, so he goes with charming, and smirks.
"No, but I'm only warming up." He takes a sip of his slightly colder coffee, just as she finishes hers.
"Well, I'm warmed up and ready to go, so maybe next time, hun." She gets up and gathers her coat and files into her arms and her coffee cup (which he now sees is not empty yet) into one hand. He's getting up with her when she puts a hand on his chest, and leans over.
He can literally taste her in his mouth with her this close, her intoxicating perfume and smell of coffee washing over him as he breathes in.
He suddenly can't breathe as she whispers, "But trust me. It would have been electric," in what he automatically names her bedroom voice. His vision is glazed over and only snaps out of it when he hears a "Goodbye Matt!" coming from her as she leaves, and a returning, "See ya tomorrow, Kate!" coming from the man at the counter as the door shuts.
What the hell just happened?
She is having an okay start to the day the morning her favorite author flirts with her.
She's picking up her daily coffee (one of many, depending on what case she's working on), and she finally has some time to sit and enjoy Manhattan outside the coffee shop window for once. No murder had been called in, so she is free, at least for a little while.
She tries not to notice him next to her, talking animatedly with Matt at the counter, and instead looks at her watch and feels him stare at her.
She shifts in her heels and they stand there in silence until her coffee arrives, the one thing that will sufficiently wake her up. Trying to ignore his stare that she could feel burning into the back of her head, she heads to her table in the corner; the one facing the busy New York street.
She's looking over some case files and trying not to sink into the misery she feels every morning when she senses a presence in front of her. Looking up, she sees Richard Castle sitting in front of her, his mouth half open, ready to speak.
And he stays that way.
No words come out, and she sits there for a minute before she clears her throat, effectively catching his attention.
He seems to struggle with himself before he plasters on a smile that, to any other person than the detective she is, would seem totally real. It was his one that he wore on television, in the news, everywhere. And she would know. She's a huge fan, and her favorite author is currently talking to her.
"Hey, what's your name?"
She can't help but laugh at that. "That the best you can do, Richard Castle?" Adding emphasis on his name, she tries to inject as much snark into his name as she can. She might be a huge fan of his work, but she can read guys pretty well, and this one seems like it might need some ego-fixing.
"No, but I'm only warming up." He takes a sip of his probably now-cool coffee. She gulps half of hers down and grabs a slip of paper from her notepad and jots something down.
Standing up, she grabs her coat and files. "Well, I'm warmed up and ready to go, so maybe next time, hun." Holding everything including her cup in one hand, she stops him from getting up with one hand and pushes him down. Leaning into him, she can see every detail of his face and she's suddenly unable to breath.
He lets out a shaky breath and she's back to her senses, whispering in what she hopes is a seductive voice instead of how she really feels, "But trust me, it would have been electric."
She straightens up and swivels on her heels, heading out the door, calling a goodbye to Matt and getting one in return. She can see Rick Castle, the famous author, still frozen in a stupefied expression, and she laughs. Oh, how surprising it must be for him to find a woman who won't throw herself at him.
(She just hopes that he got the note she slipped in his pocket while he was speechless.)
She knows he did when he calls her later that night, voice barely containing his excitement.
"You meant to give this to me, didn't you?" He asks, and she can hear the grin in his voice. Reading aloud from the scrawled message she left for him, her cheeks start to flame but she laughs along with him, "Hey, you seem like an arrogant asshole but maybe I'll give you a chance…" He chuckles. "And then you left your number."
She agrees with a murmur and they fall silent for a minute.
"So would you want to go out with me, let's say, tomorrow? But only if you want, or if you can…"
His voice has changed somehow. Like it's unsure, or something along those lines. Her heart softens a little, and she smiles. She knows that now is not the time for games.
"I'd love to. Just call me up, and let me know where and when, alright?"
He says his consent and then she hears a cry from that room. It sounds like a toddler, but why…?
"Shit, sorry," he says in a rush. "I forgot the babysitter ended her shift at 10 today, so I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"Deal." She gets out and the next words he utters make her profoundly happy for some reason.
"It's gonna be epic, darlin'."
And this time she's the one left speechless.
Haha. So. Yeah. This is the complete chapter. Told ya it would be longer. I hope you all enjoyed. This is going to be a fun time writing this, and I'm honestly really excited now that I have a feeling where this is gonna be headed.
Love you all x