Grissom led Sara through the entryway of Le Cirque and to the podium where the maitre d' was standing. He held her hand as he spoke to the gentleman. "Good evening. We have a reservation for 7:45. Grissom, party of 2."
"Ahh, yes. Right this way, sir."
As the maitre d' led them to their table, Sara couldn't help but feel that the entire situation was surreal. She had just stood in the lobby of an elegant restaurant, holding the hand of the inimitable Gil Grissom, while he proclaimed that they were "Grissom, party of 2." They had kissed in a limousine, and he had told her he loved her. He was going to take her dancing later. She was wearing a Prada dress, and she was still holding Gil Grissom's hand as he led her to their table. God, it was official. She had died and gone to Heaven. She looked up at the silk flowing down from the ceiling, creating a circus "tent" that helped add to Le Cirque's elegantly whimsical atmosphere. Not how she pictured Heaven, but she'd take it. As they reached their table, she looked down once more at their hands. The sight of her small, delicate hand carefully ensconced in his large, masculine one made her feel light-headed. 'Whoa, get a hold of yourself, Sidle. Passing out in the middle of Le Cirque would not be an amazing way to start your first date with Gil Grissom…oh, shit! I'm on a date with Gil Grissom! Dammit, Sara, get it together! Okay, breathe…in…out…okay, good.' Sara managed a very calm and gracious smile as Grissom pulled out her seat for her. She slipped gracefully into the chair, despite the fact that her heart was going a mile a minute at the thought that she was on a date with Gil Grissom! Swallowing hard, she berated herself for acting like a seventh grader. Drawing a few deep breaths, she calmed herself considerably. As she settled into her chair, the maitre d' listed the specials of the evening, as well as the House wines. Sara nodded appreciatively, even though she didn't hear a word he said. She was glad when Grissom requested a bottle of burgundy. Good—a little alcohol would help calm her nerves.
Sara was surprised at how smoothly the dinner went. When their waiter came to take their orders, Grissom deferred to Sara's vegetarian tastes by echoing Sara's order of risotto. She raised her eyebrows and told him he was more than welcome to order meat. He winked and said, "I'd like to continue kissing you later, Miss Sidle, and I doubt you'd enjoy it very much if I had meat-breath, hmm…?" She couldn't help but grin at that.
For the rest of the meal, they kept the conversation light, but not forced. They discussed their colleagues, their taste in music and movies, their favorite books, and some recent humorous incidents at the lab. It was as if there was an unspoken rule to keep the dinner conversation unemotional—there would be plenty of time for that later.
When they had finished their risotto—which was delicious—and were waiting on dessert, Grissom reached across the table and took her left hand in his right. He swept his thumb over the back of her hand, causing a pleasant tingle to travel through her body. She locked her eyes with his. In a low voice, full of emotion, she said, "If I haven't already said it, thank you…for everything."
He cocked his head to the side—just a little—and said, "If I haven't already said it, you're worth it." He watched with satisfaction as a slow grin spread across her face and she looked down at their hands. Her face pinked slightly as his words. He suddenly couldn't stop himself. He had to tell her again. "Sara, I love you." Her head jerked up. She still wasn't used to hearing those words from his mouth.
Her face grew serious as she replied, "And I you. You have truly made me the happiest woman in the world tonight, Gil. I know that may sound incredibly clichéd, but it's true. After all these years…I, I can't explain, it just makes it that much sweeter." She paused, concern creeping into her face. "Am I making any sense?"
He smiled at her. "Perfect sense." He released her hand and leaned back in his chair, studying her. Dear God in Heaven, he was sitting across the table from the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She was absolutely exquisite. Her face was beautiful, of course, but there was something more. She just radiated perfection, it seemed. The gentle curve of her neck, the smooth slope of her one bare shoulder, her long graceful arms, and those hands…those long delicate fingers. He still had no clue what this enchanting woman saw in him, but if she loved him, by God, he wasn't going to question it.
As Grissom gently let go of her hand and sat back, Sara looked at the man before her. He was leaning back in his chair with a studious look on his face. He had his index and middle fingers on the side of his face, with his ring finger and little finger curled under his bottom lip, just watching her. He was breathtakingly handsome. She imagined that it would be tough for anyone to look bad in Armani, but he just…wow. The suit was cut to perfection on him, and she briefly wondered how Catherine had managed to do it. The tie made his eyes even bluer, if possible, and the entire ensemble just made him look incredibly distinguished. Sara knew that he had always been concerned about their difference in age, and she smiled inwardly as she wondered what he would think if he knew that his age was one of the things that she found the sexiest about him. God, he was amazing. She sighed contentedly.
Grissom was startled out of his ruminations by a sigh from Sara. "You okay?" he queried with concern. She gave him a small smile.
"I'm perfect. I was just sitting here contemplating how incredibly good you look this evening," she said.
"Hmm. Great minds think alike, then, because I myself was just admiring your beauty. Really, Sara, that dress looks like it was designed with the goal of being worn on your amazing body." Grissom's face reddened slightly at that last bit. Perhaps he was being too forward. His fears, however, were assuaged by the Sara Sidle Grin.
The dessert arrived and was eaten slowly, every bite savored. When they finished, Grissom looked at his watch. "It's 9:45," he said. "We have 45 minutes to kill."
Sara gave him an inquisitive look. "What happens in 45 minutes?"
"We go dancing. I told you I'd take you dancing if you were good."
At this, Sara raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "I thought you were joking."
"I would never joke about dancing. What—you think I can't dance? Hell, Babe, I wouldn't have pegged you for a ballerina before Monday, but obviously I was wrong, huh?"
Sara gave a hearty laugh. Shaking her head, she said, "I still can't believe you spied on me while I was dancing! What if I'd fallen on my ass, Griss?"
"Ah, but you didn't." Lowering his voice again, he said, "Sara, I meant it. You looked like an angel. How long have you been dancing?"
As Sara started to answer, their waiter came with the bill. Grissom handed over his credit card and the waiter left again. Grissom looked at Sara expectantly. "Well," she began. "I started dancing when I was nine. It was my mom's idea. She had been a dancer, and I was really awkward as a child. She thought it would be a good idea to help me learn some coordination. And as luck would have it, I turned out to be quite good." Sara smiled at Grissom's enraptured look. He was obviously enjoying hearing about Sara as a child. She continued, "You would probably be surprised to know that dancing is what ignited my passion for physics. I figured out pretty quickly that a solid understanding of basic physics would help me be a better dancer, and of course, once I discovered physics, I fell I love with it." Sara looked up shyly at Grissom and said in a quiet voice, "When I was seventeen I played the lead in Swan Lake. I was so proud," she said, blushing a bit.
Grissom watched her as she spoke. He imagined that a seventeen year-old Sara Sidle as the lead in Swan Lake was probably a sight to behold. He whispered, "I bet you were beautiful."
"It was the first time in my life I really felt beautiful," she admitted. She took a breath before continuing. "You've made me feel beautiful tonight, Griss," she said, eyes cast down.
"Sara, I had nothing to do with it. If you haven't noticed, I can't keep my eyes off of you, and neither can anyone else," he said, waving his hands around. "Every single day when I see you at work, I marvel at your beauty—even after you've worked five doubles in a row and you're dead on your feet, you still look amazing to me. But tonight…" his voice trailed off as he searched for words. "Tonight, Sara, you just look incredible. For the first time in my life, I can't find the words to describe something."
The waiter approached the table with the credit card slip for Grissom to sign. He mentally calculated the gratuity and added it to the total. When he glanced up, Sara was staring at him with glistening eyes. He looked at her, relieved when she finally cracked a small smile and joked, "Dammit, Griss, you better stop saying stuff like that or I'm going to have to keep re-applying my makeup!"
Grissom laughed as he stood from his chair and helped Sara to her feet.
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When they were outside of the restaurant, Sara turned to Grissom and brushed her lips across his cheek. "Thank you for a wonderful dinner," she said. He turned to her and smiled mischievously.
"Hmm, for dinner at a five-star restaurant, I better get more than a peck on the cheek."
As Sara moved to land a playful punch on his arm, he grabbed her arms and pulled her in close. Her heart pounded as she looked into those magnificent blue eyes. He dropped his left hand to her waist and he placed his other hand on her face and neck, pulling her face to his. He gently pressed his mouth to hers, taking the time to process all the information assaulting his senses. Her smell, her taste, the feel of her mouth and tongue, the small sounds she made with her mouth as they kissed… He slowly pulled out of the kiss, leaving them both a little dazed. With his hand still cradling her face and neck, he whispered, "Thank you for allowing me to take you to dinner. It was wonderful."
She looked at him with hazy eyes. When she found her voice, she said, "Gil Grissom, I'm going to faint in your arms if you keep doing that."
"I could handle that," he said with a chuckle. He looked at his watch again. "Curve opens in less than a half hour. Do you feel like walking?" he asked, looking down at the heels she was wearing.
"Curve? At the Aladdin?"
"One and the same."
Sara raised both eyebrows. "Griss, you never fail to shock the living hell out of me. Come on, let's go," she said.