"I'll be right back..."

I sit down, barely catching the last words of her sentence as she walks out the door. For a second, I thought my hearing was going out again but then I realize it wasn't. She had left without finishing explaining to me where she was going.

So I wait.

...
see, the heart that you helped to mend
was broken by a friend
your kind, kind words
i'm sorry, but they're hurting me
love letters that i've never sent
hidden from your eyes again
you never seem to notice
but to others it's so plain to see
now it's time to tell the truth
i wish i could, baby, say that i love you
...

Seems like I've been doing that a lot lately. No, not lately. I've been doing that since the day I met her. Since I met her at that seedy nightclub she danced at, I have been waiting. I waited for her to finish college, I waited for her to join the lab, I waited for her to finish enough cases so that she could work full-time with me, I waited for her to come to my place everytime she had a fight with Eddie, I waited for her to finally wake up and realize Eddie didn't deserve her...

I've been waiting for a long time.

...
when you're in love with someone
dreaming of a tender touch
yeah, i love you so much
to be friends is not enough
when you're in love with someone
i don't know what to do
...

And now that I'm sitting here alone in the break room, I realize I am still waiting. Eddie is out of the picture, she is still working with me and she is now one of my closest friends, if not the closest. But it just isn't enough. I am still waiting for more.

I wonder if she knows that. I wonder if she knows how long I've been waiting. I wonder if she knows that I still am waiting.

My thoughts are cut short by the sound of her heels coming towards the doorway. I look up just as she appears with that same smile she left with just a moment ago. I smile back, though I'm sure we're smiling for completely different reasons. My smile is for her, and her alone. Her smile? Well, I don't know. I'm tempted to ask but instead, I opt to do what I do best -- wait.

I wait for her to tell me what's brought that stunning smile onto her face tonight.

...
my emotions cover me
like a ship lost at sea
i'm waiting for the one who
will fill my destiny
in my mind you undress
i touch you with tenderness
i open up my eyes, i can't believe
you're right in front of me
i can feel that you see my pain
then you say with a smile
that you feel the same
...

But instead of saying anything, and explaining to me with words why she is so happy, she comes over to me and hugs me. She can't see right now but I'm still smiling.

Without a word, she's just told me that she knows how long I've waited. She knows how long I'm willing to wait.

Without a word, she's told me that I don't have to wait anymore.

...
when you're in love with someone
dreaming of a tender touch
yeah, i love you so much
to be friends is not enough
when you're in love with someone
i don't know what to do
'cause that someone is you
...

*THE END*