Blown Away

The Beginning

The ride back to his house was filled with laughter. Steve tried his best to make her forget about the talk she just had with the team. He hated seeing her upset. They talked about everything, from cars to Grace, even about Danny and his antics.

Soon they were at his house and, for some reason, he didn't want to leave her just yet.

- "Thanks for the ride. You really didn't have to."

- "I know, but it was no trouble. Like I said, I was coming this way anyhow, so..."

- "Hey, since you said that you were getting hungry, how about I cook us dinner? As a thank you for everything you did today, plus the ride home? It's the least I can do."

- "You really don't need to. It's fine."

- "I know I don't need to, but I want to. Please?"

- "Sure. Why not? It will be nice to have company for dinner for a change." – Her shy smile melted his heart. Dear Lord, what was happening to him?

Summer grabbed her bags from the backseat of the Impala and walked up to the front door following Steve closely. Steve showed her around and told her to make herself comfortable while he started taking care of dinner. "Maybe if I focus on dinner, I won't be tempted to do something stupid.", he thought, glancing back at the living room where Summer was standing, looking around.

He pulled two steaks from the fridge and everything needed to make a salad. He had just finished seasoning the steaks and was in the process of putting them in the oven when she walked in the kitchen.

- "Your house is beautiful. I would kill, not literally of course, for that backyard."

- "Thanks. This was my parents house. After my dad died, it became mine, being the oldest and all. And you're right, that backyard is pretty awesome. Since I swim every morning before going to work, it's a lot easier to have the ocean just outside my back door."

- "It's funny because I can see the ocean from my backyard, but I still have to drive a couple of miles to get there. I really love the water. I go for a swim everyday after work. And I'm thinking about learning how to surf as well. I mean, when in Rome, you know?"

- "If you want, I can teach you. I tried teaching Danny, but he's pretty much a lost cause. Kono also tried and she agrees with me, so... But, seriously, if you want, I think it would be fun." – He didn't even think about what he was saying. All he heard was an opportunity to spend more time with her and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to take it.

- "You really don't mind? I mean, it would be tricky with my schedule and yours, but if you think we can make it work, I would really like that."

- "Yeah, it will be fine. We'll work around our schedules and we'll meet up on our day off. Don't worry, we'll make it work." – Summer couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not only was she getting surf lessons, but she was going to be spending a lot more time with him. "What's wrong with you? That's Danny's best friend. Do you want to give him a heart attack?", Summer thought, knowing very well that she could never pursue whatever feelings she could be developing for Steve.

Steve was determined to make it work. He was already figuring out how to make it work around their schedules, while preparing the salad. He took the tray of steaks out of the oven and by the time he went to cut them, he was so deep in thought that ended up cutting his hand.

- "Crap!!!"

- "Wow. Here, put some pressure on it." – She gave him a towel as he puts his hand under water to help stop the bleeding.

- "I'll be fine. Just a small cut."

- "Let me see." – As soon as their hands touched it was like everything else disappeared. Their eyes were locked on each other and they both could feel an electrical tingle all over their bodies, their breaths hitched on their throats.

Summer was the first to come back to reality. She looked down at his hand, trying to make sure he couldn't see the effect those few seconds had on her. She could feel the callouses, made from years of gripping a gun, under her fingertips as she examined his cut. She wondered what it would be like to feel them against her skin. "Knock it off!", she told herself, "Focus on the cut."

Steve, quietly, let a breath he didn't know he was holding escape his lips. "What the hell was that?", he thought. He didn't know if he should be upset that she averted her eyes or grateful that she did, because he was definitely on the verge of kissing her, already starting to lean into her when she looked away. His train of thought was interrupted by Summer clearing her throat.

- "Where's your first aid kit?" – She was still blushing. That just made his heart quicken its pace even more.

- "Here, under the sink."

- "Okay, lets see what we got." – Summer quickly pulled out everything necessary to clean and close the cut on his hand and placed it on the countertop. Thankfully it didn't need any stitches and it just so happens that he had some surgical glue, which would make closing the cut that much easier.

She took his hand and dried off the wound. Then she disinfected and glued the cut shut. A tight bandage around the cut and hand and he was done. It was during situations like this that she was grateful that her dad made her take a first aid seminar at the firehouse.

To say he was impressed, was an understatement. She had been quick but methodical in taking care of his wound. Even though it wasn't a deep cut, it still needed attention and she definitely knew what she was doing.

- "Where did you learned how to do that?" – He asked her. The bandage looked like he had gone to the hospital, that's how good it was.

- "My dad made me take a first aid seminar at his firehouse. He wanted to make sure I knew how to help someone or myself, just in case. It has been really useful a couple of times."

After that, they both decided to forgo the steaks and just order a pizza instead. They spent dinner talking and just enjoying each other's company. Eventually it was time for Summer to call it a night and go get some rest. After all, she had to work the next morning.

They said their goodbyes and soon Summer was driving home. The events of the night kept replaying in her mind, one in particular. The way their eyes locked, it felt like the entire world had disappeared even if it was for just a couple of seconds. And she could swear that, just before she looked away, she saw him starting to lean in.

What was that about? She was sure she was imagining things, but what if she wasn't? Could it be possible that he was also starting to have feelings for her? No, no way. "Come on, that man can have any girl in this island. Why would he risk getting killed by Danny?", she thought.

She got home and decided not to give any more thoughts to the whole situation. "If anything has to happen, then it will happen.", she thought, while starting her bedtime routine. With that in mind, she took a shower and went to bed.

Across town, Steve was starting to clean up. He didn't let Summer help, it was the least he could do after ruining the steak dinner with a freaking cut to his hand. But even though he was focused on the task at hand, his mind was going over the events of the evening.

He was definitely dancing with danger. He was starting to have feelings for Summer and it was dangerous. If Danny ever found out, he could lose not just his best friend but the man he considers a brother, a little girl that's like a niece to him and the girl he's falling for.

"Crap!!! You're definitely falling for her. Now what?", he thought. It wasn't like he could just come out and say it, no, that would just be worse. He had to keep it to himself. He wasn't willing to lose the family that he had "adopted" when Danny became his partner. With that final thought, Steve made his way to his room and went to sleep.