On previous first dates, there were certain benchmarks, which if met, would impress his date. Taking the Ferrari. Using his name to get into a swank new nightclub. Ending up in the gossip pages.
But Rick Castle knew that, unlike most of his paramours, Kate Beckett wasn't going to be impressed with going to one of New York City's posh, hard to get into restaurants. So that threw out most of his top first date options. Of course, this wasn't any ordinary first date. First dates are for questions like where did you grow up? What's your favorite color? Are you in one of the two groups of people who sit around thinking of ways to kill people?
Castle and Beckett were way beyond that.
Plus, they were both very hungry, and the amount of food served at the posh places would have been dwarfed by their appetites. He needed a restaurant that served lots of food, was quiet enough for conversation, and had enough charm so they'd be proud to tell people that's where we went on our first date!
After much deliberation, Castle decided on a restaurant called simply The Diner, on 9th avenue. A friend had recommended it. The same friend who named one of his characters 'Myron'. Additionally, it was within walking distance of their second destination of the evening.
Castle called ahead to inquire about reservations. None were needed. He was worried about making Beckett and him wait if there was a line, so he casually asked if they hang photos of celebrities on the wall, ones who had visited the restaurant. He said he could bring one, being a bestselling author and minor celebrity himself. They promised that they would have a table available. It was helpful that the hostess was a Nikki Heat fan.
Following that call, he sent out dozens of texts to plan something for later that night. He was typing so intently that he hadn't noticed Beckett standing outside his office.
"Are you going to play with your phone all night, or are you going to look at me?" She said with a smirk.
He looked up quickly to see where she was before putting his head back down to his phone. Stopping everything, he slowly looked back up to take her all in. She'd gotten dressed up before to go undercover and solve cases, but that was work. She was dressed up now… for pleasure.
Her lower legs were works of art. Not pale, but not over burdened by the sun either. They were muscular, from years of kicking down doors and chasing down suspects. The black stiletto heels helped in accentuating her calves. The black dress that hugged her thighs and waist left little to the imagination. Its sheer surface gave her body a warm glow. The upper half of the dress was also very flattering on her. Her arms, just as perfect has her legs, were available for the world to see. Her v shaped neckline wasn't too deep. She didn't want her scar to become a conversation piece. She made sure it was covered. That was only for her. And him. The dress did a good job of pushing things up, adding curves just below her exposed collarbones. She wore her hair up, which she didn't do very often, as to highlight the diamond earrings he'd never seen before. Maybe she was saving them? He wondered. Not that she needed them. He thought those earrings would lose the attention diamonds usually received, being somewhat close to her eyes.
As usual, Beckett had on a simple silver chain around her neck, holding her mother's wedding ring about four or five inches above where her bullet scar was. Just because she wasn't exhausting the leads in her mother's case, didn't mean she was forgetting her mother's memory.
One item didn't quite match the ensemble. It was a bulky wristwatch with a large leather strap on her left wrist. It had belonged to her Dad.
Not only was Castle at a loss for words, he was at a loss for air. He stopped breathing as his heart began to race.
She gave him a playful smile, cocking her head to the side and putting a hand on her hip while jutting it out. "Is this too much?" She asked.
Castle couldn't answer immediately, since his mouth was now completely dry. He had to swallow to get his vocal cords to work again. "No… um… Apples…."
She looked down at herself, impressed she had the ability to silence him. It was then she noticed that she still had the wristwatch on. "Oh, forgot to take this off. I think…"
"Don't." Castle said. Walking over to her, he put his hands on hers and pushed them down. "Leave it on."
She looked at him. "OK."
He smiled warmly. "You wouldn't be Beckett without it."
She snuck both arms around his neck. With the extra height provided by her heels, she didn't have to pull herself up a whole lot. Perfect time for another kiss, she thought as she closed her eyes.
After a few seconds, she pulled away, eyes still closed. "You'd better go get ready yourself."
"Yeah. Well, I don't think that should take very long." He answered, eyes closed. "I'll just go and find something… to throw on."
She smirked as she opened her eyes. "And if I were you, I'd shave."
His eyelids rose. He smiled, too.
Then he ran off to shave.