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8:00 PM FRIDAY NIGHT IN LOS ANGELES, MAC’S HOUSE AND ALSO AT RILEY’S APARTMENT... THEY ARE GOING ON THEIR FIRST DATE...
It had been a week since Riley retuned to the Phoenix after completing her undercover mission to end the nanotrackers for good, with the help of her students from the Brink; Brooklyn and Sara.
After Matty told her that the nanotrackers were still in play and could be a threat to anyone all over the world; Riley accepted the mission that required only her skill set and no one else’s but it came at a cost.
Riley would have no backup from the Phoenix - the only backup she could have was from the Brink.
She would also have to pretend to quit the Phoenix, leaving her job and everyone she cared about, behind.
Especially Mac.
Leaving him in the dark was the worst part for Riley.
Before she could even leave her apartment and begin her mission though; Riley was surprised by Mac showing up, looking for answers.
He didn’t know why she left and was determined to know the truth.
Riley refused to tell him what was really going on, even though she wanted to so badly.
For Mac; he couldn’t believe Riley was leaving. Not that along ago, he and Desi broke up for good after the team discovered her fiancé, Evan; was still alive and being held captive.
The team rescued him but Mac and Desi knew what this would lead to. The end of their relationship.
It did hurt but Mac soon got over it and moved on.
It didn’t hurt too badly as Mac was secretly harbouring feelings for Riley and now that he and Desi were over; he had hoped that after some time had passed; maybe he and Riley could give things a go but to then hear that she quit without a explanation, confused him.
That’s what brought him to her place. He wanted answers but she wasn’t giving in.
The two got into a heated argument - something they have never done before with each other.
Both yelled at each other, with some personal confessions being made.
Confessions like how they both truly felt and what they meant to each other.
Mac even repeated the words “You mean the world to me and I trust you. Implicitly.” after the heat had died between them and they were beginning to calm down.
Those were the exact words he told her on the jet after their mission overseas which involved them inhaling the nanotrackers and once Riley heard them again; she felt a warmth inside her heart. Something she couldn’t ignore.
Emotions were still a bit high and hearts were racing as Mac and Riley stared into each other’s eyes, after they got everything they wanted to say off their chest.
Before they even knew it, Riley pulled Mac in close and the two kissed for the first time.
For both of them; it was like the whole world was frozen in time and it was just them.
Together in the moment.
It felt amazing.
The two lost themselves in the kiss; feeling the warmth, passion, desire but most importantly of all, love.
Once the two departed their lips for some air, the two held each other in their arms, pressing their foreheads.
After the amazing kiss they just had, now came the hardest part for both of them.
Letting Riley go.
Mac didn’t want her to leave, nor did he want her to go alone but Mac told her that he trusted her, the same way she trusted him when everyone thought he had gone rogue and joined Codex last year.
Riley promised him that she won’t be gone forever and she will come back.
Come back to the team.
Come back to him.
So, Mac told her once agin he trusted her and will wait for her.
Feeling moved by his words again, Riley pressed her lips against Mac’s for another kiss, filled with warmth, passion and love like their first kiss.
After that; Mac watched her leave with her suitcase.
And then; he just waited.
Waited for 5 days; continuing on with his life.
Working at the Phoenix, going on missions like usual and whenever he was at home, he thought about Riley.
The kiss they had. How it felt.
Then one morning; the sound of his phone ringing woke him up and he answered it.
His eyes were still blurry from waking up, that he barely saw who’s name on the screen that was calling him.
It was Riley.
Once he heard her voice; Mac immediately jumped up out of bed and was fully awake.
He was happy to hear her voice and she felt the same about him.
He asked how was she, where she was and was she ok.
To his surprise; Riley told him that she was back home and more specifically at the Phoenix with Matty in the war room, waiting for him and everyone else to come.
Matty was watching Riley as she called Mac and saw the smile on her face as she spoke to Mac, making Matty form a small smile.
She could tell something happened between them before Riley left but she decided to leave it between them.
Mac told Riley that he was on her way and immediately ran to get changed.
When he arrived at the Phoenix; he saw the other’s hadn’t arrived yet and it was still Riley and Matty by themselves.
Once the two saw each other; Mac walked up to her and the two immediately hugged.
Not long after that, everyone else showed up - with Bozer hugging Riley as he was happy to see her as well.
Russ and Desi were confused as they thought Riley had quit but Desi was happy to see her too.
It was here that Riley and Matty explained everything to them; informing them that the nanotrackers were still in play and they needed to be stopped permanently.
They admitted that Matty gave Riley a mission that couldn’t be traced back to the Phoenix.
She would have to go alone, only having backup from the Brink.
Riley then revealed what she did with Brooklyn and Sara. How they stopped the nanotrackers and made sure they could never be brought back.
It was over and while the team were beyond happy; Russ wasn’t particularly happy that Matty kept this from him but one glance of her famous death stare at him, made Russ shut up.
The team was then joined by Brooklyn and Sara, with Matty offering them a job, even though Russ felt like objecting to the idea - he quickly gave in and showed them around the Phoenix with everyone, while Riley and Mac stayed behind in the war room.
They acted shy and awkward; both saying “So...” to each other as they wondered how to start the conversation they both wanted to discuss.
The two eventually talked and admitted they wanted to give things a go with each other, laying down some ground rules.
Things like holding off from sleeping with each other and being professional at work, keeping their emotions and feelings in check when they were out in the field.
Their jobs were dangerous and they had to focus, not always worry about each other.
Once the rules were set; Mac wrapped his arms around her waist, while she did the same around his neck.
Mac playfully and gleefully asked that after Riley was settled back in, could he take her out on a date.
Forming a smile at him; Riley happily said yes and the two shared a kiss.
A kiss both waited 5 days to have.
And now; here they were, a week later.
Tonight was Mac and Riley’s first date.
Awkwardness and a small bit of panic was what Mac and Riley were both feeling as they were at their own places - in their bedrooms, staring at their mirrors with a pile of neatly lined up clothes on their beds.
Mac was wearing a grey suit with a blue tie.
He looked smart and good in it but he wasn’t feeling it.
He looked at his reflection, seeing what he was wearing and immediately felt wrong about it.
“Ugh...” he sighed before walking to his bed and started to get changed again.
Over at Riley’s apartment; she stared at her mirror as she finished moving some curls of her hair back before placing her hands on her hips.
She wore a blue shoulder strap dress with the two straps over her exposed shoulders.
At first, Riley was feeling it.
She felt this was the dress to wear as her eyes trailed up and down over what she was wearing.
But after a few seconds, she quickly changed her mind.
“Nope.” She said, shaking her head before heading to her bed to pick another dress.
Back at Mac’s house; he was now wearing a black suit with a black tie.
Since he was by himself with no one watching him - Mac played with his hair a bit to make it look straight before nodding and winking at himself in the mirror.
“I look good. This could be the one.” He told himself.
He felt confident about the suit.
His eyes trailed up and down the suit, acting positive about it.
But once he was done, he looked back up and stared at himself for a few seconds before his confidence quickly went out the window.
“No. Ugh... why is this so hard ?” He asked himself before returning to his bed to pick another suit...
Again.
Back at Riley’s place; she returned to her mirror, now wearing a dark purple dress - with her shoulders exposed and a zipper on the back of the dress
She struggled to do the zipper up by herself but she managed to do it up after a few minutes.
Riley put on a smile, trying so hard to convince herself that this dress was the one but it didn’t last.
She just started shaking her head at her reflection.
“No, no, no ! Ugh !” She sighed in frustration.
Riley then decided to grab her phone and call Mac, who immediately picked up his phone once he saw it was her calling.
Part of him was worried that it was Matty calling to tell him they have a mission, when he first heard his phone ring before picking it up.
He didn’t want that.
This was his and Riley’s night.
They’ve both been looking forward to this.
“Riles, hey !” He said, sitting on his bed and moving the pile of clothes away with his hand.
“Hey... you’re not waiting outside for me already, are you ?” Riley asked.
Mac promised he would pick her up in his truck.
“No, why ?” He asked back.
“It’s just... well... i’m struggling to decide what to wear for our date.” She admits.
Mac was kinda surprised to hear she was going through the same thing he was.
“Really ?” He asked.
“Yep.” Riley replied.
Mac then formed a smile on his face.
“If it helps; I’m struggling too.” Mac reveals.
“Seriously ?” She asks, raising a eyebrow.
Mac takes a glance at the pile of clothes still on his bed.
“Yep. Got a pile of clothes laying on my bed next to me and I can’t decide what to wear. I’ve wore two suits, thinking they look good to wear for tonight but then I suddenly get changed again.” Mac tells her.
“Mac... us struggling what to wear for our date... you don’t think this is a sign...” she said before Mac stopped her.
He knew where she was going and immediately tried to reassure her.
“Riley, no. This is not a bad sign telling us that we shouldn’t do this. I want this to happen, believe me. More than anything. I’ve been looking for to our date.” Mac reassures Riley, making her smile.
“Me too.” She tells him, making him smile as well.
“Does this restaurant have a certain dress code or something ? I really can’t decide what to wear.” Riley asks.
Mac then decides to screw it.
He and Riley have been waiting for this date and they should be able to enjoy it and be themselves.
“You know what ? Who cares. This is us, we’re talking about here. We know each other. We don’t have to go big or make a huge effort. This our first date. Sure; we want it to be rememberable and special but we should just be ourselves. We shouldn’t have to change who we are because of it.” Mac says.
“You think so ?” She asks.
“Absolutely. Riley; I want to be with you and date you because it’s you. The woman I have adored and admired so much for the past 5 years. You don’t have to change just because we are starting to date each other, and neither do I. Let’s just be ourselves.” Mac says with confidence.
Riley begins nodding and forms a smile.
She was feeling more confident now, thanks to Mac.
“You know what ? You’re right. This is us, not a blind date with a stranger or anything like that. We should be ourselves and if there is a dress code, screw it. Screw the dress code.” She says.
“Screw the dress code.” Mac repeated, making them both let out a chuckle.
“Alright; i’m just gonna pick something and wear it. Then, i’ll been on my way to pick you up.” Mac says.
“Alright then. See you soon.” Riley says before they both hang up.
Now that the two were feeling a bit more confident inside, they decided to just go for it and choose something.
10 MINUTES LATER AT RILEY’S APARTMENT...
Riley once again stood infront of her mirror, now wearing a black dress with her shoulders exposed and part of her left leg was also exposed too.
It was the dress she wore at the Veterans Annual Charity Dinner she, Mac, Bozer and Matty attended a few years ago, where they met Eileen Brennan, who later turned out to be The Ghost’s daughter.
And damn, she looked great in it.
Riley looked great in anything she wore.
“Yeah... this is definitely the one.” Riley said.
She then hears her front door knocks and smiles, having a good idea who’s there.
She walks to the door and opens to see Mac standing there, wearing his blue suit with a black tie and a white shirt.
He took in her beauty as his eyes trailed up and down all over her.
“Wow... you look amazing.” Mac says with a smile.
Riley slightly blushes and let’s out a small chuckle.
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself, Angus.” She replies.
Mac loved whenever she called him Angus.
“So... you ready to see where this night takes us ?” He asks.
“Absolutely.” Riley says, grabbing her purse and locking her front door.
Once she was done; Riley turns around to see Mac offering his hand out to her and she gladly accepts it.
The two held hands, their fingers interlocking with each other as they left her apartment and headed to the restaurant for their date.
AT SHANGHAI ROSE... KNOWN TO BE IN THE TOP TEN LOS ANGELES’ BEST CHINESE RESTAURANTS...
Riley and Mac put on a brave smile as they sat at their booth.
They were finally having their date but now that they were here; some of the awkwardness had come back, alongside some nervousness as well.
The two tried to make conversation with each other but they just didn’t know how.
They felt a bit weird being here like this.
They definitely were looking forward to their date for sure and they managed to overcome their problem with choosing the right thing to wear, earlier but sitting opposite each other not as friends but as two casual people on a date, still felt a bit weird.
They had already ordered and now we’re just waiting for their meal to arrive.
Riley nervousness moved a curl of her hair away from her ear, while Mac took a sip of his drink.
The two even looked around their surroundings, seeing other couples enjoying their time, while Mac rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness.
“So... um... what did you order again ?” Mac asks, trying to strike up a conversation.
“Oh... it was the... um... Sesame Chicken. You ?” She asks him.
“The Beef Chowfun with Soy Sauce.” He answered her.
“That sounds nice.” She replies, nodding her head.
“Yeah... it does.” Mac says.
The two stare at each other, not sure what to say next.
Riley eventually placed her hands gently on the table and sighed at Mac.
“Why is this so weird ? We’ve eaten together, before.” Riley asks.
“Because those meals were either cooked by Bozer or we ordered in. This is different because... well; we’re on a date. This is a whole new dynamic for us.” Mac explained.
“Yeah.” Riley said in a quiet tone, realising that he was right.
Feeling the need to comfort her the best he can; Mac gently holds Riley’s hand.
“Hey, I get it. Your nervous. I’m nervous too and this is new for us. We’ve dated other people but we’ve haven’t date each other before. But I know we can get though this. I mean; we did manage to overcome our clothing situation earlier, didn’t we ?” Mac tells her with a smirk, which made Riley chuckle and smile.
“Yeah, we did.” Riley says.
“Let’s just use the same advice from earlier and be ourselves. Let’s just enjoy ourselves and not worry about anything.” Mac suggests.
“I like the sound of that idea.” Riley tells him.
“Me too.” Mac replies with a smile.
The two lean in close and are about to press their lips together for a kiss but just before their lips touch; a loud bang goes off, stopping the two from kissing and getting theirs and everyone else’s attention.
Everyone looks towards the direction of where the restaurant’s kitchen is and can hear the manager shouting in Chinese.
“What’s going on ?” Riley asks, turning around to look at Mac.
He shakes her head at her, looking confused as well.
The manager continues shouting some more in Chinese at his employees before coming out of the huge door.
Everyone could see some smoke coming from inside the kitchen, just before the huge door closes behind the manager.
The guy then holds his hands together and calmly talks to his customers.
“Good evening, everyone. I am afraid to inform you that one of our ovens has unfortunately blown up and is no longer able to be used.” He says.
That explains the smoke everyone briefly saw before the kitchen’s door closed.
“Due to this matter; we must evacuate everyone here at the restaurant as of right now, for yours and our staff’s safety. I am sorry for this troubled news and hope you all find another way to enjoy the rest of your night. Our staff will escort you all out safely. Thank you for coming and once again; my apologies.” The manager adds before heading back inside the kitchen.
Mac and Riley look at each other and sigh in annoyance as they hear everyone leave their booths and head for the exit - while quietly complain and moan about how their night has been ruined.
“So much for dinner.” Riley sadly joked but neither her or Mac were happy about this.
This was a unfortunate setback they didn’t see coming.
“Yeah.” Mac replied in a sad tone, nodding at her.
“We should get going.” Riley says, grabbing her purse.
The two get up and leave, holding each other’s hands as they make their way towards the exit.
Once outside; they head towards Mac’s truck.
Riley can see Mac thinking as they walked and she figured he was blaming himself for what happened to their date, even though she knew it wasn’t his fault.
“You know it’s not your fault, right ?” Riley says.
Mac looks at her as they continue walking and holding hands.
“I know. It’s just... I didn’t want our date to go like this, you know ? I know I said we should be ourselves, so we didn’t have to feel nervous or awkward around each other but I also wanted our first date to be special and rememberable. Something we would talk about to people we know in the future and look back on it as one of the many happy experiences we will have together.” Mac tells her.
“I know, Mac. I wanted it to be special and something to remember as well but there’s nothing we can do now. Maybe we should just call it a night and head home ?” She suggests.
But Mac didn’t like that idea.
He wasn’t giving up that easily and quickly enough; a idea came into his head.
“No.” He simply replied.
“No ?” Riley asks.
“No, we shouldn’t call it a night. This our first date. Our night and I think I know just how we’re gonna save our date.” Mac says.
“How ?” She asks him.
Mac winks at her and smiles.
“You’ll see. Come on.” He tells her, leading to her truck.
While a tiny bit confused; Riley couldn’t stop forming a smile.
She was very curious how their date was gonna be saved and knowing Mac too well; he would find a way.
AT MAC AND RILEY’S SAFE SPACE... THE ARCADE...
Mac and Riley were full of smiles - especially Riley as she and Mac were at their safe space, which was the arcade.
Riley continuously asked Mac during the drive to the arcade where they were going, since she didn’t know at the time but Mac kept quiet and wouldn’t give in.
He just drove with a smirk and a smile on his face, which made Riley very curious.
When they did arrive outside the arcade; Riley immediately looked at him in surprise and questioned him what they were doing at the arcade.
Mac simply replied with “Follow me.” before getting out if the truck, with Riley doing the same.
They saw up ahead the manager closing up the place but just before he locked the doors; Mac pleaded and bribed the guy to let him and Riley have the place to themselves for at least a hour or two.
Not one to refuse money; the guy happily took Mac’s money and let them in.
The two grabbed a slice of pizza each and played Skee Ball.
Riley was of course kicking Mac’s ass at it, like she always did.
“I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, Mac; It’s all in the wrist.” Riley teased and reminded him as she scored another point proudly with a smile.
“I know I can get this by simply using a math equation. I know it.” Mac says, still thinking and believing his way will work.
He aimed for the fifty slot and threw the ball into the machine but it unfortunately missed and instead hit the ten slot.
Mac watched in silence while Riley gleefully cheered and raised her hands in the air.
“Oh yes ! Eat it, MacGyver.” Riley mocked him proudly as she won the game.
She leaned on his shoulder as he stared at the machine.
“I believe there’s something you want to say to me ?” She asked with a smirk.
He knew what she was referring and sighed.
He moved away and turned to face her.
“Ok. You are still the undefeated queen champion of Skee Ball and I bow down to you.” Mac says, bowing his head and placing his hand on his stomach.
“Why, thank you.” Riley gladly accepted with a smile and waved her hand at him.
The two remembered them doing this exact thing before.
It was one of the happy moments they shared with each other and this will be the same as well.
Once Mac looked back up at her; the two smiled.
“Thank you for all of this, Mac. You didn’t have to do this but i’m glad you did. You improvised and saved our date.” Riley says.
“Anything for us, Riles.” Mac replies.
The two then lean in and press their lips together for a passionate kiss.
That feeling of warmth, passion, desire and most importantly; love had returned inside of them as they kissed.
Once their lips departed; they smile at each other.
“Now, let's play another game of Skee Ball. I feel like going on a winning streak.” Riley suggested with a smirk on her face.
The two start another game of Skee Ball, with Riley’s first throw landing in one of the one hundred slots in the top right corner.
“Oh, come on...” Mac says.
“Ha ha, yes !” Riley cheered.
The end.