The following evening, now feeling much better, Hank had suggested to Kalinda that they could go for the drinks that had originally been intended before he'd had his upsetting moment. Naturally, she had agreed, which was why Hank now found himself at her apartment waiting for her to finish getting ready.
"How do I look?" she asked when she emerged into the living room. Hank's answer was inevitable. She had a nice red top on that showed some cleavage, a black skirt that finished above the knee, and of course long black leather boots. She had applied subtle makeup that enhanced her already great natural beauty. The only downside was that her hair was up, as always. That was a battle Hank was giving up on.
"Incredible, as always," he said, getting up and going over to her.
"Ah, thank you," she said warmly. She looked him up and down. "I guess that means we make a good looking couple. I'm proud to be on the arm of such a handsome man."
The compliment itself was a nice ego boost. Somehow it felt even more so delivered in Kalinda's delightful accent. Although, in truth, he could probably enjoy hearing her cuss someone out or read policing guidelines in that accent. He was a total sucker for it, and would be the first to admit that.
"In that case we had better walk arm in arm more often," he said, playing it casually.
"You're right," she replied happily. "Did you order an Uber?" She had called through from the bedroom a few minutes earlier to ask him to do so.
Hank looked at his phone, where the Uber app was open. "Yes. Says two minutes away. We can go wait downstairs."
Kalinda went over to the coat hooks near the front door to select one of her jackets. She went for a black leather one. After putting it on, she retrieved dark red leather gloves from the pockets and put those on also.
"I don't think I've seen those before," he commented. Seeing her wearing leather always excited him, as she well knew.
"No, you haven't. I purchased them yesterday when Kevin and I had a little time to take a lunch break."
"You found time for a lunch break and you used it buy new gloves?"
She looked at him with a sexy smile on her face. "Was that a complaint?"
"Hell no," he said, and they both laughed.
With that, they left the apartment and made their way downstairs. When they stepped out of the building, the Uber was just pulling up. They got in, and the driver set off for their destination.
"So, what do you know about this 'Hunter's' place?" Hank asked Kalinda.
"Only what I told you before. Kevin recommended it to me when I said I don't know many spots in Chicago. He said it's a little pricey, but it's a really nice bar with a good atmosphere and friendly staff. He knows one thing I can't abide is rude or inefficient staff."
Hank smiled to himself, seriously doubting that he had ever heard the word abide used in conversation before. "Sounds like a nice place to spend an evening," he said, looking forward to it.
The Uber ride took less than ten minutes, due to traffic not being busy. When Hank followed Kalinda into Hunter's, he found himself in a classy, modern establishment. It was very busy, and the vibe was that everyone was having a good time. You felt it as soon as you entered. He imagined that was almost priceless if you owned a bar. He could also very easily picture Kevin Atwater bringing a woman here on a date.
"Can't see any tables available. We'll have to sit at the bar to begin with," Kalinda said, heading towards a couple of empty stools.
Although the bar was busy, service was quick. It was only a minute or so before a young blonde bartender approached. She greeted them with a smile. "Good evening. What can I get for you?"
Hank waited for Kalinda to order first.
"Good evening to you. Do you happen to have a cocktail with cherry and amaretto?"
"We sure do, our Very Cherry. Amaretto, cherry juice and dark rum."
"Perfect," Kalinda said.
Hank kept his order much simpler, opting for a beer.
"You should have asked for a look at the cocktail list," Kalinda said to him as the bartender got to work. She was half teasing, but only half.
"Don't think I've ever drank a cocktail," he said. Actually, he was sure he hadn't.
"You'll have to try mine," she said enthusiastically.
Hank knew he couldn't really say no without seeming grumpy, and that wasn't the way to start the night out.
"I love your accent. England, right?" the bartender asked Kalinda as she fixed the cocktail.
"That's right. Although I've lived in Chicago for some time, my accent has remained strong."
The bartender nodded, then looked at Hank. "And you, sir. I feel like I've seen your face somewhere."
"I used to be a police sergeant. You may have seen me giving a press conference on the news or something."
"Hmm. That must be it. You said used to be?"
"I'm a private detective now," he explained.
"Ah. Well, I'll be on my best behaviour tonight then," the bartender said, giggling.
Hank smiled. Although the weak joke didn't particularly amuse him, he appreciated the effort. It was better than the miserable, half assed service on offer in a lot of places these days. He agreed with Kalinda in that regard.
The drinks were soon served and Hank paid for them. Kalinda's cocktail had two straws in it, possibly a sign that they bartender had listened to her suggest trying it to Hank. There was also a real cherry on top of it.
"Have some," Kalinda encouraged, moving the glass slightly closer to him.
Hank relented and leaned in, taking a sizeable drink through the straw. To his own surprise, he actually quite liked the taste.
"That's alright actually," he conceded.
Kalinda beamed. "Now tonight's mission is to get you to order a cocktail."
He sipped his beer then laughed. "Best of luck with that one. The beer is good though."
They settled into a conversation about the bar, which became a conversation about some of the bars Kalinda had liked in London. She went on to explain which ones were still going and which were gone, citing her friend Lucy, who still lived in the area Kalinda was from, as a source.
"I've still not met her," Hank pointed out.
"Yes, I know. It's something I've been wanting to organise but it's not easy since we mostly see each other in the evening and with the time difference that's already night time over in England. We'll make it happen at some point though I promise. Oh shit!"
"What?" he asked, startled by the sudden shocked expression on her face.
"Sargent Gonzalez just walked in. And she's noticed us. So much for not having people know I started dating my boss. She's coming over, too."
"Play it cool. Make like this is our first date," Hank suggested. His back was half turned to the door and he kept it that way. "Quick confession: I met her the day before she started with Intelligence."
"Oh," Kalinda had time to say before Gonzalez approached them.
"Hi, Kalinda. Hank. How are you?"
Hank looked at the tall and physically imposing woman who had succeeded him. She looked to be in a pleasant enough mood, showing no reaction to what she had walked into. There was a pretty Hispanic-looking woman with her. In a stark contrast to Gonzalez, the other woman was lucky if she was five feet tall.
"Raquel," Hank said politely.
"Sarge," Kalinda said next. "Uh, I stayed in touch with Hank after he left. This is our first date. And now..."
"I walked in and made it awkward," Raquel said somewhat apologetically. Hank wasn't entirely sure she bought the story, but if she didn't she wasn't going to make a point of it. "I'd like you to meet Zelina, my wife. Z, this is Kalinda, one of my detectives, and this is Hank, the previous head of Intelligence."
Greetings were exchanged. Zelina was obviously aware of the awkwardness of the moment.
"Let me buy you a drink," Raquel offered them.
"Oh, thank you," Kalinda said, doing well in pushing the awkwardness aside as much as possible. "I'll have another one of these, please. It's called Very Cherry."
"What's in it?" Zelina asked. "Other than cherry, obviously."
"It's cherry, amaretto and rum."
"I'll try one of those too," Zelina decided.
"How's the beer, Hank?" Raquel asked.
He responded by finishing what remained of the one he had. "It's good," he said as he put the glass down.
Raquel soon ordered two cocktails and two beers. Once the drinks were fixed, she picked up those belonging to her and her wife. "Z's spotted a table. Have a good night."
"Thanks for the drink," Hank said. "And nice to meet you," he added to Zelina.
"Likewise," Zelina said.
"Enjoy your night," Kalinda said, and they walked away.
"I could bloody die right now," Kalinda said to Hank as soon as the coast was clear. But after a moment she changed her mind. "Actually, bugger that. This is a good thing. I can walk into the bullpen tomorrow and tell everyone that I kept in touch with you after you left and we went on a date last night. Not having to be secretive will be nice. Anyway, I'm fifty not fifteen."
Hank nodded his agreement that he liked the sound of that. In all honesty he had been aware that the Intelligence team would find out he and Kalinda were together sooner rather than later because Kim Burgess was about to start with Voight Detective Services. She was as sharp as a tack and would have soon picked up on something that either he or Erin said. Then she would have told Adam, and they would all have known in short order. Hank decided the best policy was to try and make light of the situation. Kalinda responded very well to that kind of thing. In turn, he liked that the relationship had rekindled a sense of humour in him.
"At least they didn't walk in and find me drinking a cocktail. Now that would have been embarrassing."
As he had expected, Kalinda burst out laughing. "You're so silly. And that's it, I am going to get you to drink a cocktail. Hey, here's a drinks menu."
A customer had left a menu on the bar near to where Kalinda was sitting. She took it and put it in front of Hank. "Have a look and choose one."
He gave her a theatrical pained expression. "You're really going to make me get one?"
"Make you? No. But I'd like you to. It's fun."
Go along with it, he told himself. Having fun was something he was still trying to get used to doing again after so many years without it. "You know what? Fine. I'll order a cocktail."
Kalinda giggled, enjoying herself. "Not just order it. Drink it."
"I'll drink a cocktail," he corrected. A brief look at the list of choices later, he made a decision. "Passion fruit martini, I guess."
"Okay my little passion fruit, let's get a bartender over here."
Hank roared with laughter. He couldn't help it. The thought of him of all people being called 'my little passion fruit' was too ridiculous not to be funny.
A male bartender saw Kalinda wanting attention and came over. She looked at Hank, leaving the ordering to him, failing to hide her amusement.
Hank had to try hard not to laugh when he said, "A passion fruit martini, please."
"Coming right up," the bartender said, showing some amusement himself. He had probably gotten a gist of what was going on. "Is this your usual cocktail of choice, sir?" he asked as he started fixing it.
Hank and Kalinda both laughed. It was impossible not to appreciate the banter. "Yeah, I drink them all the time," he said dryly.
"Really? You look more like an 'old fashioned' kind of guy to me."
Hank and Kalinda laughed again. He looked at her and felt happy to see her enjoying herself so much.
When the drink was ready, Kalinda put money on the bar. All she wanted Hank to do was drink it, not pay for it.
Figuring he might as well play up to it now, he picked up the cocktail and glass and made a show of drinking through the straw. Kalinda was cracking up by that point.
"I have so much fun when we go out," she said once she had composed herself enough to speak.
"Me too. Tonight I'm drinking a cocktail, next time I'm going on a shopping trip. What could possibly go wrong?"
-----
A/N: Kalinda has been pushed into telling her colleagues that she's been on at least one date with Hank. But it didn't stop them having a good time. What do you think might happen on the shopping trip?