A/N: Hey everyone! I'm going to be honest and say that this chapter caused me a bit of stress. While I was editing, I realized that I didn't like how the ending of the chapter fit with the direction I wanted to take for the story, so I scrapped the last half and basically rewrote it, all the while debating whether I was doing the right thing. In the end, I'm far more pleased with the ending here, and to make up for my indecision, I've combined what was originally supposed to be two chapters so that you have much more to hold you over while I figure out where to go next. I'm hoping you guys can give me a few ideas about that in the comments! Enjoy and don't forget to follow/favorite/review!
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles
Marty, I'm sorry. Give me a call when you can.
Come on, man. I need your help.
Please. It's important.
Deeks watched his phone buzz once again after a slew of text messages that had been piling up all day. It was Wednesday afternoon, and Deeks had the day off from work. He was sitting in the graduate student lounge in the law building on campus, staring at his laptop, willing the words to come out, but failing miserably. He had a pile of cases next to him that he'd been reading and rereading in order to make sense of his first assignment in his Ethics of Law class. So far, it was proving to be a difficult task to focus on, especially since his phone kept going off.
Deeks picked up the phone and checked the messages, knowing they were from Paul and also knowing that he couldn't keep giving the poor guy the cold shoulder for much longer. He was obviously upset, and as much as Deeks didn't want to care, Paul was still his best friend, and he was going to help out his friend.
So he sighed and stood up, leaving his laptop to stew over his paper, feebly hoping that it would type itself. He took his phone out into the hall and punched in Paul's number. It started to ring.
On the third ring, Paul picked up. "Marty," he said, relief clear in his voice. "Hey."
"What's up?" Deeks asked shortly, without preamble.
On the other end, Paul took a breath. "Look, I know you're not really speaking to me right now, but I need your help. My mom's back in town." The words came spilling out in a whoosh, and if Deeks hadn't known Paul as well as he did, he would have asked him to repeat himself.
But Deeks knew Paul, and he didn't need any other explanation for his distress. Paul's mother, Laura, was the epitome of an oppressed diva. Her dreams of having an illustrious and dramatic career were cut short when she got pregnant with Paul's oldest sister, Bethany. Mr. Rickards, Paul's father, was a powerful and manipulative man who kept his wife reigned in. On the surface, it was to protect their reputations, but Deeks knew it was to protect himself from being called out on his many affairs over the years. After their split, Laura had immediately moved to New York, effectively abandoning her family and her identity as the oppressed housewife for her long-awaited turn as the dramatic lead for some off-Broadway production. Deeks had met her only once, when she'd come to LA for Christmas their sophomore year, and she was certainly a handful. She took full advantage of having her freedom, and she used it to manipulate her eager-to-please son. Deeks was not a fan of the woman, and although Paul loved his mother, he made every attempt to spend as little time as possible with her whenever she was back in town.
"I don't know what you would want me to do," Deeks said, a little kinder this time.
"I don't know," Paul sounded flustered. "Just…give me an excuse not to go to dinner with her tomorrow night. She's already roped in Beth and Casey."
Casey was Paul's other sister, and Deeks knew all too well that when the three women got together with Paul, they ganged up on him in even worse ways than the guys in their pre-law program did freshman year. Deeks had witnessed it, and it was grueling. Every now and then, it made him glad his family wasn't around and as involved with his life; it was better to be independent sometimes.
Deeks sighed and thought back to the other day, when he told Monica he would invite Paul to the party. It seemed that the universe really wanted that to happen, as much as he didn't.
"Why can't you make something up yourself?"
"You know I can't lie to them, man. They'll figure me out in a second." Paul's voice was jumping an octave every second, and his panic mode was starting to kick in, heading quickly toward self-destruct.
"Fine, fine. Calm down. There's a party tomorrow. You might as well come with me."
"Thanks, Marty. Seriously. Where's the party at?" Paul's voice was returning back to normal now that he'd been reassured that he didn't have to spend the night being grilled by his mother and sisters.
"Over on Bayshore. At Monica and…Kensi's place," Deeks answered hesitantly.
Paul was quiet for a moment and then, "Oh. Okay. Yeah, sure. Thanks. Uh, you see them somewhere or something?"
Deeks kicked the cinderblock wall lightly with toe of his shoe and scrubbed his hand over his face. "Yeah, at the beach the other day. They came out to get some sun and stopped by the shack."
"And you talked to them?"
"Monica mostly. She's the one who invited me."
"And Kensi?"
"I apologized to her for what I said, but she pretty much ignored me."
Paul was quiet for a second. "That's good. That you apologized. So you're sure it's okay for me to go to the party?"
"Yeah, Monica told me to invite you. Look, I gotta get this paper finished or Healy will have even more reason to hate me. I'll text you the details, ok?"
Paul chuckled lightly at Deeks' joke and then said, "Thanks, Marty. I'll see you tomorrow."
Deeks hung up and squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. God, he hated being awkward with Paul. They had their disagreements, so it wasn't unusual for one or both of them to act weird the first time they spoke afterwards, but it usually blew off quickly. This was just weird, and it made Deeks uneasy. He just hoped that they could deal with it over a few beers tomorrow night and get over it. And stay away from Kensi, as if that were easy.
The wind was blowing harder on Thursday, although it was still a hot wind. The humidity had lessened a bit and Monica had worn her hair down for the first time in two weeks, a record for her—and a disgrace—as she kept reminding Kensi.
Kensi skipped training to help Monica set up for the party. It was 6pm and she was driving back from picking up the alcohol for the night. She'd also gotten a plastic tub and some ice per Monica's request. It was a Thursday, and Monica didn't have to get up for class in the morning, so she was planning on getting drunk tonight. She had it organized so she'd have enough time to de-hangover herself before picking the twins up from school at 4. She had it all planned out, as was Monica's way.
Kensi, on the other hand, was not entirely opposed to getting drunk, but she preferred her drink out of a bottle rather than a tub. She also preferred to be able to tell whether her friends were too drunk to drive home and stop them if they were. Someone had to be the judge.
Kensi pulled into her parking spot and walked around to the trunk, where she pulled out the tub, with ice and bottles inside. She carried it up the stairs to the apartment and realized that she didn't have any way to open the door without setting down the tub. She kicked it a few times and heard Monica on the other side scurrying to open it.
"Hey!" the other girl greeted, holding the door open so Kensi could come in.
"Hey," Kensi said breathlessly. She straightened up after setting the tub in the middle of the living room. "That stain's gone."
Monica looked out in the hallway and said, "Well, look at that, maintenance finally did something for once."
Kensi snorted a laugh and then asked, "How's the food coming?"
Monica forced the door closed and turned with a smile on her face. "Good. Guess who's coming tonight?"
"Who?" Kensi asked, laughing at her friend's excitement.
"Christine Marcus. You remember her?"
"Who couldn't? She practically blew up Jackson Hall freshman year."
"I know! It was awesome! Orly saw her while he was out surfing the other day and invited her. It's been so long."
"Well, yeah, she got expelled."
"For being awesome! Tonight is going to be such a great night."
Kensi rolled her eyes good naturedly and said, "As long as she doesn't blow up our apartment building, I'm all for her coming." She moved farther into the apartment, taking the bags of alcohol with her. She went to the kitchen and started pulling bottles out and setting them on the counter. Monica came up behind her and started moving bowls and plates out of her way defensively.
"I'm not going to ruin your food," Kensi laughed.
"I don't know that," Monica said suspiciously. "Your cooking skills are so bad you probably don't even have to touch it to ruin it."
"Ouch," Kensi said, putting her hand to her chest and feigning insult. Then she shrugged, "You're probably right."
"You know I am," Monica laughed. She set the plates on the opposite counter and then went back in the living room. Kensi followed, having emptied the bags.
Monica tore open one bag of ice and poured it into the bin. Kensi picked up the other and held it up questioningly. "What do you want to do with this? It won't fit in the freezer."
"Sink? We can put the bottles in there."
"Good idea. This is why we're roommates." Kensi gestured between the two of them while hoisting the bag of ice into her arms.
"You know it. I also feed you," Monica quipped with a grin. She started to pour a few of the bottles into the tub.
"More jokes at the expense of my cooking and I might have to move out."
"And fend for yourself? Yeah, right. You'd be back in less than a month."
Kensi stuck her tongue out at her friend and crossed the room. She plugged the sink drain and poured the ice into the basin. It just reached the top and Kensi started to put bottles and cans into it. She also dropped a few sodas in for good measure.
Monica and Kensi worked quietly for a few moments. Kensi tidied up the kitchen and pulled a package of plastic cups out of the cupboard and set it next to the sink and turned to help Monica, but the other girl pointed her back into the kitchen. "Permanent marker. Remember what happened last time?"
The last party they'd held had turned into a guessing game of whose cup was whose, and then all the cups without names had been used in a messy and surprisingly gross game of beer pong. Monica had bought a pack of permanent markers the very next day, while Kensi struggled to make their living room rug smell less like beer. They ended up buying a new rug, too.
Kensi took a marker out of the drawer and set it pointedly on the counter next to the cups. Monica nodded, satisfied.
"We good to go?" Kensi asked.
Monica looked around. "I think so. Shot to start the night?"
"That's what I've been waiting for," Kensi responded. She followed Monica, who was laughing at her response, into the kitchen. She poured a shot of straight tequila for each girl and handed Kensi a glass.
The girls clinked glasses and swallowed their shots just as there was a pounding on the door. Kensi felt the burn down her throat and winced, already feeling the buzz hit her system. She watched Monica head to the door, shot glass still in hand and opened it to reveal the infamous Orly.
Orly, an exuberant and outgoing guy, had a 12 pack under his arm and his girlfriend Quinn under the other. "Heyooo!" He yelled, entering the apartment. He was the type of guy who filled up a space with his personality, and the room instantly felt smaller, but not uncomfortable. Jack had never liked Orly; he'd thought he was too cocky. Kensi liked him, and although he could be too in-your-face sometimes, she thought he was funny and he had been one of very few of her friends who had been there for Kensi throughout her grief over Jack leaving. Now, he released Quinn and set the beer down and hugged Monica and then Kensi, crushing them both in big hugs as if they hadn't just seen the guy earlier that day.
"How are my second and third favorite girls?" He asked, winking at Quinn, who rolled her eyes. Their love for each other was unequalled, however exasperated the quieter and more reserved Quinn was with her boyfriend's antics.
"I'm good," Monica said. "But who's second and who's third?"
Orly scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Depends on who lets me beat them in pong tonight," he teased.
Kensi pointed at Monica with a smile. "That'd be Mon. You know I won't go down without a fight."
"True," Quinn said with a laugh, coming back from the kitchen with drinks for her and Orly. "You gonna beat him at arm wrestling, too?"
"You know I'll try," Kensi replied.
Orly pulled his arm away in a show of mock defense, making everyone laugh.
Monica had left the door open and a few more people showed up, and she greeted them, shuffling Kensi and Orly further into the apartment. Quinn stayed to say hello to her best friend, who had come with the second group.
Orly nudged Kensi, who was watching the greetings. "And you? You're doing okay?"
Kensi turned to him and saw the genuine concern in his face. She smiled and said, "Yeah, I am actually."
Orly's grin split his face. "That's good, Kens. That's really good. I don't need to beat anyone up for you?" he teased, knowing full well that Kensi could single-handedly beat up anyone who messed with her.
"No," Kensi laughed.
"Well, you know where to find me if you need help," he said. Kensi caught the additional meaning in his words and nodded, smiling.
"Thanks, Orly." He smiled down at her and chuffed her in the shoulder before rejoining the fledgling party and greeting their other friends.
"Kensi!" A few of them yelled, beckoning her over. Kensi smiled and joined her friends. A drink was pushed into her hand and their hands wrapped around her in hugs, and she felt less pitied and more like she belonged than she had in 9 months.
"Wow," Paul breathed as he and Deeks walked up Bayshore Drive. They'd parked at the bottom of the road because there was no way Deeks' Malibu was making it up this incline. Deeks shared Paul's amazement. The sea was on their left, the sheer cliff dropping off the side of the road guaranteeing that there would be no beachgoers disturbing this street. The views from the houses and apartment buildings must have been incredible, Deeks thought. Sure, they were packed tightly together, but being able to see the ocean made it feel less crowded, he was sure.
Deeks had picked up Paul from his apartment and though he'd received a grateful "thank you" for getting him out of dinner with his mother, they hadn't spoken much. Now, Paul said, "Do you think this is going to be weird? Because we don't know any of their friends?"
Deeks shrugged and ignored the burning in his legs as they climbed the street. "Monica will find us someone to talk to if we can't find anyone ourselves. She's pretty friendly."
"Yeah, but-,"
"Paul," Deeks cut him off. Paul turned to him, his eyes wide with surprise. Deeks could see the fear there, too, at having to go into a new situation. "Chill, okay? It can't be worse than dinner with your mom and sisters."
Deeks turned and continued walking. After a moment, he heard Paul follow him. They walked another few moments in silence. Deeks could feel Paul's hurt and instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry," he said as they continued walking. "I didn't mean it like that. Just, you know, get a little confidence."
"Don't let them see me sweat?" Paul asked, a small smile in his voice.
Deeks laughed lightly, "Exactly." He looked over at his friend and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't get too worked up. It's just a party, man."
And just like that, the tension of the past two weeks faded away. There was still an uncomfortable element between them, like they were afraid to say something that would set the other off, but they were back to their usual way of talking to each other. It felt more normal than it had lately.
"Jesus, this street is ridiculous," Paul groaned as they continued to climb. They could hear music coming out of the open windows of an apartment building a few hundred yards further.
"Come on, I think that's it. We don't do all those runs on the beach for nothing," Deeks said.
The men reached the building, 860 Bayshore, as Deeks had predicted. They looked up at it. The music was coming out of the third floor windows and Paul groaned again, "Dude, I can't climb anymore."
Deeks pushed his friend toward the stairs and followed behind, "Don't flake out now."
They reached the top of the stairs and didn't need the number 6 on the door to tell them where the party was. They could hear music and laughter from behind the door and before Paul had a chance to back down, Deeks knocked.
The door was pulled open by Kensi, who was laughing at something. She had a drink in her hand and her eyes were bright. Her smile dimmed a bit when she saw Deeks and Paul. "Hey," she greeted them. She opened the door a little wider, "Come on in."
"Paul! Marty!" Monica exclaimed as they walked into the apartment. She stood up from her spot on the couch and stepped over the legs of the other people sitting on the couch. She stumbled a bit over the last person, who reached out to right her. "Thanks," she said off handedly, causing the friend who helped her to shake his head and smile.
Monica came up next to Kensi and grabbed Deeks' hand, pulling him into the circle of people. Paul followed. Kensi closed the door behind them. "Everyone," Monica announced, "This is Marty," she pointed to Deeks. "And this is Paul," she did the same with Paul. "Marty, Paul, this is, well, everyone!" She gestured around the room at the people, who all waved or nodded in their direction.
After an awkward moment, one of the guys sitting on the couch gestured them over, "Well, come on in!" Deeks shrugged and walked over. The guy stood up and offered his hand. He was huge; extremely tall and built with muscle. "I'm Orly."
Deeks took his hand and shook it. "Marty Deeks."
"Paul Rickards," Paul said, holding out his hand.
Orly shook their hands and then gestured to the rest of the group who were sitting around the low coffee table. "Okay, so this is Quinn, Bailey, Chris, Jinkies, Kate, Miles, Ledger, and Vanessa." He pointed at each person in turn and then turned to Kensi, who was still standing by the door. "You know Kensi, right?" Paul and Deeks nodded. Kensi uncrossed her arms and nodded as well.
Monica came in and placed a full cup in each man's hand. "And Monica, of course. You know Monica," Orly said with a grin. He reached out to ruffle Monica's hair and she swatted his hand away with a glare.
"Don't mess up my hair," she whined. Orly laughed a deep bass laugh. Monica huffed and climbed over the mess of limbs on the couch back to her spot. Happily settled back in her seat, she waved Deeks and Paul over, "Come in! We're just catching up after the summer. There's more people coming, but it's Rush Week, and they're all tied up in Greek stuff."
A few people on the couch moved over, but Deeks chose to sit on the arm. Paul sat on the floor in the space that Kensi had apparently left, as she was left standing awkwardly on the outside of the group. Paul noticed this and moved to stand up, "Sorry. I didn't know-,"
"It's fine," Kensi interrupted him. "I'll go grab my chair from my room."
She disappeared into her room and conversation started up again. Orly turned to Deeks, looking over the head of the girl sitting next to him. Quinn?
"So what year are you, Marty?"
"Last year of law school," Deeks replied, feeling the age gap all of a sudden. It wasn't that much, but in college, it was an eternity.
"Whoa, dude! How'd you meet Kensi and Monica? It's not exactly like you're running in the same circles."
"Yeah, I know. No need to point out how old I am." Orly cracked a grin at that. "Nah, we met at a party the weekend before classes started."
Orly nodded, "Cool, man. So Monica invited you? Kensi doesn't seem too pleased that you're here."
Deeks laughed self-consciously. "Yeah, well, it's…complicated with Kensi."
"Dude, you've know her two weeks and things are complicated? Wait, are you the guy from the quad?"
Deeks was taken aback. "Unfortunately. How'd you know about that?"
"Monica," Orly said by way of explanation. Deeks nodded knowingly. He was starting to understand that Monica was someone who had trouble keeping things to herself, and liked to have a hand in everybody's business.
Kensi returned to the room and set her chair down on the other side of the group. She was welcomed seamlessly into the conversation and she laughed at something one of the guys across the way had said. Deeks was looking at her, but she didn't look up once.
"Okay, man, you either gotta ask her out or forget it. Either way, you're probably gonna be turned down," Orly said, catching Deeks' staring. "Kensi doesn't play games."
"I'm aware," Deeks said, turning back to Orly. "I apologized for the scene in the quad and she basically shut me down."
"You're gonna have to do a lot more than apologize," Orly said, laughing. "Like I said, she's tough."
"I have no doubt."
Quinn looked up from her conversation with the people on the floor, including Paul. "Are you talking about Kensi?" She asked.
Deeks nodded. He noticed Paul looking at him. His expression was unusually inscrutable.
Quinn put a hand on Deeks' knee and said, "I'm gonna give you some advice, because I'm guessing you're a nice guy and I want to save you some heartache. Just leave her be, okay? She's been through a tough year. We're only just starting to get her back to normal. I don't want to have to pick up the pieces again." She said the last part sadly, looking down at her hands.
Orly put his arm around Quinn and squeezed. He looked up at Deeks and said, "We're pretty protective of Kens, though she'll never tell you she needs protecting. Just, you know, go easy, okay?"
Deeks nodded, bewildered. Monica had told him Kensi had gone through a tough patch, but he didn't realize how badly it might have affected their friends.
Monica effectively interrupted the mood that settled over their conversation. "Who's ready for shots?" She asked, standing up. She swayed a little and the guy who had been sitting on the chair next to the couch took her drink out of her hand and set it on the table.
"Hey," she protested.
"What? You won't have room for shots if you keep drinking that crap," the guy shot back.
She pointed at him, "True. Kensi? Will you help me?" Kensi nodded and stood up. She followed Monica into the kitchen.
"Hey, Kens, can I plug in my iPod?" One of the girls called. Kensi waved at her with a thumbs-up. The girl hopped up and fiddled around with the sound system before a fast song with heavy bass started to thump through the speakers.
People started to dissipate around the room. Some stayed on the floor around the table while others made space for a game of quarters. Paul stood up next to Deeks and looked at him incredulously.
"Dude," he said, hurt in his face. "You're trying to get with Kensi?"
Deeks rubbed his face and took a drink from his cup—he winced at how horribly fruity it was— before answering. "Not really, no. But when I ran into them at the beach the other day, Monica and I got to talking…Look, I'm not trying to infringe on anything you want to happen between you guys, but you heard what they were saying. Give her space, man."
"You talked to Monica?"
"Yes."
"And what did you talk about?"
"Home, our majors, normal stuff."
"But Kensi came up?"
"Yes. Monica told me to apologize to her. And I did. I'm pretty sure she still hates me, if that makes you happy," Deeks said spitefully.
Paul's face hardened. "You know that I like her."
"You don't even know her!" Deeks snapped. The loud music covered his outburst, so thankfully, no one but Paul heard him. "And neither do I. Is that the only reason you came tonight?"
Paul looked away and set his jaw.
"Dude, you can't play it like this. You have to get to know her. And stop thinking that I'm infringing on your territory or whatever, because I'm not."
"I can't stop thinking it, because you always manage to ruin it!" Paul shot back. His vehemence startled Deeks. "Every girl I've ever liked has met you and then liked you more. You have no idea what it feels like to be passed up for something better than you and have no control over it."
Deeks narrowed his eyes and said quietly, "Yeah, actually I do. If you stopped and, you know, noticed that I have a life that doesn't include helping you out, you might know that." With that, he walked away. The only secluded place he saw was the kitchen, so he went that way without even knowing what he was doing.
Deeks was vibrating with anger, and he was so involved in it that he didn't noticed Monica and Kensi until he almost ran into Kensi in the kitchen. She was carrying a plate of shots and the glass rattled when Deeks bumped into the plate. Kensi lifted it out of the way to settle it and said, "Is running into girls your way of picking them up?"
Deeks looked up at her and said, "Sorry. I didn't see you."
"I know."
She caught his eye and looked at him. Really looked at him. Deeks tried to look away, but her gaze was magnetic. "Hey, you okay?" She asked softly.
"Yeah."
She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Monica," she said over her shoulder. Monica had been watching the exchange with a sly smile on her face and now she stepped forward. "Can you take this out?" She held up the tray. "I wouldn't want it all to end up on the floor because someone can't stop bumping into people." She looked pointedly at Deeks.
"Of course," Monica said, taking the tray, but not before Kensi grabbed two shots off of it. Monica winked at Deeks on her way past him.
"Here," Kensi said as she handed Deeks a shot. "I don't know what's got you worked up, but this'll help." She held hers out and they touched glasses and drank. Deeks was still angry, but the alcohol hit his system and countered the burn of anger with the burn of tequila.
"Shit," Deeks said. He was unprepared for what was going into his mouth and the burn of the alcohol made his voice raspy.
"Better?"
"Kind of, thanks. You drink it straight?"
"You don't?"
Deeks looked at Kensi, surprised and impressed. A small smile was tugging at her lips. "I usually have at least a lime on hand," he said.
"We have them if you want to take it training wheels style."
Deeks finally figured out that she was teasing him and smiled a little. "Don't worry about me. Two wheels, it is."
"Right, okay then," she said skeptically.
Deeks grabbed a beer from the sink, which was filled with ice. He twisted off the cap and held it out to Kensi, who set her shot glass down and took the bottle. Even though she had acted tough during the shot, Deeks could tell she was relieved to have the cool beer to dull the burn of straight tequila. Deeks uncapped his own and downed a swig, a smile fighting its way onto his lips.
"I saw that," he said.
She furrowed her brow. "What?"
"Are you trying to impress me or something?"
"What? No! What are you talking about?"
"Did you drink straight tequila just to show off? Because I can tell you really didn't enjoy that."
Her eyes widened for a moment and then she said defensively, "I enjoyed it a lot, actually. And no, I wasn't showing off."
Deeks tried not to laugh when he said, "You sure? Because I can get some limes and salt. We can go at it on the training wheels. I won't judge."
Kensi glared at him. Deeks couldn't contain his mischievous grin.
She opened her mouth to say something when someone yelled her name from the other room. "Your Marines are here!"
Kensi rolled her eyes and then sidled up to Deeks. He thought she was just getting in his space for the sole purpose of flirtation, but she said softly, "Excuse me."
Deeks moved out of the way. As she left the room, she smiled over her shoulder at him. Oh, God.
What was she thinking? It was the alcohol; that was the only explanation. Kensi Blye was not the type of girl to flirt with a guy the way she'd been flirting with him just now. The teasing and the shots and his smile…
Oh, God.
She hadn't flirted in three years, except with Jack, who had honestly been better at making her feel wanted more than anything else. He had never really teased her the way she'd been teasing Deeks. And he'd teased her right back, calling her out on trying to impress him.
There was no denying Deeks was attractive, even though he wasn't really her type. But if Kensi was being honest with herself, she really didn't know her "type" anymore. She'd thought she was attracted to military men. Dark and brooding, maybe. Clean cut, definitely. But Deeks…he was so out of her box. He was blonde and scruffy and laid back. And she kept telling herself he was a jerk, but every time she saw him, it was a fight to keep that pretense.
She shook herself and greeted the guys from her training course. They were all dressed in plainclothes, which was weird for her to see. They were usually dressed in their uniforms. This was the type of guy she liked, she told herself. Clean and ambitious and military. It was all she'd ever known.
After pointing the guys to the drinks and introducing them to Monica, who put on her most flirtatious smile, Kensi went to shut the door, but was stopped by a voice on the other side, yelling up the stairs. "Hey, wait!"
Kensi opened the door again and saw a blonde girl running up the stairs with a grin on her face. She was clutching her purse in one hand and bottle of vodka in the other.
"Hey!" Kensi greeted. "It's been a while. Blown up anything recently?"
"I've abandoned my life of crime," Christine said, laughing breathlessly. "My God, that hill and those stairs are a killer." She bent over at the waist and caught her breath.
"Sorry," Kensi apologized. "Come on in. Monica's been dying to see you."
Christine straightened up and entered the apartment. "Where can I put this?" she asked, holding up the bottle. Kensi pointed towards the kitchen and they hugged briefly. "We'll catch up later?"
"Definitely," Kensi said with a smile. "I think Monica's in the hallway somewhere. That, or she's in the kitchen chatting up some Marines."
"Hasn't changed a bit, has she?" Christine laughed.
"Not much. She paces herself now," Kensi joked.
Christine grinned at her and moved into the apartment, waving over her shoulder. Kensi heard Monica's squeal of joy when she was reunited with her freshman year roommate. She laughed to herself and went to close the door. She looked out onto the landing first, and reveled in the cool breeze that was now blowing off the ocean. It was a welcome feeling after nearly two weeks of constant heat. She could smell rain in the air, too, and hoped that it fell tonight.
Kensi turned after closing the door and saw Paul standing awkwardly near the door. "Hey," she said.
"Hey," he said back. Then he smiled shyly at his feet. "Um, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Kensi said. She thought she knew where this was going, and she really didn't want to turn this guy down; he was so sweet.
"How do you know that girl?" Kensi was taken aback. That was definitely not what she'd expected him to say.
"Who? Christine?" He nodded. "She was Monica's roommate freshman year. Do you know her?"
Paul looked over his shoulder towards the hallway, where Kelly had disappeared with Monica. "Sort of," he said. "Her name's Christine?"
Kensi nodded, starting to realize what was going on. "Go talk to her," she said, nudging Paul toward the hallway.
He looked at her in fear, a deer in the headlights. "I don't know if I can. She already stood me up once."
Kensi furrowed her brow. She didn't know Christine as well as Monica, but that didn't seem like the type of thing she'd do. "Christine wouldn't have stood you up on purpose. Come on, I'll introduce you." She gestured across the room and started to walk towards the hallway. Paul followed her.
Christine and Monica were standing in the hallway chatting with a few of the Marines. "Hey, Kens!" Monica called out. "Your friends were just telling us how you beat them at everything in training."
The guys looked a little embarrassed at being called out, and mumbled their excuses before heading back into the living room. Kensi fought to keep her pride in check as she turned to include Paul in the group. He was staring at Christine. "Hey, Christine, Paul says he knows you?"
Christine looked Paul up and down in confusion. "Uh…I don't think so. Where would we have met?"
Paul swallowed nervously and said, "Down at the beach. It was back in August. It must have been someone who looked like you. Sorry."
He started to turn away, but Christine said, "Did you get stood up? By a girl who looks just like me?"
Paul turned, his eyes wide. He nodded.
Christine nodded knowingly. "You met my twin, Cara."
Kensi and Monica gaped at her. "You have a twin?" Monica said in surprise.
Christine laughed lightly. "Yeah. She's the better behaved one, but a total bitch." She turned to Paul, "I'm sorry she did that to you. I'd make it up to you if I could, but I can't do everything for her."
Paul was gaping at her. Once he realized that everyone was looking at him, he closed his mouth, swallowed again, and said, "You might be able to make it up to me, if you'll let me take you on a date."
Christine's mouth quirked into a smile, and she said, "Sure. But let's see how tonight goes first."
Paul's look of complete amazement that she'd agreed made Monica giggle. Then, he smiled. Kensi was under the impression that Paul didn't smile too often, but when he did, it lit up his whole face and turned him from decently cute to full-on surfer-boy gorgeous. Even Monica's eyes widened.
"Can I get you a drink?" Paul asked.
"Lead the way," Christine told him, gesturing towards the kitchen.
After they left, Monica leaned over to Kensi. "Oh, my God. Why doesn't he smile like that more often?"
Kensi had a smile on her face. A real smile, the kind that came with a balloon of happiness in her chest. She tried to push it down so it wouldn't overwhelm her. Monica noticed, though, and punched her friend in the arm.
"Kensi! Look at you, playing matchmaker! You'll be stealing my job pretty soon."
Kensi took a drink from the bottle in her hand. "There's no chance of that happening, trust me. I didn't even know it would turn out that way. Christine has a sister?"
Monica shrugged, a bemused expression on her face. "I don't even know how I didn't know that. I mean, we were roommates."
"Every family's got its secrets?" Kensi guessed.
"Whatever secret it is, I want to meet this sister and bitch her out for standing up Paul. He's such a sweet guy."
"You barely know him," Kensi laughed.
"I don't have to know him to know he's nice," Monica retorted. She took a drink and said, "He's friends with Marty, so he's gotta be pretty decent." She looked at Kensi out of the corner of her eye, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"Why do we always end up back here?" Kensi asked in exasperation, knowing full well that she was taking the bait and preparing herself for the consequences.
Monica's look of delight as Kensi fed into the topic did not go unmissed. "Because I saw you and Marty in the kitchen earlier. Kens, you were flirting with him. I've never seen you flirt with anyone, not even Jack."
"Then how do you know I was flirting?"
"Please, I know all the signs. The smiling, the giggling, the hair twirling…"
"The pelvic tilt," Kensi heard a male voice say from behind her. Monica grinned at whoever it was and nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Kensi turned. Speak of the devil.
Deeks was standing in the doorway to the hallway, a drink in hand. "Talking about me?"
Kensi and Monica spoke at the same time.
"No."
"Yes."
Deeks grinned and leaned in. Softly, he said, "Don't worry, Kensi. I won't tell everyone that you secretly like me."
Monica gasped and giggled. "Oh, my God. Okay, I think that's my cue." And she hurried off, but not without elbowing Kensi on her way past and wiggling her eyebrows at her.
Kensi was thankful for the dim lighting in the hallway that hid her blush. It wasn't like what he'd said wasn't true; it was that he'd figured her out so quickly. And of course Monica had to feed into it.
"I wouldn't go that far," Kensi said, lifting her head in defiance. "It's more like you're barely tolerable."
Deeks' grin grew and his eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Whatever you say, Blye."
"I'm serious," Kensi said, trying to infuse her voice with as much seriousness as she could.
"I didn't say you weren't," he said lightly, taking a drink from the bottle in his hand.
Kensi opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted—what was it with the interruptions tonight?—by someone yelling from across the apartment, "Hey! I think it's going to rain!"
People rushed past Kensi and Deeks, desperate excited for a reprieve from the heat. Kensi backed up against the wall, trying not to trip over the few cups that were stacked on the ground. Deeks put his hand on her elbow to steady her.
Kensi was sure it was just a reflex; that he had caught her only because that's what you did when someone was falling over. But his hand on her elbow was warm and calloused and strong, and when he took it away, Kensi felt the cold air hit her skin and missed the contact.
"Thanks," she said awkwardly.
"Glad I bumped into you this time?" He asked, that smile still on his face. Unlike Paul, Deeks couldn't seem to stop smiling.
Kensi rolled her eyes.
"Kens! You coming?" Monica called from across the apartment. Deeks gestured for Kensi to go in front of him and she did. He followed behind.
Someone had turned off the music, and as they moved towards the front of the apartment, Kensi heard thunder rumbling. Monica was standing by the door, looking outside towards the water. The wind was blowing hard now, and when Kensi stepped outside, she felt it with relief after so many days of uncomfortably hot and humid weather.
Monica shut the door of the apartment and started down the stairs, Kensi and Deeks following. At the second floor landing, they saw Paul and Christine leaning up against the railing, looking out over the ocean, where the clouds were bursting with lightning. They were talking quietly, leaning in towards each other. Kensi and Monica smiled knowingly at each other, and Deeks grinned too, though with a little bemusement.
As they continued down the stairs, Deek said, "What was that?"
Monica looked over her shoulder, "Paul met a girl."
"Obviously."
Monica laughed and rolled her eyes. "She's actually really great. Kensi set them up."
Deeks turned to Kensi with amusement in his eyes. "I didn't set them up, exactly," she explained defensively. "It was more a matter of chance."
Something about her words had Deeks reeling. They had reached the first floor landing and he slowed, catching Kensi's arm. Monica continued ahead, hopping down on the pavement when she reached the bottom. She ran into the street to join their friends.
Kensi looked at him like she had in the kitchen, searching his face for answers.
"I have something to tell you," Deeks said. He leaned against the railing that looked down over the street. Kensi joined him, dangling her hands over the edge. One hand still held the bottle of beer he'd uncapped for her, her fingertips gripping the neck.
"What's up?" Kensi prompted him after he didn't say anything for a moment.
Deeks took a deep breath and said, "I want to thank you for helping Paul out. We're not on the best terms right now. We fought earlier. That's why I was angry in the kitchen. I think him meeting someone will be good for him. And for our friendship." He paused for a second and screwed up his face, then said, "And I want to apologize again. I really am so sorry for the way I acted, Kensi."
"It's okay." Kensi told him quietly. She looked out to the street, where the partygoers were standing on the pavement, watching as the lightning-ridden clouds moved closer to shore.
"No, it's really not," Deeks said, turning to face her. Kensi looked at him in confusion. All of a sudden, he wanted to tell her everything so she'd understand him. So she'd trust him. "This whole thing between me and Paul, it's been about you. We both liked you from the start, but I was trying to be a good friend and help him out and it's basically gone to shit."
She was still confused, but Deeks saw her start to put the pieces together. "You were trying to get me to like him by being a jerk in comparison. So, that thing in the quad…it wasn't real, was it?"
Deeks shook his head, grimacing. "But the apology was real. That night at the party? That was real. Tonight was definitely real." He said the last part softly, and he wasn't sure if she had heard him.
Kensi laughed suddenly, making his stomach flip at the sound. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh, really laugh, and it lightened the mood considerably. It didn't mask his confusion, however, and she explained, "I ended up being the one with the good liquor."
Deeks' lips quirked up in a wry smile at the memory of that night at the party, and then tonight with the tequila. She didn't seem to be too upset, so he chanced a tease. "I can still show you a good time," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Shut up, Deeks," she told him in exasperation, fighting a smile. "You just got into my good books, don't ruin it for yourself."
"Wait, I'm in your good books now? What for?"
"Deeks," she sighed, giving him a look.
Deeks grinned. He understood her, though, so he held up his hands and said, "I'll take what I can get. One question, why are you keeping me around? You could just as easily tell me to go away and never come back."
Kensi looked away, back to the ocean. Deeks followed her gaze. The clouds were nearly upon them now, and the rumbles of thunder were getting louder and more frequent. Still not looking at him, she said, "Because I know you would do it, and somehow, that makes me trust you just a little more."
"Really?" he said, surprised.
"Don't make me say it again, Deeks."
"Okay, okay. I'll take what I can get. Got it."
She looked at him and rolled her eyes at his goofy smile. She gestured impatiently at the pavement below and said, "Do you wanna join the party now?" Deeks could tell she was hiding a smile of her own, though.
He pushed away from the railing and held his hand out, indicating that Kensi should descend the stairs first. She did and he followed. She could feel him behind her, acutely aware of his presence, and it confused her even more. There was no way she should be feeling like this about someone so quickly after knowing them. There was no way she should be allowing herself to become friends (well, not quite) with a guy who made her heart flutter the way it did when he smiled. It violated every single one of her rules.
They reached the pavement just as the first drops started to fall. Monica ran over and pulled Kensi into the street as everyone started yelling at the sky. Thunder rumbled and a streak of lightning ran down into the ocean. Kensi looked behind her and saw Deeks following. He was looking at her and he smiled. Unconsciously, she smiled back.
The raindrops came faster and her friends started to run around in the street, yelling. Thankfully, they were staying well clear of the edge of the cliff. Many people were just standing still, their tongues out to catch the rain. Monica, standing next to Kensi, did the same. Wind blew in and made the moisture on their skin cool instantly. The rain started to come harder and Kensi laughed at her friends dancing in it, in the middle of the night.
A few people from the apartments around them came out to the street and celebrated the end of the heat wave as well. Kensi looked over at Deeks, who was laughing at something Orly had said. His blonde hair had darkened to almost brown and was plastered to his face. His grin was not directed to Kensi, but it made her heart flip anyway.
Oh, god.
Kensi could feel her hair start to get weighed down by the rain, and the drops on her bare shoulders were cold, but she didn't care. She was here, with her friends, and it was raining for the first time in weeks, and it wasn't hot anymore. She was having fun for the first time in forever and Deeks wasn't actually a jerk and things were actually kind of right.