For a Friday, things were unusually quiet. He hadn't really done anything all morning, and to be honest, he was bored! He always had things he needed to do, but for some reason, he didn't today. He was considering going home, but even there he'd be bored. He knew he couldn't bother Dr. Brennan for no reason; she'd probably rip his head off for interrupting her work. He smiled sheepishly when he thought of her, and he decided to just call to see how she was. He was dialing her number when there was a knock on his door.
"Agent Booth? An envelope was dropped off for you."
"Oh, okay." He took the envelope from the man and went back to his desk. He closed his phone and looked at the writing on the envelope: "Special Agent Seeley Booth" was written in Bones' handwriting. He smiled and opened it.
Seeley,
There's something I need to talk to you about. Could you meet me at the diner at around 7 tonight?
Bones
He read and reread the note, including the errors. The shock was evident on his face. Why had she written (and crossed out) so much? She must've been arguing with herself over how to head it. He was utterly surprised, however, by two things. One, she called him Seeley. She never did that! Two, she had written "love". Love? Why would she...No way. There's no way someone like her would love him the way he loved her. Oh, how he loved her! He smiled as he ran his fingers across the page, imagining her write it. It was almost like he was in a trance. She filled his head and tingled his senses. Suddenly, his trance was broken by the sound of his phone.
"H-Hello?"
"Hi Booth, it's me."
"Oh, hey Bones! What's up?"
"I just finished the paperwork for the Cook case." She sounded like there was something wlse she wanted to say, but she didn't continue.
He knew what it was. "You want me to come pick it up?"
"No, that's okay. I'm just gonna leave it on my desk."
Or not..."Oh." He paused for a second, then said, "I got your letter."
"O-Oh, y-you did?" Was she stuttering? Bones never stutters! "G-Good."
He grinned childishly. She was too adorable for her own good sometimes. "Yeah.." The line was silent for a few minutes, then he said, "I'll see you at 7."
"O-Okay...Bye, Booth."
"Bye." He waited until she hung up before he did. He leaned back in his chair and chuckled. It wasn't until an hour later that he realized he had no idea what he was going to wear. He left his office and went to tell his boss he was leaving.
As he was driving home, something hit him. Why did he care so much about what he wore or how he looked? It was just dinner, right? They'd done this countless times before, why did it matter now? So there was something she wanted to tell him, big deal. It's not like she's gonna ask him out, right? I mean, what would her father say? "You're dating the man who arrested me?" That would be a disaster waiting to happen!
...But what if she did? What if she told him she loved him unconditionally, just like he did? Was he ready for that? ...Of course he was! He'd wanted that since they became partners! But, like he'd told Sweets, you couldn't rush her. He knew, or hoped anyway, that she'd come to him when the time was right. But...was it now?
As soon as he reached his apartment, he walked right over to the closet. He wanted to look casual, but not too casual. After he found the perfect clothes (dark blue jeans, white T-shirt, and a brown jacket), he looked at himself in the mirror and gave himself a "pep-talk".
"You can do this. It's only a dinner, nothing you haven't done before. All she wants to do is talk. Come on, get it together." He looked down at his watch and smiled. 6:30. Quickly, he gathered his keys and headed out the door.
