Lee agreed that it was warm and Tarin nodded, noting with mild satisfaction that it looked like Lee had managed to get a pretty good workout. That was always a plus. For his part, the run had actually ended up feeling really good, the exertion burning out any remaining tension from the events of the morning.

The problems were still there, but they could be worried about later.

As for sandwiches, ”Something like that…” Tarin said, looking around to get his bearings and walking them through the park in the direction of just such a deli.

”Besides,’ Tarin said, ”The best thing about cold cuts is that you can just put them in the fridge if you don’t want to eat them immediately.”

Lee grinned as she heard Tarin's response. That was very good, because she was rather impatient to get home as well, even if the run had been good.

Following Tarin out of the park, it didn't take very long for them to get to a deli where they got sandwiches and drinks for lunch. That meant that all that was left for them to actually make it home.

Which shouldn't really take too long. ”Should we eat as soon as we get home, or see about that shower first?”

In the grand scheme of things it didn’t take very long to get to the sandwich shop, order, and get back out.

It felt like it took forever though.

Not soon enough they were making their way back towards home and Lee established that she just was not going to stop.

”I dunno…” Tarin said, the nonchalance in his voice contrary to the way he desperately wanted to walk faster.

”They seemed like pretty good sandwiches…I think there’s also a day game today since it’s Saturday.”

He almost said it with a straight face.

Lee smiled as Tarin played along with the teasing. Though he was right, the sandwiches did look good when they ordered them. But that didn’t necessarily mean eating them was the first thing she wanted to do when they got home.

”Oh, there is?” Lee asked about the baseball game, acting like she was pondering the options for a few moments.

”Alright then,” Lee continued with a slight shrug. ”You enjoy your game and sandwich. I think I’ll take a nice long shower.”

”Mmhmmm.” Tarin responded when Lee asked about the game. It actually wasn’t until 2 o’clock, so there really was plenty of daylight to burn between now and then…

And whelp. She had him there.

”But Lee…the whole point of today was to do things together.” he said, as their building came into view.

Thank god.

”I wouldn’t want to go off script.”

”But Lee…the whole point of today was to do things together.”

”Oh, that’s true, isn’t it?” Lee murmured as she glanced over at Tarin. ”Hmmm, how are we going to work this, then? Because I know how important baseball is for you, but I’m not sure I’m wanting to wait that long to have a shower.”

Lee intentionally started to chew on her bottom lip as she ‘thought’ about what they could do as they reached the door of their building.

Lee was playing coy, and Tarin couldn’t help but chuckle as he reached out and snagged the door for her and let them into the lobby, glancing down long enough to see Lee biting her lip again. This time it had to be on purpose.

”You are relentless.” he said, hesitating for just a split second as his eyes darted around the empty lobby between Lee, the stairwell, and the elevator before grabbing her hand and making a beeline for the elevator.

In a stroke of luck the car was there and Tarin took a deep breath, dragging Lee inside with him and immediately hitting the two inward facing triangles that would close the doors, followed by their floor.

It wasn’t a long elevator ride, but the second the doors closed, he was pulling Lee towards him, only slightly hindered by the bag with their food, ”The game isn’t ‘til 2 o’clock, and honestly, I cannot think of a single thing on this planet more important thing that that shower.” he said before leaning down for a kiss.

”You are relentless.”

Lee’s bottom lip slipped out from between her teeth as she grinned, giggling slightly. But then Lee felt Tarin grab her hand, and while her smile faltered slightly due to the surprise, she let him easily pull her with him to the elevator.

And apparently luck, or fate, or just coincidence was smiling on them, as the elevator was already there, and no one was inside.

By the time the doors were closing, Lee’s grin was back in full force and she squeezed Tarin’s hand even as he was pulling her toward him. As Lee looked up into his eyes, her breath caught. ”Good,” Lee whispered as she wrapped her arms around Tarin, returning the kiss.

The elevator lurched to a stop at their floor with its little ding and Tarin broke the kiss just as the doors opened.

Maybe the elevator wasn't so bad, he decided as he stepped through the doors, dropping Lee's hand even though the hallway was empty. Clearly all of the sane people had stayed in their apartments this morning.

Already pulling out his keys as they got to the door, Tarin unlocked it and then they were inside.

It hadn't been long at all since the same scene had played out after they had gotten home from the bar the night that everything had changed. The apartment had the same still quality now that it had had then and as Tarin quickly moved to the kitchen to drop the sandwiches off, he couldn't help but think that he was glad there was no awkward uncertainty this time. Just him and Lee and an empty apartment.

The refrigerator door closed on their lunch and Tarin made his way back into the apartment proper.

As Tarin pulled away and dropped her hand as the elevator reached their floor, Lee couldn’t help but be disappointed. Even if he was technically (and rather well) following the rules that she herself had put into place.

She really needed to make sure that Kevin was alright with her and Tarin being together, and sooner rather than later.

It really didn’t take long for them to get into the apartment, and Tarin made his way straight into the kitchen as Lee made sure the door was closed and locked behind them.

Following him more slowly into the apartment, Lee smiled at Tarin as he re-emerged from the kitchen. ”Ready for that shower?” she asked. Then without even waiting for an answer, Lee turned and started making her way to the bathroom.

As Lee turned and walked away, Tarin couldn’t help the silly little grin that spread across his face as he watched her go.

God he was lucky, he thought as he started making his way down the hall, and he was absolutely ready for that shower.


Some significant time later.

Could it be a perfect day if it had started with you getting punched in the face?

Tarin was seriously considering that the answer might be yes as he and Lee sat on the couch, a proper distance away from one another as Lee had received notice from Kevin that he would be home soon.

It wasn’t just the shower, even if that had been almost too much for words and the memory made him a bit hot under the collar. It had been the rest of the time he’d had with Lee throughout the day.

They’d talked, and laughed, and kissed and cuddled and just…been together in a way that Tarin had never been with anyone.

It was honestly almost panic inducing.

For the first time in his life…He didn’t care.

It was not lost on Tarin that he was falling A over T into this situation with an almost reckless abandon he’d never done anything with in his life and as he looked over at Lee he couldn’t help but sigh a little.

It also wasn’t lost on Tarin that Kavin coming home meant that Robert would be with him.

”Thank you…for a perfect day.” he said, making sure he got it out before there was more potential for drama. The bruise coming up on his left cheek was testimony to the potential.

The day had been amazing. Yes, the shower had been great, as good or better than she had anticipated, so had everything else after that. Eating the sandwiches they’d bought on the way home after their run, sitting on the couch and just being able to cuddle as they talked. How comfortable and natural all of that felt despite how little opportunity they had had before this to actually do any of that. Despite how short of a time they had even really known each other.

Lee had loved it. And as they sat there on the couch, once more with what now felt like a mile of space between them, Lee had a happy little smile on her face as they watched baseball. Even that wasn’t so bad. At absolutely no point in her life had she had any interest in baseball; as a child, when she had been dragged along to Robert’s and then Doug’s baseball games, she hadn’t even sat to watch those. She had always gone to find something else to do nearby because it had just bored her to tears.

Yet, here she was voluntarily watching baseball, again, in her own home.

”Thank you…for a perfect day.”

Lee turned her head to look at Tarin with a smile. And a slight hint of a blush. ”You’re welcome,” Lee whispered. ”You really think it was perfect?”

Unfortunately, right at that moment, a knock came from the front door and Lee’s eyes slipped closed. ”I guess it’s time to see how much of an ass he’s going to be now,” Lee said before pushing herself up off the couch and walking over to the door. After standing there for a moment, she opened it to see her son and brother standing there.

”Did you have a good day?” Lee asked Kevin, not even looking at Robert. ”Why don’t you go put your stuff away?”

Letting Kevin in the door and passed her, Lee turned her eyes to Robert, waiting to see if he was going to say anything again, or just leave.

”Absolutely…” Tarin confirmed, but he didn’t think that Lee had probably heard him because the inevitable knock had come to the door and Lee got up to go answer it.

Technically the living room wasn’t in view of the front door, so when Lee opened it and Kevin came rushing in, Tarin was safely hidden from view…and arms reach.

”Is that baseball?” Kevin said, coming to a halt and looking at a the television quizzically.

”Yup, and the Mets are winning for a change. Do you watch?”

Kevin shook his head to the negative, but stood there behind the couch and Tarin smiled just a little to himself.

Meanwhile in the hallway, Robert stood regarding his sister.

”Can we talk, Em?” he asked, decidedly not trying to enter the apartment.

Kevin entered the apartment and, since Robert didn’t seem to be moving, Lee wasn’t as concerned when she heard her son asking about the baseball game on the TV.

While Robert just stood there and looked down at her. Lee ended up crossing her arms, an eyebrow raised as she stood there staring up at him. And was about to ask what he wanted, or just tell him to leave, when he finally spoke.

”Can we talk, Em?”

Lee just stood there and looked at her brother in surprise for a solid 15 seconds. ”What’s there to talk about?” she finally asked, trying to keep her voice low enough so that Kevin wouldn’t hear what she was saying. ”You made your thoughts about me, my decisions, and about Tarin perfectly clear this morning, Robert.”

”This is Chris Phillips, when his bat’s hot he’s pretty much unstoppable. Problem is, he’s streaky…so he either swings out of his mind or can’t hit a single thing…” Tarin was saying as Kevin leaned on the back of the couch, watching the game in earnest now.

Phillips did his job and smacked a line drive right through the gap and Tarin couldn’t help but grin when Kevin exclaimed, ”Nice!”, watching as Phillips recorded his double.

”What happened to your face?” Kevin said, and Tarin realized he was looking at him.

”Remember what I said about your Mom and leaving dishes in the sink?” he said with a grin and Kevin just shook his head and rolled his eyes then looked back at the game as the next batter stepped into the box.

Robert stood in the hallway waiting as his sister stood and looked at him for that fifteen seconds, then shook his head and stared her down, ”For almost ten years I haven’t had to worry sick every time the news comes on and there’s some kind of wild story about someone torching a city block or going ballistic for no apparent reason.” he said quietly, also trying to keep Kevin out of the middle of everything. ”I didn’t have to worry about showing up somewhere and seeing you like this.” he said, gesturing to her face.

”Then he shows up and all of a sudden we are right back at square one…you have to at least get where I’m coming from Em….” .