I'm BACK! I know you all missed me. And I know you're all mad because I didn't update for almost 6 months. I'm ashamed of myself. Anyways, I made this chapter EXTRA long. Over 3000 words. Longest chapter I've written. It's almost summer break, so I'll have more time to update, which is good for you guys.

Um, MUCH thanks to my reviewers who still stayed with me and gave me feedback. I love you guys. You deserve an extra long chapter, which I have ready for you.

Go on and read. Because it makes the mind grow.

Chapter 16

"Here we are."

Riza, expecting a ritzy, elegant restaurant, looked up and saw a huge slab of gray concrete right in front of her. Was this supposed to be the restaurant building? Was it even a building? Surely they were at the wrong place. Riza looked around. There were other complexes around, but none of them seemed to be a restaurant. What was Roy planning? She knew he could be suave and make anything seem… sweet and thoughtful. But this? This building didn't even have windows. The walls were cracked and it looked like it was about to crumble. Riza looked at Roy somewhat uncertainly. "Is… is this the place?"

"Yes." Roy smirked. He looked at Riza to see what her reaction was. He wanted to see if she was as different from the other girls as he thought she was. Most would take one look at it and bail out on the date right then and there or suggest somewhere else to eat.

Riza, on the other hand, was a little suspicious that Roy would pick such a place. Having heard from numerous accounts, she knew that Roy had taken his dates to glamorous, fancy restaurants. But here they were standing in front of a building that looked like it had been built in the Stone Age. His other dates got to go into glitzy, five-star places, so why should she be any different? Because it's not a date, just a friendly dinner, a part of her mind said. Although she tried to ignore it, she felt disappointment and a twinge of resentment towards those other girls. Nevertheless, she decided to look on the bright side and think about the fact that he took her to dinner in the first place. It might not be one of the top-quality restaurants, but it still was a place to eat. Also, she trusted Roy. If he thought that it was good enough for them to eat there, then it was good enough for her as well. She took in the building one last time and gave Roy a smile. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go in."

For a split second, Roy was a little surprised. This was one of the very few times that he heard a woman tell him that she wanted to go there. But even if it wasn't the first time, it was still different from the others. Those dates who had said that they wanted to go in only said that because they were too shy or too embarrassed to say that they wanted to go somewhere else. But Riza looked like she really meant what she said. Nevertheless, he smiled at her secretively and said, "You're in for a surprise."

Riza cocked her head slightly and looked at him, questioningly. But Roy only smirked back. What is he up to, she wondered as Roy led her to the door. What is he planning? First he shows me this building that looks like it was built 500 years ago. And now he's telling me that I'm in for a surprise? Who knows what could be behind that door? Maybe it's—Oh! Roy had opened the door and Riza was temporarily blinded at the brightness that hit her. She blinked her eyes and what she saw really was surprising. The room she faced was… incredible. Caramel-colored carpeted floor spread across the ground of the vast room and small round tables covered in red wine table cloths were set upon it. Crème colored walls and light burgundy curtains gave the room a soft and calming aura. The sparkling crystal chandelier, suspended from a high ceiling, gave the room some illumination and cast a sense of softness to the already romantic feeling of the room, and a beautiful water fountain was set in the middle. Truly this was an elegant five-star restaurant.

As Riza was busy admiring the scene she faced, Roy went up to the attendant and said, "Reservations under Mustang." The attendant looked through his paper and nodded. He nodded again, signaling that they had to follow him. Roy wound an arm around Riza's waist and followed the leading maitre d'. They passed many tables and were heading toward the end of the room. Riza was getting a little anxious when the maitre d' did not lead them into one of the small tables she was expecting to be seated at. Instead he led them to a pair of double doors found at the far end of the room. Once the attendant opened the doors, Riza gasped, and, again, was surprised at the sight before her. The attendant had led them to a garden, and one of the most beautiful ones she'd seen. Palm trees and flowery bushes acted as the boundaries along with small lanterns as the lighting of the garden. An open space in the middle was reserved for dancing. Blooming vines wound around the trees and crawled up around the door. But what really made it so beautiful was the assortment of flowers. Flowers of every kind and color blossomed all around the garden: roses, daffodils, lilies, carnations, jasmines, and even some flowers she had never seen before. They all gave the atmosphere such a lovely fragrance and a soft, romantic mood.

"Roy…" she whispered, amazed.

He smirked and looked down at her, taking all of it in. "You like it?"

"It's amazing…"

"I'll take that as a yes." The maitre d' then led them to a table covered in a red tablecloth, illuminated by a candle in the middle of it. He seated Riza in her chair, then handed them their menus.

"Wow… this place is incredible, Roy," Riza told him, still looking around amazed. She picked up the menu and looked through. "And these foods…" She chuckled and looked at him smiling incredulously. "How did you get a reservation in such a short time? It couldn't have been 15 minutes, at the most, to call and actually get a table at a place like this."

"Ah… well, I guess the legendary Mustang charm worked its magic once again." He smirked and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, as if saying, 'It's not my fault they love me.'

Riza inwardly sighed and rolled her eyes. He could be so cocky sometimes. Roy saw this gesture and laughed. "But, seriously, how did you…?"

"Well, you see, the owner of this place and my sister were the best of friends. They were always together, inseparable, never did anything without the other. Since they were together so often, we—my whole family and I, that is—considered her as part of the family, almost like an adopted sister. So when she found out that I moved here to Central, she said I was welcome to bring my dates here, without making reservations. She would always have one table reserved for me, even if she didn't know if I was coming or not."

"Oh. How nice!"

"Yeah, it is. I was surprised at her offer at that time, and being the gentleman I was, refusing to take advantage of her…" Riza rolled her eyes, smiling all the while, "…I declined. But she insisted, so I took the offer. It turns out that she had a few… conditions in return for the service she was giving me. First, she wanted to meet whoever I was bringing in. Second, she wanted some free advertising—to spread word about this place. And third, either to propose to someone in this restaurant or to hold the wedding reception in here."

Riza laughed at the last statement. "She seems like a really nice person."

"Yeah, she is. I know you two will hit it off when you meet her sometime tonight."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Like you, she has a fetish for using her weapons for no particular reason." Roy gave her that playful boyish grin.

Riza flushed. "That is not true. I do not use my gun just to shoot people whenever I feel like it. I have good reasons to use them."

"Like what?"

"To discipline."

"And…?"

"To keep everyone in order and behaving as they should."

"So you're saying that whenever you threaten to shoot my balls off when I'm just simply complimenting a lady, that you're keeping me in line?"

"Yes, you have more important things to think about than trying to get a date."

"Are you sure you weren't just jealous?"

"Now, why would I be jealous of someone whose only purpose in life is to look beautiful, get married, and have kids?"

"Um… I don't know."

"Exactly. You don't know and that's why you can't be sure I was jealous." Riza smirked matter-of-factly. Roy sighed in defeat. She won this round.

"My charm must be a little bit rusty if it can't get Riza Hawkeye jealous." He joked and Riza rolled her eyes. But in truth, she would get jealous whenever Roy tried to hit on a woman, and like him, she didn't know why, either.

At that moment the waiter came and stood by their table. "Are your orders ready?" Both Roy and Riza nodded. The waiter continued, "Tonight's special is the roasted duck fillet, seasoned with our special seasoning and glazed with our own recipe of gravy. It is served with a side dish of salade Niçoise."

Roy smiled at Riza from across the table, "Mmm. Sounds good." He looked up at the waiter and said, "I'll take the special, then."

The waiter turned to Riza. "And you, ma'am?"

Riza looked at the waiter and said, "I'd like the chicken and tapenade en papillote, light on the garlic, please, along with a side dish of tagliatelle carbonara with a few drops of lemon juice on top of it." She turned to look at Roy, who stared at her, surprised. "What? It's not like I've never been to a restaurant like this." She turned back to the waiter.

"Anything else?"

"No thank you."

"Anything to drink?"

"Hmm…White wine would be nice."

"Is that all, ma'am?"

"Roy? Do you want anything else?" Roy, realizing he had been staring, quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat. "No. No thank you. That will be all."

"All right, sir, ma'am. Your food will arrive soon and I will bring your wine shortly."

Roy watched as the waiter left and then turned to Riza who was wearing an amused smile on her face. "What are you smirking about?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Your face, actually."

"Oh, I see." He gave her that arrogant playful grin. "You're finally going to admit that you've fallen for this charming face, right? And pledge your undying love for me."

Riza, still smiling, raised an eyebrow. "And if I were to do that, why would I be smirking?"

"Because you'd be picturing me naked right now."

Riza reddened and suddenly an image of him naked popped up, causing her to go even redder, if that were possible. She kicked him under the table causing him to yelp out, "Ow!" They received odd glares from the other couples in the garden, but ignored them. As the waiter came and poured their wine, Riza glared at Roy who bent down to rub the spot where she had kicked him.

"What was that for?"

"You know what."

"Aw, come on, Riza. It was a joke."

"It wasn't very funny."

"To me, it was."

"Yes because you're a guy and you don't know how disrespectful and entirely sexist that comment was. And you make it sound like I'm like every other woman in Central, who'll take one look at you and think about how good you are in bed."

Roy looked at her sheepishly. "Um… Sorry?"

"That's it?"

"Um…" Roy looked around and an idea popped into his head. He got up and walked around the table to Riza and pulled her up.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing you I'm sorry." He bent down on one knee and Riza turned bright red, seeing what he was doing.

"R-Roy? What are you doing?"

Roy looked up and grinned a bit sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. I just had to tie my shoe." He stood up and brushed off the imaginary dust on him. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor, oblivious to the flustered Riza following him.

Riza, however, was in somewhat of an emotional turmoil. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What the hell was I thinking to make an assumption that he was proposing or something? And to me of all people! She shook her head mentally, berating herself. She knew it was wrong and was a completely dim-witted thing to assume, especially since their relationship was only that of an officer and subordinate, and possibly, if it were safe to say so, good friends. It wasn't like she liked him in that kind of way, right? Right. But as she recalled back a few minutes ago, she could not deny the pounding of her heart as Roy got down on his knee. Like many of her actions and emotions lately, she did not know why she acted the way she did… or why she felt a surge of elation and surprise. It was all too confusing right now, and Riza felt like curling up in a nice, warm, comfy sofa with a good book to drown away her thoughts. But too bad; they were now in the middle of the dance floor, both standing a bit awkwardly.

"So…um…" Roy stared at Riza, whom he felt wasn't giving him her attention. He cleared his throat a bit and grinned when Riza finally looked at him. He offered her his hand and said, "As an apology, I would like to offer you a dance."

Riza stared at him blankly and replied somewhat stiffly, "I don't dance."

Roy took a step toward her and took her hand, drawing her body closer to his. "Sure you do. You don't just stand around in the military balls the whole time, right? I've seen you."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I'm sure you don't." And without warning, Roy slid an arm around her waist and with the other hand, clasped hers.

At first, Riza was reluctant about dancing with him. It wasn't like she was a bad dancer. And it wasn't because she wanted to get away from Roy; on the contrary, she was actually… enjoying being held secure by him, even if they were just dancing. It was because she didn't like to dance, unless necessary, especially when people (the other couples in the garden) could see every move she made. She didn't feel comfortable there, even if Roy did feel warm against the cool evening breeze, and she fit in so perfectly in his arms, and he smelled so good, and he…. No. Stop. She didn't want to be there, remember?

Roy, sensing Riza's discomfort even when she showed no sign of the emotion whatsoever ('cause he's that good), leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Relax. You're supposed to have a good time."

With those words, Riza felt a chill go down her spine that made her feel warm and cold at the same time. Maybe it was because Roy's lips had just barely brushed against the shell of her ear, or maybe it was because of hearing his deep, velvety voice (which was downright pleasuring, and although she wouldn't admit it out loud, extremely sexy and seductive) so close to her. She wasn't sure which, but it wasn't helping her feel any less uncomfortable. She tried hard to get used to the feeling. She tried thinking of the steps to clean her guns. She thought of how many books she had in her house. She tried counting backwards from one hundred. Heck, she even tried thinking of her favorite things (1). But it wasn't until she closed her eyes and relished in the moment of being held in Roy's arms did she actually begin to loosen up. She could faintly hear his heartbeat since she was close enough to hear it, but not too close that their entire bodies were touching. She mentally admitted that it felt nice, but at the same time a bit disheartened. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that you've found yourself in someone's arms and liking it, but also knowing that this is probably the only time you'll ever be in them. Riza looked at their entwined hands and tried to push down the depressing thoughts that were rising in her heart. It wasn't like they could stay like that, even after this whole ordeal was over. And it wasn't like she loved him, or even had the chance to love him. They couldn't do it even if they wanted to. She was his subordinate and he was her superior officer.

But enough of that. Riza tossed those thoughts away and gave her attention to the present moment, and savored in the sweetness of it all. The rhythmic swaying, the soft, romantic music, and that oddly comforting scent of Roy could have lulled her to sleep, if not for the fact that she was standing up. Everything was so serene, and she wished that life could be like this. She leaned into Roy's chest and floated along with the music.

And then it was over. Riza was quite surprised that the time had passed by so quickly. She didn't even get to fully enjoy the dance, and the time went by so fast, and the music was so flowing, and the night was still young, and she just flat out didn't want it to be over. She suddenly felt the evening breeze and shivered involuntarily at the absence of Roy's warmth. She mentally sighed, but nevertheless, was ready to go back to their table. She looked up at Roy, who smiled at her.

"Am I forgiven?"

The question took her off guard, but Riza decided to make the most of the situation. She smiled, albeit, somewhat sneakily. "Oh, I don't know. That was a pretty harsh comment. I don't know if that was enough."

Roy, realizing what she was doing, went along with the charade. "And what, may I ask, will put me back in your good graces, my fair lady?"

"How about…" she tapped her chin, as if thinking.

"One more dance?" Roy finished for her. He offered her his hand, and she took it willingly.

"I'd love to." She placed her other hand on his shoulder and his other arm snaked around her waist. He held her firmly, but gently, and they both swayed to the music floating around them. They were really a sight to behold, and those who didn't know any better would've thought they were the perfect couple in love. Albeit, they looked like opposites, but you know what they say, 'Opposites attract.' And indeed, it appeared like they did, with the two of them looking so perfectly put together. It seemed like a shame that they weren't—together, that is.

Dancing with Riza, or even just holding her, filled Roy with such serene pleasure. He just felt so right and… happy simply being with her. He didn't know what this feeling was, but he liked it. If this were the feeling of being with Riza, he'd stay with her forever.

As the song ended, they both looked up. Roy could barely hold his gasp as he took in what he saw. The light illuminated her at the right angle, making her face light up in an angelic way. Riza was just so… beautiful. And he knew that, no one, not even one who was prettier than her (though there rarely is one) could ever look that beautiful to him as she did at that moment. A flood of emotions went through him and in a compulsive manner, he leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet, but passionate kiss. Assuming, she was shocked at the randomness of his action, he didn't seem to mind that she didn't kiss him back. But he became as equally as surprised as she when she did so, and Roy was in heaven. But as their thoughts and logical reasonings came to their minds, the kiss ended as abruptly as it had started, with both of them pulling back simultaneously.

They were afraid to look at each other, Roy with his gaze averted to somewhere else and Riza looking down at her shoes. Trying to break the awkward silence and get back into good terms with her, Roy attempted to apologize, "Riza, I…"

But she interrupted, and looked at him with blank eyes that masked the flood of emotions behind her façade. She gestured to their table. "The food is ready."

Looking at where she was motioning, Roy replied plainly, a hint of hurt obvious in his voice, "Yes, it is."

"Heck, she tried thinking of her favorite things." It's sort of a pun from the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.

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