Back in New York
Chapter 4
I Dare You
. . . . .
Lanie forced herself to take a deep breath as she looked into the mirror. Javier would be by her place soon and she had to admit, she was nervous. Tonight, she knew, was a real date. There was no question about it, no ifs, or maybes. There would be no Jenny or Ryan to substitute conversation if it faded and no easy diversions if things started falling apart. Just her and Javier and whatever date idea he'd thought up. She forced herself to breathe as she reached for her cosmetic bag. She was starting to feel the pressure.
First and foremost, they were friends. And their friends were friends. If things went wrong, if it turned out that dating wasn't going to work for them, things were going to get awkward. Not to mention that they worked together on a regular basis. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin their friendship because things got awkward between them. Knowing that she wanted to keep the friendship there added extra pressure on the night.
But Lanie Parish wasn't one to back away from the first sign of difficulty. As a woman who had basically raised her four younger siblings while her parents worked multiple jobs to keep the family afloat, she'd been through her fair share of personal pressure, not to mention the stress of medical school. This, however, was totally different and she knew it. None of those thoughts were comforting her at the moment. She genuinely liked Javier and she really did want the night to go well.
Then again, there was the potential that all of the internal panic was for nothing. Most of the reasons the night was terrifying her were also reasons why the date could be actually fantastic. They were friends, so they didn't have to go through the awkward getting-to-know-you questions, and didn't have to worry about bringing up difficult topics of conversation because they already knew where some of those boundary lines were. She knew and understood being called away for a crime scene and she knew she didn't have to watch what she said about her job. She was comfortable with Javier and as much as it was terrifying, it was comforting too.
That didn't stop her from jumping when he knocked on the door. She put on the best smile she could as she opened the door, making a show of eyeing him from head to toe. "Evening, Detective."
"Back at ya, Doc," he answered with a wide smile.
Lanie preened at the appreciative look in his eyes as he took her in. He'd texted her that afternoon to ask if they were still on and subsequently inform her that the dress code for the evening was casual. So, Lanie had donned jeans to battle the cool June wind and a lightweight pink tank, a sweater tucked in her purse if she got cold. She'd topped the look off with her favourite pair of black heeled boots she'd bought on impulse when she and Kate had gone shopping just after Christmas. Javier had chosen jeans as well and a t-shirt that showcased the muscles of his chest.
Her smile turned a bit more genuine as she caught sight of the bright red flowers. "Those for me?"
"I know I said casual," he replied, holding them out to her with a chuckle, "but my ma would have my head if I didn't bring a girl flowers on the first date."
"So Broadway didn't count?" Lanie cursed herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She hadn't meant to say them and she definitely hadn't managed to sound surprised and maybe a little hurt when she did.
But Javier's mouth quirked up in amusement and pleasure and she felt some of her embarrassment fade. "First official date, then."
She knew, despite her best effort, she was blushing. "Come on in while I find a vase."
A few minutes later they were stepping out onto the street, their arms brushing as they walked. Lanie found herself chewing her lip.
"So what's the plan?"
Javier grinned. "You trust me, right?"
"Have you been talking to Castle?" she retorted, her eyebrow rising.
"I can plan a surprise date without Castle's help," he shot back, stepping to the curb to hail a cab.
She shook her head in amusement. "Who says I even like surprises?"
"You'll like this one," he told her, sliding into the backseat of the cab after her.
"You're pretty sure of yourself."
"Nah, just confident in you," he answered with a wide grin.
"In me?" she inquired, a smirk playing about her face. She thanked him when he held the cab door open for her and slid across the back seat. They briefly discussed the case – the boys had discovered their victim was part of a swingers club, explaining the multiple DNA donors and cementing the idea that Castle would have loved the case – as the cab inched through New York's traffic. They pulled up along the edge of Central Park and, after battling quickly over who would be covering the cab fare, Lanie found herself waiting for him on the sidewalk.
He grinned and took her hand when he reached the walk. "Tell me, Doc, how do you feel about street meat?"
It was her weakness, the indulgence she didn't let herself partake in often because of the sheer amount of grease. She matched his grin and his stride as they headed along the street. "I could go for a sausage." With all the fixings.
Javier laughed as they started walking again and Lanie herself wondering if he knew about her weakness. Twenty minutes later, their idle chit-chat had faded with their hot dogs and silence settled over them. She could feel the nerves creeping up in her stomach as the conversation died and she blurted the first thing that came to her mind.
"Truth or dare?"
"I'm sorry?" he asked, taken aback as he crumpled his napkin.
"You heard me, Detective," she replied, injecting sass into her voice again. She felt the butterflies recede as she met his eyes with a sly grin. "Truth or dare?"
Javier considered her a moment before his eyes dilated and a slow smile spread over his face. "Truth."
Lanie paused a minute, thinking. They were friends, but that didn't mean she could just dive into the deep questions. "What was your favourite TV show as a kid?"
"Scooby Doo," he answered after his own moment of thought. He neatly divested her of her own crumpled napkin and headed for a nearby trashcan. When he made his way back to her, he held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. "Your turn. Truth or dare, Lanie?"
Her stomach warmed at the use of her first name. "Truth."
He asked his question – what superhero would she be – and she gave her answer – Catwoman, because she was as much a hero and a villain and it reflected her personality so well – and they continued that way as they wandered through the park. She broke the pattern first, just as they came up to the fountain in the conservatory.
"Truth or dare?"
Lanie felt her lips quirk upwards in her well-practiced smirk. "Dare."
"You sure about that, Doc?" Javier asked, an eyebrow arching upwards.
"Wouldn't have said it if I wasn't sure," she answered, her smirk still playing about the corners of her mouth.
He paused, looking around until his eyes rested on the fountain. "I dare you to put your bare feet in the fountain."
"That's tame," she teased, even as she released the hand he still held to use his shoulder for balance while she removed her shoes and socks.
"I figured with our close ties to the NYPD we should avoid dares Castle would be proud of," he responded, watching her pick her way carefully to the water.
She admitted to herself she was intrigued by the idea that he could come up with dares that would make Castle grin. The writer's devilish streak was legend, to their close-knit group of friends, the NYPD and, more appropriately, the general public. Even so, Lanie laughed as she dipped her toes into the water. It was a terribly logical theory, after all. "So, how long do I have to do this?"
"Until your next turn," he replied easily, picking up her socks and boots where she left them at his feet.
"In which case," she said with a wide smile and a twinkle in her eye. "Truth or dare?"
They learned a lot of little things about each other as the night moved on. Lanie learned he'd been raised on Disney movies and had received first prize in his junior high science fair. Javier learned that, even in heels, and with a boost due to her petite stature, she could climb trees effortlessly and that while she loved all three of her younger siblings, it was her youngest brother, the second youngest overall, that she was closets to and doted on. They continued that way through the park, exchanging stories with new ease.
"You're kidding!" Lanie exclaimed, laughing heartily after Javier recounted a story of Ryan's first day on the job.
"Nah. And you know your girl's reputation precedes her. Did even then," he responded with a wide grin. "Spillin' coffee down her front and on the casefile?"
She burst into laughter again.
Javier was still grinning when her laughter died down. "Your turn."
Her laughter was still in her voice and in her eyes as she chose 'dare'. She saw something spark in his eyes before he stopped, pulling her around to face him.
"I dare you to dance with me, Doctor Parish," Javier challenged.
"Without music?" But sure enough, he started swaying back and forth with her. "I didn't take you for a romantic."
"I'm not," he answered, his grin widening, "but you, Lanie Parish, are."
She blushed.
"You play it off well," he allowed, "but I'm a detective. And you wouldn't have fought so hard for Beckett and Castle if you weren't a romantic."
It hit her then, sharp and quick as lightning, that he'd been watching her, paying attention to her a lot longer than she'd thought. She met his gaze, vaguely aware of the flattered blush sweeping over her cheeks. "You're an observant man, Javier," she murmured.
He shrugged, a little bit of self-deprecation in the movement. "You're an intriguing woman."
They swayed for a few more minutes before he took her hand. A comfortable silence had settled over them for the first time since their night had begun and it stayed that way as they headed out of the park. They didn't say anything in the cab ride back either, though anticipation grew between them, fluttering through Lanie's stomach from tingles in her toes. Their hands stayed entwined for the ride and there was no question when they reached her apartment as to whether or not he was going to walk her to her door. As they walked down the hall and Lanie could see her door coming closer, she broke the silence.
"Truth or dare?"
Javier met her eyes as she made no attempt to go for her keys. "Dare," he answered as they stopped in front of her door.
She faced him head on, her free hand coming to rest on his very well-defined bicep. "Kiss me."
"I didn't hear a dare in there, Doc," he replied with a grin, even as he stepped closer.
She didn't hesitate. "I dare you-"
He didn't wait for her to finish before he lowered his mouth to hers. Lanie wrapped her free arm around his neck as she returned the kiss and his arm wrapped around her back. Heat lanced through her blood, but neither made a move to deepen the contact. He eased back, looking at her, his hand flat against her back, thumb stroking in small circles.
"I had a good time tonight, Lanie."
She chuckled as her hand stroked over his shoulder and down his arm again. She reached into one of the front pockets of her purse, easily extracting her keys. "Me too."
"So," he murmured. "Again?"
Her hand, keys and all since her other was still tangled with his, fell to her hip. "Are you asking me on a second date, Detective?"
"A third, actually," he corrected.
A genuinely happy smile slid across her face, pleasure sliding through her. "A girl can't turn down an invitation like that."
Javier smiled as he leaned in again and pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. "Night, Doc."
"Night Detective."
Lanie slid into her apartment and flipped the locks. Then she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to tamp down the excited butterflies in her stomach. She was wired, riding a high. A third date. She really liked that idea.
This isn't proofread to my usual standards, so mistakes are totally mine. I usually go back and read my posted chapters within a few days of putting them up, so if there's glaring mistakes, I'll fix them then.
There's a big part of me that thinks they both crossed the line into OOC category. If you agree with that, I apologize. I keep trying to justify it the same way any Aaron Hotchner sweet side is justified in my head, and that's that we don't see this personal side, so we have to make it up. Maybe the next date should be super competitive, what do you think? If you've got competitive ideas, I'm listening.
We've got some Kate, some Ryan and some serious teasing coming up next, so it should be a good time. Review if you're still with me?