A week before Nick was due back at work, he stopped by to invite Gil to breakfast. That first time, Gil thought Nick's awkwardness was due to the stress of reconnecting and being back in the lab. He thought that the others were running late, or maybe, had been too busy to join them.
It wasn't until half-way through their second breakfast together that he noticed Nick's earnest smile, and shy gaze weren't the result of worry about resuming his job, but nervousness because this was, in fact, a date, a second date, to which no one else was coming, because Nick hadn't asked anyone but Gil. Surprise and reluctance caused Gil to withdraw, and they parted awkwardly. Gil had assumed that would be the end of his brief and unintended foray into dating.
When Nick showed up again a few days later, and offered to cook Gil breakfast, he accepted, despite his earlier resolve and the fact that after a thirty-eight hour shift at work, the idea was only slightly more appealing than going home and crawling straight into bed. Unfortunately, Gil never got to find out if the meal was worth the detour. His exhaustion, the warmth of Nick's townhouse, the comfortable couch and soft music from the stereo all conspired to lull him to sleep before the coffee was done brewing, prematurely ending their third date.
For their fourth date, Nick pulled a double and joined Gil's team at the warehouse, two and a half miles outside of town. He brought a couple of large sandwiches, sodas and chips from Gil's favorite deli, and they had a small picnic style meal, sitting on crates beyond the perimeter of the crime scene. The conversation was less awkward than usual, since it mostly centered on the case and their coworkers.
Yet, any pretense that this was only a working dinner faded when Nick offered Gil his hand to help him to his feet. Gil took it rather than brush him off and do it himself, and was stunned by the look in Nick's eyes and the intimacy of such a simple gesture. He found himself watching Nick closely as they worked together through Greg and Sara's meal break. It ended up making them both a little self-conscious and jumpy.
By the fifth date, Gil decided to take matters into his own hands, and invited Nick to dinner at his place. He prepared an excellent lasagna, with garlic bread and salads to be finished when Nick arrived. Nick came to the door with a bottle of wine, and Gil exchanged it for a kiss. Dinner was delayed until breakfast, but the date was very memorable.
After that, they stopped counting.