AN: Thanks for the continuing support. Here is the next chapter.
Chapter 9: Something Special
The next day after he dismissed the class he was watching everybody walk out of the room this time and he couldn't help notice that Sara was being a little slow on gathering her things. Once he saw the last few students leave the room he looked back at Sara and said. "Ms. Sidle." He watched her walk up to the podium, while she was putting her shoulder bag in place. She stops, looks at him and waits for his next words, a few seconds later he says them. "I just wanted to say that I had a nice day with you yesterday."
They really didn't talk about anything other than work but he really did enjoy it, then his mind thought. 'Geez, you would have been happy just sitting there in silence just as long as she was right beside you.' He mentally shook his head and almost missed her response in the process.
"I did too." They smiled at each other then it started to get a little awkward because they weren't sure how to proceed, so Sara cleared her throat and continued. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ok, have a good evening."
"You too."
After a short look she turned and started walking away as Grissom's brain told him 'Don't do it, it's a bad idea', but his heart wasn't ready to see her leave yet, so right when she got to the door he let a part of himself he doesn't use very often get the better of him and before he could stop it, his heart did the talking. "Sara wait!" Sara turned around and Grissom mentally sighed, hoping he was making the right move then asked. "You hungry?"
She smiled at him and responded. "I could go for another egg sandwich."
Grissom was beaming inside. "So a repeat of Yesterday?"
She nodded and replied with a smirk. "Exactly, well maybe except for the literally running into each other part." His look turned to concern and even though they weren't next to each other she could still see it, she shakes her head and continued. "Really I am fine."
He breathed a sigh of relief then continued. "Ok, so I'll see you in 30 minutes, I'll get the food and met you at the park."
She smiled again, which this one seemed to be a little brighter than the others so he mentally claimed that one to be her 'Sara' smile then a second later he was wondering where that came from as he listened to her response. "Alright I'll see you there." He nodded again and after another short smile she left the room. When the door shut he let out the breath he had been holding, ran his hand through his hair, once again wondering what he was doing.
From that first moment he saw her he knew that just being around her was a dangerous thing because he was falling faster than quicksand but now that it seemed like they were forming something, or at least in his mind they were, this quicksand could become toxic in a hurry.
He mentally shook his head for about the hundredth time in just two days and thinks.'We are just forming a friendship, there is nothing wrong with that.' then of course that other part of his mind thought. 'Except when you know your falling in love with someone you ca...' He mentally groaned, cutting his thoughts away by shaking his head again, surprised he didn't have mental whiplash by now, then he grabbed his things and left the school.
27 minutes later he was sitting on the bench he had sat on yesterday, and had the same items, the only difference was that he had two of everything. He let time slip by as he watched the kids, and was thankful this time his mind didn't wander where it shouldn't.
When he looked down at his watch he heard. "Hope I am not late." He smiled as she saw that she was right on time.
He looked up at her and noticed she had changed into something less formal than what she was wearing at the seminar. "Nope, right on time." She smiled and sat down next to him.
He hands her the items and as she takes them she speaks. "Thank you, I'll pay you back."
He waved it off and replied. "It's ok, you don't need to."
"You sure?"
"I am."
"Alright, thanks again." He nodded back and they started to eat with few words in between, feeling very comfortable around each other.
After a few minutes and as they were on the last bites of their sandwich he asked. "What is this?" His heart once again spoke outloud, needing to know where they stood.
She swallowed, looks at him and asked slowly, a little unsure on what he was talking about. "This?"
He took a breath, looked at her and asked. "Us, what we are doing?" He had to know then maybe it would quiet his mind a little with the constant battle, he knew it wouldn't completely go away but a little relief would be nice, especially if it resulted in migraines every time.
She looks at him for a few seconds then looks down at her last bite of sandwich. He was about to open his mouth to speak again but she beats him to the punch. "Well, we are outside in nice weather, sitting on a park bench eating and talking." She looks at him and continued. "I think for most people they would say that 'this' is a friendship, which I would agree, but I would also would like to think this is the start of something...Special."
He was delighted with her words and said with wonderment. "You would?"
She swallowed again and replied. "I would." Even though she didn't let it show she was nervous on telling him that, her heart had spoken before she could stop it but with the nice look she was receiving from him she had to give herself a pat on the back.
He smiled with a nod and said. "I would like to think so too." They were both beaming inside now. He grabbed his water, he opened it, which broke the seal, then turned to her and asked. "Friends?"
She mimicked his actions then they tap their water bottles together and replied. "Friends."
Like what Grissom thought yesterday, they had to start somewhere and now knowing that they were officially forming a friendship he was still just fine with that because now they have something to build on.
A few hours later they were still at the park but had gotten up and started walking on the pathway. After awhile though he saw her stifle a yawn and he said with concern. "You must be tried and here I am taking over the time you would be using to sleep."
She shakes her head and replied. "It's alright and plus I think it was worth it." Grissom look away shyly and Sara mentally smiled, then she cleared her throat and continued. "But you are right, I thought my nap before the seminar would be enough, I guess I was wrong." Grissom nodded as he looked back at her then they started walking to the vehicles.
When they got to hers they stop at the driver side, she unlocks the door then after she opened it she looks back at him and said. "Thank you for another wonderful afternoon."
He smiled and replied. "You're welcome, I hope you get enough rest. I hate to see my best student not on top of her game." The minute he said student something shifted in him, he was fine thinking of her as a friend but thinking of her as a student was a different matter, especially when his feelings were more than just friendship toward her.
Her voice interrupted his thinking. "Don't worry I'll be your best pupil." Sara tilts her head, feeling something different in the air and asked. "You ok?"
He cleared his throat and replied. "Yeah."
Not sure if it was the truth but didn't want to make matters worse, she just nodded back and said. "Ok, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She said bye then got into her vehicle, he shuts the door for her, she smiles at him through the window as she starts the vehicle then when he stepped back she drove away. As he watched her he does a deep sigh, and walking to his vehicle he kept thinking. 'What am I doing?'
When he dismissed the class on the third day he doesn't watch them leave this time, instead he turns his back while concentrating on getting his things, that was until then he hears Sara's voice. "Hey." Grissom turns around to look at her and she asked in a concern voice. "You ok?" He didn't seem right while he was teaching today.
He was going to tell her he was fine but then shook his head and replied. "I didn't get much sleep last night." The negative thoughts were working overtime last night and all he did was toss and turn until he was so exhausted he fell asleep but then his dark dreams made it worse.
Still concerned about him, she asked. "Do you want to talk about it?" He was about to open his mouth to talk again when she continued with a small smile. "I'll tell you what, how about today I get the sandwiches and we can meet at our usual place."
He shook his head, sighed and said. "Listen Sara, we can't do that anymore."
She furrows her forehead and asked with a touch of sadness. "Why not?"
"Because I am your teacher and this is wrong." He looks at her then looks down as his heart was breaking at the prospect of not seeing her anymore after he got done with the seminars for the day.
She took a few seconds then shakes her head and replied. "I don't think of you as my teacher." He looks back at her and before he could respond, she continued. "Yes, when you are in here it's a teacher's atmosphere and the time you start the seminar to the end of it you are technically a 'teacher' but the moment you say class dismissed that's when I stop thinking of you as one, maybe some people can't turn off that thinking but I can because this isn't school in the true sense of the word and I haven't been an actual student in quite some time."
He just stands there looking at her a little amazed while he was listening to her argument and couldn't help but think, and maybe a part of him was hoping that she was fighting for something. His thoughts get interrupted before they continued down that road.
"When we are out of this room and out there." She points behind her at the doors as she finishes. "And you tell me things I think of you as man who likes to share what he loves doing to a friend, that's what we are, right?"
He wanted to tell her that he felt so much more than friendship but he didn't want to scare her and plus he wasn't ready to confess how he really felt because he was just trying to come to grips about it himself so he nodded and replied. "Yes."
She gives him a small smile and said. "Then there is nothing wrong with what we are doing because we aren't doing anything but building a friendship and what we do out there shouldn't get in the way with what goes on in here, and if you're worried about anything else then I just have to point out that no one is underage here." She didn't mean to say the last part like it meant something more than an observation but if he thought that their 15 year age difference was also a factor in not continuing their friendship then she had to bring up the fact that she was over 18 years old.
He just stands there still looking at her a little speechless, nobody has ever tried to fight so hard to stay friends with him before, and here is this woman who was 15 years younger than him wanting to hang on to it, he didn't understand why she want to do that. Then just like that his father's last words came to him. 'When you find the 'one' everything you know or thought you knew will fly right out the window.' He swallowed the lump in his throat thinking about that day then mentally shook his head, not wanting to turn this moment into a sad one or over thinks this more.
After a few seconds of silence he cleared his throat and speaks, to lighten the mood. "Well I think you picked the wrong profession, you should have been a lawyer."
She laughs a little, and the sound once again went to his heart, she shakes her head and replied. "No way, to tell you the truth I can't stand them." He smiles with a nod in agreement. She cleared her throat and takes the conversation back to the original question.
"So I'll get the sandwiches and we can meet at our usual place?"
If she didn't see any harm on continuing their friendship then he won't second guess it, at least for now. He deserved a few days of happiness and when that last day came where he will have to say goodbye he will deal with it then.
With that settled in his mind he nodded and replied. "Alright, I'll see you at the park."
She smiled her 'Sara' smile then turned and walked out.
Grissom watched the door shut then shook his head with a smile, feeling very fortunate to have found a friend like her. Once he had his things and as he was walking to the vehicle he a little spring in his step, something that he hasn't done in a long time or if ever.
AN: Next Chapter: How does the last day of the seminar end? Find out next chapter. Please review.
