If I owned these characters, I would not be working a full-time job while finishing a full-time graduate program. I am just borrowing them for the day… This update was brought to you by my inability to figure out how to access the data stored in the cloud that came with the textbook that I'm using to learn SAS so I can start my paper that is due. Updates will be few and far between from now until next August when I finish my Master's degree. Unfortunately, RL has to come first for now.

A special thanks to gingersnapped907 for reading to make sure that this actually makes sense. Any mistakes are actually mine.

Chapter 14: Conversations in a Parking Garage

I'm thankful that Andy had convinced me to leave my car at work and let him drive to the wedding and back to the condo. I hope that the time that we were able to take dancing at the wedding made up for Andy's disappointment at not being able to see his beloved Dodgers play. I am thankful that he hasn't complained to me about the fact that we had to attend the wedding. Over the past few weeks, I have noticed that he doesn't seem to care if our plans get interrupted or changed as long as he was able to spend a few quiet moments with her. The wedding has put me in a very reflective mood – not the talkative, flirty mood – that I have had over the last few days. All of the sudden I have a ton of doubts about this dance that Andy and I have been involved in for the last couple of years. What if we take this dance to the next set of steps and it all comes crumbling down? How will I be able to still work with him or view him as my best friend? Will he even want to be my friend any more after finding that I might not be everything that he wants?

"Penny for your thoughts," Andy offers as he reaches over to lightly touch my hand. I didn't notice that we were already parked in my space at the condo.

"It's nothing, Andy." I pause for a moment before reluctantly continuing, "I just haven't been to a wedding since Nicole's."

A glimmer of understanding immediately appears in his eyes as he moves his fingers to hold my hand that he was already touching. "The first wedding is kinda like the first holidays following a divorce only worse. It made me too reflective about how everything had gone wrong between Nicole's mom & myself. We both know that I was the one who really screwed things up. I promised that if I ever decided to go down that road again, that I would really work hard with my partner to ensure that the mistakes weren't repeated. It takes two people to make a relationship work, Sharon. Without both parties trying to make it work, it doesn't work. You can't try to make it work all on your own. You know that you can tell me anything at all, right? Sharon, it's not going to change how I feel about you or anything else."

"Did you really mean what you said in the Media Room earlier today when the bride and groom were talking to each other?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you are referring to, Sharon. What did I say?"

"That there should be no secrets between couples."

"Yes, Sharon, I think that couples shouldn't have secrets about what is currently going on in their lives. It helps if there are no big secrets in their past that could come back to haunt them either."

"Oh. I'm not entirely sure that I feel the same way."

"Does that mean that I need to know every little detail about your past? No, but it is helpful to know if there is something from your past that could affect how you view something that I do or say now. Think about when I brought you flowers a couple of weeks ago to apologize and it didn't entirely go as I intended it to. I wouldn't want to do something similar to you that could have larger consequences. We were able to talk through it, but what if in the future we aren't able to? Or I do something that were to bring back a trauma that you experienced in the past? I want you to feel safe me and never doubt my intentions towards you. I care a lot about you."

"Andy, do you have doubts about moving forward?"

"Yes, I do, but not for the reasons that you might think. Sharon, look at me." He waits until my eyes meet his before continuing, "I don't want to upset the apple cart and lose my best friend."

"I don't want that either. I'm scared that I will be the one to mess up our relationship."

"You aren't the only one. Besides, I think it would be me ruining things not you. I know you won't give up on me. Actually, Provenza gave me a hard time today. Basically, he said that I needed to get off my ass and ask you out on a real date and quit dragging the team to tag along just because I didn't have the balls to do it."

"Oh. You know I can't help you with that, right?"

"I'm well aware. How about we get out of this car and get up to your condo and change into something much more comfortable before the rest of the squad gets here?"

As we leave the car and start walking towards the elevator, I lean into his touch as his hand makes its way toward my back leaving the heaviness of the conversation in the car.