Ok. So I had typhoid writer's block with this chapter (which is why it wasn't finished sooner). But tonight's potential kiss made me so excited that I had to write something. I'm still not completely happy with it… but here goes nothing.
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"Thai Food?" They crooned in unison, as if they could read the other's mind. Booth couldn't take his eyes off of the genuine smile his partner had on her face. Structured very well?! What was I thinking? She's drop dead gorgeous. Period. Perfect chance to tell her and all I can manage is 'structured well'? … stop being a wimp Seeley. She's heard it before. Just not from me. Her partner. Work. Maybe this isn't a good idea. So he took a different tactic.
"This time I'm ordering more mee krob because you ate it last time. All of it."
"What? I thought you were done!"
"Oh, right. I was done?"
"Yeah."
"You finished all of it." He giggled like a five year-old.
"I did not." She frowned, adding adamantly "You were pretty focused on the fried rice."
"Can we just order? Okay?" He offered peaceably; a hint of laughter in his deep voice.
"Fine. But I want a little more rice this time."
It took about 40 minutes for the food to arrive, in which time they finished about half of the necessary paperwork. The Jeffersonian didn't allow outside deliveries after business hours, so they had to meet 'Joe' at the front of the lab. As the delivery guy left, a sizable tip in hand, Booth grabbed the mee krob from the bag, ran back up to the lounge and did a dance of victory as he opened it up and took a huge bite.
"Booth! You're such a child!" She yelled after him, her laughter echoing throughout the gigantic empty room.
"Then come and stop me fair maiden so far below." Hey 'fair'; that's like beautiful… does that count?
She didn't even notice. "And you call me the geek."
The food was great, but didn't exactly help them work any faster. After a while they had stopped working all-together and sat talking about anything and everything.
"… And Russ swears that I asked her 'Do all sharks make that noise Mom?' I was probably only eight when I saw the movie. He came up behind me the whole week after that singing 'da dum, da dum' in my ear."
When Booth's laughing fit had subsided, he was curious. "So you've seen Jaws. What about Back to the Future?"
"Nope."
"Star Wars?"
"Russ made me watch all three when I was twelve."
"There are six Bones. Three more came out recently."
"Oh. Does half count for anything?"
"Course it does. The latest three were a let-down anyways…"
She beamed happily; glad to have gleaned some pop-culture points from his impressive repertoire. He loved that a simple affirmation like that could make her look like she'd just won a Nobel Prize. Her face became a moon, reflecting all of the light nearby, but making it brighter, seemingly making the world brighter. Booth had always wanted to tell her how wonderful she was, but thought it would freak her out or leave him with a broken arm and bruised ego. He had to say something. I'll try again… She's a genius right? I wonder how good she is at reading between the lines…
"Bones, you know what I really love about Thai Food?"
She mocked his over-inflected speech with her reply. "What Booth? What do you'love' about Thai Food?"
He was silent for a minute, considering how exactly to phrase it. She looked curiously at him to continue, and he met her eyes and held them, unblinking, willing her to see through his ridiculous ploy.
"Thai food is like the most beautiful food in the world, but by accident. It doesn't even have to try to be beautiful, most food has to be made to look beautiful. But Thai Food… it's lovely all the time."
"Booth, Thai Food isn't pretty, it's just food."
So close. He groaned a little and replied, fully meeting her eyes and weighting each word with significance. "
"I think Thai Food is gorgeous."
She gave him a look of bemused confusion and went back to her paperwork.
Greaaat job Seel. He thought, watching her fiddle with her pen as she read a form. She can't even tell when you are being sarcastic, how's she supposed to recognize a metaphor like that? That was even worse than 'structured well'. At least she knew what I was saying that time. But I got to use the word beautiful, and gorgeous too! That should be something. Too bad it's not. Whatever. She'll know eventually, I'll tell her someday. Maybe sometime when she can't hurt me… With that, he went back to the mind-numbing task set before him.
But Brennan's thoughts were anywhere but on the paper she was pretending to read.What the hell was that about? That was really weird. He doesn't think Thai food is beautiful. He's even said that some of it looks like dog vomit. Which it does, unfortunately. But you don't call food 'beautiful' do you? Unless he was being metaphoric… was he? Its possible. But then what was he really talki--- Oh. Wow.
Booth looked up for a moment, and saw her cheeks turn a quite becoming shade of red. She's blushing… She knows… But why haven't I been tossed over the balcony yet?
"What's with the color change Bones?"
"Um. Nothing. Nothing."
"OK."
As soon as he looked back down she got up her nerve.
"Booth… before… um, were you… um."
He nearly laughed at her discomfort, but quickly remembered why it was that she was uncomfortable. So he interrupted.
"Yea Bones, I was; and you are. I just didn't want to freak you out."
She felt strangely giddy inside. She meant to sweep it away with some rational statement, or just say a simple 'Thanks Booth'; but in that moment, all she wanted to hear was his deep chocolate baritone voice say it. To her.
"You can say it. I won't freak out." She said trying to hide the hopeful tone in her voice.
He wasn't going to let her have it that easy. He gave her a charm smile to make up for what he was about to do.
"Good to know."
So close. She watched as he turned his back to the paperwork, unaware of the celebration going on in his mind. Yes! Score one for Seeley. She wants you to say it! Yes! Yes!
She would never be able to concentrate now.
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Reviews make me want to write more… so if you want another chapter, Review! I will also throw in a trip to the exotic city of your choice with Booth, Hodgins, Zach or Sweets. You know you want to…
P.S. Squeeeeeeeeeee for 'Santa in the Slush' BB action!! (ooh... when most of you read this it will have already happened!!!)
