Suddenly There Is Love

Over the next three weeks, we met for lunch, and I must honestly say I was enjoying Zooey's company. We laughed, talked, laughed som more, and we flirted - a lot. Today was Friday - and I had decided to finally dare ask her out on a date. I was sure she had thought of me as slow, or stupid, for not asking her out sooner, but I needed to know that - us - could actually turn out to be something good. I was sitting in my car outside of Market4U, waiting for Zooey to walk out of the building. When she finally came walking, a few minutes later than usual, I could not help my stare at her. Her long, brown hair fell smoothly over her right soulder, and she wore a white summerdress, complimented with a black cardigan and a bow in her hair. I sped out of the car and jogged over to the passengerside, and left the door ajar.
"Hello," I said and grinned, and she slid quickly into her seat. I walked to my side of the car and jumped into the seat and turned to look at her. She was smiling at me.
"Hi," she said gently and put on her seatbelt. I put the car in gear, and we were soon headed to the Royal Diner.

Well there, at our usual table, the conversation went by easily. I had not gotten anywhere with the bankrobbery, but at the same time, I did not want to push it. Lunch was nearing its end, when I finally gave Zooey an intense look.
"What?" she asked, and smiled nervously.
"I think it's time we do something else than just lunch," I said quickly, mentally slapping my hand in my forehead for putting the sentence like that. "No, that's not what I meant." Zooey smiled, but nodded as a sign that I could keep going. "Do you want to go out on a date with me tomorrow night?" I asked abruptly, and smiled an anxious, crooked smile. Zooeys face erupted into a big smile.
"Gosh, what took you so long? Yes, I would love to!" She giggled the adorable way she usually giggled, and I couldn't help but smile.
"To be honest, I don't know why it took me so long. I've been thinking about it for the past two weeks." I grinned.
"Well, I've been waiting since after the fourth time we went out for lunch," she said, and smiled. "I guessed you were shy, but I really, really wanted you to be the one to ask me." Her face was glowing with happiness, and the sight of it warmed my heart.

We arranged for me to pick her up at her apartment at 7 o'clock on Saturday, and my stomack felt all jittery inside from the anticipation and excitement. The morning came, and I started getting dressed and ready. I had bought her a bouquet of roses, both white and red, and I had set up a nice little scheme for the night. The clock was ticking, and time was nearly there. I straightened out my tie - and very unusual for me, it was navyblue. I had even put on plain black socks for the occasion. My "Cocky" beltbuckle was as usual on its correct spot - I needed my good luck charm for the night. At 6:30, I went out in my car, and started driving. I was feeling incredibly nervous, yet very excited. Why had I used so long so suck it up, and actually ask her? I arrived at her apartment building a little too early, and knowing women, I knew she was probably still getting dressed. I straightened out my suitjacket, while waiting for the moment I could go get her.

I knocked four times on her door, 4H was the number ingraved on the door.
"Just a second," I heard Zooey call from the inside, and something fell on the floor. I smiled to myself, imagening her stress. "I will be right there." She exclaimed in pain, as I heard a thud in a table. The door flew open, and a slightly redfaced Zooey was standing there.
"Hi there," she said, and smiled. She looked absolutely gorgeous, in a purple silky dress, that framed her body perfectly. The dress went into a cross at the back. She had put her hair up in a loose bun, with curly strands of hair framing her face. Her make-up looked just right: not too much, and not too little.
"Wow, you look... Wow!" Those were the miserable words I managed to come up with at that point. I felt silly.
"Thank you. I think wow might be a good thing. You are looking good yourself," she said and grabbed her purse. "Are we ready to go?" Her heals were clicking as she stepped over the floor, got her keys and locked the door. I offered my arm, which she gracefully accepted. I glanced over at her just as she glanced over at me, and we both looked straight ahead quickly, both grinning like two children. We got to the car, and I opened the door for Zooey.
"Always a gentleman," she said and flipped her hair away from her face.
"Anything for you" I said sheepishly, and while my back was turned at her I made a face over my stupid comment. I felt my cheeks burn.

We sat in silence for a while, both feeling anxious about the date. During the drive we glanced shortly at each other several times, which eventually made us have a fit of laughter.
"Where are we going, really?" Zooey asked and looked at me intently.
"Well, that's the thing." I said, and fished a scarf out from the little room by the gear. "I am going to have to tie this over your eyes." I stopped the car by the road, and reached out to tie the scarf around her head. She looked nervous, yet playful as she raised her left eyebrow.
"You are not going to kidnap me, I hope," she laughed nervously, but allowed me to get the scarf in place.
"No, it's just a surprise. I promise - I won't kidnap you!" We both laughed, and I kept driving.

I parked the car, and went out of the car, and jogged quickly over to Zooey's side of the car, and opened up the door.
"If the lady would accept my hand," I said in my very best British accent, and Zooey giggled as she took my hand.
"Was that supposed to be British?" Her British was obviously a lot better than mine, and she was clearly making fun of me. She took my hand, and stepped gracefully out of the car. I could not helt but notice how petite her legs looked. They were lightly tanned, and the heals she was wearing looked oh so good on her. I placed my hands on her shoulders, and lead her forward. She held her hands out in front of her, like she was afraid I was leading her into a trap. We came to the spot I had chosen for our date, and I stopped and let go of her shoulders.
"Now what?" she asked a little nervously, and I slowly untied the scarf , and I curled it up into a ball in my right hand. Zooeys face was stunned. She stared at everything around her, and finally smiled.
"Oh my gosh, Booth! It is absolutely stunning!" She turned around to look at me, and I saw that her eyes were a little wet. I had brought her to the Washington Momument, and I had set up a little table by the water there. The table was decorated with a red tablecloth, two candles, and dinner I had bought smelled delightful in the middle of it all. I know, I am lazy for not making the dinner myself, but I didn't want to scare her off from my lousy cookingskills this early.
"So, you like it?" I asked with uncertainty.
" I love it, it's wonderful!" She was standing absolutely still, watching me with tears in her eyes. I walked over to her, and put my arm around her waist, and led her to the table. I pulled out her chair, and reached for the bouquet of roses I had bought her.
"I bought these for you," I said and handed them to her. Her face shone of happiness as she took in a deep breath of the sweet roses. Her face exploded in a smile, and she walked briskly over to me and kissed me on the cheek. I felt my entire face grow hot, while Zooey took her seat. I sat down as well.
"Do you want some champagne?" I popped the bottle, and the foam bubbled out of the tip. We laughed, and I poured us both a glass each.

Our glasses clinked as we toasted, and started drinking our champagne. Zooey looked at me intently.
"You need to tell me a little more about your work. I hardly know anything!" she looke genuinely interested. Knowing that my work was confidencial, I was afraid I would disappoint her with the lack of info I was able to provide.
"What can I say? I get a case, I solve it. There really not much more to it," I said, and I was right. She did look disappointed.
"Yes, I know, I'm not sharing enough! But really, I can't talk about it. There are too many risks and dangers, and what do I know. You might be a spy for the Russian mob." I said this in a teasing manner, and her face exploded in a grin.
"A Russian spy. Do I really look Russian to you?"
"And it was the Russian part of the accusation you reacted to? Not the spy part?" I grinned back at her, leaning closer towards her.
"So what if I was a Russian spy then? Have I done my job well?" she leaned closer to me as well, raising her left eyebrow.
"Pretty much!" This was my response, and we both laughed.
"So what has been so good about my work so far? I am not getting any information from you. I must be a very bad spy!" Zooeys smile made my heart jump.
"You are kind of getting under my skin, and I promise you - I rarely let anyone under my skin!" She placed her hand on her chin, and squinted her eyes. Before she gave me an incredibly teasing look and said: "Under your skin? I have not even managed to get under your clothes!" We erupted into laughter, and I discretly placed my hand on top of hers, which was laying on the table, practically waiting for me to make a move. Her hand felt warm, and familiar.

We ate our meal, and Zooey looked happy.
"Wow, you are a great cook!" she exclaimed, and I felt my entire body stiffen with guilt. At least until Zooey completely caught me red-handed. "What is it that restaurant is called again? The Bistro?" She smirked at me, and I felt my cheeks grow hot.
"I couldn't scare you off with my really bad cooking this early, now could I?" I asked, and grinned. She laughed, and grabbed a napkin and patted it carefully around her lips. "Because, seriously, I cannot cook worth a damn!" She laughed her gorgeous laugh, and I certainly did not feel guilty anymore. Zooey glanced over at the Washington Monument, and a smiled was firmly placed on her lips.
"It looks so much more beautiful during night, right?" she asked, and then sighed.
"It does," I said, and I stood up. "Let's walk." I offered my arm, and she took it. The air was chilly as we walked by the water, heading towards the monument. I felt Zooey shudder from a sudden breath of cold air, and I quickly removed my suitjacket and planted it around her shoulders.
"No, you will be cold," she protested, but I shook my head and placed my left arm around her waist, and she placed her arm around mine. I noticed her arms were too short to go all the way around, as I felt her hand resting in the crease on my back. My hand was planted firmly on the spot a little over her hip. She felt so little, so fragile in my hands, and the urge to protect her and keep her safe kicked in more than ever before. Her head fell slightly and landed against my chest. We were getting closer to the monument, when I heard Zooey sigh.
"Is something wrong?" I asked her, and she fastened her glance at my face.
"No, absolutely not," she replied. "I am simply overwhelmed by all of this." We stopped walking, and Zooey turned her body towards me, and I kept a firm grisp around her. I felt my entire body shudder as she moved herself closer to me. Our eyes locked. Her beautiful oceancoloured eyes. I couldn't determine which colour they were: blue or green? I smiled, and decided to wrap her in with both arms, and she did the same. She couldn't reach all the way around me. The gace intensified, and Zooey bit her lower lip. I found myself grinning like an idiot, and I leaned down towards her face. She reacted instantly, moving the remaining few inches, and our lips met.

The electrifying feeling of our lips meeting was insane. I felt the petite figure of Zooey shudder at the touch. Our arms were wrapped around each other, and our lips movng synchronised with each other. I had to lean down further, and the kiss deepened, got more intense. Her lips parted, something I took as an invitation, and I let my tongue slowly slip into her mouth, our tongues intertwined, and Zooey let out a low moan, a moan I greatly appreciated. When the kiss broke, we were both quite out of breath, and Zooey let her forehead lean against my mouth. I kissed her softly on the forehead, and she sighed deeply.
"Wow," she exclaimed in a low voice, and I had to agree.
"Wow," I responded. She raised her head, looked deeply into my eyes, before our lips met yet again, in an electrifying kiss.