Nick and I were both dragging by the end of shift. It had thankfully been
a slow night, but at the same time, it would have been nice to have been
busy, just so the time would seem to go faster. I went out on a call with
Warrick and I was surprised that he didn't quiz me about what was going on
between Nick and I. I guess he figured that coming back and dealing with
Grissom was enough for one night. I don't think Nick got off so easy. I
noticed that when Warrick and I got back, Nick looked a little frazzled. I
wondered if Catherine had cornered him while they'd been at their scene.
Well, I'm sure Nick would let me know. We had planned to grab breakfast
after shift before heading to our respective homes to get some much needed
sleep.
I found Nick alone in the break room shortly before the end of shift. I smiled at him as I made my way over to the coffee machine to pour myself a cup. He beat me to it, handing me a fresh cup of coffee. I grinned. "Thanks, Nick."
He winked at me. "You're welcome."
I studied him for a moment. "So, how was shift?" I had a grin on my face and I knew that he knew that I was asking if Catherine had cornered him.
He chuckled. "Almost over."
I laughed. "That bad, huh?"
He smiled and took another sip of his coffee. "I'll tell you about it over breakfast."
"It's a date." I smiled.
Nick chuckled. "That reminds me. I want to take you on a real date, Sar." His eyes looked wistful, sort of like a puppy when it's watching you eat your dinner.
I chuckled and took a sip of my coffee. "All you have to do is ask."
He raised his eyebrows. "Ok." He had an amused twinkle in his eyes.
My eyebrows shot up. I chuckled. Nick was funny. He loved to tease me and for some reason, I loved him teasing me. I decided to play along. I took another sip of my coffee.
He grinned at me and looked as if he was going to say something when Greg walked in. Neither of us had seen Greg since before we left. Greg raised his eyebrows in surprise then flashed us both a smile. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you two."
I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Nick. He looked equally curious. "We both work here, why would you be surprised?"
In a very Greg-like fashion he replied. "Well, there are rumors circulating. You know, Sara runs off without a word. A few days later, you leave. I mean we were wondering if you'd been abducted by aliens or something."
Both Nick and I knew that Greg was full of it. That was just his way of pumping us for information. I glanced at Nick who rolled his eyes.
Greg continued. "Of course, then there's the other rumor that you quit and went to work in LA. But I can see that isn't true since you're both here."
I chuckled. Greg was priceless. As much as he annoyed me, I missed him. I glanced at Nick. "Doesn't he remind you of someone?"
Nick chuckled and nodded. "Mike?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
Greg just looked at us with a perplexed look on his face. "So, who is this Mike? I mean, not that I believe the rumors or anything. I'm just glad that you're here, drinking my coffee."
I laughed. "I missed you, Greg." I glanced at Nick and smiled.
Greg smiled at me and waggled his eyebrows. "So that's why you came back."
I rolled my eyes. "I didn't miss you that much." Nick was laughing.
Greg tried another tactic. The direct approach. This one always worked on me much better than beating around the bush. "So, where did you go, Sara?"
I smiled at him and finished my coffee. "California."
Greg's eyebrows lifted. "Oh." He glanced at Nick. "Where did you go?"
Nick grinned. "California."
Greg gestured from me to Nick and back again. "Together?"
Nick just raised his eyebrow at Greg. Greg stopped asking questions. I set my coffee cup in the sink. "I'm going to grab my stuff, see you guys later."
Nick smiled and waved as he finished his coffee. Greg looked disappointed that he didn't get more information. I knew Nick would follow me to the diner. There was no need to make a spectacle for anyone in the parking lot or anywhere else at the lab for that matter. We were still trying to figure out exactly what was going on between us and we weren't really ready to share it with anyone else. Especially Greg. If he knew, the entire lab would know.
I was seated at a booth in the diner when Nick walked in. He grinned at me and joined me in the booth. "Nice work with Greg."
I chuckled. "I was just going to say the same thing. How did it go with Catherine?"
Nick just shook his head and leaned back in the seat. "She grilled me. I expected that though."
"What did she say?" I grinned at Nick.
He smiled, his eyes twinkled. "She wanted to know if anything happened between us in California, and what made us come back."
I raised an eyebrow. "What did you tell her?"
He winked at me. "I told her I went to be there for my friend."
I smiled. "And you were."
"I just didn't tell her that we decided we'd like to be a little more than friends." Nick concluded.
I chuckled.
The waitress arrived and took our order. I smiled at Nick. I was glad that the only other person that knew about us was Warrick. Everyone else would find out eventually, but right now, things were too new and I didn't want the pressure of everyone watching us. Besides, with the rumors that Greg and some of the other lab techs were circulating, who knew what everyone thought about us.
Our meal came and we ate in a companionable silence. Nick smiled at me. "Tired?"
I nodded. "I think I figured out that we've been up for about 26 hours."
Nick raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You'll call me when you get to your apartment won't you? I'll worry about you."
I laughed. "I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'll call you. I'll want to hear your voice before I go to sleep." I smiled at him.
Nick grinned. It was a satisfied grin. It made me laugh. We finished our meal and paid the bill. Nick walked me to my Tahoe and pulled me into a hug, his arms around my waist. He waggled his eyebrows at me as he leaned down and kissed me. I really didn't want the kiss to end, but I was tired and so was he. He closed the door of my Tahoe after I'd climbed behind the wheel and waved at me as I drove off toward my apartment.
When I reached home, I didn't even bother to change my clothes. I crawled straight into bed and pulled the covers over me. I pulled my cell phone off my belt and punched in Nick's number. He answered on the second ring. "Hey, I'm home."
"Me too." Nick answered. It sounded like he had just walked in the door. "I'll call you later."
"Ok, sleep well." I smiled wishing I could kiss him again before I went to sleep.
Nick chuckled. "I will. You too. I wish I could kiss you again." His voice was soft.
"I was thinking the same thing. I'll talk to you later." I giggled.
Nick laughed. "Ok."
We ended the call and I drifted off to sleep dreaming about Nick and Malibu.
I found Nick alone in the break room shortly before the end of shift. I smiled at him as I made my way over to the coffee machine to pour myself a cup. He beat me to it, handing me a fresh cup of coffee. I grinned. "Thanks, Nick."
He winked at me. "You're welcome."
I studied him for a moment. "So, how was shift?" I had a grin on my face and I knew that he knew that I was asking if Catherine had cornered him.
He chuckled. "Almost over."
I laughed. "That bad, huh?"
He smiled and took another sip of his coffee. "I'll tell you about it over breakfast."
"It's a date." I smiled.
Nick chuckled. "That reminds me. I want to take you on a real date, Sar." His eyes looked wistful, sort of like a puppy when it's watching you eat your dinner.
I chuckled and took a sip of my coffee. "All you have to do is ask."
He raised his eyebrows. "Ok." He had an amused twinkle in his eyes.
My eyebrows shot up. I chuckled. Nick was funny. He loved to tease me and for some reason, I loved him teasing me. I decided to play along. I took another sip of my coffee.
He grinned at me and looked as if he was going to say something when Greg walked in. Neither of us had seen Greg since before we left. Greg raised his eyebrows in surprise then flashed us both a smile. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you two."
I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Nick. He looked equally curious. "We both work here, why would you be surprised?"
In a very Greg-like fashion he replied. "Well, there are rumors circulating. You know, Sara runs off without a word. A few days later, you leave. I mean we were wondering if you'd been abducted by aliens or something."
Both Nick and I knew that Greg was full of it. That was just his way of pumping us for information. I glanced at Nick who rolled his eyes.
Greg continued. "Of course, then there's the other rumor that you quit and went to work in LA. But I can see that isn't true since you're both here."
I chuckled. Greg was priceless. As much as he annoyed me, I missed him. I glanced at Nick. "Doesn't he remind you of someone?"
Nick chuckled and nodded. "Mike?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
Greg just looked at us with a perplexed look on his face. "So, who is this Mike? I mean, not that I believe the rumors or anything. I'm just glad that you're here, drinking my coffee."
I laughed. "I missed you, Greg." I glanced at Nick and smiled.
Greg smiled at me and waggled his eyebrows. "So that's why you came back."
I rolled my eyes. "I didn't miss you that much." Nick was laughing.
Greg tried another tactic. The direct approach. This one always worked on me much better than beating around the bush. "So, where did you go, Sara?"
I smiled at him and finished my coffee. "California."
Greg's eyebrows lifted. "Oh." He glanced at Nick. "Where did you go?"
Nick grinned. "California."
Greg gestured from me to Nick and back again. "Together?"
Nick just raised his eyebrow at Greg. Greg stopped asking questions. I set my coffee cup in the sink. "I'm going to grab my stuff, see you guys later."
Nick smiled and waved as he finished his coffee. Greg looked disappointed that he didn't get more information. I knew Nick would follow me to the diner. There was no need to make a spectacle for anyone in the parking lot or anywhere else at the lab for that matter. We were still trying to figure out exactly what was going on between us and we weren't really ready to share it with anyone else. Especially Greg. If he knew, the entire lab would know.
I was seated at a booth in the diner when Nick walked in. He grinned at me and joined me in the booth. "Nice work with Greg."
I chuckled. "I was just going to say the same thing. How did it go with Catherine?"
Nick just shook his head and leaned back in the seat. "She grilled me. I expected that though."
"What did she say?" I grinned at Nick.
He smiled, his eyes twinkled. "She wanted to know if anything happened between us in California, and what made us come back."
I raised an eyebrow. "What did you tell her?"
He winked at me. "I told her I went to be there for my friend."
I smiled. "And you were."
"I just didn't tell her that we decided we'd like to be a little more than friends." Nick concluded.
I chuckled.
The waitress arrived and took our order. I smiled at Nick. I was glad that the only other person that knew about us was Warrick. Everyone else would find out eventually, but right now, things were too new and I didn't want the pressure of everyone watching us. Besides, with the rumors that Greg and some of the other lab techs were circulating, who knew what everyone thought about us.
Our meal came and we ate in a companionable silence. Nick smiled at me. "Tired?"
I nodded. "I think I figured out that we've been up for about 26 hours."
Nick raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You'll call me when you get to your apartment won't you? I'll worry about you."
I laughed. "I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'll call you. I'll want to hear your voice before I go to sleep." I smiled at him.
Nick grinned. It was a satisfied grin. It made me laugh. We finished our meal and paid the bill. Nick walked me to my Tahoe and pulled me into a hug, his arms around my waist. He waggled his eyebrows at me as he leaned down and kissed me. I really didn't want the kiss to end, but I was tired and so was he. He closed the door of my Tahoe after I'd climbed behind the wheel and waved at me as I drove off toward my apartment.
When I reached home, I didn't even bother to change my clothes. I crawled straight into bed and pulled the covers over me. I pulled my cell phone off my belt and punched in Nick's number. He answered on the second ring. "Hey, I'm home."
"Me too." Nick answered. It sounded like he had just walked in the door. "I'll call you later."
"Ok, sleep well." I smiled wishing I could kiss him again before I went to sleep.
Nick chuckled. "I will. You too. I wish I could kiss you again." His voice was soft.
"I was thinking the same thing. I'll talk to you later." I giggled.
Nick laughed. "Ok."
We ended the call and I drifted off to sleep dreaming about Nick and Malibu.
