Something About Vegas

Possibilities

She sat with her legs crossed, elbows on her knees, chin in her hands and continued to watch him sleep. Peacefully asleep, he still managed to look rumpled. Hair sticking up, every which way, it was messier than usual. He was in dire need of a shave. Her tender skin was a testament to the rough, dark stubble that covered his cheeks and chin. The sheet and bed cover were in a tangle all around him, completing the disheveled look. But none of that mattered, because she still found him undeniably attractive. Looking at him now, she wondered if she finally had some answers to the questions and confusion that had plagued her the last couple of days.

He opened one eye and regarded her curiously. "Hey," he said, his voice deep and full of sleep.

"Morning," she drawled, pulled out of her reverie by his voice. She couldn't help but grin at him as she ran her fingers through his unruly locks.

"Aren't you supposed to be here," he asked, motioning to the spot next to him under the covers, "and wearing a lot less clothing?"

"I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep," she replied and noticed the glint in his eyes. She smiled broadly because she knew exactly what he was going to say, but she stilled him by putting her finger to his lips. "I knew you needed the sleep and I didn't want to wake you, so I got up and went out. I brought you some coffee," she answered, motioning to the cup on the night stand.

"Well, that was very nice of you, I guess," he replied, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Tim hid things well, but over the last couple of days, he'd begun to reveal his feelings through his expressions and his actions.

"Is this better?" she asked and brought her lips to his, first grazing them ever so lightly, then deepening the kiss. Unexpected shivers ran down her arms and back. 'A simple kiss is not supposed to feel this good,' she mused, 'no wonder rational thought has gone right out the window.'

"That's much, much better," he murmured when the kiss ended, then he cupped the back of her head with his hand and brought her lips to his again, clearly not yet satisfied.

"Mmm, that was very nice, but if we keep this up, we'll never get to breakfast and I'm starving," she told him when they pulled apart. She handed him the still steaming cup of coffee. "Fixed the way you like it."

"Thanks. But I liked the kiss better," he grumbled.

"Maybe later," she teased. "We've got plans, we're going shopping," she informed him. With raised eyebrows, he looked at her strangely before he spoke.

"We have a long day of driving today and I know there's no shopping in our plans," he responded and his expression told her shopping was the last thing he planned on doing with her today, or maybe ever, if he could help it.

"Tim we have to go shopping, we have no clean clothes to wear, neither of us packed for this extended trip," she pleaded before he interrupted.

"We can make do, it's just a couple more days," he retorted.

"No we can't," she told him in a firm voice, while he studied her carefully. "I'm not sitting in a car with you when your clothes start to smell. We're going shopping after breakfast. There are some stores in town that'll have what we need. It won't take long and you won't suffer, I promise," she informed him, making clear from her tone and the look on her face that this was a closed subject.

"I still think it's unnecessary. I really don't want to go shopping, but I don't want to argue with you about it. I'm going to take a shower. I won't take long," he grumbled and got out of bed, looking around the room for his clothes.

"Just wait till after we go shopping. We can come back here to shower and then we'll have clean clothes to put on. Please get dressed so we can go eat, I'm really hungry," she instructed with a sheepish look on her face.

"Then won't we miss the check out time?" he stopped and asked, looking at her quizzically.

"Not exactly," she mumbled, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze, while stealing a glance at his unclothed body.

"Calleigh what aren't you telling me? I happen to know the check out time is 11 AM, so why do I get the sneaking suspicion that there's more than just shopping planned for today?" he questioned. His tone was stern, but it was difficult to take him seriously while he stood there naked. She bit down hard on her lip, if he didn't dress soon she was apt to tackle him to the bed, then they'd never leave the room.

"Why do you have to be so suspicious?" she retorted with a guilty look she couldn't hide from him.

"Hmm, maybe just the way you're acting," he answered, looking confused .

"We can talk at breakfast. Go get ready, I'll wait for you outside," she told him and didn't wait for his response.

He dressed quickly, met her outside and the two wandered over to the restaurant for breakfast. Ushered to a table, they placed their orders. The two sat silently, drinking their hot beverages, while they waited for their food. She couldn't help but wonder what was on his mind.

He had retreated and become silent, so different from the Tim who made love to her last night. Tim hid his feelings behind sarcasm and a dry wit. When that didn't work, he disappeared any way he could. Like he was doing now. He didn't want anyone to know what was really going on inside him. If she tended to keep her feelings under control, Tim elected to never acknowledge that he even had any. He preferred to act like he didn't care about anything or anyone.

But that, she knew, was no longer true. He had demonstrated his affections for her countless times over the past couple days, without ever telling her outright how he felt. She no longer harbored doubts about his feelings for her, she just wondered when he would become comfortable with them. Comfortable enough to tell her how he really felt and what he wanted.

What about her? Was she ready to be honest, to tell him how she felt and what she wanted? Could some of Tim's discomfort be related to her own inability to open up verbally? Did he still question if his feelings were reciprocated? Even after last night?

She began to think that maybe they were the two last people who should ever consider having a relationship, with each other, or anyone else, since neither was comfortable with their feelings. Unless, all they needed was a little more time.

"OK Calleigh, spill it. Whatever it is that's on your mind," he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked at him, his words sounded fierce, but he had a smirk on his face. "I've had enough coffee now to hear whatever it is, even to go shopping with you, if that's what you want."

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe we could spend the day here," she replied, grateful he had his humor back, because it would make this easier. "I was looking at the brochures I found in the lobby and there's quite a bit to see and do here. This is a city with a lot of old west history, which I find fascinating. It could be a fun, relaxing day. There's a museum, some restored historical buildings, an antique carousel that still runs, a chocolate factory with an outlet store..."

"Whoa, Calleigh you're rambling. I get the point, this is quite a place and I'm sure it would be," he paused, searching for the right word, "an entertaining day, but I think you're forgetting, we're not on vacation. We have jobs and responsibilities to return to. Jobs we were supposed to return to a couple days ago," he enlightened her.

"Tim I'm just talking about one day, it's not like you or I have ever used up all of our vacation time," she returned.

"Like I said, we're not exactly on vacation. H was understanding about you not wanting to fly home and about me driving with you, but I don't think he wants us taking longer than we have to. The weather yesterday already held us up. I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but we really need to get back." He was serious, not open to her idea at all. She wondered if she should say anything else to him, like tell him the truth, but decided against it. He was right, they needed to get back to work, they had responsibilities that came first. "Is it that important to you?" he asked, looking deep into her eyes.

"I guess I just thought it would be nice to spend the day together. Have some fun. I don't even really care what we do," she paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "I just wanted some time with you." She surprised herself with her honest admission.

It was the motivating force behind her desire to stay another day in Abilene and now she had admitted as much to him. She watched his face now for some reaction. Other than his intent gaze, he was devoid of expression.

"OK," he said finally, nodding his head, his voice soft, his eyes never leaving hers.

"OK," she answered back, a smile creeping on her lips and she felt her body relax. Perhaps this wouldn't be so difficult after all, she thought, as the waitress came to collect their plates.

"Maybe H will think of this side trip of yours as research," he suggested and seeing the look of confusion come over her, he added, "you know, all those old guns you're bound to see in that museum you mentioned."

She laughed. "And what about the chocolate factory, how does that factor in?" she asked.

"Lunch?" he tried.

"Nice try. Perhaps we'll think of a better excuse later," she answered. "You ready to go? I want to get the shopping done so I can get into the shower."

"Well, let's hurry then. I don't want to keep you from your shower," he replied with an unmistakable gleam in his eye.

"Maybe that's something you can give me a hand with," she suggested with a flirty smile. There was no mistaking the intention behind her words. This had been no accidental slip.

He cocked an eyebrow and studied her. She read the surprise that briefly shone in his eyes as he absorbed her unguarded revelation and the surprise was quickly followed by a look of desire. If he had any doubts about her feelings toward him, hopefully she was beginning to put them to rest.

Still peering at her with his eyebrow cocked, he finally spoke, a curious half smile on his face, "I think I could probably give you a hand with that."

"I think so, too. Let's get out of here," she drawled lazily and reached across the table for his hand.

tbc