"I've got a better one," Kate gasps, choking with laughter. They were both sprawled out on Castle's floor, the ceiling spinning and a bottle between them. What was first a celebratory drink turned out to be a series of shots. A bad idea for tomorrow morning but what better way to commemorate a successful case?
Sending her a wicked grin, he downs another shot. "Do you really, detective?"
She hiccups her way back to articulation. "Freshman year, I was arrested by campus PD for public intoxication and public indecency."
His eyes bulges as his mind tried to squelch the mess of mental images her words provided. "Not quite what I was thinking, but at least it goes with the theme here." He spread an arm to indicate the beer bottles. "What happened?"
Kate shrugs. "Got my ass tossed into jail for a night until my parents came to bail me out. It went pretty smoothly since I was a straight-A kid and it was my first offense."
"Two lawyers as parents can help too." Castle mused.
She tips the neck of a bottle in his direction as acknowledgement. "My parents had steam coming out of their ears. They made me promise that I would never do this again, or, according to my dad, that if this happened again, just don't call them to bail me out." A chuckle escaped her lips.
"That one was good but I think I take the cake for this one." Castle brags.
She leans back the neck of her beer bottle, sipping slowly as her eyes meets his. "Alright. Let's see if your money's where your mouth is, hotshot."
"You know about the police horse story right?"
"The one where you stole a police horse naked?"
"Yeah, well, something a few days before that. It wasn't illegal-ish but you'll get a kick out of it." He clears his throat dramatically and began his story with a theatric flourish of his hands. "My friends and I were all in a cab heading home when I decided that the night was too young to turn back now. So we all decided to… well… " He bends down to whisper in her ear.
She snorts in an attempt to hold back her laughter, then gives up and collapses into a fit of giggles. "You decided to lick the Statue of Liberty? Are you serious?"
"As a heart attack." Castle declares. He drops his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "For the record, it tasted like old pennies."
She lets out another peal of laughter. "Okay, you beat me. You have officially done more stupid things than me."
She reaches over for the bottle, her arm arching over his chest, and nabs the neck of the bottle. Her hair tickled his nose. It smelled like cherries. He blows on the loose strands. She looks down, biting down a laugh. She snatches a lock of her hair with her other hand and flicks him on the nose. He sticks her tongue out at her and grabs her hand to keep her from doing it again.
It was only then she noticed how very close they were. Less than six inches apart. She could make out each individual line on his face. Castle's eyes darkens just slightly.
"Castle," says Kate but the words she wanted to say died on her tongue, disintegrated by the heat of his gaze. Don't look at me like that. Because the truth scared her. She loved him. In that… letting him have the last piece of pizza, pretend to like his taste in music, chasing down each other on New Year's to share a kiss in the rain… unfortunate way that makes her hate him, love him. And it scares and excites and makes her downright nervous about what's gonna happen next
Relationship was a four syllable word for 'here's me offering my heart on a silver platter; feel free to crush it like Play-doh and enjoy'. She wishes there was a guidebook for relationships.
Castle dips his head so that their breaths mingle with each others. She can taste the alcohol on their tongues, could see it fuel their desire. He wanted it. She wanted it. Badly. So badly it burns. But no, not like this. Call her old fashioned but the start of their relationship won't be over a bottle of Samuel Adams.
A guidebook to relationships would sell millions. A rulebook so you could know when you've crossed a line, how to make that first step, how to know when he's waited too long and given up on you. But Castle hasn't. Never. And maybe, when it comes to rules and guidelines, there are none. Maybe it's better if she figures it out for herself.
She looks at him straight in the eye, feeling the atmosphere rolling, shifting around them like heat waves, stretching into something that could have the potential to be something great. "Castle," she says. "Ask me out first."
He smiles then, a full blown, fireworks exploding kind of smile. "Okay. Okay, then." His voice is low and pitched and quiet and humming with anticipation. "Kate, will you go out with me?"
Her smile is bursting and vibrant with delight and shy with the possibility of taking a chance. "Yeah. I will."
"Good." That's when he kisses her.
The event was black tie. A cream colored invitation announced the arrival of the newest Nikki Heat book in spidery gold calligraphy. Her name was engraved boldly, inviting her as a guest of honor. Castle had hesitantly handed it to her more than a month ago and had asked – looking nervous and adorable at the same time – if she would consider coming. She had accepted.
Kate took a deep breath and clutched Castle's arm a little too tightly. Castle had taken off his cast weeks ago so when he had offered his arm, she had graciously accepted. The press snapped pictures of the infamous couple, left right and center. She eyed the reporters like she would eye a deranged serial killer, suspicious and cautious.
"Relax. You look beautiful." Castle's breath caressed her ear, causing tingles to travel up and down her spine. Ever since that Barney Dumont had published that story on the trial– only briefly mentioning the actual trial and more focusing on the trial's impact on their supposed romantic relationship – they had faced a renewed amount of scrutiny on their relationship. That Barney had even included a blurry shot of her leaning close to kiss Castle on the cheek – a kiss; she'd been insisting to the boys ever since the story had been published, that had been strictly a platonic, thank-you kiss.
They had decided to keep their relationship a secret. For now, at least. Just until they could find their footing. Kate had worried that kissing him, touching him, would grow old, and lose their spark. But it was electric. Every time.
"Ever the charmer, aren't you?" She whispered back, glancing down at her dress for a discreet check up. The black lace flowed down her body and fell just below her knees. Her hair was pinned up into a bun with a few strategic strands framing her face, showcasing her neck and shoulders. All skin and lace, she'd seen Castle's reaction to her. Good thing too, since she had spent hours and a call to Lanie to pick out this outfit.
Whispers of 'Nikki Heat's here' and 'His muse is coming!' were starting to filter through as they made their way past the crowd. Flashes went off. His book signing for Frozen Heat was taking place in the Arcadia. The building featured Gothic ceilings and French windows. But most importantly, it featured an open bar. At least getting flat-out hammered was always an option.
"You see that guy over there? Bad mustache and way too many rings on his hand?" Castle pointed to an old man with a badly cut mustache and a cloud of white hair. "He's the head of Public Relations for the city. According to the grapevine, he has seven to one odds against him that he's gonna be sprouting daisies by the time the year's over. Morbid to think about but he's had the same bets on him dying for the last ten years. My opinion? He's not going away anytime soon."
He pointed to another man, this time wearing a pinstripe suit and chatting up a brunette near the bar. "That guy over there? He used to live with his mom until he was thirty two. Not because he had no money or anything; his parent's place was just near his favorite bar to pick up chicks."
She bit back a laugh, and then had said, "I've got one. That guy over there? He's the police commissioner." Wearing an off-the-rack suit and sporting a knock-off Rolex, he was easy to spot. "Heard he has a fetish for subways. Lab techs say that they've seen him do it in a subway car a couple times. "
"How about this?" Castle had scanned the people until his eyes lighted up on a man holding a cane and wearing a glass monocle. "That guy is a CEO for some big tech company."
"What's wrong with him?" Kate asked.
"Nothing." Castle responded, laughing. "He's just wearing a monocle. I didn't even know they still made them anymore." She had burst out laughing and couldn't remember the last time when she had had so much fun at an event like this.
"By the way, Paula wants you on the stage with me when I make the speech." Castle told her as he handed her a glass of champagne. "For appearance's sake and all that. You might have to answer some questions too."
She took a sip of the champagne that probably cost more than her yearly salary and felt the liquid burn down her throat. "Okay. When are you on?"
Castle chances a glance up at the stage "Right… now."
Sure enough, a man dressed in a custom tailored suit that screamed rich and calfskin loafers that were buffed to the point of a mirror came onto the stage. His hair had enough hairspray in it to potentially wipe out the entire polar bear species. The man grabbed the mike and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank your presence here tonight. I'm pleased to welcome master of the macabre, the literary progeny of Poe himself, Richard Castle! Accompanying him is his exquisite muse, Detective Kate Beckett!"
Applause broke out as Castle and she walked up the stage. She stood slightly behind him when he started his speech. Castle smiled his thousand-watt smile at the audience, effectively capturing the attention of at least the female half of the crowd. He cleared his throat and took one last glance at his note cards. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for making the Nikki Heat series a success. I would like to thank…"
The words blurred in her ears, possibly because Castle had rehearsed it so many times in the car ride over here, so she spent most of her time looking at the people. So many tuxes and dresses. So many suck ups here only for appearance's sake.
She snapped back to the present just as Castle was finishing his speech. "… for your time. I hope you enjoy the party. If you have any questions you would like to ask Detective Kate Beckett, she would be happy to answer them." He stepped back and gestured for her to take the mike, grinning and mouthing your turn.
Groaning slightly and shooting him a look, she stepped up and fixed a polite smile on her face. "Yes, you?" She nodded at a slightly bookish man.
"Are the events in the Nikki Heat books real?"
"No, but some are based on real-life events. Such as some details on the cases, the motives, or – the characters." She swallowed uncomfortably – of course characters were based on real-life events, she was the real-life event – and pointed to someone else in a pinstripe suit holding a glass of wine in his hand.
"Are the sex scenes based on 'real-life events'?" The man cackled, half-drunk and two minutes away from being arrested for public disturbance, and the crowd laughed along. She should have known someone would ask that.
Kate tapped the mike to grab their attention back before responding coolly, "That's a question for Mr. Castle, not me."
She called on another spectator, this time a buxom blonde wearing a revealing dress. "Last question. How about you?"
"Are you and Mr. Castle dating?" The blonde shot Castle a flirty wink, which prompted a mess of whistles and catcalls. The rest of the women looked very interested. Kate suddenly felt very hot around her collar and cleared her throat several times before answering.
"Mr. Castle and I are partners and I consider him one of my closest friends today."
"That was a great way to sidestep the question, detective," drawled the blonde. "But it was a yes or no question."
Kate's eyes widened slightly under the increased amount of pressure but other than that, she didn't show it. She had thought that she and Castle didn't act like a typical couple but, according to a brief chat with Lanie the other day, that wasn't true. The looks that passed between them were far from professional and their frequent touches – a hand resting on the small of her back, a brushing of fingertips when he presented her with her favorite coffee – only have increased since he'd asked her out. Her favorite one so far was when he played with her hair when they were alone. He would tuck back a strand behind her ear and she'd be thrumming with happiness inside.
Screw it. They've been going out for weeks now.
She turned her attention back to the audience, who was growing restless. "Yes, we are dating." And because she was feeling sassy and completely audacious that day, she twisted around to face Castle, marched over, and kissed him full on the mouth. Castle immediately reciprocated, winding his hands through her updo and pulling her closer to him. The crowd roared. Cameras flashed. Whistles and catcalls greeted them when they finally pulled apart.
Boy, was Lanie gonna have a fit.
I have to say, this took me a while to write. I must have rewritten it at least five times. Every time, I would look back on what I've typed up and think, this is terrible. How am I ever gonna write this? (Anyone else like that?) Hopefully, you guys liked it and I did Caskett justice.
One more chapter, I think. Then the story will be over. Thanks for reading. Review.