Brick By Brick (Sequel)

Stand Up

"Eww get a room!" I shielded my eyes from the horror that awaited me at the bottom of the stairs, sidestepping my way to the breakfast bar.

Alexis laughed and sat next to me. "You're 22. Please tell me you're not still grossed out by kissing."

"I am when it's them!" I retaliated, spinning in my barstool. Rick now had his arms around Kate's stomach, and there they stood, embracing and laughing at me.

"You know, sex is actually healthy," Rick smirked.

"Well then go to your bedroom and I will personally padlock the door," I barked.

"Okay," Alexis sipped at coffee, "even I'm getting uncomfortable now."

We both spun in our chairs and attempted to ignore the goings-on behind us. "So..." she began. "Any men in your life?"

"Well...not really."

"Not really? That means something." My sister nudged me with her shoulder.

My thoughts immediately drifted to Foster. But he isn't really "a man in my life" he's just a guy who decided to trip over himself and fall into me so he could ask me on a date. But he's the closest I've ever been to something since before my life turned upside down. But it's still not anything at all.

"I don't know," I responded honestly.

"Oooh! I don't know. That's even closer to a maybe! What's he like?"

"I don't know," I repeated, but after a dissatisfied glare from Alexis, I added, "He's nice I guess."

She smirked. "Go on..."

"Well, he has shaggy blonde hair. Kinda tallish. Talks like an Oxford scholar just for fun. And I'm pretty sure he ran into me on purpose just so he could ask me out."

"What?" she laughed.

I rolled my eyes as I told the story. "He tripped over something and fell on top of me, pinning me to the ground. He gave me this cheesy pick-up line and said that in order to 'make it up to me' he had to take me out to dinner."

"Well, did you say yes?"

"No!"

"Why not??"

"Well at first I said no, and then I said no again, and finally we just settled on coffee instead of dinner...I don't know, it's weird."

"Oooooh! Sounds like a beautiful love story to me. I say go for it."

"We're not in love," I argued.

"What's his name?" Alexis ignored my statement.

"Foster."

"Foster Brock?" Kate piped in. "The new intern at the precinct?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You have been acting a bit distracted recently..." Kate taunted.

"No, I haven't because nothing has changed."

"Why are you being so defensive? He seems like a good kid."

"It's a rule not to date coworkers, remember?" I sassed pointedly, smirking at Castle.

"Sometimes breaking the rules is worth it," Castle commented, looking at Kate with gross goo-goo eyes.

"No. Not gonna happen," I retorted.

"Don't dismiss it so easily," Kate urged. "Sometimes the best things happen in the most unexpected ways."

"Whatever," I slid out of my chair and grabbed my bag. "While you guys dawdle and write fantasies, I'm going to go do my job."

"It's Saturday."