For whatever reason, Sara felt very much like she and Nick were on a date.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she'd taken far longer to
change her clothes than she would have normally if she was just going to go
hang out with Nick. She changed her mind three times about what she was
going to wear and then decided that she was trying too hard. She finally
settled on a pair of black low rise slacks and a ribbed burgundy v-necked
sweater.
Nick seemed to have put equal effort into what he wore as well. The charcoal gray ribbed sweater and black slacks accentuated his well muscled physique.
Sara detected a hint of cologne, something that she never smelled on him when they worked. Yes, it definitely felt like a date.
Nick threaded the Miata through the early evening traffic. He stole the occasional glance at Sara and couldn't help but smile. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely changing between them. He didn't think that either one of them was ready to articulate anything to that effect, but he could feel it, and from the way Sara looked, he could tell that she did too.
Nick had told Sara that he wanted to take her to his favorite Mexican restaurant. Javier's wasn't just a Mexican restaurant. With its red brick walls and dim lighting, it had a cozy rustic feel to it and the food was definitely worthy of its reputation as one of the better Mexican restaurants in Dallas.
They bantered constantly over dinner, smiling, laughing, and teasing each other. Sara only made a mild protest when Nick insisted that he pick up the bill. Sara couldn't help but smile when she thought back to a conversation she'd had with Nick the first year she was in Vegas. He had made a big deal that he liked going 'Dutch' when he went out on dates. She wondered silently to herself where things were heading between them because it seemed that they were beginning to move away from the realm of 'just friends' into uncharted territory.
As they left the restaurant, Nick didn't want to head back to Chelsea's. He glanced over at Sara as she buckled her seatbelt and smiled. "Do you want to go see a movie?"
She nodded, a little too enthusiastically she thought. "Yeah, only I have no idea even what's playing."
"Me either." He grinned at her. "Let's just live on the edge and wing it."
By the time they got to the theater the only thing playing without a long wait was 'Along Came Polly'. Despite the fact that they had just eaten, Nick bought an enormous tub of popcorn. As the movie progressed, they drifted closer together; their hands occasionally touching until Nick finally gave up any pretense and took Sara's hand in his. Sara leaned against him smiling, wondering to herself where things were going and where they should be going. She had to resist the urge to overanalyze things, instead trying to just enjoy the simple sensation of Nick holding her hand. They might not have called it a date, but it had all the earmarks of one.
When the lights came up, they stood up to leave, slowly filing out still holding hands. They were in the lobby when they heard someone call out.
"Uncle Nick!" The voice of a teenage girl caused Nick to stop in his tracks and turn around. It didn't even occur to him to let go of Sara's hand.
"Savannah." Nick grinned at his sixteen year old niece. "You here by yourself?"
She shook her head, smiling as she noticed Nick and Sara still holding hands. "No, Maggie's here too." She couldn't contain a giggle as she leaned toward Nick. "We're on a double date."
To Sara's amusement, Nick donned a stern fatherly expression. "Do your mom and dad know you're here?"
Savannah rolled her eyes. "Of course, they're the ones who drove us here."
"Isn't it a school night?" Nick queried. Sara couldn't help but chuckle softly. Just at that moment, it occurred to Nick that he was still holding Sara's hand. If word got back to his sister Amy through Savannah, it was a sure bet that Andrea, Grace, Megan, and Chelsea wouldn't be too far behind.
"The teachers have one of those in service days tomorrow, so we get the day off." She smiled a bit too brightly. "So, Uncle Nick, are you and Sara on a date?"
A bit of panic crossed Nick's face as he glanced at Sara, questioning her silently about what she wanted to call this outing. She just squeezed his hand. He smiled at her. "We were just watching a movie."
Sara tried to swallow a smile.
Just then, Savannah's twin Magnolia walked up with two teenage boys in tow which Nick assumed were their dates. Magnolia smiled brightly as she noticed Savannah talking to Nick. "Hi, Uncle Nick!"
"Maggie." Nick grinned.
Magnolia's eyebrows shot up in surprise and a wide smile spread across her face when she noticed that Nick was holding Sara's hand. "Oh my goodness! Mom is going to be so excited when she finds out you two are dating!"
"Uh, we're not exactly dating." Nick replied, glancing at Sara who just squeezed his hand. "We're going to get going. I'll see you girls later." He glanced at the teenage boys. "And you boys better behave yourselves, you hear?"
As they walked toward the car, still holding hands, Nick turned toward Sara. "I'm sorry they put you on the spot like that. I didn't know what to say, and I'm pretty sure that before we get back to Chelsea's everyone's going to know what we did tonight."
Sara smiled and held up their linked hands as evidence. "I'm pretty sure they're going to think we were on a date."
Nick gave her a sheepish smile and squeezed her hand. "I guess this was a dead giveaway."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I look like I mind?"
Nick tilted his head slightly and laughed softly. "Now that you mention it, no, you don't look like you mind."
"You're very observant." Sara chuckled in amusement.
When they arrived back at Chelsea's there was a bit of an awkward moment as they stood in the living room of the basement apartment trying to figure out what was next.
Sara smiled softly at Nick and stepped toward him. "Hey, I had a really good time." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."
He grinned at her and leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm glad. I had a good time too."
She gestured toward the bedroom. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."
"Uh, yeah, I should probably pull the hide-a-bed out." Nick gestured toward the couch.
Sara smiled. "Ok, I'll see you in the morning."
"Sleep well." Nick smiled.
Sara disappeared into the bedroom and changed into her pajamas before climbing into bed. The events of the evening played over in her head. It took a long time before she drifted off to sleep as her thoughts turned toward Nick sleeping just in the other room.
Nick too had a hard time falling asleep. He kept thinking about Sara in the other room and wondering what she would do if he gave her the kind of kiss he wanted to and whether that was really a good idea. He knew that once that line was crossed it would change everything between them.
Nick seemed to have put equal effort into what he wore as well. The charcoal gray ribbed sweater and black slacks accentuated his well muscled physique.
Sara detected a hint of cologne, something that she never smelled on him when they worked. Yes, it definitely felt like a date.
Nick threaded the Miata through the early evening traffic. He stole the occasional glance at Sara and couldn't help but smile. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely changing between them. He didn't think that either one of them was ready to articulate anything to that effect, but he could feel it, and from the way Sara looked, he could tell that she did too.
Nick had told Sara that he wanted to take her to his favorite Mexican restaurant. Javier's wasn't just a Mexican restaurant. With its red brick walls and dim lighting, it had a cozy rustic feel to it and the food was definitely worthy of its reputation as one of the better Mexican restaurants in Dallas.
They bantered constantly over dinner, smiling, laughing, and teasing each other. Sara only made a mild protest when Nick insisted that he pick up the bill. Sara couldn't help but smile when she thought back to a conversation she'd had with Nick the first year she was in Vegas. He had made a big deal that he liked going 'Dutch' when he went out on dates. She wondered silently to herself where things were heading between them because it seemed that they were beginning to move away from the realm of 'just friends' into uncharted territory.
As they left the restaurant, Nick didn't want to head back to Chelsea's. He glanced over at Sara as she buckled her seatbelt and smiled. "Do you want to go see a movie?"
She nodded, a little too enthusiastically she thought. "Yeah, only I have no idea even what's playing."
"Me either." He grinned at her. "Let's just live on the edge and wing it."
By the time they got to the theater the only thing playing without a long wait was 'Along Came Polly'. Despite the fact that they had just eaten, Nick bought an enormous tub of popcorn. As the movie progressed, they drifted closer together; their hands occasionally touching until Nick finally gave up any pretense and took Sara's hand in his. Sara leaned against him smiling, wondering to herself where things were going and where they should be going. She had to resist the urge to overanalyze things, instead trying to just enjoy the simple sensation of Nick holding her hand. They might not have called it a date, but it had all the earmarks of one.
When the lights came up, they stood up to leave, slowly filing out still holding hands. They were in the lobby when they heard someone call out.
"Uncle Nick!" The voice of a teenage girl caused Nick to stop in his tracks and turn around. It didn't even occur to him to let go of Sara's hand.
"Savannah." Nick grinned at his sixteen year old niece. "You here by yourself?"
She shook her head, smiling as she noticed Nick and Sara still holding hands. "No, Maggie's here too." She couldn't contain a giggle as she leaned toward Nick. "We're on a double date."
To Sara's amusement, Nick donned a stern fatherly expression. "Do your mom and dad know you're here?"
Savannah rolled her eyes. "Of course, they're the ones who drove us here."
"Isn't it a school night?" Nick queried. Sara couldn't help but chuckle softly. Just at that moment, it occurred to Nick that he was still holding Sara's hand. If word got back to his sister Amy through Savannah, it was a sure bet that Andrea, Grace, Megan, and Chelsea wouldn't be too far behind.
"The teachers have one of those in service days tomorrow, so we get the day off." She smiled a bit too brightly. "So, Uncle Nick, are you and Sara on a date?"
A bit of panic crossed Nick's face as he glanced at Sara, questioning her silently about what she wanted to call this outing. She just squeezed his hand. He smiled at her. "We were just watching a movie."
Sara tried to swallow a smile.
Just then, Savannah's twin Magnolia walked up with two teenage boys in tow which Nick assumed were their dates. Magnolia smiled brightly as she noticed Savannah talking to Nick. "Hi, Uncle Nick!"
"Maggie." Nick grinned.
Magnolia's eyebrows shot up in surprise and a wide smile spread across her face when she noticed that Nick was holding Sara's hand. "Oh my goodness! Mom is going to be so excited when she finds out you two are dating!"
"Uh, we're not exactly dating." Nick replied, glancing at Sara who just squeezed his hand. "We're going to get going. I'll see you girls later." He glanced at the teenage boys. "And you boys better behave yourselves, you hear?"
As they walked toward the car, still holding hands, Nick turned toward Sara. "I'm sorry they put you on the spot like that. I didn't know what to say, and I'm pretty sure that before we get back to Chelsea's everyone's going to know what we did tonight."
Sara smiled and held up their linked hands as evidence. "I'm pretty sure they're going to think we were on a date."
Nick gave her a sheepish smile and squeezed her hand. "I guess this was a dead giveaway."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I look like I mind?"
Nick tilted his head slightly and laughed softly. "Now that you mention it, no, you don't look like you mind."
"You're very observant." Sara chuckled in amusement.
When they arrived back at Chelsea's there was a bit of an awkward moment as they stood in the living room of the basement apartment trying to figure out what was next.
Sara smiled softly at Nick and stepped toward him. "Hey, I had a really good time." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."
He grinned at her and leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm glad. I had a good time too."
She gestured toward the bedroom. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."
"Uh, yeah, I should probably pull the hide-a-bed out." Nick gestured toward the couch.
Sara smiled. "Ok, I'll see you in the morning."
"Sleep well." Nick smiled.
Sara disappeared into the bedroom and changed into her pajamas before climbing into bed. The events of the evening played over in her head. It took a long time before she drifted off to sleep as her thoughts turned toward Nick sleeping just in the other room.
Nick too had a hard time falling asleep. He kept thinking about Sara in the other room and wondering what she would do if he gave her the kind of kiss he wanted to and whether that was really a good idea. He knew that once that line was crossed it would change everything between them.