The sixth change reminded Mycroft that not every meeting is a busyness appointment...
Beta:OneWhoSitsWithTheTurtles
Appointment
"Sir, you've got an appointment with the prime minister in an hour. The documents you asked for are on your table. Also, I arranged that meeting you asked for." Ariadne, that was the name Mycroft's PA favored that day, was saying emotionlessly.
"Good, thank you," the politician dismissed her on the threshold of his office, opening the door and entering alone.
The day had just started and he was feeling fresh and full of energy to fight with the prime minister's complaints and protect the projects he was promoting. His working day was painted on the clock, one appointment followed by another without a break. Actually he enjoyed it, being at work all the time. When his services were needed he felt his importance the most acute, and his vanity demanded it.
Of course the appointments were far from pleasant, but he got a satisfaction from them as a man does after he has completed a difficult ordeal.
He rarely got any social satisfaction from those appointments though. There were not many people he liked to talk to, at least not when it was a battle of wits. Probably the only person he was always happy to see and chat over a cup of tea with was his mother. Mummy, as the Holmes brothers were used to calling her.
Mycroft stepped away from the door, leaving it unlocked in case his PA or secretary would come to report important news. He crossed the office and settled into a large leather chair behind the desk. Documents were stocked into neat piles on the desktop, just as Ariadne promised, and he took the first one to have a look.
His telephone rang. Not the one standing on his desk, which his official contacts used when they didn't want to contact his PA first, but the one that still laid in the inner pocket of his jacket – this one he used for more personal matters. The name on the display was familiar and Mycroft wondered what Lestrade could want since they'd seen each other only the day before; it was their usual meeting.
"Good morning, Detective Inspector." Mycroft answered the phone.
"Hello. And I think I already asked you not to call me that when I'm not on duty," Lestrade replied.
"But you are always on duty, Gregory." Mycroft said, protesting and giving in at the same time.
"True. But I'm not at the crime scene right now."
"But I am at the office."
"Oh, I can call you back later."
"No, it's fine. I have at least half an hour before the next meeting. Is there a reason for this call?" Mycroft asked, getting more comfortable in his chair and putting the document away.
"Yes," Lestrade answered, somewhat hesitantly, his voice suddenly sounding nervous and a tad bit insecure. "I wanted to ask if you'd agree to meet up with me. On Friday? In the evening?"
Clipped phrases confirmed Mycroft's suspicions of the other man's nervousness. He frowned.
"I can connect you with my PA and she'll organize an appointment for you," the politician answered, slightly confused. "I don't see why you might need it though."
There was a deep sigh on the other end of the line.
"Mycroft, I wasn't talking about an appointment," Lestrade said with a note of exasperation.
Mycroft waited for him to continue, he was not a type of person who used interjections to continue the conversation, even if at that moment he really wanted to mumble something like 'Well' or ask 'No?'.
"I was asking for a date," the DI said, effortlessly rendering Mycroft speechless; the politician was happy that his shocked expression could not be transmitted through the phone line. "I am asking you out."
Lestrade added the last bit with confidence, preventing any misunderstandings. Mycroft kept silent.
"So?" The DI asked for an answer without actually voicing his question again. Now Mycroft understood why the other man was nervous, and his worry also seemed to pass to the politician.
"Of course, you don't have to accept my invitation," Lestrade said when Mycroft's silence stretched for too long. "I'll understand if you don't want to. So it's fine. I just thought I'd ask…you know it seemed like a good idea…before I voiced it…"
And now the DI started rambling. Finally composing himself, Mycroft found his voice again and intervened into the other man's stumbling speech.
"Gregory."
"Yes…?"
"I accept your invitation."
It was the DI's turn for stunned silence.
"Oh…" Lestrade coughed to cover up his surprise. "Good then. See you…on Friday?"
"Yes."
And that's how Mycroft learned again the long forgotten difference between a business appointment and a date.