Title: Before Meets After
Summary: For empressearwig for the small fandom and rare pairing drabblethon at LJ.
"Something that wasn't there before."
Before.
The word feels weighted on her tongue. It speaks of a time that made sense. A time in which Dan fit neatly into the friends box, not even a hint that there might be more behind their jokes and quiet touches.
She's not sure when things started changing between them. Was it his day off from moral accountability, which he gave up for her. Or was it after Jeremy dated a porn star and she saw Rebecca break his heart? At some point the lines between friends and more started to blur and the secret smiles he'd always reserved for her started to hold so much more meaning than before.
Now.
Now her eyes linger a little longer on his face memorizing the way his eyes light up when he's laughing at one of her jokes. And when he takes her hand in his or he comes from behind and squeezes her shoulders, her heart beats just a little quicker.
If no one's watching he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and kisses her fingertips. He keeps a spare shirt at her apartment, and she knows the best Chinese restaurant within walking distance of his. Now is his sweet smile when they wake up on the couch after falling asleep watching TV.
Now there's a before and the words of hope that follow still feel like a foreign language: and after.
After.
After is when now stretches from a couple months to a year and everyone at work has found out. Starting with Dana who catches them necking outside of Anthony's; she rolls her eyes and fusses at them, but she's smiling and threatens Dan with bodily harm if he hurts her.
A year turns into two and rolls into three and a diamond on Natalie's left hand and her pinching herself to check that she's not dreaming. The first time Dan catches her doing this he laughs so hard she punches his shoulder and when he feigns pain she has to laugh too.
After is crying the first time she sees Dan hold their baby daughter.
