Not Dating
Author's Note: This fic is for Kim and Stefanie and all Shandy shippers. Everything in italics is a flashback and normal font is present. I hope you all enjoy this
Disclaimer: I do not own MC or the characters that come with it.
Sharon and Andy were quiet the entire ride back to the condo. She wished that she had driven herself and Rusty to the Nutcracker to avoid this awkward silence, but she knew that they had to have a conversation about what happened earlier. She felt completely off balanced thanks to the shocking reality that in all senses of the word, she was dating Andy Flynn. All of the dinner, movies, and events that they shared were amazing and they were all things that she loved doing…and they were all classic dates.
How she didn't recognize they were dating was beyond her, but she couldn't deny the fact that they did go out a lot and each time she came home with a smile that would last well into the next day. No matter how hard a case was for either of them, whenever they spent even a couple of seconds with each other, they were okay. It was a feeling that she first got with Jack, but it soon dissipated after the first year of marriage. With Andy, they were 'together' for more than a year and that comfort was still there.
Maybe it was the 30 years of not dating that allowed her mind to glance over the truth of the situation, but it didn't matter. She was sitting in a car with man that has been her rock for the better part of two years and she is thinking about her ex-husband. She should be thinking about Andy and what it would be like to date, kiss, touch, hug, and make love to him. What shocked her was that she already knew what most of those felt like.
They had been on 'dates' and when he picks her up and drops her off they share a peck on the cheek. They had touched each other as a sign of subtle support or restraint, and each time they touched they were both calmer and more focused than ever. He had cradled her to his chest when she had found out about Rusty's letters, and when she had to break the news to Cynthia Logan that her children were gone. The only thing left to do was make love to the man that already seemed to occupy her life and, if she was being honest with herself, a part of her heart.
They pulled into the parking garage of her condo and Andy put the car in park. Rusty and Andy were out first and while Rusty was gathering his jacket from the back, Andy came around front to open her door for her. Helping her out of her seat, Andy kept his eyes locked on their feet, unwilling to face her. Rusty closed the door and looked between the two of them before walking over to Sharon to give her a hug.
As he leaned in to hug her, he whispered in her ear, "I know I screwed things up today, but I just want you to be happy and trust me he makes you happy. I don't think I have ever seen you smile as much as you did after the Dodgers game. Just think about it, will you?" he finished and broke away to look at her and when she gave him a nod and a smile, he bid them good night and headed upstairs.
Dodgers game, September…
He had said that Provenza couldn't make it and that he had an extra ticket and he wanted to show her the true American sport. She had laughed and agreed readily at the boyish grinned that crossed his face, and that is how he had ended up knocking on her door to take her out for the day. She had put on a pair of jeans and an old Dodgers jersey that she had bought back when Ricky had gone through a baseball phase.
When she opened the door, she found Andy also in a pair of jeans, with a white t-shirt and a Dodgers jacket. He looked great and she almost blushed when she realized that she must be staring. She was a bit amused to see that she had caught him staring at her as well. They both turned away from each other and just laughed as she turned to gather her purse and keys.
"Uh, you look great," Andy said finally braving to break the silence.
"Thanks, you too," she smiled at him.
With that they headed off to the car and were soon on the road to the stadium. They sat in comfortable silence that was occasionally filled with Andy telling her about his favorite players and his love of baseball. She surprised him with the amount of knowledge that she managed to amass while Ricky was obsessed with every player, good or bad. There was never an uncomfortable moment between the two of them, and that was probably why they had been going out so much lately.
When they got to the stadium, he had opened her door for her and they had made the short walk to the entrance. Even with hundreds of people there, it wasn't as bad as Sharon remembered. The last time she was here was to support Jack and one of his friends, who turned out to be an addict as well. That had not gone over well when she had found out that they brought their children to a baseball game so that Jack and his friend could talk gambling and booze.
Andy quickly led them to their seats and proceeded to buy them every typical baseball treat there was, including a vegetarian hotdog for himself that she took a bite of. As they sat over the Dodgers' dugout, they ate peanuts and yelled at the opposing team while cheering wildly for the Dodgers. At one point Andy called out to one of the players for a ball and pointed at her, and the next thing she knew, a player was tossing a ball at them while winking at Andy.
"Here you go," he said handing her the ball, "a souvenir of the day."
"Thank you," she smiled warmly up at him as she held the ball tightly in her hands.
The game continued and by the time the Dodgers had finished out their game, Sharon had a smile plastered to her face that would not go away. Andy didn't help at all with his stories about his partner in between his hassling of the other team's players, and his commentary on the game and the 'girliness' of each pitcher's throw. When they were about to leave he leaned over the dugout and asked the players if they would mind signing the ball. He managed to get almost everyone's signature and handed it over to her.
"Now it's really special," he said looking down at her.
"It already was, Andy," she said stretching up to kiss his cheek, "Thank you."
When they got back to her condo, Sharon had hugged him and thanked him profusely for such a wonderful day, and he had simply nodded and smiled back. Reaching her door, she turned to him and placed another tender kiss on his cheek and whispered another 'thank you.' He had replied with a 'you're welcome, Sharon,' and then had watched as she closed her condo door.
She was brought out of her reverie by his receding footsteps and the ding of the elevator door. Once he was gone, Andy took his cue to start talking.
"Look, Sharon," he began taking a deep breath, "I know I should have told you about my family's reaction and my lack of one, but I was just so consumed by how you made me feel and look to my kids and grandkids. I was finally somebody they weren't ashamed to be related to and that was all because of you. You make me want to be better and part of that is because you are a wonderful, beautiful woman who brings out the best in idiots like me and…Well, the other part of that is that I want to prove to you that I can be somebody that you can be proud of."
"Andy, I want you to know that the reason I kept going everywhere with you was not because I thought you were an idiot. I really do like spending time with you, and although I am mad, I also understand. I wish you would have told me sooner, but I don't want you to think that we can never see each other outside of work again. I think the reason I was so quiet tonight was that I was caught off guard by not only Nichole and Rusty, but by my own thoughts and feelings."
"I'm still sorry, Sharon," Andy shook his head at his feet, "I should have told you."
"Yes, you should have, but," she ducked her head to catch his eyes, "we will work through it. In fact I think we have pretty much solved it right now."
"Really?" he looked up surprised, "I mean…really?"
She laughed a bit at his shocked expression before she responded, "Yes, 'really.' Everything that Rusty said tonight was true, and I think that it is something I would like to explore." At his vacant look she continued, "I would like to go out with you, Andy. On an actual date, and see where it leads. That is, if it is okay with you?"
"Uh…Um, yeah," Andy smiled as everything started to register in his mind, "I would like that a lot, Sharon."
"Okay then," she smiled as she headed towards the elevator with Andy still by the car.
"Wait!" Andy called after her, "How does tomorrow night at 7 sound?"
Smiling at her own reflection in the elevator door, she looked over her shoulder and said, "It's a date!"
The End