Michelle looked at her watch, it was nearly 4pm. She had seen Tony for a total of 5 minutes today because he had been in meeting after meeting and she had been back and forth between tech trying to get CTU back up and running. Although she had been home in a way it felt like she hadn't even left. The bomb at CTU yesterday had cut their resources in half while at the same time doubling their workload. Fortunately Division had sent over about 15 replacements from around the country to help them get back on their feet again.
She had spent most of her day either thinking about the kiss with Tony yesterday or keeping an eye out for him. Kissing Tony had felt even more amazing than she thought it would. She still couldn't decide how she felt about what happened. Never in a million years would she imagine kissing her boss like that, not only was it unprofessional but it just wasn't her. She had never made a first move on a man before. On the other hand when she stopped herself and apologized, he had responded by kissing her even more passionately back. One thing she did know was that there was something really special about Tony, no one made her feel the way he did.
She shut her computer down as she prepared to head to the final meeting for the day. Tony was going to be in there and she could feel herself become more and more nervous the closer she got to the conference room. She walked in and found herself a seat at the end of the table. He wasn't there yet, she scribbled in her notebook to keep herself from staring at the door waiting for him to walk in.
"Hey."
She looked up to see him standing next to her. She had gotten so involved in scribbling that not only had she not noticed him walk in the door but also walk right up to her. He looked so adorable. He still hadn't shaved but the deep circles that he had under his eyes yesterday morning were gone. He must have slept a lot.
"Hi Tony."
He sat down next to her. He had crossed the room to the furthest empty seat so he could sit next to her. "So ahhh....how you doing today?"
She couldn't help but smile. "I'm ok, I see you survived all your meetings."
He nodded his head. "Just....."
He went to speak again but then stopped himself. Chappelle's entrance meant he couldn't try again.
The meeting was long and boring. Neither of them could completely concentrate, as they were too busy trying to steal glances at each other. Michelle had butterflies the entire time. She had spent next to no time with him outside work yet there was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel like she knew him better than anyone else.
Her pen dropped to the ground and he bent down for it before it had even hit the ground. She felt all her muscles go tense as she realized that now that his head was under the table he could see her legs closer than he ever had before. She took a sip of her drink but just as she was about to swallow she felt his hand gently brush over her other hand on her lap. As quick as it was there it was gone but it was enough to make her almost choke. She swallowed down the wrong tube and thus started coughing uncontrollably. With the eyes of the entire meeting now on her she excused herself and went to the kitchen to grab some water.
The meeting finished within minutes of Michelle leaving the room. Tony stared at her folders and decided it was a perfect opportunity to go and speak with her. He gathered them up with his and headed for the kitchen. She was alone, her hands resting on the bench and her head down.
"You ok Michelle?"
She spun around. "Yeah, thanks."
"Was that my fault?"
She smiled at him so shyly. He loved her smile. She wasn't sure if she should be honest or not. "Sort of, I guess you kind of took me by surprise a little." She spoke again straight away not wanting him to think she minded what he did. "I didn't mind though."
This made him smile, he bit his bottom lip at the same time. He drew his hand down the left side of his face as he took a couple steps in closer to her. "So I ahh....I've got your folder..."
She took it from him and rested it down on the table in front of them. "Thanks for that."
There was silence for a moment as they studied one another. "Listen Michelle, about yesterday..." He kept his hand on his cheek as he looked her in the eyes. She held her breath as what he was about to say could really go either way. "I ahh...ummm...are you free? Do you think I might be able to have dinner with you tonight?"
It was his turn to hold his breath as he waited for her answer. "I'd like that."
He couldn't take his eyes off of her nervous smile. He loved that he could tell she was nervous. "Great, why don't you come around to my place at say 7? I'll cook us up something."
"Ok...but I don't want you to have to go to any trouble – we can go out if you want."
Tony did a quick take of the room to make sure nobody was around. He tucked a loose strand of hair sweetly behind her ear. "Cooking relaxes me, besides I'd rather not have to share you with anyone else."
Michelle felt like she was 12 again the way he made her giggle and blush. "I guess I'd better go home and change then."
Tony opened his door to find Michelle, she was dressed in jeans and a top, and her hair usually tied back was free falling over her shoulders. He had never seen her like this and he felt blown away.
"Hi Michelle.... come in."
"Thanks Tony." She stepped in through the doorway so she was next to him. He was in jeans and a shirt, she had never seen him look so relaxed. He had shaved and kept the top few buttons of his shirt open. They stood staring at each other.
"Would you like some wine?"
"Sure." She followed him into the kitchen.
He held up some red and white. "Red or white?"
"Red thanks."
He smiled. He always guessed she was more of a red drinker than white. He poured them both a glass and then handed one to her. He led her into the living room, she noticed his balcony. "Wow you have a balcony here? How good is the view?"
"It's of the hills, here come and look." He extended his hand out to her, his knees felt a little week when she flashed him a small smile and then placed her hand in his. They walked out onto his small deck, she rested her glass on the rail and then took in the view, which was mostly lights in the now dark sky.
"It's beautiful Tony." She looked over her shoulder because she sensed that he was standing just behind her. He was stepping in closer to her and he slipped his arms around her waist. Michelle couldn't believe how different she felt in his arms. She not only felt safe but had an over whelming feeling that everything would be 'ok', she didn't think she had ever really felt like that before. Michelle wondered if Tony could tell how nervous she was, surely he could feel that he had made all her muscles flinch. She put her left hand over his on her stomach and reached her right hand up behind his head so it rested on the back of his neck, she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
He closed his eyes for a moment to take in how good he felt. Tony then looked over her shoulder down at her hand covering his, it looked so small and delicate and especially soft next to his. He wanted to kiss her neck, he wanted to spin her around and kiss her mouth, he wanted to tell her how amazing she was, but his heart was pounding rapidly. He didn't usually struggle to do or say what he wanted but he was so conscious of doing the right thing with Michelle. There was something special about her and he didn't want to screw it up. It was hard to imagine that Michelle could really have feelings for him, he had admired her since the day she started at CTU but never truly thought he would have a chance with her.
Each moment that past he found himself becoming more and more desperate to feel her lips pressed up against his, just like they had in the hallway at work. He had replayed that moment over in his mind a million times since it happened. He had been so relieved that she had kissed him like that, after he had hugged her he kept her close, stroking the side of her face. He had never wanted or needed to kiss anyone more but he was so wary of not taking advantage of her. He was her boss and she had fallen apart in his arms, before he could make a move it had to be clear that was exactly what she wanted as well. It had been such a sexy moment and when she pulled back to say sorry he couldn't even speak, he wasn't ready to stop kissing her and so he had tightened his grip on her a little and kissed her back. He had been surprised how by just kissing her how much it affected how his entire body felt, he had felt the tingles all the way to his little toe.
He couldn't stand it any longer, he pressed himself into her and kissed her neck and then whispered into her ear. "You are so gorgeous Michelle." He kissed her sweetly again.
His words bought a huge smile to her face. To hear Tony call her gorgeous gave her huge butterflies. Michelle spun her body around in his arms so that they were face to face. He adjusted his grip on her so he could pull he back in close and she rested her hands flat on his chest. "Tony.... I.... umm...God you are handsome."
He let out a huge breath he had no idea he was holding in. He had not expected her to say anything like that back to him and almost like an instant reflex he asked her, "really?" He couldn't believe he had said that, he dropped their eye contact and looked down, he could of kicked himself for making himself look like an idiot only minutes into her arrival. As he was busy cursing himself he felt her hand on his chin lifting his head back up. She was smiling at him. "Really Tony.... I am so attracted to you."
He grabbed her cheek with his hand and leaned in and kissed her passionately. He felt her fingers grip into his chest, he could tell she wanted this kiss too. He pushed his tongue past her lips deepening the kiss. She groaned into his mouth encouraging him even more. He couldn't get enough of her and what made it perfect was that it was like she felt the same way back. At least another 5 minutes past before he pulled back. "I've gotta check on dinner, I wish I didn't have to but I'm sure its done by now."
Michelle nodded her head and smiled whilst she caught her breath. She followed him back inside where she asked if there was anything she could do to help. Tony told her to just relax, he served up the meal and then led her into his small dining room. Michelle was so shocked she stopped in her tracks. Tony had set up the table so romantically. There was only candle light, flowers in the middle of the table and everything was set up perfectly. He felt concerned for a moment as she just stood there. "What's wrong Michelle?"
"Nothing is wrong Tony. I just can't believe this.... I can't believe you, this is so beautiful – I had no idea you were so romantic."
"Thanks Michelle, come sit down." He pulled out her chair for her and pushed it in as she sat down. Tony was even a little surprised at himself, he felt like he would walk to the end of the earth and back for this girl just to see her smile. He had definitely never been like this about any other woman before. He didn't even think it was possible to have feelings like this.
"So how have you been holding up after yesterday Michelle?"
"Alright I guess. There is so much that happened, I don't even know how to think about it all. What about you?"
"Better than I thought. I just passed out when I got home and slept forever. That made today a little easier. I was really proud of you yesterday Michelle, without you we would never have gotten through it."
"Tony you're the one that held the office together. I wanted to thank you for being there for me yesterday and supporting me - that meant a lot."
"Michelle, I also was responsible for giving you a rough time. I wish I could've been more for you..."
"When you followed me Tony....that was when I really needed someone and you were there..."
Michelle stopped herself and Tony could see that she was holding back. She looked stressed and very unsure of herself. He covered her hand on the table with his. "What are you thinking? You can talk to me Michelle."
Michelle could feel her emotions rising. She became scared if they talked about this much more she would end up in tears. She hadn't been able to even think about everything yet without shedding a few tears. She knew it was because she was so exhausted, she had also never experienced loss like she did yesterday either.
She still hadn't spoken yet, he could sense how much she was holding back. He wanted her to be able to open up to him. "It's ok Michelle, I'm here for you."
She took in a huge breath. "It's just...well everything. I can't close my eyes without picturing Paula or everyone else we lost. It scares me Tony. I didn't sleep a second last night, I couldn't because I didn't know how to close my eyes. I'm still not sure if I should have kissed you the way I did – not because I didn't want to but because you are my boss and it was so out of character for me. I don't know..." She had pushed through without breaking into tears but her eyes were watery.
"Hey hey Michelle, it's ok. I am so glad you kissed me, I wanted to but I hesitated because I knew you were upset and vulnerable. Me being your boss is not even an issue. You have no idea how much I wanted that kiss.... how much I want you."
She blushed and bit her bottom lip. He continued. "It's ok to be scared about what's happened Michelle. I want you to know that I am here for you, you don't have to go through this alone anymore. I'll help you feel safe so you can close your eyes and sleep....ok?"
"How? I don't want to be a burden to you Tony."
"Come here." Tony pushed his seat back and put his arms out for her. She stood and went to him, he had her sit on his lap and then held her so tightly. "You could never be a burden Michelle. I thought if you'd let me, I would hold you until you fell asleep. Nothing else has to happen if you don't want, I'd just like to be able to hold you close and make sure you are ok."
This was enough for a tear to make its way down her cheek. He caught it with his lips. She hugged him. "You want me to stay here? You would do that for me?"
"Hey, you would be helping me out too, I'd rather not be alone at the moment as well." He hugged her again, this time they held each other tightly for a long time. He ran his hand up and down her back to comfort her as she held him.
Michelle eventually sat back up. "We don't want our dinner to go cold, you are an excellent cook Tony." He thanked her as she headed back to her seat.