haunted by the ghost of you
this was inspired by the brilliant @hundan last fic called 'Boxed-In' and all of these ramblings are dedicated to her. A genius writer, a kind soul and just extraordinary. Love you.
Set in 13x17.
°°°
For the first time in months, all was going pretty smoothly in Anthony DiNozzo’s life. The case at work had wrapped up relatively easily, his boss had let them go home early and most important of all - he was getting some tonight.
Her name was Leah. He met her last week through a common friend and yeah, he'd felt pretty smug that she'd clearly fancied him from the start. Blond beauty, great smile and stunning blue eyes that could capture anyone that looked at them for too long. First triple-T he'd find since... well since about three years ago. Tall, tasty and trust-funded, it was all a guy could ask for himself.
Not that it mattered that he didn't know anything else about her, where she worked or where she was from, it was usually better this way. Talking was overrated and even if he got interested in those things, he could always just ask her about it. McOprah had poked fun at him earlier because he usually didn't talk to the girls he dated, and he'd brushed him off thinking what was the point of getting interested in details when he could learn about them later on?
His therapist had advised him to open his horizons and think about the possibilities within his reach, and what a better situation than to date a gorgeous woman and have some indulgent sex for a change? Leah was blond and easy and fancied him, exactly the opposite of her. She was just perfect. He made reservations on Fiola's at 7:00. This night would be great.
Tony smiled to himself as he arranged the cold wine and matching glasses on his coffee table and put the Sinatra music sheet within reach for later that evening. If he was going to do this, he might as well do it right and impress her with some romance-filled atmosphere. He might enjoy the presence of the ladies, but that didn't mean he would treat his dates poorly. Especially after so many years of not touching the matter - Zoe being the one exception of his attempts in finding 'love'; which only he knew how poorly that had ended up - he was a little bit rusty with all the dating maneuvers and it was easier to be safe than bad at it.
And so he tested the fireplace and saw that it was working just fine, which made his smile widen satisfied. He'd foregone his rule of not inviting his date at his place long ago, since he realized it was better to have control of the situation than to depend on others to control his reality, his choices on things. Well, since she...
Tony stopped humming and quickly changed his train of thought, something that came easily to him now. He mentally made a note to show that off to his therapist, something they'd been working on for months then.
"What do you think of that, Kate?" he said as he poured her food on the bowl.
Tony clicked his tongue and surveyed his apartment, now very nice with the piano lid open and the candles he'd arranged around the living room to turn it all golden later on.
"Tonight is the night," he exhaled, pleased with his work.
Then he left, humming once again, wondering if Leah would also be pleased.
(continue reading in AO3)
