Prompt: Smile

"Oh, before I forget," Andrea said, her hand wrapped around the doorknob she had yet to twist. She had just been about to leave the captain's office before she spoke. Andrea shifted on her feet nervously, but she remained confident by ignoring the way her pulse quickened. She squared her shoulders and gripped the handles of her bag more firmly. "I was wondering if you had time to meet for coffee later this week. I still owe you one for last Thursday."

Sharon lifted her head up slowly and rested her fountain pen down atop the reports she was filling out. Andrea watched a soft smile spread across the captain's lips and felt a little electric spark go off beneath her skin, creating a familiar tingle down her spine. Andrea could watch that slow upturn of the other woman's lips over and over and never tire of it; it was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful sights she was fortunate enough to lay her eyes on.

"Andrea," Sharon said, her smile growing as the two syllables slowly slipped past her lips, "I told you, you don't owe me anything. I could tell you needed it. It was extremely late, I was already picking up a drink for myself… I thought you might want something as well," Sharon explained. Her fingers idly fiddled with the pen she had put down moments ago. "I appreciated how hard you were still working at such an ungodly hour, and I know a little caffeine goes a long way with you when trying to remain on your good side."

Andrea felt a small chuckle tickle her throat as she looked into the eyes of the woman sitting at the desk. Behind the dark-rimmed glasses, a slight twinkle of amusement played in the forest green of Sharon's eyes. Andrea always found herself feeling a little extra excited whenever Sharon looked at her like that, when she was momentarily relaxed enough to offer peeks at the playful side of the woman Andrea had gotten small glimpses of over the years she'd known the captain. Andrea had been intrigued, captivated, almost from the very beginning by Sharon Raydor, and it never failed to send bursts of pure joy racing through her veins whenever Sharon's eyes lit up like that.

Andrea chose not to state what she thought should be obvious to the captain by now: Sharon did not need to give her coffee, or anything at all, to get in Andrea's good graces. The other woman had her very own spot there, a table reserved for her with her name written out in permanent ink. Instead, she licked her lips and powered on. She had looked herself in the mirror that morning and demanded that she finally get over the fear of rejection that held her back from asking Sharon to go out with her, and she refused to leave the office without at least trying to find out if Sharon was interested or not. She had suspected long ago that there was a very slight possibility that Sharon was in fact attracted to her as well - but a slight possibility was not enough to make Andrea risk the wonderful working relationship they had built, nor was it enough to destroy the friendship that had been carefully blossoming between them. However, Andrea had been feeling more confident in her assumptions lately and knew it was best to know for sure.

"Okay, then. Same question, but this time no pretenses." Andrea licked her lips and watched as Sharon's fingers stilled, her grip loosening around the pen. It fell with a small thud against the desk. Andrea's stomach twisted into hundreds of knots as she cleared her throat. "I'd like to see you outside of work for a change. How does coffee sound?"

After the question was out, Andrea felt like a weight had been lifted. But at the exact same moment she had felt a completely different sensation overtake her system, a fluttering of nerves in her belly and chest as she waited for the captain to answer her.

If Sharon turned down her invitation, Andrea would accept it without letting that get in the way of their professional relationship. She would accept that she had misinterpreted friendly behaviors for something they were not.

But it was not finding out that Sharon was not interested that had Andrea feeling that way. It was the possibility that Sharon would say yes to meeting for coffee, that Sharon wanted to spend time with Andrea outside of work too, that had her skin prickling with heat. It was thinking about getting to know Sharon Raydor better, and seeing her in a more relaxed environment, and being able to openly admire the other woman without worrying about staring too long that had her feeling like a girl with her very first crush. Once the question was voiced, Andrea couldn't stop the onslaught of images of a smiling Sharon that appeared in her mind, and she couldn't stop herself from hoping she would be able to cause the kind of happiness she was imaging in Sharon's eyes.

It couldn't have been more than five seconds, but it felt like minutes had ticked away before Sharon's head tilted and her lips upturned slowly, a gentle curve to her lips making one of those beautiful smiles that made Andrea's heart pump rapidly. Sharon stood from her seat and walked around to the other side of the desk, smile still in place as she moved to diminish the amount of space between them.

"I think coffee sounds wonderful," Sharon said in reply to Andrea's question. "I'd love to."

"You would?" she heard herself asking, and it was nothing like the confident DDA she mentally reminded herself she was before. There was a small amount of disbelief in her voice that even she could detect.

Sharon looked slightly surprised by the question, but she nodded just the same. "Yes, I would."

Andrea breathed out, sounding almost too relieved. It made Sharon's eyes crinkle at the corners as she smiled, though, and Andrea loved that. "Okay," Andrea said, a grin growing on her lips as the fluttering in her abdomen became more intense. "You do know–" Andrea looked away for just a second before raking her fingers through her hair and clearing her throat. "I mean, in case I didn't make it clear enough, I'm asking you out-"

"On a date," Sharon interrupted with a nod and a smirk, making Andrea's heart skip a beat. "Correct?"

"Yes. A date."

Sharon let out a small laugh but covered her lips to keep the sound quiet. Her eyes danced with the smile that Andrea imagined beneath her lips, and the blonde felt herself grinning from ear to ear.

They were going on a date.