Sara didn't realize how much she was looking forward to spending the evening with Nick until she had changed her clothes for the third time. She sat down on the edge of her bed and let out a chuckle, finally deciding that the subtle differences between her three basic black dresses from three subsequent department holiday parties didn't merit this much attention. She glanced up and noticed a dress that had been hanging in her closet almost as long as she'd lived in Vegas. Determined, she walked over and pulled it out, wondering why she'd never worn it before, but then chided herself that she'd always thought she'd save it for a special occasion, a special occasion that would never happen. For some reason when she'd seen this dress, she'd thought of Grissom, and now that every hope she'd ever had that he'd ever do something about the feelings she knew that he'd had was gone, she decided that tonight was the perfect occasion for this dress. She didn't want to see it as a reminder anymore of what she couldn't have, she wanted to see it and be reminded of a nice evening with a good friend, a good friend who just happened to be devastatingly handsome.
With a half smile on her face, Sara pulled the simple spaghetti strapped dress on and stepped in front of the mirror that adorned her bedroom closet. She had to admit that the deep sapphire blue dress helped her in all the right places. She debated momentarily about doing something to her hair, but as she heard a knock at the door, she decided that it was just going to have to stay naturally curly.
Nick's expression was a mixture of surprise and pleasure as Sara opened the door. He found himself a bit speechless for a moment as he regarded her in that dress. It wasn't that he didn't know she was a beautiful woman, it was just that he so seldom saw her in a dress, that seeing her in this dress just took his breath away.
Sara chuckled softly at Nick's expression. "Are you going to stand there all night staring at me or do you want to come in for a moment?" Sara was clearly amused at Nick's reaction. She was going to have to store it away in her memory to pull out when she was having a bad day.
He realized that he'd forgotten about the bouquet of tulips in his hand and with a sheepish smile, he held them out to her as he entered her apartment. "I thought you might like these."
The surprised smile that took over Sara's face was priceless. She took the flowers from him and impulsively kissed his cheek. "Ah, Nick, how sweet. Thank you."
He just grinned. "You look pretty."
Sara suddenly felt a little nervous. Here she was all dressed up and getting ready to go out with her coworker. She smiled at him as she took in his appearance. "You look nice too."
And he did. The suit was something he didn't pull out often, but for some reason, he felt compelled to wear it. The crisp white shirt underneath simply made the black suit look even blacker and his tie coincidentally was a deep blue, very similar in shade to Sara's dress.
Nick felt a flutter of nerves in his stomach for a moment. "Thanks." He smiled at Sara feeling a moment of awkward silence. "I left my shirt at home."
Sara looked at him a bit quizzically for a moment, not quite catching what he was saying.
He felt a bit flustered. "The ugly one I mean."
Sara felt her smile give way to a giggle. "Good." She looked at him appreciatively for a moment and then stepped forward to adjust his tie which was just a little bit askew. "You look much better in this one."
"Glad you think so." He smiled at her as she stepped back. "Are you ready to go?"
"Uh, yeah." She glanced down at the flowers in her hand and then glanced up again. "I suppose I should probably put these in water first." She felt herself blushing slighty, wondering silently to herself why spending the evening with Nick should make her feel like this as she found a vase and filled it with water.
Nick studied her as she moved easily about her kitchen, putting the flowers in water, watching how her dress accentuated her figure. He glanced away as she came out of the kitchen so she wouldn't catch him staring at her.
"I think I'm ready." Sara smiled at him.
Nick looked at her a bit quizzically, glancing at her feet. "Uh, are you sure?"
Sara regarded him curiously as he began to chuckle. "Yeah, why?"
He pointed at her feet and smiled softly. "I think you forgot your shoes."
Sara glanced down and noticed that she was wearing a pair of fluffy blue slippers, one with a moon and the other with a star on it. She smirked at him to try and hide the color that began to flood her cheeks. "I'll be right back."
"I'll be right here." Nick called out as she disappeared down the hallway and into her bedroom.
It took her a few minutes to regain her composure and to find the pair of shoes that she'd bought for this dress. Underneath two other shoe boxes in the top of her closet she located the pair of shoes that she had intended to pull out earlier. Slipping them on, she glanced at herself in the mirror on the door of her closet and smiled. If she was being honest, she'd have to admit that she looked good.
Nick glanced up as she emerged from her bedroom. He looked at her feet and felt the corners of his mouth pulling upward into a smile. "I like your shoes." His smile widened. "They're very strappy."
Sara giggled. His comment had broken the awkward tension that she'd been feeling ever since she'd opened the door. After all this was Nick, they had worked countless cases together and they were just going out to spend the evening together. The fact that he looked incredibly handsome and she knew her dress rendered him speechless aside, she wanted to just go and have a good time. "I don't think they're quite your size." She smirked at him
Nick let out a soft chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind." He offered her his arm. "What do you say we get out of here?"
She smiled at him genuinely as she linked her arm with his. "Sounds like a good idea."
They made their way out to the parking lot and Sara looked around quizzically. "Where's your Denali?"
She had a concerned expression on her face and didn't notice that Nick was unlocking the door to a charcoal gray Porsche Boxster convertible "I borrowed a friend's car."
She glanced over and tried to restrain her smile as Nick opened the door for her.
"I wanted to take you out in style, show you how you should be treated." There was a hint of uncertainty in his expression as if he wasn't sure if he should be trying to impress her.
All pretense of restraining her smile faded. "This is really nice. Completely unnecessary, but really nice. Thank you." She kissed his cheek and then climbed into the sleek sports car.
The uncertainty in Nick's expression turned into a smile as he closed the car door and went around to the driver's side, sliding in behind the wheel. He glanced over at Sara as he turned the key in the ignition, and the thought occurred to him at that moment that he was an idiot for never asking her out before.
With a half smile on her face, Sara pulled the simple spaghetti strapped dress on and stepped in front of the mirror that adorned her bedroom closet. She had to admit that the deep sapphire blue dress helped her in all the right places. She debated momentarily about doing something to her hair, but as she heard a knock at the door, she decided that it was just going to have to stay naturally curly.
Nick's expression was a mixture of surprise and pleasure as Sara opened the door. He found himself a bit speechless for a moment as he regarded her in that dress. It wasn't that he didn't know she was a beautiful woman, it was just that he so seldom saw her in a dress, that seeing her in this dress just took his breath away.
Sara chuckled softly at Nick's expression. "Are you going to stand there all night staring at me or do you want to come in for a moment?" Sara was clearly amused at Nick's reaction. She was going to have to store it away in her memory to pull out when she was having a bad day.
He realized that he'd forgotten about the bouquet of tulips in his hand and with a sheepish smile, he held them out to her as he entered her apartment. "I thought you might like these."
The surprised smile that took over Sara's face was priceless. She took the flowers from him and impulsively kissed his cheek. "Ah, Nick, how sweet. Thank you."
He just grinned. "You look pretty."
Sara suddenly felt a little nervous. Here she was all dressed up and getting ready to go out with her coworker. She smiled at him as she took in his appearance. "You look nice too."
And he did. The suit was something he didn't pull out often, but for some reason, he felt compelled to wear it. The crisp white shirt underneath simply made the black suit look even blacker and his tie coincidentally was a deep blue, very similar in shade to Sara's dress.
Nick felt a flutter of nerves in his stomach for a moment. "Thanks." He smiled at Sara feeling a moment of awkward silence. "I left my shirt at home."
Sara looked at him a bit quizzically for a moment, not quite catching what he was saying.
He felt a bit flustered. "The ugly one I mean."
Sara felt her smile give way to a giggle. "Good." She looked at him appreciatively for a moment and then stepped forward to adjust his tie which was just a little bit askew. "You look much better in this one."
"Glad you think so." He smiled at her as she stepped back. "Are you ready to go?"
"Uh, yeah." She glanced down at the flowers in her hand and then glanced up again. "I suppose I should probably put these in water first." She felt herself blushing slighty, wondering silently to herself why spending the evening with Nick should make her feel like this as she found a vase and filled it with water.
Nick studied her as she moved easily about her kitchen, putting the flowers in water, watching how her dress accentuated her figure. He glanced away as she came out of the kitchen so she wouldn't catch him staring at her.
"I think I'm ready." Sara smiled at him.
Nick looked at her a bit quizzically, glancing at her feet. "Uh, are you sure?"
Sara regarded him curiously as he began to chuckle. "Yeah, why?"
He pointed at her feet and smiled softly. "I think you forgot your shoes."
Sara glanced down and noticed that she was wearing a pair of fluffy blue slippers, one with a moon and the other with a star on it. She smirked at him to try and hide the color that began to flood her cheeks. "I'll be right back."
"I'll be right here." Nick called out as she disappeared down the hallway and into her bedroom.
It took her a few minutes to regain her composure and to find the pair of shoes that she'd bought for this dress. Underneath two other shoe boxes in the top of her closet she located the pair of shoes that she had intended to pull out earlier. Slipping them on, she glanced at herself in the mirror on the door of her closet and smiled. If she was being honest, she'd have to admit that she looked good.
Nick glanced up as she emerged from her bedroom. He looked at her feet and felt the corners of his mouth pulling upward into a smile. "I like your shoes." His smile widened. "They're very strappy."
Sara giggled. His comment had broken the awkward tension that she'd been feeling ever since she'd opened the door. After all this was Nick, they had worked countless cases together and they were just going out to spend the evening together. The fact that he looked incredibly handsome and she knew her dress rendered him speechless aside, she wanted to just go and have a good time. "I don't think they're quite your size." She smirked at him
Nick let out a soft chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind." He offered her his arm. "What do you say we get out of here?"
She smiled at him genuinely as she linked her arm with his. "Sounds like a good idea."
They made their way out to the parking lot and Sara looked around quizzically. "Where's your Denali?"
She had a concerned expression on her face and didn't notice that Nick was unlocking the door to a charcoal gray Porsche Boxster convertible "I borrowed a friend's car."
She glanced over and tried to restrain her smile as Nick opened the door for her.
"I wanted to take you out in style, show you how you should be treated." There was a hint of uncertainty in his expression as if he wasn't sure if he should be trying to impress her.
All pretense of restraining her smile faded. "This is really nice. Completely unnecessary, but really nice. Thank you." She kissed his cheek and then climbed into the sleek sports car.
The uncertainty in Nick's expression turned into a smile as he closed the car door and went around to the driver's side, sliding in behind the wheel. He glanced over at Sara as he turned the key in the ignition, and the thought occurred to him at that moment that he was an idiot for never asking her out before.