When they rejoined the ball, Hodgins immediately swept Angela onto the dance floor and she was left with the opportunity to observe the behavior of the people in the room. The party was aesthetically pleasing due to the uniform color scheme of the attendees. Crystal Chandeliers hung artfully throughout the room. Ice sculptures and candles created a beautiful, sparkling space. The kind of place that made her think about things other than science. Thinks like love and friendship and family. She sighed happily, her eyes darting about the room, seeking out familiar faces.
Angela and Hodgins were on the dance floor staring deeply into each others eyes. They whispered and laughed and it looked to Brennan as though they had completely forgotten where they were. Wendell and Perotta were sitting at the FBI table, completely absorbed in whatever they were discussing. Booth sat at the squint table engaging in a lively debate with Arastoo and Clark. Vincent Nigel-Murrey and the depressed intern were attempting to make the acquaintance of two lovely young scientists at the bar by purchasing mass quantities of alcohol for their consumption.
She wandered slowly towards the table, her eyes on the back of Booth's neck. She'd never noticed how nice his neck was. Strong, smooth and tan…it was the perfect neck. She was still half way across the room when he turned in his chair and looked directly at her. How was it possible for him to know she was looking at him from that far away? He excused himself from the table and met her in the middle. His nearness overwhelmed her. Which was strange because he was always near.
"Dance with me?" she felt her heart pound in her chest as she dropped her hand in his. The song was slow and soft and he spun her around once before pulling her against him. The heat radiating from his body was infectious and she found herself flushed with excitement at being this close to him for such an extended period of time.
"Wendell and Perotta seem to be hitting it off." She commented absently.
"They do don't they?" He appeared to be completely unconcerned.
"So I assume you won't be asking her out again?"
"Actually, she asked me out." He clarified "But yeah, I think she will probably know better than to ask me out again." She looked up into his face, trying to read the expression there and failing miserably.
"What are you thinking about?" she decided the direct approach was best, no matter how cliché the words. His laugh was self deprecating.
"Your dress."
"What about it?"
"I'm thinking that it's so beautiful I wish there were more of it."
"I thought you liked it Booth, you said earlier…."
"I do like it Bones, it's just…"
"Distracting?" she supplied.
"That is an understatement."
"I find it interesting that one piece of clothing could be the cause of such complex emotions."
"Oh they aren't complex Bones, pretty straight forward actually."
"Granted I am not skilled at understanding subtle social cues, but…. are you saying that my dress makes you think about sex?"
"Wow! I guess I should be used to that by now shouldn't I?" he slid his hand lower on her back and pulled her closer. She breathed in the smell of him and let her hands wander from his shoulder to his chest and under his jacket to the soft white shirt that separated her from his skin. She felt his mouth in her hair and her whole body tensed in anticipation.
"When are we going to that baseball game?" She murmured.
"Season doesn't start for another couple of months."
"Oh" she was actually disappointed and he chuckled, his face moving from her hair to her ear, sending shivers through her body.
"I'll get you a hat. You can practice team spirit for the next couple months while we wait for the season to start."
"Andrew invited me out to dinner tomorrow" she changed the subject abruptly as she noticed Assistant Director Hacker watching them from a nearby table.
"Of course he did." Booth shot back, completely unsurprised.
"I haven't called him back yet and he's just sitting over there watching us right now. I feel a little awkward about it actually." She whispered.
"I wouldn't think you were the type of woman to enjoy the whole Valentine's Day 'thing'."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" She demanded.
"Because you don't believe in love and you don't believe in commercialized holidays," he explained simply.
"I believe in sex and good food served at nice restaurants."
"But Valentine's Day is about love Bones, not sex."
"But didn't I just tell you last week that I am now open to the possibility that love exists?" She pointed out.
"You did." He agreed.
"And haven't I begun spending holidays with family and friends, while simultaneously participating in various commercialized rituals."
""You've changed, I admit it." He'd give her that much. "But I still can't imagine Hacker bringing you flowers and buying you dinner… I'm sorry I just don't see it. Wouldn't you rather have a bone bouquet and some meaningless sex in the janitor's closet?" His words sounded harsh, but she saw it for what it was. He was testing her, searching for that line, begging her to argue with him.
"Just because my views on relationships are non-traditional, doesn't mean I don't enjoy romance Booth."
"Really?!" he seemed genuinely surprised and that annoyed her. "See now this is what I like about working with you Bones. You're full of surprises."
"What I like about working with you is just the opposite. You're dependable, predictable…and I know what you will do before you do it."
His face crinkled in distaste. "You make me sound pretty boring Bones." She smiled "No… What I mean is that I've never been able to rely on anyone before and I enjoy that aspect of our partnership." His soft brown eyes lit up with understanding.
"You've got it half right Bones…" he slid his hand up her back and pulled her head down to rest on his shoulder.
"I'm not going anywhere" his voice was muffled "But you know Bones, I just might surprise you someday."
"Fire and Ice," Angela grinned at them as they walked arm and arm off the dance floor.
"Nah, the ice queen just put on a red dress." Booth ribbed her playfully.
"That is a hurtful moniker Booth. I dislike being addressed as the ice queen." She pulled away and faced him, hands on hips, fire in her eyes.
"I was kidding Bones, come on."
"Um Awkward! Booth, she actually used to get called that in college a lot." Angela pointed out helpfully. "Apparently it's still a little painful."
"I don't care if other people think I'm frigid. I just can't believe that you think that!" She poked his chest for emphasis.
"I don't think that Bones! I was kidding. It's completely ridiculous, that's why I thought it would be funny… you know… it's like telling a supermodel she's fat or telling an NBA ball player he's short…" Angela threw her hands up in defeat and left them to battle it out.
"So when you said I was an ice queen you actually meant that you believed me to be the opposite of an ice queen?"
"I didn't mean anything Bones. I was just teasing." Her hands dropped from her hips and her eyes softened and he knew he'd won.
"You know, ice is not a fitting description of you either, although, the color suits you."
"Did you just call me hot?" He grinned at her and her entire body heated in response.
"No. I simply complemented your attire."
"You know, you take all the fun out of a compliment Bones."
"I believe that Andrew is coming over to ask me about tomorrow." Her eyes found Booth's, and she willed him to give her an excuse to say no to Hacker. It was still impossible to tell if he returned her feelings. He cared for her, that was obvious, but he had been clear from the beginning, there was a line here that he was not willing to cross. And how long was she supposed to wait? She couldn't stand around indefinately, waiting for him to make up his mind. Buying ridiculously revealing clothing and expensive perfume, hoping that he would suddenly become attracted to her. No. Tonight was that line. Angela had drawn it for them. He would cross it or he wouldn't. He only had a few seconds to make a move.
But he just dropped his eyes to the floor and mumbled something about getting a drink for his date. The line remained in tact. And just like that, Angela lost her bet.