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“Here you are, Molly.”
Sherlock had chosen the restaurant because it was tranquil, efficient, and unlikely to contain anyone he had previously insulted in a way that would interrupt their evening.
Molly knew all of this because he told her as he pulled out her chair. “How very romantic.”
“I prefer practical.”
“Mm…” She nods. “Romantic and practical are first cousins.”
He looked at her then, astute eyes catching on the corner of her mouth. “You’re teasing me.”
She giggles behind her hand. “I’ve waited years to do it properly.”
That should have made him look away. Instead, he stayed there, watching her as if she were a problem he had no intention of solving too quickly.
“Did I succeed?”
“Indeed.”
The table between them nearly swallowed by their two menus, one flickering electronic candle, and a silence that seemed to suit them as they kept catching each other’s gaze before ordering.
Dinner was largely normal, which made it all the stranger. Well at least normal for them. She babbled on about exciting finds in cadavers and the gossip and rumors. He corrected the waiter’s pronunciation of bouillabaisse, which is when Molly stepped on his foot under the table and scowled at him. He looked offended, then absolutely delighted, which confused the both of them as they cleared their throats, the waiter, too.
Afterward, he walked her home without a fanfare about it, their, hands brushing each other and laughing twice so their shoulders touched. Upon arriving at her door, Molly searched for her keys and looked up with a radiant smile when she found him watching her again. “What?”
“I’m attempting, I think, not to be abrupt.”
She giggled again. “That sounds painful.”
“It is.”
Her laugh this time came out much softer than intended, almost sultry if ever she thought she was capable of such a thing.
Sherlock stepped closer, a dazed expression on his face as if he wasn’t sure why he had. He looked at her again as she were a flame and he was a moth caught in her enchantment.
“Molly Hooper,” he said, almost sultry, if he ever thought he was capable of such a thing.
And then, with a surprised gasp from them both he kissed her. Slightly awkward, as they were both so astonished it took a moment for them to get their lips lined up right. His hand came to her jaw, and he moaned, and Molly kissed him back after that with all the longing she’d built up after the years she’d known him.
Parting, they looked at each other’s lips, studying them in wonder.
“We should continue this experiment inside if you are amiable, Molly Hooper.”
“So amiable!” And they were kissing again.