“Morning PG!” The Café owner greeted her enthusiastically. “It’s unusual to see you on a Saturday… and this early !?!” He smiled at one of his favorite weekday regulars.
“Tell me about it!” The blonde replied with her usual cheerful smile. “But we all have to make sacrifices-” She winked back at Joseph. Looking behind her as if waiting for someone.
“The usual?” He began asking for her order.
“Oh, hey, why don’t you go first, Sir?” Garcia offered the older (a bit unsteady) man with a cane behind her. She had noticed him as she scanned the front of the establishment, not finding yet what she was hoping for.
“Much obliged, young Lady.” He replied in relief. “My usual Joe, and could you-”
“Of course Mr Crane. Please take a seat, I’ll bring your coffee and a dish of water for Eddy.” Replied the friendly barista. “Russ-” He called out at the young man bussing the tables. “Can you please take over here whilst I do this?” He then turned back to Pen with a dashing smile. “Apologies for the delay, won’t be a minute.”
“Don’t worry - you do what you need to, I can wait.” Garcia replied with her trademark affability. This was after all why this was her favorite coffee shop. Of course the beans had just the right blend of strong and sweet, aromatic flavors.
But the proprietor.
Whoof!
The man had the perfect blend of heavenly hunk and sweet, considerate charms. Obviously, since he was running a business he had to be attentive and polite to all his customers. However, there was such genuine candor in all his interactions. He always had a kind word for everyone, even on the busy weekdays. Ensuring all his clientele received top notch service, delighting and uplifting even the more morose commuters’ moods. Today, PG was learning that on slower mornings, such as this seemed to be, Joe went even further. Ensuring his clientele would have the best possible start to their day.
Garcia then wondered how the guy was still on the ‘singles’ shelf’.
Her reverie was interrupted when she noticed the young man about to come back from the kitchen where he had deposited his stained, washing up apron and exchanged it for a clean waist one to serve at the counter. PG turned to regard him. He was new to her, and she was eager to make his acquaintance. Due to his young age and the fact she had never seen him on duty during the week, Penelope thought him to be a college student.
Her attention was briefly taken back to the front of the store when the entrance bell chimed, announcing new customers.
Two very pretty girls, in very tight spandex clothing, were giggling and chatting as they walked up to the counter.
Oh to be in her 20s and that firm again! Thought Garcia . Not that she had ever been a ‘tight workout clothes’ kind of girl even back then. It was just nice to be able to be bra-free every so often, though, since she had always been quite voluptuous, never in public. But hey, if you got it - and want to - go ahead and flaunt it!!! She mused about the carefree young women. Instinctually, Penelope greeted them with a polite “‘Morning” and a smile.
Though they replied (sans smiles), they almost seemed affronted by the colorful blob addressing them. Their expressions certainly seemed to convey disdain.
Unfazed, Penelope turned waiting to be served.
Russ, however, seemed to have different priorities. “Good Morning Beautiful!” He greeted the brunette over enthusiastically, with (more than) a touch of creepy. Unashamedly drinking both the younger women’s figures in. His eyes stayed way longer than necessary on their more prominent assets. “What can I get you and your Stunning friend?”
“Oh, Russ-” Mona squealed, affronted by his slight. “Don’t tell me you prefer Sienna over me now!?!”
“I have enough-” He began in a lascivious tone.
“Excuse me-” PG interrupted them, her smile holding (just). “I was next-”
“Well,” The young man turned to regard her with a vexed look and tone. Incensed at his ‘flow’ being so rudely interrupted by the undeserving. “You told Joe you could wait. No doubt these young, in demand, Ladies have places to be, surely you can wait a while longer, Ma’am .” He concluded condescendingly.
“Actually-” Garcia began slightly irked. She probably would’ve been happy to let the young man serve the other customers ahead of her. She was no stranger to a bit of flirting banter herself. So kudos to him for trying his luck. Even if he was coming off as a total creep.
If only he had asked politely. “-I need to place my order before-”
The open, mocking sniggers from the other two women made her lose her momentum.
“Go ahead Russ-” Mona stated patronizingly. “I’m sure she’s more desperate for a few pastries than us…”
Oh no she didn’t! Resounded in Penelope’s mind, barely contained by her lips. Her hand went to her hip. Fuming, glancing between the young man and the two women, Garcia had missed the chime heralding a new arrival.
Before she could go into a full ‘ Ma’am worthy - don’t you, young people, know about basic respect!?!’ tirade she heard the only voice that mattered to her. The only voice that could calm her in an instant (unless ,that was, it was deliciously winding her up).
“Have you ordered yet, Guapa?” He asked, taking in the scene in front of him. Why was his Blonde Goddess that incensed!?!
“Not had a chance yet, handsome.” Mona replied, one last distasteful look in Garcia’s direction before turning her full attention on the Hunk that had just walked in. Mona loved it when guys, especially one as fine as this, couldn’t resist flirting with her. “I guess you can buy me a coffee, and I will be your sweet treat.”
He studied the people by the counter, focusing on the micro-expressions of the only person that mattered to him. He didn’t like what he saw. He wouldn’t normally be right out rude to anyone, unless of course, they were upsetting his Chica.
He kept walking until he reached Garcia’s side. Protectively, he slid his arm around her waist and firmly held her. A dismissive smile on his face, he addressed Mona and her friend. “That would be a hard pass, thanks. You need to be this gorgeous-” His free hand reached up, hovering just above Garcia’s head. “-to board this ride.” Luke concluded, pointing at himself, then promptly placing a loving peck on his girlfriend’s lips.
“Russ- I need you to take the rubbish out-” Joe had returned behind the counter when he noticed the commotion. The young man was a recent hire, perhaps he wouldn’t last much longer. Russ didn’t appear to be a good fit with the rest of his staff nor intune with the atmosphere of his establishment.
“I’m serving customers-” The young man protested.
“Perhaps you’re not ready yet. You might need a refresher on good customer service.” - ”Go on- I’ll manage here.” His Boss confirmed as Russ walked off in a huff.
“My apologies, PG. Some people don’t understand the simple concept of the queuing system.” He noted, briefly glancing at the two women, before turning his attention back on Garcia.
Penelope was amazed by these two Hunks’ reactions.
Hers , well, she expected her Newbie to always be on point and somehow always be there when she needed him most.
The café owner’s response was more unexpected. Garcia had never witnessed him doing or saying anything that could be detrimental to his business. She began feeling guilty as soon as the two women walked off in disgust with one last parting comment from Mona. “I sure am never coming back here!”
“I’m sorry Joseph. I didn't mean for you to lose patrons.”
“Hey, don’t sweat it.” He replied sweetly, a reassuring smile on his face. “She’s not that big of a loss- she’s rude to everyone - staff and customers alike, never tips, though she never misses an opportunity to complain. Besides-” He added on. “She’s not the only customer I’ve lost because of you and my business is still standing strong. And I’d much rather keep you as a regular.” He quipped winking at her. Reaching out to briefly squeeze her hand resting on the counter. Receiving one of Garcia’s brightest smiles as a reward.
“Awww, you’re too cute! You always know what to say to make a girl perk up.” She replied, extending her hand to tap the man’s forearm to underline her comment.
Busy interacting with the Barista, she had missed Luke’s (slight) chagrin at their exchange.
“I think the ‘perfect comeback of the day’ award goes to Luke, don’t you agree?” Joe noted. “Shall I get your usuals?” He asked, moving off to prepare the beverages once Penelope nodded. Though it was the first time he had met Alvez, he knew Garcia’s coffee order (invariably for two) by heart.
Pen finally faced her boyfriend. “He’s so right. You do deserve that award.” She cooed while hugging him. “How did you know? Did you hear the conversation?” She posed, pulling back to regard him.
“No. I noticed your expression as I walked in. Something felt… off .” He stated, almost dismissively, with a shrug of his shoulders.
As if he hadn’t done anything of consequence.
“.-.” Speechless, she was in awe of the man and his finely tuned ‘ My Chica is in some kind of trouble ’ radar. Not to mention his swift and endlessly flawless saves.
Luke momentarily fretted at her non-reaction. “I know you hate it when I profile you, however-” He thought he needed to explain.
She stopped him. Locking her lips with his for a deep kiss. “I'm beginning to change my mind about that!” She proclaimed to reassure him.
______________________
“So, what shall we have?” He said pointing at the array of inviting goodies in the glass display cabinets.
“Ummm- I think I’m only gonna have the coffee-” When he raised his brow questioning her she continued in a shy voice. “It already has whipped cream, and today we’re planning to just veggie in front of the telly- so…” She trailed off.
Alvez wrapped his arms around her waist, his long fingers ghosting her scrumptious ass. “You know you are this gorgeous-” He repeated his earlier hand gesture. “Not to mention- when you ride this later-” He pointed at himself, winking devilishly at her. “You’re gonna use up a lot of calories. And trust me. You’re gonna get to keep on riding until you are gonna be so exhausted you’ll end up in a puddle. All over me! ”
“OMG, Luke Pablo Alvez! ” She squawked in embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed. “ We’re in public. ”
“I don’t care-” He began, sighing deeply when he was interrupted.
“Anything else with those coffees?” Joe asked cheerfully.
Alvez looked at a still hesitant Garcia, deciding to go ahead and order for the both of them. “Yeah, we’ll have a large slice of craw- crawstatin- el- Laimonee(?)- what’s that, a pie!?!” He looked at the other man who was nodding and trying really hard to stifle his chuckles. “and a couple of those Bais- besi de- da- dowma-!?!” He stuttered.
The sound of her laughter halted his awful (but very endearing) attempts at reading the desserts’ names in Italian. She swooped in to help him. “That would be: una fetta grande di Crostatina al Limone e due Baci Di Dama, per favore, Joseph.”
“Hey, your Italian is improving rapidly.” Stated Joe quite impressed.
“It’s all- grazie a te !” She winked back. “You’re a very good teacher.”
“Well, it is my mother tongue.”
“And what a tongue it is -” She couldn’t help replying flirtatiously. Once again, she had completely missed her Newbie’s less than impressed demeanor at their ( perhaps exceedingly so? - he thought) friendly exchange.
“Ok, you guys take a seat. Lucia will bring everything over in a few.”
______________________________
“Apologies for the interruption. But this is straight out of the oven.” He smiled sweetly, approaching their table. He placed a small plate with a brownie square in front of her. “I’ve made the changes you suggested- what do you think?”
“Mmmmhhh, Giuseppeee !” She exclaimed. Moaning loudly, closing her eyes in rapture at the first bite. The sublime taste hitting and spreading around her. The chewy dark chocolate with a hint of coffee confection was almost as good as sex . (At least sex with her exes. Incontrovertibly, there was no context when it came to Luke. Any intimacy with him was simply otherworldly.) “This is sooo sinfully good, if we were in Regency Era England, we would be considered betrothed after giving me such unchaste pleasure!” She claimed, complimenting his cooking.
He blushed. “ Oh, PG! You better not call out my name that way in front of your - very jealous and very fierce looking boyfriend. I’m having dinner with my Mamma tonight. I need my face to look unblemished.” He pleaded in a chortle. Fearing Luke was seconds away from standing up to clobber him in the face.
“Ooops-” She blushed in return, noticing too late how her words had upset Alvez. Hoping to quickly change the subject, she tried to move the conversation away from her usually flirty interactions with Joe. “I meant to ask earlier- what did you mean by ‘she wasn’t the only customer you lost’ because of me? Have I been such a bane on your business?”
“A few guys left too-” Joseph replied carefully. He had noticed Alvez stir in his seat. “Once you started referring to him as Luke .” He nodded towards the SSA.
“What!?!”
Joe had both Alvez and Pen’s full attention. “When you first began coming in- you used to refer to him solely as Newbie. We all knew of course even back then-”
“ Knew what? ” This time Luke interrupted him, his interest piqued.
“Knew she was into you big time.” He stated matter of factly, glad the imposing man had begun to relax. “You don’t talk that much about someone you’re not interested in. Telling us about all your heroics at work, how good you are with Roxy, and so on and so forth. Anyway, eventually she started addressing you as Luke . The mentioning of your name always accompanied with a far off look and the biggest smile. It was clear then, she had realized herself that her heart was taken. A sad day for all of us single people. And yes, a few of my customers moved on to other places, in search of their own PG!“ He winked at her.
“You’re putting me on!” She commented incredulously. She had never realized she spoke that much about her Newbie.
“Joe?” They heard the waitress calling him back to the counter. Signaling he was needed on the phone.
“Yep, coming. Great to see you as usual PG, very nice to finally meet the legend, Luke.” He said, shaking his hand. “Enjoy your breakfast.” He wished them as he walked off.
“Do you-ummm-” Alvez began, when he noticed her gaze following the handsome man as he moved, panther-like, around the tables.
“Yes?” Garcia turned back to regard Luke.
“Never mind-” He huffed. Trying to dismiss his worries.
“What’s wrong?” She prodded. He seemed unsettled.
“Nothing.” He tried, failing miserably.
“Are you upset I spoke that much about you? I didn’t give away any of your secrets. Promise!” She smiled apprehensively. Luke was a very private person. Perhaps he minded that she had shared anecdotes about his personal life with Joe, and apparently also with a whole bunch of perfect strangers that happened to be within earshot.
“It’s not that. I’m sure you spilled a few secrets-” He looked at her pointedly. “But then again, you always do.” He teased her. “No, I meant- ummm-” His demeanor changed, from slightly amused to serious. “Would you be interested?” He posed.
“In?”
“In them. All those guys that fancied you. Giuseppe -” He trailed off.
“What? No, he was just joking.”
“No, he wasn’t.” Luke stated with a slight tinge of jealousy in his voice. Trying his hardest to keep his cool.
“I- no, I mean, we banter-” When she saw his eyes roll, she corrected herself. “OK, I’ll admit, we flirt- but it is all innocent enough. Nothing ever came of it. And nothing ever will, because I’m not interested. He told you himself. It turns out I was talking everyone’s ear off about you all the way back when. Who knew!?! ” She paused to smile at him, reaching for his hand. He was humming and avoiding eye contact.
She shook his hand so he would face her. “You, ummm-You never minded it before. Like when I do it with Morgan?”
“Yeah, but I know, like and trust Morgan. I also know that those exchanges were harmless. That there never was any real intention to act on those. That you never had any sexual feelings or deeper affections in his regards.”
“That’s right. And it is the exact same situation with Joe. I don’t flirt with just anyone. Only a very selected few. People I consider friends.” The explanation made sense in her head, looking at Luke though, she wasn’t sure it was coming across as well. ”You know, people with whom there will never be a chance for more- I do NOT want anything more with. Certainly nothing remotely- amorous .” She whispered that last word in a blush, her hand and head shaking in a ‘no’ motion. “Strictly platonic friends.” She reiterated gazing in his eyes.
“Is that why there was that specific ‘no flirting with me’ codicil in your mission statement?” He asked, amused.
She looked at him. Fudge she might as well come clean. “ Ufff, fine!” She admitted. “ Cos I fancied the pants off you as soon as I laid eyes on you. I didn’t want to flirt with you, because it would’ve ended up being a ‘ to do slash wish list ’. I mean- seriously!?! That smile, that voice, frack! You even made lasagne!?!” She paused recolleting their first meet, biting her bottom lip. Maybe she had revealed too much. “There’s no need for you to be that smug!” She scolded him.
“Hey, no one can blame you. After all, you didn’t stand a chance.”
“What are you on about?” She screeched.
“I’ve been told how irresistible my masculine wiles are.” - “By someone in this very establishment in fact.” He grinned in satisfaction.
“You’re so irritating, Alvez !”
Even though he smiled, she wanted to clarify her position fully. “So, do you believe me?” She asked anxiously.
“Of course- it’s just-” He didn’t want to draw out that topic, or he could end up saying something he would soon regret. His jealousy had been detrimental to some of his previous relationships. And he hadn’t even loved those women as much as Garcia . With her, those sentiments were amplified to the max. He trusted Garcia. Believed what she had told him. But he couldn’t help feeling possessive and protective in her regards. He didn’t want to lose her because of his inability to eloquently convey his worries over certain aspects of their relationship. He had been there, tried that, failed miserably. Accused of being too old fashioned. That no self respecting woman would want such an overprotective man in their life. Suffocating - as one of his exes had termed it. When all he ever wanted to express, but had always been unable to, was his desire ( need ) to be loved and feel protected in return.
No, he couldn’t allow it to happen again. Not this time. He shouldn’t push his Chica. Their relationship was still too new. It had taken over three years for her to allow him through that damn fluffy armor. Thus, since they became a couple, he had done his utmost to pace himself. If he could’ve, he would’ve declared the extent of his feelings after that first date. When he took her home. Bidding her goodnight with a chaste peck on her lips. Telling her he hoped they could do that again soon, instead of confessing his true desires. That he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That he couldn’t wait for the rest of their lives to begin as soon as possible, together.
Instead, he had been left cursing at himself when a couple of back to back cases had meant ‘soon’ had turned into an almost three weeks wait for their second date.
She used the time he seemed to need to gather his thoughts to think about her actions. Flippingtons! Had she truly been that insensitive and oblivious?
“I’m sorry-” She began to apologize sincerely. He looked up at her, startled out of his inner thoughts. “I get that my behavior could be, might be- is !?! Insensitive, disrespectful in your regards, even. Flirting with someone else, right in front of you. To be honest, if I ever witnessed you do the same, I would probably grab you by the hand, take you to my place and chain you to a radiator.” She tried to convey her sentiments humorously. “I, ummm, I might be a tad jealous and possessive in my relationships. Overbearing and demanding, some might say.” She admitted abashed.
“ Really!?! ” He asked surprised.
“Have I ever told you about the time I hacked the NSA and Kev lost the job offer of a lifetime? All because I wasn't happy with him having to move abroad.”
He laughed. “Nope, I never knew that, wow. Is that when you guys split up? I thought there was a farm involved in that?” He queried.
“Yeah, I mean no. We didn’t split up because of that incident, in the end it was more a collection of things that weren’t adding up with us, culminating with the going off the grid madness- so like 60/40 his fault in my opinion.” She grinned.
“ Most definitely! ” Luke agreed wholeheartedly. Glad about what those new revelations could mean for him. That perhaps they were more alike than he had previously allowed himself to hope. That Garcia would be able to understand, respond in kind and favorably to his needs.
“That said-” She continued tentatively. “Can we enter- like a circle of non judgment-let’s forget anything said if we don’t like it , kinda thing- agreement?”
“Explain, please.” He encouraged her.
“I want to be honest with you- I need to explain something- but I don’t want you to run for the hills once you’ve heard it if you find it completely stupid. If so, we could simply forget what I said, move on-” - “Mk, never mind- let’s forget I said anything at all.” She trailed off.
“NO!” He caressed her hand, then her beautiful face. “I want us to be honest with each other, too. There’s not gonna be an us otherwise. I’m more than happy to enter the circle thingy .” Luke beamed back at her, rejoicing. This would come in handy when it would be his turn for complete honesty.
“Great.” She smiled back in relief. “Ok, this is what I wanted to share.” Frack, this was harder than she expected. She hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed in her. “I’m not, really not.. . I think- ufff -” She had to gather her thoughts. “Ok, it’s like this, as I mentioned, I am not interested in Joe or any of those other guys. Truly. Only you . However , at the risk of sounding completely shallow and vapid - I think, once in a while, it’s just nice to hear that I am desirable. That I am beautiful. It’s a little ego booster. It shouldn’t be, but sue me , I’m only human, sometimes it’s nice to have that (sincere) validation from complete strangers. And more so, when they’re a hunk. There I said it.” She sighed deeply. “ Does it make any sense or does it sound completely nuts? ”
“Is that your polite way to let me know I am remiss in doing that? That I don’t say it to you often enough?” He asked sincerely.
“Nooo. You say it plenty.” She sighed. “Better still, you don’t even need to say it at all. You make me feel beautiful and cherished just by being you, through your actions.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess- I guess it’s just nice to hear it from an unbiased source every so often.” She finished, closing her eyes. Shaking her head in self reproach. He was definitely disappointed in her vain, needy, quest for approval from strangers. More so, because Luke had always treated her right, and had never made her feel wanting for anything. She was astonished when instead of rebuking her, he asked for clarification. ( He truly was incomparable! Maybe it was time to declare it out loud to him, too. )
“How am I biased?” He chuckled intrigued. Her earnest words had banished his insecurities.
“Because you love me, silly !” She declared before she could stop herself.
Goramit! Had she actually said that , out loud?
What happened to letting him know how great he was- not making things about herself, yet again!?!
Did he love her!?! She felt loved- but that was not the same as him feeling it… Beads of cold sweat formed and ran down her temple in the few milliseconds before he took control of the conversation. Before it morphed into one of her babbling rants he knew she was about to fall into.
“I am- not biased, but am most definitely - ardently in love with you.” Luke proclaimed. Standing up slightly from his chair, his hands on the table to balance himself, reaching across, to kiss her.
A tender, chaste peck, that left her breathless nonetheless.
“I-” It took a few moments for her to realize she was still sitting there, probably with the goofiest grin on her face, just nodding nonsensically at him. She inhaled deeply. “I love you, too, Newbie.”
He laughed at that. “Shall I worry I’m back to Newbie!?!”
“No, that’s our thing- I thought it was cute, for my first declaration of love, to call you by my special nickname for you- but of course you- you had to go and ruin the moment!” She huffed, annoyed. Ok, not annoyed per se ( not at all in fact! ). The most amazing man in the whole ‘verse had just confirmed he loved her. Ardently , no less(!).
She had to take a moment to think about how the event unfolded.
Pheew! Yes! Yes, she had declared herself, too. Her brain was too busy doing cartwheels to keep linear track of what was happening, what she had actually verbalized. She equated her current state to being slightly inebriated. Not a full out, drunken stupor when nothing really stuck or made sense. More like, that pleasant buzzing after a couple of glasses of wine. When everything was imbued in the brightest hue. Glossy, shiny, gorgeous! Just as she felt right then. With Luke staring lovingly (Yippee- LOV ingly indeed!) at her from across the table.
______________________________
She cleared her throat, having to move things along. She was loath to break that blissful moment between them. Alas, she was keen to finish breakfast. Drive to either of their places, so that they could celebrate their declarations in the privacy of their own ( bedrooms ) homes.
Would her asking him to take her home for ‘ a ride ’ or two (or as many as they could fit in until they were back on duty) be too crass a way to phrase it?
Luke was still caressing her left hand, pulling it up to his lips for a gentle peck every so often. Keeping her gaze locked on those expressive brown eyes of his. No matter the setting, or what was happening all around them, everytime he looked in her direction, his whole demeanor would soften. Frack! Right then, she wanted him even more.
Her left hand - ok, that could be the perfect in.
“Ummm, Newbie-” She spoke softly. “I love-” Fudgesicles, hearing that word still sounded so weird. “- and my hand also loves all the attention it's receiving, but do you think I could have it back so I can finish my coffee before it gets too cold?” He knew she could do the ambidextrous thing, quite decently, for most tasks- however he was also aware she was a bit of a klutz and picking up a ceramic mug containing a hot drink was definitely a job for her (left) dominant hand.
“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry-” He said as if she had startled him out of some deep thoughts. So much so, that he still hadn’t let go of her hand.
“Sooo!?!” She queried in a chuckle, jiggling her hand in his lightly.
“It’s just- ummm-” He brought it back up to his mouth. Planting a few more kisses on it. “I do love this hand so much-” He began stating, his lips a few millimeters from the palm of her hand just before he released it.
She giggled bashfully at the sensation of his breath on her skin. It was doing things to her. Things that made her tingle all over. Things that made her think of a song she knew well. Things that made her interrupt whatever he was saying.
With her trademark sass, she adjusted the lyrics slightly, singing in a low voice, still following the original beat. “???? If you loved it that much then you should have put a ???? - ” All of a sudden the words caught in her throat.
Frankincense! Of all the tunes to sing at him right then!
Fair enough they had known each other a long time. But they had just started dating a few weeks back. They had barely exchanged their I love yous for the very first time not a few minutes prior.
Unsure how to move on, she used her recently released hand to grab the cup in front of her, taking a long sip of her coffee, her gaze trained in the distance, looking at families happily walking in the park across the street.
“ She is right -” He asserted after a couple of minutes.
“Who?” Startled, Garcia turned back to look at him.
“I’m definitely gonna put a ring on it!” Alvez smiled, going back to gently caressing her now free left hand. Concentrating his strokes on and gingerly tapping her ring finger with his right index finger.
“Luke, I’m sorry, I-” She shook her head in disbelief at her treasonous brain. “Fudge! It was one of those slips of the tongue-”
“So you don’t want this?” He posed whilst rummaging in his front jean pocket.
“.-.” She gulped. Was he about to…!?!
She saw him pull his keychain out. Working to remove each key from the ring. Then holding up the beat up silver circle at her. “Naturally, this is just a temporary placeholder- however, the question is very much a permanent one.” He concluded with an expectant, optimistic expression. Her hand still in his, the metal ring hovering in front of her finger.
Fuck! Was it too soon!?! He pondered .
“Yes!” She suddenly squealed, throwing herself over the table at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck.
Guess not! All he could think, overjoyed, whilst she kissed him loudly.
Their two coffee cups clanked noisily under her, the liquid spilled and soaked her, the desserts squished and jammed into her clothes.
They parted to the sound of claps and cheers all around them.
Joe approached their table with a tray and two damp cloths.
“Congratulations guys!” He felicitated, handing one to Luke. “Why don’t I clean this-” He said looking at the drink and food mess on the table. “Whilst you clean those-” He chuckled pointing at Garcia’s clothes.
Luke smiled, taking the rag from his hand, standing next to Garcia.
He heard her hiss and saw her flinch as soon as he took the first swipe across her chest to clean her. He halted, peering in her eyes intently.
“I’m sure you’ll agree with me. It might be better if we go back to my place and put all these clothes-" He pointed at the both of them in turn. “-in the washing machine?”
“Are you trying to profile me again, Newbie?” She smiled mischievously, pulling him against her, transferring some of the mess on his shirt.
“I thought you didn’t hate that anymore?”
“Oh, I’m loving it. Especially when you are right. You are indeed an excellent profiler!” She exclaimed, just before pulling him in for a hungry kiss.
Hunks by LilP7
Story Note:
I should have abided by my own rule not to read abt the upcoming season (17)- but it was Garvez… talking abt Garvez. Well, AMR&KV but same difference.
I didn’t like much what their comments may mean for the ship…- but I couldn’t help agreeing with KV’s statement:
????????????
Vangsness added how significant it is to have Penelope interacting with the "hunks" which we have seen over the entirety of the show with her and Derek Morgan's iconic friendship, Tyler, and Luke. "And I love that they let the character actress, like, usually the character actress does not engage with the hunks and by the grace of God, I get a lot of hunk action! I think it's good for everybody. I think it's good. I think it's good for the world at large.”
????????????
***
In spite of that whole interview, I still hope???…-cos no matter what CME does to them- I still say ??–???’???–?Garvez Lives!!!??–???’???–? even if only in FFs????
Anyhoo- you can read the full interview here if u are interested:
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/kirsten-vangsness-and-adam-rodriguez-dish-on-garvezs-dynamic-in-criminal-minds-evolution-season-17/
On to happier thoughts, here is a one shot that came to me on the back of that great comment!
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Acknowledgement and thanks to Bow_is_best_boi as I continue to use (her) Pablo (LPA) as Alvez's middle name.
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???????
Endnotes: Yep- I see it now, I went full HEA then some… ok but if u’ve read the interview…can u blame me!?!
So yeah, ??–???’???–?GARVEZ LIVES!!!??–???’???–? in FF at least????