Chapter 8

"Hey, I'm… home." Kate greeted as she entered the apartment while Rick held the door open for her.

"Hey."

After an awkward morning after, Kate and Rick were still at odds. They hadn't talked about what was predominantly on both of their minds. There was a big, grey elephant sitting in the room.

"How was work?" Rick inquired.

"Slow day, as I predicted. I just sat around finishing up paperwork and organizing things. You?"

"Finished another chapter of… the next Nikki Heat novel."

"Oh good. When's it being released?"

"Mid-September of this year. I think Gina's arranging a tour for me to visit different cities doing signings of Heat Wave when the paperback comes out and to endorse the next installment in the series."

"Hmm."

The small talk was driving her insane. Kate wanted to talk about it, but at the same time she didn't want to. He had questions and she didn't have the answers. What does this mean? How does this affect our relationship, both personal and professional? Are we… together? Everything was just so… confusing.

There was a pregnant pause between the two, where conversation normally never ceased to flow. While she pondered the questions that neither of them could answer, Rick studied her, trying to discern her thoughtful disposition.

Kate shuffled off her thoughts and decided to break the silence.

"I'm going to meet Lanie for drinks."

"Oh, okay."

She ventured off into his bedroom to change out of her work clothes. Kate knew she would have to face the music eventually and decided to talk to him after getting some advice from Lanie. At least she would have some alcohol to numb her senses. Being slightly tipsy would make the situation a little easier to handle.

Grabbing her purse, Kate exited the bedroom and headed to the door.

"Don't wait up for me," she said.

"Oh wait, before you go…" Rick reached into his pocket searching for an object.

"Here." He handed her a freshly cut key.

"A key to your apartment?"

"Yeah. I made a trip to the hardware store to get a key made for you."

"I'm not going to be staying for too long though. I'll start looking at apartments soon."

"Then just keep it for the time being."

"Thanks," she said as she pocketed the key. "I'll see you later."

Kate put a hand on Rick's chest and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It was the kind of kiss that people exchanged on a daily basis, nothing too meaningful. But to them, it was unusual because of how comfortable they were with it. It was like they did this sort of thing every day, coming home and kissing each other on the cheek.

They were both surprised at the natural feel of the kiss but didn't pay much attention to it.

"Have fun with Lanie."

She flashed him a smile and went to meet her friend at the place they frequented.

Casting a cursory glance through the chic bar, Kate quickly spotted Lanie by the counter with a fruity drink in hand. She joined her friend on the stools and waved to the bartender.

"Finally. I've been waiting here forever. Spill, girl. I want to know all the details. When it happened. Where. How. Why. Everything."

"Jeez, Lanie. I just got here. Can't you let me at least order a drink before I tell you all the sordid details of my momentary lapse in judgment?"

"Lapses," Lanie emphasized the plurality of the word. "It happened twice, right?"

"Well aren't you good at remembering details," Kate replied sardonically. The bartender served her the drink she ordered and she gulped down a large mouthful.

"Ah, much better."

"So?"

"Okay… I'll start with the case. Agent Shaw, the FBI profiler in charge of the case, was abducted by the killer, so the Captain had to let me back on the team after he gave me strict instructions to stay home and rest. Using some information from footage that the killer used as verification that she was alive, we traced it to the location where he was keeping her. The hostage rescue team entered the building, but unbeknownst to them, it was a trap, luring them into an empty warehouse save for a few tons of an explosive called cyclonite."

"Get to the sex already!" Lanie exclaimed loudly. Several heads turn towards them and stared in response to her outburst.

"Do you want me to skip all the action part of the case?"

"Just cliffnotes it."

"Basically, Castle was my only backup and in the end we saved the day. Agent Shaw and the rest of her team were fine and we caught Dunn."

"And then…?" she prodded impatiently.

"We closed the case and went back to his apartment."

"Finally, we're getting to the good part."

Ignoring Lanie's remarks, Kate continued.

"He poured some wine for both of us and we got to talking. One thing led to another… and we slept together."

"That's it? Where are the details?"

"It's all a bit fuzzy. I had a few glasses of wine to drink."

"Come on. How was the sex?"

"It was… amazing," Kate smiled like a love struck girl. She felt like a teenager again, talking about a cute guy in school that she had a crush on. But this was real life. And Rick Castle was real. Very real.

"He's very passionate and sensual. I completely lose control when I'm with him… Seriously, he's unlike anyone I've ever been with before."

"Oh my god, you're totally in love with him."

"What? Who said anything about love? We only slept together twice. Love is definitely out of the question." At the mere mention of the word, Kate put up all her defenses again. She was definitely not in love with Rick Castle.

"Alright, alright" Lanie held up her hands. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"No! I'm avoiding. I needed to talk to you first. What should I do?"

"I say go for it. You know what they say: opposites attract. And you two are polar opposites. Different as night and day. We all knew you two were bound to end up together."

"But he's… Castle. He's got two divorces under his belt and he's notorious for being a playboy. Not to mention Alexis, who is an angel, but how would she deal with us being together?"

"Kate, Kate, Kate. Stop over analyzing everything. This isn't another one of your cases. Just a relationship. Trust your instincts. Go with your heart on this one. And girl, try to have a little fun."

"You really think I should go for it."

"What have I been trying to tell you since you guys first met? He's Rick Castle. You love his novels and he's totally into you. He's been following you around for the past year like a puppy dog. Helplessly in love. Puppy love."

"There's that L-word again. Not love. Lust maybe. Absolutely not love." Kate determined firmly. "You know what happened last time I let a guy in…" Kate trailed off, remembering the inevitable pain a previous relationship had caused her.

"He broke your heart. I know. But that was a while ago and you need someone new. It doesn't even have to be serious right now, just let it go where ever it goes."

"If we cross this line… there's no turning back."

"Don't you think you already crossed that line? Twice, I might add." Lanie said matter-of-factly.

"And if it ends badly…"

"Don't think about that now. Focus on the present. If you're not ready for a serious relationship, I think he will respect that. You two can just be… friends with benefits."

"Friends with benefits?"

"Yeah, just like being regular friends, but with a lot of sex in between. Sex with no strings attached."

"Won't he feel like I'm using him?"

"You two can enjoy the sex, all the while discovering more about each other. Like I said, just see where this goes. You might be surprised at the outcome."

"Friends with benefits." Kate tested out the phrase on her tongue. She decided she liked this solution, as it was a way to define things in the present, all the while leaving room for them to explore their feelings for one another.

"Thanks Lanie. I appreciate your advice."

"You know I can't resist gossiping about the latest developments in your love life. I always give good advice when it comes to relationships."

"You and your infinite wisdom on the minglings of hearts and minds in our interminable quest to find the other half of our souls."

"Now I think you've had a little too much to drink." Lanie pointed out as Kate set down her nearly empty glass.

"Hmm… It's getting late. I should go home soon. I hope Castle's still up; I need to talk to him."

"While you're tipsy?"

"Liquid courage." Kate raised her glass ceremoniously and downed the rest of her drink.

"Thanks again Lanie."

"Any time girl."

We are exactly what we are
Let's disregard that talk of where we're at and where we're going

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a week. I think I'm going to write some longer chapters (but consequently, they will be updated slower.) But you know what motivates me to write faster? REVIEWS. (: