Michelle sighed as she dropped the bouquet of flowers into the trash. Stepping into her office, Mac frowned at the sight.
"Don't you like flowers?"
She looked up, her expression gentling when she saw that it was him. "I love flowers, actually."
"Which is why throwing them in the trash makes so much sense."
"They're from an ex-boyfriend."
"It seems like he doesn't want to be an ex anymore."
Michelle rolled her eyes. "We dated a very long time ago. As in, before I met my husband. We ran into each other a couple weeks ago and I agreed to have a drink with him, for old time's sake. Big mistake."
"So now he's sending flowers."
"Which is stupid!" she exclaimed. "They don't prove anything. They certainly don't prove that he actually cares about me for anything more than getting back in my pants."
Mac thought about that. "It does mean he was thinking about you, though."
"But it doesn't mean he's not thinking about himself even more."
"True," he conceded. "So does that mean you never want flowers?"
She smiled. "No. They're a very nice small gesture. But I like to have a big gesture for actual proof of affection."
Sliding his hands into his pockets, Mac regarded her with a curious expression. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Something that shows how much he cares…something that shows how much he'd be willing to give up for me." She paused, locking her eyes on a file lying open on her desk. "Saving my life, for instance," she said quietly.
Mac froze at her words, suddenly aware of the dull ache in his shoulder – a small reminder of the bullet he had taken just the month before.
"That's a pretty big gesture," he said slowly.
Michelle nodded. "It is. Of course, it could mean a lot of other things, too. Maybe he was just doing his job. Maybe he would have taken a bullet for anyone."
"Could be," he conceded. "It might be worth exploring, though."
"Well, I was going to…"
"But?"
She finally looked up, a small smile on her lips as she shrugged. "He didn't make any little gestures after the big one."
He couldn't help but smile back. "Would dinner count? As a small gesture, I mean."
"Dinner definitely counts."
Mac nodded. "So do you want to –"
"Yes."
His smile widened. "Now?"
"Yes."
He stretched out his hand. "Then let's go."
Sliding her hand into his, Michelle let him lead her out of her office.
