“So Castle and I have some news for you,” Kate said after they toasted to another case solved, a twinkle in her eye. Castle looked sideways at her. Something told him she had something up her sleeve.
“Oh yeah?” Lanie asked, trying hard to keep a smile off her face. “And what would that be?”
“We heard a rumor,” Kate told her. “And we happen to know that it’s true.” Kate nudged his knee underneath the table, silently asking him to step up. This is your forte, he could practically hear her say, Not mine.
“And what rumor would that be?” Esposito asked suspiciously. He did know Kate’s interrogation tactics better than Lanie.
Kate’s eyes lit up. “Is there more than one? I thought it would be obvious.”
“Yeah,” Castle said, finding his window of opportunity and stepping in. “I mean, the news about the free beer for cops and a certain medical examiner is great, but this bit of news has been on the books for a while now.”
“Well out with it, then!” Lanie exclaimed. Esposito and Ryan exchanged their bump fist to the chest, grinning, and then turned eagerly to the detective and writer sitting across from them.
Kate and Castle exchanged looks and shrugged. “Well it’s not really our secret to tell,” Kate began.
“But if you want us to,” Castle finished.
“Woah, woah, woah. Wait. What?” Ryan interrupted.
“Oh come on, Ryan,” Kate said. “You know, too.”
“This isn’t about you two?”
Kate and Castle looked at each other again. He had to keep his smile in check. “Should it be?” He asked. “As far as I’m aware, this is just a friendly get together between secret lovers (Kate squeezed his hand), partners (he squeezed hers), and friends. Of course, if a certain couple wants to come clean then it would just be lovers, partners, and friends.”
“We just thought that you should know that we know,” Kate told them.
“Girl, Imma smack you. What it gonna take for you and Writer Boy to come clean?”
“Why don’t you come clean and you’ll find out?”
Castle watched as Lanie struggled and then caved. “Fine. Javier Esposito and I have been dating for almost a month now. Are you happy?”
But Kate just turned to Castle, a brilliant smile on her face, and held out her hand. “Told you. Pay up.”
Castle kept his eyes trained on his partner, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Lanie’s face fall in what he assumed to be disappointment for letting the secret out for apparently nothing more than to settle a bet. Then he saw Esposito kiss her cheek and murmur something in her ear in a rare tender moment. Ryan just looked on with interest. And that’s when Castle knew. He grabbed Kate’s hand in his and pulled her to him, bringing her body almost flush against his. Her eyes widened in surprise and the world seemed to melt away. He brought his other hand under her chin and used his first two fingers to tilt it up towards him. Keeping his eyes on hers and watching for any warning signs, he slowly drew her closer. Kate's eyes softened like they always did when she surrendered herself to him and he watched as they drifted close, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly in anticipation. It was all the invitation he needed. Castle ducked his head and sealed his lips with hers, smiling into the kiss when Kate tensed at the emotion he brought into it. But she quickly returned in kind and Castle had to fight not to get lost in the torrent of emotion threatening to overcome them both. He moved to break the kiss but Kate fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him closer, claiming his bottom lip with her teeth before skimming her tongue over it to soothe the pain. Castle gave her one last kiss before pulling her hands from his shirt and enclosing them with his. She pulled back and opened her eyes at last and giggled at the show they just made in front of their friends.
