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Ziva’s phone went off with a soft ding. She smiled when she saw who the message was from.
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- How does dinner sound? Le Colimaçon? My treat.
Z: That sounds delicious, what time?
- Can I pick you up at 8?
Z: Yes. :-)
- Great. I’ll see you then :)
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She had been sitting with her nerves all day but was looking forward to the dinner date. She needed this, she needed to get dressed up and forget about the day to day worries of life. She had the perfect dress too. A long black dress with a slit that went to her mid thigh and showed off just the right amount of her tanned olive skin. She had been saving it for a special occasion, her treat to herself and her date.
Finishing her simple makeup and making sure her curls were just the way she knew he liked them. She knew she looked good.
As she gave herself one final lookover, there was a knock on her door. Her lips raised in a small smile, the butterflies and nerves in her stomach were still there but had turned into anticipation instead.
She walked to the door, the sound of her heels making light taps on her floors. She paused before turning the handle. She was ready for this.
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She opened the door to see James dressed very nicely and with a sweet smile on his face. The handsome history professor she kept running into each morning at the cafe had finally worked up the nerve to ask her out a month before. They had already gone out twice and this third date, Ziva was truly looking forward to.
She liked James. He was so different from someone she would typically consider for herself. He was easy to talk to and they had quite a few things in common. He loved that she owned a language school and was impressed that she spoke so many languages, although he himself also spoke quite a few. He actually reminded her a little of Schmeil, so animated and eager to dive into conversations about a multitude of topics. He was comfortable to be around and she found herself not only enjoying his company but opening up with stories about her personal life. She told him of Tali and how she was becoming so strong and independent that she really didnt know what to do with the rapid changes that kept coming her way. She told him of her NCIS family and her desire to find a place where she belonged and that NCIS had been that place for so long.
They talked over dinner about so many things, the hours melded together and soon they were the last couple in the restaurant. The meal was delicious and from the twinkle in his eyes and the sly smile adorning Ziva’s face, they were both interested in getting their desert to go.
They walked hand in hand through the streets of Paris, talking and enjoying each other’s company. She was content and slightly tipsy, the merlot had warmed her up and loosened any nerves or stress about the thought of taking things to the next level. She could do this, she could be content. She could find ease in a life spent with someone who was so similar to herself.
They arrived at their eventual destination, the large intricate wooden door that would lead them upstairs to Ziva’s apartment. The only barrier between the next level of their relationship and their current one.
Ziva smiled at James and asked very politely “Would you care to join me for more wine and talking? Truthfully, I am not ready for the night to end.”
He smiled back and grabbed her hand. “Lead the way”
She led him up the stairs and back to the same door the night had started with, she walked in and closed the door behind him. The soft music playing in the background put on earlier in anticipation of the evening continuing after dinner.
She made her way to the kitchen, grabbing 2 wine glasses and a bottle of merlot, her favorite. They made themselves comfortable on the couch, enjoying a conversation about their favorite authors and the intricacies of life that writing can bring up.
There was a pause in the conversation as they looked at each other, the air becoming charged with interest in the other. Ziva set her glass down and took her place next to him, her hands sliding up his chest to wrap around his neck and pull his lips to hers. A bold move on her part for their first kiss but a happily accepted one based on the hungry grasp that James had on her waist as Ziva slipped onto his lap.
They kissed on the couch, exploring each other and reveling in the feel of their bodies together. When their touches became too desperate for their current state, they worked their way to her bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes to be picked up in the morning.
Kissing and touching led to the eventual joining of their bodies, heavy breathing and warm air filled the space as they enjoyed each other.
Ziva was breathless and on the edge when she pushed her head back and with a needy and desperate sigh she called out
“Tony”
The silence was incredibly loud as their bodies stilled and the realization hit the both of them. James moved to the side and laid next to Ziva. Neither said anything for a few minutes, not entirely sure how to break the ice of their current situation.
Eventually James asked “So, uh, Tony is Tali’s dad?”
Ziva gulped and replied with a quiet yes.
James took a deep breath and tried to think of the easiest way to have this conversation.
“Ziva, I really like you. But this has made it pretty evident that you still have unresolved feelings for Tony and I really am not looking to be the next best for someone.”
Ziva opened her mouth to defend herself, to defend that she had moved on and was capable of an adult relationship 4 years after breaking up with her fiance and the love of her life. But she quickly closed her mouth. The defense dying as she came to her own realizations.
James slipped out of the bed and gathered up his clothes from the different rooms, Ziva still stuck in place on her bed, the night having weighed her down.
He came in one last time “Ziva, I really hope you find the happiness you’re looking for” he told her before walking away and quietly shutting her door behind him.
Ziva stayed there still, the reverberations and feelings flowing through her, threatening to cascade into a waterfall of tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat, rolled over to her bed side table to retrieve the ring that brought her so much comfort and so much heartache. She placed it on the pillow next to her, covered herself in her comforter and cried herself to sleep.
She had really liked James.