Reborn in Castle (TV show)

[7 PM]

Travis stood outside Kate's apartment door at exactly seven, one hand in his pocket while the other adjusted the cuff of his blue suit for what had to be the fifth time in the last minute.

He pressed the doorbell.

A few seconds later, the lock clicked.

The door opened.

And Travis completely forgot whatever smooth line he had prepared during the drive over.

Kate stood there in a hot red dress that hugged her body perfectly before stopping just above her knees. The neckline dipped enough to immediately destroy his concentration, while the heels added just enough height to make her legs look unfairly long. Her makeup stayed elegant instead of overdone, though the red lipstick absolutely did not help his situation.

For one dangerous second, his brain stopped functioning properly.

'HOLY SHIT!'

Kate noticed instantly.

'He likes it. Thank god, I didn't go with the purple one.' A slow smirk appeared on her lips while she leaned lightly against the doorframe. "Too much?" she asked, clearly enjoying every second of his reaction.

Travis cleared his throat quickly and forced his eyes upward with visible effort.

"Too ho... Ahem!" He straightened slightly before trying again with far more dignity than he actually felt. "I mean, you look really gorgeous tonight."

'Yeah, you look hot too.' Kate chuckled softly, pleased with herself now. "That recovery almost worked."

"Almost?" Travis repeated while shaking his head once. "I'm standing here fighting for my life professionally."

"That sounds dramatic."

"You opened the door looking like that. I think dramatic is justified."

The smile lingering on Kate's lips softened slightly after hearing that. She reached toward the small rack beside the entrance, grabbed her purse, then stepped outside and locked the apartment behind her.

"Shall we?" she asked.

Travis looked at her for another second before finally nodding. "Yeah," he admitted honestly. "Before I embarrass myself further in your hallway."

Kate laughed again while walking beside him toward the elevator. "You know, for someone who usually talks nonstop, you got quiet very fast."

"That's because I had a spiritual experience when you opened the door."

She looked over at him immediately, amused. "A spiritual experience?"

"I saw the gates of heaven for a second there."

Kate rolled her eyes, though the laugh she tried hiding ruined the effect completely. "You really don't know when to stop."

"Nope."

The elevator doors opened, and both of them stepped inside together.

Kate leaned lightly against the side wall while Travis pressed the lobby button. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The confined space suddenly felt much smaller than usual.

Kate glanced toward him again. "You clean up pretty well yourself, by the way."

Travis looked down at his suit briefly before giving her a small grin. "Thank you. I was kinda confused between blue and black. But in the end, I went with blue."

"Glad you chose blue, it suits you," She replied.

The elevator continued downward.

Travis looked at her again, slower this time. "Seriously though," he said quietly, "you really do look amazing tonight."

That one landed differently from the teasing.

Kate met his eyes for a moment before answering more softly herself. "Thank you."

The elevator doors opened into the lobby a second later, saving both of them from sitting in that moment too long.

As they walked outside together, Kate noticed the Aston Martin parked along the curb and immediately slowed. She looked from the car to Travis. Then back to the car again.

"You brought an Aston Martin?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Travis opened the passenger door for her with a completely innocent expression. "What? I figured the occasion deserved something slightly nicer than the Ducati."

Kate stared at him suspiciously while stepping closer to the car. "Wilson, exactly how many expensive surprises are you hiding?"

He rested one arm lightly against the roof. "Enough to keep life interesting."

"That is not an answer."

"It's the only answer you're getting tonight."

Kate sighed dramatically before sliding into the passenger seat. "One day I'm getting a full explanation out of you."

Travis closed the door gently before walking around toward the driver's side. "Maybe," he replied as he got inside. "But if I told you everything too early, you'd lose your favorite hobby."

Kate adjusted the seat slightly before looking toward him again. "And what hobby is that?"

Travis started the engine, then looked sideways at her with a grin.

"Trying to figure me out."

...

[15 minutes later]

The restaurant Travis chose was called Red Lantern.

Warm amber lights glowed softly behind wooden panels, and quiet instrumental music filled the dining area along with murmurs of conversation. The restaurant had a comfortable atmosphere.

Kate noticed the details right away. The polished dark wood tables. The hanging red lanterns overhead. The handwritten menu specials near the kitchen wall.

"This place actually looks impressive," she admitted while sitting across from him inside the booth.

Travis leaned back comfortably while opening the menu. "Told you."

A waiter arrived a minute later with water glasses and menus. Travis glanced toward Kate. "Ladies first."

Kate looked through the menu carefully for a few seconds before deciding. "I'll take the crispy honey walnut shrimp, vegetable fried rice, and chili garlic noodles." She handed the menu back. "And a glass of Cabernet."

The waiter nodded before turning toward Travis.

"I'll go with the Szechuan beef, pork dumplings, and smoked soy lo mein." Travis closed his menu. "Same wine."

Once the waiter walked off toward the kitchen, Kate rested one elbow lightly against the table while studying him with growing amusement.

"So," she said, "you remembered that I love Chinese food?"

Travis smiled faintly. "I love Chinese food and I saw you devour those late-night Chinese takeouts during overtime case work." He picked up his water glass casually. "So, I decided to choose something we both like for our first date."

Kate's brows lifted immediately. "Don't tell me you're already thinking of somewhere different for the next date."

Travis leaned back slightly with a small grin. "Is there going to be a second date?"

"Depends on how good the food is," She replied.

"That's cold," he replied.

"That's standards."

Travis laughed quietly before nodding toward the kitchen. "Trust me, you want an authentic experience, this is where you'll get it."

Kate tilted her head slightly. "So how many girls did you bring here before me?"

"None actually," Travis answered immediately. "I ate here once last month and really liked the food."

Kate narrowed her eyes slightly like she was checking for lies.

"You're serious."

"Yep."

"That's either surprisingly honest or a really smooth answer."

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment."

The conversation flowed naturally after that.

The food arrived steaming hot across several plates spread between them. The honey walnut shrimp carried a sweet crispy glaze with roasted walnuts scattered over the top, while the garlic noodles filled the air with enough spice to make anyone cry after one bite.

Kate picked up her chopsticks and tried the shrimp first.

Then she paused.

Her eyes widened just slightly before she looked back at Travis across the table.

"Okay," she admitted reluctantly, "this is really good."

Travis looked far too satisfied hearing that. "Thank you. I take my food recommendations very seriously."

"You should." She pointed lightly at him with her chopsticks. "Because if this place sucked, I absolutely would've held it against you."

"That feels unfair considering I survived being interrogated by you all day already."

Kate laughed softly before taking another bite.

The conversation kept shifting naturally between cases, old stories from the precinct, terrible coffee inside evidence rooms, and Castle somehow turning nearly every crime scene into book material within five minutes.

At some point, though, Kate noticed the topic she had been quietly circling around all evening.

Lanie.

She lowered her wine glass slowly before asking carefully, "So… where exactly do things stand between you and Lanie?"

The question hung there for a second.

Travis rested his chopsticks down beside his plate before leaning back slightly in the booth. The teasing edge he usually carried softened a little.

"It was going well for a while," he admitted honestly. "But she doesn't want anything serious. Even after all this time." He glanced briefly toward the table before looking back at Kate again. "So after I brought up the relationship talk, she wanted some time to think."

Kate listened quietly.

Travis let out a small breath through his nose. "It's been a month since then."

Kate's expression softened slightly. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well," he replied with a faint shrug, "we talk every now and then, but no answer yet." A small tired smile appeared briefly. "So, I guess, it's a no."

For a moment, the mood between them became quieter.

It wasn't awkward...

...Just honest.

Kate studied him carefully. For someone who joked through nearly everything, there was surprisingly little bitterness in his voice. Mostly disappointment. Maybe resignation too.

"You really liked her," she said softly.

Travis looked down at his wine glass for a second before answering. "Doesn't matter."

Kate stayed quiet after that, though something in her expression changed slightly, hearing his reply. 'Lanie, you stupid girl. He really cared about you... probably still does, and you just had to do that, friends with benefits thing. Well, hope you don't get jealous because I think Travis and I have a thing going on between us. I feel so comfortable with him. It feels like we can talk about anything we want and... he makes me smile every day. I don't know how anyone could say no to that.'

Then Travis looked back up at her with a faint grin returning slowly. "Anyway," he said lightly, "this is probably not the world's greatest first-date topic."

Kate smiled softly. "No," she admitted. "Probably not."

"But," Travis added while holding her gaze, "I'm still glad I'm here with you tonight."

...

[Later that night] [Back to Kate's apartment]

Kate unlocked the apartment door and pushed it open before turning back toward Travis with a soft smile still lingering on her lips. "Tonight was really great," she said. "I really enjoyed it."

Travis stood just outside the doorway with one hand tucked into his pocket while he looked at her for a second longer than necessary.

"Me too," he admitted quietly.

For a few seconds, neither of them moved.

It felt like both of them were searching for the right thing to say next, something that could either end the night properly or keep it going a little longer.

Travis finally rubbed the back of his neck once before giving her a small nod.

"So," he said calmly, "see you tomorrow."

Kate looked at him for another second before speaking.

"You want to come in?"

That caught his attention immediately.

"I mean," she continued while brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "if you're not busy, maybe we can watch the new Alien movie together? I rented it last week and never got the chance to watch it. So..."

"Yeah, I'm free," Travis replied with a nod.

"C'mon in," Kate said as she walked inside and switched on the lights.

Travis entered and closed the door. Then both of them took their shoes off.

"So, you're an Alien fan?" He asked as he followed Kate to the living room.

"Yeah, I love the series."

"I'm surprised. I thought you liked Die Hard more. I wonder what else you're keeping from me, Detective."

Kate turned around and looked at him with that smirk. "Who knows? It's a secret."

"Well, using my words against me... Huh?"

"Learned from the best..."

[20 advance chs] + [Modern Family: 22 chs Early access]