Disclaimer: Don't own

"Cal?"

"Yeah?" Cal looked up from the papers on his desk and looked at Gillian's hoping eyes. She was biting her lip and looked at him as if she was expecting him to ask her to dance or on a date but knew that it wouldn't happen anyway. She almost looked ashamed to say whatever was on her mind. Frowning, Cal kept staring at her and the blush rose on Gillian's cheeks.

"Rain check?" she asked, looking at him with the expectation that he would agree. Cal blinked a few times and shuffled the papers on his desk, grabbing the pencils he had used and putting them back on their usual spot before biting his lip himself. Deep in thought, he kept sitting on his chair and Gillian walked in a bit further in his office, just enough to lean against the wall next to the door frame.

To be honest, Cal was hungry, famished actually. He had been working on this case ever since he had gotten it in his hands and not even took a break to eat a simple snack. So for the past few days his body had been running on endless amounts of caffeine and water. Not something that was healthy. Emily was at her mother's so the chance that she might bring him something later was small, so small even that Cal had nodded in acceptance for the dinner invitation before he even realized it.

Gillian was almost beaming when she saw him nod, get up and grab his coat. Her smile cheered him up and took his mind off the difficult case immediately as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. She hadn't looked this happy since the divorce was finalized and Cal was relieved that a simple thing as having dinner with her could raise her spirits like that. After she had told him she was moving out, she had moved in with him until she found an apartment but Cal had eventually convinced her that she could stay as long as she could. That and he actually liked having company around the house except Emily every few weeks.

"What do you want?" Cal asked, being the ever polite gentleman , Gillian looked shocked at his question, as if she hadn't expected him to even ask and just follow her lead like he always did. Another small smile found it's way onto her lips before she muttered something that Cal didn't really understand.

"Again luv, didn't hear it that well. Must be Emily's fault with her loud music all the time," his British accent slurred up half of the vowels but Gillian still understood the majority of the words and even felt the imaginary butterflies in her stomach flutter at the sound of his voice.

"How about chinese?"

"Do you have a fetish for meat you can't see?" Cal frowned and stopped in his tracks, looking at his partner who had switched from the small smile to the sly one. That one that usually meant 'no I'm just teasing you' to Cal and 'I know something you don't' to Loker and Torres.

"Only when you're around," Gillian responded before literally dragging Cal with her to their usual chinese restaurant. Cal often just ordered something simple while Gillian bribed him (or tried too) into trying something new. This something new usually had hidden meat in it and Cal regretted ever trying it more than once, "besides, it's easier if we try something new each time. Then we know which ones are really good and which ones aren't."

"Good to know I'm your guinea pig," Cal rolled his eyes and let Gillian enter the restaurant first. After all, he was a Brit by heart and his manners were often the proof of that, "just don't make me eat that spicey stuff again."

"The great Cal Lightman can't handle the spicey stuff?"

"I did not say that. I just said I don't want to eat it," Cal raised his chin and crossed his arms in front of his chest. A clear sign of anger in Gillian's eyes but she ignored it and shook her head at him anyway, he was so stubborn when he wanted to be.

They both ordered their usual, even Gillian (she noted that she wasn't in the mood for throwing away good food because she didn't like it), and went back on their way to the office. It was too crowded in the restaurant and they had everything they needed at the office cantine anyway so why waste time and money for something you have anyway? At least, that was Cal's reasoning. He also knew that in restaurants, there were a lot of conversations and where there were conversations, there were lies. Lies seemed to follow him around even in his sleep but Cal had yet to prove that last notion.

They ate dinner in silence, Gillian often trying to make a conversation by talking about her own recent case she had just solved and asking if she could help Cal with his. They never really dropped work completely out of their minds because in some way, Cal was still working on his even during dinner. He discussed the topics that were proving him difficulties with Gillian and replied with remarks whenever she got out her psychobabble. As he liked to call it that is.

By the time their dinner was finished, both of them were stuffed, tired and in comfortably snuggled together on Cal's couch. Gillian was at least, Cal was just stroking her hair while his eyes were more fixated on the soundless video displayed on his wall. But somewhere between midnight and morning, Cal managed to fall asleep with Gillian in his arms anyway.