Friday was a week since they had last seen each other. A week since they had first seen each other. Her first worry was that he wouldn't come. Her second worry was that she wouldn't be able to recognize him.
It was absolutely ridiculous because she had no reason to suspect that he would look any different if he did in fact come, and he actually had reason to suspect that about her. But by Friday, his face had begun to fade in her memory like he was a dream.
Of course, when she did see him, it was like she never forgot at all.
He was walking to the same table where a week before he met a lonely looking girl in horrible disguise- but this time there was a girl with the same hat, newspaper, and a very different pair of sunglasses.
And that was when Amy tapped him on the shoulder from behind and he nearly jumped out of his skin like she had the first time.
That day she was in a light brown wig with highlights and clear glasses, but he still smiled when he saw her.
"You actually have to show your license to prove you're under the age of 35 at checkout," she brandished the very hip (she assumed) fashion magazine in her hand.
"You trying to fake me out? Very convincing decoy," he motioned back to where her doppelganger was moments before, but she had already left by that point. She had thought that everything was actually fine, but when his eyes settled back on hers, his genuine smile fell into a polite one and she knew this wasn't going to go well. "Very clever, Amy Santiago."
She shouldn't have snapped at that, but she did. He was using her name like it was some sort of distancing language when it was her freaking name. So she tugged him off without a word in the direction of the secluded area she had scouted for before hand, a park that wasn't even a minute away if you walked between buildings. When she got to the shaded tree and ordered him to sit in the grass he immediately obeyed without hesitation.
"In defense of not recognizing you, I am so bad with faces that I recognize people I meet in real life better the first few times by their voice. And you're in all this new stuff my friends have been bugging me to see but I've been pushing off, so I've basically only seen 2x4 gifs of you which don't help with the face or the voice thing. You sound a lot different in real life anyway." She was beginning to worry she would never see the genuine Jake she knew again, but he was the one who said the last sentence. Everything else was said by some flippant Jake that she was already tired of.
"Did you watch the movie?"
"Yes, I watched the movie," he said and was starting to fade back into his fake amused voice. She may have only spent a day with him, but that whole day had a time total that was more than some people who knew each other for weeks.
"So you get it?"
"Yeah, I get it," he sighed. "But I... I can't do this, Amy."
"This?"
"You know, us."
And then she understood. She wasn't sure if she was obvious enough on Friday, and was wondering if she would have to play it up or something depending on how this meeting went. She still didn't know how it was going, but at least she was saved the embarrassment of being completely overt.
"Wasn't as subtle as I thought last time, was I?" She asked, and this time it was her with the wry smile trying to downplay it all. "I should have realized that you don't feel that way-"
"No, I do," he interrupted her before she could finish the thought (which was good because she didn't know where she was going with it).
"Then what's the problem?"
Amy sat down beside him at that point. Until then she had been standing, doing her own little bit of distancing. She didn't sit too close, but much closer than strangers.
"I like you, Amy. I really like you. And that's why I can't do this."
"I don't get it."
She really didn't. He was at least talking to her like normal now. Like all those hours they spent together. Compared to the 10 minutes of emotional distance he had gotten into that day.
"I looked you up. You're here for... work. Then you're off to wherever next. And I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm not looking to be left behind. Which is awfully presumptuous of me, because you're- you're Amy Santiago," Jake chuckled, but it wasn't a happy sound. "And if you want something casual..." He said, then shook the thought from his head to find a better way to phrase it. "You're nice, Amy. You're really nice, and I like you. But I don't want to start something and like you even more and- get attached or some other stupid word like that when you have a dead line to just up and leave some day soon. And you probably don't even want that with a guy like me, but I just know that's how it would be- from my side- so I can't."
Jake didn't even hint that he was going to make a movement, but for whatever reason she was afraid that he was going to leave again, disappear one more time. She wanted to just grab his arm or shirt or something, to keep him from even considering leaving again. But she didn't. Instead she bumped her knee into his and was comforted by the fact that he didn't move away.
"If you didn't know my last name would you be this reluctant?"
"Depends. Would Amy Smith have a prior job commitment as iron clad as yours?" He asked with a slight smile, but thank god it was a real one this time.
"And if Amy Smith said she did want something like that with someone like you, would you doubt her too?"
"Is that what you're actually saying? That you want that?" Jake asked when he looked at her. Before he had been staring off at the ground or somewhere in the distance, when she had been watching him the whole time. But now he was searching her eyes with something akin to hopefulness, and he looked relieved when he took in her careful nod and reassuring smile. But a moment later the hesitation returned, so she spoke before he could.
"How about friends? Friends with Amy Santiago until her prior job commitment is up, and Jake Peralta will know she won't leave him behind and he can decide if he wants to be in a relationship then. And if he doesn't then they can still be friends after filming ends too. Because I really like you too, Jake."
He fidgeted with his lower lip for before answering, and while it wasn't a full and resounding yes it definitely wasn't a no. Even though the question she was asking was if he would consider deciding later, so it wasn't exactly a deal or no deal situation.
"Maybe."
"I'll be holding you to that maybe," she teased him, and this time it earned her a full on beam. He suddenly shifted and she was berating herself because she was sure it was going well this time, until she realized he was only trying to take something out of his pocket.
"I think these belong to you."
She didn't need to touch them to tell they were the real deal, even if they hadn't come from a verified source. She didn't even consider the possibility that she didn't lose them. She couldn't find her sunglasses because Jake was the last one holding them, and he never let them go.
If this was a movie Amy would have made some meaningful gesture and told him to keep them. But this wasn't a movie. And Amy was selfish and wanted to keep the memento all to herself, so she took them.
"Thanks. They're my favorite pair," she said about the stupid sunglasses she had only owned for a few days before they disappeared, and it was the absolute truth.
She wasn't sure what to say after that, but her phone rang and saved her from the silence. Even though she immediately dismissed the call (probably just her manager wanting to scold her again for sneaking off on one of her few free days) but the moment was ruined.
"Prior commitments?" Jake asked knowingly, and she shrugged in a 'what can you do' sort of way. "My break's running a little long anyway," he said, and she wasn't sure if he was trying to make her feel better for having to bail or if it was actually true since she remembered him saying last week was one of his rare days off. Either way was nice of him, especially if he was going past his allotted break time anyway.
"So I'm saying goodbye this time, but you can say it next time," he told her like he was reading from a handbook as he helped her up. And she had to smile because his maybe did leave things off a little ambiguously, but he just said it. Next time.
Then her phone rang again and she knew she probably needed to answer it that time. She turned slightly to reach her phone easier, but froze solid when she felt his lips brush her ear.
"You have really nice eyes," he whispered before kissing her cheek.
Amy wasn't sure how long she stood there, but it was long enough for her cell phone to ring out all the way without intervention, and when she unfroze Jake was gone, but that was okay this time. Because she knew where to find him and she knew there was going to be a next time.
Her hand drifted to where her cheek still tingled. Even though it wasn't what people were usually talking about when they used the term, and it shouldn't have counted more than all of her technical ones before, it did. Besides, it was hers anyway so she got to decide what mattered and what didn't.
Jake Peralta had just given Amy Santiago her first kiss.
AN:
Was that sappy enough for you? I think chapter 4 may be coming from Jake's point of view, but I haven't decided on chronology yet, but I promise you will hear some of Jake's thoughts soon.
In other news, I found a new show the other day called Scorpion and I might have some fics going up for it in the near future, but all of my B99 fics will still be updated regularly so have no fear.
I'm conceivably going to be more busier for the next few weeks, so that will take away from my writing time overall, but don't worry if I stop my rapid fire updates :)
