The elevator ride down was much more comfortable than it had been going up. Reid asked casually about the past two weeks as well as Luke's flight back to Dallas. Luke mentioned spending time on the farm and how he already missed his grandmother's cooking. Reid laughed at this, joking that he'd love to meet Grandma Emma. Luke knew not to take it too literally or to give the idea too much weight, but he couldn't help but smile at the thought.
They lingered just outside the hotel, trying to decide where to go and what to do. Luke briefly explained his schedule, that he had the evening free but had meetings most of Saturday. Reid mentioned that he had a surgery Saturday afternoon so he wouldn't be free all day anyway. They didn't talk about Sunday. Eventually they figured that food was probably the way to go and started walking, arguing over what kind of food to get. They would pass restaurants and one of them would suggest they just go there but the other would object, sometimes simply for the sake of objecting, and they would continue walking. It was only when they both turned to each other at the same time to suggest the small Chinese restaurant across the street that they finally made a decision. They were seated immediately at a booth in the back and it didn't take long for their meals to arrive. They continued to chat, Reid sharing basic details of some of his recent cases with Luke and Luke going over more details of the horse camp project. The two fell into an easy rhythm. Reid made fun of Luke for struggling with the chopsticks and eventually taking to just stabbing his food with them. Luke stole some shrimp from Reid's plate, and Reid in turn stole noodles from Luke, even though he had the exact same thing on his own plate.
When the check came Reid snatched it up before Luke could take it. Luke stared at him, a grin hanging on the corner of his lips. Reid caught him staring and shrugged, furrowing his brow.
"What?" he began as he pulled out his wallet. Luke shook his head, still smiling but saying nothing.
A short while later they were walking down one of the main streets of Dallas again. It was cooler than it had been before and the wind was a bit sharper as it twisted its way through the streets and alleys. Reid shivered.
"You're cold?" Luke laughed. Reid shot him a look.
"What? I'm not allowed to be cold?" he asked with his usual snarky voice.
"It's 60-something degrees out right now," Luke pointed out. This time it was his turn to look at Reid as though he had two heads.
"That's cold by Texas standards," responded Reid. Luke laughed.
"Alright, I'll give you that. This would be awesome weather in Illinois," said Luke.
"How cold is it up there now?" Reid asked curiously.
"Um, I think it was in the lower 50s when I left, which is pretty good for late October," shrugged Luke.
Thankfully the conversation drifted away from the weather and they stopped at a corner cart that was selling ice cream. Luke got a vanilla cone while Reid got chocolate ice cream in a cup. There were plenty of remarks made on their dessert choices, most said in that sarcastic tone they were both becoming more and more well known for.
When they arrived back at the hotel they stood quietly together, close but not close enough to draw attention to themselves. Their heads hung a bit, as though they were sharing a secret, hands awkwardly in their jacket pockets.
Luke cleared his throat nervously. "Do you want to come up?" he asked, looking up at Reid with wide eyes. Reid seemed quite surprised and Luke realized how his request sounded, instantly turning red and laughing at himself. "I mean, we could watch a movie or just sit and talk," he began, trying to make sure Reid didn't get the wrong impression. A part of Luke wondered, though, if perhaps he said it that way on purpose. Reid smiled, seeming a bit relieved as well.
"Why not," he shrugged, again acting as though it wasn't a big deal. Luke let out a sigh of relief and led them inside.
Five minutes later they were walking into Luke's room. It was dark now but the glow of the city lights filtered through the open curtains. Luke turned on the lights and moved across to the window, pulling the curtains almost completely shut but still allowing a little of the multi colored lights to trickle through. Reid stood awkwardly at the door, again looking about the room while Luke organized his things. He dropped his duffel bag against the wall and Reid approached the bed where the rest of Luke's bags lay.
"Where do you want this?" he asked, gesturing to Luke's computer bag.
"Oh, um, that can just go on the desk," said Luke, grabbing up his briefcase and laying it against the wall. Reid carefully carried the bag over and sat it down in its instructed place. When he turned back Luke was shrugging off his jacket, showing off another basic t-shirt that hugged his body in all the right places. Reid gulped and tried not to stare.
"So?" Luke said with an awkward smile. "TV, movie, just sit and chat…any preferences?" he asked.
Reid shook his head. "Doesn't matter to me."
Luke frowned. He didn't like having to make these kind of decisions for other people. He forced himself to just pick something, though, and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. "Alright, then, I guess we can see what's on."
They flipped around before finally landing on Bonanza. Luke originally passed it but Reid had let out slight groan. Luke looked up to see the other man grinning.
"You watch Bonanza?" Luke asked with a laugh.
"What? It's a classic," Reid smirked. Luke shook his head and held up his hands in defeat.
"Fine, fine, we'll watch Bonanza," he grinned, setting down the remote. Reid sat down in the chair and Luke ended up sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. They watched the old western mostly in silence, laughing when appropriate and making snide comments to each other when one would laugh and the other wouldn't, teasingly insulting the other's sense of humor, or as they put it, lack thereof. When the third episode ended Luke got up from the floor and wandered toward the door where there was a table with a coffee pot and mini fridge underneath. He pulled out a bottled water and then started making a pot of coffee.
"Do you want any coffee?" he called. Reid looked up.
"Sure," he answered simply.
Luke got the coffee going and returned to the center of the room, taking a drink from his water bottle and this time sitting on the bed. Reid didn't look up. He was slouching comfortably in the chair, his elbow resting on the arm and his hand cupped beneath his chin. There was an easy smile on his face and Luke found himself smiling, too, staring at him for a minute. He only looked away when the coffee maker started chirping. Luke stood quickly and wandered over, running a hand through his hair as he walked. He pulled the plastic off from around two of the mugs and waited for the pot to fill. Reid stood up and made his way over. Luke heard his footsteps and looked up for a moment before turning back and pulling the pot out.
"Smells good," Reid commented absently. Luke smiled. Reid grabbed up one of the mugs and held it out as Luke poured the hot coffee into it carefully. He watched from the corner of his eye as Reid blew on the hot liquid before cautiously taking a sip, smacking his lips together as the heat attacked his mouth. Luke found he was sweating a little, though not because of the warm coffee.
"Good?" asked Luke, raising his own mug.
"Good enough, for hotel coffee that is," he said with a quick smirk before taking another sip. Luke wondered if he was the only one who noticed how closely they were standing to each other.
"So," Luke began slowly, "I bet this isn't how you imagined you'd be spending your Friday night," he laughed a little, leaning on the table carefully. Reid laughed as well, shaking his head.
"Definitely not," he said. "I'm having a good time though, so I guess I can't complain."
"Yeah, how often do you get to sit in uncomfortable hotel chairs drinking cheap coffee and watching Bonanza reruns?" interjected Luke. They both laughed but then silence returned as they both sipped at their coffee. You could see them beginning to relax, not that they hadn't been relaxed before, but their shoulders fell and their breathing eased. Luke closed his eyes for a moment as the warmth of the coffee spread through his body, making him feel much more comfortable and awake.
"Are there any creamers?" Reid asked, glancing uncertainly at his drink and then around the table. Luke looked down at the table, too. They spied the small bowl, tucked behind the other two mugs, at the same time, both reaching out. Their hands barely touched, Reid managed to actually grab a few creamers and Luke's hand retreating. Reid didn't seem phased at all but Luke on the other hand was turning red again, and this time Reid noticed.
