AN: Thanks for the reviews. Here is the next chapter.
Chapter 10: Dinner
Thursday was done the same way as the days before, he would teach his seminar, meet Sara at the park then they ate and talked. Their subjects varied from work, Co-workers, academics and a little about their childhood. Grissom had a feeling that she didn't have an easy childhood so he didn't bring it back up when she changed the subject to his, which he told her a little, but it was still a little hard to talk about his dad so he stayed away from that subject.
After a few hours he would walk her to her vehicle, watch her drive away then he got into his own vehicle and drove back to the hotel with a smile on his face.
When he woke up on Friday he was a little sad because this was his last day teaching, which could possible turn into the last day that he would see Sara, but before he dwelled on the feeling he did his morning routine and even made it to the school building a few minutes early.
Just as he was he finishing setting up, the door opened to the classroom, so on instinct he turned to look in that direction and saw that is was Sara, and he could have sworn he saw a sad look on her face too. They gave each other a small smile then when the door opened again they looked away from each other as she continued to walk to her seat while he finished his task.
10 minutes later he looked at his watch and saw that it was time to start so he gets to the podium, puts on his glass, looks toward the seats, which there was some that were still empty. There were a lot of people who had showed up this week but not the same people showed up everyday, except Sara and a couple of dozen others but a lot of them only came when they knew it was a subject they really wanted to hear about.
Grissom cleared his throat and said. "Hi everybody, welcome to the last day of the seminar." He looked around the room and made a short stop with his eyes in Sara's direction, where she gave him a little smile, he looks back at the other people and said. "I hope you enjoy it." He cleared his throat again and started.
When he answered the last question of the day, which was no surprise to everybody on who it was, he smiled and concluded the seminar. "I want to thank the Dean for allowing this to happen here and I want to thank you for showing up, you've all been great. I had a good time and I hope you did too." He stops and they all started clapping at him, he smiled again, fixes his glasses and finished. "Thank you again, now I guess there is only one more thing left to say...class dismissed." They all got up and a few of them even came up to him and personally told him thanks, which he appreciated very much.
By the time Sara came up to him the door had closed behind the last student, which made Sara and Grissom alone in the room, they look at each other and Grissom said the usual line. "Same place, same time?" She looks at him while biting her lip and Grissom had never seen her do that before so he thinks. 'She must be nervous.' then he cleared his throat and continued. "If you don't want to that's ok, I mean..."
He gets cut when she opens her mouth and said. "Wouldyouliketohavedinnerwithme?" Then she looked down completely embarrassed.
She said that so fast that Grissom didn't understand a word she said so he asked. "I'm sorry but what did you say?"
She sighed, looks into the blue eyes that she was attached to from the beginning, then said slower. "I asked if you would like to have dinner with me?"
Just as he was about to speak, and fearing what his objections would be, Sara continued. "Just know that before you object, remember that you are no longer a teacher, period. Today was your last class so you don't have that title anymore until another seminar or when you go back to work but than none of that affects me."
This woman never ceases to amaze him, he smiled then asked. "And what about sleeping before work?"
She smiled and replied. "Well since it was the last day for the seminar they gave me the night off so I can get my regular schedule back on track, but even if I was still working graveyard I was prepared to ask for the night off anyways."
He raises an eyebrow and asked. "Why?"
She bit her lip again and answered. "Because it's your last day/night here and you need a proper send-off so I thought what better way then to have dinner with a friend?"
He was truly touched that she thought of that, and while looking at her excited expression he knew he couldn't turn her down and plus if this was the last time he was going to see her he wanted to get as much time with her as possible, so after thinking that, he nodded and replied. "Ok, that sounds great."
She smiled that signature 'Sara' smile then asked. "So answering your question I would love to go to 'our' place." She wanted to spend the whole day with him if she could.
He raised an eyebrow again and asked. "You sure you don't need any rest?" Even though he would have liked to spend the whole day with her, he was concerned about her health, that was more important to him.
She shook her head and replied. "I'm fine, so what do you say?"
He looks into her eyes and sees she is telling him the truth then he nods and responded. "Alright, let me pack my things and I'll met you at the park."
She gives him another 'Sara' smile, nods, turns, then walks away, and for the first time since meeting her he didn't look back because he was packing his things so he could see her faster.
When they met at the park they did something different then they had done the four day's previous, they chose to get some ice cream instead of sandwiches because they wanted to be hungry for dinner later. Everything else was the same though, they walked, talked, smiled, just having a carefree time, while pushing away the thought of saying goodbye.
He walked her to her car a few hours later and after she gives him her address, since he wanted to pick her up, they said see you later then both left the park to get ready for their dinner.
When Grissom got to his room he took his time showering then changing into a suit, which he was thankful he had brought just incase he needed it for something, then He sat on the bed and turned on the TV to make the time go faster, but it wasn't working because he kept looking at the clock every few minutes.
The way he was acting made him think he was going on his first date and as he thought that he looked down a little embarrassed because this wasn't a date, it was just two friends getting together and having dinner to say goodbye, then that pesky part of his mind came back and thought. 'Yeah right.' He sighed and told it to shut up and found a classic baseball game to watch, but even his favorite sport couldn't keep his anxiousness down.
The next time he looked at the clock he sighed in relief because it was time go. He got up off the bed, turned the TV off, sets the remote on the nightstand, walked over to dresser to grab his wallet, the piece of paper that had Sara's address on it, car keys and the hotel key then walked out of his room.
He pulled in the apartment complex 10 minutes later, took a few extra minutes to calm himself down then got out of the vehicle. The moment he stepped inside the complex his nervousness doubled then by the time he got to her apartment he was almost a wreck, he closed his eyes and thinks 'Come on Gil, you can do this. You've had meals with her the past four days and this is no different, it's just two friends having dinner.' He opens his eyes, and before the other part of his mind had a comeback he took one last breath and knocked.
A couple of minutes later the door opens and before he acted like he did the first day when he saw her he mentally told himself to calm down again then smiled and said. "You look beautiful."
From the moment he saw her she had always looked beautiful to him and he knew she could make any look, look beautiful but standing in front of him wearing a red dress that went down to her knees with thin straps, heels that went with it, a beautiful necklace, a watch around her right wrist, her hair in an up-do and a little makeup she was so much more than he could have dreamed up.
She gives him smile and he hadn't seen that one yet so he classified that as a nervous smile then she said. "Not too much?" She doesn't normally wear dresses but since they were going out to dinner she thought she would put a little more effort in her appearance, even if this was a dinner between friends, which her mind was having a battle with her on that thought as well.
He shook his head. "No, just perfect."
She gives him another smile then said. "And you look good yourself."
He smiles a little embarrassed as he ran his hand down the front of his suit jacket and said. "Thank you." She nodded then after a few seconds of standing there he asked. "You ready?"
"Yeah just let me get my purse and jacket." He nodded and she turned from the door to grab her things.
She came back a few seconds later, walked out in the hall, turned to the door then shuts and locks it, and before she could put on her jacket he takes it from her hands and helped her in it, it kind of surprised her but it wasn't unwelcome.
After her jacket was on they look at each other and smiled, and with that one look they felt better than they had since they left the park, which was a relief to them because they didn't want this night full of tension and awkwardness.
He clears his throat and asked. "Shall we?"
She smiled that 'Sara' smile, nodded and replied. "We shall." He laughed a little, and like with her laugh being music to his ears, his was the same to hers.
They walk to the vehicle in comfortable silence then both stopped at the passenger side and he opens the door for her, waits for her to get in then shuts it.
He walks toward the back of the vehicle, took one last calming breath then headed for the driver's side.
Once he was in he shuts his door, puts the keys in the ignition, starts it, looks at her and asked. "Where too?" Since he didn't live here he didn't know the best places to eat so it was up to her. She smiled and told him the perfect place.
When they got there and before he got out he told her to stay in the vehicle then he walked to her side and opened the door for her again. After shutting the door they walked to the entrance of the restaurant and his gentlemen ways didn't stop, he opened the door for her and after the Maître D showed them to their seats he helped take her jacket off, pulled the chair out for her and even pushed her in then puts her jacket on the back of her chair before walking to his side. If anybody else was in her body they would feel that it was beaming inside, she thought she would have to live a long time to have this type of treatment towards her.
Once they ordered some wine and their dinner they talked and laughed, just enjoying themselves.
After they ate, the bill was paid and when they were back into the vehicle she asked him if he would drive to the beach, he nodded and drove there.
When he pulled in the parking spot he turns the vehicle off and they just look at the ocean from there, then she turns to him and said. "Let's get out."
He turns to her, looks down at her feet and said. "You don't really have the foot ware."
She waves it off, takes her heels off, opens the door, and this time gets out before he had a chance to even open his door.
After she shuts her door, he watches her head toward the beach, then she stops, turned her body to the vehicle and shouted. "You coming or what?"
He mentally shakes his head with a smile as he opens the door, then takes his shoes and socks off, rolls up his pant legs, gets out, and after shutting his door, he follows her till they were just at the edge of the shoreline, then they started walking along the beach with nothing but the sound of the waves.
About five minutes later, she just stops, turns to look at the water, closed her eyes and said. "The waves always soothes me after a hard case."
He looks at her, then spoke with his heart before he could stop it. "So you couldn't imagine living anywhere else?" He wanted to turn away and mentally berate himself for asking that, but she was already looking at him, so he kept his eyes in place.
He couldn't tell if she was shocked at that question or not, but he didn't have more time to think about it because she finally speaks. "Maybe if the right opportunity presents itself." They hold each other's gaze for a few more minutes before she turns her head first to look at the ocean again. He turns his head a few seconds later, but only for a few minutes, because he looked at her again and mentally sighed. Leaving here was going to be so much harder than he had anticipated.
He thought he saw a shiver, and even though she had her jacket on, he wasn't ready to leave just yet, so he takes his jacket off and puts it around her shoulders. She smiles her appreciation before they looked out in the ocean again, soaking as much time together as possible.
AN: Next Chapter: How does the night end? Find out next chapter. Please review