A/N 1: A long time ago, I outlined a mega story about Eric and Calleigh mirroring (very, very loosely) the plot of Love in the Time of Cholera, but I never wrote the story and I decided recently to leave it in the archive for good. However, finding it put this idea in my head and I had to write it.
A/N 2: This is a strong T rating! The story is complete and I'll post a chapter every few days. I am debating making an M-rated version of this available at some point. Set the day after Ep.7x12, "Head Case."
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The quoted passage is from Gabriel García Márquez, El amor en los tiempos del cólera (1985). I also include the translation from the English version of the book (Love in the Time of Cholera, 1988).
CHAPTER 1
Click, click, click, click.
A wide grin grew across Eric's face as he heard the telltale signs that Calleigh Duquesne just entered his lab. He bit his lips to curtail the smile, but Calleigh saw it as she approached his desk.
"Hey Cal," he said without looking up from the magnifying loupe he used to study the fingerprints on his desk.
"How'd you know it was me?" she asked in greeting. "And what's got you grinning?"
Eric straightened up and locked his eyes on Cal. "I always know it's you," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
He smiled to himself as a phrase danced around the edges of his memory, and he tilted his head back and closed his eyes in search of it. When he found it, Eric recited it to himself, really, more than to Calleigh.
"...las castañuelas de sus tacones en los adoquines de la calle…"
It clearly meant something to Eric, but Cal stood baffled and—she hesitated to admit—extremely turned on. The sound of Eric's deep voice, his words flowing beautifully in Spanish, intoxicated her every time. She wished he did it more often. She also wished she didn't react to him this way—she still felt frustrated from their exchange by the elevator yesterday.
Eric opened his eyes and found Calleigh's, and his smile broadened at the thoughtful look on his partner's face. "I'd know the clicking of your heels on the paving stones anywhere."
"What paving stones?" she questioned, brow furrowed. She spoke Spanish, and easily understood what he'd said, but she lacked context at the moment.
"You need to read more than those trashy romance novels, Cal," Eric rolled his eyes and teased.
Calleigh, still feeling the pull of desire, now blushed faintly at his crooked grin and the mischief in his voice, just enough for Eric to notice and be satisfied he could have that effect on her.
His smile dimmed as he thought of that, though, and he broke eye contact with her. He remembered yesterday, Calleigh standing before him, and the ache he felt in his gut from her doubt…
What do you want? You are going to have to tell me, because until I actually hear you say the words, I don't even know if you believe it yourself.
He did believe it. And he told her every day, in the only way he knew how. He told her how much her friendship meant to him, how he didn't know what he'd do if something happened to her, that he'd switch to the night shift for her, that he'd memorized the sound of her footsteps…
And she stood there and blushed at his words every time. She must know what he was saying.
Calleigh had readied a retort to Eric's jab about her taste in books but promptly bit her tongue when she noticed his smile fade. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head and rearranged his features into another grin. "Nothing, just a thought. It's all good. What's up?"
Calleigh eyed him for a second, clearly not ready to accept Eric's easy dismissal of the look she saw pass across his face.
"Cal, it's nothing," Eric insisted. "Do you have an update on the Lawson case?"
She nodded. "Ryan called from the club. They found a second victim. Alexx is on her way there now and I'm about to head over. Want to ride?"
Eric hesitated, knowing he needed to finish what he was currently doing, but wanting to spend the time alone with Calleigh.
"Do you really need me?" he finally asked with regret. "I'm still processing all the prints from the primary crime scene."
It wasn't what he wanted, but if he didn't finish this soon, they might miss their chance of nabbing their murder suspect before the guy left town. He noted a hint of disappointment behind Calleigh's eyes. Apparently, she wanted the alone time with him, too.
"I can handle it," she replied evenly. But Eric heard the slightly higher pitch to her voice and knew she felt a little sting at the thought he didn't want to come with her.
On impulse, Eric asked, "What are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing exciting," she answered with a curious glance at her partner. That look in his eye…what was it? Part mischief, part desire, maybe…
Eric grinned. "It's almost 4:00 right now. I'll be done here in a couple hours," he explained. "Why don't you come over after you're done processing the crime scene? I can have dinner on the table by then."
The faint rosy blush returned to Calleigh's cheeks. "Dinner."
"Yes, Cal," Eric said with a sarcastic shrug of his shoulders. "It's when people sit down and eat a meal together."
"Don't be a smartass," she said, a wide smile growing on her face. "It may be late by the time I'm done…"
"Not a problem. That's what ovens are for. We can reheat whatever I make if we need to," Eric responded.
Calleigh narrowed her eyes. "What exactly is on the menu?"
"Does it matter?" Eric parried playfully, eyebrow raised.
No, Calleigh supposed it didn't. "I'll text you when I head your way."
Eric's bright smile lit up his face, and Calleigh felt a warmth rush through her. She loved that smile. It always left her feeling slightly off-balance, though, and she swore her best friend could tell.
Eric could tell, and it only had him smiling all the more as he watched her turn and walk away. Why Eric decided to randomly ask Calleigh to come over for dinner, he couldn't say. But the more he thought about it, the more grateful he felt that he seized the moment.
He'd had an idea.
So he pushed through the last of the fingerprints in under an hour, quickly gathered his things, and made a beeline for his car. He had a lot to do.
Chapter 2 coming soon...
"Suddenly, nervousness flooded through Eric and the resolve he maintained all night faltered. She did that to him, tongue-tied him, wrapped him up in knots, left him weak in the knees with the sound of her bare feet padding through his house."