She Will Be Loved

Chapter 2

Sara just sits and stares at me, her mouth hanging open like a gaping fish. I know I've stunned her with my admission. I'm sure hearing that I'm attracted to her is the last thing she was expecting. Especially since we haven't always gotten along. It's not that I ever felt threatened by her, I was just totally unprepared for the instant attraction I felt towards her the first moment I saw her. The more time I spent around her, the harder it got to fight my feelings for her.

"So, what do you say Sidle?" I decide to just go for it. I've already put it out there so what else do I have to lose?

"You... you wanna go out... with me?" Sara finally regains her ability to speak.

"Sure, why not?" I shrug, trying to play it cool. Hopefully it works and she can't tell how nervous I really am. If she says no, I really don't know what I'll do.

"Wow. Uh, wow." Sara shakes her head slightly. "Why would you want to go out with me? You could have anybody, Cath."

Is it really that hard for her to believe that someone would ask her out? That someone wants to be with her? Damn you, Grissom. And Hank.

"Why would I want to go out with you?" I repeat her question, knowing I'm looking at her like she's suddenly grown another head. "You're kidding, right?"

"Uh no." Sara looks down at her hands.

"Sara, look at me." I place one of my hands on top of hers. "Please?"

She continues looking at her hands for a few more moments before she finally looks at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes of hers. The look on her face breaks my heart.

"Sara, why would I not want to go out with you?" I lace the fingers of her hands with mine. "You're beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful."

"How, uh, how long have you felt this way?" Sara mumbles as she stares at our hands.

"Pretty much the last 4 years." I smile at her. "I was just too scared to do anything about it until now."

"Really?" She looks up and grins at me. "Here I thought you hated me all this time."

"I never hated you, honey. I was just afraid of how strong my feelings for you got as time went on, so instead of doing anything about it I turned into a raging bitch anytime I was around you." I give her an apologetic smile.

"Well, at least I don't feel so bad now about how long I've had feelings for you." She smirks at me.

"Oh yeah?" I run the pad of my thumb across the top of her hand. "How long?"

"I was attracted to you pretty much from the moment I walked in and asked where I could find Catherine Willows." She focuses again on our joined hands. "The feelings just grew from there."

I take a deep breath as I ask her the most important question I've ever asked her up until now.

"So, Sara Sidle, will you go out with me?"

Sara doesn't say anything for a few moments and I'm starting to get nervous. I may ooze confidence most of the time, but right now I'm an anxious mess on the inside. I watch her as she finally brings her eyes up to mine. I could get lost in those gorgeous brown orbs of hers.

"I'd love to." She gives me her megawatt smile and I swear my heart skips a beat at the sight.

I release the breath I've been holding, a little surprised I didn't pass out. This beautiful woman has agreed to go out with me, on an actual date. God, I feel like a giddy teenager!

"How about tonight, before shift?" I question, hoping I'm not jumping the gun too quickly. "I want to take you to dinner."

"Tonight sounds good." She answers with a small smile. Is she blushing? Have I actually made Sara Sidle blush?

"Excellent!" I give her a wide smile. "I'll pick you up around seven, is that okay?"

"Okay." God she's adorable when she's shy.

"We should get going. We need sleep." I say reluctantly.

I could stay here with her all day, but I know she's tired and so am I. We exit the bar, my hand on the small of her back the whole time. I'm forced to stop touching her once we reach my SUV. We climb inside and I head back to the lab so Sara can get her car. We drive almost in silence but it's not uncomfortable. I finally pull into the parking lot and put the Tahoe in park next to Sara's SUV.

"So, I'll see you tonight then?" Sara turns to me as she unbuckles her seat belt.

"Seven o'clock." I grin at her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes close slightly at my touch. "I'll see you tonight, Sara."

"See you later, Cath." Sara gives me her gap tooth smile before she exits my SUV and climbs into her own.

I give her a wave before driving off and heading toward home. My mind is running a million miles a minute as I drive. I cannot believe I actually have a date tonight with Sara Sidle. I have dreamed about this for so long and now it's finally going to become a reality. God, I don't even know what to wear. I've been on plenty of dates in the past, but never before have I ever been this nervous. I know how I want this to play out. I want more than just a fling with Sara. The feelings I have for her are stronger than anything I've ever felt before, even with Eddie.

I pull into my driveway and put the Tahoe in park before climbing out. Lindsey is at my sister's, so I walk into the house, strip my clothes off and take a quick shower. I climb into bed, my thoughts still on Sara. I want everything to be perfect tonight. I know Sara hasn't had the best of luck with relationships since I've known her, something we have in common. I know what I want and I'm pretty sure she wants the same thing. I intend to make tonight the start of something good, for both of us.