3
Friday rolled around rather quickly after the lunch that started it all. That same afternoon, after Alex spent her day at court like she said she would, Casey was officially promoted to Senior ADA once she signed her contract in Alex’s office, and now four days later they both decided to celebrate over a glass of whiskey after maintenance came by Casey’s and changed the golden letters that already decorated the door, six new ones on display.
“I could get used to this” Casey said as she swirled the ice floating around the amber liquid in her glass, taking a sip and letting it invade with its oaky flavour each taste bud, following with a burning sensation to finalize with the numbing on top.
Alex and Casey were sitting in opposite sides of the couch at the redhead’s office, shoes long lost somewhere on the floor and blouses with one or two more buttons undone than what would be deemed court appropriate. They were the last two people remaining at work besides security guards, and so the only light that brightened the space came from the lamp sitting on Casey’s desk.
“To what? Drinking in the office?” Alex teased, taking a sip from her drink as well, Casey just rolled her eyes in response.
“You know, I’ve drank more being with you these last few days than with the whole squad in the last month. So really, what does that say about you?” she quipped back, shifting a little on the couch and letting her head rest over her available hand.
“That I’m a bad influence” she said placing her glass over the coaster on the coffee table as she lifted her arms in surrender, giving her coworker a smirk after putting them back down.
“Should’ve known. I’ve always had a thing for bad girls” Casey said casually while taking another sip and then putting her drink down on her lap. It took her less than two seconds to start tapping her fingers continuously against the cold glass. She didn’t notice Alex kept quiet longer than normal. By now she usually would get a witty response to her flirty, and somewhat innocent, comment, but the blonde woman just looked at her. Stared, really. When Casey finally noticed the silence that had settle, looking up from where her hand were still playing, now chasing the droplets from the condensation that trail down leaving small wet patches on the fabric of her skirt, she was met by two blue eyes that looked at her like she had grown another head. “Why are you looking at me like that? Never been around a lesbian before, Cabot?” she knew that the older woman meant no harm by her actions, if you can even call them that, but she still found amusing a nonverbal Alex and gladly took any chance to tease her.
“Shut up, Novak” Alex said as she rolled her eyes and grabbed her drink from the coaster “I just didn’t realize you were part of the club too. And my gaydar is excellent” she huffed and took a sip, a bigger one than the ones before. She wasn’t sure what part of her brain had made that decision though.
“C’mon Alex, I play softball” she said and had earned a full hearted but quick laugh from the blonde “Don’t laugh so much, you’re a textbook lesbian too”
“How so?” the older woman asked arching an eyebrow. Something about the way she did that made Casey’s spine shiver.
“I’ll only say this” she began and grabbed her glass from her lap to keep it from spilling and so she could lean in closer to the other woman, like she was about to reveal a secret at a 7th grade sleepover. Alex did the same, a little too invested in what Casey had to say, “the glasses are your biggest giveaway” she murmured and then smirked.
Neither of them pulled away at first. Alex had laughed at the insight she was given but then had fixed on the way the redhead’s lip curved, noticing traces left by the light red lipstick she had worn during the day. She then took the opportunity to look at her face, trying to remember how she looked in the morning when she had arrived, clearly more put together but somehow still stunningly beautiful. Her cheeks and nose were being covered by a slight blush, probably the whiskey doing its work, and her eyebrows were relaxed, no frown visible. Here gaze looked around everywhere until she finally was met by two green and glossy eyes, a little bit of red surrounding them too. They reminded Alex of the world. The thought of them being the most beautiful pair she’s ever seen crossed her mind in an instant. She was so lost in them. Casey eventually caught up to the moment happening before her and realized their eyes were now locked. She hadn’t done or said anything about the staring, not wanting to startle the blonde, secretly enjoying being looked at like that. It’s not something that she could say about anyone though, it felt good because it was her.
The flirting had always been there between them, well, those last four days. It was part of both of their personalities, and they knew it, having using it for their own advantage at work more times than they could count. So neither of them let any kind of lingering smile or playful remark be anything more than just that, until now.
Casey had thought of it, of course she had. Who in their right mind wouldn’t entertain the idea of letting something, anything, happen with the woman whose eyes she couldn’t stop looking at. She thought it was a simple crush, that she only was surrendering herself to the fact that she was incredibly gorgeous, it was a thought she didn’t let settle too much in her brain though, in case it would turn into something else: with thoughts came wants, and with wants came needs, and she definitely didn’t want to need Alex Cabot, she feared that it would only cause her trouble, that she’d become addicted to her, but at the same time she wanted nothing more but to throw herself at the blonde, let her have her way with her and do anything she wanted. She was pining with anticipation, afraid to move, to breathe too loudly, her hands were shaking from holding back from grabbing her right then and there and planting a kiss on her plump, probably cold from her drink, pink lips. The alcohol in her system wasn’t playing fair.
On the other hand, Alex’s heart was going a thousand miles per hour, she thought it might fly out of her chest if she didn’t get it under control soon. When she got herself out of the trance she seemed to be in, she became incredibly anxious, feeling like a child being caught doing something they weren’t supposed to, but also from the excitement of having Casey so close to her. She felt like a schoolgirl with a crush. She had noticed she smiled every time Casey entered the room and found herself looking forward for more moments where they were only the two of them. Throughout the week they had kept each other company at the office, discussing cases they were working over Chinese takeout or just letting themselves drift into a light-hearted conversation with a nightcap in their hands, much like tonight was intended to be. It had been effortless for her to integrate this as part of her routine. She liked having her around, and she wasn’t sure if she could ever walk away from it.
Just then the blonde’s gaze shifted for a second, going from the eyes to stop again over Casey’s lips and then went right back to where they came from, feeling like the indiscretion might be too much if she let herself linger any longer. The younger woman, with a sense of courage she could only pin in the two glasses of whiskey she’d had so far, because in no other circumstances would she have dared to move her head forward like she did right at that moment, stopped just as she was about to graze over Alex’s lips with her own. The blonde inhaled sharply, backing away slightly being caught off guard by Casey’s advancement.
“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have…” Casey began saying, suddenly being pulled out of the fever dream she seemed to be in and being brought back to reality. A much colder, humiliating, reality. She brushed her hand over her forehead, like she couldn’t believe what she had done. She stood quickly, immediately looking for her shoes. She was panicking. Alex, not knowing what to say and with her mind completely blank, sat there and looked as the redhead moved around the room in a frenzy, not once aiming her eyes in her direction. She was trying to figure out what to do.
Is this what she wanted?
Hell yeah.
Was it appropriate?
Probably not.
Did she care?
Absolutely not.
If she could only get her wabbly legs to fucking move. Look pass her anxious thoughts. Let herself do something just because she felt like it, or in this case, because she felt like she needed it.
Eventually Casey found her heels and picked them up by the straps at the back, like she couldn’t be bothered to put them on at the moment, she then proceeded to grab her coat from the back of her desk chair, ready to leave as fast as possible. This last action seemed to have awaken something in the older woman, because just as Casey walked over to the door so she could run to hail a cab and get home, she felt a grip around her wrist, she was turned around in a swift motion and ended up face to face with Alex again, just as close as they were before, maybe even more.
“Don’t be sorry” was all she said in a low and breathy voice, neither of them knowing if she meant it for the apology the redhead had given her seconds ago or if it was a command, a pleading, asking her to not regret anything of what was about to happen.
With eyes closed, Alex let herself end the agonizingly small gap between them. It was pure bliss. She pressed a firm but tender kiss against Casey’s lips, no rush, with one of her hands securely around her waist and the other grabbing her head, tangling her fingers in strawberry blonde locks, as if she was going to bolt if her grip was any looser. Casey, with shoes in one arm and her coat in the other didn’t quite know what to do. She was about to leave and probably avoid contact with the woman whose mouth was currently encasing hers, she was cursing herself for being so forward before, she was embarrassed and her brain couldn’t stop the overthinking from creeping inside like it usually did, but now that Alex was the one who made the move she allowed herself to relax and indulge in this new and captivating sensation, moving her lips in a what felt like a familiar rhythm, like she’s done this before somehow. She was right when she thought it would be addictive, and oh did she love being right.
Finally, they had to come up for air, damn the laws of nature, and Alex pulled away slightly, not before returning quickly to leave a smaller and softer kiss, eyes opening slowly and turning directly to scan Casey’s face, expectant to see how the other woman would react.
“So this is the raise for Senior ADAs you were talking about, huh?” Casey blurted out before she could think of anything more romantic, leave it to her to joke around a first kiss with her crush. “Because if this is what I have to do to pay for the damages to the blazer I would’ve started much sooner, counsellor” she continued with all intents to fluster the blonde even more.
“Shut up” Alex said rolling her eyes, now resting both her hands around Casey’s waist, her thumb moving ever so slightly, a big grin spreading across her face when she felt her settle into the motion.
“Gladly” was all she said before moving forward in search for another kiss, her lips being met halfway and the stuff that moments ago were being held so tightly in her arms, aiming for scape, now were dropped carelessly on the floor so she could wrap herself around Alex’s shoulders, one hand resting on the back of her neck to bring her closer as their mouths danced around each other as if they were on a mission. They were studying each other, tasting, pulling and tracing everything at their disposal, they were lost in the feeling of how their lips fit like they were made for the other and they dreaded the idea of ever having to stop.
“We should go” Alex said as Casey pulled away after what felt like hours of making out resembling a couple of teenagers. They wouldn’t move on from kissing, but they also wouldn’t dare to let it end if they could avoid it.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right” she replied trying to catch her breath, nudging to a passing guard that seemed to be in one of their many nightly strolls.
“I don’t want to though” her blue eyes came back to looking at green ones after watching the man disappear around a corner, her hands still firmly around her waist.
“Me neither” Casey let her fingers lose the grip they had in the now messy blonde locks, letting them trail down until they reach the sides of Alex’s arms, and moved them up and down caressing them. She took a deep breath, like she was trying to gain some composure, and let her head fell forward slightly “but I have to be in court first thing tomorrow morning or Petrovsky will have my ass” she chuckled, bringing the judge to the conversation seemed like an instant mood killer.
“I know” Alex whispered as she placed a kiss over her temple. That was a new kind of kiss for them, but it did not pass as unwanted. Casey pulled herself away a little and smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her again, she couldn’t get enough, but much to her dislike she made it a quick one, trying to make the responsible choice “C’mon, let’s go. But put your shoes on this time” Casey shoved her away in a playful manner at her remark but did as she was told.
After they both had gathered their stuff and made themselves a little bit more presentable, they headed out, Casey making sure she locks the door to her office. They walked towards the elevator side by side, both pair of hands tucked neatly in their respective pockets, neither of them knowing what to do with them now that they weren’t roaming along each other’s backs. The ride to the first floor was quiet but quick, the truth is Alex would’ve pinned the other woman to the wall and kissed her again but decided to use her better judgement and avoid possible trouble due to the security camera that sat in the left corner.
They stepped outside the building, letting the cool air of the night take their heart rates down a notch, bringing them back to a less passionate reality.
“You’re taking a cab home?” Alex asked looking at Casey after a few seconds of silence.
“Yeah. I would usually walk but I’m too tired” she told the older woman as she searched for anything resembling a yellow car “and it’s too late anyway for me to do that I think”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you” the blonde said with an apologetic, almost a concerned look in her eyes, like if troubling Casey was some unthinkable thing to do.
“Mmm… I think you did” Casey teased, this time turning her head slightly to offer Alex a smug grin.
“Let me take you home” Alex offered, she hated the idea of letting Casey go alone all the way back to her apartment at almost midnight.
“Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’re tired too, I don’t want you going out of your way”
“It’s not out of my way” she told her with a serious tone in her voice.
“Alex, we literally live on opposite sides of town” Casey said, trying to reason with her. It was true, while the redhead lived near the upper west side, Alex had her apartment at the other side of central park from where she lived “I’ll be fine with taking a cab, in fact, here comes one” she lifted her hand to get the drivers attention, but it passed down the street without slowing down.
“You sure?” Alex said with a smile, now sure that the younger woman would take her up on her offer after being ignored like that.
“Fine” was all Casey said as she followed Alex to her car.
After they both got in and were buckled up Alex started the engine “Can you put in your address?” she asked as she motioned to the GPS place over the dashboard. Casey didn’t need to be told twice and typed in the destination.
It was a quiet drive. Alex had both of her hands at the wheel, eyes focused deeply on the road ahead of them as the car took them through the not so quiet streets of the city. It was a Friday night after all and there was a fair share of people that preferred spending their evening inside a noisy and sticky club. After a short ten minutes they arrived in front of Casey’s apartment building, it was nice, and that seemed to relax the blonde just enough to not think too much about it later.
“Thank you, you really didn’t have to do this” Casey unbuckled her belt and turned slightly on the passenger seat so she could take a better look at Alex as she thanked her.
“It was my absolute pleasure” she said with a smile, she wanted to lean in and kiss the redhead again but also didn’t want to push her into doing something she wasn’t comfortable with. Kissing in the privacy of her office was one thing but kissing her inside a car parked in the sidewalk of the place she lived was an entirely different story, it seemed a little too bold even for her.
“Goodnight, Alex” Casey leaned in and placed her lips over her cheek, then opened the car and stepped outside, leaving Alex blushing at her seat.
“Goodnight, Casey” she said just before the door closed, she didn’t drive off though, she waited patiently for Casey to get inside and make sure she would be safe.
Casey went up to her apartment, finally after a long day of lawyering, drinking, and as it turns out, kissing. She struggled a while to find her keys inside her jacket, not remembering in which pocket she stashed them earlier in the day when she had left, finally she managed to find them and used them to the best of her abilities. As she closed the door behind her she allowed herself to let out a deep breath and rest her back against the cold hard wood, eyes closed, all the emotions of the last hour rushing through her mind.
‘What the fuck just happened?’