As Grissom tied his shoelaces, his concern grew. He glanced at his watch: 7:50 pm. Although she was not yet officially late, Sara's usual arrival time had come and gone. Two thirty-something, athletic young men approached him.
"Hey," the taller man spoke. "You must be our competition tonight."
"I must."
"I'm guessing from the team name that you're crime lab or morgue."
"Speak Latin, do you?"
The man grinned amiably. "Marty Ackers." He offered his hand for Grissom to shake. "This is my partner Glenn Zelinsky. We're in the legal department."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Gil Grissom."
"Where's your other half?" Glenn shook the entomologist's hand right as a shrill beep sounded. All three men instinctively reached for their phones.
"It's me," Grissom informed them. "It's, uh...my other half." Why did that sound so odd to his ears? "Hello?"
"Grissom, hey, I'm so sorry I'm late," Sara began. "I overslept a little, and then there's an accident on Gibson..."
"Sara, it's okay. I'll see you when you get here," he reassured her.
"I should be there in a few minutes."
Grissom turned back to Marty and Glenn. "She'll be here soon."
The attorneys began changing their shoes and preparing for the game. Being late would be unnerving for always-in-control Sara, Gil knew. Did oversleeping mean that she was sleeping better? Or did it mean she was unable to fall asleep until very late, hence sleeping through the alarm?
"You ready?" Marty asked. "I'll go first."
Grissom nodded, preoccupied with his thoughts.
"A strike!" Glenn pumped his fist in the air after Marty successfully bowled. "The first of many."
Marty wore an air of smugness as he returned. "Go for it, Gil."
"Hey, Marty, check that out," Glenn directed his friend's attention to the tall brunette walking toward them. "Times like this I wish I was single like you."
Marty grinned. "Is she coming here?"
Grissom struggled to hide his growing jealousy as he quickly moved between Sara and the gentleman, catching up to her just as she came within earshot. "Hey, you made it." He smiled warmly at her in the hope that Marty and Glenn would get the picture.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I really hate being late." She shook her head sheepishly, and sat down to get ready to bowl.
"Hi, I'm Marty."
"I'm Glenn."
"Sara," she responded politely.
"And we've already established that I'm Gil," Grissom piped up, his voice dripping in irritation. "Can we get on with this?"
"Still your turn," Marty retorted.
Sara noticed the items on the table. "Hey, you got fries."
"They're for you," Grissom said flatly. "And your soda."
She rewarded him with one of her brightest smiles. "Thank you. That's very nice."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Midway through the second game, Grissom sat lost in thought while Sara bowled. He mulled over Hodges words from the week before. Gil and Sara. The Gruesome Twosome. He tried to put his finger why they sounded so pleasant to his ears. He'd spent his life being Gruesome Grissom, the eccentric loner. 'Gil and Sara' had a very nice ring to it. And if he was Gruesome Grissom, then as a couple they would be the Gruesome Twosome. Yes, the words sounded like music. It made him feel as if he were part of a couple, rather than alone. Part of him wanted to stop this line of thought immediately; a larger part surprised him by enjoying the feeling of couplehood. But they weren't a couple, he had to remind himself. Not yet, anyway. He still had a great deal of work to do before realizing that goal.
In the meantime, there were other challenges to be faced. Marty had stepped up his flirting to a level that could only be described as shameless. Couldn't that idiot see that she was only being polite? She was only being polite, right? It didn't help matters that the guy appeared to have stepped right off the cover of a magazine. Was Sara interested in that sort of thing? If that good-for-nothing medic had been any indication, she was. Ugh, he hated what his insecurity did to him. Why couldn't life always be about science, an arena in which he felt confident in his abilities?
"What time did you end up getting out this morning?" Sara appeared next to him on the bench. "That double looked like it was going to take a while."
"I left not too long after you did." He avoided making eye contact with her.
"Hey, Sara!" Marty's voice rang out as he stepped back into the seating area after his turn. Sara pretended not to have heard him. Mercifully, Glenn intercepted his approach to speak him.
"I think Marty's trying to get your attention," Grissom said, hoping he didn't sound as angry as he felt.
"Marty's a leech," she confided in disgust. "He's driving me crazy. What makes him think dropping hints about his annual salary or his fancy car would make me swoon into his arms? Do I seem like that kind of person?"
"No," Grissom's reply was short and sincere.
"Thanks. Oh, I think they're waiting for you." She pointed to the flashing arrow beside his name on the electronic scorer.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
"Looks like we don't get to play each other again," Marty told Grissom after he'd perused the league schedule. They'd bowled their final frame of the night.
Grissom didn't even attempt to disguise his disdain for the man. "That's too bad."
"Do you have a problem with me?" Marty asked. "What? Is it her? She's not with you, is she?"
"Why would you assume that she isn't?"
"Am I wrong? Is she with you?" When Grissom responded only with an icy stare, Marty knew he'd hit pay dirt. "She isn't. But you want her to be. Good luck," he offered and gave Grissom a patronizing pat on the back. "You'll need it."
Sara arrived and sat beside her supervisor again, getting ready to head home for the evening.
"Hey," Marty pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to Sara. "I know you said you're working tomorrow, but give me a call someday when you're free."
Grissom seethed silently until Glenn and Marty had left the bowling alley. "I thought he wasn't your type," he said at last.
His accusatory manner served to incense Sara. "I told you I'm not interested in him, and I'm not."
"Then you're leading him on."
"'Cause you should know what that looks like," she shot back, instantly regretting it. "I was just being nice to him, Grissom. And what's it to you, anyway? Why should it matter?"
The insinuation knocked the wind out of him. "I've never intentionally misled anyone."
"I shouldn't have said that. This is a conversation we should have had a long time ago, but we didn't, and now it's history. I'm not sure I really want to revisit it." She kept her tone gentle, but the air felt thick and heavy with emotion.
"You're right, we should have. It's something I think I'll regret for a very long time."
Sara shook her head sadly. "Don't do this to me. Please, just...don't." She grabbed her bag and, once again, she was gone before he was able to process her words and formulate an appropriate response.
TBC