"You know, the first time I saw you, I didn't think you were a cop."
"What'd you think I was?" Alex pulled the lime away from her lips.
"I dunno.. you weren't upset, or nervous. Just so ... put together. Maybe an attorney. But then you smiled."
"That's an interesting point. I never see Carver smile... until after we've given him the final, damning piece of the puzzle." She laughed, and he did too.
After the third round, a waitress came by to take away the empty shot glasses, and give them more lime wedges and shots. Bobby leaned back and grinned.
"What about you." He gestured towards her. "What was your first impression."
"Hmm.." Alex pretended to pause for thought. "I don't remember." Her blue eyes raised to meet his, and she smiled.
"Oh no, don't think you can try and smile your way out of this,"
"Who's trying?"
"What was your first impression?"
"I ... didn't see you walk in like you saw me. I saw you talking. You had your back turned, and you were explaining something. You were fucking tall," They both started laughing as she fingered another shot. "Then you turned around. I knew you were a cop. You had that damn notebook in your hand, and a desk. The guy you were talking to saw me, and you saw him look, so you turned around."
"Yeah. He got distracted by you."
"Well, I didn't know a thing about you before that, except you were some hot shot detective. I figured the Detective Goren I'd heard of was some.."
"Some... what?"
"I dunno. Not you. You turned and fixed me with that look you have sometimes. It was a combination. You were analyzing, but there was something else. I dunno." She shrugged.
"Come on... you need another shot." He slid one in front of him as well.
"In my own time,"
"You drink or you tell." He raised his glass, and smiled at her. She grudgingly raised hers. "On three." By three, he had tossed his back, but hers had returned to the table.
"I can't just yet."
"Then you tell." He licked salt from his finger, and leaned his head on his fist to gaze at her.
"What was I talking about."
"How I looked at you when we first met."
"Oh." She cleared her throat. "You were analyzing me... but not like you analyze witnesses and suspects. It was different. You turned, and your expression.. it was somewhere between a smile and a frown. Your eyes were smiling, like... they were soft. God, I can't talk." She downed the shot and winced.
"My eyes were soft?"
"Yeah," She looked up. His face was relaxed, but his eyes... they took her in, with something of a smile. An understated humor that she could read. "Just like that."
"Like what?"
"Your expression, just a second ago. That was exactly how it was when I met you."