The dinner went by fairly swiftly. It turned out that Stan and Karen hadn't been lying; Sarah was a very talkative person, but it made easy conversation, thankfully. All Lisbon had to do was answer questions to the best of her ability, and no question pried too much into her personal life. Until Jimmy had to butt in and start asking about her relationship with Jane.

"So, sis," the youngest Lisbon began as he broke off a piece of bread from the basket. "You dating someone is certainly news to me. You haven't dated anyone since...what was his name? Greg? Yeah, that guy."

What was up with everyone bringing up Greg? Lisbon stifled a groan and forced a grin smile. "I wasn't sure you wanted to know about my dating life."

"'Course I wanna know! You're my big sis. I like hearing about what's goin' on in your life." Jimmy threw an arm around his new fiancè, shooting her a quick smile that was full of love.

He then turned his attention to Jane, who'd been abnormally quiet this whole dinner. He didn't want to screw things up for Lisbon as he normally tended to do, so he stuck to stuffing his mouth with food so he wouldn't be tempted to say anything that would earn him a punch to the nose. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.

"So, Patrick," Jimmy said smoothly, "how long have you known my sister?"

"Oh, about three years, give or take," the blonde man replied easily. "We've always been friends, but one day I realized my feelings for her had changed, and I was lucky she felt the same." He tossed a piece of bread into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Y'know, I never thought a woman like her would be into me."

Unable to stop herself, Lisbon threw him a look. "What do you mean, a woman like me?"

Being the charming man he was, he was quick to respond. "Beautiful. Smart. Selfless. Caring. Everything I don't deserve."

Her cheeks took on a rosy blush. She couldn't help it. His words just flowed so easily and sounded like honey dripping from his lips. He was so good at deceiving people that she almost believed what he said was true.

But that would be ridiculous.

"Aww," Sarah exclaimed, turning her gaze on the man beside her. "That's so sweet! Don't you think so, babe?"

Jimmy nodded his agreement. "Yeah, very sweet."

"He's just laying it on thick," Lisbon hurried to say, hoping that Jane hadn't notice the flaming of her cheeks, but knowing him he mostly likely had. "He's beguiling like that."

Jane pretended to be hurt, his lips turning down into a pout. "My, Teresa. Don't lie to your brother and his soon-to-be wife like that. You and I both know I'm not one to lie."

She disguised her snort as a cough, covering it up with a sip of her water.

Thankfully Jimmy didn't seem to notice. They dove back into simply conversation, Jane's hand still resting on Lisbon's thigh, his fingers squeezing it gently every now and then. She tried not to focus on the searing heat of his palm or the striking smile he sent her way when her brother and his fiancè shared a laugh or a sweet kiss.

Because it was just acting. Nothing more than that. He was playing the part of her boyfriend, that's it.

It was only later that she realized he was no longer wearing his wedding ring.

XxX

On the drive back to the hotel, Lisbon pretended to be fascinated with the life outside her window when in actuality she missed Jane's hand being on her thigh and wished their act would've lasted longer somehow. She knew it was foolish to wish such a thing, especially when the man she wanted would never feel the same, but she couldn't help it. If she couldn't have him for real, she could deal with pretend. If only pretend could last forever.

She felt fourteen again, longing for a boy who never paid her any attention. The boy in question only had eyes for the beautiful cheerleader while she was a band nerd with no friends. She would never get the boy, never get her happy ending.

It was how her story had been written.

But at least she had Jane as a friend. It was better than not having him at all. He didn't hate her or even dislike her. They shared jokes and laughs and glances like friends did. Only friends. It was all they would ever be.

But it was fine. She was fine. She wouldn't let this bring her down. There were plenty of other fish in the sea, and one of them would love her, and she would love them back. She would.

"Dinner went well," Jane stated, yanking Lisbon out of her head full of spiralling thoughts.

She shifted in her seat, mustering a small smile. "Uh, yeah, it was great."

"Your brother and Sarah seem very happy."

"They did," she nodded. "So, your psychic senses didn't find anything bad about her? No secret identity or anything?"

She felt secretly pleased with herself when he let out a solid laugh. "Lisbon, Lisbon. How many times must I tell you that psychics aren't real? I simply just pay attention."

"Right," she hummed. "So she's the perfect girl, then?"

"No such thing as perfect, Lisbon," he said, then shrugged. "But she seems alright. She loves your brother, I can tell, and he certainly loves her. I have a feeling they'll be happy together for a long time."

She smiled to herself, glad that her brother was finally happy with his life. She didn't want to be selfish and say she had any part of it, but she worked her ass off to make sure her brothers had a good life, so she always felt exultant when hearing they were content and happy.

"That's good."

"It is."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, and Lisbon didn't dare to comment on Jane pulling out his wedding ring from his suit pocket and slipping it back onto his ring finger. Of course he'd only taken it off to truly play the part of a loyal boyfriend in front of her family. He wouldn't have done it otherwise. She knew he even slept with the ring on and wouldn't take it off unless he absolutely had to.

Her heart ached inside her chest. He'd taken it off for her, despite it not meaning anything. She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and realized her tongue felt like dust in her mouth.

When they arrived at the hotel, they headed to their room and she was more than eager to get out of her dress. She felt like she was suffocating in it, the silk sticking to her like a second skin. Jane didn't utter a word when she grabbed her pajamas and rushed into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.

After she changed, she scrubbed the makeup off her face and pulled the pins from her hair, allowing the locks to fall down her back in messy waves. Her scalp throbbed. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and exited the bathroom to find her consultant on the phone with whoever.

He met her eyes and lifted a finger to signal that he'd only be a minute. She shrugged and slipped into bed, feeling nothing but exhaustion creep into her veins. As much as she knew she should, she was too tired to take a shower. She'd take one first thing in the morning but for now she'd just rather let sleep pull her under.

She was just about to fall asleep when he hung up the phone and tossed it aside. "That was Hightower. She just wanted to see how things were going."

She cracked an eye open. "What'd you tell her?"

"That we're fine and we'd be back soon." He gathered a pair of blue striped pajamas and took them with him into the bathroom. She almost chuckled at how grandfatherly they looked, but oddly enough they were still very Jane.

She released a sigh through her nose and shut her eyes, hoping that he'd come out of the bathroom soon and turn out the lights. She snuggled deeper into the covers, trying her best to get comfortable. Three minutes later, when she was still barely conscious, he left the bathroom and she heard his bare feet pad across the carpet.

Her eyes were closed and to the outside world it seemed like she was sound asleep. But she was just barely holding on, not totally asleep, but as soon as she smelled Jane's faint cologne and heard his soft breathing, all of her senses perked up.

It took all of her strength not to gasp when she felt warm lips brush her forehead. They obviously belonged to Jane, but she almost couldn't believe he'd done such a thing.

"Goodnight, Teresa," she heard him murmur before retreating to his side of the room, climbing into bed with the bed creaking slightly.

Her heart hammered in her chest. He'd kissed her. It might've just been on the forehead, but it was still a kiss and it left her entire body feeling like it was on fire.

Patrick Jane's lips had touched her.

And suddenly she wasn't sure if she could fall asleep anymore.