Every day it's harder to keep her secret, his messages making her smile if not laugh, and she is getting annoyed by the constant nagging from the guys. They either bombard her with questions like 'Is he handsome?' or 'Is he a badass?', or just laugh and make fun of her reactions.

After the umpteenth time she finally snaps, and puts them to their places, and it feels really good seeing them shrink. But even if it makes them stop for a while she knows she can't keep it from them much longer, and she doesn't really want to.

Before she tells anyone she has to tell Lanie. If she's not the first to know, she's going to kill her. She is her best friend after all.

It's been an excruciatingly uneventful day, the stacks of paperwork never ending, so she had plenty of time to think about if she wants to let her know finally. She stayed after her usual hours, still unsure whether it's a good idea. So now, a couple of hours later she stands up with a sigh, and heads down to the morgue, to see her favorite ME.

She's nervous, although she's not really sure why, maybe because Lanie knows what he meant to her even before all this. She steps out of the elevator, and walks into the room. She hops onto one of the empty tables as usual, and waits for her friend to come back from wherever.

She is lost in her thoughts, swinging her legs when Lanie walks in, and when she turns on the lights she lets out a surprised squeal and jumps a little.

"Damn girl, you scared me."

"Lanie, you're surrounded by corpses."

"I don't expect the living after seven o'clock. What's up?"

"Lanie, I have to tell you something."

"Is it about the guy you're dating?" Lanie tilts her head, and her gaze is more than enough to make her uncomfortable.

"How do you know?" She is truly surprised, since she hasn't confirmed anything to the boys, and Lanie hasn't seen her.

"Girl, please. You don't think I can notice something like that? Besides I've been hearing about you giggling at your desk."

"I wasn't giggling. And I'll kill Espo for that little comment." She sighs and drops her head for a moment before looking up at her again. "But yeah, it's about him."

"Girl, whoever it is, I'm happy for you. You seem happy now, and I couldn't say that about your previous flings." Lanie smiles, and she smiles too, happy that she has such a good friend.

"It's nothing like that, I can assure you. He moved into my building not so long ago. He covered my roof with flowers."

"Wasn't that like your sanctuary? And why does he like flowers that much?"

"Well at first it annoyed me too, but then I met him and he is so sweet." The grin widens on her face as she thinks about how they met and how he tried to explain the situation to her. "And he told me he did it so I would ask him about it. Well, it definitely worked."

They both laugh, and she feels stupid for not telling Lanie earlier.

"This flower guy have a name?" Lanie finally asks, and now comes the fun part.

"Yeah, it's Rick." She pauses for a moment, bracing herself for what's about to happen. "His name is Richard Castle." Done, it's out now, and she is waiting for the realization and the reaction that is sure to come.

"Oh that's good... Wait a minute girl, Richard Castle? Are you trying to tell me that you have been dating your favorite author and YOU HAVEN'T TOLD ME?" She shrinks a little from the yelling, but Lanie doesn't look as angry as she sounds.

"Calm down, and yes I am." She confesses with a shy smile playing on her lips.

"How does that even happen? I mean how did he end up in your building?" The question is more than reasonable, but it still makes her sad, the smile quickly fading away. Of course Lanie notices this immediately, and gives her a concerned look.

"What happened, did I say something bad?" She shakes her head, and gives her friend a sad smile.

"No, it's okay. It's just that although it lead to this amazing thing it's still a terrible topic. You know he changed apartments because he had an accident a year ago." She stops for a moment, takes a deep breath, the air giving her the strength to continue. "He lost his vision in both eyes."

Lanie gasps and puts one hand in front of her mouth, the shock and sorrow displayed on her face.

"He decided to move closer to her daughter's university. That way taking care of him is easier."

"Oh, girl, I'm so sorry." She knows that Lanie means it and she hops down from the table, and embraces her in a hug. It calms her down, and she relaxes too.

"It doesn't matter, you know. First I thought that it would be hard, but I realized that it doesn't make that much of a difference. He is still the nicest, sweetest guy I know."

"I'm so happy for you Kate." She pulls away, and sees Lanie wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. She glances at her watch, and steps away from her friend.

"I'm really sorry but I have to go. It's been a long day. I just wanted to let you know."

"Of course, but just so you know you'll tell me about everything. Everything." The teasing tone follows her as she leaves the morgue.

Soon she is on her way home, and she can't wait to forget all her troubles with a bubble bath and his soft voice while they talk on the phone.

When she finally gets home she throws her jacket and keys towards the sofa, not a care in the world, the thought of the bath floating in her mind, pulling her towards the bathroom. She throws down her clothes on the way, she'll pick it up later, right now she needs to hear his words.

She sinks into the tub filled with hot water, the scent of the oil swirling around her, numbing her mind. She starts the call immediately, and he picks up on the first ring, like he was waiting for this.

"Kate" he sounds even more excited than he usually is.

"Hey Castle" She thought it was fun to call him that at first, but then it stuck and she grew fond of using his last name. He is her castle of safety and steadiness.

"How was your day?" He is obviously holding back something important, but he always places her first, even though they haven't been together for that long.

"It was so boring. I missed your crazy theories, and messages. Why didn't you text me today?" She is curious about that, and she guesses that it has something to do with why he is so excited.

"I'm sorry about that, but something came up and I had to take care of it." Oh, something is up alright, but she doesn't want to push him, she learned that he will tell her with time.

"Actually, could we meet tomorrow? We could go somewhere." Ah, here we go. She'll have to wait until then to find out what's really going on.

"Sure, do you want me to come over?"

"Yeah, it would be nice. When does your shift end?" Now that is strange. They usually go out for dinner, not in the afternoon.

"At four-thirty but I think I can be off by four if we don't catch a murder."

"That would be amazing. So you can come by at five?"

"Sure, I'll try."

They talk for a while after settling their date, getting lost in each other's stories and thoughts, and she doesn't even realize when the water cools, she's too busy enjoying his crazy imagination and relaxing.

When a shiver runs through her she finally gets up with a sigh, saying goodbye for the night. She changes into her pajamas and climbs in bed, her thoughts circling around tomorrow while she drifts off to sleep.

The next day goes by like every other when they have a date, she keeps looking at her watch constantly, and she can't wait to leave. Her captain agreed to let her go earlier if they don't catch a case, and now it's just minutes separating her from rushing home to meet him.

Thankfully the hour hand passes four without any interruption, and she heads home to get ready. She picks out one of her favorite dresses, does her makeup, while trying to keep thoughts like it doesn't even matter out of her head. She wants to look good for him, because even if he can't really appreciate it, at least others will notice it.

She goes to his door still a little nervous, although she has no reason to be. He opens the door after the second knock, like he was standing there, just waiting for her to show up. She takes him all in, elegant as always, although it doesn't seem like he tried too hard. Where is he planning on taking her?

"Hey Castle" she smiles, happy to finally see him.

"Kate" he reaches out carefully, and his face lights up when she steps closer and his fingers find her cheek. He steps towards her, and leans in, slowly claiming her lips, and it may started as a gentle kiss, but then she clings to him, and as she feels her heartbeat speed up she kisses him back with all she's got, blood sizzling through her veins like liquid fire, and oh, how she had missed this, missed him.

"Come on guys, get a room" Alexis's voice interrupts them and they pull apart, both of them a little breathless. She looks at her to apologize, but finds that Alexis is looking at them with a smile on her face. She mouths a thank you while pointing at him, and she's not sure what Alexis is suggesting. Thanks for taking him out? It was his idea and she likes him anyway. It's not like this is some hard task she feels obligated to do. Well, whatever it is she'll talk to her about it later. She wants to spend more time with her anyway, she would like to get to know her better.

They say goodbye to Alexis, and she promises her to get her dad home in one piece. She takes his hand, intertwines her fingers with his and leads him down. Only when they are standing in front of the building does she stop, and she turns to him.

"So, where would you like to go?" She likes their routine, where he picks a place and she leads them there. She likes exploring new sights and places, and he has never disappointed her.

"You know that small park not so far from here? I would like to go there first." They've been there a couple of times, and although she is not sure why he wants to go there now, she feels it's something important, because he told her that it's one of his favorite places, where he feels close to nature and the air is fresher too.

"Sure, let's go." It doesn't take long, but she enjoys the walk with him, treasuring every moment she can spend in his company. When they get there they walk around for a bit before he asks her to guide them to the closest bench. She feels a little overdressed for a park, but she doesn't mind, since she still doesn't know the full plan for tonight.

"Kate, I have to tell you something." He still holds her hands, but he shifts slightly, the excitement radiating from him. So this is why he brought them here. "My book is getting published. The one I wrote about you."

For a second she doesn't react, surprised as she expected something else, but then she pulls him in for a kiss.

"That's amazing. I'm so happy for you" She really is, truly happy that he is getting the deal he deserves. "When did this happen?"

"I just found out yesterday. I sent some chapters of it to a couple of publishers like you insisted, and one of them replied. They said that they love it and they want to sign a deal."

"Congratulations!" His face drops a bit, and she is confused, because he is supposed to be happy.

"So you're not mad?" He asks slowly, like he is afraid of her answer. She laughs, the tension of the previous moment gone.

"How can you even ask that? My favorite author just told me that soon I'll be able to read his next book that he kinda wrote about me, while we're on a date. No, Rick, I'm not mad. I feel honored and happy. Now let's go to that place I know you want to take me to."

"It's actually pretty special and I've been dying to find out what you think about it."

He gives her the address, and she catches a cab, repeating it to the driver. They arrive at the location pretty quickly, and she helps him out of the car. She looks up and sees the restaurant sign, however nothing seems out of place, nothing to suggest that it is special.

She glances at him and sees him grinning, and she knows that it means that it's definitely not an ordinary place. They walk in, and as soon as she sees the inside of the restaurant she knows where they are.

One of her friends mentioned this place, but she found it too crazy back then. Who would actually want to eat in complete darkness? You can't see your plate, your food, so you have to eat with your hands, and you can't see your partner's face either.

She would have never even thought about coming here, but like in so many different aspects, her opinion changed since she met him.

Now she is actually eager to eat here, to experience what it's like, so she can understand him more, and she is thankful that this place might be able to help her in that.

Still, she is curious about why he decided to come here. She stops, forcing him to do the same, and turns to him slowly.

"I heard about this place. But why?" the question slips out, but she knows that it won't offend him, they are long past that point.

"I just wanted to make this night special, and this seemed like the right place." He answers with a shy smile, and she pulls him in for a gentle kiss. They put their stuff in the locker as they are instructed, and after they give their order they are finally led inside the room.

At first it is really strange, and she feels a little nervous about following a stranger, but since it's completely dark she has to rely on their waiter to lead them to their table.

They sit down, and she has to get used to the fact that she won't be able to see anything throughout the evening. Disappointment sweeps through her as she thinks about that she won't be able to see his face, his reactions to their conversation, but reminding herself that he can't see her either she slowly makes peace with the situation. Actually it's quite interesting.

"So how do you like it so far?" His question is quiet, and she wants to make him comfortable, to ease his nervousness.

"I think it's very interesting. And I like it because I'll be able to understand you even more." She feels his hand on hers, and the gentle squeeze shows how much that meant to him.

Their orders arrive, and then they mostly focus on eating, especially her, since it's much harder to do it without actually seeing. They still manage to talk about this and that, and after they are finished she feels happier than she had in a long time.

They finish their dinner, and he insists on paying, and soon they are standing on the street, the night still young, and the light is just enough to cover the city in a beautiful glow. Her heart flutters in her chest, overflowing with emotion, and she kisses him, pouring everything into that connection.

After she pulls away a smug smile appears on his face.

"Dinner was that good, huh?"

She smacks his arm playfully, but laughs.

"Oh, shut up." Her face softens when she looks at him, her voice low and gentle. "Let's go home, Rick."

This chapter was kind of hard for me to write, so I would really appreciate if you could let me know what you think. Also I don't know much about the restaurant, I found it while I was looking for inspiration for this story, but if you are interested in it message me and I might be able to help.

Thanks for reading! :)