Richard Castle is a simple man who likes to enjoy the finer things in life. Now Kate Beckett, she is fine. Sitting here on the couch curled up with her is worth more to him than any gadget or story could ever be.
He never really thought that it would be so easy. Of course there is sometimes an uncomfortable tension. He knows that it's because everyone including Kate knows how he feels about her. He can't help it though. He can't hide it, and he doesn't want to. Can't she see how he loves her?
Coming over here tonight had been a risk. She had flirted though, and made him work for his request. Gave in quite easily when he thinks about it. Perhaps she is becoming ready to move things in a direction that will please him? It will be important not to scare her away now that they seem to have climbed over the invisible barrier that has been blocking them from one another.
He has two questions. Firstly, what is Kate so afraid of? Secondly, how does she get her hair to do that thing? He knows how well she protects herself and he knows that the harder she has resisted him the more he is worth. The more it would hurt to lose him. In a way it's touching that she does care for him, and in another way the lack of touch has been excruciating. Until now that is.
Kate has been curled up against him for the better part of an hour, resting peacefully, possibly asleep, he'd been too anxious to actually check and was playing it way too cool. His heartbeat was rapid; he was sweating just a little. Like a switch had been flicked somewhere everything had changed, and also nothing had changed. Should he wake her when the movie finishes? Will she kick him out? Would she kiss him goodbye? Would she be mad if he just fell asleep and hoped for the best?
The pondering went on for sometime until he realized that making Kate uncomfortable was the last thing he should be doing when he had finally got this close. Figuring that he could gracefully get up and gently move Kate's head onto the couch and leave was wrong. As soon has he tried to remove himself Kate shushed him and snuggled closer. Did she have any idea how cute she is? It didn't take much persuasion for him to consider she would be uncomfortable without her Castle pillow and he decided to stay put.
Once again he couldn't stop thinking. What does this mean? Is she really asleep? Did she consciously ask me to stay the night?
"I can hear you thinking, Castle," Kate yawned.
"Sorry," he mumbled, not sure what to say or if he was now in some kind of trouble.
"Why can't you just chill out and relax? You're interrupting my nap. I can't be comfy with you doing all that thinking, its making you tense," she replies sleepily.
"Who are you and what have you done with Kate Beckett!" He demands.
"Whataya talkin' bout," she mumbles.
Castle could barely contain himself and as usual he cracked under the pressure of having to point out the obvious.
"Ok, this is too weird. So we had a moment and that moment turned into us just laying on the couch on a Friday night, which is fine by the way," he puts his hands up in surrender. "I guess I just don't understand the sudden shift, what happened to get us here? I mean, this is a major plot twist," panting he decides to take a breath and shut up.
After a pause Kate finally retorts, "This isn't one of your stories Castle, it doesn't have to make sense."
"So it's just cool for us to snuggle like this now?"
"I don't see why not, I really don't understand the big deal," she hides her face in his shoulder and smirks.
"Big deal…you, what? Big deal, I…I don't even know how to even…Are we?…eh?"
"Has the best selling author run out of words?" Kate chortles smugly.
"Oh! I see, you're just trying to get me all work up, you're just trying to make a fool out of me Kate Beckett, Well, you have another thing com-thfp!"
Kate cuts him off with a kiss.
He sits there looking at her blankly and then moving his hand to his lips, thinking quietly to himself and then looking back at her in awe as though he cannot believe that it actually happened.
Kate rolls her eyes. "Really? Surely you cannot be that shocked." A Pause. "Really? You have nothing to say? He who can never shut up? I don't believe thi-sthpm."
Castle cuts her off with a kiss.
They continue this way for sometime holding hands and kissing slowly, drinking each other in. When they pull apart and finally look at each other Castle senses that the mood has shifted once again. He can see a slight panic rising on Kate's face. So he repositions himself into a comfortable position on the couch and pretends to rest.
"What are you doing, Castle?"
"Shush, I'm trying to sleep, you're thinking too loud," he smirks with his eyes closed and his head resting against the back of the couch.
Kate raises her eyebrows, then rolls her eyes, and rests her head against his shoulder. They're still holding hands. Kate knows the ball is in her court. Question is whether or not she hits one back. She smiles to herself.
'He won't hurt me' she thinks as they fall into peaceful slumber.