That's a Good Idea

The next morning, Miranda went downstairs and caught Val just as she was going to the basement. The younger Bailey followed her into the kitchen. "You know, I'll take my," Val started mocking a nasally, high-pitched Southern accent, "'oh, thank you, my dear, sweet sister, Valerie Monique. Your idea to go speed dating was positively amazing because I've met the most wonderful man in all the land…'" Miranda chuckled at the truth as her sister continued: "'And I'm willing to repay you by letting you borrow that crop top hoodie that I got for Christmas for your date tomorrow night'."

They sat down at the table. "I'm not saying any of that, but you can borrow it." She yawned, putting her head in her hand. "Wait, another date? With who?"

"'With whom'," Dani said, walking in tying her robe.

"You're here?" Val asked, ignoring Miranda's query.

"Yeah, I thought you had an early morning," Miranda chimed in.

"I did. I just… didn't feel like it." She shrugged. "So, I rescheduled."

While her older sister did enjoy most aspects of her job, Miranda was well aware that it didn't quite fulfill her in a way that it once had. But the money was good and the hours gave her time to be "Dani," so she dealt with it. "Oh okay," she said, not pressing.

"We could hang out later on if you're not busy with the firefighter."

"Uh, I would never ditch either of you for a man."

"I would," Val said unapologetically.

"Me, too," Dani echoed getting a bottle of water from the freezer. "In fact, I have. Multiple times."

Glancing from one sister to the other, Miranda shook her head watching them smile. "Well, I'm not like you two hussies. So there's that."

Their grins turned to loud giggling. "Speaking of which, don't think I don't know about you two delinquents staying out all damn night." Val gasped as Miranda squeaked. "Yeah, and I will be needing the details later."

When the oldest had left the room, Miranda looked at Val. "So, come on. Who is he?" Miranda asked, wanting to get the tea before Dani. "Do we know him?"

Val circled the edge of her mug. "Maybe, but… I, uh… I don't want to mess it up by talking about it too soon, you know?"

Miranda held up her hand as the coffee maker signaled that some was ready. "Got it. Got it."

"But you… Mandy, you look so happy."

The rise of her cheeks and the warmth circulating across her face answered before she could deny it. "I don't. I look wretched. I haven't even had my coffee yet."

"I'm talking about last night. It's almost like— GASP! Did you…?"

She stared at her sister waiting for her to finish the question. "Did I what?" Val's eyes got as big as saucers. "Oh! Girl! It's only been a couple of weeks."

"Um, if I recall, you and…" She made a noise, while raising her brows, "hooked up just a few dates in."

"True." She'd been a virgin for so long that when Tucker had come along, she hopped right into bed and never looked back. Sex with him hadn't been bad. Though, she didn't have anything else to compare it to. He'd been her first… everything. The only man she'd ever considered giving herself to. And then there was marriage. In a tone that Miranda still remembered, the usually effervescent Dani had pulled her aside and told her that maybe she should wait. Just think it over, Mandy girl. But the younger Bailey was sure he was the guy for her—her forever.

Knowledgeable Big Sister—one. Hardheaded Little Sister—zero.

To her credit and to a thankful Miranda's surprise, Danielle had never said "I told you so," had never rubbed it in her face. "And that's one of the reasons why I didn't know him and he didn't know me," Miranda said, mumbling that last part. "But I don't want to talk about him."

"Yes, let's talk about the firefighter and when he's going to burst into this house wearing that uniform and—"

Miranda gave her a look. "Do not finish that," she said though she'd had that same vision several times. Him scooping her up and taking her to safety… Or they'd be stuck behind the closed doors of her room as a fire blazed through the house and the only way to fan the flames would be for them to make love ceaselessly. She sighed deeply and returned to reality. Checking the clock on the microwave, she saw that it was past time for her to be ready. "Shoot! I have to go. Text me later."

Val said she would and Miranda dashed from the kitchen. Her phone, which she'd left upstairs, had a text from Ben along with a bunch of other notifications. Sent ten minutes earlier, she read his first. Good morning.

Good morning to you. She responded leisurely.

Before she could put the phone down, he was messaging her back: How'd you sleep?

Well. You?

Really good. Did you check your sked?

For?

For our date.

Didn't I just see you? Isn't there some quote about absence and the heart? She responded while getting dressed.

Whoever said that has never met you.

Miranda stared at her phone. Even through a text he made her feel so… wanted. Like at the event when he ignored everyone who wasn't her and when he showed up at her house, desperate for her to hear his side. And all of the times in between. Was she making him feel like that? Did he think of her the way she thought of him? Nonstop. She picked up her phone and took a deep breath responding with: How about I take you out this time?

Bet. What time?

At work, Miranda wracked her brain trying to come up with a nice date idea. By her break, between thoughts of what possessed her to even offer to helm date night, she had a list eight bullet points long. There was a painting thing that she and her sisters had gone to a few times, a sporting event—she had no idea which one—going to a club, going bowling or just to a regular dinner along with a few other things. Neither Val nor Dani answered the phone so she had to narrow things down by her lonesome. After consulting on a patient for Callie, the two of them walked out of the room and turned to each other.

"I think Arizona's is tired of me," Callie was confessing as Miranda was saying: "I don't know where to take the guy I'm kind of seeing."

The friends chuckled and continued toward the lounge. "Why do you think that?" Miranda asked. If she hurried and solved her friend's problem, they could focus on hers. "Arizona adores you."

"When has that ever stopped someone from leaving?" The Latina asked.

Miranda nodded. "Okay, start at the beginning." Fifteen minutes later, she'd somehow convinced her friend to come out with her and Ben on the date that wasn't yet. It seemed to her that all Callie and Arizona needed to do was some reconnecting. Especially since they were at different hospitals working opposite schedules from one another most times. And, if she were being honest, she wouldn't mind a buffer between herself and Ben.

It was their first date in a crowd, around other people. When they were alone, tucked away in a booth, on the bed of his truck, on the sofa at her house, she could be as affectionate as she wanted to be. But in public, she wasn't sure. At least, if she got nervous, she could lean on her friend.

"You're sure you don't mind? I don't want to impose."

"You can't be imposing if I'm inviting you, right?"

"And your new guy will be okay with it?"

"He'll love it." Callie proposed that they invite Maggie and Miranda agreed. "The more the merrier, but is she seeing anyone?" Their friend was two years removed from her last relationship and just several months post-sex fling. "If she isn't, won't it be awkward if she's essentially a fifth wheel?"

They thought for a moment. "Oh! Maybe your guy can bring her a guy."

Miranda began nodding. "That's… actually… not a bad idea." She picked up her phone and texted Ben who answered within two minutes saying that he'd handle it. "Now, you go and tell her that she's going on a blind date tonight."

"Why me?" Callie asked pulling out her cell.

Walking away, Miranda said: "Because I'm letting you crash my date."

When she'd rounded on her last patient of an early day, Val called her. "Did I read this message correctly? You're going on a triple date and neither of your sisters were invited?" There was surprise in her tone and for a second, Miranda felt like she'd made a mistake.

"I tried to call you two," she said shifting the blame.

"Hmm…"

"But you're welcome to come. And bring… what's his name again?" She asked, knowing that would shut her sister down. When she was met with silence, she said: "But I do need your help. Where should we go? I have a whole list and I still don't know which one to choose." She read the list to Val, explaining why each was on the list.

"Stop right there. Bowling. Definitely. It's lowkey and fun and flirty and you're pretty good at it." Miranda nodded. "Plus, that kind of date has a lot of opportunities for touching."

The thought made Miranda's stomach tighten. She already wanted him, she feared, way more than she was supposed to at this stage. This date would most certainly upgrade those feelings. But it was what she signed up for when she agreed to the whole dating thing, wasn't it? Exhaling, she sent a text to Ben and then one in the group chat with Callie and Maggie. "Thanks, Val."

"No problem, but, um… I actually wanted to, uh…" When Miranda's phone buzzed, she thought it was someone responding to her, but it was from the hospital. Reading the message, she cursed. "What's up?"

"I have to go. There's been a fire at a nearby nursing home."

Val rushed her off the phone and Miranda stuffed her device into her pocket before running from the lounge. Ten elderly residents had been brought in by Station 23 all with varying degrees of injuries. Through the bustling, Miranda spotted Marcel and the two of them of them exchanged quick head nods. After getting the details of a blind man who was experiencing stomach pains, Marcel asked: "So, bowling? Your idea?"

Of course, Ben asked his best friend to join them. "Yeah? You're coming, right?"

He nodded. "Though I'm shit at it." Miranda smirked. "But I heard you had a date for me. Where is she? She here?"

In the large, overfilled room, Miranda looked around for Maggie, but she was nowhere to be found. "She might be in surgery."

"Now I don't have to ask because she's a friend of yours, but…"

"Very beautiful and very intelligent."

"Hallelujah!"

Someone called his name above the noise. "Street!"

"Gotta go, but," Marcel pointed to the patient, "Uh, watch his hands, he gets a little…" He held up his hands and squeezed the air. "Grabby."

Miranda looked at the older man. "He's blind, he has to use his—" Marcel shook his head. "Oh… oooh."

"Yeah."

"Thanks for the heads up." While most of them were fine or would be fine after surgery, including Grabby whose real name was Ramón, Miranda had ended up on a case of Gladys Flores. Gladys's throat and lungs were covered in soot after she'd snuck back into her room to collect the photo albums she'd been creating for her grandchildren to remember her by when her time came.

As they were rushing her to surgery, she'd tried to give Miranda a message to give to her family, but her eyes had rolled back and no number of compressions could bring her back and so before they could even begin, it was over. The woman was gone. The only loss from the nursing home. "Time of death. 5:03 PM."

Alongside Perez, Miranda scrubbed her hands, mentally retraced their movements, knowing it was futile. Gladys had irreparable damage from going back inside and getting stuck in her room until first responders could get her out. There was nothing else that they could have done to prevent her death.

Miranda's resident turned to her, looking at their phone. "Dr. Bailey, her family's here."

She sighed while drying her hands. Wiping a tear, she cleared her throat, saying: "Alright, let's go."

By the end of her extended day, Miranda was completely drained and was moaning as she sunk into a sofa in the lounge. The fact that she had a date bounced around her mind. Frankly, she was no longer in a mood to go anywhere, even bowling which she enjoyed because it allowed her to clear her head. But having to be social and upbeat seemed like a slap in the face to Gladys whose family who chuckled a little when they heard about her sneaking into the nursing home. And then they'd sobbed when shown the albums she'd worked on, vowing to complete them.

It was no secret that she wanted to see Ben, she just didn't want him to see her like this. She told this to Callie and Maggie and suggested that they reschedule while typing out a message to Ben with the exact same news. "Wait."

"What, Torres?"

"Today was tough," Callie said putting her hand on the phone, lowering it. "But I think we could all use a night out."

"I don't know. I'm tired. I'm sad," she admitted more to herself than to her friends. "I just want to go home and…"

Maggie shook her head while wrapping an elastic band around her curly hair. "Nope. I'm putting my foot down. We're going out. We're getting drinks and snacks and having fun." Callie nodded decidedly. "I'm… I'm meeting a new guy who'd better be—" Miranda nodded at her unvoiced question: Marcel was gorgeous. "Thank you, Lord!"

"And we're getting kissed on the mouth!" Callie declared.

The Chief of Surgery, Richard Webber, walked in on the last part and chuckled. "Oh, to be young and in love." The four of them laughed. "And I don't know what you three are talking about, but Torres is right," he commented, grabbing a bottle of juice from the fridge.

Miranda rolled her eyes upward. None of what they said sounded like a bad idea. "Fine. But I'm letting y'all know right now, I will probably be leaving early."

"Fair enough. Fair enough," Maggie said.

On her way home, Miranda decided to call Ben to confirm their plans and, without saying as much out loud, because she wanted to hear his voice, certain that it would make her feel better. Gladys's death was weighing on her heavily. "You're sure?" He asked. She shrugged. "Because I heard about today and it would make sense if you'd just preferred to stay in, order some food, have some wine… decompress… watch a movie…" Miranda licked her lips. "Maybe allow a lonely firefighter to join you?"

An evening with just the two of them? God... "Mmm… That sounds amazing, but… I… already promised my friends."

"I promised Street, too. They can go without us!" Ben responded excitedly. "We can just ditch 'em!"

A laugh flew out of her. "We can't do that. Not this time."

"Okay," he said simply, "but next time, we ditch 'em."

"Right. Next time," she vowed, already mentally preparing herself for a night alone with him.

"I cannot believe I get to meet your friends."

"Are you not ready?"

Ben laughed and brightened her day a little. "I am. I'm just excited, too." The sound of him clearing his throat made her smile. "I mean, they know pieces of you that even your sisters don't know." Miranda thought about that for a second. That was very true. When she'd gotten a call from her lawyer saying the divorce was final, it'd happened right after surgery and Callie was there as she cried tears of joy and sadness. And she and Maggie had held hands when Richard was diagnosed with a brain tumor unsure if he'd make it through. It never had to be explicitly said, but they were her best friends, her sisters of Seattle Grace. "…already met my best friend," Ben was saying, "so it's about time for us to be even."

"Well, be prepared to get asked one hundred and one questions."

"Nothing could be worse than getting grilled by Dani andVal each for four minutes straight." Miranda's heart warmed at the thought of the President and the Vice President of the "Protect Mandy" squad, greasing the wheels of a relationship that she hadn't even been sure she'd wanted. "I'm still having nightmares."

They continued their conversation as she walked into the house. "So, uh, you know mine was crap. What about you? H-how was your day?"

"It was okay. I just hit the gym, worked on some drills." As he talked, Miranda imagined him with his shirt off, lifting weights. She just knew that his body was immaculate, had felt his chest and outlined his abs through his shirt a few times. "Um, do you work out or is that, like… a ridiculously invasive and unnecessary question?"

"It's fine. Uh, I try to, but the job keeps me pretty busy. Val, Dani and I go for walks sometimes."

"Oh okay," he said as if indexing her statement.

"And Val's trying to get us into hiking, but the thought of getting eaten by a wolverine is not pleasing to me."

"If we went hiking together, I'd protect you," he said.

Miranda "aww-ed". "That's sweet, but no." She heard him crack a smile. "Especially since there's no paperwork showing our relationship, all I'd get is heartbreak and a chewed-up leg."

"You're a planner. I like that."

"And I like you," she told him, earnest. Just a straight shot of adoration. It was clear that they were attracted to one another, but should she have outright said it? Right now? How exhausted was she really? Miranda held her breath waiting for a response.

"I like you, too, Miranda."

Glad that he couldn't see her flashing all thirty-two of her teeth, she replied: "Of course you do, Benjamin."

"And I'm willing to confirm that fact anytime you need me to."

Miranda exhaled, satisfied. "I'm gonna hold you to that." He said "okay" and they sat in their admissions for a short minute. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way. To the most important thing…"

He inhaled loudly. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Can you bowl?"

"Yes." He paused. "You, uh, stop… drop… and roll." There was a short silence before they both began laughing. So loudly, in fact, Miranda had to pull the phone away so that he didn't hear the unladylike sound coming from her. She'd been right, Ben was making her feel better. Telepathically, she thanked her sisters once again for pushing her toward him. When she returned to the call, he was saying: "I'm probably as good at bowling as I am at kissing." Heat surged through her body. It went without saying that he was a damn fine kisser. And she couldn't wait to be reminded of that. "Sound good enough?"

"We'll see," she teased.

The bowling alley was packed, but luckily, the six of them were able to find a lane way at the end of the alley, right next to one that was unoccupied because it was broken. Miranda and Ben made introductions and predictably, her friends demanded answers to questions she hadn't even gotten a chance to ask yet. "Alright, that's enough," she said holding up a hand. "Let him catch his breath or… have a water or beer break or something."

Ben mouthed a "thank you" before saying: "Speaking of which, Street and I will go and get drinks."

When they were gone, Maggie scooted next to her. "Oh my goodness! That Marcel is so hot!" She said sticking her tongue out momentarily, fanning herself.

"Yeah, I can't believe you had to choose between the two of them," Callie said over her shoulder as she and her blonde-haired girlfriend entered names into the machine.

"So," Arizona said turning. "Should we turn this into a little competition?"

The other three shrugged indifferently though it was no secret that they were all highly competitive. Miranda, Callie and Maggie ran bets all of the time; from which residents would be the first to buckle under pressure to which of their struggling male colleagues would approach them slyly asking for relationship advice. "Sure," Miranda said calmly.

"How about… the couple with the best score gets dinner bought by the other two?" Arizona said.

"And the losers?" Maggie asked as they put on the clown-like bowling shoes.

"Each person on the last place team," Miranda started, tucking her purse under her jacket which was neatly folded beneath her date's, "has to tell an embarrassing story."

Maggie winced as Callie gave a mischievous smile. "Okay, and the middle couple… has to slow dance—"

The cardio surgeon poked out her bottom lip and shrugged. "That's not so…"

"At the entranceof the bowling alley to the winners' song of choice," the ortho goddess finished.

"…bad. Bad! Bad! Oh my God, that's terrible," Maggie said, shaking her head.

"Why does that sound like the worst one?" Miranda inquired as the guys came back.

Marcel had one tray with drinks and Ben held another with a bunch of food. "Aww, you guys did not have to do all of this," Maggie told him, smiling up at him from her seat.

"It's our first date," Marcel said. "I gotta show you how I roll."

"So, I shouldn't expect this on our second date?"

"That's not what I—"

"I'm kidding. Just kidding," she replied and the two of them shared a laugh.

He sighed dramatically and put his tray down. "Wait, but did I hear that you've already agreed to a second date?"

Maggie's jaw dropped. "N-o!"

"That's what I heard," Callie and Arizona said at the same time, looking at one another.

"I did, too," Miranda instigated as Ben put the snack tray down and sat next to her, sliding an arm around her waist as she whispered: "They look good together, don't you think?"

"I think that we look good together," he told her.

Arizona turned, giving a bright smile. "So, we made a little wager…"

As she and Callie explained, Ben leaned over and asked: "Can you bowl?"

"Can I bowl?" She repeated. "Fine time for you to ask." She reached beneath her seat and lugged out the cheetah print designed bowling bag with her name stitched across the side that Val had gotten for her two Christmases ago. Her favorite part about it was that it was cute. Most bowling bags looked like they belonged to 60-year men, but her sister's good sense of fashion had found this one and she was grateful.

"Waitaminute. Waitaminute. Wait a minute." She giggled behind her hand. "I thought you didn't like sports?!"

"I don't mind playing."

"Oh, God, I'm dating a jock." He put a hand to his head. "I thought that bag was your purse!" Marcel heard the comment and guffawed. "So! How long have you been a professional athlete?"

Miranda grinned. "I'm not a professional. I'm not even that good."

His eyes lowered unconvincingly. "Storytime," he said.

"Uh, well, Danielle had this crush on this boy who was into bowling and she made us join a team so that she could get closer to him."

"What?"

"Yes. Val gives up on the first game. A quarter of the way through the season, Dani quits because now she has the guy, but I keep on playing because I like it and because I was actually decent."

"Is that right?" She nodded and pulled out her custom bowling ball that her dad her gifted her with that matched her scrub cap, patches of dark blue accented by marbleized light blue with swirls. She rotated it so that he could see her name engraved on it. "That's beautiful."

"Thank you."

Callie turned to see what they were talking about. "Wow, that looks exactly like your—oh shit, they're definitely getting the dinner," she said to Arizona and the whole group laughed.

The six of them started the game and Miranda kept waiting for her social battery to die out, but looking over at Ben reenergized her each time. He held her hand and occasionally inquired as to how she was doing. "I'm good. Better," she responded truthfully. "Thank you for asking."

"Always," he told her grazing his thumb across her chin.

Even though they were competing, Miranda cheered on her friends, clapping when they hit something—anything. "Nice, Torres!" She shouted as Callie's ball slipped into the gutter before popping back up to knock over one pin.

For Ben's first few ventures to the lane, she watched him bowl and tried not to cringe at his extremely average form. Luckily, he'd knock down a few pins here and there, but if they were going to crush the others, she needed to give him a pointer or two. Sure that with a slight adjustment he could be so much better, on his next turn, she walked over to the ball return where he was looking for his lime green ball and grabbed his wrist to get his attention. "Okay, coach, give it to me straight. How bad am I?"

She chewed on her lower lip trying not to laugh. "You're not that bad. You just need a quick lesson." He picked up the ball and they moved toward the lane. "Alright, so, your balance is off because you're pulling the ball. If you just straighten out your forearm, I think it'll give you a better re…" Her voice trailed off looking at his confused face.

"Can you just show me?" He asked, giving her puppy dog eyes that were impossible to ignore. Standing next to him, she went to lift his arm. "Wait. Aren't you gonna stand behind me? Like they do in the movies."

"Just do like I tell you," she responded wanting to kiss the smirk on his face. But… Resting her hand on his waist, Miranda slid behind him and began moving his already perfect body into the right stance, fixing his arm. Finished, she stepped away. "Float the ball a few times to practice that form. Let it swing your arm." He did as she told him. "And now let it go."

He turned to look at her and she pointed toward the end of the lane telling him to focus. "You make it sound so simple."

"For some of us, it is." Miranda headed back to her seat and was immediately bombarded by her friends who squealed beneath their voices. "Okay, okay, okay. Relax," she told them, shooing them back to their seats, her eyes stuck on Ben who had knocked over a few pins. "Forearm."

Nodding, he threw the ball again, and the rest of the pins went down. Miranda smiled to herself as he ran toward her, careful not to slip. "My first spare!" His smile made her smile.

"Good job."

"It's all because of you, coach," he replied, bending down. His lips were so close to hers, she could practically taste the Modelo from his breath. "Thank you."

He moved in to kiss her and hearing the others "ooooh"-ing, Miranda blushed, pushing his face, humorously. "Later," she whispered to which he nodded and plopped down beside her, dropping an arm around her waist, rubbing her body slowly. Goosebumps rose on her skin and the only way to settle them down seemed to be pushing her body into his. So she did. And he placed a kiss on top of her head as Callie was giving a high-five to Arizona who'd just finished her turn.

Miranda looked around the near empty cups of their group. Puddles of condensation formed at the bottom of the flimsy plastic. "Who needs?" She asked, popping up. Ben's arm slid down her body and grazed her ass.

"My bad," he said not looking sorry at all.

"I'll go with you," Marcel said and she followed him to the concession stand.

While they waited in line, she turned to him ready to make small talk. "Maggie is am—" He was saying as she was asking: "How's it g—?"

They chuckled. "It's going good. I'm having a good time. She is…" He looked over his shoulder. "Absolutely gorgeous." Miranda smiled knowingly. "I see you two are getting friendly."

"It looks that way, doesn't it?"

"Did he say anything about what I told you?" They stepped up to the counter and order a couple of pitchers of beer and some more snacks. "On Lane 13."

"No. And he doesn't say much about his ex at all," she admitted in a low tone. There was still so much to learn about Ben and she tried to share things about her marriage to get him to open but he was like a vault when it came to his past relationships.

"He probably just needs some more time."

She exhaled. There really wasn't anything she could do but wait. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'll talk to him."

"You know, you don't have to be his wingman anymore."

"He's got the girl?"

"He's got the girl," she told him. Marcel smirked, picking up the beers while she carried the tray with some mozzarella sticks, fries, chicken quesadillas and extra cups. Back at their lane, she saw that it was her turn on the sixth frame.

Ben took the full tray from her, jerking his head. "You're up, sweetheart." She imagined her ears lifting to the length of her smile made her look goofy, but she didn't care. "I started to take your turn, but then I figured that would be bad form."

"You'd be correct," Miranda told him. "But I wouldn't've minded. This time."

"Because you liiike me?" He asked.

"Yeah, that." Picking up her ball, she could feel his eyes on her ass and spun to see him standing beside her, stuffing a fry into his mouth. "Are you looking respectfully?"

"I do not know. Maybe. Probably not," he said, whispering.

She hit him with her hip, trying not to pierce her bottom lip with her teeth. "Go sit down."

"No kiss for good luck?" Her skin prickled with goosebumps. The fear of people watching as they flirted and kissed in public had swiftly dissolved by the time the game had gotten underway. They'd hugged after a strike and leaned on each other as the others bowled. It was nice, letting go for once. "What do you say?"

"I say…" Miranda paused, "go kiss Marcel. He needs it more than I do." Ben cracked up. "Seriously. Your friend is dead last. He needs all the help he can get."

He was now crumpled with laughter, one hand on her shoulder. "You're not wrong, but damn, woman."

She shrugged casually. "I mean, I am in the lead," she stated, already knowing she'd give in eventually. He dipped his head, pouting. Sighing exasperatedly, she said: "Fine. This is coercion, you know."

His lips on her cheek made her blush. "Good luck, sweetheart." Truth be told, even only halfway through, the game was pretty much over. Miranda and Ben were in first place thanks to her. He was an okay player, but he'd lied, there was no equality between his bowling skills and his kissing ones. He knew how to use his lips far better than he knew how to roll a sphere. A few feet away from everyone else, she told him this and he apologized. "I'll make it up to you."

"How?"

Ben tapped his lips, amusingly. "I'll figure something out."

Miranda peeked at the score again. Callie and Arizona were just edging Maggie and Marcel out for the second spot. Taking a deep breath, she lined up on the twenty board and took five quick steps, releasing the ball with quite a bit of force. It hooked across the lane and struck all but one stubborn pin. "Dang it!"

"Not bad! Not bad!" Ben said running over and rubbing her shoulders, hyping her up. "Just knock this one down and then, we can take these losers' money for a nice steak dinner with loaded mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese."

"That sounds delicious."

"And shrimp."

"I like shrimp," she said, nodding.

"And wine."

"I love wine."

"Exactly. Get it done." He put out his fist and she bumped it with her own and started to walk away. "You forgot the rest."

She glanced around and saw that the other four were paying them no mind. Callie and Arizona were back to their normal, lovey-dovey selves while Maggie and Marcel seemed to be hitting it off very nicely. Miranda gave herself an imaginary pat on the back. They were all content right now because of her. "Forgot about what?"

Ben held out his hand and she looked at it before slapping it, copying his movements as he took her through a ridiculous series of handshake combos before… "And then you kiss me," he said, pulling her in for a kiss that she didn't see coming, but one that she enjoyed nonetheless.

"Thank you for that," she said when they stopped momentarily. "I'm going to go bowl now. Can I do that?" Her expression was serious, but her voice was humorous.

He shrugged as she picked up her ball. "You got this, Miranda!" She turned and gave him a look. "Sorry! I'll be quiet now." The others chuckled as she bowled, her foot sliding behind her perfectly to knock down the last standing pin. "Yeah, baby!" Ben howled. "Ain't no coming back for y'all!"

"Yo, Warren," Marcel laughed. "You barely did anything. Your lady carried your team. Relax."

"I don't care. Just call her the Jordan to my Pippen," Ben said, hugging her tightly. They moved out of the way so that Maggie could take her turn. Miranda grabbed his hand and they walked toward the broken lane, her back to the others. "You okay?"

Taking a very deep and smooth breath, she stared up at him. "I just want to say… Thank you."

"For what?" He asked, still holding her waist, pressing them together.

"I was having a really sucky day and this… being with you has been really nice."

Ben peered into her eyes. "That's what I'm here for."

"Well, you're doing a good job," she uttered, squeezing him and exhaling.

"And thank you."

Miranda laughed softly. "And what are you thanking me for?"

"Because I really enjoy hanging out with you. I'm… happy."

Her conversation with Marcel came rushing back. He just got out of a bad relationship. They'd talked about their pasts before, of course, but he'd always brushed off his previous relationship, never dwelling on whatever had happened, but in his eyes, where he was usually confident, she saw nothing but vulnerability. "I'm happy that you're happy, hon."

They shared an easy kiss. Just as she was about to really kick up the intensity, she heard her name. "Bailey."

"Warren," Marcel said as Ben smiled, looking over her head. "The game's over."

"Oh yeah? Who won?" Miranda asked sweetly over her shoulder.

"Very funny," Maggie responded, tossing a fry in her direction.

As they changed their shoes, Maggie and Marcel regaled them of tales so embarrassing that Miranda had to push her face into Ben's shoulder to hide her burning cheeks. Then, Callie and Arizona slow danced semi-awkwardly in the middle of the venue to some yacht rock that Ben had picked out. The song switched to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" and Miranda felt herself being tugged by a grinning Ben. "Hey, pretty baby with the high heels on," he sang, moving from side to side, waiting for her to join in.

Reluctantly, she fell into step with him, smiling. "You're irritating as hell, you know that, right?" She asked over the music. He just nodded and she continued getting into the groove forgetting everything that wasn't them or MJ for the next couple of minutes.

Later, in the parking lot, Callie thanked her generously, saying that it looked and felt like she and her girlfriend were back on the same page. "Don't even mention it," Miranda told her.

Her friend stared at Ben. "And, you sir, be good to our girl. Or else," Callie threatened with a smile, but with a tone that had no joie at all.

"Got it," he said.

"Okay, Torres. Thank you," Miranda said waving the woman away. As Callie and Arizona left, Miranda and Ben watched Maggie and Marcel engage in a lengthy and very cordial goodbye. She had never seen the cardio surgeon be so bold outside of the OR. "Hey, Marcel is a good man, right? I mean he seems like it."

"So… did you forget that you were thinking of dating him?" Ben reminded her.

She poked him. "I was not!" I was always looking at you. She wanted to tell him that, but she held back. One confession at a time. "I really wasn't."

"Mmhmm."

"Just answer the question."

He held her hands. "Marcel Street is one of the best men I've ever known."

They headed to her car, bumping each other occasionally. Since she'd asked him out, Miranda had picked him up. Hearing that, Dani had given her a side-eye, but she didn't care. And neither did Ben, though he told her that this was the last time that would happen because as long as they were together, she could drive, but he'd be picking her up for their dates, so he'd always be the final stop. "You know, he said the exact same thing about you," she said.

"Yeah? What else did he tell you about me?"

"I'll let you know," Miranda said as they got into the car and she pulled off.

In front of his house, she faced him. "You know this is your stop, right?"

"I know, but aren't you gonna walk me to my door? I mean…"

Miranda sighed heavily, mostly in jest and partly to keep herself from blushing. "But you'll just end up walking me back to my car," she told him, "and it'll be a never-ending cycle of us walking back and forth."

They cracked up. "Unless you come inside."

"No chance," she replied with a smirk, squinted eyes and a full heart.

"Fine, but what if I want to get kissed before I go into the house?"

She stroked his beard. "I'll see what I can do." In front of his door, he gently pinned her to the nearest wall, kissing her glacially, teasing her tongue and lips. "I'm still not coming in," she whispered as they started up again.

"Okay."