Chapter Text
It was just another night out with friends. You’ve been the designated driver for years. You’re not really sure why you continue to go out with them. They are always getting drunk while you drink water all night not wanting to mix it with your Xanax. So it’s just another night of forcing laughter and faking smiles like you’re actually enjoying yourself. You’ve grown tired of the same lonely situation but it’s the phase your friends are still in. Your insecurities make it hard to meet new people so you just stick it out with this group of friends and their party phase.
As your gaze wanders across the room an older gentleman dressed to the nines in a three piece suit catches your eye. He is definitely over dressed for this bar. He’s handsome though. And before you know it his eyes meet yours and you’ve been caught staring. You smile shyly as he smirks at you from across the room. He returns his attention to his conversation but your eyes remain on him.
You notice his three piece suit is clearly custom tailored as it fits him just right. It’s a medium grey suit with a stark white shirt and nice pale purple tie. You find yourself wondering what color his eyes are and how they might go with the tie he is currently wearing. You’re not sure how much time has gone by but you find him looking back at you again and you realize you never stopped staring at him. There is a question in his gaze this time and an arch in his brow. It’s almost as if he is asking you, “Have we met?” from across the room. You bring your attention to your glass of water and when you glance back his direction he isn’t there anymore.
When you look around the room you find him walking towards you, but now he has a fedora on his head that matches the grey of his suit. You shyly go back to your water and try to engage yourself into the conversation among your friends. After a few moments there is a warmth next to you and you hear someone clearing their throat. You look in that direction and find the handsome gentleman in the three piece suit looking at you with his head cocked to the side and a smirk on his face. Your gaze works its way up to his face before you give him a small smile. The pale purple tie accents his soft grey eyes beautifully. He introduces himself and starts a playful conversation with you.
You find yourself no longer faking your laugh or even your smile as you continue conversation with the gentleman, who you have learned to be Raymond, Raymond Reddington. He claims his friends call him Red. He is quick with witty remarks and genuinely making you laugh more than you have in months. You start picking up on some of his adorable quirks. The way he rolls his tongue around in his mouth as he comes up with his next quick wit response. The slight twitch in his cheek under his left eye when you ask a more personal question from time to time. The slight bite of the inside of his left cheek with those same personal questions. You feel like you’re hiding the conversation away from your friends not wanting to share the man’s attention with anyone else, as no one has tried to join your conversation or pull the two of you into theirs.
You excuse yourself to the restroom. You find yourself staring in the mirror at the smiling girl in the reflection and giggling lightly to yourself. You’re simply wonderstruck with this man tonight. You don’t recall the last time you truly smiled and laughed like this. As you break your trance and exit the restroom you find Red at the jukebox looking through songs. You lean your back up against the jukebox. He glances over at you with a smirk, “Any requests?”
His deep voice sends a vibration through your body. You lean more into the jukebox and put some genuine thought into what you could request. You can feel his eyes on you as he watches you. You turn to stand in front of the jukebox with him. Your shoulder pressed to his as you press in the buttons to a song you have requested plenty of times without even scanning the options or telling him what is. This peeks his interest as he watches you.
The song you just punched in starts playing almost instantly as the previous song just ended. You close your eyes feeling the rhythm of the song as it starts and swaying your body as you back away from the jukebox. You sing along with the song as you move your hips and head along with the beat with your eyes still closed. He turns from the jukebox to watch you.
“I see you calling
I didn't wanna leave you like that
It's five in the morning, yeah, yeah
A hundred on the dash
'Cause my wheels are rolling
Ain't taking my foot off the gas
And it only took the one night
To see the end of the line
Staring deep in your eyes, eyes”
You open your eyes as you continue to sing the song and dance by yourself. You’re making eye contact with Red as he is just leaning his backside against the jukebox and sipping on his whiskey watching you. He has a smirk on his face as he watches you.
“Dancing on the edge, 'bout to take it too far
It's messing with my head, how I mess with your heart
If you wake up in your bed, alone in the dark
I'm sorry, gotta leave before you love me”
You lick your lips seductively while you continue singing the song and looking into his eyes.
“Ay, ay, leave before you love me
Ay, ay, leave before you love me
Ay, ay, leave before you love me
Ay, ay, leave before you love me”
You bring yourself closer to him and place your right hand on his shoulder while you’re still swaying your hips to the beat of the song. He doesn’t move he just continues to watch you with a smirk on his face, his left hand in his pocket and his drink in his right hand, while you’re still singing the song.
“I'm so good at knowing
Of when to leave the party behind
Don't care if they notice, yeah, yeah, no
I'll just catch a ride”
You bring your hips closer to his as he stands up straighter and removes his left hand from his pocket but leaves it hanging by his side. You lean into his left ear softly whispering the next few lines.
“I'd rather be lonely, yeah
Than wrapped around your body too tight
Yeah, I'm the type to get naked
Won't give my heart up for breaking
'Cause I'm too gone to be stayin', staying' (dancing on)”
You hear his breath hitch as you take a step back again and remove your hand from his shoulder to look into his eyes as you continue to sway your hips. You see the slight twitch under his left eye again and his tongue swirl around in his mouth as he is watching you. The smug smirk hasn’t left his face.
“Dancing on the edge, 'bout to take it too far
It's messing with my head, how I mess with your heart
If you wake up in your bed, alone in the dark
I'm sorry, gotta leave before you love me
Ay, ay, leave before you love me
Ay, ay, leave before you love me
Ay, ay, leave before you love me
Ay, ay, leave before you love me
Dancing on the edge, take it too far
Messing with my head, how I mess with your heart
I'm sorry, alone in the dark
I'm sorry
Ay, ay, leave before you love me”
As the song dwindles out he is about to say something but your friend interrupts saying they are ready to go home. You give him a small smile as an apology, “I gotta go.”
He smiles back at you as he reaches into his pocket briefly. As he removes his hand from his pocket he takes your right hand in his. He brings your knuckles to his lips and places a soft kiss there as you feel a card being pushed into your hand and he closes your hand around it.
You feel your friend tug at your left hand pulling you away from him. He smirks as he sees you look back at him before your friend gets you pulled completely out of his view. The song playing on the jukebox catches his attention when he no longer sees you.
“Yeah, I don't want to hurt
There's so much in this world
To make me bleed
Stay with me
You're all I see
Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't, I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
As I come clean
I wonder everyday
As I look upon your face
Everything you gave
And nothing you would take
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave”