All right kiddies, here ya go! Chapter three time! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! M E Wofford, one of my inspirations, has been a very kind reviewer. I have to say I'm a bit starstruck! And Midnighter's Dream-Xx, who stayed outside in the cold to read and review my story. You have no idea how much I appreciate that! To and Betherzz, thank you guys so much! Your kind words mean a lot to me! To Princess Charley, who has reviewed both chapters, I'm so glad you like it! And last, but certainly not least, to my great friend That Cripple Girl. You're just awesome and inspiring and I'm glad you like my stories enough to actually review every single one of them!!!
Okay, now that we've had a bunch of (very necessary and relevant) mush, on with the story!
Are you going tonight? Ziva saw the message written in orange sharpie from her window. It had been a couple of days since their awkward 'almost kiss' incident, and things at work had been more than awkward. They would stare at each other for prolonged periods of time and stutter every time Gibbs sent them out together. Everyone knew something had happened, and they knew they had to pull their act together before Gibbs smacked them into the unemployment line. She smiled at Tony and grabbed her own communicating devices. She wrote,
No, I am studying. My citizenship test is tomorrow. She then gestured to all of the books around her. He winced and faked a yawn.
History is boring. You should come tonight! Come on, it'll be fun. We might even get to see McGee drunk! Office parties only roll around once in awhile Ziva!
They have them all the time, she replied. He scrunched up his face in thought before responding,
Yeah, but we always have to work. It's weird. It's like Gibbs volunteers us for work whenever it's party time. Ziva gave him a look that said 'that's exactly what he does'. She then shrugged.
Does not change the fact that I have a test tomorrow Tony. I cannot stay up all night partying. He looked at her and shrugged.
Bummer. It's going to be one heck of a party.
Is that your way of saying you wish I was going to be there, she asked, arching her eyebrows at him. He fidgeted with his tie, something he always did when he was nervous.
Possibly. Ziva stifled a laugh when she realized his tie was now completely askew. He kept trying to fix it but failed miserably. He shrugged and gave her a helpless look. She rolled her eyes and wrote to him,
Hold on, I'll be over in a minute. Moments later, she knocked on his door. He swung it open immediately.
"Were you waiting for me, Tony," Ziva asked with a smirk.
"What if I was?" Normally she would have just flirted back, but after the incident in the park she had trouble finding the right words. Every time she had tried since then to start up their old banter again, she was either too harsh or too 'lovey-dovey' as Tony would say. So instead, she merely shot him a look and continued fixing his tie. It took her awhile to undo his mess so he began to look her up and down.
"Enjoying the view," she asked absentmindedly. He smiled.
"I'm just admiring your pjs. I never pegged you for a Winnie-the-Pooh fan." She laughed lightly and tightened his tie, staying extremely close to him when she was done.
"I'm not, Tali was. On her birthday we would always sit in my room and read the entire book, cover to cover, even when we got older. When we were very young, sometimes our mother would come in and just watch us. Most of the time we didn't even notice her, but when we did she would come join us on the bed and just hold us for awhile. She would kiss both of our foreheads and then go back to her room." Tony just blinked a couple of times.
"Wow. I don't think I've ever heard you say that much about yourself before." She smiled.
"Maybe I'm beginning to trust you more." He opened and closed his mouth, speechless. She reached up and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek.
"Have fun at the party Tony. Let me know how it goes, and call me if you need me to come pick you up." Before he could respond, she left, leaving him speechless and filled with regret. Why had he not kissed her back that day in the park? Why had he not kissed her now? He mentally Gibbs slapped himself for his hesitation. You are such an idiot. Come on, DiNozzo, he thought, straightening his suit once more, it's time to be a man.
Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you think!