He was whistling as he strolled into the bullpen searching for a tiny brunette, a brand new grey suit sticking to his body as if it were a second skin.
He was in a good mood today. He happened to have a date with a beautiful woman—Marie Porter, her name was. She was the new CBI secretary; the feminine dresses and pantsuits she wore screamed seductress without her even intending to be. Her blonde hair cascaded in rings down her back and her eyes were the most incredible shade of blue.
He swore his heart had stopped when he first set his eyes on her. She was marvelous. She seemed to be smitten with him too, because she wasn't the least bit hesitant to accept his date proposal.
He hadn't been on a date in years, but he was still a charmer and figured dating etiquette would come rushing back to him in no time. He'd spend the evening with Marie and see where things took them. They'd go to an Italian restaurant with cloth napkins and the best wine they'd ever tasted. Fancy, but worthwhile.
He busted into Lisbon's office with a wide grin on his face. "Morning Lisbon!"
Lisbon stopped what she was doing and looked up at her blonde consultant. Her eyes immediately narrowed at him. "Why are you so happy?"
He gave a dramatic sigh. "Why, Lisbon, can't a man be happy without having to give a reason?"
She tilted her head. He noticed that her dark hair was in a ponytail today, her pale neck revealed to his line of sight. "Sure, but you're always up to something and causing trouble, so I can only assume you have some wild plan conspiring in your head."
"Well, that is where you're wrong." His grin grew wider. "I happen to have a date tonight."
The amusement in her eyes extinguished like a light bulb. "Oh...a date? With who?"
His grin wavered a little at her reaction. She was obviously unhappy with this bit of information, but for the first time in his life he didn't know why.
"Marie Porter."
Her eyebrows shot up. "The secretary?"
He nodded. "I asked her out."
"Oh."
That's the second 'oh', he thought silently to himself, his brows furrowing. He didn't understand. He thought she'd be thrilled that he had a date and wouldn't be bothering her for the night. She always seemed so eager to get away from him.
"Is something wrong?" He asked worriedly.
She shook her head a little too hard. "No! Of course not. I'm happy for you, Jane. Truly. Marie seems like a nice woman."
Her words were cheerful, but her large, green eyes were dim. That was a problem. He needed to make those eyes full of life again.
"If there's something you need me for tonight, I can cancel," he offered. "Is there a new case we need to solve?"
She began to tidy the papers on her desk, stacking them into one neat pile without looking at him. "No, Jane. No new case. Go enjoy yourself, you deserve it."
"You're upset," he stated, frowning. "Why?"
"I'm not upset."
"Lisbon, you forget that I know you better than you know yourself," he pointed out. "I know something's wrong. Did I do something?"
She paused her tidying to meet his gaze, appeasing him with a brilliant smile. "You didn't do anything, Jane. I swear I'm fine. Now go enjoy your date."
He still wasn't convinced, but he decided to drop it for now. After all, Lisbon was a stubborn woman. But he'd get the truth out of her eventually. He always did.
"Okay then," he said. "Call me if you need me."
She nodded. He left her office in a confident stride, excited for his date with a lovely woman, but something in the back of his mind was nagging him.
He shook his head and released a breath. There was to be no overthinking tonight. He was going to have a completely normal night with Marie. He was going to feast on a fancy dinner, drink classic wine, and share conversation with a beautiful woman.
Speaking of Marie, there she was, waiting for him at the elevator. She had changed into a hip-hugging black dress with a plunging neckline, and her makeup was fresh. She flashed a smile in his direction as he stalked towards her.
"Hey, you," she said flirtatiously. "Ready to go?"
"I am," he nodded as she pressed a button for the elevator. As the doors slid apart, he found himself staring at the closed door of Lisbon's office, wondering what he had said to upset her.
He quickly snapped himself out of it and entered the elevator with Marie. Lisbon was fine, he told himself. Perhaps she was just worried about him. It had been a long time since he'd gone out with a woman.
Yeah. She was fine. If something was seriously wrong, she'd tell him.
Wouldn't she?
XxX
"This pasta is simply delicious," Marie hummed in appreciation as she delicately stabbed at her dinner. "Would you like some?"
Jane had taken two bites of his dinner before deciding he no longer had an appetite. He was currently pushing chicken around on his plate, deep in thought. And his thoughts only consisted of two things. Red John, and Lisbon.
Right now he was thinking about the latter. He hadn't been able to take his mind off of Lisbon all evening, even though he certainly tried to distract himself. He just hated to know that she was upset, especially because of something he'd said or done. He just didn't know what he had done to elicit such a gloomy response.
He knew he was supposed to be focused on his date, but to be truthful he really couldn't care less. He thought the date would be wonderful, and really it wasn't bad, he was just bored. Marie was a talker and he was a good listener. The good thing about her was that she never pressured him to respond, she just filled in the silence as if she loved hearing herself speak.
If Lisbon was sitting in her place right now, he'd be the one talking and she'd be the one listening. He could talk about the most random of things and she would nod along, entranced by him and his silly stories.
Wait. Why was he imagining himself on a date with Lisbon?
He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. He was on a date with Marie, not Lisbon. They were two very different people. No similarities whatsoever.
Besides, he liked Marie. Lisbon was just a friend to him. His best friend, but a friend nonetheless.
"Patrick?"
He blinked, his eyes focusing on the woman sitting across from him. Her brows were furrowed in confusion. She was starting to wonder why he'd been quiet the whole dinner, and he didn't exactly know how to answer her.
"Hm?"
"I asked if you wanted to try some of my pasta," she said, a little less enthusiastic now. "Is something wrong? You seem distant."
"Oh. No, thank you. And I'm fine." He took a bite of his chicken parmesan to prove that he was fine, but she was still skeptical.
Luckily she didn't press on the matter, she just continued to talk. "Do you enjoy working for the CBI? Like, as a consultant and all?"
He set down his fork. "I do."
"I think it's cool what you do," she gushed. "The ability to read people so well sounds like an amazing talent to have."
"It comes in handy," he shrugged.
"I bet." Her eyes never strayed from his. "So, I see you're really close with your boss."
"My boss?"
"Y'know, that brunette woman? Short and intimidating?"
A chuckle involuntarily slipped past his lips. "Oh, you mean Lisbon. I promise you she's not as scary as she pretends to be."
"She seems cool," she shrugged.
"She is," he agreed.
"She's pretty," she commented. "I don't have to worry about you and her...do I?"
Jane almost spit out his drink. Marie was acting as if they were already dating, playing the role of a jealous girlfriend as if this isn't their first date. And she was questioning him about Lisbon, of all people.
"Marie, Lisbon and I are just friends," he said. "We've been friends for years now. I can assure you there's nothing to worry about. And even if there was, you and I aren't together."
"Right, of course, I know that, it's just..." she tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and bit her lip. "Nevermind. I don't know why I assumed such a thing."
Because Lisbon is beautiful, intelligent, honest, perfect in every way...
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut tightly. He shouldn't be having these thoughts about Lisbon. She was a friend. He'd never seen her as more than that.
Her eyes, those beautiful green eyes. Those hundreds of freckles scattered across her face. And her lips, God, those pouty lips.
Her intelligent mind. The selfless way she put others before herself. Her determination to save everyone, to help everyone. She was truly incredible.
"I have to go," he said suddenly, standing up and pulling a wad of cash from his wallet. He tossed it onto the table and rushed out of the restaurant before she could protest.
He felt bad for leaving her stranded at the restaurant, and he'd have to explain everything to her later, but in the meantime she could call a taxi. He had more important things to deal with at the moment.
Like his surfacing feelings for Lisbon.
He was ninety-nine percent sure she was still at the CBI building, finishing up paperwork before calling it a night. He tried to get there as fast as he could without collecting a speeding ticket, his heart beating a mile a minute.
He wasn't sure what he was going to do once he saw her. Confess his feelings for her? Come up with some lame excuse as to why he ended the date? He didn't know yet, but he was sure it would come to him once he saw her face.
As soon as he parked he jumped out of his car and raced into the building, taking the elevator up to her floor. He seemed to be just in time, too, because she was just now locking her office for the night.
When she turned around, she almost stumbled backward at the sight of him. "Jane? What are you doing here? I thought you had a date?"
"It ended," he shrugged, taking a couple steps closer to her. He didn't want to push his luck because she had no idea why he was there yet.
She glanced at her watch. "You've only been gone for thirty minutes."
"It was a short date," he said. "And I don't think I'm going to be seeing her again."
"Oh?" Her brows raised. "And why's that?"
"Because," he took another step closer, "I realized I have feelings for someone else. Someone who's currently the most important person in my life."
He was so close he could feel her breath on his lips.
"And who's that?" She asked breathlessly.
"I'm looking at her right now," he murmured, before crashing his lips to hers.
He'd never imagined what it would like to kiss her. But even if he had, the real thing could never compare.
Her lips were so incredibly soft and tasted of the black coffee she insisted on drinking everyday to ensure she didn't fall asleep at her desk. They fit perfectly with his, almost as if she'd been made for him, and he realized now that maybe she had been. Maybe this woman had been his person all along.
He felt her smile into the kiss, her hands fisting the lapels of his suit. His fingers ghosted through her dark tresses, savoring the softness. Everything about her was so damn soft.
After what felt like eons of kissing, he tore his lips from hers. He hadn't wanted to, but his lungs were begging for air.
"I think I know why you were upset this evening," he said with a cheeky smile.
She averted her eyes guiltily. "I wasn't upset."
"Terrible liar," he tutted. "You were jealous of my date with Marie."
"No I wasn't."
"You were, and I should've realized it then. But no worries. You have no reason to be jealous anymore." He stole a swift kiss from her lips.
"I wasn't jealous," she continued to argue, looking like a small child stomping her foot.
"Whatever you say, Lisbon," he sang, intertwining his fingers with hers. He urged her along in the direction of the elevator. "Whatever you say."