A/N: Booth and Temperance decided that they were not quite ready for dinner yet. Read about their thoughts instead. This is a new way of writing for me, let me know what you think.
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"I'm sorry." Booth immediately said, pulling his arm away from her waist. "I didn't mean to."
"It's okay, Booth." Temperance assured him.
"No, Bones. You made it perfectly clear that you weren't ready for this kind of contact yet. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
His sentence made me feel guilty. I know he is hurt and I know that it's because of me. I certainly didn't do it on purpose but how was I supposed to know that he was going to do that? Not that it hadn't felt nice. It did feel nice actually and that was the problem. It wasn't supposed to fee like that though I'm not sure exactly how it was supposed to feel. I do know that the tingly feeling that I got after wasn't supposed to happen. Unfortunately it has and it has left me confused.
He kept a distance between the both of us as we walked back to the parking lot. We made small talk the whole way and I regretted my reaction at the beach. If I hadn't jerked up like I had, I'm pretty sure Booth would have kept his arm around my waist and wouldn't have apologized for the quick kiss. I smile as I recall the touch of his soft lips on my cheek. I turn to look at him. He's looking at the road ahead of us.
I turn back and look outside. Trees are zooming past us and I get dizzy watching them. I drop my gaze to the pavement and I wonder where Booth is planning on taking me. I don't bother to ask him because he's only going to tell me that I'll just have to wait until we get there.
I have to admit to myself, I did have fun today and no amount of denying will ever change that. Booth and I do have fun when we're not arguing. And him admitting that I was worthy of a place so sacred to him that he didn't even brought his kid really touched me. I look at him once again. I wonder if he felt that way when he read the dedication from my last book. Probably not.
I had debated a lot before actually dedicating my book to him. At first, I had thought of David. He was the one who had helped me with my plot, giving me a few ideas here and there even though I didn't really use all of them, he had even convinced me to make my two main characters kiss after a near-death experience. Even though today I am glad I hadn't dedicated my book that my ex-boyfriend, I was still afraid of dedicating it to Booth. But I thought that, after all we had been through that year and after everything he had done for me, he at least deserved that.
Booth pulls out of the freeway and into the traffic of Washington. I watch in silence as he turns right instead of left at the avenue. I still have no clue where he's planning on bringing me.
I had trouble this morning thinking that I was actually going on a date with Booth and even now, I'm still wondering what made me say yes to him. Ever since David had broke up with me, Booth had been tailing behind me, asking me out for drinks or for a movie or for dinner. It was really starting to get annoying. Yet, I begin to wonder now if that was the real reason I said yes. I mean, was it possible that I felt flattered by Booth's attention?
I think it's time I admit it. If, two years ago, Booth would have asked me out, I would have said yes. Even though I hated his guts, parts of me were still very attracted to him and actually believed that the feeling might have been mutual. Of course, Angela's thoughts on the question only made matters worse, especially after I found out Booth had a girlfriend. I actually thought my world was going to crumble down when I saw that blond lawyer walking in the living room. After that episode, I swore to myself that Booth wouldn't hurt me anymore. Not like he did it on purpose to hurt me in the first place but it was easier to blame him for leading me on than to blame myself for being so naive.
I kept my feelings for Booth hidden underneath years of shielding and I even led myself to believe that I didn't have feelings for him anymore. Lately, though, these old feelings are resurfacing and they scare me.
We drive a bit more and Booth pulls into a parking lot. I look up at the sign and read the name of the restaurant. I've never heard of it before but judging by the exterior, it seems nice. More than nice, actually.
He turns to me.
"I called and made reservations this morning. The host told me that there weren't any tables left but I pulled some strings and they added an extra table just for us."
I stare at him in disbelief. Why did he do that? We could have just gone to another restaurant instead.
I'm touched by how much work he put in this date. First the picnic at the park, then the secluded beach and now this. The guilt comes back from the way I acted this afternoon. He had planned all of this just for me and here I was ruining the day for him. I'm really touched but I don't know how to show him. I'm really not good with dealing with feelings.
He parks the SUV not far from the entrance and immediately gets out. I quickly follow him out. He's walking really fast, like he's in a hurry to get somewhere. I jog to catch up with him. As we walk side-by-side, I take a deep breath before slowly sliding my hand in his. My hand seems to have a shooting effect on him because he immediately slows down. I look up at him and smile. I know that I don't have to say anything. My move said more than any words would ever say.
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Next chapter: Booth's thoughts.