Chapter 8

Two weeks later

After Horatio had walked into the break room and told the team that they were done, Eric asked if he wanted to go out to have a drink after the hard case, and Horatio had declined, but since Calleigh had already said she would go, she was kind of committed, so after Eric and Ryan said they'll meet her at the bar, they left the break room, and when Horatio and Calleigh were alone, she looked at him and said. "I can tell them something came up."

He smiled with a shake of his head. "No, go and have fun with the guys, I'm sure they miss hanging out with you."

Since they've been a couple, she had hardly hung out with them, mostly saying she would take a rain check, which before she became involved with Horatio, she would spend a lot of time with them.

Calleigh nodded and replied. "Ok, so I'll see you later, then?"

He smiled again. "Yeah, come over when you guys get done."

"Alright, it will only be a couple of hours."

After Horatio nodded, they shared one more smile before Calleigh walked out of the room.

When she got to the bar she noticed she was the first person in her group to be there, so she decided to get three beers for them before taking a table.

Once 10 minutes rolled by Eric and Ryan came into the bar, and after they found her sitting at the table they all smiled, but Calleigh's smile dimmed a little

when she noticed Jake walked in behind them.

When the three guys walked over to the table, Eric asked. "I hope you don't mind Jake came with us."

It wasn't that she disliked the guy, in fact she wouldn't even mind being friends with him again, but it seemed like ever since he came here, he was always there whenever she turned around, at the lab, sometimes at the same crime scene as her, and now apparently here. But she also realized that this was a new city for him and she didn't think he knew that many people so she could understand him tagging along with the guys.

With that in mind, Calleigh nodded and replied. "Sure."

Jake smiled and responded. "Cool, I'll be right back."

They all nodded, and while Jake left to get a beer, Eric and Ryan sat down.

After they took a sip, Eric speaks again. "I'm really sorry about Jake, he was at the lab looking for you when we were leaving and we kind of told him that we were meeting you here, so he wanted to come too."

They weren't sure about Jake when they first met him, but they thought they would give him a chance since Calleigh had been friendly with him.

Calleigh waved it off. "That's ok, he doesn't know that many people here, so maybe he'll find someone he'll like while he is here with us."

The guys smiled with a small chuckle before they started talking.

After a few hours and a few beers, Ryan and Eric left the bar, leaving Calleigh and Jake alone, which their conversations turned to the past.

Once they calmed down from laughing at something that happened during their time in the academy, their look toward one another became a little long, then he sighed and said. "Man Calleigh, we had a great time back then, didn't we?"

Calleigh smiled with a nod. "We really did Jake, and it is a time I'll never forget."

"Do you ever think about what could have happened if we had never said goodbye?"

"A few times."

Jake puts his hand on top of her hand, and a small shiver went down her spine at his touch, which she wasn't sure if it was good thing or bad, but before she could really think about it, he leans toward her. "What if we don't have to wonder anymore?"

Calleigh swallowed before asking. "What do you mean?"

He gets that charming smile on his face and replied. "I mean what if we pick up where we left off."

She couldn't lie and say that didn't entice her a little, but her heart was somebody else's now, and she thinks another reason he was always around was because maybe he thought he had a shot with her again, so it was time to set the record straight, even though nobody else knew about her and Horatio.

Calleigh finally looked away from his face as she removed her hand out from under his, then cleared her throat as she looked down at the table. "That is a very intriguing and wonderful offer, I can't lie." She looked into his eyes again and finished. "But I'm with somebody else now and hurting him isn't an option, I'm sorry."

The wind felt like it was knocked out of him and he cleared his throat before asking. "Can I ask who it is?"

To be continued. . . .