Diamond in the Rough
A/N: My apologies for the delay, and my thanks to all who have reviewed!
Half an hour later, Tim and Calleigh were standing in front of a building that had seen better days. Calleigh's arms were crossed, and she was giving Tim a doubtful look.
"Sorry, Tim. There's just no way this place's claim of authentic Cajun food is actually true. We're in Miami. If it was Cuban, I might believe you. But Cajun? No way."
Tim smirked good-naturedly at Calleigh. "Do you not believe me? I've eaten here, Cal, I know."
"You wouldn't know real Cajun if it hit you upside the head. You're from New York, Tim."
"Just trust me, okay?" The serious look on Tim's face appeared to be asking her to trust him about more than just the restaurant, so Calleigh nodded. Tim breathed a sigh of relief, then opened the door and ushered Calleigh through it, placing his hand on her lower back as he did so. Once inside, Tim's hand found hers, and he led Calleigh over to the bar.
"Hey, Joe!" he shouted at the bartender.
Joe turned around and smiled when he saw Tim. "Tim!" he cried, making his way out of the barn to clasp him in a warm hug. "How are you?"
"Not too bad," Tim answered, and then gestured to Calleigh. "This is Calleigh."
Joe gave Tim a look of approval before turning his charm on Calleigh. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Calleigh said, holding out her hand.
"The pleasure's all mine," Joe said, ignoring the hand and placing his hands on Calleigh's shoulders while laying a quick kiss on each cheek.
Tim's eyes darkened, and he growled, "Watch it, Joe." Joe looked at Tim and laughed.
"Oh, you've got it bad, haven't you?" He continued to laugh as he led the couple to a small booth. Once Calleigh and Tim were seated, he clasped his hands together.
"Welcome to my humble little restaurant," he began, his light bayou accent suddenly noticeable. He paused briefly, and that was when Tim interrupted.
"You better make it good tonight, Joe. Calleigh is a Big Easy girl."
"Wonderful!" Joe exclaimed, smiling largely at Calleigh. "An authentic Cajun. I can tell by the look on your face that you're skeptical, so allow me to convince you otherwise. No menus tonight!" Joe bustled away then, and Calleigh looked over at Tim and laughed.
"Where on earth did you find this place, Tim?" she asked.
Tim shook his head and nuzzled Calleigh's neck. He'd surprised her by sliding into the same side of the booth as her, but Calleigh was rapidly discovering that there was a lot about Tim that surprised her. In the secluded corner of the darkened restaurant, Tim leisurely trailed his kisses up Calleigh's neck, where he commenced to whispering in her ear.
"Did I ever tell you about the day that I finally realized how I felt about you?" he asked.
Because Tim's body was to the outside of the booth, his back blocked nearly any view of Calleigh from the restaurant. Tim was well aware of this and took full advantage of the fact, allowing his hand to reach across to Calleigh's waist and rest there, while one or two errant fingers slid under the hem of her shirt and rested casually on her stomach. Calleigh could feel her entire body flush at Tim's touch. She had never been one to be much for public displays of affection, feeling them to be rather crass, but there was something so sweet about Tim's behavior that made it seem innocent rather than lewd.
"What day was that?"
Tim opened his mouth to answer, but Joe's arrival with a bottle of wine halted the conversation.
An hour later, Calleigh groaned and pushed away her plate. "I'm stuffed," she announced, looking over at Tim and smiling. "You were right. I'm impressed."
"Would I ever lead you astray, Cal?" Tim teased, the joy on Calleigh's face mirroring his own.
DITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITRDITR
It wasn't much later that evening when Tim followed Calleigh's car into her driveway. Calleigh shut off her engine and trotted over to Tim before he even finished taking his helmet off.
"Thank you for the lovely evening," she told him, placing her hands on his hips. "I had a really good time."
"You're welcome," Tim said, leaning down to give Calleigh a quick kiss on the lips. Calleigh snaked her arms around Tim's waist then and pulled him to her, deepening the kiss as she did so.
It was several minutes before the couple separated, and Calleigh strained to make out Tim's face in the darkness. "Do you want to come in?" she asked while not so subtly running her fingernails up and down his back.
Tim gave Calleigh a wistful grin and shook his head. "Better not," he said, then sighed. "Does this conversation sound familiar?"
Calleigh smiled sadly. "Too familiar," she agreed, leaning into Tim and resting her head against his chest. "I just wish I'd gotten a different answer this time around."
"I know, babe," Tim said, dropping a quick kiss on her head as he pulled her close. "Me too."
"Then why don't you come in?" Calleigh persisted.
"Cal, a lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours – to both of us - and I just think we need some time to process it."
"I've been 'processing' us ever since you took me for that bike ride all those months ago."
"Cal?" Calleigh raised her head and met Tim's eyes, and even in the faint light, there was no denying the love in them. "Cal, I love you. I really do. And I have no intention of walking away from this relationship, so please don't take my refusal to come in as a sign that I'm not totally committed to making us work. I just really feel a need to do this the right way, so that when our grandchildren ask us how we met I can honestly tell them that I courted you properly, as irresistible as you may have been."
"Grandchildren?" Calleigh laughed. "Really, Tim, don't you think that's a ways off?"
"Perhaps, but I'm completely serious. This isn't some fling for me, Cal. If it was, we wouldn't still be standing out here in the driveway talking. As it is, I'm barely able to deny you now."
Tim leaned down and kissed Calleigh on the mouth then, leaving no doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth. Calleigh knew that with a bit more finagling and flirting on her behalf, she could probably convince Tim to stay. But there'd been something in his eyes when he was pleading his case to her, something that told her that he put a great deal of conviction into what he was saying, and she just couldn't bring herself to pit his body against his mind.
"Okay," Calleigh finally agreed when he pulled away. "But don't keep me waiting too long."
"As if I could," Tim said with a smile, kissing Calleigh one last time on the forehead before sliding out of her grasp. Calleigh let him go, hugging herself as she watched him climb back on his bike. Her body already missed his warmth, and she shivered despite the balmy weather. Calleigh stood in the driveway and watched Tim until his taillight disappeared around the curve of the road. She gave a content sigh and headed into the house, slightly giddy over her date and excited about her future with Tim. But due to events that were soon to transpire, it would be months before she could think about the evening without weeping...
TBC…