The soft tinkle of keys against the bench alerted me to Carlisle's presence in the kitchen, and I glanced up at him as I put a tray in the oven. There was already a smile on his face as our eyes locked.

"What?" I chuckled, standing opposite him and leaning back against the counter. The cool edge of the tiles against the small of my back was a nice contrast from the heat of the stove. "You've got good news, then?"

Hesitating for a second, he broke pretty easily. "I gotten a position in head office?" His voice was quiet, and he was a little shy as he shrugged off his jacket. The smile was still there, though.

Instantly, I was grinning, stepping forward to hug him. Leaning down to bring our lips together, I slid my arms around him. "I'm so proud of you. You must not have been as bad as you thought then, hmm? I love you."

"...maybe not? I love you too…" Locking his arms around my neck, he kissed me gently as I lifted him up to sit on the bench. He wrapped his legs around my waist, his fingers in my hair and teasing the back of my neck. "I'm not really that sure what I'm doing up there, to be honest, but one of them likes me, so I'm working with him now. There was a meeting about it today; I get to start tomorrow, and Sue is going to manage the bookshop."

I thought there was something a little odd about him being pulled away from the shop immediately, but whoever it was that picked him must have had a soft spot for him. "As long as you're happy, Carlisle." Rubbing his thighs, I let my lips trail across his jaw, down his throat as he tilted his head back, kissing any exposed skin that I could. "We could go out for dinner to celebrate, if you want?"

He hummed quietly in response, his hands gentle as he smoothed the collar of my shirt down. "I'd be just as happy to eat here," he murmured, watching me carefully.

I caught his hands, threading my fingers through his and pinning his hands against the wall. "Dinner dates are supposed to be cute, aren't they?"

"Not if they stress you out too much?" The next kiss was a lot softer, and he squeezed my fingers.

"I think it'd be okay...I've never eaten in a proper restaurant before, and it seems like a the right occasion to do it?" I admitted, releasing my hold on him and letting him hug me.

"I haven't either...it might be nice, though?" He was smiling again now, and I unconsciously mirrored the gesture.

The loud hiss of the water hitting the hot element interrupted us as the pot boiled over on the stove. "Shit," I cursed, pulling away and rushing to take it off. The oven beeped at the same time, but Carlisle jumped off the bench to deal with it and save the meal inside. "You're a bad influence," I teased, breathing a sigh of relief once everything was under control again.

"Maybe you're just easily distracted," he laughed, rolling his eyes. He got the plates out of the cupboard for me, waiting while I dished up.

"It's not my fault that you can't keep your hands to yourself." I quickly kissed his cheek, grinning as I handed him his food. "Go sit down and eat your dinner."

.

.

I woke up with Carlisle the next morning, watching him from the bed while he got dressed. His movements were a little jerky, and he looked tired. As he sat on the edge of the bed, I slid out from under the blankets, crawling up the mattress to sit beside him. The air was warmer this morning than it had been over the past few months, and it was a welcome surprise to not have cool air nip at my skin. "Excited, or nervous?" I asked, kissing him quickly before he responded.

"Ah...both, I guess?" he mumbled, biting his lip. He started to stand up, but I pulled him back down so that he was sitting between my legs, locking him in a hug. "You're going to make me late, Gar…"

I pressed my lips against his neck. "I'll drive you to work if I have to. Do you want me to make breakfast while you shower, so we can eat together before you go?" It was more for my sake than for his; I'd feel better about him leaving if I knew he had a decent meal in his stomach.

He nodded, trailing his fingertips down his forearms. "That'd be nice."

Letting him go, I wandered into the kitchen, hoping to have finished cooking by the time he got back. I wasn't sure why I was so worried about him this morning, but I didn't feel good about the whole situation. I should have been proud of him, not hampering him in trying to go to work; he tried too hard not to get the new job.

As planned, I had the plates on the table as he came into the kitchen. The smile he shot me was unmistakably anxious, so I knew he was feeling it too.

"You're not going to get too hot, are you?" I asked, eyeing his long sleeves. I was already sweating from the brief stint of warmer weather we were having, though it didn't seem to be affecting him.

"...I don't think so?" Suddenly questioning what he was wearing, he glanced down, fidgeting with the edges of his sleeves. "Do you think I should change-"

I shook my head; I shouldn't have said anything. "Don't worry about it; you're cute as you are."

That wasn't the right wording either; he groaned, sinking in his seat a little bit. "I don't think that's a good thing…"

"You'll be fine, Carlisle." I squeezed his hand across the table, wanting to reassure him; he was definitely more nervous than excited. We ate in silence, but I kept stealing glances at him while I could. There weren't quite so many smiles when he thought I wasn't watching. "Do you want me to drive you?" Once we were finished, I took his plate off him before he could wash it.

"...No, I think the walk might help me calm down a little bit," he admitted, fidgeting again.

Sighing quietly, I nodded, pulling him into a tight hug. "Okay, I love you."

"I love you too," he mumbled against my chest, holding a fistful of my shirt against my shoulder blade as he wrapped his arms around me. "If you start to hurt at work, come home, okay?" His other hand brushed the small of my back.

It was my first day back at work today after the accident, and I couldn't deny I was a little anxious too; sitting down for hours on end in the same position was still quite uncomfortable, but I figured regular trips to the bathroom would give me an excuse to move around. "Yeah, okay…"

"I'll call you at lunch time to see how you are?" He kissed me gently, managing to smile again.

I nodded, blowing out a tight breath as he headed for the front door. Still, he couldn't resist another glance back at me, and I made sure I smiled back. "You'll be okay, Carlisle; they picked you for a reason."

.

.

I snuck back to bed once Carlisle had left. There was still an hour before I needed to leave for work, and I figured that since I'd already had breakfast, I could get ready and out the door within twenty minutes. A forty minute nap was definitely welcome.

Fortunately, sitting at my desk wasn't as painful as I expected, and my manager was semi-pleasant to me all day. Carlisle called me at lunch time, like he had promised, and he sounded a little overwhelmed but happy enough. It made the time to the end of the day pass a bit faster.

It didn't seem to be that long before I had him in my arms again. He'd showered upon getting home, and he was warm and sleepy as he cuddled into me. I slipped my hands under his legs, hauling him into my lap to hug him tightly. The kisses I pressed against his neck and along his jaw produced a quiet hum in his throat, his fingers tangling in my clothing.

"Everything went okay at work?" he asked softly, glancing up to meet my gaze.

"Yeah, everything was fine. Good really; my boss was actually nice to me. What's your new manager like?" The fabric on his t-shirt was soft as I ran my fingers through it, and I fidgeted with the hem of it. I would have liked the shirt even more if it was on the floor, but it was still a little too cold for that.

There was a pause where he hesitated, contemplating his response. "...He's fine, just a little odd," he admitted eventually. "The whole situation is a little odd, I guess." He didn't look worried about it, but I found myself frowning, tipping him backwards in my arms so he had to look at me and smiling when he laughed and grabbed me.

"What'd you mean? Do you not like it there?"

"No, no, it's good there - air conditioning and everything - I just didn't expect to be someone's secretary," he laughed. "...it's nicer than being in the shop…"

"Good." I leaned my head against his shoulder. "So, where are we celebrating, then?"

"Your choice, Gar."

.

.

The food smelt gorgeous before we even made it inside of the restaurant, and instantly my mouth was watering. I stepped a little closer to Carlisle as we made our way into the building, wanting to feel the heat of his body close to mine in hopes it might keep my calm. The ambiance of the place was perfect, and it was lit dimly enough to be romantic, but bright enough that it wasn't a struggle to see.

I caught the look of open jealousy on the waitress's face as Carlisle reached for my hand, and I wrapped my arm around his waist, almost managing to repress a smug smile. Almost.

"We're not fancy enough to eat here," he whispered to me as she walked us to our table. "They're going to kick us out." Sure enough, the few other people around were dressed up, and our jeans weren't any competition. I couldn't bring myself to care all that much, really.

The only reason we'd been able to come here was because the restaurant was cheaper in the middle of the week, seeming as no one else had any business eating out on a Wednesday night. I'd somewhat had my heart set on the place; the tables were divided by light screens, meaning that each of them was a little more private than in other places, and I hoped it would be more comfortable eating here. Thankfully, Carlisle hadn't called me out on my logic. "We're paying customers," I teased, whispering back to him.

It made him smile, and he bit his lip to keep from laughing. He leaned forward to kiss my cheek, folding his hands in his lap as he sat back. "You look really nice tonight."

I rolled my eyes at him, inwardly flattered. "What're we ordering?"

"Whatever you want?" His fingers were lightly teasing the back of my hand as if he was trying to calm was working; what little nerves I had were dissolving. It gave me a little bit of hope that I might be okay when it came to the dinner during Edward's wedding, as long as I wasn't separated from Carlisle by any great distance.

I planted my elbow on the tabletop, resting my chin against my palm and unable to resist a smile; he looked particularly sweet in the dim lighting. I wanted to kiss every inch of him, but that was hardly appropriate considering the setting. Instead, I just laced our fingers together to hold his hand. "I wish we could have done this when we'd first started dating," I admitted, a little guilty.

"I wouldn't change it for anything," he assured me, squeezing my hand lightly.

I couldn't resist bringing our lips together as the waitress came back over to us, pushing my luck. "Stop being sappy and order your meal, Carlisle," I told him gently, grinning as his face flushed at the sound of his name. Apparently, I wasn't the only one struggling to behave tonight.

He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, effectively messing it up as he tried to focus again. He didn't quite manage to look up at the woman standing by the table. Mumbling something about pasta, he kept his eyes on me, still holding my hand.

I quickly came to the fatal realisation that I hadn't even glanced at the menu after teasing Carlisle, and had no idea what they actually served, so I just repeated his selection, ignoring him laughing. "You were distracting me," I accused light-heartedly, rolling my eyes.

"Problems focusing, Garrett?" he teased, shuffling closer so that my knees touched his under the table.

"Of course not." I trapped one of his legs between mine, locking him in place. I was starting to wonder how much privacy the screens actually gave us, and how much I could get away with before we were in trouble.

Thankfully, our plates came before I got too far.

.

.

"Ready to go home?" I asked, letting my fingertips brush the inner seam of his jeans as I squeezed his thigh. As nice as he looked dressed up, I was pretty sure I was going to have more fun undressing him once we got back to the house.

He nodded, slipping his fingers through mine as we met in front of the table. I used my thumb to tilt his chin up, stealing a quick kiss and wrapping my arm around his waist. We walked out like that, and he grabbed my hand when I had to let him go to get down the stairs.

The walk home wasn't long, but it was enough time for both of us to get worked up, and although we hadn't had anything alcoholic to drink, my whole body was warm and faintly tingly. Carlisle's cheeks were pink too, and it was too irresistible to stop myself; as we passed the next building, I pinned him against the wall, tangling one hand in his hair while the other cupped the small of his back.

Immediately, his arms were around me, holding fistfuls of my jacket and pulling me closer. His lips met mine, and he shivered as I traced the line of his spine. He pulled out of the kiss too soon, resting his head on my shoulder as I continued to kiss his neck. "Garrett," he murmured breathlessly, trailing his hand up and down my side. "We can't do this here…"

I groaned, releasing him and taking a step back. "You're right, come on." Grabbing his hand, we all but ran home, giddy and laughing.

Carlisle used his key to unlock the door, but I pushed it open before he expected it, sending him tumbling into my arms. I slammed it shut behind us, pulling him over to the couch. His fingers teased the back of my neck as he wrapped his arms around me.

I unbuttoned his shirt and his pants, starting to untangle him from his clothing. I kissed my way down his chest, and he arched his back under me, knotting his fingers in my jacket and trying to pull it off me. His face was still warm, and his breaths were short and uneven. I fucking loved that I could do this to him so fucking easily; he was so gorgeous.

"Fuck, Gar, I'm going to marry you, one day," he burst out suddenly. When I glanced down at him, he smiled up at me, trying to look like he was kidding, but not quite.

Hit with an overwhelming urge for more intimacy, I held his face in my hands, soft as I brought our lips together. "I love you too, Carlisle.