The drive uptown is quick, and she opens her eyes to find he's found a spot on her side street. By some unspoken agreement they spend the majority of their time at her apartment. It's much larger than his and more comfortable, too, but she would happily spend her time with him in a cardboard box if it meant they got to be alone together.
She never thought she'd be so head over heels about anyone, let alone Mike Logan. She always overanalyzes things, tries to find meanings behind each and every word, but being with Mike… for the first time in a long time she's able to suspend that way of thinking and just take life as she finds it. It's intoxicating.
He wraps his arms around her when they get out of the car and onto the sidewalk. She never gets tired of being held in his embrace; she can't see how she could. Being with him is…
'Thank you, Lizzie,' he whispers in her ear.
She pulls back slightly to look up at him. 'For what?' she asks curiously.
'For being you. For loving me,' he tells her, bringing one hand up to stroke her cheek. 'Growin' up there… I never thought I'd make it out. Never thought there was anything but what we had. Katy and Pat… Pat's goal in life was to get an apartment in Peter Cooper or Stuy Town. He lucked into one because he helped deliver groceries every week for some old lady who lived there. Her son works for MetLife and bumped them up the list.' He leans back, looking up at the sky, and slides his hand down to her shoulder. 'That's all they wanted. An apartment there and a couple kids. And… that's it. He's the manager of a grocery store and Katy takes in sewin' and stuff and that's all they do with their life. And, I mean, it's fine, it's not wrong, it's what a lot of people do, but it was never somethin' I could stomach. I had to get out of there.
'So I got out. I drove a cab to save tuition money and I worked my way up and... and now I have you. Thing is, where I come from, everyone knows everyone else's dirty laundry, and the Logans... we have a lot. And I never thought I'd find someone I wanted to be with where that didn't matter. Who would still care about me and want me even after knowin' what there was to know. And then you come along in your silk blouses and your thousand-dollar watch and you give a damn. And you want me to be part of your Park Avenue life, never mind that with my background I wouldn't even get work in your building as a doorman. But you don't care. And you-and you love me.' He takes another deep breath and says, looking straight into her eyes, 'I never thought I'd get so lucky as to be with someone even half as wonderful as you, but here you are. And I want to be where you are. I want to be with you as long as you'll have me around.'
She is speechless. This declaration of love-because it couldn't be anything else-she never expected this from him, never knew he could be so-
'So, d'you have anythin' to say?' he asks her, a self-deprecating smile on his face but real worry in his voice. He's not someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and that's why this is so surprising. She throws her arms around him and buries her face in his chest.
'God, Mike, I love you so much,' she babbles, all her cool detachment flying out the window. 'I love you. I want you here forever. Forever, Mike. I love you-'
His hands are in her hair, tilting her face up to his, and she leans forward to kiss him with as much love and desire she can possibly express. He returns her kiss hungrily, pulling her toward him, and she holds him as tight as she can. She can feel his heart thrum in his chest despite the layers of clothing.
They pull back from each other at last and she smiles up into his eyes. She's never seen him so happy before, so… settled.
'Let's go inside,' she says.
'Yeah,' he agrees, and squeezes her tight, once more, before taking her hand and heading into her building.
She leans back against the pillows looking down at him. He's lying on his back, a pillow tucked carelessly behind his head, and his eyes are closed. The setting sun just touches his skin and she smiles. She feels lazy and languid and so satisfied that right now she's unsure how she'll ever be able to go about her daily life without grinning like an idiot. She stretches out a hand and runs her fingers through his hair. He smiles and without opening his eyes captures her hand in his and brings it to his mouth for a kiss.
'You're magnificent,' he murmurs against her skin, and she can't quite repress a giggle that bubbles up within her. She's not a giggler, but-
'You're not so bad yourself, Logan,' she tells him.
He opens his eyes and looks at her with an expression of mirth so amusing she dissolves into laughter. He joins her, turning over so that he can bury his face in her stomach, the vibrations of his laugh and then his hands tickling her further. Finally she gasps, begging for relief, and he stops, flopping down on the bed next to her.
'Will you stay tonight? Please?' she asks, finally recovered from her laughter.
'Of course,' he tells her, running his fingers through her hair. 'Want to order in?'
'I thought you'd never ask. I'll get the menus,' she says, slipping out of bed with a final kiss. She pads into the kitchen barefoot, going to the drawer with her takeout menus are kept. Pulling out the stack, she heads back to the bedroom.
He's in the bathroom when she returns, so she slips into her robe and fresh underwear, then gets back into bed. She spreads out the menus in front of her. She's starving, and while they just had burgers last night she's craving them again, or pizza, or sushi, she thinks, laughing to herself. She's always been careful with her diet but put her together with Mike and she eats like a teenaged boy. But they've been so... active... that she thankfully hadn't put on any weight. But still. She should call Audrey and Charlie and Nick, organize their yearly squash round robin. The cardio she's been indulging in should help her keep up.
Mike emerges from the bathroom, still unclothed, and despite their earlier activities she feels her heart begin to beat faster, her mouth going dry...
'Those the menus?' he asks, though his grin indicates he knows exactly how he's affecting her. He goes to the dresser and pulls out a pair of boxers and a tshirt, dressing before he rejoins her.
'What are you in the mood for?' she asks, leaning into him as he settles next to her.
He nuzzles her hair and she laughs, pushing him away though she moves back against him after a moment.
'Not that,' she tells him, attempting to sound stern though she fails miserably.
'Why not?' he asks, kissing her neck.
'After dinner.'
He sighs and flips through the menus. 'How about pizza? Pepperoni?'
'Sure,' she agrees, and leans over to get the phone. As she dials the pizza place, he gets out of bed and starts to throw their dirty clothes in the hamper. While she usually sends her laundry out to be washed and dried, she does have a washer and dryer in her apartment near her home office. He asks her to get out of bed silently as she orders and she does so and he sets to work, stripping the bed. His arms full of laundry, he heads to the washing machine.
She hangs up the phone after her order is placed and smiles. She never would have suspected he had such a sweet side to him. But he is thoughtful. Going into the hallway, she pulls down a fresh set of sheets and starts making the bed.
The doorbell rings a few minutes later; this pizza place is always quick. She heads to the front door to collect it, but Mike's already there, having shrugged into a pair of jeans. He turns after closing the door, grinning at her.
'You hungry?'
She nods and follows him into the kitchen.
They have an early night. After pizza they watch a movie in the living room, a James Bond that was on HBO, and then go to bed. She falls asleep quickly, held tight in his arms.
He has to leave early the next morning; his shift starts at 7 so he gets up at 5:30. She wakes up a bit too, though he is quiet, and before he goes he kisses her tenderly.
'I'll call you later, okay?' he says. 'Maybe we can figure something out before Friday. I'll let you know.'
Still more than half asleep, she yawns and agrees, returning his embrace sleepily before he goes. Suddenly cold, she moves over to the warm hollow left in the bed by his departure and drifts back to sleep.