It wasn't awkward the way he thought it would be. They simply split the large pile of tests, each taking an answer key and got down to business.
He sat down on the love seat in the middle of the room, while she sat on the floor at his side, each diligently working through their own piles.
It was well past midnight when he finished his pile; he finally tore his attention away from the massive amount of papers to her. Realizing that not only had she finished before him but that she had fallen asleep with her head against his thigh.
He couldn't help staring at her, finding her even more beautiful in this moment. He caressed her cheek gently, whispering her name in her ear. She yawned, rubbing her cheek into his leg, softly sighing, "Oh Grissom…."
He couldn't stop the flare of arousal that hit him at her breathy words. God he wanted her. He felt the sting of physical attraction the moment he saw her, but that's all it was, physical. Until he heard her speak, intelligence flowing through every word. Her subtle witty sense of humour that he had glimpsed at over the past week, her breathtaking smile….he was falling for her. He was falling in love with a woman at least 10 years his junior, and one of his students to boot. God Gill, how on earth did you get yourself into this mess.
He couldn't bring himself to wake her, she looked entirely too peaceful and from the dark circles under her eyes, he was positive that she was sorely lacking in a decent night's sleep. He gently lifted her from the floor to the loveseat, cherishing the way she snuggled into his arms before he set her down.
He pulled the throw from the back of the couch, draping it over her sleeping form. He couldn't stop himself from running a finger up and down her cheek, loving the adorable way her eyelids fluttered before she drifted into a deeper level of sleep. He kissed her forehead, whispering "Goodnight angel" as he moved towards his own room.