A New Look
A/N: Thank you to those of you who reviewed my first story! I liked the idea of making it a one-shot but for those who wanted more, here is the sequel.
She often found herself in this position. She hated playing this game with him. They tap-danced around and around the issue, never confronting it but never really letting it go. They both knew what they wanted but neither would voice it aloud. This time, however, she wasn't going to let it happen.
"No Booth! It was my vacation first and I want the window seat!" She said, stamping her foot in a very child-like manner.
"O.k. Bones, geez. You can have the window seat," he said, surprised at her petulance.
She calmed instantly.
"I'm surprised that worked," she said with a smile as she slipped passed him.
He stood there for a moment, taken aback by her sudden bid at manipulation.
"Sit down and close your mouth Booth. You look like an idiot."
She hid her smile as she reached into her bag. She pulled out one the many paperbacks she brought for the trip and settled back into her chair. He quickly closed his mouth and settled in next to her.
"You really do have a thing for trickery and subtle forms on manipulation, don't you?"
"Yep"
"I could've used you back in high school."
"I wasn't as good back then."
"You would have been if you'd been hanging around me."
"Somehow I doubt that."
"Oh yea of little faith."
She gave him a sarcastic frown and opened her book. He reached over and pushed the book forward, trying to read the cover.
"Pride and Prejudice, Bones?" he said with a questioning look.
"That surprises you?"
"You reading a book in which the strong-minded heroine falls in love and gets married? Now why would that surprise me?"
"That was the time period. Marriage was security. I can forgive her that lapse of judgment in this case."
"Was that sarcasm? You really are turning over a new leaf this vacation aren't you?"
"Jane Austen has always been a favorite author of mine and just because I don't necessarily believe in her portrayal of love doesn't mean I don't enjoy the idea. I am a girl after all."
He looked at her with a slight frown on his face.
"So you really don't believe in love? I know you've said it before but I really don't get it. You love Russ, you love your parents and you love the squints. How is romantic love any different?"
Logically she knew this would come up one day but she was hoping that day would be much further away. She hadn't worked out how to articulate her point of view because no one had ever asked before. She knew Booth's curiosity, however, and was aware that one day he would ask.
She closed her book and took a breath, staring at the back of the seat in front of her, trying to gather her thoughts.
"I just… I believe that there are many different kinds of love. Biologically we have to love the people whose genetic code is closest to our own. Our Parents, our siblings, our grandparents have our love because of a biological connection and because we know them better than anybody. The love that I have for my friends is more like a deep bond of respect for someone who has chosen to be near me because they like who I am. I love Angela, Hodgins and Zach because they have earned my respect and have shown me that they care about my well-being. And I love you because not only have you earned my respect but, you go out of your way to be there when I need you. The kind of love they describe in movies and books is the kind that doesn't exist. They expect me to go my entire life looking for someone who is supposed to make me happier than I am on my own. The love they describe is an eternal feeling of lust and that just isn't possible. Once that feeling subsides all we are left with is the original bond in which the attraction is formed. So, no, I don't believe in that kind of love. It's nothing but chemical responses in the brain and primal urges. I believe in a friendship and that when lust is combined with that friendship you can have something really special."
She finished her speech with uncertainty. She hadn't looked at him once and now she couldn't make herself meet his eyes. Had she conveyed her thoughts well? Articulating what she felt out loud was hard and she wasn't sure if he completely understood her point.
Finally she gathered her courage and looked up. She met his eyes instantly and was perplexed by what she saw. She didn't understand the look he was giving her. It was one she had never seen it before.
"Do you understand now?" she said hesitantly.
He nodded but his expression didn't change. Finally, she pulled her eyes away and returned them to her book. She was startled when he finally spoke.
"And marriage?" he asked.
She looked back up at the expression she had never seen and couldn't figure out. She spoke forcefully in spite of her confusion.
"I don't need a piece of paper to tell me who I love. I'm sure as hell not gonna forget."
A/N: More to come. I just really wanted to leave it there. There is an actual plot. I swear. If there are spelling errors or anything will someone tell me? There is nothing I hate more than spelling and grammar mistakes and I don't have a beta. Thank you guys!