A/N So, writing this is just fun. It's admittedly not my most refined piece of writing, but after having to do so much reworking and drafting in my creative writing classes, coming home and just indulging in Bang fics, where the ideas and writing come quickly, is awesome. I hope you guys are enjoying it!
Chapter Three: Can't Work Out What They Mean.
Cristina was fuming as she stalked the halls of the hospital. What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she spending her first year internship answering booty calls from an attending? Life with Burke was a lot of things, but quiet was not one of them. Even going out on a simple dinner date was an ordeal for them.
Their first date was a disaster, and was only saved when a man had a heart attack. It meant they could spring into familiar territory. The next time he decided they should try an 'official' date again was months later. They'd just been casually hanging out at his apartment in their time outside of the hospital up until then.
It happened just after New Year. She'd just moved in with him – not entirely at this point, but he didn't know that. He'd cornered her after she was rinsing off after surgery.
"Both of us get off at a relatively sane hour tomorrow."
"Uh-huh." She grabbed a paper towel to dry her arms.
"How would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow night?"
She paused mid-wipe. She'd only started sleeping over at his (moved in, she mentally corrected herself) four days ago, and now he wanted to do this dating thing again.
"Are you suffering from short term memory loss? Do you remember what happened last time?"
Burke chuckled, as she threw the towel in the bin. "If I recall, you said it was the best date you'd ever been on."
"And are you planning on engineering another medical emergency to bail us out this time?"
"We've come a long way since then, Cristina."
She relented. "Fine. But you don't get to comment on my wine choice this time around."
So Meredith sat on the floor, with her back against the lockers, complaining about her non-existent love life, as Cristina wriggled into her hot black dress. She surveyed the slit up the side. Well, at least she looked like a knock-out.
"This is a bad idea," she grumbled, as she released her hair from its clip.
"He's been your boyfriend for months now. It's just a date. Relax. You've already been for your test-run and passed. Just have fun."
Cristina gave her a grudging smile. "Thanks." She quickly stepped into her black pumps. "He's waiting for me outside. I've got to go."
"Call me later so I can live vicariously through you," Meredith's voice trailed after her.
Burke, ever the gentleman, opened doors for her, and pulled out the chair for her, at the somewhat charming (somewhat charming? What the hell was wrong with her?) Italian restaurant he'd taken her to. He comfortably shrugged off his blazer and laid it on the chair. She glanced at how his dark dress shirt enhanced his broad shoulders, but quickly averted her eyes to examine the menu.
"I figured there's no steak or lobster here, so we won't need to argue over the wine," Burke began.
"We weren't arguing; you just told me what I could and couldn't do," Cristina replied swiftly. Was that too blunt? She was always honest, and direct. But it somehow seemed jarring in this setting. She managed a smile to show she was well-intentioned, and Burke smiled backed.
"What looks appealing on the menu?"
"Everything," she replied, her stomach growling. "I was in surgery over lunch today, and the vending machine food didn't really tie me over."
"No kidding," he replied disapprovingly.
Cristina was amused at his newfound habit of trying to instill her with healthy eating habits. She glanced up at him, but he was distracted, his gaze fixed on something behind Cristina.
She followed his gaze, and saw a couple having dinner. "Friends of yours?"
He glanced at them a moment longer, and then looked back at Cristina. "I don't know him. Sarah's an old girlfriend."
Cristina paused, careful not to let her body betray her surprise. Burke was mostly an open book to her, but this was the first mention of his past love life.
"Oh. You haven't seen her for a while?"
"Not since we broke up, maybe two years ago. That was my last serious relationship. We were together for three years."
Three years. Major holy commitment, Batman. "Why'd it end?"
"She's a lawyer, so of course she understands hard work, to a certain extent; but she grew tired of being second priority. It's hard, trying to make a relationship succeed with someone who doesn't understand what you do all day long."
"Yeah. Izzie had a boyfriend last year, but it fell apart because of that. Though it may have been the distance thing."
"But Bailey's been married ten years, so maybe there is hope."
"Well, why don't you go over there and tell Sarah that?"
Crap, Cristina cursed a moment later. Why did she let that slip?
Burke's face twisted into a curious smile, though they were interrupted by the waiter. After they ordered, he asked, "are you jealous, Cristina?"
"Of an old girlfriend? Please."
"You just seem a little…tense."
"Why should I be tense? Take a good look at what you've got, Burke. I have no reason to be insecure."
"You're right, you don't. And I'm always looking."
He eyed her over his wine glass, and she met his gaze. She knew it, that he was often looking. His gaze upon her was one of the most intense things she had ever experienced. It had been her undoing at first, the way he looked at her in the stairwell, after Liz Fallon died. Now, it was mostly a comforting thing, though it could still make her breathless.
The rest of their date was amiable; Cristina was beginning to wonder why she'd been concerned. Then, the most awkward of all circumstances arose: encountering the ex. Burke was about to open the door for Cristina, when they encountered another couple at the exit.
"Hello, Preston," came a female voice, and Cristina glanced up. So, this was the ex. She was taller than Cristina, hardly a mean feat. She had a smooth coffee complexion, a slender form, and black hair swept up elegantly. The woman was a walking Covergirl commercial. Damn her. But as if that much cleavage was real.
"Good evening, Sarah," Burke replied smoothly, his hand coming to rest on the small of Cristina's back. "I trust you're well?"
"Quite. Yourself?"
"Oh, yes. Busy as ever."
Sarah smiled, and Cristina felt like punching her, O'Malley style. "I remember. Preston, this is Charles." Burke extended his free hand to shake Charles'.
"Nice to meet you. Sarah, Charles, this is Cristina."
Cristina transferred her glare from venomous to sweet in an instance, and plastered a smile on her face. "Hi there."
"Hi." Sarah held Cristina's gaze for a moment, then smiled up at Burke. "Well, we were just leaving."
"After you," he stepped back graciously to allow them through.
In the car on the way home, Cristina couldn't hold back. "That's all? You were with someone for three years, and that's all you have to say to each other? Fake formalities?"
"I'm not sure what it is that's bothering you so much. What would you prefer? That I take her on the table?"
"No," she replied moodily, gazing out the window. "What if we broke up? Is that all you'd say to me?"
She felt a hand come to rest on her knee. "That's not going to happen."
As they stepped into the elevator, Burke pressed the button for the third floor, and glanced over at her. "Ok, its time to get some new thoughts in your head." She didn't have time to blink before she was pressed against the side of the elevator, his mouth hot on hers. She giggled as they stumbled out of the elevator, and he threw his arm out to steady them, finding the wall to keep them upright.
"Perhaps…we should take this inside?" she asked, breathless, as he hungrily explored her neck.
A low growl escaped his throat as he fished in his pocket for his keys, and he impatiently tugged on her hand. Once inside, they didn't even make it out of the kitchen.
As she recalled that night on the way to the on-call rooms, Cristina tried to remind herself that she was angry with him.
A/N Next chapter: Burke is waiting in the on-call room, and Meredith gets an invite to casa Bang.
R&R please