The salad was forgotten for a few minutes as Nick slowly and thoroughly
kissed Sara. So much had changed since they'd arrived in Texas. How it
had taken him this long to realize that he was in love with her was beyond
him. As they broke the kiss, he just stared at her and smiled. "You are
the most amazing person I know."
"You're pretty incredible yourself." Sara's voice was almost a whisper, as if anything louder would break the mood of the moment.
"I didn't want to wait any longer to tell you that. How I could not have realized that I was in love with you makes me think I'm an idiot." Nick whispered.
Sara smiled. "Then I'm an idiot too."
He grinned and leaned in and kissed her again briefly. "I think deep down I knew that I was in love with you, I was just afraid to admit it."
"I was too blind to notice how I was feeling about you because I was so fixated on Grissom." Sara admitted.
"We're here now, that's the important thing." Nick kissed her forehead. "Are you scared? Because I'm still scared. I'm in love with one of my best friends and I'm scared." His voice sounded vulnerable.
She nodded. "I'm still scared too, but I know how I feel. I love you. I've never been so glad to be proven wrong about something in my entire life."
Nick chuckled softly. "Me too." He dipped his head and softly kissed her again.
The realization and confession that they loved each other lent a decidedly different feel to dinner. Interspersed with the salad and lasagna were kisses. After the meal, they sat on the couch and talked, Nick had his arms wrapped around Sara.
"Last night there was just something I couldn't put my finger on, something that was holding me back. Today I realized that I was just scared shitless." He grinned as Sara laughed at his choice of words. "I know, really romantic, huh?"
"I'll cut you a little slack; you're cute." She teased.
"You're beautiful." He kissed her forehead. "Once I realized I was in love with you, Sara, I felt like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I didn't expect that."
Sara studied him for a moment. "I know maybe this isn't the best time to bring this up, but what are we going to do if things don't work out between us? I need to know that you'll still be my friend." She fingered the buttons on his shirt.
Nick nodded solemnly. "I know, that's my biggest fear. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't part of my life, Sara."
Sara rested her head on his shoulder and trailed her fingers along his arm. "We'll just have to promise that no matter what happens we'll still be friends."
Nick kissed her forehead, stroking her hair. "I promise. Whatever happens, we'll still be friends."
Sara reached up and cupped his face with her hand. "I love you, Nick."
He turned his face and kissed the palm of her hand. "I love you too, Sara."
They sat there silently for a while, each lost in thought about the changes between them and the fears that they each still had. There was just something about being in love with someone with whom you'd been friends with first that brought a different level to the emotions involved.
Sara shifted her weight and turned to face him. She reached up and trailed her fingers across his lips as she looked into his eyes. "I love kissing you."
Nick grinned as Sara leaned in and pressed her lips softly against his. As they pulled apart he whispered. "I love kissing you." He leaned in and kissed her again.
Sara cupped the side of his face with her hand as they broke apart. "I don't know what we're going to do when we get back to Vegas." She leaned in and kissed him again.
Nick murmured against her lips. "What do you mean?"
Sara's voice was husky. "We won't be able to work together."
"We work great together. Why would Grissom break us up?" Nick questioned as he kissed her again.
Sara smiled against his lips. "I won't be able to concentrate. I think all I'm going to want to do is this."
Nick let out a low deep laugh that resounded against her mouth. He kissed her soundly and then broke the kiss and pulled her into a hug. "You may have a point there." He rested his chin on top of her head.
"Can I ask you a question, Nick?" Sara's voice was tentative.
Nick hugged her closer. "You can ask me anything."
She smiled. "What is your family going to say when we get back to Dallas?"
"They love you, Sara." He kissed the top of her head.
"But your sisters, do you think that they'll leave us alone?" Sara sounded a little worried.
Nick chuckled. "No, I'm sure they won't leave us alone. That's why we're here and not there right now."
Sara smiled. "Maybe we should thank Chelsea for being so nosey. If it wasn't for her, I'm not sure I'd be here right now."
Nick started absentmindedly playing with Sara's hair. "Did you know that Chels and Kevin never dated?"
"Really?" Sara sounded a bit surprised. "How did that work?"
Nick chuckled. "They were friends for years and then one day they both opened their eyes and realized that they were in love with each other. Chels claims that they never went on an official date before Kevin proposed, but the rest of us knew that there was something between them well before that."
Sara smiled. "They're so in love."
"Yeah, they are." Nick agreed as he hugged Sara a little tighter.
"You're pretty incredible yourself." Sara's voice was almost a whisper, as if anything louder would break the mood of the moment.
"I didn't want to wait any longer to tell you that. How I could not have realized that I was in love with you makes me think I'm an idiot." Nick whispered.
Sara smiled. "Then I'm an idiot too."
He grinned and leaned in and kissed her again briefly. "I think deep down I knew that I was in love with you, I was just afraid to admit it."
"I was too blind to notice how I was feeling about you because I was so fixated on Grissom." Sara admitted.
"We're here now, that's the important thing." Nick kissed her forehead. "Are you scared? Because I'm still scared. I'm in love with one of my best friends and I'm scared." His voice sounded vulnerable.
She nodded. "I'm still scared too, but I know how I feel. I love you. I've never been so glad to be proven wrong about something in my entire life."
Nick chuckled softly. "Me too." He dipped his head and softly kissed her again.
The realization and confession that they loved each other lent a decidedly different feel to dinner. Interspersed with the salad and lasagna were kisses. After the meal, they sat on the couch and talked, Nick had his arms wrapped around Sara.
"Last night there was just something I couldn't put my finger on, something that was holding me back. Today I realized that I was just scared shitless." He grinned as Sara laughed at his choice of words. "I know, really romantic, huh?"
"I'll cut you a little slack; you're cute." She teased.
"You're beautiful." He kissed her forehead. "Once I realized I was in love with you, Sara, I felt like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I didn't expect that."
Sara studied him for a moment. "I know maybe this isn't the best time to bring this up, but what are we going to do if things don't work out between us? I need to know that you'll still be my friend." She fingered the buttons on his shirt.
Nick nodded solemnly. "I know, that's my biggest fear. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't part of my life, Sara."
Sara rested her head on his shoulder and trailed her fingers along his arm. "We'll just have to promise that no matter what happens we'll still be friends."
Nick kissed her forehead, stroking her hair. "I promise. Whatever happens, we'll still be friends."
Sara reached up and cupped his face with her hand. "I love you, Nick."
He turned his face and kissed the palm of her hand. "I love you too, Sara."
They sat there silently for a while, each lost in thought about the changes between them and the fears that they each still had. There was just something about being in love with someone with whom you'd been friends with first that brought a different level to the emotions involved.
Sara shifted her weight and turned to face him. She reached up and trailed her fingers across his lips as she looked into his eyes. "I love kissing you."
Nick grinned as Sara leaned in and pressed her lips softly against his. As they pulled apart he whispered. "I love kissing you." He leaned in and kissed her again.
Sara cupped the side of his face with her hand as they broke apart. "I don't know what we're going to do when we get back to Vegas." She leaned in and kissed him again.
Nick murmured against her lips. "What do you mean?"
Sara's voice was husky. "We won't be able to work together."
"We work great together. Why would Grissom break us up?" Nick questioned as he kissed her again.
Sara smiled against his lips. "I won't be able to concentrate. I think all I'm going to want to do is this."
Nick let out a low deep laugh that resounded against her mouth. He kissed her soundly and then broke the kiss and pulled her into a hug. "You may have a point there." He rested his chin on top of her head.
"Can I ask you a question, Nick?" Sara's voice was tentative.
Nick hugged her closer. "You can ask me anything."
She smiled. "What is your family going to say when we get back to Dallas?"
"They love you, Sara." He kissed the top of her head.
"But your sisters, do you think that they'll leave us alone?" Sara sounded a little worried.
Nick chuckled. "No, I'm sure they won't leave us alone. That's why we're here and not there right now."
Sara smiled. "Maybe we should thank Chelsea for being so nosey. If it wasn't for her, I'm not sure I'd be here right now."
Nick started absentmindedly playing with Sara's hair. "Did you know that Chels and Kevin never dated?"
"Really?" Sara sounded a bit surprised. "How did that work?"
Nick chuckled. "They were friends for years and then one day they both opened their eyes and realized that they were in love with each other. Chels claims that they never went on an official date before Kevin proposed, but the rest of us knew that there was something between them well before that."
Sara smiled. "They're so in love."
"Yeah, they are." Nick agreed as he hugged Sara a little tighter.