I heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. I knew it was Nick. The café
had delivered my dinner about a half an hour ago and I wasn't expecting
anyone else. No one else really knew I was there. I had called back and
asked the café to add something for Nick. I knew he'd be hungry after a
four hour drive. I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't have
stopped unless he needed the restroom. And he wouldn't have thought ahead
to eat before he left.
I opened the front door just as Nick stepped out of his Tahoe. I laughed. Who else but the two of us would take our department issued Tahoes all the way to California? Sometimes he was just as impulsive as I was.
"Nick!" I pulled him into a hug as he came to the door. I ushered him into the house and made him sit down at the table. I thought about making him eat what I was having, but I had a feeling that he wouldn't take to eggplant parmesan with the same gusto that I would, so I order him lasagna. Not that I could tell if it was up to Texas standards, mind you, but at least it had meat in it and it would make Nick happy.
He grinned at me as he ate his food. He let me know that Warrick was worried about me. That Catherine had been acting out of sorts. And that Grissom hadn't said a word about why I was gone. He knew me well enough not to push me until I was ready to tell him why I had left so suddenly. We finished our meal in companionable silence.
"Do you feel like stretching your legs?" I asked him.
Nick stretched his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "That sounds nice. I've been sitting for quite a while."
I smiled, "The beach is just out there." I pointed out the window.
He chuckled, "The beach is out there, and we've been eating in here."
I raised an eyebrow at him, "It's a bit chilly out. Besides, the food was in here."
"Ok, let me just grab my bag out of the car." He walked out to the front of the house and returned a few minutes later with a duffel bag in hand. As he set it down on the floor he studied me. "I hope it's ok that I came. I was worried about you, Sar."
I flashed him a smile, "Yeah, it's ok that you came." I walked over and gave him a hug. "I'm glad that you came. You're the only one who would understand."
He chuckled as I stepped out of the hug. He raised an eyebrow, "I seem to recall you mentioning an ocean out there."
I laughed at him. You'd think he'd never seen the ocean. Of course since he was from Texas. The very heart of it mind you. He probably didn't get very many opportunities to see the ocean. I glanced at him over my shoulder as I led the way out to the deck. "You might want to take your shoes off if you don't want to get sand in them."
We laughed again. Damn, it sure felt good to laugh. I hadn't felt like doing that in days. Funny thing. When I was around Nick, I felt more relaxed and I laughed a lot. He just seemed to put me at ease. I could just be myself around him and I liked that.
Nick took his shoes off and he followed me out onto the beach. The moon had started to rise and there were a few stars in the sky. We could hear the waves crashing on the beach as we walked and at first we didn't really talk about anything in particular. That was another thing that I really appreciated about Nick. I never felt like I had to talk. We could spend time together and be comfortable being quiet. I've never been quite that at ease with anyone else. No comfortable silences. Not even with Grissom. I was always wondering what he was thinking. Of course, he never would have told me straight out. It would have always been in some cryptic manner that left the meaning open to interpretation. An interpretation that I seem to have gotten completely wrong.
After we walked for a while, I suggested we just sit. We settled ourselves on the sand facing the ocean. Our eyes had adjusted to the semi darkness of the beach and we could see the wave glimmering in the moonlight as they crashed onto the shore. I glanced over at Nick who seemed to be lost in the view and commented, "I'll never grow tired of the ocean."
He looked over at me and smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. This isn't a view that you get in Texas."
"I guess not." I smiled in return and chuckled.
"You know, when I was in college, I had this buddy. He was from California. A bunch of us decided to crash at his parents place down near Dana Point one spring break. They had this great house. Lots of windows facing the beach. When I first saw it I thought to myself that I would never be tired of the view. The funny thing is, when his parents came home from work, the first thing they did was to close the blinds and turn on the TV. I never did understand that." Nick laughed at the irony. Nick yawned.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Hey, we should head back. You're tired. I should let you sleep."
He smiled at me and didn't argue as we pulled ourselves up from the sand. Nick slung his arm around my shoulder as we walked and pulled me against his side for a moment in a quick hug. "We should try surfing."
I glanced up at him as he released me from the hug and laughed. "Surfing? Have you ever tried it?"
He shook his head and grinned. "First time for everything. I think we should give it a try."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're crazy, Stokes. You know that don't you?"
He laughed at me. "You're just as crazy as I am, Sara, and you know it."
I laughed as we reached the steps of the house. "Ok, we'll try surfing. But if I suck at it, you can't make fun of me."
He raised an amused eyebrow at me and just chuckled.
We entered the house. "Ok, you can have the room at the end of the hall on the right. I'm just across the hall."
Nick nodded and walked over to pick up his bag before heading into the room for some much needed rest. "Goodnight, Sar."
"Night, Nicky." I smiled before I closed the bedroom door behind me.
I opened the front door just as Nick stepped out of his Tahoe. I laughed. Who else but the two of us would take our department issued Tahoes all the way to California? Sometimes he was just as impulsive as I was.
"Nick!" I pulled him into a hug as he came to the door. I ushered him into the house and made him sit down at the table. I thought about making him eat what I was having, but I had a feeling that he wouldn't take to eggplant parmesan with the same gusto that I would, so I order him lasagna. Not that I could tell if it was up to Texas standards, mind you, but at least it had meat in it and it would make Nick happy.
He grinned at me as he ate his food. He let me know that Warrick was worried about me. That Catherine had been acting out of sorts. And that Grissom hadn't said a word about why I was gone. He knew me well enough not to push me until I was ready to tell him why I had left so suddenly. We finished our meal in companionable silence.
"Do you feel like stretching your legs?" I asked him.
Nick stretched his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "That sounds nice. I've been sitting for quite a while."
I smiled, "The beach is just out there." I pointed out the window.
He chuckled, "The beach is out there, and we've been eating in here."
I raised an eyebrow at him, "It's a bit chilly out. Besides, the food was in here."
"Ok, let me just grab my bag out of the car." He walked out to the front of the house and returned a few minutes later with a duffel bag in hand. As he set it down on the floor he studied me. "I hope it's ok that I came. I was worried about you, Sar."
I flashed him a smile, "Yeah, it's ok that you came." I walked over and gave him a hug. "I'm glad that you came. You're the only one who would understand."
He chuckled as I stepped out of the hug. He raised an eyebrow, "I seem to recall you mentioning an ocean out there."
I laughed at him. You'd think he'd never seen the ocean. Of course since he was from Texas. The very heart of it mind you. He probably didn't get very many opportunities to see the ocean. I glanced at him over my shoulder as I led the way out to the deck. "You might want to take your shoes off if you don't want to get sand in them."
We laughed again. Damn, it sure felt good to laugh. I hadn't felt like doing that in days. Funny thing. When I was around Nick, I felt more relaxed and I laughed a lot. He just seemed to put me at ease. I could just be myself around him and I liked that.
Nick took his shoes off and he followed me out onto the beach. The moon had started to rise and there were a few stars in the sky. We could hear the waves crashing on the beach as we walked and at first we didn't really talk about anything in particular. That was another thing that I really appreciated about Nick. I never felt like I had to talk. We could spend time together and be comfortable being quiet. I've never been quite that at ease with anyone else. No comfortable silences. Not even with Grissom. I was always wondering what he was thinking. Of course, he never would have told me straight out. It would have always been in some cryptic manner that left the meaning open to interpretation. An interpretation that I seem to have gotten completely wrong.
After we walked for a while, I suggested we just sit. We settled ourselves on the sand facing the ocean. Our eyes had adjusted to the semi darkness of the beach and we could see the wave glimmering in the moonlight as they crashed onto the shore. I glanced over at Nick who seemed to be lost in the view and commented, "I'll never grow tired of the ocean."
He looked over at me and smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. This isn't a view that you get in Texas."
"I guess not." I smiled in return and chuckled.
"You know, when I was in college, I had this buddy. He was from California. A bunch of us decided to crash at his parents place down near Dana Point one spring break. They had this great house. Lots of windows facing the beach. When I first saw it I thought to myself that I would never be tired of the view. The funny thing is, when his parents came home from work, the first thing they did was to close the blinds and turn on the TV. I never did understand that." Nick laughed at the irony. Nick yawned.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Hey, we should head back. You're tired. I should let you sleep."
He smiled at me and didn't argue as we pulled ourselves up from the sand. Nick slung his arm around my shoulder as we walked and pulled me against his side for a moment in a quick hug. "We should try surfing."
I glanced up at him as he released me from the hug and laughed. "Surfing? Have you ever tried it?"
He shook his head and grinned. "First time for everything. I think we should give it a try."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're crazy, Stokes. You know that don't you?"
He laughed at me. "You're just as crazy as I am, Sara, and you know it."
I laughed as we reached the steps of the house. "Ok, we'll try surfing. But if I suck at it, you can't make fun of me."
He raised an amused eyebrow at me and just chuckled.
We entered the house. "Ok, you can have the room at the end of the hall on the right. I'm just across the hall."
Nick nodded and walked over to pick up his bag before heading into the room for some much needed rest. "Goodnight, Sar."
"Night, Nicky." I smiled before I closed the bedroom door behind me.
