I'm back in high school, I thought as Greg walked me to my front door. He was smiling that crazy lopsided grin he gets when he's nervous - nervous going out with ME, for heaven's sake - and it made my heart melt. It had been a perfect date in all respects - wonderful guy, great food, no awkwardness, no staring at my boobs (well, not much at least.) I hadn't felt at all guilty like I had when I was dating Hank - then I'd felt like I was cheating on Grissom. This time, not a twinge. Guess that was a sign of moving on.
We reached my door. "So." Greg looked at his feet and fidgeted.
"I have had a wonderful time, Greg." I hesitated for a moment. "Would you like to come in for a drink, maybe watch the news?"
He grinned like a kid on Christmas. "Yeah, I'd, um, I'd like that..."
"Sit down. What would you like?"
He shrugged. "Whatever you're having is great."
"Maybe a glass of wine... you like Reisling? I have that, Merlot..."
"Either one would be great."
Reisling, I thought and removed the cobalt blue bottle from the fridge. I poured it into two coffee mugs and brought them over to the couch. I handed a cup to Greg, then sat beside him. "Hope you like this. It's pretty cheap, but I like it."
"Only thing I'm picky over is coffee."
I laughed. "Glad to hear it."
He grinned at me. "I don't want to be too pushy, but would you like to go do something tomorrow night since we're off?"
I looked down at my cup and then back up at him. "I think that would be nice. What do you have in mind?"
He shrugged. "Maybe dinner at my house, rent some movies."
"You can cook?"
He snorted. "I can call and order pizza. My cooking ain't so great, unless you have a real craving for ramen noodles. "
I laughed. "I think I'll take you up on pizza. I ate enough ramen noodles in college for a lifetime."
He edged closer to me, and I smiled encouragement. He slipped his arms around me and pulled me close. It felt so good being held by someone I trust, and I relax into the embrace. I fell asleep at some point during the news, because when I woke up I was still in Greg's arms. He was watching me with something close to adoration. I smiled up at him. "Sorry about that."
He smiled. "It's okay. You were tired." He stroked my hair as he spoke. In that instant it hit me - Greg Sanders loves me. I looked into his eyes for confirmation, and the tenderness I saw there told me all I needed to know. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all." I put my hand on his cheek, then slowly moved my mouth toward his. His lips were soft and gentle on mine, and when I felt his tongue beg entry I opened for him. He gasped as he deepened the kiss, and strong arms enclosed me as the kiss went on and on. It was dizzying, and I clung to him as the sweet invasion set my nerves on fire. Finally he pulled back. "Amazing," I whispered and tried to pull him back down to me.
He shook his head. "I'm getting close to the point of having a hard time stopping. We need... we need to take this slow, because I can't handle becoming a mistake you end up regretting." He stood then and helped me up. "I need to go, but I'll see you tomorrow night. How does six sound?"
"Six is good."
He gave me one last sweet kiss and opened my door. I watched him walk out to his car and sighed. "I wouldn't have regretted it," I whispered to myself, then shut the door.