"Sharona, can... could I ask you a hypothetical question?"
This is déjà vu, although not with him. She searches her memories, wondering what on earth could ever have felt and seemed exactly like this but oddly different. She looks at him, takes in the usual hesitant expression and carefully placed hands on his knees. He's so nervous -- she can sense it now, it's something she's worked years to perfect -- and as he swallows, swallows again, shrugs a little she is alerted of his emotional state and smiles comfortingly.
He looks like he's just been force-fed a piece of cake that has been coughed/sneezed/breathed on.
"Of course you can," she says, but this only seems to make him more uncomfortable. He shrugs again, trying to relax in his very own home which is very sad, she thinks. And sad that it takes so much work to ask her a question.
"Um," he begins, coughing, stumbling along regretfully just the way he does.
"Yeah?"
"Sharona." That's weird... He says it in his Detective voice, the way that usually comes before I Think I Just Solved the Case and it makes her ears ring. He's never said it like that before, not on its own.
She replies: "Mhmm?"
"If I... This is funny. You're gonna laugh. I probably shouldn't even ask, it's stupid..." He clears his throat in typical Monk Fashion, piquing her interest more than usual. "You'll laugh," he assures her. "But if I... If I ever asked you to -- If I ever invited you to go on a..."
This is building up her anticipation, and although she can understand the problems in expressing his concerns, she can't help but feel a bit put out. It's just her. She's not a threat to him... most of the time. "On a what?"
He gives her a deer-in-the-headlights look, beginning to wring his hands. "Out to dinner," he coughs, "If I ever invited you to go on a... out to dinner. Wh... What would you say?"
That's a weird question. Why is he asking her this? Why is it important enough to interrupt her thoughts and why the hell is her stomach flopping around like a white whale? His eyes are still round and apprehensive as she looks at him, focusing on his face then his collar then his shoes. Why is he asking her this? Is it even important? Suddenly she doesn't feel so curious...
"On a... out to dinner?" she asks, and her voice sounds a lot further away than she remembers it being.
He tries to speak but changes his mind halfway through, which brings about both nodding and head-shaking. He looks ridiculous, he looks horrified. He looks like he might be sick.
She swallows. Out to dinner? With Adrian? That sounds wrong... not, not wrong, like she would never even consider it -- but wrong. It's not something he usually asks people. It's not something he ever asks people. So... why her? Why now and she wishes he'd hold still because he's making her even more nervous than she already feels.
"This is funny," he says, nearly choking on the words. "Ha, ha..."
No, it isn't. This is pretty serious, but she doesn't want him to know that because he'll panic. Out to dinner with Adrian is beginning to sound vaguely suspicious and what's on her mind comes out through her lips before she can stop herself:
"What... you mean, like a date?"
"...What?"
"Are you asking me out?"
"No... no."
He's not asking her out. Then what is he doing? These hypothetical questions drive her nuts sometimes... Next to her, Adrian shrugs again.
"But...but if I did..." he mutters, and her ears perk up.
If he did... If he did. If Adrian Monk asked her out to dinner, what would she say?
"Well, 'Sure', I guess." she replies, and the funniest expression is on his face now. He's all shock and nerves and twitches. "You're a pretty great guy, Adrian."
She doesn't actually hear what they say after that, because the wheels in her head are too busy spinning. She did something by answering that question. What was it? She tries to focus, knowing that whatever it was has to be really big and not without consequences... She just wants to know if they're going to be good or bad.
Okay, Sharona, she thinks to herself, Adrian just asked what you'd say if he wanted you to go out to dinner with him, and you said 'Yes' -- which means that...
She looks him right in the eye, stomach flopping again for no reason at all and realizes that the feeling is back. God, does she want to kiss him... Which is wrong. But that's it. That's it -- that's got to be it, because there's no way it could ever be anything else.
By answering his question, she just agreed to go out with him at any time in the future. And, while she doubts it will happen, it leaves her feeling kind of psyched.
She might go out with Adrian Monk.
He feels horrible when she stands up and announces that she'd better go get Benjy, and while he accepts the choice politely there's part of him that wants to protest and... and never let her out. Unfortunately, he knows he's no match for her and follows reluctantly to the door, where she picks up her purse and smiles. She says she's glad he's okay and it brings a second-long smile to his face. He says he's glad she came over.
The awkwardness -- and stupidity -- felt from his hypothetical question is long gone. She said 'Yes.'
She pats his shoulder and turns around to face the door, reaching for the handle with one final goodbye. He wishes she didn't have to go. He likes it when she's here -- it seems so empty without her, if they're not arguing or talking or just sitting...
She's facing him now, and for some reason the door his closed and his hand is gently wrapped around her wrist. Her eyebrows are raised, giving him the most questioning Look he has ever seen... How did this happen? He doesn't remember doing it -- he doesn't remember blindly reaching for her hand and... and stopping her retreat. But it seems to have happened, and it's not something he's disturbed with.
She doesn't say anything. He tries to, but decides it will be better if he doesn't. ...Instead, he takes this opportunity to carefully study her face, examining and memorizing every single feature. Cheeks and lips and soon he's back to eyes, staring into blue and blue and blue... and then Sharona. It's one of those moments, he thinks excitedly as he's jolted into the blue -- one where her eyes... her eyes say everything and he finds it all so perfectly, without any distractions or anger. She's happy. Pleased, maybe and... and kind of annoyed with herself for something. He wishes he knew what it was -- it's probably not even that bad.
They can both be pretty hard on themselves.
She's also... also worried, a little, about something. It's not foremost on her mind, though, so it can't be too horrible. Amused. She's amused because of this moment but seems to be... to be like him, kind of hypnotized. She's so beautiful.
"I... I'd really better go," she says suddenly, shaking his mind and she's a little closer than he remembers her being before, but he doesn't make a point of mentioning it.
"Yeah," he replies, and smiles apologetically. "Tell Benjy I say 'Hi.'"
"...Adrian?"
"Yeah?"
She snickers to herself and then coughs: "I can't leave until ya let go of me."
He knows that.