Taylor hurried home, glad to finally be rid of the cast and headed straight for the shower. She stood, soaking for as long as she could possibly get away with – she was going for curly hair – trying to understand the day’s events. Time edged on and her brain still hadn’t processed it, so she jumped out of the shower and peered into her closet.
One thing was for certain, as she pulled a floaty red halter-neck top on with a pair of tight, low cut jeans. She was looking forward to dinner with Danny, even if she was paying. She still hadn’t eaten, and the last time she had had some fun had been long before her arm went into the cast. That and the fact she was dying to rib him about his ‘cowboy’ antics. Make-up, perfume and some dainty heels completed the ensemble as she dashed out of the door.
Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up outside the relatively high class steak house Danny had picked out. Well, if she was being honest, she did owe him a few meals. Except, when she walked in and followed the maître to the table, it turned out Danny wasn’t alone. She shot him a puzzled look as she sat down opposite Lindsay, who in return, was also giving Danny a confused look. Before any of them could say anything, the empty seat beside Taylor was taken by Flack.
“I know I agreed to dinner,” Lindsay and Taylor both started at the same time, directed at Danny, but stopped.
“I figured we could all do with a break,” Danny said, defensively.
Taylor glanced at Danny and Lindsay, sensing the awkwardness and shrugged, reaching for the menu. “Frankly Danny, so long as the biggest steak on the menu finds its way to a plate in front of me, I don’t care.” She looked up from the menu to find three sets of eyes staring disbelief. “I’m hungry – I haven’t eaten all day… so sue me!”
Danny shifted in his chair and then finally rose to his feet, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Taylor dropped her menu, “I’m going too,” she told Lindsay and Flack as she dashed after Danny.
“I thought it was girls who went to the bathroom together,” Lindsay muttered, her voice betraying the hurt look she was hiding from her face.
Taylor caught up with Danny before he got to the bathroom, “Messer!” she growled at him.
Danny stopped in front of her, hunched his shoulders up and slowly turned around, “Yeah?”
Taylor smacked him upside the head, “You don’t invite other people on a date, especially without your date knowing about it,” she stormed at him. “When you said you owed me, this was not what I thought it was for!”
Danny winced, “I panicked.”
“Panicked? From what? That Lindsay was going to jump you in the middle of a restaurant?”
Danny hung his head, “I didn’t think she would say yes.”
“So why did you ask her?” Taylor asked in exasperation.
“Because I thought that when she would say no and turn me down, I would be able to get her out of my head and move on.”
Taylor’s expression softened. “You’ve got it bad,” she said slowly.
Danny sighed, “Yeah.” He narrowed his eyes. “Tell anyone and I will kill you.”
“Yeah, and I’ll come back and haunt your ass,” Taylor laughed. “Look, go back to the table, don’t ignore her, and then insist on taking her home. You have to explain it to her.”
“And what am I going to say, Drew?”
“The truth?” Taylor offered.
Danny shook his head. “I can’t do that. I can’t tell her how I feel.”
“Danny,” Taylor sighed, patiently. “What are you scared of?”
“That she’ll feel the same way back,” he mumbled.
“And that’s bad, how?”
“Because she deserves better.”
Taylor sighed, “I wish you’d get that stupid idea out of your head. She likes you, Danny. And she doesn’t care whether or not you think she deserves better. You can’t help who you fall for.”
“No, but you can try and stop it if it’s wrong.”
“Fine,” Taylor sighed. “But you are still going to walk her home. You at least owe her that.” Danny nodded. “Right, I’ll meet you back at the table.”
One thing was for certain, as she pulled a floaty red halter-neck top on with a pair of tight, low cut jeans. She was looking forward to dinner with Danny, even if she was paying. She still hadn’t eaten, and the last time she had had some fun had been long before her arm went into the cast. That and the fact she was dying to rib him about his ‘cowboy’ antics. Make-up, perfume and some dainty heels completed the ensemble as she dashed out of the door.
Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up outside the relatively high class steak house Danny had picked out. Well, if she was being honest, she did owe him a few meals. Except, when she walked in and followed the maître to the table, it turned out Danny wasn’t alone. She shot him a puzzled look as she sat down opposite Lindsay, who in return, was also giving Danny a confused look. Before any of them could say anything, the empty seat beside Taylor was taken by Flack.
“I know I agreed to dinner,” Lindsay and Taylor both started at the same time, directed at Danny, but stopped.
“I figured we could all do with a break,” Danny said, defensively.
Taylor glanced at Danny and Lindsay, sensing the awkwardness and shrugged, reaching for the menu. “Frankly Danny, so long as the biggest steak on the menu finds its way to a plate in front of me, I don’t care.” She looked up from the menu to find three sets of eyes staring disbelief. “I’m hungry – I haven’t eaten all day… so sue me!”
Danny shifted in his chair and then finally rose to his feet, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Taylor dropped her menu, “I’m going too,” she told Lindsay and Flack as she dashed after Danny.
“I thought it was girls who went to the bathroom together,” Lindsay muttered, her voice betraying the hurt look she was hiding from her face.
Taylor caught up with Danny before he got to the bathroom, “Messer!” she growled at him.
Danny stopped in front of her, hunched his shoulders up and slowly turned around, “Yeah?”
Taylor smacked him upside the head, “You don’t invite other people on a date, especially without your date knowing about it,” she stormed at him. “When you said you owed me, this was not what I thought it was for!”
Danny winced, “I panicked.”
“Panicked? From what? That Lindsay was going to jump you in the middle of a restaurant?”
Danny hung his head, “I didn’t think she would say yes.”
“So why did you ask her?” Taylor asked in exasperation.
“Because I thought that when she would say no and turn me down, I would be able to get her out of my head and move on.”
Taylor’s expression softened. “You’ve got it bad,” she said slowly.
Danny sighed, “Yeah.” He narrowed his eyes. “Tell anyone and I will kill you.”
“Yeah, and I’ll come back and haunt your ass,” Taylor laughed. “Look, go back to the table, don’t ignore her, and then insist on taking her home. You have to explain it to her.”
“And what am I going to say, Drew?”
“The truth?” Taylor offered.
Danny shook his head. “I can’t do that. I can’t tell her how I feel.”
“Danny,” Taylor sighed, patiently. “What are you scared of?”
“That she’ll feel the same way back,” he mumbled.
“And that’s bad, how?”
“Because she deserves better.”
Taylor sighed, “I wish you’d get that stupid idea out of your head. She likes you, Danny. And she doesn’t care whether or not you think she deserves better. You can’t help who you fall for.”
“No, but you can try and stop it if it’s wrong.”
“Fine,” Taylor sighed. “But you are still going to walk her home. You at least owe her that.” Danny nodded. “Right, I’ll meet you back at the table.”
* * *
Flack looked up as Taylor came back to the table, without Danny. “You don’t have to come back separately, you know,” he told her, instantly regretting it as the words came out of his mouth. Thankfully, from the confused look on Taylor’s face, she hadn’t caught his meaning. Instead of explaining, he buried his head into his menu.
“Have you decided what you’re having?”
Flack looked up from the menu and stared blankly at Danny, who had returned a few minutes after Taylor and had asked the question. Truth be told, he was staring at the menu without even reading it – trying to avoid looking in Taylor’s direction. He was almost convinced that she knew about the dream, and was wearing red intentionally. It was driving him wild. And the soft curls in her hair weren’t helping either.
“Flack?”
Flack blinked. “Uh… the rib eye,” he told him hastily, ignoring the look that Danny was sending in his direction.
“Don’t tell me, tell Amber.”
Flack blinked again.
Danny pointed to the waitress standing next to him. Flack groaned to himself. He hadn’t even noticed. Damn Taylor. She was sitting there, staring at him, and all he wanted to do was something that would have got them both arrested for indecent exposure.
“Flack!” Danny called, kicking his leg under the table.
Flack let out a stream of cuss words, which thankfully never made it further than his head, instead giving the amused waitress his order.
Things hadn’t changed by the time they were finishing their meal. Conversation had drifted from work, to Louie, to a multitude of things. Yet the only thing Flack had really noticed was, other than how beautiful Taylor looked, that it would soon be autumn, and with the end of summer, would come Fleet Week. Something Taylor was particularly looking forward to as her father would be visiting.
Before he knew it, the bill had been paid, Danny and Lindsay had walked off together, and Taylor was trying to flag down a cab. “I’ll walk you,” Flack blurted out, kicking himself mentally as he did. This was walking himself into dangerous territory.
Taylor cocked her head at him, and then frowned, “It’s sending you in the wrong direction.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you walk home by yourself,” he shot at her.
Taylor shot him a puzzled look, “That’s why I was getting a cab.”
Flack was really giving his mind a good kick now. “Just let me walk you home,” he told her, much sharper than he intended.
“Alright,” Taylor agreed, still slightly confused.
The walk back was quiet. Taylor had tried to strike up conversation a few times, but after Flack had given monotone replies, she had given up, leaving Flack to mentally abuse his brain. It wasn’t until they were nearly at Taylor’s that he spoke properly. “You know, you always struck me as the jealous type.”
Taylor stopped and turned to face him. “Huh?”
“Well, I always thought you’d be pretty possessive when it came to boyfriends,” he shrugged. “But you’ve proved me wrong.”
“Sorry, Flack, but I’m not on the same page here,” Taylor frowned up at him. “Hell, I’m not even sure I’m reading the same book.”
“You and Danny,” Flack pressed.
Taylor frowned. “Me and Danny, what?”
“Well, you’re letting him walk Lindsay home,” Flack pointed out like he was stating the obvious.
Taylor snorted, “I’m not letting him. I’m making him. Lord knows he needs to make it up to her after that stunt he pulled.”
“Stunt?” Flack repeated, blankly.
“Yeah, he finally gets around to asking her to dinner, and then chicken’s out. Which is why we were there,” Taylor added.
Flack quickly considered what she had said. “Hang on, he asked her to dinner?”
Taylor nodded, “The two of them were recreating some theory for the case you were working on, Lindsay bribed him with drinks, and he changed it to dinner. I wish I’d have seen it – apparently, he had her in his arms,” she grinned.
Flack looked completely confused. “Why would he ask Lindsay to dinner?”
Taylor stared up at him, “What planet are you living on? He likes her.”
“But he’s dating you,” Flack blurted out. Without missing a beat, Taylor turned and smacked him upside the head. “What the hell was that for?” Flack bellowed.
“For being such a… doofas!” she told him, hands on her hips as she glared at him. “And don’t worry: Danny’s going to get smacked again too. He was supposed to clear this up.”
Flack flapped his mouth open and closed a few times. “But you’ve been on dates. You’re the hottest couple since Tom and Katie, according to the lab gossip queens.
Taylor stared at him, mentally noting to herself to comment on his knowledge of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes another time. “You don’t believe me? Do you? You believe the lab rats over me?”
“Stella said you kissed him,” Flack added defensively.
Taylor had to think for a second about what he was referring to, “I kissed you, too.”
“Not when you were seeing Danny.”
Taylor glared at him, tempted to punch some sense into him, but tried something else instead. She stood on her tip toes, reached out, grabbed his face with both hands and pressed her lips against him. She could feel him jump, a little surprised. And then, his hands were in her hair, running down to the small of her back, pressing her to him. He sucked gently at her lower lip, before urging her lips to part – and then his tongue was in her mouth. Oh, that tongue! Taylor could feel her knees weaken – it was like she was losing all sense of time.
Then the little voice in the back of her head piped up, urging her to break away. She did. “Oh, crap,” she muttered, before, despite feeling dizzy, she turned and started to walk away.
Only, she didn’t get far before Flack had grabbed her hand. “You can’t just walk away after that,” he told her as he spun her to face him.
Staring at the ground, unable to meet his eyes, she shook her head, “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise – I’m not,” Flack told her softly.
“I am,” Taylor whispered, before pulling her hand free and dashing into her building, leaving a very hurt, and a very confused Flack standing in the street watching her rapidly retreating back.
Not even waiting for the elevator, Taylor headed straight for the stairs and ran. By the time she had reached her floor, the tears were streaming down her face.
“Taylor, what’s the matter?” Marty asked her. He was in the kitchen fixing himself a drink as she burst in, and Taylor, being too upset to ask what he was doing home from work early, just shook her head and ran to her bedroom. Minutes later, there was a quiet knock at the door, and Marty entered, sitting himself down on the bed next to her. “Spill,” he told her in a firm voice. Through the tears, Taylor gave him a more PG-13 version of events. “So what’s the problem?” Marty asked her quietly, when she finished recounting what had happened.
“I like him,” she admitted.
Marty frowned, “I’m failing to see the problem with that.”
“You don’t get it,” Taylor told him miserably.
“Clearly,” Marty agreed.
Taylor sighed, “I can’t like him.”
Marty pulled her into a hug. “Why not? I told you he likes you. I think he’s clearly shown he likes you too.”
“I can’t get into a relationship with him, Marty.”
Marty sighed, “I think you are going to have to explain this to me like I’m an idiot, because I still don’t understand.”
“The only thing we argue about, the real thing we argue about, is ghosts.”
“Taylor, every couple has something they don’t agree over,” Marty pointed out softly.
“I know that,” Taylor moaned. “But it’s not that he disagrees on the subject, it’s that he thinks I’m crazy.”
Marty managed a small smile, “I think you’re crazy.”
“Marty, you are not about three ghosts away from trying to get me committed to Bellevue Psychiatric ward,” she cried. “He really thinks I make it up.”
Marty shrugged. “It’s not an easy thing to accept, Tay. And Mac and Lindsay don’t believe it either.”
“I’m not wanting a relationship with Mac or Lindsay!” she exclaimed. “And that’s not the point.”
“Then what is?” Marty asked her, slowly losing his patience.
Taylor shut her eyes and rested her head against Marty’s shoulder. “You can’t trust someone who thinks you’re crazy.”
“Have you decided what you’re having?”
Flack looked up from the menu and stared blankly at Danny, who had returned a few minutes after Taylor and had asked the question. Truth be told, he was staring at the menu without even reading it – trying to avoid looking in Taylor’s direction. He was almost convinced that she knew about the dream, and was wearing red intentionally. It was driving him wild. And the soft curls in her hair weren’t helping either.
“Flack?”
Flack blinked. “Uh… the rib eye,” he told him hastily, ignoring the look that Danny was sending in his direction.
“Don’t tell me, tell Amber.”
Flack blinked again.
Danny pointed to the waitress standing next to him. Flack groaned to himself. He hadn’t even noticed. Damn Taylor. She was sitting there, staring at him, and all he wanted to do was something that would have got them both arrested for indecent exposure.
“Flack!” Danny called, kicking his leg under the table.
Flack let out a stream of cuss words, which thankfully never made it further than his head, instead giving the amused waitress his order.
Things hadn’t changed by the time they were finishing their meal. Conversation had drifted from work, to Louie, to a multitude of things. Yet the only thing Flack had really noticed was, other than how beautiful Taylor looked, that it would soon be autumn, and with the end of summer, would come Fleet Week. Something Taylor was particularly looking forward to as her father would be visiting.
Before he knew it, the bill had been paid, Danny and Lindsay had walked off together, and Taylor was trying to flag down a cab. “I’ll walk you,” Flack blurted out, kicking himself mentally as he did. This was walking himself into dangerous territory.
Taylor cocked her head at him, and then frowned, “It’s sending you in the wrong direction.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you walk home by yourself,” he shot at her.
Taylor shot him a puzzled look, “That’s why I was getting a cab.”
Flack was really giving his mind a good kick now. “Just let me walk you home,” he told her, much sharper than he intended.
“Alright,” Taylor agreed, still slightly confused.
The walk back was quiet. Taylor had tried to strike up conversation a few times, but after Flack had given monotone replies, she had given up, leaving Flack to mentally abuse his brain. It wasn’t until they were nearly at Taylor’s that he spoke properly. “You know, you always struck me as the jealous type.”
Taylor stopped and turned to face him. “Huh?”
“Well, I always thought you’d be pretty possessive when it came to boyfriends,” he shrugged. “But you’ve proved me wrong.”
“Sorry, Flack, but I’m not on the same page here,” Taylor frowned up at him. “Hell, I’m not even sure I’m reading the same book.”
“You and Danny,” Flack pressed.
Taylor frowned. “Me and Danny, what?”
“Well, you’re letting him walk Lindsay home,” Flack pointed out like he was stating the obvious.
Taylor snorted, “I’m not letting him. I’m making him. Lord knows he needs to make it up to her after that stunt he pulled.”
“Stunt?” Flack repeated, blankly.
“Yeah, he finally gets around to asking her to dinner, and then chicken’s out. Which is why we were there,” Taylor added.
Flack quickly considered what she had said. “Hang on, he asked her to dinner?”
Taylor nodded, “The two of them were recreating some theory for the case you were working on, Lindsay bribed him with drinks, and he changed it to dinner. I wish I’d have seen it – apparently, he had her in his arms,” she grinned.
Flack looked completely confused. “Why would he ask Lindsay to dinner?”
Taylor stared up at him, “What planet are you living on? He likes her.”
“But he’s dating you,” Flack blurted out. Without missing a beat, Taylor turned and smacked him upside the head. “What the hell was that for?” Flack bellowed.
“For being such a… doofas!” she told him, hands on her hips as she glared at him. “And don’t worry: Danny’s going to get smacked again too. He was supposed to clear this up.”
Flack flapped his mouth open and closed a few times. “But you’ve been on dates. You’re the hottest couple since Tom and Katie, according to the lab gossip queens.
Taylor stared at him, mentally noting to herself to comment on his knowledge of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes another time. “You don’t believe me? Do you? You believe the lab rats over me?”
“Stella said you kissed him,” Flack added defensively.
Taylor had to think for a second about what he was referring to, “I kissed you, too.”
“Not when you were seeing Danny.”
Taylor glared at him, tempted to punch some sense into him, but tried something else instead. She stood on her tip toes, reached out, grabbed his face with both hands and pressed her lips against him. She could feel him jump, a little surprised. And then, his hands were in her hair, running down to the small of her back, pressing her to him. He sucked gently at her lower lip, before urging her lips to part – and then his tongue was in her mouth. Oh, that tongue! Taylor could feel her knees weaken – it was like she was losing all sense of time.
Then the little voice in the back of her head piped up, urging her to break away. She did. “Oh, crap,” she muttered, before, despite feeling dizzy, she turned and started to walk away.
Only, she didn’t get far before Flack had grabbed her hand. “You can’t just walk away after that,” he told her as he spun her to face him.
Staring at the ground, unable to meet his eyes, she shook her head, “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise – I’m not,” Flack told her softly.
“I am,” Taylor whispered, before pulling her hand free and dashing into her building, leaving a very hurt, and a very confused Flack standing in the street watching her rapidly retreating back.
Not even waiting for the elevator, Taylor headed straight for the stairs and ran. By the time she had reached her floor, the tears were streaming down her face.
“Taylor, what’s the matter?” Marty asked her. He was in the kitchen fixing himself a drink as she burst in, and Taylor, being too upset to ask what he was doing home from work early, just shook her head and ran to her bedroom. Minutes later, there was a quiet knock at the door, and Marty entered, sitting himself down on the bed next to her. “Spill,” he told her in a firm voice. Through the tears, Taylor gave him a more PG-13 version of events. “So what’s the problem?” Marty asked her quietly, when she finished recounting what had happened.
“I like him,” she admitted.
Marty frowned, “I’m failing to see the problem with that.”
“You don’t get it,” Taylor told him miserably.
“Clearly,” Marty agreed.
Taylor sighed, “I can’t like him.”
Marty pulled her into a hug. “Why not? I told you he likes you. I think he’s clearly shown he likes you too.”
“I can’t get into a relationship with him, Marty.”
Marty sighed, “I think you are going to have to explain this to me like I’m an idiot, because I still don’t understand.”
“The only thing we argue about, the real thing we argue about, is ghosts.”
“Taylor, every couple has something they don’t agree over,” Marty pointed out softly.
“I know that,” Taylor moaned. “But it’s not that he disagrees on the subject, it’s that he thinks I’m crazy.”
Marty managed a small smile, “I think you’re crazy.”
“Marty, you are not about three ghosts away from trying to get me committed to Bellevue Psychiatric ward,” she cried. “He really thinks I make it up.”
Marty shrugged. “It’s not an easy thing to accept, Tay. And Mac and Lindsay don’t believe it either.”
“I’m not wanting a relationship with Mac or Lindsay!” she exclaimed. “And that’s not the point.”
“Then what is?” Marty asked her, slowly losing his patience.
Taylor shut her eyes and rested her head against Marty’s shoulder. “You can’t trust someone who thinks you’re crazy.”
Originally posted 13/07/2006