Just an FYI: The next chapter will be Lim's thoughts and feelings in 2x12 Aftermath.
Lim usually hated Valentine's Day. All of the cheesy greeting cards, the flowers, the chocolates, the sheer amount of red and pink decorations in store displays, and all of the gushy couples going on and on about how much they loved each other, both in person and on social media. Barf. Thankfully, she had to work today, so there was no way she'd be forced to partake in any traditional Valentine's Day activities. Melendez was off today, but he couldn't attempt to try to send roses or a box of chocolates to the hospital since no one knew they were dating. And even if people did know about them, he probably wouldn't try all of that mushy romantic garbage anyway if he valued his life. Naturally, Lim had to cover the ER that day and Shaun and Claire were the residents under her command for this shift as Park had flown to Phoenix to be with Mia for Valentine's Day and Morgan was out sick (or so she claimed). Their first patient was a man who had fallen off of a ladder fixing the roof, but he only had a few broken ribs. The next patient that came in was drug overdose victim, and the last patient of the morning was a woman who needed her spleen removed as a result of a car accident. Lim, Shaun, and Claire scrubbed into surgery and Lim let Shaun and Claire split duties in regard to the spleen removal. Suddenly, Shaun asked out of the blue, "Dr. Lim, Dr. Browne, are you both doing anything for Valentine's Day?"
Lim glanced up at Shaun, suddenly a little nervous for herself, Does Murphy know about me and Neil? she wondered. Lim shook her head and answered, "No, I don't have a significant other, Murphy."
"You don't have to have a significant other. You could go out with friends or you could go out drinking alone," stated Shaun, "Lea is going to dinner with her boyfriend, Jake," Shaun announced.
"Well, all I plan to do tonight is drink a bottle of wine and watch chick flick movies," said Claire.
Lim honestly wasn't quite sure what she'd be doing tonight. She had made Melendez promise not to take her to some overpriced restaurant (also usually overcrowded on Valentine's Day). She figured it would involve obligatory Valentine's Day sex and that's about it (not that the sex wasn't good. Damn, was Neil terrific in the sheets). But then again, she knew Neil: he always had some sort of strange surprise up his sleeve.
After the surgery was complete, Lim made her final rounds before changing and getting ready to go home for the day. She hadn't bothered to get Melendez anything for Valentine's Day, but as she left the hospital, she began to think that maybe she should have gotten him something to show she cared about him in more ways than just a convenient sex partner. She stopped by the grocery store and picked up a few packs of peanut M&M's for him. Lame, but it got the job done.
She arrived at Melendez's apartment and knocked on the door. He answered a few moments later and she tossed him the candy, "Those are for you."
"Uh, thanks?" he half-acknowledged and half-questioned.
"I didn't get you anything, but then, I figured I'd look like a shitty girlfriend if I showed up to your place empty-handed on Valentine's Day," she elaborated.
Melendez chuckled and kissed her, "That's alright. It's the thought that counts."
"So what are we doing tonight? The usual date of grabbing a burger, and then, coming back here and having sex afterward?" asked Lim, "I might even let you be on top tonight as my Valentine's Day gift to you."
"Actually, I was thinking about staying in tonight," said Melendez. He didn't even know how Lim hadn't noticed that his apartment reeked.
Then, the odor hit Lim. Growing up in Taiwan, she had grown accustomed to the aroma coming from the street markets, but the smell was easily distinguishable to her. She grinned from ear to ear and passionately kissed Melendez, "You didn't?"
"I did. I managed to get a good stinky tofu recipe from the internet. This stuff smells awful, by the way," he mentioned.
"Trust me, it tastes better than it smells," she laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him over to the sofa.
She snuggled next to him and Melendez kissed her temple, "It should be done in about ten minutes."
Lim nodded and absentmindedly ran her pointer finger over his chest, "So what else were you thinking for tonight?" she asked.
"Well, I figure after dinner, we could watch a movie and since you hate every chick flick on the planet…"
"Not every chick flick; just most of them," emphasized Lim.
"Anyway, I figured we could watch both of your presents tonight," said Melendez, handing her two wrapped gifts.
Lim tore off the wrapping paper and smiled when she saw both Guardians of the Galaxy movies, "I love it! Thank you," she smiled and kissed his cheek.
"You're welcome," he answered. The timer went off and Melendez looked over at Lim, "Well, I get to see if I can ever trust you when it comes to making food choices for me again."
Despite the strong smell, Melendez did have to admit that stinky tofu tasted pretty good (though he wasn't sure he would ever get used to the smell). After dinner, they spent the rest of the evening watching both movies, though the second movie had barely ended before Lim was straddling Melendez's lap. She ran her pointer finger over his collar bone and began to kiss him, "So what do you say, doctor? Ready to have a little fun tonight?"
Melendez groaned and said, "With you by my side, I'm always ready for an adventure," he kissed her harder, "Even if it's just a journey up to the bedroom," he scooped her into his arms and Lim laughed as he carried her upstairs. He laid her down on the bed and crawled on top of her, gently stroking her cheek. While both surgeons were pretty tough at work, it was moments like this one that they longed for, when their gentleness and compassion came out. Nobody was around them and they could let their guards down around each other. They both thought they had known love beforehand, but they truly hadn't. No relationship they had been in compared to being with each other, "I love you, Audrey," Melendez whispered.
"Then show me," Lim smiled. She rolled on top of him and resumed the passionate kiss from downstairs. Whenever she kissed Neil, she felt a certain electric sensation course through her body and even more so whenever she knew they were about to have sex. No, at this point, it wasn't just pure sex. They would make love. Fervent, infinite, and abundant love.
Normally, Lim had never given a crap about Valentine's Day, but somehow knowing it was (supposedly) the most romantic day of the year made the love-making even more special. Somehow, she wanted to show Neil now more than ever how much she loved him, especially because they had had to hide their feelings from each other for so long. There was something truly magical between them whenever they were around each other, even if it was in a non-romantic way. But now that they had each other, it was a different story. Lim could feel Melendez nipping at her neck, the same spot that really turned her on (and the same spot in which she had forbidden him from kissing when they weren't alone in private), "You…are…so…beautiful," Melendez drew out each and every word. He gazed up into her brown eyes and smiled, "And you're mine."
Lim couldn't help but chuckle and kiss him, "Yes, for some strange reason not known to man, I'm all yours," they both laughed and Melendez flipped Lim onto her back, "Neil," she scolded jokingly.
"I know, I know; you hate missionary, but just trust me tonight," he said.
Lim nodded and said, "Okay."
Melendez spent a little time at her breasts, though he was starting to learn what really got Lim going. He went back to sucking at that spot on her neck and he could feel her arching her back underneath him, Perfect, he thought. His hand drifted down and he brushed two fingers against her, causing her to shutter. He could feel how wet she was already, so he slid those fingers in and out of her. He heard her moaning in pleasure and she uttered, "Oh God, that feels so good."
"Good," Melendez nodded.
Lim slowly reached down and squeezed him, which caused a moan from him. He stopped his motion and got out of bed. She looked up at him, "Why the hell did you stop?"
"Calm down; let me explain," he reassured her, grabbing something out of a paper bag, "I know it's sometimes harder for you to climax and you've fantasized about using help, so I stopped by a store a few days ago and…" he slowly pulled out the vibrator.
Lim kissed him some more and whispered, "We'll test it together. After all, it is Valentine's Day."
The vibration against her clit sent Lim into absolute ecstasy (along with a little more help from Melendez, of course), and Melendez admitted it felt pretty good for him too. Once they were done, Lim and Melendez could barely catch their breaths it was so good. Lim rolled onto her right side and said, "Man, that was so fucking good," she said proudly and kissed him.
"Good," Melendez laughed, "Because I have one more surprise for you," Lim raised her eyebrows as Melendez pulled a small box out of his nightstand drawer, to which Lim gained a look of horror, "Relax Lim, I'm not proposing. And even if I was, it would be in a much more romantic setting than in bed."
"Good," she sighed in relief, "Because we're not ready for marriage yet."
Melendez smiled and handed Lim the small box, "Open it," he said.
Lim swiftly opened the box, but all she found inside it was a key. It took her a minute to figure out the significance, "Neil, are you asking me to…move in with you?"
"No. Or not yet anyway," he said and winked, "But, I think it's time you have a key to my apartment."
Lim couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat. She quickly jumped out of bed and did her best to find the item in her black bag in the dark, "Dammit, where is the son of a bitch?" Melendez heard her curse, followed by a string of what he assumed were Mandarin curse words.
"Audrey, is everything okay?" he asked in concern.
Lim hopped back into bed and said, "Yes, everything's fine. Give me your hand," she ordered. Neil held out his hand and she placed something in his palm. When she moved her hand away, he noticed a key: a key to her apartment. She looked into his eyes and smiled, "Great minds think alike."