"And, the longer we talked, the more we laughed
And wondered why we didn't last
It had been a long time, but later last night
Baby, we caught up real fast"
Keith Urban - "You Look Good In My Shirt"
I glance up at her building and my heart leaps, this is it. I pat my hands over my jacket, to see whether I've got the tickets.
Check.
I take a deep breath and push her buzzer, indicating my arrival.
"Sorry, I have a hot date tonight, come back later Flack."
My heart rate increases for a second, until I hear her giggling on the other end.
"Wiseass- let me up."
I pushed through the door, and made the journey up to the fifth floor. I considered walking to the end of the hallway to wait for the elevator, but that damn thing has a mind of its own. Plus, the five flights of stairs could do me some good.
I take the first three flights two at a time, but then decide that I don't want to knock on her door, and keel over. So, I take my time on the last two.
After all, I ain't as fit as what I used to be.
My hand hovers over the door, poised and ready to knock. I take a deep breath, and almost laugh at myself at how nervous I am.
It's Lindsay – I tell myself. It's Montana. What the hell am I worried about?
Maybe the fact that she's giving me a second chance, kinda, and I want to do anything but screw this up??
I was just about to knock, when the door swung open "S'a good job I have good sensory skills" she smiled "Usually you have to knock, you know, let the person know you're on the other side,"
"Sorry, just catching my breath." I lie
"Sure, whatever." She smirks, and for the first time since she opened the door, I see her.
"Linds" I gasp, "You look beautiful."
She cocks her eyebrows at me, and smiles crookedly, "I'm wearing jeans, a t-shirt and converse."
"I know, but you – you just look – you're beautiful" I gush. "These are for you," I offer, holding out the small bouquet of daisies I bought for her.
"Aw, Danny. That's so thoughtful, you didn't have to."
"I know but," I shrug "You ready to go?"
"Nearly, come in, just got a few finishing touches," she laughed
I nod, and follow her into the living room. "You decorated?"
She nodded "Yeah, I hated that orange colour. Made my eyes hurt after a 13 hour shift." She chuckled. "Surely you remember how that felt."
"Ha, like that time, we both stumbled in, dead on our feet and-"
She laughed, "Oh god, it burned, didn't it."
"Yeah, and you said-"
"That the first thing we were doing when we bought a place that we'd paint it magnolia or something neutral."
"And I freaked"
"And then I laughed and told you I was joking."
"Yeah," Danny chuckled "we were a pair, weren't we."
"Yeah" Lindsay nodded, smiling at the memory. "Well, I'll just grab my purse, spray some perfume and twirl in the mirror one last time" she smiled as she excused herself into her bedroom
"You're not supposed to tell your-" I stalled, was I supposed to call myself her date?
"What was that?" she called from the bedroom.
"Could I get a drink?" I call,
"Yeah," she laughed at the request "You know where the kitchen is, help yourself."
Lame recovery, I muse to myself, I glance into the fridge, and chuckle at the mouldy vegetables in the bottom – she tried her damn hardest to stay healthy, but take-out always won.
I shut the fridge, and see a picture of her and some guy pinned up with a magnet. I pick the picture up, and my heart drops a little.
She actually looks kinda happy. And the guy, well, he looked like he would worship the ground she stood on.
I turn the picture over, and read what she wrote on the other side, I narrow my eyes at her neat writing, trying to make a crossing out,
Rick and I at Coney Island.
I glance a little more, squinting so I can see the word underneath the thick pen line and crossing out, just before "Rick's" name.
Danny
"You ready to go?"
"Crap" I mutter as I drop the picture. "What? Yeah, yeah sure."
She cranes her neck into the kitchen, and sees the picture on the floor.
"I – I – I'm sorry – I didn't mean" I stammer
"It's fine. I don't mind you looking at it. That's Rick, we went out a few times" she said simply as she picked the picture up.
"Oh" I say simply, I guess I should be happy that she didn't hide it from me.
"You'd like him" she smiled as she unscrewed a bottle of water for me
"I don't know about that, Montana." I laugh, unconvinced as she hands it to me, "Thanks."
"No, believe me, you see eye to eye on a lot of things." She laughed, almost as if it was an inside joke, as she pinned the picture back up and trace a finger over their faces.
"I'll take your word for it, I guess." I smile, trying to control my jealousy.
Not that I have any right to be jealous.
"What time does the game start?"
"45 minutes" I say, "Thought we could-"
"You mind if we walk, it's nice out tonight."
"Sure" I nod, "Would love to"
She turns the lights off in the apartment, and turned on her small lamp, so that she wasn't stumbling around falling over things when she ended up coming back, when I dropped her off. It was a ritual, our tradition and routine...
I stood on the other side of the door as she locked up, and I stood to one side, giving her enough room
"Got the tickets?" she asked as she flung her purse over her shoulder.
"Yup" I nod as I move forward slightly,
"Wait" she said, urgently, as she touched my arm "Before we go" she stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss to my cheek "I'm glad you're home," She said simply before she walked down the hallway.
For a second, I touch my cheek, and close my eyes, "I'm glad to be back" I say quietly as I jog down the hall to catch up with her
--
--
"Harris is not worth that much, Dan," she laughed as she walked, arms touching down the street leading to the game.
"He so is!" I muse, "Who the hell would you have on your team then? Clarkson?"
"No" she laughed at the very idea, "Branch – he's awesome, can make a 2-pointer from like, well you've watched him play"
"You just like him cause he's hot."
"And what?" she laughed as our fingers graze the others. The breath hitches in my throat, and she takes a deep breath. "I have good taste" she finishes
"Yeah, I guess you do." I shrug.
"Bighead" she mutters
"What?"
"You 'oh, I guess so'" she mimics in a 'manly' voice.
"I do not sound like that"
She laughs and walks ahead of me slightly, "Come on cowboy."
I shake my head and pick up the pace.
--
--
"Tickets?"
"I got 'em." I mutter to the teen wanting our tickets as I rummage through my jacket pocket.
"Thanks" he squeaks as he sees my NYPD badge, hooked to my belt loop.
"You wore that?" Lindsay laughed as she walked through the entrance.
"Last time, some guy got murdered, just taking precautions," I laugh
"You hang with Flack too much" she comments as she makes her way over to the refreshments stand,
"I don't" I mutter, "Well, I do, but I don't."
"Save it" she chuckles. "What do you want, my treat" she smiles
"No, Linds, I asked you here, let me buy."
"Nah, you got the tickets, what do you want?"
"Linds,"
"I'll order for you," she mock warned
"Linds," I whine, "Let me buy"
She stuck her tongue out and moved to the front "Can I have that couple deal thing? What do you get in it, -"
My eyes widen. She called us a couple.
"Danny." She laughs, shaking my arm "what drink?"
"Diet Coke" I say, in habit – knowing that's what she'd get anyway
"I've trained you well" she smiles as she wraps her arm around my waist. Instantly I pull her into my side and plant a kiss to her temple – letting a grin take over my whole face
"First date?" the girl smiles at Lindsay who handed her the drink
Lindsay chuckled "Second first date."
The girl nodded in understanding. "Have fun, who you rooting for?"
"New York – Montana" we say together
"New York?" I ask, cocking my eyebrows at her
"Montana?" she laughs, "You're rooting for Montana?" she laughs, putting emphasis on Montana.
"Hell yeah," I grin as I pick up the popcorn "I need to thank them somehow,"
"Thank you" she smiled at the girl before turning towards me "You're sappy." She smirked as she took a sip of the monster sized diet coke
"How much did that rob you?" I ask
"Just ten." She shrugs. "Figured it'd last us."
"Ever the practical one" I tease
"Shut up, what row is it?"
"41 and 42 C"
She nodded at me, and walked close, lips still attached to the straw. "You planning on saving me some?" I laugh as her arm links through mine.
"Maybe" she grins sheepishly. "We'll see," she says as her hand slowly moves down my arm, and connects with my hand and holds it tightly.
A bubbling sensation moves throughout my entire body as she glances up and smiles at me.
Why was I so nervous?
--
--
"You have to be kidding me," she practically screamed as she threw popcorn at the row in front of us "What the hell was that"
"It was your beloved New York getting pulverised by Montana"
"What they hell are they doing?" she spat as she sat back down "do they want me explain the game?"
I chuckle and run my hand over her's in a soothing motion "breathe, Montana."
"Easy for you to say, you don't have a fifty riding on this game."
"I do, I'm just gonna win"
"Time to turn it around, yet."
"We'll see" I smirk. "You need to stop by an ATM on the way home, pay up?"
"I might just take it off of your debt" she smirked as she took a handful of popcorn
"Huh? What debt?"
"You know, the Benjamin, I never saw?" she teased
"I paid you back for that. I had to resurface the pool table before Flack came round, he would have known."
"Yeah, not my problem you couldn't control yourself."
"Excuse me, I was too busy coming up with something better, as you put it. But, to be honest, I think you already knew what you wanted."
She shook her head as the whistle sounded half time, and the dorky half time music was blasted throughout the stadium.
"God, I hope they don't do that kissing thing, you know like on How to lose a guy-" Her eyes widened, "Dan," she laughed as she pointed towards the scoreboard
There we were, in the middle of a love heart, with all of the people around us, encouraging me to kiss her.
By this time, she had gone tomato red, and looking solely at me, adverting her eyes with anyone, or anything else.
I smile and lean over to kiss her lightly on the cheek, deciding that our second first kiss isn't going to be in front of 3,000 or so drunken basketball fans.
She chuckles, and let out a breath as the board moves onto another unsuspecting couple.
"Typical" she mused, "I spoke too soon"
"Apparently" I laugh as I lean over her to grab the diet coke, and she kisses me lightly on the cheek. A smile creeps across my face, and I turn to look at her, inches from her face. I can see her take a deep breath, and lick her lips, instead I kiss her forehead, and then take a sip of the diet coke, leaving her slightly deflated, I think.
"You back at work tomorrow?" she asks
"Yeah, first day back. What time you start?"
"Ten" she says simply
"Same, I could swing by and pick you up, save you from getting the subway"
"You sure, it's out of the way"
"I used to do it everyday, regardless of what shift I was on. It's fine Linds, pick you up about 9, we could go for breakfast," I smile "Unless you have plans, or you don't-"
"Nine's perfect." She smiles as she takes one of my hands.
--
--
"So, where's the nearest cash machine?" she asked as we slowly walked up the crowded stairs
"No need to gloat, alright. It was a lucky last quarter for them."
"Nah" she insisted, shaking her head. "We're too awesome. Serves you right, for turning your back on your home-"
"Home what, Linds?" I tease "Home state?"
"Shut up." She smirked "I won, it's cause I rock."
"You always win. Where'd you go anyway, during the 3rd quarter break? You go and bitch at them for playing like girls?"
"Yeah, I kicked their asses."
"Thought so," I smirk, as I take her hand, and pull her close.
She glanced up at me, with a questioning look in her eyes, probably wondering why after all night, I've finally taken her hand, without her initiating it.
"Gotta keep you close" I say simply as she smiles and nods. "I don't wanna lose you."
"Why do I sense a double meaning there, Messer?" she smiled up at me…
"Can't get anything past you, can I?" I sigh as he kiss her loose curls, come on, we're holding up about 50 million pissed off Montana fans."
She shook her head as she gripped a little tighter to my hand. "Whatever you say, loser."
--
--
I glanced down at her, tucked neatly around my arm that was draped over her shoulder in a huge oversized NYC Empires jersey we decided I would buy for her instead of paying up the 50 dollars.
"You look cute" I muse, "Huge oversized jackets are quite your style"
She rolled her eyes and giggled as she took my hand that was draped on her shoulder.
"I've had fun tonight"
"Me too," I smile "I've missed you."
"Me too, Rick was nice, but well -"
"Well what?" I ask, curious as to where she was going with this.
"He wasn't you. He didn't tease me."
"That something you look for in a guy, Montana."
"Not particularly," she laughed as she pinched my love handles, "It's more of a just one guy in particular kind of thing. I compare everyone to him," She says, before smiling at me, and looking back down at the sidewalk.
We walk a few blocks in companionable silence, just enjoying the other's warmth and the closeness between us, until we turn the corner, and are stood outside her apartment building.
"This is you, then?" I sigh, not wanting the night to end,
"Yeah, guess so." She nodded "Thanks for tonight, Danny, I had a really good time,"
"Me too" I nod as I pull her into a hug "I've missed you, more than I can say"
She smiled, and kissed me lightly on the cheek "Well then" she sighed hesitantly "Goodnight"
"G'night Linds, sweet dreams." I smile as she turns to head up the stairs.
She turns back to smile sweetly at me, before disappearing into her apartment building.
Instantly, my heart drops. I should have kissed her then. She wanted me to hold her, and make everything better – she wanted me to tell her that everything would be okay from now on.
And I didn't.
I sigh and run a hand down my face. A kiss isn't going to fix one anything. Who am I actually trying to fool? The last thing she probably needs is me kissing her.
I close my eyes for a second, getting lost in the blares and sirens coming from the main roads a few blocks over.
And, for a second, I forget what's happened.
"Why didn't you kiss me?"
My eyes shoot open and I turn quickly,
"Linds?"
"Why didn't you kiss me?"
"I – I-"
"Why? Why didn't you?"
"Because" I start, but soon realise I have nothing "I don't know."
Nodding, she turned back into her apartment building, taking deep breaths, close to tears. Even with her back to me, I can tell.
I race up the stairs after her, lightly grip her shoulder, and spin her round.
Her eyes widen as I pull her towards me, and wrap my arms protectively around her waist, and kiss her lightly on her lips. One hand moves to her neck, and I pull her close, and rest my forehead against her's.
She moves her small hand to touch her lips, and touches them for what seems like forever, her eyes sparkling. I pull away, only for her to pull me towards her.
Her lips crash down onto mine, and she stumbles forward slightly, pinning me against the wall, not that I mind.
My hand snakes up her side, making her shiver under my touch until I reach the back of her neck, and cup it lightly, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss.
We stand like that, as if it's just the two of us in the whole of New York, without a care in the world, for god only knows how long, until she finally pulls away and rests her forehead against mine.
"Don't ever leave me again, Danny."
"I'm not going anywhere," I say as I trace circles into her back. "I promise"
She couldn't help the smile that was creeping across her face; "Well I guess it really is goodnight, now"
"I'll see you in the morning" I smile as I gently kiss her lips and she slowly turns around away from me, to head into her apartment building. "Lindsay," I say, to get her attention. "I love you."
I see her chest contract a little; as if she's holding a breath, or cant breathe. "Montana?"
"Sorry, I just - you caught me off guard." She says, blinking.
"You okay?"
Nodding, she smiled as she moved away from me "You have no idea. G'night Danny"
I stand and watch her press the elevator button, and wait for her to turn to smile and wave goodbye, and I waved back, smiling.
Turning back in the direction we had just come from, I head to the subway station, and catch one of the last trains home, feeling a lot more hopeful about our future than what I had on my way here.
I walk for a few minutes, mind fully 100 percent focused on Lindsay, and revel in the happy, good natured mood her instincts of coming back outside has put me in.
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, and flip the phone open.
I smile at the sender, and open the message.
I had a lovely time tonight, D. I've really missed you. I love you too. M. x
I take a deep breath as I turn into the station, still looking at the message.
Knowing that tomorrow was just another day – another day closer to being back to where we used to be.
R&R? As always, it's much appreicated :D