Chapter 8 Girls' Night Out
"Hey, I'm… home." Kate announced as she entered the apartment while Rick held the door open for her. She used that word cautiously, but it felt natural on her tongue.
"Hey," he greeted her warmly. Seeing her coming home to him brought a warmth to his chest. Rick wanted to kiss her but wasn't sure if that was allowed.
After a morning-after in which they didn't discuss anything concrete, Kate and Rick were still a bit at odds with each other and the state of their relationship. They hadn't talked about what was predominantly on both of their minds.
There was a giant grey elephant sitting in the room.
"How was work?" Rick inquired.
"Slow day, as I predicted. I mostly sat around finishing up paperwork and organizing things. You?"
"Finished another chapter of the next Nikki Heat novel," Rick informed her proudly.
"Oh that's great. When's it being released?"
"Mid-September of this year. I think Gina's arranging a tour for me to visit different cities doing signings of Heat Wave when the paperback comes out and to endorse the next installment in the series."
"That sounds exciting."
The small talk was driving her insane. Kate wanted to talk about it, but at the same time she didn't want to. He had questions and she didn't have the answers.
What does this mean? How does this affect our relationship, both personal and professional? Are we… together?
Everything was just so… confusing.
There was a pregnant pause between the two, where conversation normally never ceased to flow. While she pondered the questions that neither of them could answer Rick studied her, trying to discern her thoughtful disposition.
Kate shuffled away her thoughts and decided to break the silence. "Umm… I'm going to meet Lanie for drinks."
"Oh, okay."
She ventured off into his bedroom to change out of her work clothes. She donned a black tank top, a matching cardigan with an open lacy back, and dark skinny jeans. She reapplied some smokier makeup and fluffed her hair to give it a bit of volume, assessing her look in the mirror.
Kate knew she would have to face the music eventually and decided it would be best to talk to him after getting some advice from Lanie. At least she would have some alcohol to numb her senses. Being slightly tipsy might make the situation a little easier to handle as well.
Grabbing her purse, Kate exited the bedroom and headed back out.
"Don't wait up for me," she said in passing, gliding towards the front door.
"Oh wait, before you go…" Rick reached into his pocket searching for an object.
He stood up and met her at the door to hand her a freshly cut key. "Here."
"A key to your apartment?" Kate deduced easily.
"Yeah. I made a trip to the hardware store to get one made for you. So you can come and go as you please," Rick explained.
It would make things much more practical for her instead of constantly needing him to allow her in.
"I'm not going to be staying for too long though," Kate justified. "I'll start looking at apartments soon."
"That's okay. Just keep it for the time being," Rick insisted.
"Thanks," Kate said as she pocketed the key. It was really thoughtful of him. "I'll see you later."
"Wait," Rick said, stopping her at the door again.
"Hmm?" she turned to face him.
"Can I ummm…" Rick stammered. "Can I kiss you?"
The innocent request surprised her. When did he ever ask for permission to do things with her? Kate cast a skeptical glance at him.
"We had sex last night and this morning… and there was a lot of kissing involved," Kate stated the obvious.
Rick gave her a hopeful look that she couldn't resist.
"Yes you can kiss me. You don't have to ask," she said with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
It was really sweet he was asking for permission.
"But I think it's sweet that you did," she blushed lightly.
Kate put a hand on Rick's chest as he leaned in for a brief kiss.
It was the kind of kiss that couples exchanged on a daily basis, nothing particularly meaningful. But to them it was unusual because of how comfortable it felt. It was like they did this sort of thing every day, coming home and kissing each other.
They were both surprised at the natural feel of the kiss but didn't let on to it, at least not verbally.
"Have fun with Lanie," Rick beamed at her.
She flashed him a smile and went to meet her friend at a local bar they frequented.
Casting a cursory glance through the chic bar, Kate quickly spotted Lanie gracing the counter with a fruity drink in hand. She joined her friend on the stools and waved to the bartender.
"Finally. I've been waiting here forever," Lanie exclaimed once Kate arrived. She had been dying all day to get the rest of the dirty details.
"Spill, girl. I want to know all of it. When it happened. Where. How. Why. Everything."
"Jeez, Lanie. I just got here. Can't you let me at least order a drink before I tell you all the sordid specifics of my momentary lapse in judgment?"
"Lapses," Lanie emphasized the plurality of the word. "It happened twice, right?"
"Well aren't you good at remembering details," Kate replied sardonically.
The bartender placed a daiquiri in front of her and she gulped down a large mouthful.
"Ah, much better."
"So?"
"Okay… I'll start with the case. Agent Shaw, the FBI profiler in charge of the case, was abducted by the killer, so the Captain had to let me back on the team after he gave me strict instructions to stay home. Using some information from footage that the killer used as verification that she was alive, we traced it to the location where he was keeping her. The hostage rescue team entered the building, but unbeknownst to them it was a trap, luring them into an empty warehouse save for a few tons of an explosive called cyclonite."
"Get to the sex already!" Lanie exclaimed loudly. Several heads turned towards them and stared in response to her outburst.
"Do you want me to skip all the action parts of the case?"
"Just cliffnotes it," Lanie instructed impatiently.
"Basically, Castle was my only backup and in the end we saved the day. Agent Shaw and the rest of her team were fine and we caught Dunn."
"And then…?" she prodded her to go on.
"We closed the case and went back to his apartment." Kate was being customarily non-descriptive.
"Finally, we're getting to the good part."
Ignoring Lanie's remarks, Kate continued.
"He poured some wine for both of us and we got to talking. One thing led to another… and we slept together," Kate stated simply.
"That's it? Where are the details?"
"It's all a bit fuzzy. I had a few glasses of wine to drink."
Lanie's eyes were brimming with excitement. "Come on. How was the sex?"
"It was… amazing," Kate blushed sheepishly. They had discussed guys she had hooked up with before, but Rick Castle was something else.
She knew that he was interested in her ever since they met and she would be lying if she said she didn't have a thing for him as well. Kate just never knew it would be this good with him.
"He's very passionate and sensual. I completely lose control when I'm with him… Seriously, he's unlike anyone I've ever been with before."
"Oh my god, you're totally in love with him," Lanie gushed.
Alarm bells rang in Kate's mind. "What? Who said anything about love? We only slept together twice. That's totally out of the question."
At the mere mention of the word, Kate put up all her defenses again. She was not in love with Richard Castle.
"Alright, alright" Lanie held up her hands in defeat. She was getting a bit carried away.
"Have you talked to him yet?"
"No I'm avoiding it," Kate lamented. "I needed to talk to you first. What should I do?"
Lanie gave her a telling look. "I say go for it. He's crazy about you. And you know what they say: opposites attract. We all knew you two were bound to end up together."
"But he's… Castle. He's got two divorces under his belt and he's notorious for being a playboy. Not to mention Alexis, who is an angel, but how would she deal with us being together?" Kate fretted.
"Kate, Kate, Kate. Stop over analyzing everything," Lanie advised. "This isn't another one of your cases. Just a relationship. Trust your instincts. Go with your heart on this one. And girl, try to have a little fun."
Kate contemplated her friend's advice. "You really think I should go for it."
Lanie proclaimed exasperatedly. "What have I been trying to tell you since you guys first met? He's Rick Castle. You love his novels and he's totally into you. That's why he's been following you around for the past two years like a puppy dog. Helplessly in love. Puppy love."
"There's that L-word again. Not love. Lust maybe. Absolutely not love." Kate declared firmly.
"You know what happened last time I let a guy in…" Kate trailed off, remembering the inevitable pain a previous relationship had caused her.
"He broke your heart. I know. But that was a while ago and you need someone new. It doesn't even have to be serious right now, just let it go wherever it goes."
Kate chewed on her bottom lip. "If we cross this line… there's no turning back."
"Don't you think you already crossed that line? Twice, I might add." Lanie said matter-of-factly.
"And if it ends badly…"
"Don't think about that now. Focus on the present. If you're not ready for a serious relationship, I think he will respect that. You two can just be… friends with benefits."
Kate wasn't familiar with the term. "Friends with benefits?"
"Yeah, just like being regular friends, but with a lot of sex in between. Sex with no strings attached," Lanie explained, hinting that she had experience with this type of arrangement.
"Won't he feel like I'm using him?" Kate asked with concern.
"You two can enjoy the sex, all the while discovering more about each other. Like I said, just see where this goes. You might be surprised at the outcome."
"Friends with benefits." Kate tested out the phrase on her tongue. She decided she liked this solution as it was a way to define things in the present, all the while leaving room for them to explore their feelings for one another.
"Okay I think I'll go with that," she decided. "Thanks Lanie. I really appreciate your advice."
"You know I can't resist gossiping about the latest developments in your love life. I always give good advice when it comes to relationships."
"You and your infinite wisdom on the minglings of hearts and minds in our interminable quest to find the other half of our souls," Kate waxed poetically.
"Now I think you've had a little too much to drink." Lanie pointed out as Kate set down a second nearly empty glass.
"Hmm… It's getting late," she checked her watch. "I should go home soon. I hope Castle's still up. I need to talk to him."
"While you're tipsy?"
"Liquid courage." Kate raised her glass ceremoniously and downed the rest of her drink.
"Thanks again Lanie."
"Any time girl."
We are exactly what we are
Let's disregard that talk of where we're at and where we're going
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a week. I think I'm going to write some longer chapters (but consequently, they will be updated slower.) But you know what motivates me to write faster? REVIEWS. (: