"Hey, Kate! I'm really glad I caught you. I have a question for you." Kate turned around to see Marnie walking from the lab up to her.
"What's up?"
"Your not seeing anybody right now, are you?"
Kate rolled her eyes and smiled. "You can't see my sign that says "do not date me?"
Marnie laughed. "Well, it's just that I have this...friend. And I think you two would really hit it off. Interested?"
Kate thought for a moment, than curled her lip. "A blind date? I don't know."
"He's really a great guy, and he's good looking. Oh, just meet him for a drink on Friday night, o.k.?"
Kate shrugged her shoulders. "I guess a drink couldn't hurt."
"Great, I'll set it up!" Marnie smiled and walked off, leaving Kate dreading Friday. Kate wanted someone in her life, but there was that whole middle ground thing where she was starting to believe her mother when she said she would be alone forever. But there was more to it than even that. Kate's heart belonged to someone she couldn't have. Not in that way, anyhow. She sighed and walked back to her desk, leaving the blind date somewhere in the back of her mind.
"Hey, Nick."
"Oh, hey, did you pick up the lab results on..."
"They're right here." Kate dropped a folder on his desk and sat down at her own. She rubbed her forehead as he flipped through the files.
"Headache?" He asked.
"Hmm?" She glanced up at him. "No. Well, yeah, a little one."
Nick nodded in understanding. "It's the silly season, does it to me every year."
"The silly season?"
"You know, gift giving, people full of joy, smiling at eachother for no particular reason..."
Kate rolled her eyes at him. "...decorated trees..."
"Can't you just be nice once a year?" Kate said, amused at her partners outlook on the holidays.
"people ringing bells outside any store you go in..."
"I've seen you give money to those bell ringers."
"Well yeah, they tackle you if you don't. And..."
Kate looked at him amused and laughed, interupting him. "Put a lil love in your heart, Nick. Or at least try."
"I have love in my heart." Nick leaned forward, grinning, watching her organize papers.
"Yes, you do. For death, destruction, blowing things up, and chaos."
"Love is love."
Kate shook her head in defeat. Nick continued to grin in victory.
"Come on, let's get out of here and grab a drink."
"Yeah, o.k., just let me finish this quick." A few minutes later Kate grabbed her purse and joined Nick, who was standing behind her with his coat on, jingling his keys, his irritating little sign for Kate to hurry up.
Kate followed Nick to a booth in the back corner of the bar. "I'll go grab us a couple of beers. Be right back." She watched her partner stroll up to the bar and wait for the bartender. A woman sitting next to Nick struck up a conversation with him. She tried to overhear what they were saying, but the with the music playing, it was hopeless. Kate felt a jolt of jealousy hit her. She sunk in the booth and pushed her thoughts out of her mind.
A few minutes later Nick set a bottle of beer in front of Kate and sat down across from her.
"Get her number?" Kate asked, motioning towards the woman at the bar.
Nick just chuckled and took a drink of his beer. Secretly, Kate was gnashing her teeth. They spent four hours talking about work before Nick dropped her back off at her car, which was parked back at headquarters. She watched him drive down the street, his taillights getting lost in the distance, before she drove home herself.
When Kate got inside her apartment, she took a shower and walked to her couch, sinking down into it. Her mind wandered to thoughts of him, which was nothing unusual for her lately. She wondered how Nick could be attracted to so many other women with the same physical traits as her, but never seemed to take notice of her. Sure, they flirted around sometimes, but it never seemed to go anywhere besides just harmless goofing around. But than again, if they crossed that line at some point, wouldn't it make things weird after that? Did she really want to jeprodize their friendship? The meaning of torn was the last thing to float through her head before she drifted off to sleep.
A knock at the door woke her up half an hour later. Kate stumbled to the door and without thinking, opened it all the way. Nick stood in her doorway with a mischivious grin on his face. She was half asleep, but she caught his eyes trial up and down her body. It was than she realized she was wearing nothing but a skimpy tank top and boy shorts. Her face immediatly went red.
"Hi." Kate tried to casually sneak a little farther behind the door, out of his view, but Nick took a few steps inside, giving her no place to hide. Nervously, she folded her arms in front of her chest, unfolded them, than folded them again, realizing how self concious she must have looked. Nick never once lost that cocky grin of his.
"You know you shouldn't just open the door like that. 'Specially dressed like that." His grin got even wider, making Kate blush even more. She ignored the comment. "Did I wake you?"
"Ah, yeah. What are you doing here?"
"Well I was home when I found this." Nick pulled a bracelett out of his coat pocket, handing it to her. "It must have fallen off in the car tonight."
Kate clasped the bracelett back on her wrist. "Thank you, I didn't even realize I was missing it. I don't know what I'd do if I lost it."
"That's why I brought it over right away. Figured it wouldn't wait until morning."
Nick and Kate stood there staring at eachother for a minute. Nick smiled at her and glanced around her apartment. Kate followed his actions, and uncomfortabley looked around her own living room, both searching for something to say to break the awkward silence.
"Well, it's late and..." Kate started to say when Nick cut her off.
"Got any coffee?"
Kate hesitated. "Coffee? It's almost one o'clock in the morning." She looked at him like he had banchees crawling out of his ears.
"And?" Nick was struggling to keep his eyes off of her cleavage, and failing miserably.
Kate shook her head in awe at how anyone could drink coffee this late at night, but didn't question it. She had learned not to question much when it came to Nick O'Malley.
"The coffee is in the counter above the microwave, go make some, I guess." Her words trailed off. "I'm going to throw a robe on, or something."
When Kate got to her room she closed the door and covered her face with her hands. She was mortified that he had seen her without any makeup on. She checked herself in her mirror and she became insensed with herself for taking a shower. She ran a brush through her hair and contemplated putting on some eyeliner, some color to her face. He would notice that, she thought to herself. She grabbed a robe from behind her door and slipped it on. "What's done is done," she said to herself. Kate heard Nick chuckle as she walked down the hallway to the kitchen.
"Hey, I remember this one." He said, flashing her a picture he had taken down from the refridgerator. The picture was of her and Nick, taken at Carl's suprise birthday party. She had always loved that pic of them, because while everyones eyes were on Carl, his were on her. It gave her room to fantasize. Nick studied the photo for a second than put it back where he found it. "I couldn't find the filters."
Kate sighed and reached in the cupboard where the coffee was, retrieving a filter, handing it to him, raising her eyebrows. Nick raised his own and shrugged his shoulders, turning to the coffee machine, starting a pot. He than followed her into the living room where they both sat down on the couch. An hour and a half later, Nick finished the last of the coffee.
"Want to go grab some breakfast before work?"
Kate laughed. "I haven't slept yet!"
"Well, if you hadn't insisted that I come in for coffee, you would have." "If I hadn't...oh, nevermind." Kate growled at him, but she was secretly happy. She loved spending time with him, and even though she was beat, she agreed to breakfast.