Lost Too Much

LOST TOO MUCH Chapter 12

Callen drove him and Bronte to a diner that was famous for its steaks. It looked over the beach which made him feel safe. It was strange how he always felt safe at the beach, considering where his own mother had been killed. But it provided him with the chance to blend in with all the activity around him and relax. Watching the waves had a way of soothing his soul over the years, which he had appreciated. They sat opposite each other in a booth by the window. The sun was still peeping over the horizon, emitting a blazing orange glow, just before the darkness took over.

"So how good are their steaks?" Bronte asked him with a smile on her face.

On the drive over, Callen had bragged about this diner's steaks. "The best." He returned her smile, with one of his own. A calmness had returned to him, after he and Bronte had resolved their misunderstanding.

"Well if you say so, but I have been living in New York for many years now and they are well known for their steaks too." She knew she had put a challenge forward to him.

Callen raised his eyebrows in response to her comment. "You'll just have to try it to decide for yourself." He replied. Just thinking of their steaks made his stomach growl again.

Bronte laughed as she heard his stomach. "Okay! I get it."

They ordered and the conversation became silent as they tucked into their steaks. Callen watched Bronte closely, as she cut the first piece off her steak and placed it inside of her mouth. Her eyes lit up with enjoyment and he could hear her succumb to the mouth watering taste of the famous steaks.

"Oh, G! This is really good." She quickly took another bite and amused Callen, who was also filling his belly with the delicious food. Both groaned from over eating as their bellies filled from their very large steak and side salad.

"Are you up for a walk, Bron!" Callen asked her.

"More like a waddle. But yeah! Anything that will make my belly stop hurting so much." Callen had challenged her to eat everything on her plate. It was three times the size of a meal she would normally have eaten. She had taken up the challenge, but now she regretted it.

After Callen had paid their check, he led her outside onto the path by the beach. The air had cooled a little since the sun had gone down. He took his leather jacket off his back and placed it over Bronte's shoulders. She turned and kissed him on the lips, with thanks for his kind gesture.

Bronte had missed this. The moment of being with that someone special and lost with each other, forgetting the world around them. So much of their jobs had taken this away from them, always making sure they were aware of their surroundings at all time. But with Callen she felt relaxed and leaned into him as they walked along the path. Bronte stopped and looked up at the stars, which sparkled in the dark velvet night sky. Callen took this opportunity to capture her neck with his lips, causing a moan from Bronte as he did. "G!" Bronte lowered her face and looked into his eyes. "Thanks."

Callen raised his brow in question.

"For the dinner and this time together. I really needed it."

"You're welcome, Bron." He held her close and they stood like that for a long while, savouring the quietness of the night and the moment of it just being them. Callen led her back to the car and took her home.

"We're not going back to your place?" Bronte had hoped he would take her back to his place. Her mother's house was empty, now her father had returned home to St Tropez.

"No. I don't have a bed for you to sleep on." He admitted.

"What! No bed?" Bronte was shocked by his admission. "But what do you sleep on? And where did Gibbs sleep?"