Hey babes! Back again with a new story for ya! This one is sort of a sequel to one of my other fics "in the heat of the fight" but it's not entirely necessary to read it first. Big shout out to my friend Cassie on Twitter for tweeting this idea and then letting me run with it. She's truly the best. :)

This was so fun to put together, and definitely came out way longer than I originally intended, but I'm not complaining, and I don't think any of you will either. And I always knew that if I was going to do a second chapter or sequel to that other story, then I would do it in Riley's POV. So I'm very pleased.

Enjoy!

Riley would be lying if she said things haven't been a little off between her and Mac ever since she came back from her undercover op. She knows he wasn't happy with her leaving, especially because she didn't tell him why, but it's what she had to do.

And probably for the first time since she met Mac, she doesn't know how to act around him. Sure, after she realized her feelings for him, she thought she wouldn't know how to act, but it ended up not being a problem. Because Mac didn't know about her feelings back then, so she was able to just go on like everything was normal and just suffer in silence. But even after he found out about her feelings, things didn't change that much. They'd agreed to stay friends, and everything had been fine.

Yes, she thought her heart was actually going to shatter into a million tiny pieces when she witnessed Mac flatlining in the hyperbaric chamber, but after that everything was fine. Even when he and Desi ended things not that long after the incident with the chamber, nothing had changed between her and Mac. And she was grateful for that. Because as much as a part of her wanted to just grab onto the collar of his flannel shirt and climb him like a tree and know exactly what it's like to be all-consumed by him, she couldn't. Because their friendship is one of the single most important things to her and she couldn't risk that.

But then Mac had ruined all of her plans by confessing his feelings and kissing her like he would never see her again. It'd left her a little breathless at first, but then she'd managed to gather herself together enough to walk away, no matter how much her heart was breaking on the inside. No matter how much she wanted to stay. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't lie awake sometimes trying to remember what it felt like to have his lips on hers. But over the months she spent away from him, she started to forget. And that hurt. A lot. She didn't want to forget.

Coming back from her undercover op, she was expecting there to be some amount of tension between her and the rest of the team—except for Matty, of course. Matty's the only one who knew the truth about why she was leaving, so she's the only one Riley knew wouldn't hold a grudge about her leaving. She didn't care too much about Russ' feelings on the situation, they've never been that close. She and Desi have pretty much always been on rocky ground, so she didn't know what to expect from the woman. What she got at first was a semi-cold greeting, and then they just moved on like nothing happened.

Bozer had simply smiled at her and then pulled her into a hug, telling her that he was glad she was back. So at least there was that, at least she knew she didn't ruin her friendship with Bozer by leaving so suddenly with zero explanation.

And then there was Mac. The moment she saw him again in the middle of the War Room, it had been like there was no one else around them, and the air suddenly became heavy. They had just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, and she could see his hands curling and uncurling at his sides. She likes to think it's because he wanted to hold her—she'd be lying if she said she didn't want him to—but was trying to force himself not to for whatever reason.

Before she could even say anything to him, he'd simply given her a tight smile, nodded once, and said it was good to have her back. She didn't know what to feel after that. It's like he was trying to pretend what happened between them never happened, but they couldn't just go back to how they were before.

So now it's like they're walking on eggshells around each other, and she can tell that Mac is actively trying to keep his distance from her, and she hates it. In the back of her mind, she knows that Mac has always let his hands linger on her whenever he'd guide her through a doorway or hug her tightly, and she'd gotten so used to it. It had just become a part of them, something that she never really noticed at the time because it had become something so normal. And now she is blatantly aware of the absence of his touch.

She doesn't know how much more of it she can take, of not being close to Mac, of not being able to talk to him like they did before. She hates that she's the one to blame for this distance. So she decides to take matters into her own hands, decides to take the first step in fixing whatever she broke between them when she left.

She finds him down in the lab on one of their days off from taking whatever odd jobs they can get. He's hunched over one of the tables near the back, tinkering with something, random objects and tools spread out all around him. He's wearing one of his many red flannels, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a look that she's always liked seeing on him.

She takes a deep breath as she approaches him slowly. "Mac?"

His entire body stiffens, but then he's relaxing again and barely glancing at her over his shoulder. "Hey, Riley."

"Hey." She wrings her hands together as she moves closer, stopping on the other side of the table. "Can we talk?"

He shrugs, keeping his eyes focused on the project in front of him. "Sure. What about?"

"About what happened before I left."

His jaw ticks. "There's nothing to talk about. I told you how I feel about you and asked you to stay, you turned me down and left. It's as simple as that."

"It's not that simple, Mac, and I know deep down you know that. Did Matty tell you why I left? Or anything about my undercover op?"

He just glances up at her and then back down at his project without saying a word.

Riley rolls her eyes, letting out a huffed laugh. "You've probably been avoiding that conversation, haven't you?"

He finally looks up at her fully. "Well excuse me for not wanting to know the details about why the woman I love decided to leave."

She sucks in a sharp breath at his words, still not used to him saying that he loves her. She's only heard it once before, in a gut-wrenching moment that she's played on repeat in her mind since it happened.

"Well you probably should have listened to her," Riley tells him. "Because then you would have understood why I had to go."

The tool he's holding clatters loudly to the metal table as he sits up straight and focuses all of his attention on her, his jaw tight. "Okay. So then maybe you can help me understand. Because I thought we were fine, I thought we told each other things, that we trusted each other enough to—"

"I did it for you, Mac," she practically shouts.

He stares at her, blinking a few times and shifting on his seat. "You…what?"

She lets out a heavy sigh. "Matty came to me, told me that there was still a nanotracker that was active inside of you. Or, it wasn't actively active, but it could be again if it wasn't taken care of. So she asked me if I'd be willing to go undercover with the organization responsible, to shut it down once and for all. And I said yes."

He opens and closes his mouth a few times, shifting in his seat. "You could have told me."

She shakes her head. "I couldn't tell anyone, Mac. If I agreed to do it, no one could know what I was doing. I had to go in completely alone, without the Phoenix backing me up."

Mac's face softens, his entire body slumping down.

Her heart nearly breaks again at the look on his face. "I promise that I wanted to tell you. But I couldn't. You had to believe that I was leaving just like everyone else. And it killed me to walk away from you after everything you said to me. But I had to go."

"I was devastated when you left," Mac admits to her. "I kept replaying that moment over and over in my head, thinking that if maybe I had done something, just one thing, differently, then you would have stayed."

"Mac…I had to do it. I had to do it for you, to keep you safe."

Mac sighs. "I know. And I get it. And I'm not mad, not anymore. If I'm being honest, I didn't stay mad for very long, I just didn't know how to act around you after you came back."

Riley smiles. "Guess we were in the same boat, then. Because I didn't know how to act around you either."

Mac chuckles. "Some pair we are, huh?"

"Yeah." Riley looks down at the floor, taking a moment to breathe, and then looks back up at Mac. "I hate that there's been so much distance between us since I came back. I miss you, Mac. I miss us."

He lets out a heavy breath, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I miss you too, Riles."

She feels her heart flutter at hearing his nickname for her, something that some of the others have tried using before but it has never felt the way it does when Mac says it. She's missed hearing him call her that, didn't realize how much she would until she didn't hear it for months. She has missed so much about him, she never wants to leave for that long again.

She barely sees his arms moving, opening up, and she's around the table in an instant. She steps into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him tightly and letting out a content sigh, relaxing into his hold and relishing in the feel of his arms around her. It's been so long since she's had a hug from Mac, and she didn't realize exactly how much she's missed them until now.

"I'm really sorry, Mac," she mumbles into the fabric of his shirt, her face buried in the crook of his neck. "I'm so, so sorry."

Mac shifts, gently pushing her back so he can look at her. "I'm sorry too. The distance between us, everything being so off, it's on the both of us. But what's important now is that we recognize that, and we make sure that it never happens again. I can't stand not talking to you."

Riley smiles. "I feel the same way. And I agree. No more distance."

Mac smiles back at her. "I was hoping you'd agree. Because I have something I want to ask you." He shifts a little in his seat again, keeping his arms loosely around her waist, and takes a deep breath. "Do you want to go out on a date sometime? With me," he adds quickly with a sheepish smile. "In case that wasn't clear."

She raises a brow at him. "After everything that's happened you really want to go on a date with me?"

"Riley Davis, I really want to go on a date with you."

Riley smiles, shifting a little closer to him, her arms winding around his neck. "Well then, Angus MacGyver, I really want to go on a date with you too."

Mac beams. "Great. That's great."

Riley laughs quietly at his enthusiasm, shaking her head and stepping back when she sees him leaning forward. Her laugh gets a little louder at the look on his face. "None of that," she tells him, knowing exactly where his mind was. "Not until after our date."

He groans, sinking down a little. "You're killing me here, Riles."

"Oh, I think you'll survive. How does Friday night at six sound to you?"

"Friday at six sounds perfect. Do you want me to pick you up or just meet up somewhere?"

"If this is going to be a legitimate date then you better be pulling out all the stops, Angus. That includes picking me up and coming to my door, opening all the doors for me, and acting like a perfect gentleman." She's only somewhat serious. She's not expecting it to be a by-the-book first date, she doesn't even want that to be the case. Yes, she wants it to be nice, but she also wants it to be them. She doesn't want either of them trying too hard.

Mac smiles, tugging her closer to him again. "Then a perfect gentleman is exactly what I'll be."

The look he's giving her sends something through her and she has to hold onto him a little tighter. She's pretty sure he's only given her that look once before, the day he'd kissed her for the first time, and she'd give anything to have him look at her like that a lot more.

.

.

.

Riley would definitely be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little bit nervous about her date with Mac. Yes, she's beyond excited for this to finally be happening for them, but it doesn't squash that smaller part of her that is nervous and worried about what it could do to their friendship if their date turns out badly. She doesn't want to risk losing Mac forever. But she's also curious about what it'll mean in the long run if things turn out well. And she wants things to turn out well.

Moments later, there's a knock at the door of her apartment, pulling her out of her head and away from the tablet in front of her. She quickly puts her tablet away and stands from her couch, smoothing out the fabric of her dress. All Mac had said was to dress nice, but didn't give her any real specifics. So she had to hope for the best and pray that she isn't overdressed for wherever they're going.

Crossing the carpet to the front door, she's met with a strange sense of deja vu, only this time she knows exactly who's on the other side of the door, and she knows exactly why he's there.

Taking one final big, deep breath, Riley pulls the door open and can't help but smile when she sees Mac standing on the other side, dressed handsomely in slacks and a button-up dress shirt. "Hey, Mac."

"Hey." He lets out a breath, his eyes traveling up and down her body, but it doesn't make her feel disgusted like it would from anyone else. "Wow," he says after a moment. "You look amazing. Absolutely incredible."

She may blush a little. "Thanks. You look pretty amazing too."

"Thanks. So, are you ready to go?"

"One second." She leans back inside to grab her clutch and then steps out into the hall, locking the door behind her. She slides her keys into her clutch, snapping the clasp shut, and then looks up at Mac. "Okay, now I'm ready."

Mac smiles. "Excellent." He holds his arm out to her, waiting for her to take it, and then leads her out of her apartment building and to his car.

Even though she'd just been teasing him when he'd asked her out, he still opens the car door for her. She just smiles at him as she climbs inside and buckles herself in. The night is already off to a great start and she's genuinely excited to see how things progress from here.

The car ride to wherever they're going is relatively quiet, save for the quiet noises coming from the radio on a low volume. But thankfully, now that they've cleared the air between them, it's not an awkward kind of quiet. It's just normal. She loves being able to just be around him without saying anything and have it be perfectly fine and normal. Though, sometimes it is nice to talk.

"So, any hint on where you're taking me?" she asks him after they've been on the road for a little while. "Or are you still keeping that close to your chest?"

Mac just smiles. "I guess I can tell you that there's going to be food."

Riley snorts. "Okay, that could mean any number of things."

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

Riley lets out a huff of air, though she's not really annoyed, and leans back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. She stares at the passenger window for the rest of the ride, watching the scenery pass by in a blur, fully aware that Mac's eyes are on her every so often. She's not surprised, though, she did wear a tight-fitting dress for a reason.

Eventually, they pull into the parking lot of their destination, and Riley's eyes go wide when she looks out the windshield. "No way." She looks over at Mac. "This is where we're eating? This place is so hard to get into. How'd you get us a reservation?"

Mac chuckles, rubbing his hand over the back of his head. "Would you believe me if I said that the owner owes me a favor because I helped him find a temporary solution for a really big problem that would have prevented him from opening on time?"

Riley just stares at Mac for a moment before a quiet laugh bubbles up out of her, and she nods. "Actually, I can definitely believe that."

"I'm glad to hear it." He takes a deep breath. "Now, shall we go inside?"

Riley nods. "Please."

"Alright. Wait there." He quickly climbs out of the car and walks around the front to get to the passenger side, pulling the door open with a smile.

Riley happily takes the hand he's extending to help her step down out of the car, and she smiles when he doesn't let go. She has butterflies in her stomach when he laces their fingers together so easily, and she knows she's never felt like this before about anyone that she's ever dated. And it's amazing.

Mac smiles that same sweet smile at her and then gently tugs on her hand to get her to follow alongside him on the pathway up to the front of the restaurant. Again, he holds the door open for her, gesturing for her to walk inside first, and then follows behind her. He scoops her hand so fluidly back into his when he reaches her side, guiding her over to the host stand.

"Hi there," Mac says to the man behind the podium. "Uh, reservation for two under MacGyver?"

The man in the suit looks down at his podium and then back up at them with a polite smile. "I'm sorry. I don't seem to have anything under that name."

"Are you sure? Could you check again?"

The man is quiet for a moment and then looks back down at the podium for a quick second and then returns his eyes to them. "Still nothing."

Riley feels her heart sink a little and she gently tugs on Mac's hand to get his attention. "Mac," she says quietly. "Let's just go find somewhere else to eat."

He shakes his head. "No. You deserve the best. Just hang on." He turns back to the host and lets out a breath. "Look, just go talk to Leo and he'll tell you that we have a reservation here. He's the one who set it up for us."

The man clearly isn't pleased, but he walks away anyways, disappearing further into the restaurant. Riley wants to say something, but she ultimately chooses not to. They could easily go to another restaurant for dinner, but Mac seems pretty dead set on this place. If things still don't work out, then maybe she'll suggest going somewhere else.

Moments later, the man returns and offers them a polite smile. "My apologies. It seems that your name was left off of the list by accident. But we do have a table already set aside for you, if you'd follow me this way." The man grabs two menus out of the holder next to his podium and then gestures down the aisle behind him as he starts to walk.

Thankfully, the path is just wide enough for her and Mac to walk side by side, though Mac does gently nudge her forward with a hand on her lower back when they reach the table. And it's a gorgeous setup.

"Our best table in the house," the host says, setting the menus on the table and then stepping back. "Someone will be right with you."

"Thank you," Mac says with a polite smile, waiting for the man to leave. When they're alone, Mac pulls out one of the two chairs at the table, allowing her to sit.

She pulls the menu a little closer to her as she sits, taking a moment to admire the beautiful view around them from their place on the patio. She takes note of the two very empty tables near them, and then turns her attention to the menu in front of her.

After a few minutes, a waiter arrives to take their orders, and she just orders whatever the chef recommends because everything on the menu sounds amazing. Mac does the same and they share a smile. Things may have started off a little bumpy, but they're slowly starting to even out.

"Mac, it's so good to see you again."

Riley turns at the voice, finding a man who looks to be in his mid to late 30s approaching the table with a wide smile and open arms. A smile grows on her lips when she sees Mac get up from the table and enthusiastically greet the man that she assumes is Leo. She rests her elbow on the table and sets her chin in her hand as she watches the pair interacting, loving getting to see this part of Mac outside of the craziness of their day jobs.

"And this must be your lovely date for the evening," Leo says with a smile in her direction.

She smiles back and waves. "I'm Riley."

"It's lovely to meet you, Riley."

"You too."

Her phone buzzing in her bag drags her attention out of the moment and she frowns as she looks at the screen of the device. A new text from Matty. Calling her and Mac back in for an urgent op. She honestly thought they were done with urgent ops when they cut ties with the government. But apparently not.

She quickly sends a reply and then drops her phone back into her bag with a heavy sigh. She looks back up to see Mac watching her with slightly furrowed brows.

"Everything okay?" he asks, taking a small step closer to the table.

She smiles apologetically. "Matty needs us. Right now."

Mac lets out a heavy breath. "Alright. I guess…I guess we don't really have a choice." He turns back to the man, clapping him on the shoulder. "Leo, I'm so sorry, man. But we have an emergency at work so we can't stay for dinner."

Leo frowns. "I hope everything is okay."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Mac responds. "I just hate that we won't get to stay and enjoy what I'm sure was going to be a delicious meal."

Leo stands a little taller and smiles. "Well, then you'll just have to come back another time."

"Leo…"

Leo shakes his head, taking a small step back. "Nope. It's decided. Whenever you want, just let me know, and you'll have a table here."

"Well, thank you, we appreciate that." He waits for Leo to walk away and then glances back at her. "Should we get going?"

She nods as she stands. "Yes. Don't want Matty chewing our heads off for being late."

Mac chuckles, gently resting a hand on her back again as he guides her toward the door. "No, we certainly do not."

Just like the drive to the restaurant, the drive to the Phoenix is relatively quiet. She stares out the window again, thinking about their date that they'd barely gotten the chance to experience. And she'd really been looking forward to it. But now there's just a pit in her stomach that she can't ignore.

When they arrive at the Phoenix, still in their nice clothes, she does her best to ignore the looks from the others as she and Mac enter the War Room. She's not at all surprised when Matty apologizes for interrupting their date, given that the woman knows basically everything, and then gets on with explaining their op.

Riley tries her hardest to focus on what Matty is saying, but it's a little tough to do with Mac standing so close to her. All she wants to do is lean back against him and close her eyes and have his hands on her waist and just forget about everything. But she has to mentally shake the thought away to stay focused on their op. She can't afford to be distracted. No matter how good-looking said distraction is.

.

.

.

Thankfully, now that they've cleared the air between them, she and Mac are back to working in perfect sync while in the field. Back to knowing what the other is thinking before they even have a chance to say it. Back to knowing what the other needs for whatever they're going to do before they have a chance to ask. It'd been a bit of a rough patch when she first came back, the two of them consistently fumbling around each other the majority of the time, like they'd both learned different steps to the same dance but were still trying to perform together. It'd been a mess, to say the very least. Thankfully, Matty never once spoke to them about what was happening, which Riley is extremely grateful for. She doesn't want to think about what that conversation would have entailed. Though, it does make her curious why Matty never said anything. But that's something to worry about later.

Because she and Mac are once again back to working in perfect synchronicity. Despite their botched date, they're still able to work like a well-oiled machine. And she loves it.

But she can't help but think about their date throughout the mission, how they almost didn't get to use that particular restaurant and how they got interrupted before they were even able to share a meal. And that pit in her stomach grows bigger and a small voice at the back of her head makes itself known. She keeps trying to ignore both, but they keep needling their way into the front of her mind. No matter how hard she tries to ignore them. So then every time she looks at Mac, she thinks about their botched date and she just gets sad. And then it just brings her whole mood down. And of course, Mac notices.

He corners her on the mission while they're waiting around, speaking softly to her so that no one else overhears. "Hey, is everything okay?"

She pulls her lips in tight, glancing up from the screen of her tablet. "I'm good."

Hesitation passes over his face. "Uh, okay. If you're sure you're good."

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"But nothing," she says, cutting him off. "That's all there is to it, Mac. Now can we please focus on getting this done so we can go home?"

He stares at her for a moment with slightly furrowed brows and then nods, shifting on his feet. "Yeah, of course. Let's uh, can you pull up the security feed for the next building over?"

And just like that, they're back to working flawlessly together, despite their little moment of…whatever that was exactly. She's grateful that Mac drops the subject and doesn't bring it up again for the rest of their op. Not even on the plane ride back to LA. She doesn't know what she'd say to him if he did bring it up. She just wants to forget about it.

But, of course, life doesn't always go as planned. After their debrief with Matty, all it takes is one look at Mac and she can see in his eyes that he wants to keep talking. But she doesn't know if she has the energy for that right now. So she hightails it out of there as soon as she can.

She makes it out to the parking lot, thinking that she's home free until she realizes that Mac drove her here. So she's going to have to find another way home because she can't be alone in a car with Mac right now.

"Riley!"

Letting out a heavy breath at her unfortunate luck, she turns around and waits for Mac to jog toward her across the Phoenix parking lot. "What do you want, Mac?"

He stops in front of her, a slight furrow to his brows. "I want to talk to you. About tonight. Or, well, about last night."

Riley shakes her head. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes, there is."

"No, there isn't, Mac," she insists. "I knew this wasn't going to work. I knew that if we tried it things wouldn't end up the way we wanted them to. I should have just listened to my first instinct. I wish Murdoc had never told you how I feel, then we wouldn't be dealing with this. Everything is different now, Mac. We can't ever go back to how it was."

"I know," he says softly, with a small hint of a smile. "And that's okay."

"No, it's not, Mac. It was bad enough before when I didn't think you felt anything for me, but I was able to suffer in silence and deal with it. But now everything's out in the open and it hurts so much worse because it's not going to work." She slowly starts moving back, though she's not entirely sure where she plans on going.

He frowns. "What? How can you say that? We had one date."

"That wasn't a date, Mac," she almost shouts, but manages to keep it together a little bit longer. "It was an attempt at a date. Unless you're forgetting that our reservation wasn't on the list and then we got interrupted because of a mission."

"No, I didn't forget."

"Good. Because maybe that was the universe's way of telling us that we aren't going to work and that it's better if we just move past all of this."

He shakes his head, taking a few steps toward her. "I refuse to believe that. After everything we've been through together, I refuse to believe that we won't work. One botched attempt at a first date is not a sign that we shouldn't try again."

She lets out a humorless laugh. "Of course it is, Mac. Can't you see that we might have missed our chance at having a romantic relationship?"

Mac shakes his head again. "No, I can't see that, Riley. Because it's not true. We haven't missed our chance, not yet."

Riley sighs heavily at Mac's insistence, absolute exhaustion from the situation running through her body. Her brows furrow slightly when something wet lands on her forehead, and as she glances up, another drop falls into her eye, making her wince. And then the realization hits her. "Great," she mutters, throwing her hands in the air. "Now it's raining. This is just perfect. I'm gonna go inside and call an uber." She starts to walk past him when Mac's hand shoots out to gently grab her wrist.

"Let me drive you home," he offers, a pleading look in his eyes.

She nearly caves, grateful when the rain starts to come down harder and blur her vision of him. It's so easy for her to give in to what he wants when she's able to see his baby blues as clear as day. He probably doesn't even realize. She shakes her head. "You don't have to do that. I can't...I can't be alone with you right now, Mac."

His brows furrow. "Why not?"

She hesitates, watching him carefully. "Because…because every time I'm alone with you I just want the rest of the world to disappear. I just want it to be you and me forever, for the rest of our lives." She swallows thickly, blinking to get the rain out of her eyes, though she's not entirely convinced it's just rain that's clouding her vision anymore. "I want to love you freely and wholeheartedly, I want to kiss you whenever I feel like it, I want to have your arms around me at night when I go to sleep, I want to—" She sucks in a sharp breath when the familiarity of Mac's lips are against hers. She immediately melts into him, kissing him back and tasting the salt from her tears along with the rain coating both their lips.

One of his hands is curled around the back of her neck while the other stays closed around her wrist. It's so reminiscent of the first time they kissed and it's enough to have more tears spill from her eyes. She uses her free hand to grab the collar of his shirt and pull him closer to her, kissing him deeper.

She's not even ashamed by the small whimper that escapes her lips when he eventually pulls away from her. Her eyes are closed, her hand still holding tightly to his shirt, and she nearly melts into the ground when his forehead touches hers so gently.

"I want all of that too," he whispers. "I want...I want everything with you, Riley. I always have."

She finally opens her eyes again when he pulls back and cradles her face in one hand. She looks straight into his beautiful blue eyes, blinking again to clear the rain away so she can see him completely.

He smiles softly at her. "I am so madly in love with you, Riley Davis, and I want to be able to tell you that every day for the rest of our lives."

A watery laugh bubbles up out of her, more tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm in love with you too."

Mac chuckles. "Okay. So then can we please agree to give us a chance?"

She nods, leaning into his palm. "Yeah, we can give us a chance."

Mac grins, stepping forward to kiss her again, releasing her wrist to grab her hip and pull her closer.

She can't help it when she giggles against him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she deepens their kiss, rising just a little on her toes. She runs one hand up through his wet hair, lightly scratching her nails against his scalp, smiling when he moans into her mouth.

Reluctantly, she pulls away, breathing heavily as she falls back onto her heels. "As much as I would love to keep kissing you right now, I really want to get out of the rain. So can you please drive me home?"

Mac nods, his thumb rubbing circles into her skin. "You don't want to take an Uber?" he asks, a small hint of a teasing smile on his lips.

She shakes her head with a smile of her own. "No, I don't want to take an Uber."

"Good. Because right now I just want to spend some time alone with you now that we've figured out this thing between us."

"I feel the exact same way."

Mac smiles down at her, kisses her, and then pulls her along through the parking lot toward his car. They move quickly across the pavement, though there's really no point seeing as their clothes are already soaked through, and then they're climbing into his car.

The drive to Mac's place is quiet, save for the rhythmic sound of raindrops hitting the windshield, but she doesn't mind. Not when his hand is held firmly in hers. Not when she can still feel the tingle of his lips on hers. Not when she's excited thinking about what forever with Mac is going to look like.

She doesn't even remember when or if they made the decision to go to Mac's place, but she's not complaining. Just like she'd said earlier, she just wants to spend some time with Mac, now that their feelings are out in the open and they are finally acting on them. She's waited for this for so long it almost feels like a dream. One that she really hopes she doesn't wake up from.

When they pull into his driveway, Mac tells her to wait and then he's out of the car and rushing to the front door. She smiles when she sees him unlocking it and pushing it open. He returns to her side of the car and tugs her door open, holding out a hand to her.

She smiles but doesn't reach for him. She just sits there for a moment longer, taking in the way the rain is flattening his hair and making it stick to his forehead. So instead of grabbing his hand, she reaches out to push his hair back, smiling a little bigger when he leans into her touch as she cups his cheek. "Hi."

He smiles back. "Hi. Wanna come inside now? Or do you want to keep staying out here in the rain?"

Leaning forward, she kisses him slowly, smiling against his lips. She laughs quietly when he trails after her lips as she pulls away. "We can go inside now." She steps down out of the car when he steps back and then closes the car door behind her. She makes a beeline for the front door, running her hands through her hair as soon as she's inside and squeezing some of the water out. She knows Mac won't mind the small puddle she's leaving right inside the front door.

She hears Mac's footsteps behind her and turns in time to see him closing the front door and locking it. He shakes his head and ruffles his hair a little and she can't help but think how cute it is.

Mac lets out a breath as he turns to her. "So, I'm assuming you probably want to put something warmer on, because I definitely do. And I just realized that you don't have any clothes here, so are you okay with wearing something of mine for the time being? You can use the spare room to change if you want, and I can throw our wet stuff straight into the dryer so it'll hopefully be ready in the morning."

Riley smiles. "That's fine. Are you okay if I track water through your house?"

He just shrugs, tugging his jacket off. "It's gonna happen either way since I have to go to my room anyway to get the clothes."

She nods. "Right. Well, lead the way, then." She gestures down the hall and waits for him to move before following after him. She moves into his room behind him and waits for him to grab some spare clothes for her.

With his back to her, she can't help the sudden thought that crosses her mind. And so she follows through with it before she completely loses her nerve, stripping out of her wet clothes, including her shoes and socks, until she's left in just her bra and underwear. One of her nicer matching sets, she's happy to realize.

She almost laughs when Mac turns around and his eyes go wide, his grip on the clothes in his hands tightening.

"Riley…"

She just shrugs with a smile. "What? It's not like you haven't seen it before." She steps forward to grab the clothes from him, pulling on the black sweatpants and grey MIT t-shirt, and then the socks. She's practically swimming in everything, but it's all incredibly comfortable so she doesn't mind that much. She laughs when she realizes that Mac is still staring at her and still wearing his wet clothes. "Did I break you?" she asks.

He swallows thickly. "Promise me you won't do that again until we've been together for a few months at least. Because I can't guarantee that I'll be able to keep my thoughts entirely PG if you do."

Riley laughs again, rising on her toes to kiss him quickly. "Promise. I love you, but I don't want to rush things."

He lets out a breath. "Good. Neither do I. And I know you've seen me in my underwear before, but do you think you could—"

"Say no more," she cuts him off, holding her hands up and stepping back. "I can't promise I'll be able to control myself either if I see you like that again, so I'll be in the living room when you're changed."

Spinning on her heel, she makes her way out of the room and back toward the living room. She immediately sits down on the couch, pulling her legs up under her and dragging the blanket hanging over the back into her lap. She sinks down into the cushion and lets out a breath as the warmth starts to encompass her.

A second later her eyes go wide and she sits up quickly when she remembers her phone. It'd been in her back pocket earlier and most definitely got rainwater in it. She can't believe she didn't realize until now.

Just as she's about to stand from the couch, Mac enters her view dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt.

"So, I figured you probably forgot about your phone, but luckily for the both of us, I remembered," he says with a smile. "And I still had some rice in my room so both our phones should be totally fine by tomorrow night." He sinks down next to her on the couch and lets out a breath, then looks over at her with slightly furrowed brows. "What?"

"Do I want to know why you had rice in your bedroom?"

He chuckles. "Uh, it's kind of a long story."

She nods. "Right. And as much as I genuinely love hearing your stories, I think I'm way too exhausted to focus on one right now."

"Not a problem. And I completely understand. Nothing like an adrenaline-filled mission and then pouring your heart out to someone to make you unbelievably tired."

She smiles. "Exactly. Now come here, I'm still cold," she says, lifting the edge of the blanket.

Mac just smiles and shakes his head. "No. You come here."

Her heart flutters when she sees him opening his arms up to her, and she eagerly scoots across the couch to get closer to him. She drapes the blanket over his lap and then curls into his side as much as she can, wrapping her arms around his torso. She practically melts when he drops a kiss to the top of her head, closing her eyes and turning her head just enough to press a kiss to her chest. She lingers for a moment, breathing deeply and letting her body fully relax in his embrace.

Being in Mac's arms has always been one of her favorite things since the first time she hugged him after he made it snow for her that first Christmas they knew each other. And she can't help the way she smiles at the knowledge that she'll get to hug him whenever she wants from now on. It's certainly the most innocent of all the things she'll get to do now with Mac, but sometimes it really is the little things that get appreciated the most.

"You know, I think I realized why our first date didn't go as well as we had hoped," Mac's voice drifts into her ear.

She doesn't move, too comfortable in her place against him, simply hums in response.

"I was trying too hard to make it perfect," he tells her. "But then I realized that we don't need a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant for our first date to be perfect. It just needs to be you and me, doing something together that we enjoy."

Riley tilts her head back enough to smile up at Mac. "I couldn't agree more. First date round two next weekend?"

Mac smiles, leaning down to kiss her. "Sounds perfect."

Settling herself back against Mac's chest, Riley can't keep the smile off of her face, knowing that despite how long it took, and the obstacles in her way, she's right where she's supposed to be.

And as she slowly starts to fall asleep, wrapped in the arms of the man she loves, she's so glad to know that she was beyond wrong before. Because they definitely did not miss their chance, and she really can't wait to see what comes next.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!