"A designated what?" Sara looked a bit perplexed as she tried to decipher the second word Nick had used in between the bites of hotdog he was eating.
Nick smiled sheepishly as he swallowed. "Designated hitter." He was pretty pleased with the fact that not only did Sara seem interested in the game, but she had changed into the Texas Rangers t-shirt he had bought for her as well.
Does she have any idea how cute she is?
"And why do they need one of those?" Baseball was turning out to be a bit more complicated than Sara had imagined, but the more Nick told her, the more interested she was becoming in the game, despite the fact that after two innings his Rangers were down by three runs.
"Uh, well actually only the American League has the designated hitter; the National League's pitchers bat." Nick explained.
"So the Rangers are in the American League then?" Sara queried him as she popped a nacho into her mouth.
As Nick watched her lick her lips, he felt suddenly jealous of her tongue and forced himself to look at her eyes. "Yeah."
How have I worked with her this long and not been completely distracted by her? I mean we've worked crime scenes and she's been to my house numerous times; damn I want to kiss her.
"What about the Mariners?" Sara understood why Nick was a fan of the Rangers being from Texas and all, but she had to admit that she really like the Mariner's uniforms better, their mascot was cuter and the fact that they were in the lead didn't hurt either.
"They're in the American League too." Nick continued.
I wonder what she'd do if I put my arm around her; she let me hold her hand earlier and that went pretty well.
"What happens if an American League team plays a National League team?" It seemed to her that the rules were a little odd given that she could have sworn at some point in time other than the World Series the two leagues played each other. She'd heard Nick and Warrick mention inter-league play in the break room and it occurred to her that this little designated hitter thing might complicate the rules.
Nick was impressed. "Well, it all depends on who the home team is." He smiled at her and feigned a stretch as he rested his arm on the seat behind her.
That went pretty smooth and I would be willing to swear under oath that she smiled when I did that. Could it be that Miss Sara Sidle might have wanted to go out with me for a while?
"If the American League team is hosting the game, then they play by their rules and the National League team gets to use a designated hitter. If the National League team hosts then the American League team has to put their pitchers behind the plate for a turn at bat." Nick continued to explain, trying not to focus too much on Sara's lips.
Sara pursed her lips together, trying to keep her smile from getting too big. "So how do they decide who the home team is during an exhibition game?" She glanced over at Nick and found herself looking into his eyes, her smile immediately widening at their close proximity.
"Uh, I guess someone just decides; I'm not sure how they do it." He grinned at her, his hand coming to rest on her arm and his fingers unconsciously caressing her arm.
The sound of a bat cracking against a baseball pulled their attention back to the game just in time for Sara to dodge a fly ball. Her eyes were a little wide and she let out a nervous laugh as she found that she had scooted into Nick to avoid the ball which the person sitting behind her ended up catching.
Well that was convenient, I think I like having her this close and if there weren't so many people, I'd be tempted to kiss her right now.
"You ok?" Nick smiled at her, letting out a nervous laugh of his own.
"Yeah." Sara relaxed back into her seat, but couldn't help but smile at the fact that Nick had his arm securely around her shoulders.
"Good." Nick glanced back at the game and as he did, his eyes widened. "Six runs! When did that happen?"
When did it get to be the fourth inning? Ok, I must really be distracted if I missed the Rangers getting clobbered by the Mariners. Of course, I'm not sure that I could have found a better distraction than Sara.
"Are you sure you want to stay loyal to your team?" Sara had a smirk on her face. "I mean, the Mariners are looking pretty good, and not that you'd notice, that Bret Boone is pretty cute." It was true that the Mariner slugger, who was currently at bat, was rather good looking, but Sara really wanted to tease Nick.
Nick snorted out a laugh. "Oh, is that how it is?" He could clearly tell she was trying to bait him, and he reasoned that he was going to play along.
"And did you see their mascot?" Sara's smirk was quickly turning into a smile regardless of her efforts to the contrary.
"A moose." Nick retorted. "What does a moose have to do with a Mariner? Ever see a moose on the open sea?"
I could just forget about the crowd and kiss her right now…but I sort of want our first kiss to be memorable…and there is the danger of being interrupted by another foul ball…well maybe later.
"He's cute." She pursed her lips to keep from laughing. "I mean I understand how a horse relates to the Rangers, but the moose is much cuter."
"So you'd go out with him if he asked you on a date then." Nick teased.
Sara giggled. "Are you jealous?"
"No." Nick smirked.
Who am I kidding?
Sara smirked back at him. She'd always enjoyed the flirty banter between them, but knowing that they were on a date and the fact that Nick had his arm around her was sending flurries of butterflies to her stomach.
I wonder if I should wait until the end of the date before I ask her out again…it's not like we won't see each other at work…well since the damn team split I don't see her nearly enough…but I really want to go out with her again, and maybe in not such a public place depending on how that kiss goes later.
"He's not really your type." Nick commented as he pointed at the moose who was dancing on the top of the dugout. He pulled her a little closer as he whispered in her ear. "Besides, I never really envisioned you being with a guy named 'Moose'."
Sara couldn't hold back her giggles.
"Now a guy named 'Nick' on the other hand; that's a good solid name." He puffed his chest out a little bit to emphasize his point.
Sara glanced over at him and impulsively reached up and cupped his cheek, leaning in and planting a kiss on his cheek. "You're cute."
Ok, I am definitely going to kiss her when I get the chance, and I'm not sure I'm willing to wait until the game is over…I don't even care if the Rangers lose…ok, I care a little, but a loss is worth it if I get to kiss Sara.
Nick quirked an eyebrow, not quite able to hide his grin. "Cuter than the moose?" She'd brought it up and he wasn't quite ready to drop it.
Sara giggled as she nodded and then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially in his ear. "You're even cuter than Bret Boone."
