ocean eyes ☼ neal caffrey

e i g h t

I snuck out of Neal's apartment early this morning, making my way over to the store. I sat on the couch and unpacked the boxes, just as the bell by the door rang. I look over to see Neal walking in, two coffees in his hands. "You snuck out last night?" He questioned, handing me the cup of coffee.

"Early this morning. I forgot I had some boxes that I had to unpack."

"Could've stayed for breakfast."

"I wasn't hungry."

"You should be after last night." I looked up, the look of amusement on my face.

"Did you come here to critique my eating habits or...?" I chuckled, waiting for an answer. There's no way he'd come just to say hi.

"I'm joking. I actually wanted to cook you dinner tonight. Before, it's always been takeout and what not. Diana thinks you'd be impressed."

"Does she now?" Neal simply shrugged, a grin on his face.  "Okay, I'm in."

Neal got home and immediately changed into something more comfortable. He got out everything he needed, determined to make this dinner perfect. He kept looking at the clock, keeping track of time. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He had cooked for previous dates like Diana (even though it wasn't a real date), and Sara. He never received a single complaint, yet he was nervous.

Just as he did the finishing touches, there was a knock at his door. She was here.

"It's open!" He yelled just as he put the plates down.

Juliana took a deep breath, instantly smelling the delicious food that was prepared. "It smells so good in here!" She tells him, grinning at the blue-eyed man. 

"It's a very nice Halibut with a mango chutney."

"Sounds absolutely incredible. And because you made dinner, I made dessert."

"What did you make?"

Juliana chuckled. "Okay, maybe I didn't make it, but I brought the best brownies ever made in New York City."

"That's a bold statement."

"You'll see how good they are after we eat this wonderful meal you prepared."

"So what was the plan if the FBI didn't let you off your anklet?" I glance up at Neal to see a sad look on his face. He was quiet. "You were planning on running, weren't you?" I scoffed.

"All the other times I was promised my freedom, something would happen and I wouldn't be free. How would I know it wouldn't happen again?"

"I read that contract. Peter wasn't joking when he said it was ironclad. There was no way that the FBI could say no."

"I didn't want to be on a leash for the rest of my life."

"You wouldn't have! Knowing Peter, he would've fought for you. He always fought for you! That's what hurts me the most. My brother always looked out for you. Did he sometimes jump to conclusions that were wrong? Yes. But at the end of the day, you were more like his friend than a CI." I argued and sighed, turning around to look at the skyline. I needed to calm myself down.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." He professed.

"And yet, you did." I felt tears flood my eyes, Maybe it's better to be alone. Nobody can hurt you that way.