Time to Be Honest
Setting: Season 2 before Audrey breaks up with Chris.
"Excuse me," Audrey apologised as she heard the bleed of her cell phone's message notification. Her cell phone was nestled in between their wine glasses on the crowded restaurant table. Her date, Chris Brody, paused mid-sentence and looked annoyed. Audrey glanced at her phone and bit back a grin. It was a text from Nathan. "Ordering pizza, want some?"
"Just a second," Audrey apologised again before quickly texting back. "Sorry dinner with Chris," She changed the settling to silent and slipped her phone into her lap. She knew how much her near constant phone use annoyed Chris.
"Have fun," Nathan texted back. Audrey managed to read the text discretely as Christ was caught up in an explanation of the effects of effluent pollution on phytoplankton.
"Sure, yeah, that's awful," Audrey commiserated agreeably, nodding seriously. Chris went on and like a kid passing notes in class Audrey slyly texted back, "Learning a lot about phytoplankton."
"Sounds fascinating," Nathan returned. Audrey smirked despite herself, "Are you sure about the pizza?" he teased.
"Don't tempt me, I had the salad," she texted back.
"I'll save you a slice. Just in case."
Audrey wasn't' sure what to make of that. She found herself standing in the ladies looking at her phone and trying to work out why the pull of an invitation from her Nathan, her co-worker, whom she'd spent the whole day with already (and spent most days with), was more enticing than with the idea of returning to her date with her boyfriend, the man she was sleeping with.
How had the rush of that first filtration faded so fast? Chris was like red velvet cake, tempting at first, exciting for the first few bites, but it quickly become sickeningly rich. Nathan was like pancakes, warm and dependable. Vaguely reminiscent of something comforting from childhood, except in Audrey's case she didn't have many comforting childhood memories. Still, Nathan felt like family dinners and cookouts, Chris Brody was more like a trip to the Zoo. It had been exciting at first but no one wants to go to the Zoo every day, which brought her back to phytoplankton.
Audrey sighed, she had to be honest with herself, and with Chis, but she didn't want to be that girl who ran away from every relationship that lasted longer than a Kit-Kat. If Chris was red velvet cake and Nathan was pancakes the last thing Audrey wanted to become was a Twinkie. With that in mind she put her phone in her hand bag, where it should have been to begin with, and marched herself back to their table with all the enthusiasm of a capital criminal facing the executioner.
Audrey plastered a wide warm smile on her face, but when she arrived at the table Chris was just standing up. "I'm really sorry Audrey, I just got a call from one of my bakers, and they need me to video conference…. Now."
"No worries, you go, I've been a million miles away all night anyway, sorry."
"You could come with me if you don't mind hanging around until I'm done, the computer in my home office is all set up. I can pour you a glass of wine while you wait," Chris offered, his dark eyes keen. Audrey felt a pang of guilt. She tried to tell herself she was just tired, but she couldn't help but note the absence of that spark of excitement at the idea of going home with Brody, hanging out waiting for him.
"Sorry, maybe some other time, I'm tired, I think I'll just go home," Audrey explained.
"Okay, well, I'll call you," Chris replied confidently, no doubt in his mind that she wanted to hear from. Audrey tried not to be offended by his presumption. She wondered if Chris was getting a little too used to people automatically liking him. "I'd offer to drive you but-"
"You're in a hurry and my place is out of your way, don't worry about it, I'll get a cab."
"Thanks you're the best," Chris smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek. Audrey had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't feel so good about her after she broke things off, but tonight wasn't the night.
"Night," Audrey returned.
It was cold outside waiting for her cab and Audrey huddled her jacket around her and tried not to be annoyed that her date had left her – well to say stranded was an exaggeration, but she would have driven herself if she'd known he'd disappear on her. Usually she was the one rushing off to work, but her work actually kept people alive…. She had stop herself there and think of the phytoplankton, it wasn't fair to treat Chris' work like it was any less important than hers.
She'd been waiting for a good five minutes when an unmistakably familiar blue truck pulled up beside her and Nathan lent out the window and called, "Need a lift Parker?"
"Are you stalking me Wuornos?" Audrey accused with an impish grin.
"It was on my way," Nathan explained casually.
"Must be fate," Audrey grinned. She'd meant it as a light remark but the word hung between them slightly.
"Jump in before you freeze, just don't sit on the pizza," Nathan warned.
Audrey scooped up the box, slid into the seat and plopped the box back on her lap and took a peek inside. "Pepperoni with extra olives?" Audrey queried.
"Too salty?"
"Perfect," Audrey smiled. She knew it was a hopeless female clique, eating healthy on her date and then eating fatty salty food afterwards, but she didn't really care, she just felt so much more relaxed hanging out with Nathan. Maybe it was the stress of talking about phytoplankton for hours that had made her so hungry.
"Date ended early huh?" Nathan probed trying to look concerned instead of self-satisfied.
"Chris had to go home and video conference the people sponsoring his research," Audrey explained.
"Urgent phytoplankton business, right," Nathan teased.
"It was probably for the best," Audrey admitted with a sigh.
"Really?" Nathan probed.
"I don't think it's going to work out, we're just too different, and he's not interested in the things I'm interested in."
"Crime scenes and the troubles aren't his idea of fun, I can't think why," Nathan quipped.
Audrey boxed his arm lightly, "You know what I mean."
"Yeah it can be hard to date outside the job and it's usually impossible to date on the job so it doesn't leave much space for a personal life."
"Is it always impossible?" Audrey dared to meet his eyes only for a second.
Nathan shrugged, "To be honest, I haven't tried,… yet." His last word hung in the air between them, full of hope and promise. He was suddenly very preoccupied by the road in front of them, but eventually he couldn't resist but glance quickly at his partner. Audrey was biting her lip as if to stop herself from saying something she shouldn't, but the upturned edges of her mouth gave her away, as if she couldn't quite control the smile that threatened to break free.
They drove the rest of the short drive in silence, finally Nathan pulled up outside The Grey Gull, "Well here we are," Nathan said unnecessarily.
"Thanks for the ride," Audrey grinned. "And the pizza. And for not talking about phytoplankton." They both laughed.
"Anytime," Nathan smiled broadly.
Audrey nodded and brushed a hesitant kiss on his cheek catching Nathan off guard. She hopped out of the Bronco before Nathan could do anything other than gawk at her in embarrassed surprise, it wasn't the first time she'd done that, but she knew now that he could feel it and that somehow made the act more intimate, "Goodnight Nathan, " Audrey called through the window.
"Night Audrey, see you in the morning," Nathan returned before reluctantly driving off. It was amazing he didn't hit anything as his eyes watched her in the rear-view mirror as he drove away. His cheek tingled and his heart was racing. Audrey stood by the roadside and waved him off, a slight blush on her cheeks. Somehow ten minutes in the car with Nathan felt more like a data than wine and a white plate dinner with Chris. It was time to be honest with herself; she had to break up with Chris, and she had to find a way to tell Nathan the truth about her feelings.