A/N: As some of you may have noticed, I took a short break from posting this story. It was unplanned. I just had a lot going on and needed some time off. But I think that I'll be able to publish regularly again. Anyway, this chapter dives right into Shandy territory, keeping with canon, more or less. If until this point it was just Rainie and Sharon, how would their relationship be affected once Andy becomes a more constant person in their lives? And that is what I will explore going forward in this story.
I would like to thank the ever so lovely blossom-of-snow for editing this story. She's a tremendous help.
Sharon stood in front of the bathroom mirror and lined her lips in burgundy. She colored in a bit, a method she learned from her mother to help lipstick stay longer. When she was done, she opened the makeup drawer to find a matching lipstick. It appeared, however, that Rainie made a mess in the drawer in the morning so now Sharon couldn't find the lipstick she was looking for.
"Rainie, have you seen my Dior lipstick?" The last time she saw her, Rainie had been working on her comic strip with the door open, so there was no way Rainie could pretend not to hear her. She heard Rainie push her chair back and pad across the hall to the bathroom.
"Which one?" Rainie asked.
"The dark red," Sharon said, arching her eyebrows.
"It isn't in there?" Rainie motioned towards the drawer where both of them stored all their makeup.
Clearly not, Sharon thought, instantly surprised by her irritability. "Not in my side."
"You can search my side, but I haven't used it," Rainie replied. "Besides, red lipstick is wrong for dates."
"Why is that?" Sharon tried to ignore the fact that she hasn't been in a real date in so long that she was taking makeup advice from Rainie, who learned to apply makeup from Sharon herself.
Rainie rummaged through her mother's side of the drawer for a replacement. "It leaves stains on cups, napkins and other people's lips."
"I don't think Andy is going to –" Sharon decided to tone down her original thought. "I'm not sure it's a date."
"Didn't you say that he's taking you to a romantic restaurant?" Rainie asked, the high pitch to her voice foiling her effort to sound nonchalant.
"Well, yes, but he just said that's the way it's described. I'm not sure he meant for it to be a romantic dinner." Andy's invitation had been quite vague, and after agreeing to it, Sharon wasn't sure whether or not she was going out on a date, or just another friendly dinner.
"You'll regret it if it is a date and he ends up with your lipstick on his face and neck."
"This brand is supposed to be long-lasting," Sharon said, drumming her fingers on the counter. "And I don't think he will try to –"
"Wanna test these theories tonight? Go ahead," Rainie teased.
Sharon sighed and looked at her reflection. She hadn't realized how confused and upset she was until she saw the woman in the mirror. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so nervous and unsure, and Rainie's words gnawed at her dwindling self-confidence. What if it was a date? Sharon never considered what it might mean for her friendship with Andy. And what if Andy did kiss her tonight? He may have been a good friend, but he was also her lieutenant. Maybe she should have turned down his offer and pretended that she was busy tonight.
"You're overthinking this." Finally satisfied with her choice, Rainie handed a less telling shade of lipstick to Sharon. "I guess you could always refuse a kiss. That way you could avoid the makeup mishap and the uncomfortable relationship mess."
Sharon narrowed her eyes at Rainie as she painted her lips. There were other ways to avoid emotional baggage, enjoy a kiss and maintain her propriety. When Andy knocked on the door she grasped Rainie's arm in a search of reassurance. "How do I look?" she asked.
"Scared shitless," Rainie smirked. "Take a moment. I'll get the door."
Sharon heard Rainie greet Andy as she pinned a few stray curls to the side of her head and threw another glance at the mirror. "You can do this," she said to her reflection before she left the bathroom and walked to the living room. Andy Flynn stood there, wearing a dark three-piece suit with a crimson tie and held a bouquet of calla lilies. As soon as he saw her, Sharon could see his eyes raking over her from top to bottom before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her cheek.
"This is for you," he said and handed her the bouquet.
"Thank you, Andy. They're beautiful." Sharon's lips curved up in a smile. The flowers were a clear sign that tonight's dinner was a date, and somehow she wasn't scared anymore.
"Not half as beautiful as you."
Sharon blushed. She tried to think of something to say, but she was at a loss for words.
"So, when is your reservation?" Rainie asked, noticing the two adults were staring at each other awkwardly.
"Seven," Andy said. "We should probably get going if we want to make it to Serve in time."
"Let me just put these in water."
"I'll do that," Rainie said, and took the flowers out of Sharon's hands. "You go, have fun." She gently nudged Sharon towards Andy with her elbow.
Andy offered Sharon his hand, and she accepted it, feeling every thump of her pulse as her fingers laced with his.
"I just want to tell you that I'm really excited about tonight," Andy said as they stepped into the elevator.
"Me too," she said, brushing her fingers up and down his arm.
They carried a light conversation on the way to the restaurant, both of them too nervous to delve into a serious conversation about the possibility of a romantic relationship between them.
After they were seated at the restaurant, they both buried themselves in their menus, partially searching for what they wanted to order and partially avoiding what was bound to be an uncomfortable conversation about if and how they were going to take their friendship to a new level. The opportunity to hide behind the menu was taken away from them after they placed their orders, and Sharon knew she needed to jump into the deep water. Silence would lead them nowhere, and might even cause more harm to their friendship than dating would.
"So, I guess we should talk about this," she said, and motioned between them.
Andy responded with a small nod of his head, but let her take the lead on the conversation.
"I wonder, have you thought this through?"
"You mean, a relationship with you?" Andy asked.
Sharon nodded.
"A thousand times, for months."
His honesty surprised her. What did he mean "for months"?
"Ever since we went to The Nutcracker two years ago," he clarified when he noticed her confusion.
"Wow." Sharon could have kicked herself for the lame response, but she had no idea what else to say. That explained why he chose to mislead his family to think they were dating the previous year. She recalled how he didn't want to tell Nicole the truth about their friendship, but Sharon immediately eliminated the idea that he harbored feelings for her.
"I know this might be shocking, but if we were to become involved, I wanted you to know that this was not a caprice. I didn't ask you out on a date on an impulse," Andy explained. "I know we both had turbulent marriages and we both struggled with issues related to addictions. And that must be terrifying to think about starting again, with another addict –"
"Andy." Sharon cut off his ramble. "I know you are serious about me."
"Okay," Andy replied and offered his open hand to her.
Sharon placed her hand in his and smiled. "If we're going to do this, then there should be some ground rules." Her fingers caressed his open palm, hoping he would feel the gentleness in her gesture and in her suggestion.
"I agree," Andy replied.
They considered together what their working relationship would look like once they become a couple, how it might affect their relationship, and when and how to tell Chief Taylor and the squad about it. With the most uncomfortable conversation over, their usual banter began to flow, and Sharon felt lighter and was able to enjoy the ambiance and Andy's company.
"You know, if someone told me four years ago that one day you and I would go on a date, I'd laugh in their face," Andy said as they took a stroll down the street after leaving the restaurant.
"A lot has changed. I would have probably reacted the same way back then."
"I'm glad we're at a different place now," Andy said, squeezing her hand.
"Me too." Sharon let him wrap his arm around her waist and slipped her arm around his. They walked quietly for a few more minutes before Andy paused and took both her hands in his.
"Sharon, may I kiss you?"
Instead of replying, Sharon closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. Her eyes fell shut as she slightly spread her lips to capture his, enjoying the warm softness of his bottom lip between hers. As Andy's arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer, Sharon gently placed her palm under his jaw and changed the angle to deepen the kiss. A rapid and thrilling flutter inside her stomach elicited a soft moan from the depth of her throat – a sound that made Andy shiver against her. Sharon's face was flushed when they pulled apart. She looked at Andy, lightheaded from the lengthy and intoxicating kiss and noticed a similar flush spread across his face as well. It took her a moment to realize that the redness around his mouth was incredibly unnatural.
"Oh, no," she sighed when the realization struck her.
"What?" Andy asked in confusion.
"My lipstick came off all over your mouth and chin," Sharon replied and started wiping the red stains off Andy's face with the pad of her thumb. When her thumb brushed over his lips, Andy pressed a kiss against it and smiled.
"There's a handkerchief in my breast pocket," he said and reached for it, handing it to Sharon, who used it to wipe the rest of the lipstick off of Andy's face.
"It should come off in the laundry," she said apologetically, handing him the stained handkerchief.
"If this is the price for kissing you, I am willing to ruin all my handkerchiefs," he said and pressed his lips to hers again in a swift but soft kiss. "Besides, if you think my mouth is the only one that's messy right now, you should look in the mirror." Andy took the handkerchief from her and gently swiped it over her lips, removing what remained of her lipstick.
Both of them were still sporting red lipstick stains on their faces when they parted with an eager kiss at Sharon's doorway. The thought of asking Andy in crossed Sharon's mind, but it was already late, and she didn't want to take this relationship to the next level so soon. If their first date was any indication, that part would come soon enough, but not tonight. As she closed the door behind her, she felt an involuntary smile spreading across her face, and the thought that filled her mind was: I want more.
-TBC-
As always, I'd love to know what you think about this chapter, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.