Chapter 22 Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop
Richard Castle was being held hostage. The captor? His ex-wife and publisher Gina Cowell. No, he wasn't being held prisoner against his will in the literal manner per se, but he felt like he was confined to his hotel room, stranded and alone in a foreign country.
Gina had taken his phone away from him as a punishment for falling so far behind on his latest manuscript. She was right in that it was a major distraction from his writing because most of his apps were games or entertainment, but it also meant that he wouldn't be able to call Alexis or Kate to check up on them.
Rick was allowed to use his computer but without internet access, another punishment in addition to the restricted cell phone use. Gina had specifically asked the hotel staff not to give him the Wi-Fi password so that he could focus solely on his writing. Unfortunately for Rick, he didn't speak any French so he wasn't able to get the password on his own. No phone service and no internet. To Rick, being cut off by all means of communication was equivalent to being held hostage.
It was a month into his book tour and Rick had grown tired of the endless book signings, release parties, and other events that Gina had planned for his grand Europe tour. He used to love going to the signings, being the life of the party and the center of attention of throngs of beautiful foreign women. But night after night of the same feigned interest and insincere adoration, they became as predictable as they were meaningless. What used to be one of his favorite perks of being a famous writer now seemed like a chore.
To make matters even more difficult, instead of being allowed to explore the city and sight-see, Rick had to use his meager free time to catch up on writing the next chapters of Naked Heat. To be in such historically and culturally rich cities and denied the freedom to indulge in the culture was his punishment. Served him right for procrastinating for months.
He was getting restless from being confined to the hotel room for so long. Gina was out finalizing preparations for whatever event he was to attend that night, so Rick decided to go out and get some fresh air. He grabbed his laptop bag and hotel key and headed outside.
The bustling morning streets of Paris were much different than those of New York. The aura of the city felt more relaxed as opposed to the fast-paced, lively spirit of the Big Apple. Instead of emotionless steel grey skyscrapers towering over the city, small shops of warm colors affecting a vintage, romantic climate lined the narrow streets of Paris. It was like another world entirely.
Rick took in the sights and sounds, grateful for a change of scenery. He absentmindedly traveled a few blocks, relishing the fresh morning air and soaking up the natural sunlight.
At the corner of the street, Rick happened upon a small coffee shop. How stereotypical, he thought. An author writing in a small French café. But it would suffice. It was definitely better than the solitary confines of his hotel room. The aromas of freshly baked pastries and brewing coffee were enough to tempt him to venture inside. Rick ordered a cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant for breakfast and chose a small table by the window to sit.
As he enjoyed his pastry, Rick took the time to participate in one of his favorite past times: people watching. As a writer Rick loved watching people go about their days and wondering what tale lay behind their lives. He often made up little stories about them, about what their lives were like and why they were there at that particular moment. It was especially interesting now because the people of France led entirely different lifestyles than New Yorkers.
Through the café window Rick saw people biking to unknown destinations, others carrying fresh baguettes under their arms for later consumption, and some feeding pigeons on the street. Right outside the café at an outdoor table, he saw two people engaged in garrulous chatter over some coffee, perhaps some long-lost friends catching up for years past or just passing along the latest juicy gossip.
Rick returned his gaze from outside the window back into the shop, where he spotted a couple a few tables away sharing an intimate breakfast together. They were a young couple and very clearly in love. He watched as the woman fed a small piece of pastry to the man, giggling when he sucked her fingers. The man leaned over the small table and whispered something in her ear that made her smile, and he kissed her cheek. He caressed her hand gently as they exchanged words in the language of love. It was like a scene out of a romance film. That's what they say about Paris and France. For lovers only.
Rick sighed. Seeing that young couple fawn over each other made him miss Kate. He wished she were here to enjoy breakfast with him in this quaint little French café. He wished she were here to share the beauty of France together with him. She would absolutely love vacationing here. He found himself daydreaming about what they could do together in this exotic country. Taste wine together, visit the Riviera, stroll along the Seine.
Maybe one day, he thought to himself. Rick turned away from watching the couple and decided to focus on his work. He pulled his laptop out from his bag and opened it up to begin writing.
Opening up a nearly blank document, Rick scanned the seemingly random words and phrases that served to outline his ideas for the chapter. He had all the ideas in his head; the tedious part was getting it onto paper and describing the character's thoughts and actions in adequate, captivating detail. Rick drummed his fingers on the table. He was still thinking about Kate.
He hadn't seen or even talked to her in a month. Rick had briefly chatted with Alexis when Gina allowed him one phone call last week. Alexis said everything at home was great and that Kate was doing fine. He gave Alexis a short message to relay to Kate, but Rick really wished he could talk to her in person and hear her voice. He missed working with her every day. Days without cases to ponder over and solve with her were dull indeed.
Rick opened up his pictures folder partially out of boredom but mostly because he just wanted to see a picture of Kate. He scrolled through his digital photo album until he finally came upon a picture of the two of them. Rick smiled as he remembered that memory.
Rick was lying on the couch playing on his phone when Kate came back from work one day. She set down her purse and keys with a heavy sigh.
"Long day?" he asked.
"Couldn't find any leads in our case," Kate frowned.
Rick knew that the lack of investigative avenues in a case always frustrated Kate, which often led her to a stressed, irritated state similar to the one she was in now.
Rick sat up, taking Kate's hand and guiding her to sit on the couch next to him.
"It's okay. I'm sure you'll find a break tomorrow," he soothed her gently, as he pulled her into him. Kate closed her eyes as Rick kissed her temple. When he pulled back he examined her face, still wrought with stress from work.
"Hey," Rick started. "Let's take a picture." He took out his phone.
"A picture of what?" Kate asked.
"Of us. We don't have any pictures together." Rick pulled her onto his lap and opened up the camera app on his phone. Smiling, he pressed his head next to hers and snapped a picture.
"I'm not really in the mood," Kate grumbled.
"Come on, just one nice picture," Rick begged. He kissed her cheek as she rolled her eyes, snapping another picture of them.
She looked at him trying to make his best puppy dog face. Kate couldn't help but grin.
"Fine, just one," she conceded, smiling into the camera.
Rick smiled as he flipped through those three pictures. They described the evolution of their relationship so well. The first picture of his goofy grin and her annoyed frown illustrated their relationship when they first met. Remembering how much Kate used to hate him and how much she liked him now always brought a smile to his face.
The second picture, of Rick kissing her cheek and Kate rolling her eyes, was their relationship when they first got together. And the third with two genuine smiles was of them now, hopefully. Opening up Photoshop, Rick quickly stitched the pictures together into a wallpaper and set it as his desktop background. Now he could see Kate's beautiful smile every time he opened his laptop.
Rick finished the last bit of his croissant. The chocolate pastry satiated his sweet tooth, but he was craving something else entirely. Kate. All he wanted was to be at home cuddled up with her in their bed. And smell her hair. And kiss her. All he wanted was her. He usually did get a little homesick on these trips, but now that he finally had someone to go home to, it only exacerbated his longing. Someone to go home to. That sounded nice. Absence had definitely made the heart grow fonder. They did rush through the early stages of a typical relationship rather quickly, but it felt so natural sharing his home with her. They fit so well together, both at work and at home.
Rick wondered where their relationship was headed. Things were great for now but Rick definitely wanted more. He wanted to have a serious relationship with her, one with a tangible future together. He wanted to tell her how he really felt about her—that he loved her, that he's been in love with her for a while and hopefully she felt the same way too. They had technically only been together for a few weeks, but it had also been two years of being partners. Two years of getting to know the other, trusting one another, and always being there for each other.
There's no way they could be doing what they've been doing, have been so intimate together without her feeling something deeper for him. Maybe she wasn't ready for more just yet, but he was willing to take things slow. But first he had to let her know what his intentions were. Revealing his true feelings for her, baring his heart and soul before her, was unnerving and risky but it was worth it. She was worth it. So worth it. Rick decided to man up and have an honest talk with her when he got back home.
Halfway across the world and she still distracts me from my work, he shook his head. Okay, that was enough of a sidetrack. Time to get to work, Rick thought to himself. He reopened the document and began putting his thoughts into words.
Rick found himself often asking "what would Beckett do?" when writing about Nikki Heat. So often in fact, that he kept mistakenly typing Beckett's name instead of Nikki Heat's into the manuscript.
Gotta focus on the novel, Rick. You're writing about Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook, not you and Beckett. The sooner you finish this novel, the sooner you can go home to her.
Ideas from his real life experience in solving cases with Beckett poured out steadily onto the paper. Soon Rick found himself back in New York City, lost in the world of Nikki Heat, the character he created based on the woman he loved.
I think that possibly, maybe I've fallen for you
Yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you
A/N: Just realized it's been 3 years since I started this story… I'm so sorry it's taken this long to write :(. I'm going to finish it… eventually. (I actually have most of it outlined, writing just takes forever.) I'll try to get as much written this summer as possible (hopefully finish it? Maybe that's just wishful thinking... :P). The next chapter is written already FYI, so that one will be out soon.