Going Places

The couch is so comfortable, with the bluish flicker of the telly and Jim's arm wrapped around my shoulders. I look up at his face and smile. Even now, preoccupied by 'Glee', his eyes are brilliant. I can almost see the wheels turning in his brain. He's clever, I know, so clever. And good-looking...everything I like about You-Know-Who, with the added bonus of being nice to me.

He notices me staring. "Yea?"

"Just thinking."

His posture straightens, and his eyes are now on me in that way he has of making me feel like the only person in the world. "About what?"

I bite my lip. What should I say? "Us."

"Us?"

"Well, yea. You know-" but before I can continue, Toby jumps into Jim's lap, making him start. "Toby!" I scold, but I'm smiling. Toby likes him, too.

Except Jim's wincing. Just for a second. I blink, and his face is normal.

"Oh, did he claw you?"

He manages a smile. "No," he runs a hand down Toby's sleek back, and I know I must be imagining the cat's fur raising. "I love cats."

"Me, too!" My voice comes out at a squeaky register, and then I realise how stupid that sounded. "Well, obviously. I mean, I have one."

Jim smiles again, eyes sparkling. "Toby, right?" He looks down at the cat in his lap. "I've heard a lot about you!"

I laugh, because I thought I was the only one who talks to animals, and Jim's voice was so ridiculous. They both look at me, Jim bemusedly and Toby...well, I must have scared him with the sudden sound, as his fur is definitely raised and he has that "I'm-going-to-go-kill-some-cute-furry-animal-and-leave-it-on-your-pillow" look in his eye. Before I can do anything, though, the cat dashes off, leaving me and Jim staring at each other happily.

"You were saying?" He gives me an enigmatic smile that sends my heart thudding.

"I'm sorry?" I say, trying to sound more in control of my breathless voice than I am.

"About...us?" The way he says it, I don't know if he loves it or loathes it, but he's looking at me like that again, and I can't imagine anything but the first.

But there's still a shadow in the back of my mind. "It's not just a little office romance, is it?"

Jim gives me a knowing look. "No. It's not."

"Well, in that case..." I lean forward and give him a quick kiss, which he catches and lengthens.

Just a few heartbeats, and we pull apart. His eyes are gleaming, and I see he's thinking again. "You and I are going places, Molly Hooper," he murmurs.

I sigh contentedly and settle against him.