I had to throw away a whole chapter so this took even more time than it usually does…
Thank you guys that are still reading this.
Jane leaned one knee on the bed and supporting himself with one hand on the mattress and reached for Lisbon. She was sleeping was sleeping
"Lisbon, hey" He whispered close to her ear.
"Humm" it was all he heard she murmur before se buried her face in the pillow.
"Teresa please, I want to show you something"
"Jane it's still dark just go back to sleep." She turned to face the other side.
"Please?" He kissed her shoulder. "I need to show you something"
She turned to him again, cranky with eyes half closed. "Can't you just show me later?"
"Please?"
"Fine."
Lisbon squeezed her eyes closed a few times; she yawned and stretched before sitting on the bed with both her legs crossed.
"Get my clothes, please." She said yawned again and pointing to her pants over a little table in the corner of the airstream.
"What for?"
She sighed too tired to use her words and looked down at her body. She was wearing one of Jane's shirt.
"There's absolutely no one outside and it's not cold either." "Come on" He held her hands and helped her to get on her feet.
Jane was out of the airstream first, Lisbon whimpered a bit but followed him.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Jane inhaled deeply and stretched his arms above his head.
"…Yeah?" She sounded unimpressed at best.
"You don't think-" Jane turned back to see Lisbon standing behind him, staring at the other side.
He hugged her from behind with his arms around her chest.
"The other side." He said chuckling softly against her ear.
They turned around and Jane continued to hold her.
"Oh wow." "This makes more sense," They both laughed and Lisbon reached to caress his face.
They stayed quiet for a while.
"It's beautiful." "Thank you" She smiled and rested her head on his chest.
"This view would go to waste it you weren't here with me. Thank you." He buried his chin in her hair and Lisbon relaxed in his arms.
They stayed like that, watching that amazing scene unfold in front of their eyes, for nearly ten minutes. Jane would occasionally kiss Lisbon and smell her hair while she closed her eyes and forgot about the rest of the world. They bodies slowly moving in sync in a rhythm of their own. It was Jane, her and the sun rising, and that's all that was.
"Let's go inside? Go back to sleep?" Jane whispered
"I'm not really sleepy anymore."
Jane grinned against her neck. "Oh really?"
She turned to face him smiling "I'm lazy though."
"I'm all in for making lazy love"
"All in?" She raised her eyebrows.
He smiled. "Let's go inside"
They clumsily walked towards the airstream while Jane tried to unbutton Lisbon's shirt from behind.
"Jane?"
"Yes?"
"Are we going to talk about what you're wearing?"
"It's a pajama, I'm sure you've heard of it."
"It's a pajama for grandpas." She giggled teasing.
"Cho has one that looks just the same."
"How do you know that?"
"Not my point." He closed the door with his feet.
...
Lisbon opened her eyes; she had half her body on top of Jane's. Her breasts pressed against his bare chest.
"I was sleeping again?" she sounded disconcerted.
"No, you just dozed off for a few minutes." He continue to play with her hair. "This making lazy love think suit us very well."
Lisbon used to think the expression 'make love' was the silliest thing, it made her want to laugh when she heard a guy saying it. Just say 'have sex' it is what it is, but that was before she heard it from Jane.
"It does. Very, very well" She kissed his chest. "But we can't spend the whole day in bed!"
Lisbon climbed and sat on top of Jane. She reached for his shirt crumpled at the foot of the bed, put it on and started to button it up.
"Really? That's the position you chose to do this, right after you said you don't want to spend the day in bed?"
"Oh hush!" She smiled wild.
He crossed his arms under his head to watch her.
"We could play strip poker."
She looked down at theirs bodies; Jane was wearing only his underwear.
"Well, that would last long."
"Loser has to put on a great strip teasing show"
"Ooh!" She seemed excited. "If that's the prize I want to win! We should play strip target shooting!"
Shirt buttoned, Lisbon laid on top of him, with her elbows resting on his. Their noses nearly touching.
"What's wrong with strip poker?"
"You always win!" She whined. "You always cheat!"
"Cheat? I don't cheat!"
"Having a memory palace it's just as unfair!"
"And how is a target shooting against a cop fair?" He laughed at her frustration. Jane's voice was husky and low contrary to Lisbon's distressed high tone.
"Okay, we need to find something we both suck at."
"I'll think of something."
Lisbon rested her head between his neck and shoulder. She kissed the spot of his neck close to her lips. He closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation of her warm lips.
"Maybe we could play 'Strip who makes Cho laugh first'."
"I'd love to see you explaining the game to him." Lisbon chucked and snuggled even closer to Jane, she watched his body moving up and down to the rhythm of his breathing and listened to his heartbeat. It relaxed her more than anything in the world did.
"Hey, want to go out and grab a bite?" Jane whispered.
"Yes! Before I got back to sleep again." She sat up. "Where?"
"There's this little place nearby, they have great chicken wings and cold beer."
"I'm in."
He held her face in his hands and smooched her on the lips "Then let's go."
…
"That's a pretty nice place!" Lisbon looked around a little curious, part of that curiosity, more than she was willing to admit, was to know what Jane use to do there, when they worked at the CBI he would always call her to go out, it wasn't really his thing to go to a bar alone and meet up with strangers.
The little place had few tables, couples were occupying three of them, a group of friends was sitting by the bar, littles flags hanged from the ceiling and a little TV was showing the opening credits of a silly comedy show. It was a friendly place indeed, where adults could have a good time and the waitresses seemed to enjoy being there.
"Oh I haven't played foosball in such a long time!" She pointed excited to a foosball table in the middle of the room.
"I thought you would like that." He smiled a little proud of himself.
"Hey Patrick!" A waitress waved at the couple still standing in front of the door
"Hi" Jane shyly waved back.
He didn't need to look to know Lisbon was staring at him. "Nice girl" He said without looking at her.
"Bet she is."
"Come on" He placed his hand on the small of her back, walked towards a table, and pushed out the chair for Lisbon, sitting in front of her.
The lovable waitress was back. "So what are you ordering today?"
"Chicken wings for two and beers?" He looked at the smiling young woman and back at Lisbon to confirm.
Lisbon nodded and woman wrote down the order. "I'll be back in a bit."
Lisbon pretended to read the menu left over the table, clearly uninterested in it, making Jane laugh in silence.
"So you come here often?"
"Not really."
He looked over her menu and she lowered it.
"You're not jealous of the waitress right?"
"Of course not, your friend seems nice."
"Well, Chloe is a very nice girl but I wouldn't call her my friend."
"Why did you never invite me here before?"
"I don't know. We've been so busy."
"I don't mean this week. It seems, you've been here quite a few times. I know this might sound weird and I know you have your own life but you used to invite me to go everywhere with you."
"It's true. You're my partner, my best friend and I love your company."
"And when did that change?"
The young waitress was back with their order.
"Excuse me, folks" She said placing the plates over the table.
"Chloe this is Lisbon, remember her?"
"Jane, I don't think we have met"
"Oh!" The woman looked at Lisbon - making her a little embarrassed - and back to Jane. "I was hoping it was her!" "It's a pleasure to meet you!" The woman had a lovable smile.
"Hum, is nice to meet you too" Lisbon answer sounded more like a question.
"I'm happy for you, Patrick!"
Jane grinned ear to ear and the woman left their table.
"I was hoping it was her?"
"Eh…" Jane tilted his head looking for words to explain.
"How does she even know I exist?"
"Well I, I may have got drunk. Here. Once. And I may have told her a little about you."
"What did you tell her?"
"Hm, not much, she asked what was the reason I was drinking, I told her I loved a woman I couldn't have." "And that the woman's name was Teresa Lisbon. That she was tiny and angry, most of the time. I mean she's always tiny but she's only angry most of the time." Jane said casually in between bites. "This is delicious, prove it."
"You told her that?" Lisbon as too chocked to be amused.
"Well I, I was drunk, I'd had never talked to anyone about it if I wasn't."
They stared at each other. Lisbon didn't know what to think of it.
"And I hope that answers your other question too. I don't have this secretly life you think I'm hiding from you. You know everything there is too know. I've never stopped enjoying your company either."
"I know. It's not that. I was jealous, I guess."
Jane grinned.
"Not of Chloe!" She laughed. "I've always felt a little proud to be Patrick Jane's friend. I didn't want to be replaced."
"Proud to be my friend?"
"Kind of." "Yes."
"Well, you were never replaced and you'll never will be." "Now prove this, it's delicious."
….
Many wings, a few bottle of beers and two games of foosball later, Jane and Lisbon were still sitting at the table chatting.
"One last foosball game before we go?"
"Alright." Jane answered not really excited.
"You sure you don't want it to be a strip foosball game? You might win this time!"
"Yeah I'm pretty sure." He got up. "I'll go to the bathroom first."
Lisbon waited for a while got up and walked to the foosball table to wait for Jane. She was distracted sipping from her beer looking to the little plastic players when someone touched her arm.
"Hey, it's Teresa Lisbon, right?"
"Please tell me Jane didn't got drunk with you too."
"What?"
"Uh, never mind." "I'm sorry who are you?"
"It's John? From SAC PD? We worked on a case a few years ago."
"Oh right, John...?"
"John Ward."
"Hi John, long time."
"Yes, more than ten years ago, actually. I'm feeling a little old."
Lisbon smiled and took another sip from her beer.
"So you're alone here? Do you want to join us?" He pointed to a table at the corner, occupied by two guys and a girl.
"No actually I'm-" Jane appeared by her side. "I'm with Jane. You remember him, right?"
"Sure. He has quite a reputation."
Jane offered his hand. "John, right?"
"Wow yes, good memory!" "We didn't really got much time to talk you were a very quiet guy."
"Jane? Quiet?" "That was a long time ago!"
Jane and Lisbon looked at each other smirking.
"Are you still working for the CBI?" He asked directly to Lisbon.
"No actually, I'm working for the FBI now."
Jane got his bottle from their table and came back, he stood behind Lisbon and discreetly slipped his hand under her shirt, softly scratching her back and making it hard for her to speak.
"FBI? Congratulations!"
"Thank you!"
"And you guys are still working together?" His finger pointing at both Lisbon and Jane but he didn't took his eyes off the brunet.
"Yes, he's, hm" "He's a consultant for the FBI now." She exhaled a puff of air and pushed her shirt down.
"That's great!"
Lisbon and Jane smiled politely.
"You know what, it was great seeing you guys but I have to get back to my table."
Lisbon nodded smiling.
"So hm." He got a card from his wallet and offered it to Lisbon "Why don't you give me a call sometime?" He asked flashing a seductive smile at Teresa.
Jane wrapped tightly an arm around Lisbon's waist and leaned forward to reach for the card. "We'd love that, John!" He pushed the card so fast the man didn't feel it leaving his fingers.
"Oh I didn't…"
"Do you have a girlfriend, John?" Jane wrapped his other arm around Lisbon's waist.
"Not I don't" The man answered embarrassed.
"That's a shame we'd love to go on a double date with you!"
"Yeah, no, unfortunate I don't."
A two-second silence followed.
"It was really great seeing you guys!" He waved two fingers and vanished as fast as he could to his own table.
"You never liked him hum?"
"Nope." "Next time you could wait for me to explain why I can't call though."
"Or you could make sure that the next poor guy knows that I'm not just your consultant."
He kissed her cheek before unwrapping his arms and going to the opposite side of the foosball table.
"I thought that was clear!" She protested.
"You could've presented me as your boyfriend."
"I wanted to, but we never used that word before."
"Well, it's what we are isn't?"
"Yes!" She smiled broadly and bit her lip.
Jane smiled back happy for her reaction.
He got the little soccer ball between his fingers and showed her. "Ready?"
…
Out of the restaurant, the streets were already dark; they entered the car and Lisbon couldn't stop smirking.
"So, how does it feel to be beat up by a girl? Five times in a row?"
Jane looked out the window and crossed his arms. "I'm not playing that with you again."
"Oh come on! What can I do to make you feel better?" She asked in mocking tone.
"Can I chose our program for tonight?"
"Sure." She started the car and they started moving. "What do you want do?"
"I was think we could do a movie night."
"Oh, I'd like that! You place?"
"I don't know. Your TV is bigger but my place has a better setting for horror movies." He grinned slyly.
"No horror movies!"
"Look at the road, woman!"
"I'm not watching any horror movies!"
"You said I could choose our program, no take backs."
"Jane!" Lisbon whined for clemency.
"Nah-ah" "Stop at the next rent-a-video store- thing."
"I don't think those exist anymore…"
….