Don Flack had never been a shy person. Even during his childhood, he had been quick to make friends, and somehow managed to always be the center of attention. It wasn't anything he did on purpose - people just seemed to really like him.
None of that mattered, though, when it came to Stella Bonasera. The woman was confident, intelligent, and sexy as hell. Just being in the same room with her was enough to send his senses reeling.
He did his best, however, not to let any of that show. He flashed her a charming smile, and fought or flirted with her as the situation demanded. to the rest of the world, Stella was just another pretty coworker that he enjoyed laughing with.
But Stella could never be "just" anything to him. Don had realized early on in their friendship that he was attracted to her. And in the past year, those feelings had only grown, until he was finally forced to admit that he was hopelessly in love.
Now, standing in front of her, he found it impossible to hide how nervous he was. One hand was shoved deep into his pocket, while the other rubbed at the back of his neck absently. His stomach knotted painfully, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, telling himself that he wasn't going to cut and run.
Stella saw all of this and frowned.
"Are you okay, Flack?"
He shrugged. "I, uh...I just wanted to know if maybe...you'd like to get dinner...with me."
She couldn't help but smile. "Are you asking me out on a date, Detective?"
"Yeah...yeah I am."
Stella watched him carefully, noting the blush creeping up his neck. "I'd love to."
His eyes met hers, and she smiled even more at the hope she saw in his gaze. "Really?"
Stella nodded. "Swing by my office after shift?"
Flack, grinning broadly now, nodded as well. "Absolutely."
As he walked out of the office, Stella ducked her head, trying to focus on the paperwork in front of her. But the only thing she could think of was how cute Don Flack was when he was nervous.