As Cristina sits in the booth with Jackson, she doesn't feel the awkwardness set in like she expected. She thought that they'd sit and stare at each other for minutes at a time, but since they walked to the restaurant from the hospital it was nothing but comfortable silence.
As the waitress came over to take their order, Cristina couldn't help the immeasurable amount of irritation towards the waitress when she tried to flirt with Jackson. OK, I get that he's hot but that doesn't warrant you sticking your chest in his face. Waiting for Jackson to take the bait, she was pleasantly surprised that he ordered his food without looking up from his menu. AHA! He's not even looking, take that blondie.
"Cristina, you know what you want?" he looks up at her and smiles, realizing that she's been watching him the entire time. The waitress turns reluctantly towards Cristina and asks for her order as well, then walks away after smiling at Jackson and swinging her hips just enough that anymore and she'd end up on the floor.
"Wow….." Cristina said, looking at Jackson and starting to laugh.
"What?" Jackson asks, totally oblivious at the attention he just had.
"Really? How you didn't see her trying to smother you with her breasts is beyond me…" Cristina says in an annoyed tone, and all Jackson can do is smile because he realizes that she's jealous that the waitress was trying to flirt with him. He considers calling her out on it, but thinks better of it. Pissing her off is going to get me nowhere, and I don't think I could handle making her mad when she seems so content.
After trying to be as patient as possible, Jackson finally gives up and decides to dive into what he wants to know.
"So Yang, how long have you and Hunt been together?" he asks eager to see just how deep her feelings run for him.
"A couple of months. It's been…different from other relationships, but you know…" she says, looking down at her hands on the table remembering everything that involved her and Burke, and now her and Owen. Why do I always choose the ones with issues for miles? One leaves me at the altar and the other tries to strangle me. At that thought she winced, remembering how long it took to lick her wounds then and vowing that she'd never get that deep that fast again.
As Jackson watched different emotions play on her face, ranging from sad to happy to hurt, he couldn't help his protective side flare up at the thought that someone would have hurt her. He notices she's reluctant to say more, so he goes into his next question hoping that he wouldn't regret this conversation.
"OK, is he a better kisser?" he asks with a cocky grin on his face, trying to mask the hope that Hunt wasn't. He wasn't one to compete over a taken woman, but something about Cristina made him forget everything that should and shouldn't be done.
Laughing, Cristina tried to give Jackson an honest answer. Hmm…Owen's kisses are always spontaneous and raw with passion while Jackson's are tender and full of this deeper promise of something more. If I'm being honest with myself, I'd say I want the stability in Jackson's kiss, but the passion in Owens.
"You two are both great kissers, don't ask me to choose right now. Ok?" she asks, pleading with him to stay on a more friendship-safe topic. Giving her an out, Jackson decides to play to her weakness,
"Why cardio Yang? Of all departments, why do you thrive off the rush of a heart?"
Focusing on the wall behind Jackson's head, Cristina got lost in the memory of her father's heart when it stopped beating. She remembered the blood, the fear, and the determination to keep him breathing. Looking back at Jackson across the table, it was the first and probably only time that she would be glad to see the waitress.
"Here's your food, enjoy. If you need anything, just call me over" she once again walked away swinging her hips and Jackson let out a laugh at the fact that Cristina was a second away from opening the waitress up with a butter knife by the look on her face. Before he realized what he was doing, he reached across the table and grabbed Cristina's hand startling both him as well as her. She locked eyes with him trying to understand what he was doing, and then turned her gaze towards their hands, his still on top of hers, and took comfort in the fact that he did care about the way she was feeling. Leaving her hand where it lay on the table, Cristina looked back up at Jackson to see how he reacted. He looked right back at her almost daring her to pull her hand away all the while rubbing circles on the back of her hand.
"Cardio…there's just a rush about literally holding a person's life in your hands and feeling the beating through your fingertips. It's a high that's like no other"
"Makes sense. You like feeling like the best don't you?" he asks, knowing that her skills back her attitude.
"I am the best. Didn't you get the memo?"
"Must have missed that one. So…you and Meredith Grey are close right?"
Looking at him, Cristina can't help but smile due to Meredith's attempt the other night at being supportive.
Flashback
"If he wants to be my person's plus one, I have to know him. I'm making an effort, then he has more than one ally when he fears for his life going into Hunt's OR"
End of Flashback
"Oh yeah, she's my person. She's more my family than my mother is." Cristina says laughing, knowing that Meredith understood her issues with mothers.
"You and your mom aren't close? That sucks"
"No, it really doesn't. I prefer it this way. It's easier, honest"
"Alright. Wait…Meredith is your person?" he asked with a confused expression on his face, hoping she'd explain exactly what she meant.
"She's been there for me through everything no matter how bad it was, and we always made up after we fought. She's my person, plain and simple" she says, the note of finality evident in her voice. "That reminds me, Meredith wants to talk to you…"
"Excuse me? Why, what did I do? What did you tell her…" Jackson asks, panicking for a second.
Laughing, Cristina thinks that a conversation with Meredith is exactly what he needs.
"That was cruel Yang, now you owe me…"
"What? Why do I owe you exactly?"
"Because I said so. Now, all I want from you is a dance" he asks as he extends his hand for her to take.
"You've got to be kidding me…" she retorts, but stands anyway knowing that he'll make it a big deal the longer she resists.
The band plays a song that neither one of them recognize, so they are silent as they sway back and forth as they listen to the lyrics.
Now that we are over
As the loving kind
We'll be dreaming ways
To keep the good alive
Only when we want is not
A compromise
Ill be pouring tears
Into your drying eyes
Friends, lovers, or nothing
There can only be one
Friends, lovers, or nothing
We'll never be the inbetween
So give it up
You whisper "Come on over"
Cause your two drinks in
But in the morning I will say
Good-bye again
Think we'll never fall into
The jealous game
The streets will flood
With blood of those who felt the same
Friends, lovers, or nothing
There can only be one
Friends, lovers, or nothing
We'll never an inbetween
So give it up
Friends, lovers, or nothing
We can really only ever be one
Friends, lovers, or nothing
Don't you know
We'll never be the inbetween
So give it up
No we'll never the inbetween
So give it up
As the song comes to an end, Jackson realizes that there really is no in between, and knows that no matter how long it takes, he won't give up on Cristina Yang.
Review or else it'll take me twice as long to update! lol Song is Friends, Lovers, or Nothing by John Mayer off his new album!